stayingawhile-blog

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Surprising Myself

So remember how I've been moaning that this half training marathon hasn't been going so well.  That I feel like I haven't been getting in enough tempo and speed training. That I have felt slow and sluggish.

Well Sunday I repeated a route that I did last August.  My garmin is on the fritz and wouldn't make it through 18 km.  If it lasts 12 km I consider it a good day.  So knowing that I couldn't rely on it to tell me my total mileage I just repeated a route I knew to be 18km. (and I ran with my garmin on one wrist and my backup cheapo timex on the other....oh yeah, I looked hardcore).

The route is slightly more challenging than my typical flatty flat flat routes along the Pitt River because it involves some mildly undulating trails along the Coquitlam River. Plus my garmin sucks under tree cover and totally underestimates my distance.  So at 12km just before it died, my garmin was telling me I was running a 6:20/km pace.  Not terrible, but not great either.

I remembered that my August time for the route was 1:53 so my goal was to not be slower than that.  When I got home and double checked my route I realized that I had inadvertently added a little extra distance by looping around a park instead of taking the shortcut trail.

So colour me pleasantly surprised to find that I had run further in a faster time.  It was enough to bring my average pace down to 6:08/km.

Hooray for a little speed and strength that has at last returned

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Getting Past Those 'Difficult' Runs

Yesterday I had a terrible run.  I was working from home which meant I didn’t have to drag myself outside in the pitch dark hour of 5:00am.  Instead I worked for a few hours and ran on my lunch break.  Normally that makes for a pretty decent run.  I am much more awake, my muscles are a little warmed up, I am fuelled on food and caffeine and it is light out which I always enjoy more than running in the dark.   That was not the case yesterday.  It was one of those runs where nothing feels particularly achy or tired.  But rather my lungs felt like the size of peanuts.  I absolutely could not get my breathing under control.  I find runs like that disconcerting because if I can’t pinpoint the reason why they are so bad I can’t figure out how to fix it.   Well rather than fixate I shook it off.  I got through the run by walking as much as needed and later in the day I went to an invigorating yet relaxing yoga flow class. 

Then this morning I got up at normal time for my hill repeat workout.  I thought I was doomed when during my first mile warmup my iPod died.  Hill repeats are the one workout where I totally rely on music as a pick me up to get me through.    But it actually was a little refreshing not to have any music.  Instead on focused on things that I had learned in reading this article particularly thinking about the angle of my body. 

I think it helped.   I got through 6 repeats with energy to spare.  Plus it helped that I counted that I only have three more dreaded hill repeat workouts before the half marathon in May.

The body is a mysterious thing.  How one day can be such a struggle to do a regular steady run and the next day I am running up and down hills feeling strong?   Overall I don’t think it is any secret that this half marathon training session has been tougher than when I ran the Okanagan Half last October.  Starting out with illness after illness knocked me down a few pegs.  Being limited on where I can run early in the morning when it is dark means I’ve done far less tempo or speed training since this is tough when I have to keep Fletcher on leash.   I know there are all just excuses but I’m also trying to remind myself that there is value putting in the miles, in following the training program, even if it is all just foundational for some future Half Marathon when I can expect to PR again or at least prove that last time wasn't a fluke.

And as much as I have struggled since the new year I still hit 25% of my annual running goal 5 days before the end of the first quarter of 2014.  So that has to count for something right?

