I won't give in till I reach the end... and then I'll start again (comments welcome)

[azrivest]

Maybe someday we can do the same race and I can pace you through it.

*looks up availability for the DL 10k* If we ever have that opportunity it would be more than amazing.

Alternatively, I have considered asking my brother to pace me. He runs 1:40 halfs, so the pace would be no issue. And we've run together many times - he knows at what level I'm at. But he's a terrible coach haha, he wouldn't be as good as you to know how I'm doing.

 

[DopeyBadger]

*looks up availability for the DL 10k* If we ever have that opportunity it would be more than amazing.

Maybe not Disneyland. I know another DIS'er who wanted me to pace them sometime way back when that lives in the upper NY area which seems close to your neck of the woods. Maybe someday we can all swing a 10k/HM weekend where I pace one for one race and the other for the other. Although I don't know if she's still interested in that as it's been years. This is the one we discussed back then:

https://www.wineglassmarathon.com/races/wegmans-wineglass-half-marathon/

Alternatively, I have considered asking my brother to pace me. He runs 1:40 halfs, so the pace would be no issue. And we've run together many times - he knows at what level I'm at. But he's a terrible coach haha, he wouldn't be as good as you to know how I'm doing.

It's at least worth a try. Just tell him to imagine what it's like to run a 10k at his pace, then look and listen to you during the race to see if that's as expected. All the while maintaining something close to goal pace while you're blind to it.

 

[azrivest]

Maybe not Disneyland.

Don't worry, I was kidding about that. DL doesn't fit into my work schedule at all.

We'll make it work one day In the mean time, I'll try to find another 10k race that gives me better training conditions than Jan/Feb.

 

[azrivest]

I'm very relieved right now that my training hasn't been too serious. I had to miss my hard workout once again but I think I had a valid excuse.

We had a major ice storm in Montreal on Wednesday and we haven't had power since 4:30 that day. The power company says it could take days before we get it back. So far we've been holding out but temps are supposed to go below freezing tonight, so we're starting to worry pipes might freeze in the house.

Here are some pics of the olive tree in front of our house that didn't survive the storm



Please send good vibes my way!

 

[superchime]

Oh no! Hope it warms up soon and that the damage isn't too bad. Seems like this winter just won't quit for a lot of people!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

Oh no! Sending you and your family safe and warm thoughts.

 

[GollyGadget]

Yikes! Sending you all of the good vibes that I can muster.

 

[Naomeri]

Sending you warm thoughts!

 

[jmasgat]

Sorry about your storm damage and hope you get power back soon. We had 4 days without power a month or so ago. It's gotten to the point where after 35+ years in our house, we finally bought a portable generator and had a transfer switch put in. Money well spent. Got tired of the constant "tree limb took a power line down" excuses from the electric company.

 

[flav]

I'm very relieved right now that my training hasn't been too serious. I had to miss my hard workout once again but I think I had a valid excuse.

We had a major ice storm in Montreal on Wednesday and we haven't had power since 4:30 that day. The power company says it could take days before we get it back. So far we've been holding out but temps are supposed to go below freezing tonight, so we're starting to worry pipes might freeze in the house.

Here are some pics of the olive tree in front of our house that didn't survive the stormView attachment 751677

View attachment 751678

Please send good vibes my way!

No power here either… I am sending you good vibes but not over the cell network who just now is starting to sometimes come back.

 

[azrivest]

No power here either… I am sending you good vibes but not over the cell network who just now is starting to sometimes come back.

We just got power back an hour ago. Things still seem bad in the West Island so hoping it comes back soon for you too

 

[flav]

We got it about half an hour ago, thanks for the encouragement.

I am hoping to keep power long enough to test my costume (no something I was ready to do without a shower available) and do my luggage for Springtime Surprise.

