Time to Heal

It’s been a long time since I posted.. basically over a year.

I’ve gone through so much this past year. Torn ankle ligament, torn meniscus and torn hip flexor - these injuries have thrown a huge wrench in my training; but my biggest wrench occured In July 2014 - when I was sexually assaulted.

It feels freeing to finally admitted it, finally speak it! I don’t think I’ve actually spoken those words officially since the day I met with the investigator. I think I was so afraid to say them because I would fear people would think differently of me, I feared people would look at me like I was broken, fragile, frail. I want you to know I'm not broken but I'm strong. 

I believe being sexually assaulted prevented me from running more than my injuries did. It hurt more than tearing any ligament in my body. It hurt more than breaking any bone. It hurt my heart and soul.

As you runners understand running is mental; you hit a distance and you get a flood of emotion, you feel every hurt, every up, every down, every tinge of pain. Your emotions are heightened. Feeling this prevented me from running anything more than 4 miles. 

I don’t want to get into all the details. I’m still not ready to talk about that nor do I think I ever will be  fully ready.

What I want to discuss is healing, my healing.

I felt so terribly broken. I felt destroyed. I felt violated. I felt that all the goodness in me had been taken away. I felt so unhappy. Yet I hid this away from the everyone, I put a smile on my face daily and continued life as you all know it but deep inside a darkness was taking over my happy place and making me feel worthless, small.

That day I changed, I became a different person. Someone stole a piece of me I’ll never be able to get back. They stole a happiness that lives in me. They stole my self worth.

One year ago I learned that not all people are good people but there is still good people in the world.

These past few weeks I’ve managed to lace up my running shoes more often and I’ve even tackled a 10 mile run.

I’ve decided it's time to get back out there and I'm currently training for a full marathon .. I’m ready to put this past year behind me and get out on the trails again.

My runs have been nothing less than emotional but in the emotion I'm finding joy. In the pain I'm finding relief. I'm finally starting to admit what happened to me and I truly believe admitting it is the first step in moving past it. 

I am getting back to the person I once was. The happy, determined, fun Tiara. 

Boston Marathon - Finding Sunlight in Darkness

Yesterday afternoon as I returned back to work from my 5 mile run I noticed that my cell phone was going off like crazy and I did not understand why. I sort of ignored this and continued on with my run but as I entered my companies gym I noticed the TV was on and I saw the Boston Marathon and what appeared to be smoke coming from the finish line.

I immediately panicked a little as I personally knew people running the marathon and I also had twitter friends runner.

As I watched this madness unfold my heart sank and I began to cry as I was deeply saddened that someone would attack something as wholesome and beautiful as a marathon.

A marathon is a time when people from all countries, nationalities and socioeconomic backgrounds to compete in friendly competition. I remember my first marathon and I remember making conversation with some of the people running by me and we talked about where we were from and what type of training we did. Nobody was there to tear another person down or to think you were better than someone. We were there because we trained for months and now we were celebrating our training.

Yesterday someone attacked the Boston marathon. For whatever reason I don’t know, I don’t know if we will ever know. I don’t feel like someone just attacked a group of runners I feel like someone attacked my family.

In the midst of heartache and tragedy the love of humans came out. I saw so many tweets of people in Boston who offered up their homes and restaurants who were offering food to people. I spoke with a friend this morning who said that a lady came out of her house with blankets and coats for runners who had been stopped outside of her house, she didn't want them to go hypothermic from stopping so abruptly. I read of stories of runners continuing on to the hospital to donate blood, so many runners came that they were turning people away. These stories made my heart swell because sometimes we are left to wonder do humans still care for one another and this proves that we do. 

These last 24 hours I have been asked multiple times “do you still want to run Boston” my answer is “Yes, this makes me want to run Boston even more!” 

Alvina Begay a Nike N7 ambassador tweeted last night “If you’re trying to defeat the human spirit, marathoners are the wrong group to target.” This is why I will continue to strive for my dream to run Boston. This tragic incident has made me more determined to reach my goal and to run Boston. Runners of the world must stand united and stand strong at this time let us be empowered by this senseless act and remember what we run for!! 

