November 1st,

Here we go again! Another long run Sunday is approaching. After the many hard learned lessons of the week we are toning down our run this Sunday, November 1st. We are looking at a 5-7 miler, as we listen to our bodies and pretened we have held onto some sanity. I am also glad to remind us all that the time change this Saturday night gives us an extra hour as we turn BACK our clocks and sleep an hour longer before we arrive at our 7 am meet, located at 'Daily Grind' coffee house located at 185-3393 Portage ave and Cavalier. See you all there.

Just got the news, Congratulations to T&S on your new baby girl! We will wave as we go by Sunday morning.

Nicole

Life Lesson # 53, Humility

Disappointment arrives when expectations have not been met! (Lesson #24)

When expectations are not met, it is sometimes followed by a sense of humility as we come to recognize the current level of expectation may have been well over estimated.

The latest example of this comes from last week’s runs. It had been a busy week and between sick kids, sore bodies (you know, the one I haven’t been listening to) and a lack of sleep I was unable to get out for any weekday runs’. C did an awesome map for us and we were excited about the craziness of running a new distance of 14-15 miles, there was no consideration given to the preceding nights plans’. This just happened to be the 10km Nike human race. Along with ignoring my tight calf from the Sunday before and G was still being careful of her knee, we really were looking forward to the long run in the morning.

Sunday morning arrives and we are our usual ½ asleep selves, until we get moving where the laughter and the moods begin to rise. The pace is nice, possibly a bit faster to start, and all seems well as we look forward to our longest run yet. C was taking us on some new trail that was nice to run on. We saw the usual bunny along the way (we have many of those critters in the city) and we were pleasantly surprised to watch a deer cross our trail. We kept checking with each other to see how our bodies were managing, and all seemed fine (usually is in the land of denial). Then about mile 7 a confession was made and it was time to head home. Our bodies had decided we were ignoring them and the bodies were going to set us straight, weather we liked it or not!
I’m not sure that the night before I even questioned that I would not be able to run the full 14 miles. As we turned back for home I felt like I had just fallen on my face into the mud.

I have been humbled!

I cannot force my body to go a distance I have not trained it for, not without injury anyway. I will still chalk it up to a good run, as the many lessons I learned from it are useful and will be with me for a while.
So with a pride that has been appropriately run over and but back into its’ place I will hit the trails running with a new respect for learning the language my body is speaking to me.

Nicole

Life Lesson #52

I am not sure if I believe that I could over train. Being a bit overweight I find it hard to believe that I could somehow overwork myself to a detriment. Now with that said...Yes, I do realize that I have a tendency to live in denial......

I do believe that there are times where I need to learn to listen to my body better as it speaks (screams out in agony) to me.

Life Lesson #52:

I am not very good at listening to my body,and hearing the things it has to say to me. I have a really hard time finding a pace, I have a hard time noticing if I am slowing down, I sometimes think I am going much faster than my average pace to only discover I am not really increasing my speed.For Christmas last year my awesome, thoughtful husband bought me a garmin. It was everything I could ask for! It keeps my heart rate, shows my time and pace and (my favorite) distance (of course the maps are really cool too). There is a point where I found myself relying on the garmin to tell me how I was feeling during a run as I would look over the numbers after I returned home. I know it is silly, but I guess I didn't need to really listen to my body now did I...

I admit it, I am addicted. So now,...

Now it is time to start listening to my body better, and not the numbers. We ran our first race this year with minimal footwear (the water shoes) Friday Oct. 24Th. In realizing that my addiction has become something I needed to face I decided to leave the heart rate monitor at home. (yahoo for me). As we began the run my garmin timer wouldn't kick in.... I felt like I had just quit smoking again cold turkey! Panic set in, then it left me like the weight of my old shoes. Thank you Lord for crapping out my garmin for the evening to show me how I don't need to rely on it. I went on our first minimal footwear race with minimal technology as well!

I still will like to have a distance monitor to make sure I am on route for the long runs and I will still use the garmin to help me train, but I don't need it to tell me how I am feeling. As a matter of fact I will tell it how I am doing as I train for the longer distances.

Which brings me to Life Lesson #53: a lesson on humility, to be saved for another time...

I love to run and the lessons I find along the way keep me coming out for more!

