Late Night Ramblings

 

I found this website.

Now I want to plan a trip to Orlando for either January or February.

 

It gives me a better reason than just really wanting to go explore the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Really really wanting to go.

 

Anyone want to run a half marathon in Florida with me?

How Good it Feels to Accomplish Your Goals

I love running.

I'm sure I've talked about it enough over the years and I'll admit I do have a love/hate relationship with it.

When I'm in the zone it's all I want to do. My body craves it.

Then I take breaks (often well needed as I have a tendency to push myself too hard sometimes) and can't understand why I ever wanted to get off of the couch.

 

But that runner's high is exillerating when you feel it.

I've gotten goosebumps just feeling the air and taking in my surroundings on some runs.

 

I started really running the summer I graduated from high school. I had run some gentle cross country in middle school for track days but I was more interested in the soccer team, the volleyball team, and believe it or not the basketball team. Yeah, all 5-foot-3 of me made the basketball team.

The summer after I finished high school I worked with a girl who was big into fitness.

So I decided that I would start exercising too. My dad was a runner so it seemed natural that that's what I would do.

I started going for runs around the neighbourhood, slowly building up to longer and longer distances.

 

Last Sunday I ran my 3rd half marathon.

It started up by Mel Lastman square and ended right by Lake Ontario at Ontario Place.

 

 

What a beautiful run it was too. The weather was incredible - sunny and warm with enough shade every now and then to keep from completely overheating - and the course took us down Yonge Street then through a more secluded and tree-lined area that I had never been through before.

Once we ventured back into downtown Toronto we were 17 km into the run and the finish line was starting to feel more real.

 

So I ran.

21 km.

I even managed to sprint the last few hundred metres to the finish.

 

My goal was to beat the 2 hour mark and as I rounded the 16 km marker at just under 90 minutes I had a good feeling I was going to do it.

Once I spotted the finish line and saw the clock I ran with everything I had left and finished in just under 1 hour and 55 minutes.

And now I've added this big beautiful medal to my small but growing collection.

 

Warrior dash in 2011, my first half marathon in 2010, and my second half marathon in 2011.

 

Tomorrow morning I'll be running the Sporting Life 10k for the 5th year in a row.

I'm excited because it's a great course to run, because I expect to see a lot of people I know at the finish line, and because for the first time ever John is running it!

I'm so proud of him - I'm torn between wanting to run beside him the whole way and wanting to sprint ahead so I can try to capture the moment he crosses the finish line.

 

And because I want to be a little bit of a braggart (if you've participated in any runs check out this website to see your times!) I'm posting the record of my runs and gun and chip times.

My half marathon times have improved vastly - from 2:11 to 2:06 to 1:55!

Last year's SL10K isn't on there, I think because the organizer changed.

 

 

And I've obviously signed myself up for a bigger challenge:

30 km in August!

 

Let's Get Physical

I've talked a bit about my need to keep running and to get in better shape but - with the exception of one week where I ate as much as I possibly could and countered it with a lot of sitting on the couch - I've managed to stick with it.

 

I've been running in training for the Sporting Life 10K (this will be my 5th year running I think!) and just recently, spurred on by a mysteriously energetic 17 km run, I signed myself up for the Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon on May 5th.

 

I had been going back and forth in my mind about doing it and I finally hit the register button on Sunday evening. As soon as I did I was filled with a sense of excitement and also a growing sense of impending doom.

 

Was this foolish? Can I really train for 21km in two weeks?

 

I've been going for regular 10 + km runs so I think I can.

Plus registering for runs keeps me motivated and pushes me to get out of bed and into a pair of running shoes on those days when I'd rather watch daytime TV and eat all of my meals at once.

 

Spring has finally shown up in this beautiful city which makes running outside oh so much more enjoyable.

It also means that summer and bikini season is also on the horizon.

 

My goal is to get in decent shape for the May long weekend.

 

--> keep running on a regular schedule

--> do my squats & lunges to tighten the glutes

--> add in exercises for my arms and upper body, which I too often neglect

 

 

 

Make some fitness goals of your own and join me!

One month to the long weekend!

 

 

Good News / Bad News

Good News:

I went for a run this morning after weeks and weeks of making excuses. My first since January!

Bad News:

I ran for 31 minutes and thought I was going to die. I have a 10k to run in 2 weeks. I definitely won't break the 50 minute mark this year.

Good News:

I've been cleaning the apartment like a fiend lately. It's really starting to look neat again nd I'm enjoying this decluttering process. Also: not pregnant! Not nesting.

Bad News:

Everything is covered in dust and everything remaining is John's and I can't (in good conscience) throw out his stuff (without him getting mad). But I don't think he's going to read 14 back issues of Ontario Out of Doors magazine. Right? He probably will. On the table they stay.

