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Easy Run 39:46

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

I decided to take a pre-planned sick day today. My colleagues at work agreed that I looked pooped yesterday and took pity on me. I had a great sleep-in and feel much better already. The phone rang early this morning and I slept right through it! I had a leisurely breakfast with Joey and then sang for nearly 2 hours…bliss! I had time to learn a new aria which was such a luxury.

Joey and I spent the rest of the day running errands including paying off the couch we ordered. It’s going to be delivered on Saturday!! It's going to be brilliant!

We met up with Boob and Wayne for our usual run. This time we took it very easy and just did about 40 minutes. We stopped at the top of Pig Hill taking in the view at the half-way point and rested for a good 5 minutes before heading back.

We did a good 20 minutes of stretching. Boob suggested taking a break from the weights this week to give my bod a rest before the race…I had to do my chin-ups though…..seven again this week.

Syl has been emailing us with clips of different tenors singing the famous aria from Rigoletto. He knows quite a bit about music since he took a bit in school. He made some good observations…what fun! On a another note, RB has it in his head that we are to perform a country duet together…some sort of Patsy Cline/Willie Nelson thing. I am no Patsy Cline...or Dolly Parton (in case you haven'y noticed!). I have been trying to get it across to him that I am not a country/pop singer and that I will sound ridiculous. Even if he did manage to get me to a karaoke bar….I would have to be drunk and paid good money to get up and sing in a music genre I know nothing about. He is determined. I think he should also have to sing an opera duet with me…that’ll spook him!

Track Lesson 1:09:46

Tuesday, April 25 2006

I was dead this morning. I had a lousy sleep, probably due to eating so late the night before. It was also day five of late nights out. I dragged my heels at work and the track WO loomed over my head all day. The WO was to start with a 15-20 minute warm-up in the trais and then 5 laps of the track with a gradual acceleration throughout. The warm-up felt surprisingly good. We did some strides and then did 8 x 300m with 100m rests. I was a goof and went out a bit hard on the first few 300s. We were supposed to slowly accelerate through the 300s (easy/moderate/fast). I think I did moderate/moderate/too fast…ha! My times were 54-54-56-57-58-58-57. I had forgotten how short those 100 rests are and since we normally do set breaks I didn’t anticipate how hard it is to keep the pace up with no real rest. I started to pace properly in the last three thanks to Ken, who could tell I was struggling, but by then the lactic had already set up camp in my legs. I ended up doing just seven not wanting to blow a gasket. The cool-down was about 30 minutes with a tempo bit that lasted about 10 minutes in the middle somewhere. The cool-down was a bit brutal but I survived. This WO was a good lesson for me.

I scooted home with just enough time to shower and eat in order to meet Syl at the Royal Theatre. He was my date tonight to see Joey conduct Rigoletto. I took a cab (another SLOW driver) and got there once again with about 10 minutes to spare. This was Syl’s first time to the opera so I was a bit nervous he wouldn’t like it. Instead, he seemed to enjoy it a lot. He had downloaded the arias so he could get a feel for the show beforehand (very impressive!). We saw Mike and Zora there during the intermission as well as a prof that I work with at UVic. We went backstage after the show where Syl met some of the singers. Joey also took him on a small tour backstage and showed him the orchestra pit. It was a fun night, but boy was I tired!

Easy Morning Run 51:26

Monday, April 24, 2006

Joey and I woke up to a gorgeous morning so we decided to do an easy out and back along the Goose. It was such an enjoyable run. My calf felt great much to my relief! We stopped for a few minutes along the Songhees path to stare at the coastal mountains which were incredibly clear. I didn’t have time to practice before work so I was feeling a bit guilty about that but just couldn’t squeeze it in.

We had a wedding to go to right after work so I quickly changed into a dress in the bathroom at work at scooted home to pick up Joey. The wedding was outdoors at the Abkhazi Gardens. The service was quite touching since the couple was so obviously in love. There was champagne and hors d’oeuvres served afterwards and then eventually a dinner at the Med Grill near Royal Oak. Unfortunately for me, the dinner didn’t get underway until after 9:00…we didn’t leave the restaurant until close to 11:00. It was another late night.

