Love Running

As I was running today I realized that tearing my meniscus happened at a moment in time when I needed to slow down, when I needed to step back and take time to figure out where I wanted to go and what I wanted from my life. 

I realized that for a long time I used running as unhappy place, I used running to run from my problems. 

I began running on a regular basis during my relationship with Mike. He often made comments to me such as “if you gain anymore weight I’ll have to break-up with you” or “maybe you don’t need to eat that today”. Running for me gave me a sense of control over my life that I felt I no longer had control over. However, I began running to please Mike and not for myself, I began running not to feel good about myself but so I could stay in a relationship I needed to be out of. 

I continued to run after Mike and I broke up but not out of love for running but to outrun the pain. The pain of the breakup and the pain of not feeling like I was good enough for anyone, the pain of feeling inadequate. 

I was the smallest I had been since I quit swimming. Everyone told me how good I looked and how pretty I was and this kept me running for the fear the if I stopped I would no longer look good. BUT, I didn’t feel good. Something was missing and that something was love, not love from someone but love for me.

A year ago I tore my meniscus trail running. It was really hard for me not to run, everyday I would ask my physio “can I run again?” “can I run yet?” “can I run, can I run”. I think he was getting sick of hearing me say “run”. I was excited to get back on the running trails as I was fearful I would begin to gain weight, fearful I would no longer be adequate. 

Spending almost a year from running was really HARD on my body physically and emotionally. I put on some weight initially but not as much as I thought I would and I began to find other actives to fill my time with, I began to fill my life with actives I loved and was shocked at how much I actually didn't love running but rather I realized I used it as a numbing agent. 

The past few months I’ve started running again and my distances have been slowly increasing. Running is different this time for me, running is for me and not for anyone else; it makes me happy and I am able to find my happy place while I’m out on the trails.  I come back feeing invigorated and excited to run again instead of drained and feeling like running is a daunting task.  I know now what the love of running feels like.

It feels satisfying to be able to run for life and not from my life, for once I am finally fulfilling me and not trying to please other people around me. I am doing things for me and to better who I am, that is self love! 

Greatness is Within...

I have injured myself… again. It is confirmed that I have a tear in my right calf muscle. How bad the tear is we are not yet 100% sure I still need to go for a diagnostic ultrasound so they can see the damage I have done.

In the last 24 hours I have felt a variety of emotions from sadness to anger and then to fear. Last night I was sitting on my couch crying and saying to Mike “Why do I have to strive for greatness, why can’t I just be happy with completing a marathon why is it that I want to train to Boston qualify and to obtain elite status”! I can’t really answer that all I know is I was born with the overachiever gene and I never do anything halfhearted, it is all or nothing.

I tweeted earlier today “There is no injury in mediocrity, why can't I settle for being less than great”, and than I received a tweet from @TheLostGrad “Ain’t no injuries, but there damn sure ain’t no Glory either!!” It was this that made me realize how much of a wimp I am being. Yes I have an injury, is it the end of the world, NO!!

I thought back to Nike’s Find Greatness campaign along with a commercial that was aired at the Olympics this last summer  and they made me realize that setback happen, obstacles jump in our way but it how we overcome those obstacles and setbacks that prove if we are truly great or not.

"Now here's the reality of it. You don't want to be walking off with any regrets. 

Be annoyed. Go cry. You're on the line between breaking point and breaking through.

In struggle, you'll find strength. 

Now get over that line! Dig for that extra inch!

Take the best you can do! And do better! 

Every second is a moment in time. But this second is a moment in history."

Last night I felt like my dream to run was Boston was slipping out of my hands. I felt like throwing in the towel and giving up. This morning brought me a fresh new prospective. I might be out for a few weeks I might lose a little bit of my endurance in the short run but in the long run I am going to come back and I am going to come back stronger and faster than ever because there is greatness inside of me and I am not going to allow a little injury get in my way of qualifying for Boston.

I have given myself an hour to grieve over my lost training and my calf and now I am ready to fight, ready to do everything in my power to heal and come back strong.

