A New Start + Another Trip Around the Sun

Remember my sneak peak from Monday?  Well, I'm happy to say that my new website is LIVE.  You can check it out here.   You may also notice a slight change in the header of my blog as well to tie in with my coaching website.

Everything was done by Chick and Owl Design.  They are a brother and sister duo and the sister, Katie, happens to be friends with my little sister for what seems like forever.  They were great to work with and I am thrilled with the end result.   I highly recommend them.  

The original plan was to launch on my birthday but they delivered early so I launched yesterday (happy early birthday to me!).  Quite frankly it's just as well because I spent a lot of time on social media yesterday and given that my girlfriends are coming in tonight, I don't think I would have been able to devote the time to do much if I was playing hostess. 

Tomorrow is my 46th birthday.  Forty Six.  WTH.   I still feel like I'm 30 something.  My body tells me otherwise every damn day but that's part of getting older, right?  Normally I'd have something clever to post like last year but alas, I do not.   Perhaps later on next week so I can reflect on turing 46.  

I did get a second early birthday present in the form of a meeting (along with an actual present - yay!).  It's not every day you get to meet Instagram / Facebook friends from another country but today I got that chance.  I finally got to meet my IG friend Shannon.  Today was an absolutely fabulous day.  We went for a run (as you do!) and she took me around her neighbourhood.  The conversation was easy.  I felt like I've known her for years.   It's funny how social media makes you feel that way about people.  And of course, as social media runners do, we had to document it.  You can see Shannon's post here.  So much laughing.  It was a lovely way to spend a morning and I'm grateful I got the opportunity.   I also can't believe that I got that much air!  ha ha ha.

Happy Almost Friday!

Coach PK

A Picture is Worth 1000 Words: Why I Love Instagram

I've always been a visual person.  So it's no accident that I ended up studying visual arts in University and then went on to work in advertising.  I think I ended up almost exactly where I should have.  I say almost because lately my passions don't always match up with my job.  Don't get me wrong, I have a pretty cool job and I think I'm pretty lucky in that regards but sometimes my job can take over my life.  When I'm really busy, I usually go for days without even lacing up my shoes or hitting the gym.  Sometimes there just aren't enough hours in the day but I try to balance the two as best as I can.  Blogging and blog reading usually takes a back seat when my life is like this.

Enter the wonderful world of Instagram.

Through Instagram, I can live vicariously through all you folks on the interwebz...simply by looking at your pictures and vice versa.   Sometimes that's even better than reading or writing a blog post.  Especially in my case since I tend to be a bit wordy.  My job generally requires a lot of "hurry up and wait" so after all the hurrying is done and I'm standing around in say a farmers field waiting while the photographer is shooting, I can peruse instagram and check in with all my virtual pals.

Through this magical world of pictures, I can see what people are eating, how people are training, what people have seen and what people are wearing.  Yes folks, you can see it all on Instagram (I'm pretty sure that is very true...I haven't checked and I'm not sure I really want to...some people have no shame).  The people I follow are as diverse as my taste in music.  True to my artistic side, when I first got on instagram almost 3 years ago, I followed people who were clearly photographers.  Their images were (and still are) stunning and beautiful.  These are a few of the folks whose images appeal to my inner photographer.

Michael Schulz - @berlinstagram - His handle says it all.  He's in Berlin so that is his subject matter.  The best part - everything is shot on his iPhone 5.  Some of the other folks I follow shoot on regular DSLRS and import the images.  He's got a great eye for composition. 

Niall O'Leary @nialloleary - He is an art director at Millenium Images and documents images in his daily commute / life.  I feel like a bit of a voyeur when I look at his pics but I love them none the less.


VuTheara Kham  @vutheara  - A designer and photographer in Paris, France.  Another one whose images are all iPhone only.  Stunning shots of Paris. 

Dave in Toronto - @daveintoronto - Lover of the 3Rs - repetition, relfections and Rchitecture.  So says his profile.  Love the graphic nature of his shots.

Chris Gordaneer - @cgordaneer - I produced for Chris when I first started out at Westside.  He's an awesome photographer and a great guy.  His body of work is pretty freaking amazing.

Derek Shapton - @thunder_pino - I produce for Derek and his Instagram feed is always interesting and somewhat quirky.  It's the complete opposite of what he shoots commercially and I love that.

