Lower Thetis Lake

So I bought my new shoes Friday night, size 10 Asics 2140. I decided to hike Thetis lake on Saturday to try them out and see how they went. I have never hiked Thetis lake before, but I have gone swimming there a few times. The weather yesterday was gorgeous, 23 and not a cloud in site. So I grabbed my iPod, camera and went for a hike. There are several trails on Thetis lake, the main ones Upper and Lower. I decided to take the lower trail, which ended up being a 30 min walk. It was quiet and I hardly ran into anyone. I got some nice pictures and scoped out the trails for running. It's not a bad running trail, a little hilly on one side but you just have to be cautious running down (loose gravel). There were actually some people swimming, which I think is brave.

This morning Janice, Shannon and I ran 8km along the Galloping Goose Trail, which is a trail that runs all over Victoria and out to Sooke. Some parts of it are paved, most are not, so it makes for a good running trail. We started at 9 and already it was smokin but there were some shaded parts and it was a good run. The last km was a long hill and we decided to push it and we all did really well. The best part? My runners are fantastic!

New Runners

The time has come for me to buy new runners. I ran at lunch with Pete yesterday and my feet were so sore at the end of the run. I recently read in running magazine the tests you should apply to your shoes to check how they are holding up. My shoes failed ever test. The general rule is that you should replace your shoes every 500km. These shoes have 400km of running and who knows how much of walking on them. They are trashed. So I’ve been researching some new shoes. I asked some friends what they run in, some people get really devoted to a brand but I'm open to trying a new shoe. Pete and Janice love Asics and my friend Matt loves Saucony and Misunos. I went to Penninsula Runners last night and tried on a bunch of different shoes. I tried the Mizunos and hated them on the spot, they didnt fit well with my feet. Apparently I have a slight pronation (meaning my ankles turn in slightly when I run), so I need a shoe with a bit more support. I love the Nike Voomeros but they just don’t have the support I need. So I’ve decided to go with the Asic 2140’s (refer to picture). They are new on the market and they have great support and gel cushioning and they are the lightest shoe I have ever worn. This is good for me because I actually hate wearing shoes. As pretty as they are, if I could spend every day barefoot…I would. That’s why I love summer so much.

I like Peninsula Runners but they are a bit overpriced. The girl was pissed I wasn’t buying the shoes on the spot but I wasn’t going on my first whim, I like to research things first and think them over. And, to be honest, I wanted to see where else had the shoes cheaper. If she wasn’t such a bitch on discovering I wasn’t going to earn her a commission on the spot, I might have gone back to purchase them from her. But she walked away from me without a word and ignored me after that. Whatever. So I found out that Sportcheck has the shoes for $10 cheaper ($150) plus they offer air miles (I’m all about the air miles). Then my friend Randi pointed out that I should check the air miles website to see if they have a coupon special. She is so smart, I found a 3x the air miles (when a min $120 is spent), so after work today I’m getting my new shoes! I’m so excited. I’m hoping to get in a short run before I meet friends for dinner. I hope they don’t give me a lot of problems, I have a hard time breaking shoes in so no doubt in the next couple of blogs you will hear me complaining of shin splints or blisters, etc.

Champagne Birthday

Well, it is May 27 and I am 27 years old. Like most (I assume), I am not where I thought I would be at this age. When I was a little girl, I always thought I would graduate at 24, marry at 25 and have kids at 27. Well, I got the graduation part down.

But I can’t be totally bummed…

I’ve travelled across Europe, the UK, Australia and I’ve been to Hawaii, Las Vegas, Disneyland, Fiji, and New Zealand.

I’ve attended great concerts such as Celine Dion (x2), Aerosmith, Shania Twain, Cher and Van Morrison.

I’ve seen great entertainment such as Stars on Ice in Vancouver, CATS in London and Cirque du Soleil KA in Las Vegas.

I’ve gotten to experience the most amazing things, such as learning to scuba dive, snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, sand boarding, river tubing and mud baths in Fiji, castle tours in Europe, and a bridge climb in Sydney. I've toured a concentration camp in Germany, been to the top of the Eiffel Tower, visited the catacombs and Coliseum in Rome, saw the David, lit a candle in Notre Dame, saw Buckingham Palace and viewed the Vatican. I’ve seen the real Mona Lisa in the famous Louvre museum, I’ve wrestled goats and I’ve driven 4WD (standard/ wrong-side) on the worst road conditions on the largest sand island in the world. I’ve held a koala, swam in one of the most remote lakes in the world, learned to surf and wakeboard, held a baby crocodile, python, cockatoo and lizard. I’ve participated in a real kava ceremony in a village in Fiji, I’ve drank Guinness in Ireland, I’ve travelled the Great Ocean Road, I touched a 500lb fish, swam with a sea turtle, I've sailed to Whitehaven Beach and I managed to experience all of this with the best of my friends and family!

I’m a pretty lucky girl. Maybe I should be worried because my bucket list is almost complete! I only have a couple of things left on it…such as getting married, having babies, owning a pair of Jimmy Choos and going to New York. Gosh life is fun!

If today is your birthday: A positive realization is dawning on you. This year, you'll discover a way to seize the advantage, terminate some long-standing problems and get yourself on the road to success.

The time is right...to run

Okay, so I haven’t written in my blog in a very long time. There are two very good reasons for it. The first is that my life really isn’t that interesting. The second is that no one reads it. However, at the request of my dad (who still religiously checks it for updates), I have decided to use my blog to narrate my new interest in running.
To begin with, I will give you a little history about my running experience. I have always enjoyed running. I was part of track and field and cross-country in elementary school, where I ranked the highest at my school among the girls and the boys of my age. In high school, my devotion to figure skating made it impossible for me to join any track team; however I ‘jogged’ for 30 mins, 4 days a week. I did this off and on for many years, until my early twenties when I quit running altogether.
This all changed the summer of 2008. I returned to Canada in July from spending the previous 5 months living/travelling in Australia. It was the best time of my life-hands down! I came home with new experiences, stories, great memories and, unfortunately, 15lbs of extra weight. I enjoyed myself in Australia, no doubt about it. I drank lots of wine, ate out at lots of nice restaurants and got very little exercise. I have never had a problem with my weight, but I am 26 (27 tomorrow) and like everyone promises, it does catch up with you. I knew the fastest way for me to lose the weight was to start running again. So I did.
I did it properly this time. I invested in a (very expensive) pair of shoes, which any runner will tell is the MOST important thing about running. [picture: My NIKE zoom vomero 3 runners]NIKE had just recently released a running chip/program called NIKE PLUS, which I used as my trainer and motivation for continuing to run. It was my life saver that is for sure. I like being able to track progress and I’m very competitive, so the online aspect of it intrigued me. I was also lucky enough to have supportive friends who ran with me. My managers, Pete and Peter, run almost every day during noon hour at work. Our office is set up with a shower, which is tremendously convenient. They helped me get started, reassuring me that I was doing well, even though I was the slowest one and generally lost sight of them 10 mins into our run (which varied from 35-45 mins). It was agony.
Fortunately, I stuck with it and after 4 months of running (combined with healthier eating habits), I shed the acquired weight. What a difference. Tracking my progress really helped as I watched myself go from a 7:20min/km pace to where I currently run at a 5:40min/km pace. It’s a huge improvement and I’m very proud of myself.