Nicole

Water Running

A few of us will be at the Y on Portage Ave at 6 am tomorrow  for water running and you are welcome to join us.  We'll  be in deep water tomorrow and  flotation belts are provided.  Ask for the one with the least flotation as you want the water to come up to  as close to your neck as possible.  Those accustomed to frequent injuries may want to invest in a proper running belt as it has less buoyancy  than a regular belt.  I  bought my share of running gimmicks over the years but found this  to be a good investment.

Gail

1st Barefoot Race

The irony of running the   Nike 10K race  without running shoes was not lost on us.

See previous post for tomorrow's run schedule.

Gail

Long Run Sunday

It is the last day before long run sunday! Tomorrow we are going to meet agian at 'Daily Grind' coffee house located at 185-3393 Portage ave and Cavalier. The establishment is not open at 7am, but is well into it's morning when we get back. Our estimated running time tomorrow is about 31/2 hours. Yes it is me that holds us up, as I am the slow runner! But our fast pacer will hopefully be there as well. C has planned our route for tomorrow and I'm really excited about it. We are travelling some new trails (new to us) and we always like some new scenery. The trail looks to be in the 14+miles, but we will have some shortcuts as well for those who may not want as much distance this week. As there are those who may be holding an injury at bay. I am looking forward to getting in some off road time. Hope to see you all in the morning. As usual I will bring base camp in case anyone needs to leave something behind, or needs a ride home after.

If you need a warm up there is the Nike Human Race 10km tonight at 7pm, at the Kenaston Running Room.

Nicole

We did 13 miles on Sunday!

I am finding that my feet and legs are recovering much faster. Everything after this distance is new territory. We began this journey 5 weeks ago with the minimal shoes and the terrain has been familiar. Now all the distances from this point on will be firsts again. I feel like we have approached the edge of a cliff/trail and it is time to go over/on! From here on in it is all new again. I am looking forward to the new lessons I am going to learn (most of them anyway) and the new trails we will see. Thanks C for the trail planning this week.

"Bite off more than you can chew, and than chew it!" Ella Williams

This is the quote I found after I decided I wanted to try running again. I had not run for a few years and I was trying to get back into it, but found myself frustrated as I could not get past 40 min of constant running without crashing.So I decided to sign up for a 1/2 marathon clinic and get some help.That is just what I got out of the clinic, an inspiring coach/instructor who was beyond amazing with his ability to share his love for this sport, as well as some excellent winter dress hints (never before had I thought I would EVER were a balaclava without coercion) and some help adding mileage without trying to commit suicide. I was able to finish my first 1/2 exhilarated and a little exhausted.

Just to make sure that my finishing wasn't a fluke I signed up for a second 1/2 later that year (2008). I ran and finished in spite of having a flu bug. This year I wanted to add to my finishes and signed up for and accomplished three 1/2's in May, each had a better time as I worked towards my goal. I am a slow runner so I am always looking to better my time, but as I am progressing I would also like to add to the distance if I am able to keep the timing steady. This has been fantastic, and as I remember the fear of signing up for the first 1/2 marathon, I am looking forward to once again facing it as I find a full marathon to sign up for.

26.2.... the next fear to conquer! then maybe 30 miles? then 50? on to the ....... let's just work on the next level of training and see where that gets us!

Long Run Sunday

Sunday October 18Th

This is what I wait for all week!

We are continuing on our journey this Sunday morning. Our meeting place will be at the same location as last week, Daily Grind. 185-3393 Portage ave and Cavalier. Start time is 7am (sometimes we are a few minutes behind) and our distance goal this week will be between 9 and 14 miles, and we will probably be out there for about 3 hours (give or take 30 min.). I am bringing along several choices of routes to choose from. I will again bring base camp (my mini-van, ha ha, thanks C) in case we need to store anything, like extra runners, coffee mugs, etc. All levels and distances are welcome to come out as with the several maps option we should be able to accommodate everyone from 3 to 14 miles. We will be running on trails as well as bike paths and roads.

As the thought of training (seriously training) for a marathon is fairly new to me, [story to be told later] and doing so in minimal footwear, I have been exploring the information I've collected to assit in planning routes. I am very much looking forward to adding mileage, learning more and setting goals to be accomplished. I have started to look into the many marathons offered in Canada and was pleasantly surprised to find so many to choose from. Of course I also took a peak and found a whole new world out there when I went looking for the Ultras! Wow, I had no idea our country was so diverse!! I'm loving it (and feeling very sheltered). As I took a peak into this awe-inspiring world I have found some very helpful information about training that I am excited to share. I'm not sure if some of this stuff works, but it all sounds good to me right now, (as I am still very gullible and naive).