After a while I started to follow some fellow tweeps and bloggers.  Some of them foodies, some of them runners, some of them triathletes, all of them dedicated to a healthy lifestyle.   Now my feed is made up of all sorts of images.  A grab bag of eye candy so to speak.  Yes, reading a blog can give us all some insight into your life but sometimes a picture says it all.  Especially if you hashtag it like a boss.  I am going to be honest, sometimes I don't have the mental energy to read - I just want quick, simple and to the point - thus my love of Instagram.

These are some of my fave folks that I stalk follow on Instagram:

Christina  @the_athletarian - Christina is hilarious.  Her selfies are the best.  And she has the best workout clothes.   And her dog Princeton is pretty cute too. 

Emily @runemz - What can I say about Emz, that hasn't been said by a million people already.  She is your one stop inspiration station.  A running machine, a ray of sunshine and she can hashtag like no other.  

Kierston @candyfit - always positive, always stylish and her and her partner Super Fit are too cute for words.  They always look like they are having so much fun together.  And I totally love it when she busts out her FUFace.

Further Faster Forever @furtherfasterforever - A community of athletes inspiring other athletes.  Doesn't get much better than this.  Some of the folks I've seen on here have blown. my. mind.

The Balanced Bean Counter  @thebalancedbeancounter - Her food pics are great as are her recipes and I just love her attitude.  Even though we've never met, we go way back, ha ha.

Krysten @darwinianfail - Always lovely, always positive and always smiling no matter what life throws at her.  How could you not be inspired? 

Michelle @run_bake_blog - always great food pics and recipes especially if you're trying to go sugar or gluten free.  Every time she posts one of her muffin pics, all of a sudden I'm craving baked goods.  Definitely passionate about clean living and is a wealth of info. 

Pavement Runner @pavementrunner - Who DOESN'T follow Brian at Pavement Runner.  The dude is a social media icon.   Lots of great shots of San Francisco as well as token shoe shots, race bling, selfies and group shots.  He's got it all covered.  Makes me want to go back to San Fran sooner rather than later.  Such a great running ambassador too.

Truth to Being Fit @truth2beingfit - I've just recently started following this woman and good lord, I can only hope I look that good at her age (she's 55!).  She's got a great outlook and she definitely knows her way around a gym.

When I started posting on Instagram, I was mainly using it as a tool to take pretty pictures.  It's become so much more than that for me.  It's become a way to connect with and be inspired by other like minded folks.  It can also take the place of blogging for me when I'm super busy.   You'll know I'm busy because instead of pics of running shoes, healthy food, and finishers medals, you'll see pics of light stands, people hovering around computer screens and other random shots, all tagged with the hashtag #setlife.  Setlife= No life, ha ha.  

Instagram is my daily dose of inspiration.  It's another way for me to share and interact when I might not have the time for words.  Sometimes it's even better than words.  

With that I'll leave you with a few of my own favourite Instagram shots from the last year.

Are you on Instagram?  If so, who are some of your favourite people to follow?

The Pyramid at the Louvre, Paris, 2012

The MET, NYC 2012

March: The Month of Challenges

We're only 10 days into March and it's been a busy one, mainly because of work.  All work and no play makes me a little cranky so I've decided that I need to add some fun to the mix in the form of a couple of challenges.  The first one is being hosted by F3 (Further Faster Forever) and it's a badge collection challenge.  There are badges for all sorts of accomplishments.  It's like being in the athletic version of the Girl Guides.  Each badge is worth a certain number of points, the more badges you collect the more points you get.  The bonus?  The points can get you prizes!   The contest runs between March 1st and March 17th.  So far I've managed to earn 11 badges.  I have yet to document everything on Instagram but given that I've got a full day of sitting around the studio supervising stuff, I'm sure I'll be able to find the time.

Badge Happy!!

The other challenge I'm going to participate in is also on Instagram and it's being hosted by Ty over at Seeking Boston Marathon and Alison at Racing Tales.  It's a "30 Days To Boston" challenge and it starts on March 17th and ends on race day.  This one is going to be a lot of fun.  I'm looking forward to seeing all the posts from all the other folks that will be racing.  I'm also really looking forward to perhaps meeting a few people in person too.  I can't believe how much the world has changed since the last time I raced Boston 10 years ago.  The last time I did the race, I ran it by myself.  I didn't know anyone else doing the race.  There was no online running community that I could hook up with and none of my IRL friends were running it either.  Now I "know" (virtually) at least 15 different people that will be running Boston this year.  The power of the interwebz never ceases to amaze me.

