toronto

Race Recap – Becel Run for Heart 10K

A run of heart. A run of fun.

Last Sunday, I took part in the first ever Run for Heart along the Gardiner Expressway. This was the 29th year of the Becel Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart in Toronto and for the first time ever they opened it up to walkers and runners. 20,000 people took to the street to ride, walk or run and the vibes were running high!Becel Run for Heart

Bike routes varied from 25, 50 & 75 kilometres, along the Gardiner and up the Don Valley Parkway and those without wheels, were able to opt in for a 5 or 10 kilometre run or 5 kilometre walk along the Gardiner. Chris biked the 25K and I opted in for the 10K run. The rainy weather held out and the spirits were high as we trekked along one of our busiest roadways. It’s amazing how silent the downtown area was early Sunday morning without all the traffic zooming by. I loved this route!Starting LinePost Run

I didn’t set out on this run for a PB (in fact I finished in 1:05:16 – however clocked 11K vs. 10K, haha), but I had set out to have fun and celebrate the prevention of heart disease, saving of lives and recovery of survivors. We were running in support of these reasons + many more! It was a chance to enjoy a part of the city that we all know so well from the inside of our car and take it all in with each stride. Laughter, joy, heartache, love….seriously, all the feels! It’s always so incredible seeing survivors take to the streets and ones who are running for those who they have lost. It definitely makes you count your blessings and run your little heart out!548

Run with Heart. xx

 

 

Week 14 – RunLab

Week 14’s a wrap!

With two weeks to go until we hit the GoodLife Marathon, many are excited and eager to hit their goal that was set 14 weeks ago and I think equally as thrilled that it’s time to taper and training is almost over! That is until the runners high sets in post race and we all start training for the next. 😉

I, on the other hand am excited to be back training with the Academy of Lions RunCrew after being off ill for almost a month. I had a severe eye infection that left me living as a hermit. No social outings, no work, little screen time, and the darker the space the better. My lungs were aching for the taste of air, my skin to feel that warm spring sun and my sanity to socialize and catch up with friends!

Coming back after 4 weeks off didn’t make for the easiest of runs but my heart is happy and it’s great to be back running with the Crew! With my first full week of training and Sunday’s long run of 16.5km, I’m  happy to say that my body hadn’t lost all of the great training it had gone through and I feel as though I’ve bounced back pretty well! I’m pretty happy of where I am at physically and yes, I may be a tad sore but it’s a good sore. A soreness that I’m thankful for because I’m back at it and still able to work towards running GoodLife on May 1.

Unfortunately with being off for so long, I missed the peak weeks of training and am falling short of being able to complete a full marathon, which I finally had set my heart on (I think haha). However, I have high hopes that I’ll be able to finish the half feeling great and ready to cheer on the rest of the Crew as they finish the 42.2!

It’s been incredible to see how far everyone has come in their training and see how they crush kilometre after kilometre after kilometre! I love that social media was able to connect us when I was down and out and allow me to follow their triumphs as each week passed. After all, we are #inthis2gether! I will admit I did have serious RunCrew envy when the sun grew brighter, the days warmer and they were all out crushing 30+ km’s each Sunday, but it made me even more excited to get back at it.

The solidarity this group has and the support they give is outstanding. They were able to connect with me while I was off, advise on what my next move should be and encourage me not to fret and that there will always be another race! It was humbling to know that people I’d met only 10 weeks ago were so genuine, concerned and supportive through my whole ordeal. Major crew love here and I’m super grateful!

RunCrew

Get Running. xx

RunLAB

Spring is just around the corner which means Marathon season is also nearing. Making it time to lace up and hit the streets.

After the Nike’s Womens Run I lost a bit of my passion for running. Time seemed to be hard to come by and everything else took priority. Next thing I knew the winter months were amongst us and naturally I succumbed to hibernation mode. I do admit, a break was welcomed and I hadn’t sworn off running completely. I was still getting out one or twice a week but I had lost that love for running on the daily. I knew I had to spice things up before it began to feel like a fitness chore.