I have to change up my training a little bit. My physio said once I am healed I will have to reduce mileage and speed for a period of time until I am back to normal but my physio is amazing and has always gotten me back on my feet in better condition than before I started seeing him.

Today I found greatness within myself, greatness that was always there but I didn’t realize was there, today I am a stronger person than I was yesterday.

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.

New Dietitian - New Outlook

Last week I had my first meeting with my new dietitian and she is amazing. She is certified with the International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sports Nutrition and she is also a marathon runner so I thought that she would be perfect for me and after sitting down at our first meeting I realized that she was more than perfect for me she is exactly what I am looking for in a dietitian.

It is no secret of mine that I have suffered from Eating Disorders in the past. Not just anorexia but also binge eating disorders. That is one thing that my dietitian picked up on right away. Sometimes that it is something that dietitians miss about me because I don't look withered away.

Along with wanting to create better eating habits for myself I also want to be able to fuel properly for my long runs. I tend to crash about 8 miles into my run and my runs get harder and harder after that point. I am training to qualify for Boston and this crashing that occurs to me is hindering my runs.

One thing that she explained to me in detail was the need for carbs in our bodies!! I have an irrational fear of carbs I think they make me fat! However, yes they can make you fat but anything that is overeaten can make you fat.

Our brain – just our brains – require 130g of glucose a day to function when we don’t get enough of this our bodies go into what is called control fatigue. This hinders our decision making – reaching for the cookie instead of the apple – our concentration and our moods.

Glucose from carbs just doesn't go to our brains it also goes to our muscles creating muscle glycogen. If we are low in muscle glycogen it will have a negative effect on the quality of the workout – ever wonder why one day you can pump out 20 reps of push-ups and one day only do 6? Yeah you are lacking muscle glycogen – it also has a negative effect on our running. I know I have had days where my legs feel heavy, like lead heavy well this is because the body is going into principal fatigue from not having enough glycogen.

You often hear people talking about their breakfast helping them through their run. I always thought that if I had a decent supper and a good breakfast it would get me through my run, but I was wrong! It takes your body 20 – 24 hours to make muscle glycogen, so what you are eating 20 – 24 hours before your run is what will get your body through those long distances. Don't get me wrong, you still need a carb fueled breakfast but you also need a good lunch and supper the day before.

I decided to take what my dietitian is saying to heart. I mean I am paying her enough I should listen. I had a nice carb, protein, nutrient dense lunch and supper and the next day I didn't head out for a run until 11am. It had been 22 hours since I had my lunch and well I had my BEST run EVER!!

I ran a 1:34:43 half marathon, my best half yet. Was my body hurting through my run, obviously I was running an average 7’17”/mile, did I feel awesome, not really I was hurting on my run but was it my fastest, that it was!! It was the fastest long run I had run EVER.

Now I am learning to eat a proper amount of carbs and I am learning to eat a proper amount of food. I have been eating around 1,500 – 1,700 calories and my dietitian said that isn't enough for me because that is 1,500 – 1,700 not including what I burn off exercising and we determined this weekend that at rest I burn 2,300 calories so eating 1,500 – 1,700 isn't even enough to fuel me at rest. Now I am focusing on getting my calories to the 2,300 point with healthy food and making sure I have enough carbs to fuel me through my workouts. 

She gave me a chart of what carbs, nutrient dense food, and protein I should be eating with each of my meals and my goal is to follow this from now until my Marathon, she said if I follow this I should see weight come off, muscle gained and I should see my runs get faster. Two of my mail goals are to run a sub 6 marathon by next year and have abs before the summer, and she feels that both of these goals are do-able.

I believe that any serious athlete should hire a dietitian even if it is just for a few session, athletic needs are different from the average person and what works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you.

Ignite~Perspire~Inspire

Yoga and Running go Hand in Hand

I am your typical runner. I love to lace up my shoes and head out the door and rack up those miles and ever since Nike Running introduced the new app feature of being able to see your leader board I am even more obsessed with racking up the miles.

