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!

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.