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lately Lately things have been pretty quiet on the blogging front mostly because things have been pretty quiet in life and general. Since Santa Barbara we've been enjoying quiet and obnoxiously wet weekends. Which has meant lots of time for crocheting, reading, yoga classes and catching up on all my girlie tv like Scandal, Greys and Parenthood. But this weekend things were a little drier and we spent some time outside. Chris used his pole climbing gear to climb the trees in our backyard and cut off a ton of branches to hopefully allow for more sunlight in our backyard. I cleaned up some of the lower plants in the yard and enjoyed the signs of spring all around. And Fletcher learned to catch a frisbee. A very productive weekend all around. Lately running has been going well. It's amazing what a difference a few illness free weeks can do. Sunday I ran 18km and it was a stellar day for a run, sunny and mild. I still can't believe I am up to 18km. I lay in bed before my run counting the number of Sundays between now and Easter and then Easter until the half. 7 Sundays in total and now down to 6. It feels good to know I am already up to this distance and I can continue to build from here. Now I just need to get a little more speed going on in my weekdays runs. Here's a look at last week's workouts Monday - rest day but still did 2x30 minute walks with Fletcher Tuesday - 6.8 km tempo run @ 6:00/km pace plus 50 min spinning class in the pm Wednesday - 5km easy run Thursday - 6km hill repeats 5x Friday - rest day Saturday - 6km steady run and 1 hour flow yoga class Sunday - 17.8 km long run @ 6:16/km pace Total 42km

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California Mini Break - Day Four

Sunday started with my weekly long run. I figured I could get in 15km along the waterfront and not have to worry about getting myself lost at all. The beachside paths were covered in sand and debris caused by the high surf over the past couple of days. The weather was drizzly but at least the torrential downpours had passed

After breakfast made in the little kitchen in our hotel, (Have I mentioned how much I loved our accomodation. it was so cozy yet spacious with the most comfortable bed I may have ever slept in.) we headed down to Carpinteria to walk along the scenic cliffs.

First a stop at the Lucky Llama for a caffeine fix. Those are our happily caffinated faces.

Then we walked along the pathway until we found the harbour seal sanctuary. We watched the seals flop themselves around on the beach and frolic in the water.

It was the perfect time to be there to see the newborn baby seals. They were glued to their mother's sides and followed them everywhere.

The views from the cliffs were misty and dreamy and held its own sort of charms but there was always a small part of me that longed to see the coastline bathed in sunlight.

After Carpinteria, we headed back to Santa Barbara and strolled along the downtown including the shops along State Street. The architecture was interesting, but the shops not so much. They were the same old stores found in any hundreds of malls across North America.  Quickly bored we instead headed to one more delicious lunch at Los Agaves.

And at last it was time for one more trip to The Funk Zone. On Sunday afternoon, at Corks n Crowns they offer up cupcake flights in addition to the wine and craft beer flights. 

I could have stayed there for an eternity but our time in Santa Barbara was dwindling.  It was a great first taste of the California coast.  I know we will be back.  Hopefully the sun will decide to join us next time.

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California Mini Break - Day Three

This post will only have two pictures because this is the day Winter Storm Isaac really hit the shores of California and it was too bloody wet to pull out the camera. And honestly there was nothing to take pictures of in the pouring rain anyway.

We planned to head up into the Santa Ynez Valley (Sideways country) and I have never let a few raindrops keep from enjoying a few glasses of wine. The below was the view outside our room as we were getting ready to leave. We pretty much decided then and there we would not be hiking as planned anywhere in the valley.

The drive took us up over San Marcos pass, which was a white knuckle driving experience. The cloud was so thick and the rain so heavy that we could barely see a foot in front of the car on the twisty road.

We headed first to Solvang, which is a cute Danish inspired town that makes you feel like you have been transplanted to Europe. We headed to a little bakery and enjoyed danish baked goods and watched people dash about between store front awnings trying to stay dry.

This is the second and last photo we took that day. A cute windmill and I suppose some sort of proof the town was indeed European inspired.

After killing some time in the bakery we decided 11:00 am was an acceptable time to start sampling the wines of the region. The first place on our list was closed due to the rain. Then the farm with the miniature donkeys Chris wanted to see was closed due to the rain

Have I conveyed yet how wet it was?

We did try some great wines at a couple of places (Buttonwood and Carhartt) but the problem with winery hopping in the pouring rain. No time to chill, walk around the gardens and simply pace yourself. By 12:30 I was drunk and no longer able to distinguish a good wine from a bad one.

We ate lunch at the Firestone Walker brewpub in Buelliton and then decided the rest of our day in the Santa Ynez valley was a wash.