What Nike Spring Essentials I will be Getting

Spring is in the air and that means new Nike styles are out. This season my must have list is as follows:

The Nike Pro Printed Sports Bra! Who doesn't love a good print!!? I know this girl does!! I love it!! One of my goals this summer is to have abs defined enough to run in sports bra and who wouldn't want to show this beauty off!?!?!?

The Nike Vapor Epic Women's shirt! This is hot. I saw Lakey Peterson wearing one in her NTC app and now I want one. It's cute stylish and could be worn to a campfire at night.

These shorts are so CUTE they are the Nike Icon Woven Print shorts. I want in my wardrobe so bad! 

The Nike Mix and Match Art Women's Training Shirt. I have always wanted to be a beach girl! I think this is what draws me to this shirt so much. It's stylish and will look hot with a sports bra under it. 

I am off to do some damage on my credit card. Hope these give you some inspiration for what should be in your closet as spring arrives.

Training Runs are Learning Runs

Yesterday marked April 1 and that means that my marathon is slowly creeping up on me. In so many ways I am nervous. I have set myself up for a pretty big goal and I don't want to be disappointed in myself. Boston is an extraordinary dream for me.

I keep having this recurring dream where I am running the Calgary Full and I get lost on the course and I find my way back after about a mile but I am crossing the finish line and the time on the timer says “3:35:02” I just fall into a heap of tears on the ground because I missed my qualifying time by 2 one hundredths of a second. All that hard work down the drain.

I am learning to trust in my training. This past weekend I ran my furthest distance since running my first full in October. I ran 19 miles!!

The night before my run I was really nervous, due to my calf injury I was out for a week and so I lowered my carb intake to accommodate this. My first few runs back were kind of tough but I still managed a sub 8 on both of them. My physio and I decided that I wouldn't be running any of my long distances at a sub 8 rather a sub 9 to prevent any further complications with my calf.

200 miles even with a week of no running

I set out for my 19 miles Saturday morning with the sun at my back and knowing that Lauren would be waiting for me at mile 13 to run the last 5 miles with me. Going out I had to stop a few times due to tightness in my calf but nothing serious. I was still running a 8’16”/average mile and was happy with this. It won’t get me a Boston but I know I would run faster on race day.

On our way back Lauren and I hit the HUGE hill in Sandy Beach and normally I can run this hill but this time I had to walk it and from this point on I felt sick and exhausted. I was nauseous and my body was starting to get really cold even though it was beautiful outside. My watch was still ticking away at the time and I didn't want to ruin my average pace so I kept trekking along with Lauren at my side. Around a mile out my watch died and so did I. The wall was too thick for me to break through and I had no other choice but to walk the remaining distances.

Phone died at mile 15.6, where I was getting weak.

I was disappointed with myself and a little angry for not being strong enough to make it through the entire 19 miles. I was mad that I allowed myself to hit the wall, but training runs are training runs. They are not just for training our bodies to run the distance but they are also training for us to learn how to hydrate and fuel properly.

I learned that after mile 17 shot bloks are no longer useful for me. I start taking shot bloks within the first 20 minutes of a run and thereafter every 20-30 minutes I take in blok. This was working for me on my 17 mile less runs but it didn't work for this last run. I think on these longer runs I need more than just shot bloks. This week I am going to cut a bagel up into bite size pieces and when I take a shot blok I will also take a piece of bagel. Hopefully this gives me the energy to fully get through my 20 mile run.

As for hydration, I have no idea why I got so dehydrated. I take in about 2-3 sips of water every mile or so. I allow myself to take water when I need it, but when I got Lauren at the tech shop I was salty and when I got back to the car I was super salty. Meho said I looked kind of like a refuge with the salt caked on my body. I need to find a way to replenish the salt I am losing on these long runs because I only carry water in my camel back but I know I should be in taking electrolytes also.

These runs are learning experiences and for every failure I have on a long run I will turn into a success on race day. 

I have to thank Lauren for getting me through those last 5. They were slow and not very promising but she pulled me through!! I am glad to have such awesome friend. 

What works for you on long runs? What type of energy do you intake? What type of fuel do you use and ho

w often do you hydrate? Leave me a comment or a tweet @TiaraBeth.

Exclusive Serena Williams Content

I have teamed up with Nike Women to bring you exclusive content from Nike Training Club. 