Rest Day at Pan's

Sunday, April 23, 2006

I was supposed to run the usual 2 loops at the lakes this morning with Jennie but I woke up to a sore left calf. It wasn’t terribly sore, but I thought 20km would not be a good idea. Luckily, Jen called just as I was putting a towel and a book in my knapsack (I figured I would do a 10 minute out and back and then just lie on the beach while she trudged around the lakes). She needed a bit of a break too so we bailed. I called RB and he said not to worry about missing the long run today and that I would just be more rested for next weekend’s race. Instead I sang for over an hour while keeping an eye out for an email from RB about the results from the Sun Run. The Victoria gang ran some amazing times. Kate did an amazing 36:50 and Judy ran 36:29 on marathon trained legs…incredible!

Joey and I were invited to Pan-Pan’s place to celebrate the Greek Easter. They had a huge BBQ including a whole lamb on a spit!! The food was amazing and it was so fun to see Pan and Lin. Angelo, Pan’s Dad kept filling our plates with lamb, potatoes, salad….He said we needed to put on some weight! I ate so much. THEN, I went straight from there to another dinner for a fundraiser for the opera….I ate more even though I thought I was full…Yahoo! I plan on running tomorrow morning before work with Joey…I need to burn off some of today’s calories!

RB's WO 1:30??

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Shan picked me up on the way to the lakes. We were quite cheery about the weather. We also picked up Lisa along the way. She had us cracking up when we spotted her. She told Shan to meet her in front of Canadian Tire, so there she was in her shorts pretending to look like she wanted to be “picked up”….it was hilarious…you had to be there.

RB's WO plan was different for everyone depending on how you felt. I chose to do 8 minutes-2 min rest, 7 min-3 min rest and 6 min-4 min rest. These were to be followed by an additional 2 min rest then a series of 4-6, 3min cycles of 1 min easy, 1 min moderate and 1 min fast. The intervals went really well again this week. I feel good about my fitness going into the TC this year so I hope to have a good race. A few of us did an extra cool-down and then soaked our legs in the frigid lake for ten minutes….it was brutal but good. I forgot to leave my chrono on but I think we were ran about 90 minutes in total.

I ate lunch when I got home and then grabbed a towel and went to the park across the street to flake out in the sun for a bit. The place needs to be cleaned…it will have to wait until tomorrow.

Rest Day

Friday, April 21, 2006

Needless to say, waking up this morning was painful. I crawled out of bed and barely made it to work on time. Thankfully the Chair of the department had planned to take the secretaries out for lunch so I didn’t have to concentrate much today. We went to the Oak Bay Marina. It was my first time there and thought it was quite nice…a bit stuffy, but not bad. The view was pretty fab. I had a glass of white wine…I was corked for the rest of the work day…Jackie was laughing at me trying to form sentences on the phone…I sounded stoned…I was!

I taught a lesson right after work (I had sobered up by then, thankfully) and then Joey and I headed to a BBQ for the cast of the opera. It was fun…we laughed a lot! It was another late night though but not as bad as the night before. I stayed away from the alcohol….What’s happened to me…I used to be able to down three or four drinks before getting any sort of buzz…pretty sad.

Ladder at the Lakes 51:22

Thursday, April 20th, 2006

Tonight's WO at the lakes was a ladder: 2-3-4-4-3-2 minutes with 2 minute rests. Boob reminded us to take it easy if we were planning on doing the Saturday WO so Jennie, Lisa and I did the intervals but at a moderate pace. I had to split right after the run to get home, shower and eat in time to make the 8:00 curtain for the opera. We did a few strides and then I flew home and managed to make it to the theatre with 10 minutes to spare! Joey left before me so I had to grab a cab...the cabbies here drive so slowly!

