Rubber Ducky Half Marathon

So I finally did it! The big day came and it started off with rain. Not down pour but constant rain. I had mentally prepared for this because the weather forecasted for rain for the whole week. I was just trying to be hopeful that the day of the run would be cloudy with no rain for just 2 hours but that didn't happen. I set my alarm for 7:20am cause the run started at 9am. I slept around 10:30pm the night before so I had plenty of rest before the big day. I prepped my outfit the day before as well and charged my fitbit, earbuds and phone. The day before I also carbed up a bit. Had pasta, poutine and hot dog. I woke up around 6:30am that morning cause I was worried that I didn't wake up on time. I think its the nerves that got to me. It was fine I felt rested. Woke up changed and did a 5 min stretch. I didn't drink any liquids in the morning because I have a small bladder and I tend to cramp up if I have anything in my stomach. We got there around 7:30 and pinned our race number on our shirts, our time card on our shoes and I was ready to go. I think it was about 9 degrees that morning and it surely felt cold. I wore my merino wool long sleeve, my Nike shorts and my trail running shoes with the under armour cap. We got to the start line and they did another 5 min warm up before the race. My fitbit listed my heart rate was about 107. I was very eager to finish the race cause it was cold and wet I only ran once in the rain and it was 8k so I didn't know how well I would do in the rain. Another issue was that this was my 3-4 time wearing my trail runners. I've always been training with my other runners which weren't waterproof and these were the ones that I got fitted for. I also didn't know how my skin will react to two hours of being in the rain with sweat as well.

The race started and my bf and his friend, Hanz decided to run the same pace as me throughout the run. My bf told me that I would be running a constant 5:30 pace. So I followed him. He did tell me that we will start a little faster to avoid the crowds. So we started off at around a pace of 4:20. I usually train at about 6:30-5:30 so 4:20 was quite fast for me so my heart was just pumping out of my chest. The adrenaline was strong but it helped me warm up faster cause it was cold. At first many ppl past me by but later around the 5-9k mark ppl started to die down. I started to get tired at the 5k mark but I kept going. After the 10k we had to look around Burnaby lake again for another 11.1k. My shoes were super helping with the puddles. At first I started to dodge them but the more you ran the more you realize it was more work to dodge the puddles then to run through them.

At about 16k that is when my body felt the run. I know my weakness usually hits at this point but I just continued to run. There were a couple of times when I held a further distance from my bf playing catch up but I just continued to run. I forgot to mention that when I started to run I had to pee. Not badly but I did. But I knew if I ran hard enough it will go away. Nope didn't happen but I tried not to think about it during the run. I also had two cramps during my run one on my right abdomen and another on the left. But I still trekked on. My breathing was heavy and my heart rate was high but I kept on going. There was twice also that I almost sprained my ankle due to the branches coming up from the ground. They were slippery and wet like the bridge but thank goodness my shoes corrected my slip. Or else I would struggle my way to the finish line.

At about 18k I decided its going to be over soon just keep going. And at 20 I knew I had to go go go that I'm almost there once I saw the finish line I sprinted all the way. Making 25th place along with my bf and Hanz. I'm so grateful to have made it. The 14 weeks of training really did help. I was panting at the end and cold but it was well worth it.

I'm so grateful for my bf for being my constant supporter in my life. He has made a better and healthier me. He has taught me to be strong, to be confident and to never give up. And I'm so thankful to have him in my life. I'm so grateful to have Hanz there to run beside me for running with me during my training. I'm so grateful to have such a great friend.

This race has taught me that anything is possible. You just need to work for it. Just do it, don't give up and keep running!

