Winding Down

Here we are, heading into the final week of 2015.   I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas.  Ours was the usual bit of crazy.  I also came down with a cold on Christmas Eve so that really sucked.  I'm just getting over it now.   I had big workout plans for Boxing Day but thought it would be better to take that extra day of rest.  I also had a big feast to prepare for so I lounged around in my pjs for a bit in the morning and then tackled cleaning up the dining room and getting things ready for the Kennedy - Rodrigues family invasion.   I managed to squeeze in my physio work and then buckled down in the kitchen to prep some things to freeze for lunches and then get started on dinner.

I still had a pretty good week of workouts, especially now that I'm back running.  Sure it's not more than 3-4km at a time but it's better than nothing.  And, I got to run in shorts on Christmas Eve.  It was 15 degrees and sunny.  Christmas Day we drove to my parents with the top down on the Eos.  Hello El Nino.  The weather is changing a bit now but it's still warmer than it usually is this time of year.  I think my time in shorts is probably done, ha ha.

It was a pretty busy week with my last couple of days of work, G's birthday and then Christmas and Boxing Day.  I didn't make it to the pool during the week at all.  We were out late on Tuesday for G's birthday dinner.  We went to Canoe.  What an experience that was!  Great food and a spectacular view.  So amazing.

The view from Canoe - the 54th Floor of the TD Tower.

Of course I slept in the next day.  Splitting a bottle of wine will do that to me, ha ha. I did make it to hot yoga though.  And I got in a wee run.  Christmas Eve a bunch of us went to WattsUp and did a 75 minute ride inside, even though it was spectacular out.  After the ride 2 of my friends ran / walked with me.  WattsUp is really close to my house so we ran down to the water and they turned around and went back up and I headed east through Samuel Smith Park towards home.   It felt like spring out it was so warm.  And then I got sick, ha ha.  Oh well.

Anyway, this is how this past week rolled out:

Monday:  Skipped swimming but ran 3.17km and then did a 40 minute easy ride on the trainer in the p.m.
Tuesday:  3.28km run, 40 minute strength session
Wednesday:  75 minute hot yoga class, 4.47km run
Thursday:  75 minute ride, 4.07km run

Friday:  OFF - CHRISTMAS!!!!
Saturday:  OFF
Sunday:  2200m swim, 60 minute hot yoga class, 4.4km run.

Total time:  7h 56 minutes.  Gradually building back up to my usual 9 hours.

Despite my knee nonsense, I ended up signing up for yet ANOTHER race in 2015.  We're off to Florida for a training camp in March and this race is at the START of the training camp.  I'm pretty excited because I'll get to meet Kelli Wright and Allison Reed, two ladies I follow on Instagram (and I read Kelli's blog regularly). Team Wattie Ink is holding a training camp that weekend and a bunch of them will be racing so we will all get to meet.  SO MUCH FUN!  It will be my first Olympic distance race in over 10 years, which should be interesting.   It will definitely test my limits.  I'll have to work at pacing myself vs. going all out like I would in a sprint.

How was your Christmas?  Did you travel or stay close to home?  Did you get anything exciting?  G got me a Macbook Air that is super fast and super light.  I also got a lot of interesting beer, ha ha.

Tradition

Tradition:  the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.  - Dictionary.com

December is the month of tradition in my world.  Work wise it's traditionally always busy as clients look to spend the rest of their advertising budgets for the year.  After the mayhem of the first few weeks of December, the studio traditionally shuts down for at least a week between Christmas and New Year's.  I look forward to that break every year.  It's nice to have the time to decompress.  

Our Christmas has become a melting pot of traditions over the years.  When G and I got married, figuring out where we'd spend Christmas day was a bit tricky.  We both agreed that the kids (his niece and nephew) would win out for Christmas morning. We couldn't leave my family out of the picture on Christmas day either so they'd get us for dinner.  We figured once we had our own kids that things would change.   We didn't have kids so these traditions have remained, even though his niece and nephew are now teenagers and are usually still asleep when we arrive on Christmas morning.  Since our families really enjoy hanging out together, we decided to host everyone at our place on Boxing Day.  Christmas eve is our time together.  We open gifts, have a nice dinner and maybe watch a movie.  Christmas day we drive out to Bolton hang out with G's family have breakfast, then around 2:00 we get in the car, make the hour drive to Guelph to hang out with my parents, my bother and my sister and her boyfriend. Boxing Day everyone makes their way to our place in Toronto and we have a feast.  It's two days of crazy that I wouldn't trade for the world.

There are few other Christmas traditions that I love.  Some old, some new.  

* Our friends Christmas party, always the first weekend of December, and always a good night out.  I generally don't make any plans for the next day, ha ha.

Me and my best bud, Sue, at last year's party. 