Now to ignite that spark!Nike RunningOne of my running goals last year was to be more social with running. Which unfortunately,  I hadn’t quite accomplished. I definitely was more social with sharing and I did do some runs with friendships, but on the day to day – not so much. So, as the year-end neared, I decided to join a run crew! I was unsettled with nerves, undecided on my level of commitment and uneducated on what each run group was really all about. I found it all a tad intimidating to be honest. However, I was super excited at the challenge and as with many of my running queries, I turned to my trusted friends and my biggest runspirations and that is where Academy of Lions RunCrew came into play. Academy of LionsMy good friend Natalie had always been encouraging me to come out to her crew, so finally I committed myself to doing just that. Once a week, half an hour, running with the community – perfection! I made it out a handful of times before the holidays and started to feel that happy flutter once again. Plus, I got to catch up with some pretty awesome people! I was excited to return in the New Year and with my luck – the launch of their first ever RunLAB. Timing couldn’t have been better!

A 16 week program designed to challenge yourself but not by yourself. Weekly runs led with the best support (3 energizing and experienced coaches) and the motivation of MANY, as we all train towards our own goals and distances (5K, 10K, 21.1K & 42.2K) on #TheRoadtoGoodLife (Toronto’s Good Life Marathon).

I should note, that what is truly incredible about this training program is that it is open to all and free! No matter what your goal is, whether you are new to running or looking to run your 20th marathon, this Run Crew is welcoming to all levels of athletes and it doesn’t go unnoticed. Academy of Lions is truly doing something remarkable to help bring the community together and inspire one another on their running journey. Insert High Five!

We just finished off week 2 and it’s going great so far. I’m already feeling stronger, more confident in my ability and super motivated! I’ve yet to decide whether it’ll be a half or a full marathon for me (I’m leaning towards the half, the full scares me), but I am training towards the Around the Bay 30K again (see last year’s recap here) and will gauge at that point on how I will finish these 16 weeks. I’m excited to see how much stronger I am this time around with a proper program to follow. 🙂 I’ll be sure to keep you all posted! Running Selfie

Find your Strong. xx

 

 

Race Recap- Toronto Yonge Street 10K

Now that was refreshing! And not because I opted for shorts and a t-shirt in cooler than expected temps. Refreshing because 10K was a walk in the park compared to the memories that linger from ATB’s 30K.

I was really looking forward to running a 10K race and relishing in the ease of a shorter distance compared to what I had been clocking in long runs, leading up to ATB. This race was for pure fun with no serious expectation on hitting a certain time. I knew I would beat anything prior thanks to a flat and downhill route and was banking on finishing around 52:00. The last 10K race I ran was the Women’s Set the Pace in August, at 55:16 and I crushed that time with 50:36! I was all smiles post race and my recovery was a dream, I felt/feel so great!

race results

I’m running the Sporting Life 10K in less than 3 weeks, I’m hoping I can clock a sub 50 this time, which I’m quite hopeful for. Let’s hope there aren’t crazy winds like there was on Sunday, although the cold temps may have given me that extra push to hit the next block of sunshine on the shadow covered streets.

Will keep you posted on how it goes!

TYS10KGet Running! xx

Run Rest Repeat

In 2014 I crossed a huge running accomplishment off of my list of goals- to run a half marathon (read all about it here). It was truly self-fulfilling and I was on a major runners high for weeks following. I instantly started to think of what my next race would be and after consulting with a few running friends; I committed myself to running Hamilton’s Around the Bay 30K. What was another 9K right? I thought it would be relatively easy (so to speak) after my first half, however with this deep freezing winter we had, I think I may have overestimated my love for running. HA!

With months of training for the 30K and race day quickly approaching (10 days away), I have crazy butterflies fluttering around the pit of my stomach going into this one. Some excitement but mostly nerves, I am “trying” to keep positive knowing that my body and mind are capable of magical things and that I will push through the mileage and hit this goal head on. I’m not too focused on a finish time, but am hoping to finish in 3 hours, average finish for 2014 was 3:07.

just run

My running goals for 2015 are to run more races and get better at running shorter races. I also plan to get more social with running and hit up some run clubs now that the weather is warming up.

Here’s a list of upcoming races that I will be gearing up for. I always love a good training buddy, so let me know what races you are training for and/or join me in one of these upcoming races. 🙂

Upcoming Races

March 29 – Around the Bay 30K

April 19- Toronto Yonge Street 10K

May 10- Sporting Life 10K

June 14- Nike Women’s 15K Toronto (hoping to get into this one!)

runspirationJust Run. xx