Golden Princess Cruise

This year for my mom's 59th birthday we decided to chip in as siblings to treat her on a 5 day cruise. We left on Saturday Sept 21 and came back on Wed Sept 25. The cruise will take us to Ketchikan, Alaska. This is the first time I ever took a cruise so the minimum number of luggage is 1 per person with a 40 lb weight limit. The boarding started at 12:30pm and reading online you should be there 3 hours prior to the departure time which was 4:30pm. We got to the boarding location about 1:30pm that day and that day turned out to be the busiest day of the year. There was 3 cruise ships boarding of a total of 9,000 people. So it was awfully long waiting time. We waited about 3+hrs. The boat also left late around 6:30pm. Once we got on we decided to unpack and grab "lunch" Thank goodness I had a snack in the morning before boarding because we didn't eat till like 6pm for the whole day. We went straight for the international buffet which consisted of your basics: salad, fruit, soup, rice, pasta etc. It was mediocre the best thing I had that day was salad with honey Dijon sauce and pineapple. Everything else was meh. The room we shared between my 2 sibling was quite small but nevertheless it was clean and comfy. The tv was huge about a 40+ size lg tv. There was movies and regular viewing shows available which included my favourite: FOOD NETWORK!
We walked around to check out the area there was a couple of swimming pools: outdoors and in, hot tubs, outdoor and indoor theatres, human sized chess, basketball court, fitness gym, spa, etc. Everyday we had a schedule of activities we could do such as: fitness classes (paid and unpaid), salsa dancing, tai chi, line dancing, outdoor movies such as Dark Phoenix, Avengers etc. My usual routine on the cruise was wake up around 7-8am, go to the gym, run, shower, grab breakfast at the buffet, or at the fine dining area, go check out the activities, have lunch, check out more activities, have dinner, check out activities and then head to bed around 11-12pm. The boat was quite long and it was 16 floors so there is no shortage of walking. Food was better at the fine dining area. You can choose to reserve a time for your dinner seating or you can choose to do anytime dining which is what me and my family chose to do. Its more convenient that way the only issue is that you can only dine after 6:15pm. The quality of food is much better and nicely presented. You can order as much as you like and the service is friendlier. You don't have to dress up but you can do if you wanted nice pictures taken during the dinner service. One great thing that happened is that I didn't get sea sick. My little sister and mom did on the first day but taking gravel that day helped. And afterwards they were fine.
My final thoughts regarding cruises is first: you really have to embrace the activities on the boat or else you will get board easily. No my way of travelling I prefer to go sight seeing and being on land but its definitely a good experience to give it a try. The cruise was clean, comfortable and the people there were friendly. Besides the food everything was great. I had a great time at the art auction and I wished I had the money to spend to purchase the art that was shown.
Ketchikan, Alaska is very similar to BC with the mountains, the rain and the environment. The town was quite small you can literally go from one end of the area to the other side in 30 mins time. It was pouring rain that day when we had our stop so it wasn't very memorable but other wise its very small. I would recommend longer cruise times to fully experience Alaska probably about 7+ days.

           

Marathon Training 2019

 HALF MARATHON/MARATHON TRAINING

I've decided to keep a online journal entry of my 1/2 + marathon training. I was never a runner but my bf started running. He first began with a half marathon running the Rubber Ducky at Burnaby lake last year of 2018 and he ran the BMO in May of this year. So I've decided on my own that I wanted to run the half and full. I wanted this to be a goal in my life to at least run it once or I mean twice. So I've started training.

TRAINING GUIDE

The half marathon is in the 2nd week of October. My bf lives close to Burnaby lake so it is a great place to start and train there. My training started 4 weeks ago. I'm on my 5th week and I'm training using Rob Watson training guide, who is a 4 x Canadian National Champion, 9 x Canadian National Team member and Lululemon ambassador. The half marathon training consists of 14 weeks of training. It consists of yoga, meditation, fartlek, tempo, interval training. My longest run so far is 16k. Each day is a different workout. I usually put in abs, arms, squats into my routine as well. My rest days will be these days.
Running 10 k's are a lot easier now but the challenge right now is the longer runs ie. the 15k+ runs. It takes a lot of getting used to. Usually its my scheduling after work runs, weekend runs etc. So keeping a calendar of all the workouts is really useful. I usually try to balance my activities with my runs. I save the longer runs for the weekends and the shorter runs on the weekdays.