 *  Watching the Sound of Music - I have no idea why this is a Christmas tradition but it's been a tradition of mine since I was a teenager.  I NEVER get tired of this movie.  I usually enjoy it with a cup of spiced rum and eggnog because that's what you do.  My sister and I will always call or text each other to let each other know when it's on.

* The smell of garlic pork cooking at my parents.  I don't normally partake in it but it is a Guyanese tradition and my dad LOVES it.  Once in a while I'll have a bit but it's SUPER potent.  

* Picking out our Christmas Tree.  After we rebuilt our house, we actually had room for a Christmas tree so we decided we'd get a real tree every year.  So, we usually go out mid December and pick out a tree from a local merchant.   With that comes the changing of the sofa cushions as well, haha.

* Spending a Sunday baking Christmas cookies for my friends and co-workers.  I've done it every year for as long as I can remember.  Sometimes I even do it AT the studio. 

Getting my Martha Stewart on at the studio

The finished product!

* Our food drive and decorating of the Christmas tree at work.  This is something that is fairly new at the studio but I think it's something that will remain for years to come.  This year we're having a snowflake making competition, just to make it interesting, ha ha.

Thanks to Deb Runs for hosting Wednesday Word!   

What are some of your favourite traditions?

Christmas, Chaos & Colds

Happy Monday!  I'm still on holidays this week so today it's Happy Monday.  We'll see how I feel next Monday, ha.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  Ours was the usual bit of crazy.  It didn't help that both G and I were recovering from various sicknesses.  G had pneumonia and I got a crazy sinus cold that knocked me sideways last week.  It only lasted 3 days but it really put a dent in my workout plans.  It's just as well, I needed an easy week, ha ha.  It actually kept me out of the pool for 10 days!   It was quite nice to just putter around the house though.  G and I spent Christmas Eve day lounging on the couch watching movies all day.  THAT was awesome and much needed for the both of us.

 Christmas Day was spent driving around between families and Boxing Day everyone came over to our place for the usual Kennedy / Rodrigues Boxing Day Feast.  I cooked up a storm.  We did a massive ham on the BBQ so I had room in the oven to make roasted sweet potatoes with garlic and thyme and roasted maple bacon brussell sprouts.  I made fresh buns for the first time ever (thanks to our bread machine!) and we also had green beans, a spinach salad courtesy of my brother and this awesome turnip and parsnip dish courtesy of my mother in law.  Of course I had to save room for dessert which was a delicious cheesecake courtesy of my sister in law.  Thank goodness for jeans with lycra, ha!

The weather this past week has been phenomenal given it's late December so G and I tried to take advantage of that on Saturday and went out to Durham Forest to ride.  Unfortunately the trails were icy and slushy which meant that they were super slippery.  I was not comfortable riding on that so I went out onto the road and rode along the grass and gravel wherever I could.  G stayed on the trails for a bit and then came out and met me.  It was short but it was better than nothing.  The temperature got up to 9 degrees later on in the day so of course I had to get out and enjoy it.  I had done a pretty hard run on Friday and normally I wouldn't run the next day but it was too nice out to NOT run.   I've run 4 times this past week.  That is more than I've run in ages.  And, I am happy to say that I had no knee pain on any of these runs AND, MY GLUTES WERE WORKING!!!!  Things have finally clicked.  That's the only way I can explain my ability to run the paces I'm running at the effort level I'm running at. 

This was a pleasant surprise

New kicks & bare legs in late December.  Heck YEAH.

This week ended up being nice and easy in terms of volume and intensity and it was just what I needed.

Monday:  3.29km run - breaking in the new orthotics
Tuesday:  5.8km run - yet another run.  This one in new shoes.
Wednesday:  OFF
Thursday:  OFF
Friday:  7.76km a-ma-zing run.
Saturday:  8.72km mountain bike ride, followed by a 7km easy run.
Sunday:  3000m swim followed by a 1h 20 minute computrainer ride. 

Total time:  5h 9 minutes. 

I need to get back to the gym this week as well as the pool.  Coach Kim has decided that the remainder of our swim sessions this year are going to be hard - like a "mini training camp".  Awesome.  I missed a week and a half and I came back to a hard workout and got bumped up a lane.  Amazingly I didn't die.  My arms and shoulders were totally fried by the end though. 

I finally sat down yesterday and started working on a plan for myself for 2015.  I also did this:

It was weird to be signing up for the 5km vs. the half but I promised myself that the first half of the year would be all about short stuff and I don't like to break promises.  I've started thinking about my 2015 goals so expect a post on that sometime this week.

How was your Christmas? Did you get any cool gifts?

Merry Christmas Eve!