Back at our hotel we had a rejuvenating nap and by late afternoon we ready to try some more wines. We headed to 'The Funk Zone', which is this cool old industrial area that has been renovated into a neighbourhood filled with tasting rooms and bars. We did a tasting at the Santa Barbara Winery, a place that was absolutely packed with young people eager to drop a lot of money on wine. If the American economy is still struggling you would never know it by visiting Santa Barbara.

From there we hopped around to several other tasting rooms and bars. The Funk Zone was another highlight of the trip and probably the key thing that would lure me back to Santa Barbara.

Dinner that night was an ultra casual affair at Lily's Tacos, a place that serves only that. Tacos. But at $1.60 each you can eat your fill and go back for more. Which we did.

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California Mini Break - Day Two

On our first evening in Santa Barbara the niceish weather was still holding up so we wandered along the waterfront, out onto the pier for some sunset shots, and then up to Figueroa Mountain Brewery. There is just something great about the first night on holidays when the freedom and possibility still lie ahead. We sat at the bar trying out some of the great beers on tap. Thursdays is when they offer free samples of their latest batch and that week's was Grumpy Ale, a funny name for a heavy but enjoyable beer. Good thing we were stumbling distance back to our accomodation

Friday started with a run along the Santa Barbara waterfront up to some cliffs in Shoreline Park. Chris and I both kept remarking how much Santa Barbara reminded us of Brisbane. The smells of the ocean and the trees especially.

Since the rain was holding off we decided to visit the Santa Barbara Mission where we learned some of the interesting colonial history of the region.

Picture the above photo with deep sunny blue skies. Now that would have been a nice shot.

The grounds were lovely with interesting vegetation.

We finished our self guided tour just as the rains came. And was it ever heavy. We were driving through the neighbours to find our lunch spot, Los Agaves (incredible mexican food with an extensive salsa bar) and it was nearly impossible to drive. Windshield wipers at full speed weren't enough. And the streets were flooding because the gutters couldn't handle the onslaught. The heavy winds whipped across the palm trees leaving debris everywhere.

After a wet afternoon the sun came out (partially) once again so we jumped on the free bike cruisers from our hotel and peddled along the waterfront, going southbound this time. I wore my Garmin so I could get a sense of distance for my long run Saturday morning.

As the sun was starting to get low in the sky we found a nice spot to stop and take in the views. Because Santa Barbara actually faces more south than west over the ocean it is one of the only places on the west coast where you can see the sun rise and set over the Pacific. In theory. We didn't really have clear enough skies to see either to much extent.

Dinner that evening was enjoyed at the Brophy Brother's Clam Bar, on the marina, where I ate delicious creamy clam chowder and tender calamari. Food was definitely a highlight of this trip.

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California Mini Break - Day One

We are currently enduring a very wet Saturday here in Vancouver, complete with rainfall warnings. So it is a perfect time to finally sit down and catch up on our trip last weekend to Santa Barbara, where we endured alot of rain southern California style, which is a whole other type of rain.

But let's start at the beginning on Thursday, the dryest day of the trip. We took an early flight from Vancouver that had us landed and pulling out of the Hertz rental parking lot before noon. We headed up the coast taking the Pacific Coast Highway. My first time on this famous piece of road. I know the most Southern part doesn't include the killer highlights experienced further north. But it does include a drive through Malibu and sections that feel utterly familar since they have been featured in so many movies.

Our first stop was at Ventura pier. Where we ate fish tacos drank beers while enjoying views of the Pacific. A perfect way to kick start our mini break.

After lunch we walked along the pier, where people were fishing and hanging out. It was a nice scene, but we definitely picked up on a darker underbelly that made us comment that we wouldn't want to go back there at night.

Still it was a nice spot to stroll about and take a few photos.

Next we headed to a different beach in Ventura near the harbour. We walked along the water's edge people watching and of course dog watching.

We took advantage of the dry, though slightly overcast weather. Knowing the rain was just around the corner.

Then it was off to Santa Barbara...