SHOES

Watching the weather is also very important. I recently purchased a pair of Adidas waterproof running shoes. I haven't tested it out yet but I will soon. Its very important to have good running shoes especially when your doing long runs.
I had to go to the Running Room to try out some running shoes that best fits my feet. This is very important because in the long run the shoe can make or break you. My feet is very wide on the front so I had to find shoes that fit my feet. I'm a forward running so most of my weight hits the toes and the fore front of my feet. I tried a few brands that Running Room associate thought might work. I tried the Asics, Brooks and the New Balance. The Brooks were the ones that felt the best for me. I purchased the Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 19 Running shoes for $170. It definitely isn't cheap but in the long run I won't get injured so its worth the price. Their policy is a 30 day return if you tried it out and it doesn't work well for you, you can definitely return them. So I tested it out on the treadmill.
At first it was biting my toes but the longer I ran in them the less it hurt. I think I had to wear them in. Socks are super important too. I realized if I wore to thick of a sock it causes friction on my feet and will cause blisters, and skin breaking off. So I had to purchase some Nike running socks which were thinner and lighter in material.

Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 19 Running Shoes: https://www.sportchek.ca/product/brooks-womens-adrenaline-gts-19-running-shoes-black-purple-332702772.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw-vjqBRA6EiwAe8TCk-dbPh-tbJR38FJQEeGOBEP7oWbGWwTqN_8oxteCXi_XghdbBaYvXRoC9h8QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#332702772=332702776

Adidas Women's Terrex CMTK CTX Hiking Shoes: https://www.sportchek.ca/product/adidas-womens-terrex-cmtk-gtx-hiking-shoes-black-blue-332586184.html?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAjw-vjqBRA6EiwAe8TCkz_JSkjx5OBqT1LfkDANjuev7jE1R3EvSMfWqwYrxUKyqp76058nIxoC6RkQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#332586184%5Bcolor%5D=01

GEAR

Having good gear is very important from top to bottom. I usually run with a sports bra and not all sports bra fits the same. I usually wear a xs, but small sometimes fits the best depending on the brand. I really love the sports bra I bought a long time ago. Its a soccer company called Diadora and it fits best. I prefer high impact bras as well, more support for me.
Shorts are very important too. I try to find the lightest most breathable ones. I prefer the 2 layer ones. The ones that are tights in the inside and the lighert material on the outside. The Nike ones are the best so far. This is super important because some shorts cause of a lot of chaffing for me. And this hurts and not fun to run long runs in. So make sure you test them out before you buy more.
Socks are important I recommend socks that are specially made for running. Make sure that the shoes you run with are compatible with the socks you wear. If not there will be a lot of rubbing and burns around the soles of your feet.

Diadora Running Bra: https://www.sportchek.ca/categories/women/apparel/bra-tops/product/diadora-train-seamless-two-tone-womens-bra-332041746.html#332041746%5Bcolor%5D=66

Nike Shorts: 
https://www.sportchek.ca/categories/women/apparel/bottoms/shorts/athletic/product/nike-womens-air-shorts-332750182.html#332750182%5Bcolor%5D=05

Nike Socks: https://www.sportchek.ca/categories/women/accessories/product/nike-womens-run-elite-lightweight-quarter-socks-332444172.html#332444172%5Bcolor%5D=01


TRACKER

Another important thing to have is a tracker. I have the Fitbit charge 2, this helps with timing my runs especially my fartlek, tempo, interval runs. Also very important is to see your heart rate to pace yourself. You don't want to run too fast or too slow but keep a consistent heart rate that fits best for you. This helps you to run faster and longer periods of time. Your phone is also very helpful as well if you want to use the Strava app to track your runs. You can buy an armband to put your phone on or you can hold it if you like. Depending how comfortable you are.