The opera was a hit! Joey was superb as usual (of course I’m biased!) and the singing was excellent and so inspiring!

There was a party afterwards in the lounge. I started to fade at about midnight and it took us a while to say our goodbyes and actually leave. We got home after one…a record for me this year.

Lochside Trail + Weights 54:10

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Tonight’s run was really fun! Joey came along for the first time and had a really good run especially since he hasn’t had a lot of time to train lately. The group tonight also consisted of Don E, Wayne and Boob. We ran mostly on a fabulous section of the Lochside trail where we ran over the Blenkinsop Lake Bridge to Borden St. and then back on another trail, taking us alongside Rithet’s Bog back to Boob’s work. We did a good 30 minutes of weights afterwards and I managed to squeeze out one more chin-up….I am now up to seven! I showed Joey a couple of core exercises….not sure if he will ever do them again!

We grabbed some groceries on the way home and then took a nice hot bath. We watched AI while eating a late dinner. They had Rod Stewart on singing old jazz standards…it was pretty appalling.  He should really stick to his own tunes…I like his stuff normally…he’s just not a crooner, I don’t think.

3 km Time Trail 1:01:37

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

I had to go to the passport office this morning to get my passport renewed. There was a long line-up, as I had expected. I had a terrible sleep last night so I was pretty grumpy but I managed to make it through the hour-long wait. Where is everyone going, anyway?

I spent most of the day dragging my heels. My back felt stiff so I did as much stretching as possible. The office is pretty quiet now that Profs are giving and marking exams so I was able to get some stretching done.

I met up with the track gang tonight for the big 3km time trial that RB planned as a workout. I was surprised that there weren’t more people. I was so happy to see Lisa show up. There weren’t many IRR folk…I hope they weren’t too intimidated by the time-trial idea. It really was a lot of fun!

We did a 20 minute warm-up and some strides before the start. I had Don E to pace off of for most of the laps. I just stared at his back and kept his pace. He pulled away a bit on the 4th or 5th lap (I can’t remember when) but I managed not to let the gap grow and closed it a bit in the last lap. I kept the pace comfortably hard and tried not to kill myself as if I were in a race. I didn’t feel all that smooth tonight. Maybe I just didn’t have the focus today. I was hoping to finish in 10:10 (or better) but 10:15 was tonight’s time. It was great having RB call out times and advice as we were running and having Marty giving us our laps. We did a couple of easy laps to cool-down a bit and then ran 5, 200m pick-ups to finish off, followed by a cool-down with Boob and DonE on the trails.

All in all not a bad WO, I just don’t like that my back feels so stiff. I will ask RB if I was doing anything wonky tonight, form-wise. I have been stretching some more and will put the massager on it.

Tonight is Joey’s dress-rehearsal for the opera. I hope it goes well. Jarhead was planning on going so I'll ask him what he thought. He came to watch us run the 3km and take some photos at the track before going to the show.

Dallas Road with Jarhead 30:00

Monday, April 17, 2006

This morning was another glorious sleep-in!!

Shan came over for breakfast. Joey made a new waffle recipe that she had emailed us earlier in the week that had orange juice as one of the ingredients. They were yummy! Joey got a call from the opera co. just as we were finishing up to say they had scheduled an extra rehearsal but had forgotten to call him to tell him…the rehearsal would be starting in 20 minutes! Off we rushed downtown. Luckily, it only lasted an hour so we still had the rest of the afternoon to bum around.

I did an easy 30 minute run with Jarhead along Dallas Road and the breakwater. We talked about his training program for his Gobi Desert race next year. It’s going well for him so far. We picked up T and her friend and then they dropped me off on their way to McDonald’s. I did some weights and core stuff at home and then watched “Love, Actually”…it was very charming. I am very sad that the long weekend is over.