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Last Week in Workouts

As I write this I am huddled under a blanket watching The Voice instead of braving the icey streets and going to my Monday night yoga class. I am already downgrading into vacation mode. But last week was a great one for workouts. In addition to my running schedule I fit in two yoga classes, did two short Barre3 weight workouts and attended my first ever spinning class. I was nervous about the spinning class and to be honest I didn't push myself to the edge or anything but once I got the hang of the whole adjusting the resistance thing I actually had fun. Oh and somewhere in there I painted our crown mouldings for about four hours on Saturday afternoon. But I think it might have caught up to me today because I've been dragging butt all day and eating just about everything in sight. And so the tv veg out continues.... My week in Running Summary Monday - Rest Day Tuesday - 5km steady run Wednesday - 4km easy run (tired legs after my spinning class) Thursday - 6.7km hill repeats 6x Saturday - 5.5km easy Family run Sunday - 14.8km long run 6:17/km pace. (My pace was better the first half but a brutal head wind took its toll in the second half)

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Hill Repeats & Work Challenges

Yesterday I did hill repeats which makes five weeks that I consistently done this weekly workout. I can definitely feel some of my strength coming back (my pace is still slow but let's not talk about that)

I have this thought that often goes through my head when I am doing hill repeats.  I remind myself that even if the rest of my day goes sideways at least I accomplished something of value today.

That thought gave me comfort today because I was feeling especially nervous about a presentation that I was making later in the day.  The topic was something that I live and breath so I wasn't worried about the material.  But the audience was a steering committee made up of senior directors within The company as well as external people.

I've made many many presentations in my career but since I have started at my current job it has only been to internal collegues.  My company is pretty large so I didn't know all the people but at least we share a common culture and knowledge of the business.

I was most nervous about what sort of questions might come from an audience not so familar with our business and with different objectives

Things went as well as I could have hoped with the presentation and afterwards I enjoyed an Aussie Pie from downtown food cart while sitting in a sunny spot chatting with a work mate. Overall a pretty decent day that was made so in no small part because I dragged my butt out of bed and ran up and down a hill six times.

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No Knead Artisan Bread - My New Obsession

The whole no knead bread phenomenon hit the internet several years back.  It all started with an article in the New York Times of all places and I have seen it reproduced many many times.  I am what you might call a late adopter.  Heck, this week I went to my first ever spinning class. 

I like my trends tried and true before I give them a go.

To be entirely honest my Le Creuset purchase was largely motivated by my desire to make these gorgeous loaves.  In the past couple of months, I have tried out many variations but I have had the most success with a back to basics version that I followed from The Kitchn that incorporates tweaks from other recipes.

Actually, my tweaked recipe ended up looking surprisingly similar to the original NYT version.  Go figure.

Making this bread requires planning because of the long slow rise.  And time really is the key here.  I tried to skimp on the rise time and the loaf was just not quite right.

So I have gotten myself into a routine of mixing up the ingredients Friday morning before I head off to work.  Then Saturday morning I give the dough a little punch down and shaping, head to a yoga class and when I come back the dough is ready for baking.  Perfect to make peanut butter and banana open face sandwiches for lunch.  Or whatever more fancy sandwich your heart desires.

No Knead Bread (adapted from The Kitchn)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups white flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups slightly warm water

Instructions

1. Add flour to the bowl followed by the yeast and salt and stir thoroughly

2. Add 1 1/2 cups of barely warm (tepid) water and stir.  The dough will look rough and shaggy.

3. Spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, or, if you do not have cooking spray, lightly oil the top of the dough with olive oil. Then turn the dough in the bowl so the whole ball of dough is coated with the oil.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

5. Throw a towel over top of the bowl and set it in a warm corner. Leave it alone for 18 to 24 hours.

6. After at least 18 hours have passed the dough will have risen and will look rather bubbly and stretched out.

7. Lightly oil the countertop and turn the dough out onto it, folding it over on itself at least once.

8. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it sit for another hour.

9. About 20 minutes before the hour is up, turn on the oven to 475°F.  (Some recipes say 450°F but my oven runs a little cool) Place an oven-safe Dutch oven or pot in the oven.