However, when I started training for my first marathon the wonderful Marie Purvis added yoga to my run schedule and I thought to myself “how is yoga going to help me run 26.2 miles?” yoga help more than you think and I am just realizing this now.

On my first a marathon training I did Bikram yoga; I stretched out but I didn’t really put my heart into it I did it because it was on my schedule and that was what my training was telling me to do that day. Now I have a different mentality towards yoga.

I have had two minor injuries this last year and both have scared me into stretching out more and giving my muscles the love it deserves. I thought yoga was just that stretching out but yoga so much more!! 

I don’t always have the time or money to go to a yoga studio but the amazing ladies at Nike Women have yoga on their Nike Training Club app and the beautiful and talented Leah Kim walks you through the workouts. I love doing this at the end of my day because she has a very soothing voice that calms me down and also the yoga helps me sleep better and gets my body ready to relax and start repairing itself. 

Leah has two yoga workouts on the NTC app a 45 minute one for those days you a have a little bit more time and a 15 minute one for the days you feel a 

bit rushed. Some of the poses can be very difficult at first but what I have learned is not to give up but to keep trying them because each time you will see your body go into the pose more and more and even though you might not be 100% into the pose you are still gaining benefits from it.

This isn’t a plug for Leah or anything! Even though I do respect and adore her.

I found a HUGE benefit in yoga with my running. It has allowed me to open up my hips and stretch out my body, it has allowed me to stretch those joints  and smaller muscles that you forget about and that can cause great injury but one thing that it has really helped me do is perfect my running form. 

Yoga has perfected my posture and in perfecting my posture it has also perfected my running form and when you have a better form your body can perform at its peak and this has greatly helped me increase my speed. As a marathon runner trying to qualify for Boston speed is important but also preventing injury is just as important. Everyone knows when you increase speed your risk for injury goes up and yoga has helped me stay injury free, have better form that in turn has increased my overall training.

I am finding a new love for yoga and I am realizing that yoga and running go hand in hand like a good Almond butter and banana sandwich. 

I challenge you to try yoga out maybe 3 times this week, if you don't have the Nike Training Club app maybe find a youtube video but I promise you that you will see the benefits of yoga in your running.

Ignite~Perspire~Inspire

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

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 20 - 30 Day Challenge

Define your relationship with running.

My relationship with running these days is AMAZING!! I love it and live for running; however it has taken me years to get to this point.

Running is my best friend, my therapist and my ass kicker. When I have had bad day or need to vent I love lacing up my shoes and hitting the pavement. Running gives me clarity that I can’t find anywhere else.

If I have a tough decision to make I hit the pavement and think it through. I used to make pro/con list and they always helped me make decision but I can get very anxious in my decision making so being able to hit the pavement and run helps with my anxiety. I call it sweating out the anxiety. 

Running has helped me develop confidence in myself that I thought I lost with my eating disorder. Each time I come back from a run I gain the part of me back that I thought was lost forever. There are times when I feel like I am losing control of my life again and like the world is spinning out of control all I have to do is reach for my running shoes and I gain control again.

Running is my drug, my lifesaver. 

Day 18 - 30 Day Challenge

Have you ever followed any sort of training plan? Which ones and how did you like them?

I personally think if you are preparing for a marathon or a half marathon you should follow a training plan especially if it is your first one.

My first marathon I used a plan designed by Marie Purvis. It was amazing!! It incorporated NTC, running and yoga and yes also rest days. I believe that all three aspects plus rest days are very crucial in training for a marathon.

Nike Training Club helps me stay strong. My biggest fear is going from being fat to being skinny fat. Incorporating weight training into your plan really helps your body not get skinny fat and helps you build muscle. I love Nike Training Club and used it long before I started training for a marathon. It incorporates a full body workout using all of your muscles. I really enjoy using it because it has various workouts in various time increments of 15 minutes, 30 minutes and 45 minutes. It allows me to turn on my music and not have to think about what I am going to do next because it calls it out to me. It also has directional video if you are not sure about how to do an exercise. You really should try NTC if you haven’t already.