Those of you Nike Training Club enthusiast probably already know that Nike Training Club has teamed up with Serena Williams to bring you an exclusive Serena Williams workout. 

What I adore most about Nike Training Club app is that all the workouts are created by Nike trainers themselves or Nike athelets. These workouts are tried and tested and they work. 

I have been using the NTC app since 2009 and I am well over 14,000 minutes. This app has motivated me to keep pushing through my workouts. With each workout you do you can open more and more exclusive workouts from different trainers and athletes. 

This month the focus is Serena Williams and the workout is AMAZING!! If you want to work your core this is the workout is for you. Grab your iPhone,open your NTC app and download this workout. Get your stability ball and resistance bands ready because this workout is GREAT!!

The Nike Training Club app has helped me get through a marathon and is assisting me through a second. The app has made me stronger, faster and an overall better runner.I hope it does the same for you. 

NikeFuel Band - A Game Changer

Fuel Check

I adore Nike and its products that is no secret but they have one invention that is definitely my beloved products it is something I use and wear on a daily basis, this product has become a second skin to me, it is my NikeFuel band.

Recently I have been getting a lot of questions about my NikeFuel band. I believe it is becoming more widespread in Canada and people are beginning to spot just what it is I have been wearing on my wrist for the past 8 months.

Today while getting ready for my second workout of the day two of my co-workers asked me what I had around my wrist. I am constantly enthusiastic to talk about Nike especially the NikeFuel band.

Lady 1 questioned me if it was a toy, she stated that her daughter has been asking her for one but she has been hesitant to purchase it for her. I was flabbergasted that someone would think the NikeFuel band is a toy.

I told her my story of how the NikeFuel band has improved my life:

Since I received my NikeFuel band 8 months ago I have succeeded in losing 26 pounds, 4 inches around my waist and it has significantly amplified the amount of energy I have. I have gone from loathing morning workouts to falling in love with my morning runs and furthermost I love the person I am becoming – confident, happy and energetic.

Lady 2 asked how a band that goes around my wrist could do all of that for a person.

Last Week's Fuel board

I revealed them how the NikeFuel band works and how I make the world my playground. “Through a sports-tested accelerometer, Nike+ FuelBand tracks your daily activity including running, walking, basketball, dancing and dozens of everyday activities. It tracks each step taken and calorie burned. It also tells the time of day.” I set a daily goal for myself – mine is 4,000 – and the NikeFuel band motivates me to work hard to reach my goal so I can receive achievements and rewards. Not only am I competing with myself to reach my goal on a daily basis but I am also competing with my NikeFuel band friends on Facebook. I hate losing so I don’t like seeing myself not in the top spot of my Fuel Leaderboard and therefore I push myself each day to go above and beyond my daily goal each and everyday. My day doesn't end at 4,000.

It has transformed me from being a person that hated the mornings to a person that loves working out in the mornings. The first thing I do when I wake up is check my NikeFuel band leaderboard. If I am not in the top spot it means there is no time to sleep in and let the day get away on me I have to seize my opportunity to regain the top position. 

Most mornings by the time I am done my workouts and ready to head to work I am sitting around 3,000 NikeFuel just 1,000 off of my goal. By lunch time I am nearing my goal, but does this mean I stop of course not. I grab every opportunity I have to Make It Count, if that means taking 28 flights of stairs, running knee high sprints while I am waiting for my print job, using a bathroom on another floor to walk further. Just because I have a desk job it doesn’t stop me from racking up as much fuel as possible. 

Making all these changes in my life to gain more NikeFuel has helped me achieve my weight loss goals and become the person I want to be.

As I was telling my co-workers about my NikeFuel band they commented that I am very passionate about it and yes I am, but I am passionate about anything that gets people moving because as you can see movement has helped me out a lot.

If you don’t already have a NikeFuel band what are you waiting for? Get yourself a NikeFuel band and join us on Twitter and Facebook for some friendly competition, new friends and fun times.

Speed Work Makes Me Fast

Lately I have been getting people asking me the question “Tiara, how do you run so fast? or Tiara teach me to run fast like you” and I like to tell them I put one foot in front of the other.

I have not always been a fast runner. Remember my marathon that took me 4:35:27 to complete, I wasn’t a fast run, however it was my first marathon.