Good News:

I got a call from a hospital asking me to come in a write a med quiz next week - the first step in the hiring process! AH! It's also on a palliative unit that I would really love to work on. My best friend is a Social Worker on that unit and she put in a good word for me (I love her, I'm going to buy her a yacht).

Bad News:

It's a quiz. I have to pass with 80% or more. I hate medication calculations. I need to start studying for this quiz now because my potential future employment depends on it!

So this is me.

From now until Wednesday May 2nd.

And then again until June 6th when I write the CRNE.

I'll be cooking up a storm on Friday night/Saturday morning in preparation for my best friend's Stag & Doe so this weekend expect a cooking post (finally).

Getting in Touch with my Inner Warrior...

Despite wanting to do nothing more than image search wedding themed items and add pictures and lists to the protective pages in my wedding binder (more on that in a second), I am going to take you in a totally different direction with this post. 

...

But first let me get some wedding-related stuff out there first.

I took my ring in yesterday to be re-sized.

What a horrible feeling handing back your engagement ring is. The woman could obviously see the hesitation on my face when she asked for it because she apologized as I put it in her hand.

Robin and I then wandered around the store trying on rings to find the one she wants when her time comes. 

As for my wedding binder, it now consists of a mostly empty binder with the exception of a (very) rough first draft of a guest list. 

We're over the number I was hoping for by about 30 people....

I'm dreading the day when it comes time to get mean and break out the red pen.

The plan is to divide the binder into sections so I can organize everything from flowers to the venue to contact information for guests to favours and invites.

But that's enough wedding talk for one day.

As the week's pass there will be more and more wedding stuff so I'll try and spare you.

Later this afternoon I'm participating in a little something called the Warrior Dash in Barrie, Ontario.

Essentially it is a 5K run but the course is peppered with obstacles. 

While I don't know exactly what I will find myself up against, I think these things can be considered likely:

Mud.

 Lots of mud.

 Water.

Climbing nets.

I'm pretty excited to get down and dirty. To feel that old familiar muscle ache from over exertion. To earn my viking helmet and feel a new sense of accomplishment.

Then I can come home to a bubble bath and my bridal magazines.

Sporting Life 10k!

The Sporting Life 10k was a success!

We didn't quite run as a team as we all had different paces but we all found each other after crossing the finish line and we raised some money for a great charity.

You can't see too well but we made those shirts last night before getting rested up for the big run.

I didn't manage to beat my time from last year (I actually went over by 2 mins - oops) but in my defence I hadn't trained as much this year. I really have to step it up exponentially if I'm going to make it through the half marathon I'm doing at the end of this month.

Yikes.

Either way, 53 minutes isn't too shabby...

Back to a regular work week now. I was spoiled by the Easter long weekend, don't know if I'm ready for a full week again! I am planning on running Tuesday through Friday this week though! Maybe I'll update on here to keep myself accountable.

Also I plan on baking some Eggies cookies this week to use up the bag that my mom bought me. Cause, you know, otherwise I will eat the entire bag within the hour.

Running Playlist

For your exercising pleasure, may I present:

Jamie's 10 K Running Playlist

* Denotes a slower song.

• Foo Fighters - The Pretender
• Sam Roberts - Them Kids
• Britney Spears - Toxic
• *Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulaski Day
• Metric - Gold, Guns, Girls
• Rihanna - S & M
• Drake - Forever
• *John Mayer - 3x5
• Rage Against the Machine - How I Could Just Kill a Man
• Adele - Set Fire to the Rain
• Kanye West - All of the Lights
• Kelly Rowland - Commander
• Foo Fighters - Let it Die

This should last you through 10 k and hopefully through a nice cool down walk.

And this is also just a sampling of the many many songs I listen to!

Let me know if you have any good ones you like to run to - I need to make a biiiiiig one for the half marathon I'm doing at the end of May!

A Perfect Day at Chudleigh's Apple Farm

I woke up early (too early, actually) this morning and headed over to my Terry Fox Run location. After some group stretching we headed out on the course for the 10 k. There was also a 5 k course and it was kind of confusing when we came to the turn off for the 5 k. The whole run, being a community event, wasn't very well marked in terms of where to turn, etc so I had to keep pace with at least one other person who looked like they knew where they were going. The course was uphill, downhill, across busy streets, and through beautiful shaded paths. It was a nice run, all in all, until I hit that 9th km.

Uphill.

For at least 500 m.

Or it felt like it was uphill for much longer than it should have been!

Hills are not what you want to see when you've been running for the better part of an hour and can't wait to see the finish line.

Hills or not, it was a perfect day for an early morning run and I hope we get similar conditions next Sunday for the half marathon.