After our run, the coffee house is open and they have some fantastic looking snacks. Last weeks date bar was very mmmmm. See you Sunday.

Nicole

Vapor Barrier Sock Review

 The husband greeted me with " What the hell did you do to yourself?"  as I hobbled through the door after a 20 min hill run and 2 mile easy run.  Indeed I wondered the same thing.  Then it dawned on me.  What felt like a minor wrinkle on the underside of my feet halfway through Sunday's  run was actually the seam of the vapour barrier sock that runs from heel to toe, down the middle of the foot!  Horrible painful blisters have made a home on the underside of my feet as a result.  Although these socks worked well for 4-5 mile runs,   they get a thumbs down for a 3 hour run.

Gail

October footwear

So out we went for our fist official long run sunday in as close to barefoot as we dare to go. 12.8 miles in 3 hours was a nice long slow distance as we will begin to train for longer distances soon. We have now hit the four week mark of our barefoot adventure and are feeling confident in our new strides.

This is Winnipeg, and we recieved our first snowfall October 9th this year. So in preparation for the winter we began to experiment with our footwear. See picture of our ideas, they include sandals, watershoes with vapour barrier socks, and mukluks. The mukluks are too warm for this weather of -4, but should come in usefull in the -20 to -46 cold we get.
Our route was a new one and the area was nice, it is one we will return too. Thank you C for the trails we didn't know about, they will be useful in the future, and away from the exhaust of traffic. We enjoyed the company and new information on some exciting runs that happen here in Manitoba.

Nicole

Sunday October 11, 2009

We are meeting at the coffee house called "Daily Grind". It is located at 185-3393 Portage ave. (portage and cavalier) in the Westwood area. 7 am start time. The coffee house is not open until 9 am, after our run, when we will enjoy some mmmmmmm java! For those who are skilled enough for coffee on the go, this is not me as I have a tendency to spill all over, there are several stops along the way where we can pick up a "pick me up!" Get some sleep and we will see you all in the morning!

Nicole

Vapour Barrier Sock

  With 20 cm of snow it is time to ramp up the foot wear. The weather is still mild at -2C.  These vapour barrier liner socks worked well  in between 2 pairs of socks and they fit nicely into the swim shoes.  They worked very well in the morning when the snow and ice were still frozen.  Nearing the end of the run when the ice melted I had to run through a couple puddles and soft snow but my feet were still toasty warm. I was pleasantly surprised.

Gail

Winter Footwear

See last paragraph of last post for Sunday Nov 11th  run schedule.

The vibram's are being put away  until next summer.  They are not suitable for anything colder than -4C, even with wool toe socks underneath.  We can push on with swim shoes for a little while longer as you can stuff 2 pairs of socks in them.

Gail

I wish I was still in denial! Reality is not all they say it is! I don't have to be happy about it!
This week I have had to learn a new (or old) lesson several times. It seems that I really am struggling with this one. I have heard it said that the lessons we are to learn come at us and we will not progress to the next one until we've got this one down. I think I have been trying to ignore (live in denial) this particular lesson. The lesson itself comes from a quote...

Proverbs 27:1 "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

I have been working on this all week! I am a planner, I love to plan what I am doing, how I am going to go about doing it, right down to the route I will take to get some place. Frustration comes on easily when something gets in the way of my plans, and I am learning to deal with how my frustration comes out of me.