I remember when I was in elementary and I lived in this little town and everyone was super athletic oriented, we were learning track and field in elementary. I did the 400m sprint and came in well ahead of everyone it was a shining moment for me and I remember people telling my parents that I was a rabbit.

I have always been an endurance athlete, even when I swam my favorite distance was the 1,500 meter but I loved anything over 400 meters and I did well at them.

I decided to blog about this since I get asked this question more than anything else. I do a lot of speed work – this includes intervals, track workouts and tempo runs.

When I do intervals I use the Nike Boom app it is seriously amazing. You set how long you want your run to be and how long you want your interval to be. When I started getting wanting to get faster I would set it at 30 seconds. At first I did intervals on the treadmill and I would set the treadmill to a comfortable run pace for me - that is now 8.5 and I would run at this for 1:30 than for 30 seconds I will go up to 11 on the treadmill. That is what I did to start. Now when I try working on my speed I do it by song. I turn on my headphones and I get on the treadmill for 1 song run comfortable and for a song I run 11 this has really helped me get out of my comfort zone and start running at those faster paces.

Track workouts are also great for increasing speed. I have found a track and to start I would do 400 meter sprint and a 400 meter recovery, so two times around the track, than I would do 800 meter sprints and 400 meter recovery, now I am working on doing a mile sprints and 600 meter recovery. You should be running these uncomfortable for your sprint. When I am done my sprint I am huffing and puffing and want to fall over my abs hurt and sometimes I want to vomit. I grab my water take a few sips do a recovery and I go again. These are amazing and will really help you increase your speed if you do them right.

When I was training for Nike Women’s Marathon tempo runs were my enemy I hated them!! Now they are more like a frenemie. I know how good they are for me but they still make me work. I usually like to run tempos on 4 miles and above run. Always start with a mile warm up and a mile cool down, so if you are planning on doing 4 mile tempo than you are really running 6 miles. Tempos should be ran uncomfortable. A good test to tell if you are running them hard enough is to try and sing the song you are listening to. If you can only get a few words in each sentence out than you are running the tempo correctly, but if you can sing the whole song no problem than you need to push yourself harder. You don’t want to run these at a sprint but you want to run them at an uncomfortable pace. These will really help your body feel what it is like to run faster and eventually they will get easier, when they do you need to push harder.

These are what I do to help myself get faster. I have a goal to run the Nike Women’s marathon at a sub 6 mile. We will see if that happens but that is what my goal is.

I also believe the key to running faster is to listen to your body and know when to slow down and when to go faster. The problem with running faster is that you have the potential to get injured. I have a great physio and massage therapist that I relay on to keep me injury free. My massage therapist massages out all the knots in my muscles using a fascia technique and the physio uses his magic such as laser therapy, ultra sound and electronic therapy to keep my leg muscles in tip top shape and out of injury. For me the first sign of something wrong I call my physio and get right into his office because if my body is signaling it is not right than I do not want to push it and risk injury.

My physio has also said to me that my speed could also be genetic, this is true but I think my next marathon will tell the truth of this. 

Genetics or not if you don’t put in the work you will not get faster. The desire to prepare always beats out talent when talent refuses to prepare.

Ignite~Perspire~Inspire

Non-scale Victory - Mountain Climbers

I get easily discouraged when I don't see the scale moving in a downward direction, it actually can make me very sad. However, I have to remind myself of the non-scale victories that our out there. 

When I first started doing Nike Kinect it called for 20 seconds of Mountain Climbers and I dreaded these, BIG time! I actually hated them. They hurt my shoulders and my arms and abs. I said it is 20 seconds anyone can do anything for 20 seconds. Than they were pushed to 30 seconds and I would get down on the floor and do them for 15 seconds get on my knees for 5 seconds and do another 10 seconds of them and this would be painful. 

Now I am up to 60 seconds of mountain climbers and don't get me wrong they are still a struggle at 60 seconds but Monday in my get strong workout of Nike Kinect training I had to do 30 seconds of them and I was so happy with myself because I held perfect form and did them for the complete 30 seconds! 

We all have non scale victories and sometimes we need to remember these more than the scale victories because they are what truly count in the end.

Day 24 - 30 Day Run Challenge: While running do you use any watches or apps? What technology do you utilize?

While running do you use any watches or apps? What technology do you utilize?

