I've been training for my second half-marathon, and I've been doing everything I shouldn't be doing.

I've been eating poorly.

I haven't been drinking enough water.

I haven't been getting enough sleep.

And I ran too quickly on one of my 16-kilometre long runs several weeks ago and hurt my hip a little.

After I hurt my hip, I realized that I should really be paying closer to attention to my training if I want to do well in the race.

On the plus side, I decided to go to a physio for the first time ever, and it's amazing what physios can do.

It turns out that I've got a huge difference in muscle strength between my left and my right - and from what I've heard, this is very common and is one of the biggest reasons behind running injuries.

So I've been given strengthening exercises that I need to work on.

I've also gone to my chiropractor a few times, and it's amazing how effective Active Release Therapy is.

Oh yeah - and my race is coming up in a week (eek!!)

My hips and my knees have been doing a lot better since I've been seeing my physio and my chiropractor, but I find that I'm still starting to get a lot of stiffness and pain later in my run. The good news is that even if this holds true next Sunday, I should (hopefully) be able to get to about 15-k or so before I run into problems. And I've given up on my initial time goals. I've been training hard, even if I haven't exactly been training smart, and I want my race experience to be a positive one.

So I'm going to do my stretching and strengthening exercises, I'm going to do my best to eat well, drink enough water and get enough sleep this week. I know I might not be able to finish as quickly as I'd originally wanted, but I plan to soak up the energy of the crowd, and to have a great time.

And I'm already thinking ahead to my next race.

I'm hoping to train properly for the next one, and I plan to set all my goals here publicly.

I figure that if I do that, I'll be more likely to stick with my training goals.

Happy running,

Sarah :)

So I am definitely not doing that longer race I alluded to way back in, what was it - December?

Nope, I am most definitely not doing the Around The Bay 30k.

Maybe next year, who knows. But I took a bit of a break after October's half-marathon, and that two-week break became a few more weeks, and then a few more months.

Before I knew it, almost 5 months had gone by.

I've tried running a few times since the half-marathon, but I've found that my old IT band issues have started bothering me again - usually around the 3-4k point.

So it looks like I'll have to start slow again, with low mileage, and work on lots of strengthening exercises targeting the proper supporting muscles.

I plan on getting back up to those nice long distances - and hopefully even beyond what I've already done, since I want to complete at least one marathon in my lifetime.

So there's my update.

On a related note, the weather is supposed to be amazing today, so I will hopefully get out there for a run today.

Happy running,

Sarah :)

Time flies

Wow - I can't believe it's been so long since my last post!

A lot has happened since then. For one thing, I trained for and completed my first half marathon (a couple of months ago in October), and I'll soon start training for an even longer race that'll be coming up in March.

I can't spend too much time right now on writing a post, but I promise I'll write more details soon.

Happy running,

Sarah :)

Race day is coming soon!

This latest clinic has gone by so quickly - it's hard to believe it's almost over!

We've been training for the Harry's Spring Run-Off 8k race, which is coming up in a week. On Saturday, April 2nd, I'll be out there with the aim of having fun and hopefully a decent finishing time. My main goal, though, will be to enjoy the experience.

I'll need to pay close attention to stretching properly - that means a dynamic warm-up before and some good solid static stretching afterwards. With the knee, IT band, and muscle stiffness issues I've had on and off over the past month, this will be key.

In other news, spring has decided to wait to arrive - when I left my apartment this morning, it was around -9 (and it felt like -15 with the windchill). On the other hand, it was nice and sunny.

I'm going to try to see if I can figure out a way to transfer photos from my phone to my computer - I took some nice shots of High Park on Wednesday evening's run. The snowstorm had just cleared, and it was beautiful - if cold - in the park. I'll post those pictures if I can figure out a way to transfer them here.

Happy running,

Sarah :)

Clear weather - hooray!

So this morning, we finally ran the route for the Harry's Spring Run-Off race, and we also tagged on a couple of extra kilometres to get our needed mileage in for the long slow distance run.

I like that we now have an idea of what the route feels like, and that we can do it. It's a tough 8k, and it finishes on an uphill on Spring Road, but it's doable.

And my group did so well!! We kept a strong, steady pace throughout the run through High Park, and for those extra kilometres at the end. In total, we did 11k, and we had a really good run.

I'm also happy to report that I had no knee issues at all.

And the weather cooperated - no snow or rain at all. A little overcast, but it was nice out there; it hovered around freezing, which is ideal. Spring Road was a little icy, but the rest of the route was pretty clear.

No one wiped out - yay!

It's hard to believe that the race is coming up so soon (April 2nd).

Happy Running,

Sarah :)

Slushy Wednesday Run

The weather on Wednesday was just gross. I mean, "ew, icky, I-just-stepped-in-a-major-puddle-and-am-soaked-to-the-bone" kind of gross.

Between the patches of half-frozen slush that were a few inches deep, to the occasional deep puddle, plus the constant rain, we all looked more like we'd been swimming than running by the time we got back to the store.

So I guess this officially makes me one of those crazy runners who will head out in any kind of weather, huh?

Happy Running,

Sarah :)

Tasty post-run snack

I made the most delicious sandwich yesterday, and since it could be modified into a good post-run snack, I thought I'd post it here:

Two slices of organic whole grain bread

1 1/2 carrots (shredded)

handful of sprouts

several leaves of organic lettuce (pile it high!)

a few slices of low-fat cheddar cheese (old, for extra flavour)

light mayo (to taste)

hummus (to taste)

If I'd had some avocado on hand, I would have thrown some slices in there.

If you wanted to add some extra protein to this sandwich, I bet some chicken would be a nice addition.

Happy running (and eating),

Sarah :)