To say that the last few days have been chaos in the Big Smoke would be an understatement.  Our weather has been all over the place with temperatures rising and then plummeting.  We've been dumped on with snow and now, good old Mother Nature has covered the city in ice.  So needless to say, I've taken my workouts inside.  Yes folks, I hit the 'mill on Saturday for just over 13km and I did it again this morning for another 7km.  That was before the sun came out and melted some of the crap on the roads.  So of course, I HAD to go out for another run.  It would have been a cryin' shame not to.  Words cannot describe how happy that made me.  It may have been -10 but I didn't care.  I was OUTSIDE in the SUNSHINE.  It doesn't get much better than that.  What a fabulous way to spend Christmas Eve day. 

Our neighbourhood was lucky enough to not lose power during or after the storm, thank goodness.  I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am for that.  It meant that I got to spend my Sunday afternoon like this:

There was a good solid nap involved- I'd been out late every night for the last four nights in a row (say what?!). And of course, a couple of hours of Top Gear watching.  It was so nice to have a lazy Sunday after all the running around and late nights I've had over this past week.  It was also G's birthday and he was happy to spend the afternoon with his feet up in front of the fire.

We don't start our Christmas insanity until tomorrow.  G and I usually have a nice dinner and exchange our gifts tonight.  Tomorrow we go to his sister's place in the morning and open presents with the kids and then we drive to Guelph for dinner with my family.  And more present exchanging.  Then we drive home.  On Boxing Day everyone comes to our place for another feast.  I seriously LOVE this time of year!!!

Merry Christmas to all you folks that follow along.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!!

Do you have any Christmas traditions? 

8 Cool Gifts for the Endurance Junkie in Your Life

You reading along G?

Who am I kidding, I gave him my list ages ago.   Of course a few of the things on my list made it on to this list.

For those of you that haven't started your Christmas shopping yet....what are you waiting for, the last minute??  Or perhaps you're all out there now taking advantage of the Black Friday deals.  If you are, good for you.  I would rather chew tin foil than face crowds like that.  That's why I've done almost all of my Christmas shopping on line, which coincidentally, is how I found most of these awesome goodies!

The best part of this list is that all of these great things are under $50!

 ROAD ID.  Anyone and everyone that ventures outside to do some form of physical activity needs one of these.   Period.  They come in all sorts of great colours and styles.  If you don't want to wear something on your wrist, they have one that even attaches to your shoe.   I have two.  One I wear on my running shoe and another I wear on my wrist when I'm cycling.

Training / Race Day Nutrition:  My pick?  Salted Caramel GU.  Lawdy Lawdy this stuff is AWESOME.  It's GU's latest flavour and right now it's a limited edition holiday flavour.  I am crossing every single part of my body in the hopes that they make it a permanent addition to their flavour line up.

Portable lights, like this Light Guide.  With the arrival of winter, most of us end up having to run in the dark.  Combine that with potentially poor visibility and running at night can become a potentially hazardous endeavor, so in the interest of safety it make sense to be lit up like a Christmas tree.  The brighter the better because sometimes just being reflective doesn't cut it.

Do your race bibs just end up in a pile of chaos in your night stand drawer?  No?  Ok, maybe that's just me.  Anyway, if they do, perhaps you might want to look at doing this:

Yes, those are coasters made out of a race bib!  I love this idea.  I have kept every single race bib from every single race I've ever done.  Yes, I'm THAT person.  Granted I'm not sure where all of them are but I know I have them somewhere.  The best part is, you don't have to part with the actual bib, all they need is a photo!  You can get them done over at  Go For A Run. 

If you're like me and you keep all your race bibs in a less than organized state then this lovely Bib Folio would be an awesome gift.  It's like a photo album for bibs.  And it's much nicer than shoving them into your night table drawer.  You can even get this personalized!  So everyone knows that you were the one that busted your butt training, spent a crapload of money on race entry fees, and earned every single last one of your black toenails (just in case they didn't already, haha).

We all know that hydration is of utmost importance when it comes to training and recovery.  I take my hydration very seriously so when I saw this, I knew I had to have it.  It will hold a pint of beer OR a post workout smoothie perfectly.  What's not to love?  They also have wine glasses for those who prefer grapes to barley.   #DoubleBonus

With the arrival of the colder temps, it's time to start thinking about layering.  And for me, it all starts at the bottom.  Literally.  So when I found these awesome running gitch from Oiselle, well they immediately went to the top of my list. 

Clothing can always be a bit hit and miss as a gift but I think any cycling nut / triathlete would appreciate one of these t-shirts from Apres Velo.   They have some fantastic designs for both men and women.  I would have a hard time picking just one.  So I picked three.  I think the Tyred and Cranky is my fave.  Probably because I've been there many many times on my bike. 

The best part about all of these items?  They're all available online so you don't even have to get out of your pj's.  That's my kind of shopping!