When I run I love using the Nike Running app available on the iPhone and Android or the Nike+ running watch.

I prefer the Nike Running app for shorter runs and when I am not going to be near a computer for an extended period of time. The app automatically updates my runs to Nike+ and twitter right away, allowing my followers to see my runs and see how I did that day. You can also connect your Nike Running app to Path and Facebook and get cheers from your friends as you run, I love this feature you get these cheering clapping sounds as you are running and it really warms my heart knowing my friends are cheering me on from afar.

I am super competitive and this app comes with a feature where you can see your standing with your Nike+ friends. You can see this in a monthly view or a weekly view, this really helps me know when I need to push harder or if I can take a bit of a lighter day. I am really competitive and this fuels me. It also gives you a listing of your runs by month and by year so you can see how you are stacking up against yourself allowing you to have a better month, week, year.

I love the Nike+ watch simply for the convenience. I tend to chafe when I wear an arm band for an extended period of time so the Nike+ watch allows me to track my run without the chafing. The only downfall to the Nike+ watch is you cannot upload your run until you are back at a computer, but that is the only downfall, so I say it is pretty good investment. The Nike+ watch is handy because all the information from your run comes up on your watch so you can see your pace, distance ran and calories burned right on the screen. However, I am a little clumsy and once ran right into a tree while trying to look at my screen haha.

Another favorite feature of the Nike+ watch is the lap function. I love this for track workouts and hill runs. It allows me to see my time on each of my laps and I can push myself harder on the next training run knowing how I did on the last one.

I generally go back and forth between using the two. Now that my runs are getting longer I will be using the watch more frequently since my phone tends to die around the 15 mile mark and if you don’t track it did the run really happen? LOL.

Whatever you decide to use make sure you sign up on Nikeplus so you can compete with your friends in the Nikeplus community. I am always looking for more competition. 

Ignite-Perspire-Inspire

Day 14 - 30 Day Challenge

What was your favorite race you've run?

My favorite race to run is most defiantly the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco, I don’t think any race will be able to compare to this race especially the memories I made on this race. It was also my first marathon and our first anything always sticks with us the most.

The Nike Women’s Marathon was my very first marathon and I ran it as a Nike Women’s Ambassador along with Karen, Elizabeth, Nerissa and Renisha. My Sisters In Nike!!

Nike Women hosted us in San Fran and we stayed at an amazing hotel in the heart of downtown, Sir Francis Drake.

If you ever plan on running the Nike Women’s Marathon make sure you stay downtown close to the expo and NikeTown. The expo is amazing. Saturday morning Karen and I woke up and got to the expo for the opening, it fills up rather fast. We sampled Nuun hydration tabs and I found my favorite one, the iced tea. I have a love of coffee and having this one really helps me push my runs, maybe it is the tiny but of caffeine in it. We also stood in line to get makeovers from Neutrogena and get our hair done by Paul Mitchell but we were running out of time so this didn't happen, even though it would have been pretty cool. The expo for Nike Women’s Marathon is amazing!!

The Nike Women’s Marathon course is a rather hilly to run, if you plan on running it make sure you have hill training done, they are totally do-able but it is far off from being a flat course. 

One of my favorite parts was running through this community after coming up the big hill. I didn't have any friends on course cheering me on and there is so many people outside their houses cheering you on, it was really cool to have encouragement. I also had this habit of queen waving at random people, it made me feel like I had people on course cheering for me haha. 

I remember this one kid was dressed up as Spider-man and he was handing out candy to the runners going by, I thought it was super cute. It was also nice to get something sweet in you along the course he was located around mile 14ish and it was a great pick me up.

There were also awesome signs on course, one of my favorites was "You are NOT almost there" at mile 1. I laughed however if he had that at mile 22 I would have been sad. I also saw one that said "I bought you a car, you can stop running now" I love the encouragement you get on a marathon route, it is nothing like a 10k run. 

The course ends along the ocean. As you run the ocean is on your right side. I wanted nothing more than to run off course and jump in the ocean but that probably wasn't the best idea at the time so I  talked myself out of it.

As you finish the course and come into the finishers shoot and cross that line you are met by the San Fran firemen handing you the coveted Tiffany’s necklace. Honestly, I didn't care about the firemen all I wanted was food and that necklace. 