This morning early pre-race wake-up without power was interesting… Imagine washing with cold water, putting make-up with a headlamp, warming the spread on a candle because it was rock hard and, worst of all no coffee until after running a 5k

ETA: Actually, you probably don’t need to imagine it @azrivest Good luck with the clean-up

 

[azrivest]

Maintenance Mode

Still following my 8-week 10k training plan, just because if I run by feel, I don't run I've been working on staying in zone 2, and doing 90:30 intervals has helped me a lot. My paces have been slower, but I don't feel nearly as tired after my runs.

I also signed up for RunFitMama's April Band challenge. I like the 10 minute a day videos and again, it helps to have it planned for me as opposed to deciding what I want to do.

This week was planned to be a higher-mileage week but 3 days without electricity, hot water or internet on the tail end of winter will put a damper on that. I was also supposed to run the same race as Flav yesterday. I was signed up for the 15k but I just did not have the heart to get up when it was -2C outside, go run a 15k and not know if I could shower when I came back. @flav deserves all your congratulations for being such a warrior

Tuesday

• Planned: 30-45 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 44:08
  • 63% in zone 2
  • Another sub-zero run. Where's spring?

Wednesday

• Planned: Off, Cross-Train or Easy Run for 30-40 minutes
  • Completed: 33:11
  • Went at 5:15am, knowing the ice storm was coming through later that day
  • 81% in zone 2

Thursday

• Planned: 15-25 minute Warm-Up + Tempo Run: 15-25 minutes + 15-25 minute Cool-down
  • Completed: Nothing
  • Power was out, school was closed, so I took my two kids to work for the day.

Friday

• Planned: Off, Cross-Train or Easy Run for 30-40 minutes
  • Completed: Nothing

Saturday

• Planned: 30-45 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 43:15
  • The power came back around lunch time, and an hour later I was out running
  • I was feeling utterly exhausted from the stress of the last 72 hours. I thought the run would be disastrous. It actually felt really good. My neighbourhood is a disaster zone with felled trees and branches everywhere. At least the ice has melted away.
  • 70% in zone 2

Sunday

• Planned: 75-90 minute Long, Steady Run with the last 10-20 minutes at a faster pace
  • Completed: 1:30:04
  • 52% in zone 2
  • Struggled mentally to slow down. It's hard seeing those times when my watch auto-laps, but I need to persevere.
  • It was a gorgeous day for running, with blue skies and full sun.

And J has confirmed he wants me to sign him up for the 5k in January, yay! I've got at least one of my kids hooked on rD. We'll see how registration goes, since the 5k is often the first to sell out.

Happy running friends...

 

[flav]

Thank you for the kind words and good luck with registration!

 

[azrivest]

Maintenance Mode

Still following my 8-week 10k training plan

This week went super well. I was happy with my output. I've given myself a challenge to do 10k steps a day every day in April and so far I'm sticking to it. My pulled hamstring has irritated me since I re-injured it in January and no matter what I tried, I didn't feel I was getting better. The last two weeks have seen so much progress, caused by one of three things : 1) I'm walking more and staying seated less (see 10k step challenge above) or 2) I take Muscle Tylenol twice a day or 3) RunFitMama's band challenge focuses a lot on glutes. Today was the first day in literally months that I could stay seated without pain.

I'm currently on a business trip in Europe for 10 days, so I try to fit in my runs in between client visits and train rides.

Tuesday

• Planned: 30-45 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 43:00
  • Weather was amazing. I ran for the first time this year in short sleeves.

Wednesday

• Planned: Off, Cross-Train or Easy Run for 30-40 minutes
  • Completed: 45:15
  • Went to run with my running group and I hated it. The group is too unbalanced yet they insist on running as one giant 30-person pack

Thursday

• Planned: 15-25 minute Warm-Up + Goal Pace Interval Workout: 2 miles (3 km) @ 9:35, 5 minute slow recovery jog, 4 x 1 mile (1.5 km) @ 9:35 with 3-4 minute recovery jog in between + 15-25 minute Cool-down
  • Completed: 1:42:56
  • This was a redo of a hard workout I had done in January. In January, I had quit after the 4th rep since I was fading and didn't feel I could sustain the pace. This time, I am so happy to say that I finished the whole workout. My HR was higher than last time and my paces were a bit slower, but according to Billy it's because I'm getting better at executing the workout. So yay for progress!
  • Splits for each interval were 9:22, 9:31, 9:33, 9:31, 9:41

