Finally!

Hello friends and family! Well it's been exactly 2 months since Pat and Pam's surprise 60th birthday party! It was the night before the party that I injured my knee! Although I have maintained my schedule at the gym, I haven't been able to run since last week, which was the first week of the beginner training schedule! Lucky me! I am on target with that schedule and still pain free! Pam and I did our 7 km run on Monday morning on the beautiful Mission Creek Trail. She very politely matched my slow pace! Must admit to walkiing several times during the run but I made it. We had a guest runner named "Molly", a beautiful golden lab that Pam is taking care of. So.... the three of us enjoyed the beauty of nature, the creek, ducks, birds and the early signs of spring! I've had a few emails regarding the "reunion" part of this event, with hotel suggestions and dinner/brunch venue ideas. I think the priority now is to find out how many of us require a hotel reservation. Is your preference to have the dinner/brunch the day prior to the event or the day of the event? It would be special if we could all participate! Please post your comments and preferences or send me an email and I will continue with Pam to research our options. On a personal note, I have sold my business (Deeco Spa) and will be finished at the end of April. This is exciting for me as I will have so much more time to train for the half marathon, travel, and enjoy my friends and family! A special thanks to Corri for organizing the communication and training schedules. Now, I'm offically a "blogger"!! Happy training everyone! Dee

Guest Post by Julia

I just looked through the training programs. Is it bad that the beginner one looks really hard to me? I'm using the schedule Dad made for me when I ran my first half marathon. I asked him to design it for a couch potato who wanted to go from no fitness to finishing a half marathon in about 5 months. I run 3 times a week. 2 short and one long. At the beginning, one of my short runs includes hills. Towards the end, one of my short runs is done at a slightly faster pace.

I think the key for me is consistency. I have a problem with rationalizing run avoidance. This time, I am proud to say, I haven't missed one yet. It's really been helping me with stress management. I have also learned a new technique to improve pace....go to the gym just before closing so that you have to push yourself to finish the distance in time. Okay, it might be a good way to get an injury, so follow my advice at your own risk, but take it from me....it can really inspire some fast running :)

In closing....here are my current top 3 running music picks. I have no shame:
1. Baby by Justin Bieber
2. I'm Running by Mistress Barbara
3. Fire Burning by Sean Kingston

One more thing I found amusing about the training programs on the half marathon website....they all included runs after the race. I don't know about you, but I usually take at least a one month hiatus from all things gym related after I finish one of these things :)

Guest Post by Pam

I’ve been doing pretty well with my running and decided to go with the Beginner Running Schedule! I did a few minor changes to fit my schedule, (I know, I know, I’m retired; what schedule?!) Well, I teach Zumba on Mondays, so had to adjust slightly! Anyway, this is the first week of the REAL DEAL, and up to this week I have been feeling great, my knee has been awesome and then POW! My Achilles tendon starts acting up! I’m trying hard to ignore it and hope that it just goes away, but it’s still there. I will ice it and try and rest on my rest days; but I’m committed to dog walking for a friend this week and still have another four weeks of Zumba, as well as rehearsing for a dance show case in May, so hopefully I’ll be able to do this!

The weather has been fantastic for running and all of our snow has finally melted, so the timing is perfect! Mom has crocuses blooming in her garden and I even have some spinach growing in mine! Yup! I planted it late in the season last year and it’s starting to pop up now! Anyway, Spring is here and what better time to train for a half marathon!

The other day I helped Mom pick out a pair of good walking shoes. She’s planning on walking the 5km route during the Scotia Half. Yeah Mom! Anyway, she put on a pair of Saucony runners and started running around the store! (Gee, maybe she’ll run it!) She’s been out walking every day since!

Perhaps we should start planning for a place for the out-of-towners to stay and a venue to get together? Anyone have any ideas?

Hope there is a Spring in everyone’s steps! Good luck with your training!

Pam :)

Choose Your Run Training Plan

I hope you have all successfully managed to build your base and you are now comfortable running 10 to 12 km continuously without soreness. The real training is about to begin. As you may already be aware, there are some great training plans available on the Scotiabank 1/2 Marathon site. You can access beginner to advanced plans designed by Coach Jenny Hadfield or from Forerunner's Coaches. I invite you to take a look to see what would best suit your current running level. These plans start March 21st so until then, keep running 3 times per week, with your long run at 10-12km or so. Keeping going with the core exercises two times per week or try this total body workout that will complement your running. If you have any questions about which plan to follow, send me an email or post a comment here. Remember these plans are generic and don't accommodate our individual needs - be prepared to adapt a little. I'll post training tips from now through June to complement these plans but I'll leave it to you to choose the appropriate training schedule. Happy Running.