Speaking of challenges, getting all my usual workouts in has been a bit of a challenge over the course of this last week, but, I haven't done too badly all things considered.  Amazingly I got all my runs done while I was away in Miami.  I also managed to squeeze in a swim and one lame gym workout.  Still a lame gym workout is better than no gym workout.  I'm glad I got at least one swim in.  Hopefully that one swim will help keep me from totally dying when I go back to my swim club tomorrow morning.  

I'd be lying if I said that this past week hadn't taken it's toll on me.  Traveling for work is tough, especially when you're with a group.  Late nights, a whole lot of eating out and drinking sure does a number on your body, especially when you're not used to it.  All of that culminated in one of the worst runs I've had this training cycle.  I knew it was going to suck from the minute I started running.  But, I got it done and I was only 2 seconds per km off of my goal pace.  My legs hate me right now but it's nothing that an epsom salt bath and a massage won't fix.  

Do you travel for work at all?  Does it take it's toll on your or are you used to it?

Scenes From A Saturday Morning Run

Those of you that follow me on Instagram know that I constantly take pictures when I'm out on my long runs.  In fact, it's rare for me to do a long run without my phone.  Sure it adds roughly 15-20 minutes to the time I'm actually out but I don't mind, especially if it's nice out.  We live right by Lake Ontario, it's literally at the bottom of our street so you can see it if you stand on our driveway and look down the street.  That's part of what attracted us to our neighbourhood.  I can run down the street and in less than 5 minutes I'm in a park, on a bike path that winds it's way along the lake.  You can't beat that.  I love running along the lake so I generally run the same out and back route every weekend, unless I feel like getting some hill work in. 

This is a collection of images from my Saturday Morning Runs from the last year.  Enjoy!

Birds in Port Credit

Butterfly - Marie Curtis Park

Bench: Col. Samuel Smith Spit

Clouds at Lakefront Promenade

Makeshift Inukshuks Humber Bay Park West

Old Mill Bridge

Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Marie Curtis Park

Humber Bay Park East

Off the Bridge in Marie Curtis Park

Heading into Port Credit

Snowy Day in Colonel Samuel Smith Park

Fall Colours outside Lakefront Promenade Park.

Do you run with your phone?  If so are you a picture taker?

Aurevoir...Just in Time for Christmas

As the cab pulled up, I could feel the grin spreading across my face.  I got out and inhaled the cold, crisp air.  Home at last.  I walked into the front hall, dropped my suitcase, went into the kitchen and hugged the kitchen counter.   Yeah, I was happy to be home.

Don't get me wrong.  Paris was lovely.  The city is beautiful and there was plenty to do.  But it lacked the comforts of home.  Namely a comfortable bed.  Words could not describe the happiness I felt when I actually got into bed at 6:30 pm that night.  I think I actually giggled as my head hit the pillow.

I love a good vacation as much as the next person but I find that I usually fall out of my routine when I'm away.  I get that's part of being on vacation but I usually end up letting my fitness routine slide when I'm away as well.  I can only take so much before I start to crave my little routine again.  I hit that point by day 6 in Paris.   I think my pants hit that point a couple of days earlier, ha ha.  But that's okay.  I kind of like letting myself get just a little bit out of shape so I can work at re-building once again.  Good thing my Boston training starts December 29th.  It's time to start getting serious again.  I've been so inconsistent over the last 3 weeks.  Routine is calling my name once again.  I heard it all the way across the Atlantic.

I was also jonesing to get home and start getting the house set up for Christmas.  This was going to be the first year we were going to have a tree (we didn't have the room for one before) so seeing all the lights and decorations up around the city really put me in the festive spirit.  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am for the weekend.  G and I are attending a swim clinic in the morning and then after that, I've made it very clear that we have to go and buy a tree.   I'm looking forward to spending the afternoon blasting Christmas tunes and decorating the tree.   If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you'll see pics of it.  Speaking of pics and Instagram, I'm going to leave you with a few of my faves from Paris.

Lights in the Jardin du Tuileries

More Lights at Place Vendome

Lights, once again, on the Champs Elysee

Musee D'Orsay.  What an amazing building

Sunset

That famous tower.

Bleu, Blanc et Rouge

What do you think?  Did you have a favourite pic?  My faves are the first one and the last one.

Are you usually happy to be home after a vacation?