My mom and sister came out to the finish to cheer me on and snap some flattering pictures:

"You looked like a beautiful and sweaty gazelle." - My mom.

It makes me feel like I can run another full race when I see your face in the crowd mom :) Thanks for coming out for the last 3 races!

Please be ready to piggy-back me home next Sunday. Or hire a big goon to drag me off the streets of Toronto.

After breakfast and a shower I got together with some friends and headed out to Chudleigh's Apple Farm!

We were supposed to go yesterday but thank goodness we waited until today! The weather was amazing and the apple's were ripe for the picking.

I like my friends because even when I'm the 5th wheel they never make me feel that way :)



Hay ride passed the revered Honeycrisp apples (tasty and humongous!)


Late summer sunlight through the apple trees.

Corn roast!

How could we pass it up?

Probably the best corn I've had in awhile.

Slathered with butter and sprinkled with a hint of salt, it was well worth the line up and the $2.36.

I also bought a bag of apples (gala, honeycrisp, macintosh, spartan, and kerr - which may be the CUTEST apples I've ever seen. They look like plums on the trees) and a jug of apple cider for John who's been working all weekend.

I think tomorrow I'm going to experiment with an apple loaf-bread.....

it could be disasterous or it could be amazing.

One week until the half marathon!

Very excited and very very nervous......

Some New 'Good Things' for This Year

Another 5 miler completed. Actually I ran 5 and a half miles this morning. Next week will be onto 6 and the week after that 7, etc etc until I can comfortably run 10 miles. Then I may try one 12 or 13 miler to see if I have it in me to run a half marathon but knowing me I will stick to running 10 miles. I'm fine with going into the half marathon having only run 10 miles. I'm assuming, hopefully not wrong, that another 3 miles won't seem so bad after having run the majority of the race.

I'm also upping (read: actually doing) my squats and lunges in an effort to strengthen my one weak knee. I have a bit of a competitive spirit so I know that even if my knee is on fire I won't stop running. And I don't want to be limping through this half marathon so I'm going to use that as inspiration to make my caboose less loose and start seriously doing more leg work.

I always forget how good I feel after a run. Today's was especially good. It was like all the start lined up and said, 'Jamie, today is going to be a good day.' I had my ipod on shuffle (which can be dangerous when you need upbeat songs to keep you going) and it was like some magical DJ lined up only the good ones for me. I was so into the music I didn't even look down at the clock on the treadmill until I was 15 minutes into the run!

I like losing track of time when I run. Makes it seem like much less of an effort.

Aside from running, I have a few updates.

1. I have decided that this year is going to be the year of the artisan breads.

The baking market is getting busy and I want to do something different. I'll still bake cupcakes and cookies, don't get me wrong. I couldn't stop even if I wanted to, but so many people are baking these days and I can't compete with the insane decorating that's going on. I'm moving on. No one I know has really gotten into bread making and I absolutely love it.

So the remainder of 2010 and 2011 are going to be Jamie's year of artisan bread making.

2. I forgot to celebrate Martha's birthday. Sacrilege, I know. Her birthday was on the 3rd (fellow Leo, further proof we're meant for each other) and I was too caught up in my own celebrations. How selfish. Not a Good Thing. So happy belated, Domestic Goddess.

But that actually wasn't number 2, just a related note. I received the September issue of Martha yesterday and have decided that I'm going to do a monthly post summing up the best of each month's recipes, crafts, etc. September looks like it's going to be a good issue (THE HOME ISSUE WITH KEVIN SHARKEY ooooooo just in time for my clean-out) so once I've read it cover to cover and back again I'll give you my best-of.

3. My friend Danielle, who has a blog HERE that you need to check out if you haven't already (her blog was a huge influence and inspired my own), along with one of her friends, has started another page that will have foodies everywhere rejoicing.

CLICK HERE IF YOU LOVE FOOD

and especially if, like me, you love photos of food.

My guilty pleasure.

That's all for today!

Off to make food to bring to work and get ready while watching Randy count down his favourite 10 dresses on Say Yes.

Two guilty pleasures in one day.

This IS going to be a good day.

Sporting Life 10k results!

Just a quick post.
Ran the sporting life 10k this morning. My goal was to finish it in under 50 minutes....so close!
My official time was 50:56.1

You can check out the results of the run here especially if you know someone who was running it.
Thank you TO ALL who donated. I want to do another 10k this summer and then....

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon - the half marathon.

Bad idea?
Mayyyybeeee
But if I have to crawl over the finish line I will!

It's September 19th I think and I have until June 30th to register before the price goes up so I'll make the final decision in a few weeks. BUT I'll be 25 this summer so it'd be a good way to celebrate a milestone - with a milestone achievement!

Recipes this week - promise! I have one for Chocolate Orange Espresso thins that I've been meaning to put up.