10. Quickly shape the dough into a round ball (This has taken me some practice because the dough is pretty soft but do your best) and drop it into the pot.

11. Place the lid on the pot and put it in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.  Then remove the lid from the pot and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.

12. Remove the bread from the oven. If you wish to keep it warm for serving, you can wrap it in a clean kitchen towel.

13. Slice and serve!

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Yarn Stash Additions & Homemade Treats Last weekend I placed an online order for the biggest yarn purchase I have ever made and it arrived midweek. Though I held off opening the packages until this weekend. Thirty two skeins of yarn for $80. Needless to say that is a ridiculously good price. I plan to use about half to make my ripple blanket. The other half was a pure indulgence purchase. It was actually the Attic24 colour bundle Nothing in mind in particular for these skeins but I can see some fun brightly coloured niece and nephew projects in the future. Friday night Chris and celebrated Valentines Day with a cozy dinner in. We listened to some tracks that we played during our wedding dinner, some of which I haven't heard in years so it brought back lovely memories. Dinner started with bacon wrapped scallops, followed by buttery shrimp scampi linguine and finished with the absolute star of the meal, molten chocolate lava cakes. I used the recipe straight from Iowa Girl Eats, which was easily divided in half for two people. Though I don't think we would have had trouble eating more. I prepped it before dinner and then just threw them in the oven while we cleaned up from the main course. Way too easy. These were so delicious and I seriously had to stop myself from making another batch the next day. Definitely a new favourite in our house. Our other new favourite homemade treat? Crusty artisan style no knead bread. It has become a weekend staple in our house. I'll post more about this later because this obsession requires it's own post.

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This Week in Running Some days I feel like I am finally returning to my running training stride for the first time since October. Like Thursday for instance I had a decent steady run with the best pace (for a 5 am run that I have done in weeks) Then other days, like today, things continue to be a battle. My training program called for 14km and for several days I was dreading it. 14 km? But I only did 12km last week? I'm not ready for 14km. How did I get to this point in my training program already? I'm sure all this less than positive talk was why the first few kilometres felt like such a struggle. At just past 4km I felt really nauseous and had to walk even though I was only a couple of minutes away from an official walk break. At that point I decided to change up my route since I was worried if things started to feel worse I would have put myself miles from home. I also played a little game with myself, that I actually didn't have to do 14km because I was planning to repeat this week and so I would have another chance to do this distance. Instead I only had to run an amount that would 'round up' to 14. As in 13.5. As in 0.5 km less. Trust me that little bit of leniency is exactly what I needed to not just pack it in entirely. So I pushed on and put in 13.68km. And now I feel like a hurdle has past. 14km next week? No problem. Maybe I'll make it 15. Maybe. My week in running summary: Tuesday - 3km. (Crazy black ice made running nearly impossible. There was a lot of walking and slipping) Wednesday - 6km - Hill Repeats 5x Thursday - 5.8km - Steady Run (6:06min/km pace) Saturday - 5.5km easy family run with Chris and Fletcher on the trails Sunday - 13.68km I like looking back on my weekly mileage to see that things are steadily going upwards since the start of the year. (Except for one little blip.) It may be a struggle but at least I am headed in the right direction.

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This is February? Seriously?

I'm still adjusting to the idea of a long weekend in February. I think this is only the second year that BC has had Family Day. In the summer a long weekend means making plans to get out of town. To explore. To do something out of the norm. We tossed around a couple half hearted ideas to things to do this long weekend. But at the end of it we just loved the idea of an extra day to just hang out. Do some the regular weekend stuff with extra time in between to just relax. We've had a pretty light winter here in the Lower Mainland. The past week has been colder than normal but with gorgeous clear blue skies. We headed out over the weekend to a couple of spots we haven't hiked or walked in awhile. First up was Minnekhada park. We hiked up to Addington lookout and then down onto the dykes. I have never seen things so frozen out on the trails. Fletchy had fun being his normal goofy self. I realized that I have never taken my camera up to that part of the dyke system since I normally only run in that area. It's always great to enjoy photographing a new view of the mountains. Such a gorgeous setting and soft light meant I had to force Fletcher into a mini photo session. The next day we went over to Burke Mountain for another mini hike. Another spot I haven't been for months. I feel so lucky to have all of these places to explore with my micro-family.