Friday

• Planned: Off, Cross-Train or Easy Run for 30-40 minutes
  • Completed: Went for two walks

Saturday

• Planned: 30-45 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 35:00
  • I was leaving for a business trip that evening so wanted to keep the run short and spend more time with the kids before I left

Sunday

• Planned: 90-105 minute Long, Steady Run
  • Completed: 1:25:44
  • 77% in zone 2
  • I landed in Brussels early in the morning having barely slept on the plane. Didn't get my hotel room until around 2pm. I walked basically nonstop in the morning to keep from falling asleep. Went running before dinner and still managed to run almost 1h30 but I figured it was enough with all the walking and the 2 hours of sleep. I finished my day with 27k steps. I almost felt like I was at the SS 10 miler with everyone, with the too short night and the high step count

 

[azrivest]

One picture from my run in Brussels last Sunday

 

[azrivest]

Maintenance Mode

Still following my 8-week 10k training plan for my 10k planned on May 14th

This week was the week of missed races. If I had better planned my trip, I could have run in both the Rotterdam and the Vienna marathon weekends.

I've been playing travelling salesman going to different cities to visit my clients all over Europe. I can't complain. I can say that I've run in 3 different cities this week, and I only skipped Amsterdam because of lack of time. And also my plan only had 4 runs on it this week. It's the last down week before race day.

Tuesday

• Planned: 30-45 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 27:37
  • I was in Rotterdam for two days. One of my favourite cities in all of Europe to be in. I missed the marathon by 48 hours and I was really disappointed since Rotterdam is on my race bucket list. I told my clients that I'm for sure coming back next year and signing up.

(picture of the Rotterdam Zuid skyline. That big mast in the background is Erasmusbrug where the marathon ends.)

Wednesday

• Planned: Off or Cross-Train
  • Completed: Nothing
  • Was staying in Amsterdam for the night.

Thursday

• Planned: 15-25 minute Warm-Up + Speed Workout: 12 to 16 x 400m with 200m recovery jog plus 3 x 200m Strides with 200m recovery jog + 15-25 minute Cool-down
  • Completed: 1:10:21
  • Splits were supposed to be 2:04 - 2:12/rep
  • Splits for each interval were 2:08, 0:59 (oops my watch), 2:11, 2:15, 2:11, 2:05, 2:07, 2:03, 2:14, 2:10, 0:38 (stopped)
  • Flew from Amsterdam to Vienna, where I'm now spending the weekend. The long work days coupled with travelling in the evenings or mornings got to me and I had no energy for this one. I decided to go by feel rather than looking at much and to stop when I felt I was fading. I didn't do the 3xstrides either
  • Looking at those numbers, I could probably have gone on. That was actually pretty close to the target!

(the Wiener Riesenrad, a ferris wheel that has been around since 1897)

Friday

• Planned: 30-40 minute Easy Run
  • Completed: 45:00
  • Another beautiful spring day in Vienna

(myself on Hauptallee in Prater park)

Saturday

• Planned: 75 minute Long, Steady Run
  • Completed: 49:47
  • Booked a running tour on Saturday morning. It was really fun. The guide, Basti, was interesting and funny. If any of you are ever in Vienna, I highly recommend Rebel Tours Vienna

(Vienna's Stephansdom)

(our guide, Basti in front of the Beethoven statue)

(view from the Upper Belvedere palace)


The Vienna marathon is tomorrow. Had I known it was being held while I'm here, I would have for sure signed up for the Half, but registration was closed by the time I figured it out. They said during the tour this morning that it can hold up to 40 000 participants!

 

[WillRunForPizza]

What fun! How cool to have all these new places to run.

 

[azrivest]

What fun! How cool to have all these new places to run.

Yes I'm very lucky to have a job that allows me to do that. I missed it during the pandemic

 

[striker1064]

This is so cool! Love your pictures. Thank you for sharing!