I think the Tiffany’s necklace is a huge item that sets Nike Women’s Marathon apart from other races out there. It is something I wear often and reminds me of the goal I set for myself and the goal I accomplished. I look at it and it reminds me of the friendships forged that weekend and the memories made. 

I am excited to run Nike Women’s Marathon again in October. Hope to see you there and run it with you!!

Day 8 - 30 Day Challenge

NWM 2012 Tiffany Lunarglides

Show us a picture of your running shoes! What are they and why do you like them?

Yay! Shoes!! I love shoes, whether they are running shoes or dress shoes I just love shoes haha. I don’t just run in one type of shoe I run in two types of shoes and they are Nike!!

For my longer runs I prefer Nike lunarglides. They have more support and are built for those marathon distances!! They feel like you are running on clouds and they are so comfortable on my feet. I have two types of lunarglides; the regular lunarglides and my shield shoes. I use the shield ones for cold snowy days because they are meant for running the elements and I use my regular ones when it isn't so mucky outside. If you try them you will likely fall in love!!

Lunar Shields

For my speed work and shorter runs I prefer running in Nike Montreal’s. These are more of a thinner shoe and they don’t weigh very much, they are perfect for speed work. I wouldn't advise running in these for longer distances unless you are used to a thin shoe. There isn't a ton of cushioning in these so if you are used to a thicker shoe I don’t advise going to these and doing 10 miles right away work your way up. One day I may try running a marathon in these. The moment I tried them on, they quickly became my favorite shoe to run in and I have 4 pairs!!

These are the shoes I run in, but when you are running it is also very important to cross train. I go to the gym and see people doing weights with running shoes and it makes me cringe. Marie Purvis has an amazing article on training or runningshoe and it is defiantly a must read.

For me I prefer the Nike Twist Training Shoe or the Nike Free’s Trainers they give my foot the movement they need without jeopardizing my foot protection. 

My collection of Nike Shoes. I am missing 1 pair from this pic.

Try training in a training shoe and you’ll never go back. After reading Marie’s article I went out and purchased a pair of training shoes and I have never looked back it has changed the way I train and they way my feet feel. They are no happy feet.

16 Days Until I Start Training for Boston Qualifier

In 16 days I start chasing my Boston Marathon Dream. Some say it isn't a dream until you have thought about it for a long period of time. 

I say it is a dream as long as you are determined to reach it.

I am not one of those people that have dreamed of running Boston their entire lives. I have only dreamed of running Boston since I realized I could run a marathon, but Boston is a race I want to run more than any race out there. Boston is the elite races of races, my idols have all ran Boston and I want to push to be like those I look up to.

I start chasing my Boston goals in 16 days. In 16 days I start training for the first of at least 2 marathons maybe 3. How do I feel? Excited!! I love running, I get a rush of endorphin from it and it makes me feel AMAZING, but I am also super nervous too because I know I am putting myself under a lot of pressure to perform. I know where I went wrong in my first marathon and so I am going to take those weaknesses and turn them into strengths I need to work on my pace and on focusing not on the distance I have left but rather making each mile count.

Will I be unhappy with myself if I don’t make it, of course, but knowing that I don’t like to be disappointed it gives me even more of a reason to push harder in my training, so I can push harder in my marathon.

I have given myself two qualifying courses to go off of, the BMO Vancouver Marathon in May and the Nike Women’s Marathon in October. Hopefully if I don’t make one I can make the other.

I found a great plan on the Nike Running Facebook page and plan to use this, incorporate NTC for weights and keep up with my Kinect Training. I also have a pretty strict diet that I am sticking too along the way and not allowing cheat days until my marathons are over. Hopefully all of this combined will help me reach my Boston goal. 

With Nike's new Make it Count Campaign it is really getting me out there to push and make this year count. 

Bring in 2013

Today is December 31^st, 2012. This is the time of year that everyone makes resolutions and usually they break them three months into the year, for that reason I don’t like to make resolutions, rather I like to look back on the year and look at what I did and look towards a new year with new goals.