Easter! 1:40:22

Sunday, April 16, 2006

The service this morning went very well. The minister at this church is quite engaging and drew on Handel’s music as the theme…Definitely not your typical sermon. I really enjoyed singing the arias and the congregation was very appreciative, the majority of them being seniors. One guy came up to me with hearing aids in both ears and said he usually turns them down during performances “of this kind” but turned them up when I started to sing! Ha! He was pretty funny! Joey was there smiling at me…so sweet!

We came home afterwards, ate lunch and then did a few errands before meeting Jennie at the lakes. We did 2 loops at a super easy pace. Joey did the first loop and decided that was enough for him so he went grocery shopping while Jennie and I continued along, chatting the whole way. He picked me up just as we finished. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out watching a movie, complete with popcorn.

RB's Saturday WO 1:33:42

Saturday, April 15, 2006

I had another long sleep last night. I almost felt drugged when I woke up! My legs felt good so I anticipated a good WO.

There was a large, stellar group out this morning for RB’s WO at the lakes. How fortunate we are to be included in a run with the likes of Jon Brown and Simon Whitfield and Steve Osaduik…and Lucy Smith was in the 8:00 gang. It’s pretty neat!

Today’s plan for me was an out and back consisting of 2 x 10 minutes followed by 5 x 3 minutes with two minute breaks between every interval. I stuck with RB’s plan to ease into the first 10 minutes and ran with Jude, Jennie, Jen, Ased and Hugh. When we turned around for the second set, Hugh and Ased took the lead with Hugh pulling in front to catch up to Cliffy. Jude, Ased and I just stuck to out steady pace. My legs felt great today so I was able to pick it up in the last 4 minutes.

Lisa came this week and I think she really enjoyed herself. She, Jennie, Claire and I did the 3 minute intervals together while Jude, Nanc and Jen buckled down and did a 3rd 10 minute interval. They looked so strong as they ran past us!

We all did a good 20-30 minute cool-down run chatting about our digestive issues! Ha! What a fun group of women who are all so supportive and keen to get better!

I came home and made a sandwich and yummy shake:

1 half glass of soy milk

Whey Protein powder

2 tbsp ground flax seed

½ of a banana

½ cup of frozen blueberries

½ cup of fresh strawberries

2 big dollops of French vanilla/wild field berries yogurt

I went downtown with Joey and got my hair cut while he went to rehearsal. I picked him up at the break. The show opens this week so the crunch is on and he has a lot on his mind. We are looking forward to a day together tomorrow. I have the Easter service to sing at in the morning but we plan on going for brunch and then doing a couple of easy laps around the lakes with Jude and Jen. Jude may be too fast for us depending on what she wants to do but at least we can all meet and start at the same time. I want to have a good WO on Tuesday so the plan is a slow run.

Good...Friday is a Rest!

Friday, April 14, 2006

Ahhhh…I had a great lie in this morning. My eyes opened at 8:30 and I lazed in bed until 9:00. I lounged in my PJ’s drank my coffee with Joey; taking thetime to enjoy our morning…it was heaven! I sang for a good 90 minutes and went through a bunch of arias I hadn’t sung for a while and I was quite happy. I hope Sunday goes just as well.

The rest of the afternoon was spent cleaning until Squintch called to say he was on his way home from a bike ride and was on the Goose right near my place. He came over and brought his bike which was filthy right into our nice, freshly clean place…what timing he has! We had a good yak about this and that. I had to kick him (and his grimey bike) out since I had a student. She brought me a chocolate Easter chicken! Later, I met Squintch and Joey downtown at Ferris’ for dinner.

The rest of the night was spent doing some laundry and catching up on emails.

 

Thursday with the Gals 51:26

Thursday, April 13, 2006

There was another large group out tonight for the WO at the lakes. Boob dropped by to give the workout instructions but had to leave so we were on our own. Tonight it was 8 x 2 minutes with 2 minute breaks. Jennie and I were to just make the run more of a moderate tempo effort without the extremes of fast running and slow jogging so we ran with Lisa and Jen and did a steady run with 2 minute pick-ups followed by 2 minutes at an easier pace. I was definitely feeling the 6th day of running in my legs tonight! I am abit concerned I over did it! We got back to the start before the others since we weren’t going backwards on the breaks. A few of us did some strides along the path right near the beach. Those felt good at least. Tomorrow’s rest will be good for me and I plan on sleeping in as much as I can!I hope I’ll be recovered enough to run a good WO on Saturday.