eg.1.Monday morning was suppose to look like: get C to daycare, T to school, the car into the shop for more work, go for a nice long run while I wait, get some chores done, pick up T from school, take T to swim lessons, get C from daycare, get back to T, then home for dinner, and an uneventful evening to look forward to.
Reality dictated: C slammed his foot in the door as we were getting ready to leave the house, no shoes on! So T goes to school almost late because it takes some time to sooth a small screaming child. (it was an owey of a hurt) Cancelled the car appointment and had to call the daycare to let them know we would not be in today, run to the children's hospital (my doc doesn't work on Monday's, and where else do you take an under three year old?) to find out if his foot is broken. Spent three hours there (wow, that was pretty quick), but seeing as we are down town we called my husband to see if he would like to go for lunch. He's not in, so my girlfriend will come out instead. Nice lunch! then off to take C to the zoo, as I have had nothing planned for us and I have a pass so it is inexpensive and it will give us both some outside time together. Make it home in time to mow the lawn (last one for the season I figure) then off to get T and to his lesson we go. My husband meets us there so I get a few minutes to watch T, then home for a nice evening, as my husband absconds with the car to run back to get more work done. Mowing the lawn is not the chores I thought I would get done but it fits into that category, and T got to his lesson, and thankfully C's foot was fine, sore but not broken.

Tuesday was nice. Our first 5am morning run. 9 miles slow and easy, great conversation, not bad weather. It was so nice that I plan another 7 miles for us tomorrow.... Which brings us to...
Wednesday morning where my husband informs me that I need to be home a bit early, as I am out I pull a muscle in my foot and only get in 5.5 miles where half of it is walking! After I get home I look for some encouragement in a book of inspiration I love, and I find the above quote!

I am not impressed.

But the rest of my day carries on as I go from one moment to the next trying to accomplish a bit of the schedule I had planned for the day. The important things get done and others do not, and I have this quote in my mind all day. I am in denial at this point that I will probably not run in the morning because I have found this new muscle I my foot and it is protesting the thought of a 5 am run. I send an e-mail to G.O. that I will not be able to run Thursday morning.
Thursday is nice and fairly uneventful, not too far off my plan for the day. I am busy at work, staying on schedule. Can not wait to get out for a run Friday morning.

So here we are Friday morning, we got in 5 miles, and I am looking at my schedule and wondering if I need to throw it out the window to acknowledge the fact that I'm getting it. Maybe if I just let the Lord know that I will try to be more flexible, I am working on it, and I will try not to get so frustrated with the world when I don't get my way. I will keep it in mind.....
So this is how I learn my lessons, along the runs. As I now need to take a day off (tomorrow) from running as I sit here typing with an ice pack on my foot (running in denial is something that you all know about!). Keeping in mind that the plan was to run every day this week........

See quote above!
So my plan for today is ...........

I am going to send the plan for Sunday morning though, keeping in mind ...see quote above... We are going to meet at the Daily Grind coffee shop at 7am. Our route is about 12-13 miles, we are running slowly as our fast runner is unable to attend. There will be some walk breaks, and we may cut it short to avoid injury. There will be turn around on route if you would like to do some but not all the mileage. All are welcome.

Nicole

Life and its' Lessons...

5 am this morning I left the house to meet my crazy -or just as crazy as me- running partner. It was cool and a little breezy, just nice enough to make sure we don't overheat; it has now been three weeks since we have been running with minimal footwear. As we are going along in the changeover we have been experiencing some new muscle building in our calves and feet. I was very unaware of how many muscles actually run through the top of your foot; now I am learning there are more than I would have guessed, and I think I can feel them all individually firing one at a time. Although they are sore in a way like you have just finished a satisfying workout.



Yesterday was the beginning of a new chapter for me and my running. I am beginning to set new goals and look forward. This time of year seems to do that for me as I find myself involved in the new fall schedule of my kids, husband, work, and of course running! Two years ago I began the journey of running (again), and here I am today glad I signed up for the running clinic. Things have changed as things always do with time and the latest chapter is here, with minimal shoes.



I have always found running to bring me life Lessons' as I go along. This mornings was an interesting one, (we can get to that later as I am still in denial), I have been pondering it all day. I enjoy all the introspective (sometime very spiritual), as well as the plain 'in your face' (glide is my friend! I must not leave home without it) lessons that have been brought to my attention through running.

We are learning how to run anew, and we are having a great time, we hope you enjoy our journey and would like to come along for the RUN.

Sunday mornings we meet at 7 am at a coffee shop (yet to be named this week). We will post possible distances (we may currently be looking at 9-11 miles) and a meeting place soon.

A Quote From the Good Book.

...not THAT Good Book. The other one. BORN TO RUN : A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and the Greatest Race the world Has Never Seen.

"Practice abundance by giving back.

Improve personal relationships.

Show integrity to your value systems.

eat as though you were a poor person."

This is how we are choosing to train as runners...all are welcome!

Gail