Yoga is so important for a runner and I didn't realize the importance until I started doing it on a regular basis. I love Bikram yoga mainly because it is 90 minute of pure stretching in different poses. I am not going to lie Bikram is tough especially if you don’t like heat or repetition but the workout is amazing. You are in a 32 degree C room and you do the same 26 poses each class. For me I enjoy repetition because I can see improvement or know where I need to work on. Any type of yoga is great for a runner because it allows you to get deep into stretch and hold your pose. I recommend yoga for any runner or for people in their daily life. If you can't get to a class or if you can't afford one youtube has lots of yoga video's and if you downloaded the NTC app you can also get Leah Kim's yoga workouts. I have incorporated some of Leah's workouts into my own training and they are amazing!! Another reason to get the NTC app so you can workout with Leah.

Running – when training for a marathon running is important. Different type of running is also important not just running. For me my focus is Boston so I need to focus on speed – tempo runs and track workouts. I also need to focus on distance because 26.2 miles is 26.2 miles you can’t shorten the distance.

I am currently using a plan that is speed and distance focused. That incorporates NTC, yoga and Kinect into it. I added the Kinect workouts. I have also given myself rest days and swim days. 

I am a swimmer by nature and want to desperately get back into the pool. I have added a few swim days into my schedule to mix it up and help with my on land breathing while running.

Rest days, they don't seem important but believe me they are. Your body needs the break it needs the time to just rest and not be pushed. I believe in active rest days but when my mileage gets high I sometimes like renting a good movie or finding a good TV series on Netflix the day after a long run and doing NOTHING!! Your body will reward you for the rest

What do you add into your training to help you push the limit?

Day 16 & 17 - 30 Day Challenge

How many miles a week are you usually running and what’s your normal pace? How would you like to improve this?

Right now I am currently averaging around 34.25 miles a week and running at a pace of around 6’45”/mile. It is funny most people would think that is great, but I was talking to Mike this weekend and he was saying I have a great pace and I was like no I have an ok pace but not a great pace. He said what are you talking about Tiara that is awesome the average person would love to run at your pace and I said to him, Meho I don't compare myself to the average person I compare myself to the Kara Gouchers and Shalane Flanagan  he was like Tiara they are elite. I was always taught to shoot for the moon because at least if I failed I would still land among the stars. 

I would like to get my weekly average up around 50 miles and I would like to run an average of 6’00”/mile.

That is really fast and I don’t know if it is going to happen, but a girl can dream.

I am also starting marathon training next week so my distance will drop for a short amount of time than it will jump back up. I am hoping that my pace stays around the same. If it starts dropping I am going to be really sad. I just don’t know if I am going to be able to maintain that pace for the entire marathon.

 What are your PRs? Time, distance?

·         5K- 0:28:38

·         5 miles- 0:33:13

·         10k- 0:41:16

·         13.1 (half marathon)- I actually haven’t ran a half marathon race to know.

·         Marathon- 4:35 – I am breaking 3:30 this year to get into Boston.

Out of theses distances I have actually only ever raced a 10km and a marathon race but this year I will add a half marathon to that.

Day 15 - 30 Day Challenge

16.Do you carry water or powerfood with you while running? If so, how and what kind? 

Yes I always carry water on my runs unless it is a 4mile run outside than for that half hour I can go without water. Anything over a half hour outside I always carry water and anything over an hour outside and I will carry shot blocks.

I carry water in my camelback. I prefer camelbacks to waist bottles due to the fact that I don’t have much hips and they tend to bounce around and I lose the bottles when I try putting them back. With a camelback the straw for my water is right there so I don’t need to slow down to drink water. The only downfall to my camelback is the fact that it chafes me really bad. On the Nike Women’s Marathon course it cut into me so bad I had to stop at an aid station and get them to fix it up and it still scared pretty bad, but I call it my battle wound.

When I finish a run of any length I like to rehydrate with Nuun hydration. It is really important to restore your electrolytes and Nuun comes in many different flavors so there is something for everyone.