This time last year I decided that it was time to start feeling better about myself. I challenged myself to do Jeanette Jenkins ab blast workout on the NTC app for the whole month of January; it was rough but totally worth it, for the first time in a very long time I saw changes in my body. Honestly, there were a few times in January that I wanted to give up, but I kept telling myself it is only 15 minutes, you can do anything for 15 minutes. With each week it got easier and easier. I felt my core getting stronger and stronger.

I also said I wanted to run a marathon before my 27^th birthday and I kept putting off looking into running one, until Nike Women contacted me in May and asked me to run the Nike Women’s Marathon. A week before my 27^th birthday I finished my very first marathon. Thanks to the help of Nike Women and Marie Purvis, through Marie's amazing training plan and Nike Women's encouragement I crossed the finish line and at the same time I caught the running bug. Much to my surprise I actually really love running marathons and can't wait to run my next one.

The year brought many wonderful challenges. I saw changes in my body as I learned to push myself beyond limits that I never thought I could push myself beyond. It brought changes to my way of thinking, I no longer thought of myself as weak and unable to push forward I realized I am strong and I can do anything I put my mind to.

As I sit here reflecting on the past year I am so thankful for the opportunities that have come my way, for the wonderful people I have met and for the friendships that I have made, I am esepcially thankful for the friendships I have found in my Sisters In Nike - Karen, Elizabeth, Nerissa and Renisha. Each one of you have taught me to love myself, to believe in myself and to love and challenge my body. I am so happy I have met each of you and I hope to run the Nike Women's Marathon with you each year, until we are old and grey. 

This 2013 I want to #MakeItCount as Nike’s ad campaign states. I will return to San Fran with my Sisters In Nike and run the 2013 Nike Women’s Marathon with my crew, I will also qualify for Boston. I plan on running the BMO marathon in May and I will be running the Calgary Half Marathon.

Don't get my wrong, I don't just have running goals set for myself. I want to be able to do pull-up's and I want to work towards becoming certified as a running coach. I also want to teach myself how to speak french again. 

What are your upcoming goals in 2013? How are you going to make them come true? 

What is on your Christmas Wish List?!!?

Christmas is literally just around the corner and I have a wish list full of everything from Burberry to Nike. Below are a few things from Nike I am hoping is under my tree.

NIKE LUNARGLIDE+4 SHIELD WOMEN'S RUNNING SHOE

If you are a runner and you love getting yourself outside in the cold winter months, these are a much needed shoe. These shoes are made for the wet months. They will keep your feet dry while still looking awesome. I have been eyeing these shoes since they first came out and I am hoping I find them under the tree this year.

NIKE FLYKNIT RACER

The first time I saw the Flyknit racer I fell in love!! Serious love! I have an obsession with minimal shoes and these shoes look beautiful. I have been wanting to try a pair of these forever, but I can't find them in Canada. Maybe Santa's elves can pull something off for me.

NIKE LUNARBASE TR

The first time I put a training shoe on my foot I realized that I would never again train in a running shoe. I love this lunarbase trainer. It is at the top of my wish list because a girl can't have too many training shoes.

Nike Flash

I tried this vest on when I was down in San Fran for Nike Women's Marathon and I still regret not getting this vest. Running early in the morning and at night calls for being safe. It is a lot harder for drivers to see you at night so it is important that you are well reflected. That is why I love this vest. You get the reflection without the bulk. It can fit over any hyperwarm gear and you are ready to take off on your run.

Nike Relay Capri's

I actually have these Capri's in blue and I love them!! I love bright colors and bold prints. They make me happy. I literally want these in ever color I can get my hands on. These are super comfortable and make a statement. 

Nike Pro Oslo Glow Boy Shorts

I love this print. It is so cute. I love training in the Nike Pro's especially when it is warm out or I am at Bikram. I really want these just for the pattern. They are limited edition and are going to fly off the walls this season.

Nike Slouchy Sphere Training Hoodie

I love anything with a cowl neck that double as a hood, enough said for this hoodie. Seriously the cutest item I have ever seen. If you want to get into my good books this is what I want!! It's cute and has thumb holes!!

Nike Muse Training Shirt

This shirt is to die for!! I love it! When I first saw it on the Nike site I wanted it right away. It's super cute and you could put a colored tank under it and wear it to the mall with a pair of jeans. I WANT THIS!

That is my Nike Wish list for Christmas, we shall see what Santa leaves for me on Christmas morning.