What's on your Christmas list?

'Tis The Season

Well gang, we're already halfway through November (WTH?!?) and judging by the influx of party invites that happened over the course of the weekend, the holiday insanity is literally just around the corner.  That means that my normally fairly regimented self is going to be shuffling things around over the next few weeks so I can get festive.  Thank goodness Boston training doesn't start till the week after Christmas! 

This past weekend kicked off our busy season.  Friday night we were over at a friends place for drinks and we didn't get in till midnight (*gasp*).  I dragged my butt out of bed a little earlier than I wanted to thinking I'd have enough time to get my run done before we had to go out to Orangeville.  Uh, right.  I didn't so I did it when I got back.  But at least it got done.  We were in Orangeville for the MSC Triathlon awards banquet.  G and I were both getting age group awards.  It was one of my goals to get on the overall podium in this series for my age group this year.  I'm happy to say that I snagged first place in the women's 40-44 year old age category.  G got third in his age group.  What I didn't realize was that had I registered as an elite (which I could have based on my times) I would have been eligible for prize money!!  Given the fact that I actually placed as an overall finisher in 5 of my 7 races I could have had at least $250 in my pocket.  Oh well.  Next year I'll think about that, especially if I work on my bike over the winter.  However, I did get this awesome plaque with one of my favourite race photos on it.

Speaking of working on my bike...I managed to last 90 minutes on the trainer yesterday without 1) losing my mind from boredom and 2) losing feeling in my crotch.  Number 2 is huge btw.   I have been having crotch issues all freaking season and it's come down to finding the right saddle.  That was my longest trainer ride this year and even then, I'm still not 100% sure about this new saddle.  Well, new to ME saddle.  It's the Adamo time trial saddle I bought G for Christmas last year.  He wanted it, I so I bought it, he ended up hating it, so now I have it.  Merry Christmas to me I guess, ha ha.  It's definitely better than my old saddle but I'm still not 100% sold.  I think it's just a bit too wide.  But I'll keep using it for the next couple of months.  Mainly because I don't want to spent the $250 on a new one right now what with Christmas just around the corner.

Not sure why I look so scared...must be the giant 'fro I'm sporting

Speaking of Christmas...who has started their shopping?  Who's got their decorations up already?  I've bought ONE thing so far.  One.  As for decorations, since I live with the Grinch (and you thought G stood for Gary, ha ha) we probably won't have anything up until mid-December.  G isn't a huge Christmas lover....mainly because it means that winter is here and he hates winter.  So unfortunately Christmas, being at the time of year that it is, takes the brunt of the hate.  He's not a total Grinch, he's just not as enthusiastic as I am.  If I have my way, we'll have a tree in and set up by the first weekend in December. 

Do you start your Christmas shopping early or wait till the last minute?  I usually start fairly early but somehow end up leaving a few things to the last minute every. single. year.

Playlist Thursday - Holiday Edition

It's another free for all week on Playlist Thursday.  Pavement Runner has set up a poll on his blog so readers can vote for the most popular songs and most popular Playlist Thursday participants.  I actually got nominated in a couple of categories so go on over and VOTE.  He's left it up to his readers to determine their own themes for this week.  Since we're only a few days away from Christmas and all I've been doing is listening to Christmas music, I decided to do a Holiday Themed playlist with some of the songs I've put on my playlist to get me in that festive frame of mind.

The "Rules" of Playlist Thursday:

Something Old: Songs that are at least 5 years old.
Something Current: Songs that have been released within the past year.
Something to Consider: This is the wild card category. Feel free to list any song: old, current, guilty pleasure, underground, whatever.

Something Old
Artist: Chris Isaak
Title:  Hey Santa!
Notable:  I love pretty much every song on this album from 2004.  Some great versions of traditional songs and then a few great catchy tunes.  This one is one of my faves. 
Quotable:  "I stayed up late, I write, I called, it did not good at all, I decked the tree, I wish you’d just deck me, this ain’t no fun.."

Something New
Artist: Jason Mraz
Title: Winter Wonderland
Notable:  This song was actually released on A Very Special Christmas Volume 7 in 2010 but it made it on to this years Very Special Christmas 25th Anniversary album so I'm including it as "new". 
Quotable:  "Later on, we'll conspire, as we dream by the fire, to face unafraid, the plans that we've made, walking in a winter wonderland."

Something to Consider
Artist: Straight No Chaser
Title:  We Three Kings
Notable:  I absolutely LOVE this acapella treatment of this song.  I discovered these guys last year while searching for some different Christmas tunes and they've become a staple in my Christmas collection.
Quotable:  "Oh star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to they perfect light."

Feeling festive yet?
Do you put Christmas music on your workout playlist?