Fitbit Charge 2: https://www.sportchek.ca/categories/shop-by-sport/running/electronics/product/fitbit-charge-2-fitness-tracker-black-large-332234249.html#

Strava: https://www.strava.com/

Armband:
https://www.amazon.ca/Mpow-Sweatproof-Earphone-Extension-Suitable/dp/B00NV5Z8Z8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=running+armband&qid=1566495990&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFRT0JFMTJLNlQwS1EmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTAxNzkyOThFVVo3NVE5ODlNRjUmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDg2NTc3NzFQREw2NUxVRlMyOUgmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

MUSIC

Music is also very important, it can define your pace depending on the song. Some people run with meditative music, some people like faster and harder songs to make them run faster. I run with music on my longer runs especially at the gym to make it less boring. Usually my fartlek, tempo, or interval training I like to concentrate on my timing and pacing so I usually don't run with music during that time.

Songs I listen to:

Tiesto-Elements of Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9HKtPVms_Y

Steve Aoki/Lil John/Laidback Luke-Turbulence:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3OzHBEcymw

Dada Life-Cookies with a Smile: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22vKVr-2d2A

LOCATION

Gyms are great if you aren't a fan of running in bad weather. I'm one of them. I don't like the rain I prefer to run in the gym but I never run longer than 10k because I feel like I'm hogging the machine. I go to my local community centre to run so its not that expensive. For a 10 day pass which expires in a year its about $35.00 which isn't bad at all.
Another important thing to think about is the terrain. If you do run outside I would recommend to run in different terrains to help you become a better runner. At the lake its usually gravel which is much better on the knees. Most marathons are on pavement which is good to train on but not good to train on a long term basis. So I mostly run on gravel. Running on the treadmill is great too because its on a softer material and its less harsh on the knees.

Where I run:

Burnaby Lake: https://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/burnaby-lake/

Sunset Community Centre: https://mysunset.net/


HEALTH

I'm 34 right now, and I'm pretty healthy. But I do have some health issues. I was born with eczema but its much better in my later years. So one of the issues I have is that I'm allergic to my sweat. So when I sweat my skin will be itchy and irritated so I have to shower right away when I do any high intensity workouts.
Another thing is I have gallstones. This is caused by high cholesterol in my body so whenever I eat any fatty foods I will get a gallstone attack. The gallstones aren't stuck but constantly moving. So how I feel is dependent on how I eat. I'm also anemic, my body lacks healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to my body's tissues. So I feel tired and weak easily. I usually take iron pills to compensate for this. Overall, I'm pretty good with my diet and exercise.

MEDITATION

This is the part of my training that I lack which is meditation. This is super important to start off your week with. To think of your goals, your weaknesses, what you can improve on, your breathing, taking your stress out, thinking of positive things. I usually skip it and do the next day so this is my weakness. I tend to find it too easy to do so I put it off. But this step is very important. This is healthy for your mind, body and soul. So don't skip this step!

Meditation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWMcR35D-cE

WORKOUTS

I also include these workouts in my routine. So when I have a "rest day" from running or training I would include the following:

P90X abs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSy-0rcPGgI&list=PL1-ofxddous6bfnRKnBsXQVlN85puS6wy

8 minute arms: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSby1UUhyts

1.5 min plank: just planking using my phone as a timer. Simple and easy to do.

10 pushups: just regular pushups

Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLy2rYHwUqY

8 minute squats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGvzVjuY8SY

Lebert workout: https://www.lebertfitness.com/Products/LebertEqualizer/Home.aspx

Tank top arms workout: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUychjqfO8I

ACTIVITIES

Sometimes I incorporate other activities such as playing tennis, doing Bikram yoga or even hiking local mountains. This can also help with elevation, calming the mind, or just extra activities that make you stronger.

Tri City Yoga: http://www.bikramhotyoga.ca/

Hiking: https://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/


GOALS

It is important to set goals each week or each month Think of what you want to to achieve. Do you want to run faster, more efficiently. Do you want to become stronger? where? What is your race time?etc.These are the questions I ask myself. I want to be stronger, mostly my upper body. After my half marathon in October I'm planning to join a month of crossfit to strengthen and condition my body. Then I'll be back in training in February for my full marathon. Don't give up! If you have a goal try to accomplish that goal. It can be only one or a couple of goals but try your best. Listen to your body. rest when you need to, do more if you want to. Goal setting can be a great asset in your life when you get good at it and it can be applied to anything you do in life.
Happy Running!