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Our Olympic Dog Turns Four

Four years ago we were enjoying the Olympics here in Vancouver on the day our little puppa was born.  Four years later we are watching the Olympics once more and celebrating Fletchy's birthday.

And yes, I am that person who displays nearly all 15 signs that you might be obsessed with your dog.  Including buying special birthday cookies to celebrate.

Yesterday we went hiking on Burke Mountain on the trail that was Fletchy's first mountain experience.  Including posing for pictures on the 'his' bridge.  Burke really is his second home and you can immediately see how happy he is when he gets on the trails.  Up and over.  Around and down.  Back and forth.  No fear.  Just like when he was a little poochlette. 

Happy Birthday Buddy.  Here's to another year of me being obsessed with you and spoiling you to pieces.

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Running Lately

It's been awhile since I've done a running lately post. But I have been plodding along with my runs. Plodding is a word I use intentionally. There has been little speed in my runs. And each one has felt like a bit of a slog. Then just last weekend when I really felt like I was turning a corner with my energy level I came down with my second cold this year. Nothing as serious as the previous chest cold but enough that I wasn't in any shape to run all weekend. So this week I am repeating my Week 7 training program. I still have 12 weeks before the Vancouver half marathon and it's comforting that I have a buffer in my training but I really wanted to keep my extra weeks for later in the training program when the distances get longer. But I feel like repeating to ensure I have a good base going forward is my best strategy at the moment. The highlight of my running this week was a gorgeous sunny Saturday morning spent on the dykes with Chris and Fletcher. The slough was frozen solid, the first timej in five years I have ever seen this. Huge flocks of ducks were flying about looking for a place to land and when they did they would slide about on their little legs. Poor ducks but they did give us a few good laughs.

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Four Years Later To be honest, I have been feeling a little wistful about the start of the Olympics. It is bringing back memories of how amazing things were in Vancouver four years ago. The great atmosphere in the city, winning tickets to attend women's speed skating, the glorious mild weather that made all the meandering around the city so much more enjoyable and of course the celebrations after the hockey gold medal win. After experiencing the once in a lifetime thrill of living in a host city, it is difficult to get excited about the games when they are halfway around the world, especially ones that are having so many less than flattering things written about them. Then the other morning I was listening to an interview with Adam van Koeverden talking about what it is like for an athlete to be several days out from their event and trying to balance mental preparation and growing anxiety. Suddenly I was overwhelmed thinking of the Canadian athletes dealing with with the high expectations for medal counts and the distracting terrorism threats reported in the news constantly. It made my wistfulness over the lack of a local party seem admittedly trivial. So my pvr is set to tape the opening ceremony in hopes that watching will help me find my Olympic spirit.

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One Year of Blogging

It was officially one year ago today that I came back to this little space and decided I was going to try this blogging thing again. Since that time I have posted 155 times or an average of 13 times a month. Which of course isn't much given that this is tumblr and some people post 13 times a day plus plus plus. I posted the most in February (the whole blogging thing was new but also we travelled to Arizona so I had a lot I wanted to document) and I posted the least in November (I was just a little tired of blogging, plus well November is mostly about cocooning on the couch and avoiding the rain) Looking back through my archives I love that I have a record of not just our major travels to Arizona and through the Rockies. But also our mini adventures like camping weekends, and lower mainland day trips. And then there are the little day to day things like the recipes I attempted, random photos I took or just stuff I was processing through writing. Of course my primary reason for committing to blogging was to keep myself accountable through the year on my 2013 goals and I love that I had this little space to motivate me to persevere throughout the year and continue making progress. I don't know what form this blog will take in the coming year. I am questioning whether tumblr I where I want to keep it. Tumblr was initially appealing for its total ease of use but it is a little limiting. But whatever form it takes here's to committing to another year.