When I am running for over an hour outside I bring shot blocks along with me. The reason I prefer shot blocks to other things is because they are small and easy to eat and they fit nicely into my pockets. I tried sharkies before and they didn’t give me enough energy to make it through a long run. I tried goo once and it was really gross. I’ve also tried making my own protein chews but they just melt and get really sticky, for now I will stick to shot blocks. They are easy to take and don’t cause me digestion problems.

What do you take on long runs? This is training time so I can like to experiment with a few different types of energy chews in my first month of training.

Day 5 - 30 Day Run Challenge

5. What’s your favorite distance to run or race and why?

Before October of 2012 the furthest distance I ran and raced was 10km. I really enjoyed that distance. I could finish it in under and hour and didn't have to exert myself too much.

Now that I have experienced a marathon I believe there is no other distance better than it!!

Elizabeth and I at the finish!!

I remember training for my marathon and doing my 22 miler and standing in the middle of the trail crying on my boyfriends shoulder telling him that I wasn't physically capable of doing a marathon. I was too lazy and to fat. When I crossed the finish line at the Nike Women’s in October there wasn't a prouder moment for me because I proved to myself that I am capable of running a marathon!! I could put in the distance. 

Training for a marathon is time consuming and mentally exhausting. Honestly, there were days I wanted to give up and throw in the towel and there were moments on the marathon route that I wanted to give in. I remember hitting mile 24 and wanting to quit. Feeling like crying but it not being possible because I had no tears coming out and wanting to pull myself off the course, but I reminded myself that I didn't come all the way from Calgary just to quit on course.

Now that I have completed my first marathon there isn't any turning back for me, I am hooked!! 

Day 2 - 30 Day Run Challenge

Why did you continue to run?

2009 me and 2012 me. Running Makes a huge Difference

As you learned from my last blog post I gained a lot of weight from not being physically active and running has helped me lose weight and keep it off. I have also suffered from eating disorders and from lack of self confidence. Now I am involved with races and I love lacing up my sneakers and heading out the door with just me and the music. It is a time for me to clear my head and get some perspective on my life. My favorite time to run is during my lunch hour. I can get pretty stressed out at work but heading out at lunch for a 4-5 mile run allows me to come back with a clear head and willingness to tackle the afternoon.

Someone once told me “Sometimes I hurt when I run and sometimes I run because I am hurt”. Sometimes there is nothing better to do for yourself when you are having a bad day but to put on your running shoes and run out your problems, they are still going to be there but at least you can give yourself about a half hour to think about them.

Sometimes I run to stay in shape, sometimes I run to clear my head, every day I run I run to love myself but one thing I do know is I love the rush I get from finishing a run. 

Happy Training!!

Day 1 - 30 Day Run Challenge

When did you start running and why?

Elizabeth and I on the last mile of the Nike Women's Marathon

I started running in high school we had to run for cross training when I was on my swim team, but once I got injured I didn't run or swim anymore and due to being very active than not being able to be active I started to gain a lot of weight.

In 2009 I decided I needed to start running again, I was very overweight and I hated the way I looked. When I first started running I would literally run for like 30 seconds and walk for a song than when the next song started I would run for 30 seconds again, it was so hard for me. I actually remember the first time I tried to run a 5k. I got a km away from home and thought I was going to die. I called my friend and had her pick me up.

In October 2012 I finished my very first marathon and now I am training to qualify Boston at the Calgary Marathon.

Never in a million years did I ever think I would run a marathon let alone start training to qualify for Boston. However, when Nike Women contact me in May to be an Ambassador and run the Nike Women’s Marathon I was up for the challenge, the training was hard you can read about that in my past blog post. 

While running the marathon around mile 18 I thought I wasn't going to be able to finish, I texted my friend Elizabeth and she gave me encouragement and met me at the last mile and ran it with me she is one of the reasons I complete my first marathon.

Now running is my favorite pass time and I can't wait to run my next marathon and run the Nike Women's Marathon again with my #SistersInNike in May. 

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?