A week of milestones

This week I'll hit quite a few milestones. I'm pretty excited about them because it really drives home the fact that careful, measured training can pay off.

Tonight I'll mark the first milestone: the beginning of the second phase of my pre-half marathon training. This week I begin running four times a week. It doesn't sound like a big deal, I know. But, it's such a huge step for me. I tried to do this back in September, but it was just too much too soon. Now I'm ready to make the jump. For the next four weeks I will maintain my mileage at 28K a week. I'll run 3K on Mondays, 5K on Tuesdays, 7K on Thursdays and 13K on Saturdays. I just need to remember to slow down. I've been running my long runs too fast, even though my perceived effort is consistent. I always end up feeling like I could've gone faster.. but that's a post for another day.

I'm really looking forward to tonight's run. It's supposed to be warm (I love how warm is a relative term in the winter months!) at -3C, with some snow. I love running in downtown Ottawa at this time of year. The Christmas lights are lit and it feels so cheery and festive. I always come back from my runs in a good mood.

Races Races Races

I took advantage of race entry discounts and registered for a number of Somersault races in 2010. I really enjoyed their races this year, so I figured I'd run the same events next year!

Registering early for races can be a bit of a gamble, but it's totally worth it. With Somersault, I saved $25 off the race-day entry price. And by registering early for the other races, I saved 20% off the entry fee and I got a free change of entry. That means that if plans change and I can't run the race, I can switch to a different race without paying extra. Talk about handy!

So, next year's race calendar looks like this:
02/19 - Winterman 10K
05/30 - Ottawa HM
06/19 - Emilie's Run 5K
07/31 - National Captial 5K.

I'm hoping that all the work I'm putting into my HM will pay off on my 5K time in June. Then I get another month to work on my speed again.

I am a wimp

We were hit with a snowstorm yesterday. The winds howled and we got about 20cm of snow. I love running in the snow. But, this time? Not so much.

What did I do? I stayed in. I bailed on my piddly little 5K run. My legs have been very cranky lately and I've been sleeping poorly. I knew based on my last run that to run again in two days was pushing it. I have no motivation right now, whether it's running or everything else. The headaches, poor sleep, lack of motivation and not enjoying running are all signs of over-training. It's key that, as a runner, you listen to your body.

So, I took a break. And now I'm looking at the freshly plowed sidewalks with envy. Saturday's 10K long run can't come soon enough!

2010 is coming up fast

I can't believe it's December already. This year has gone by so fast! It doesn't really feel like December, thanks to our unseasonably warm weather and lack of snow.

Naturally at this time of year we runners start to look back on the year and we also start setting goals for the coming year. I'll save those exercises for later posts. But I do have some good news.

As I've mentioned before, I'm a Sugoi Brand Champion. It's a program that the company developed to support elite and not-so elite athletes alike. We have a blog where we can post our race reports and share our stories. I even met two other champions at a race earlier this year, as our exclusive brand champion logo-ed gear was a dead giveaway!

Speaking of gear, one of the perks of the program is the discount on gear! I love that part because gear is so expensive, especially the nice stuff.

A few weeks ago I received an email from Sugoi stating that all curent Brand Champions were automatically renewed for the coming year! Woohoo!