I called RB to give him an update. I got my blood tests back and I am so happy that all my levels are up! This is good news and confirms that I been training within a healthy limit even though I am running more this year than last year at this time. The supplements are doing the trick too. My ferritin level could still go up a bit but it’s way higher (29) than what it was in the fall (15). RB also chatted to me about training…this guy should write a book!

Chicken Run 1:19:49

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Tonight Wayne, Jarhead and I met for one of Boob’s mystery runs. It was a beauty! We ran through a bunch of trails in the Tech Park (across a field of daffodils) and Interurban Campus, along Prospect Lake Rd for a bit, and then a “shortcut” along Gowland Rd and then back through the park. That was not much of a shortcut since the hills slowed us down. Once again, we saw lamas, horses and I spoke to some sheep that came running up to the gate and we jumped over a couple of chickens who were right on the road wondering around! Great fun!

We went down to the gym and did our usual circuit of weights. I did six chin-ups again…I feel a seventh coming on soon!

I stopped in at Save On Foods afterwards and picked up some groceries and Easter treats for Giuse.

When I got home I did some good stretching while watching AI since my back has been feeling tight. I spoke to Shan and RB for a bit after supper and then realxed before going to bed.

Track WO 1:23:22

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

There was a pretty big group out at the track tonight. RB had a bunch of his fast guys out which made the dynamic a bit more serious. The guys lapped us and finished much before we were done but stuck around and cheered us on as we finished up, which was nice.

The warm-up was an easy 15 minutes followed by 4 laps of the track at a faster pace. The WO was 3 x 600m 3 x 400m and 3 x 200m with 200m breaks and 400m set breaks. The 600’s were 1:53, 1:57, 1:57 the 400s were 75, 74, 77 and the 200s 34, 33, 34. My belly wasn’t too happy for some reason and is still complaining…not sure why. The 200s felt really floaty compared to a few weeks ago. It was so great having RB there encouraging us and giving some coaching. I really felt I got smoother as I went along.

It was great to see Jarhead there with T! That was his second run of the day!

We did two loops of Ring Rd as a cool-down. Jen gave me a lift home and we both agreed it was a strong WO.

I am officially pooped and plan to make it an early night. The PJs have been on for a couple of hours already!

 

Easy Run & Core Class 47:26

Monday, April 10, 2006

Singing practice went well this morning. Sometimes I’m just not able to get back on track so if I take a day or two off as I did this weekend I am able to get back on track.

I left a bit early from work today and got my blood work done as well as my passport photo. There will be tours this fall to the US with my chamber choir and I just realized my passport had expired last month. A copy is needed by the end of this month in order to organize flights etc.

After doing those errands, I met Jennie and Jen for an easy run along Dallas. We headed north this time…the sun was shining and there were loads of people para-sailing, walking and running. We cut up Menzies where we saw Jarhead and T heading to the Youth Centre.

My legs felt good today and my energy was good too so I should be ready for tomorrow's track session. I think RB is coming to give some coaching while we run.

When we got back, Jennie made us both protein shakes which were quite yummy introcing me to The Magic Bullet blender...I want one now! We met Shan at the core class shortly afterwards. We were laughing at my attire. I was wearing my capri tights and runners with my dressy long coat over top…I looked like a flasher!

Giuse was at rehearsal again tonight so I picked up a rotisserie chicken at the Market on Yates, and cooked some taters, carrots and broccoli for dinner. I did a few upper body weights while stuff was cooking.

I am going to get in a state of pjaminess and relax in front of the tube until Maestro gets home. He did his own WO earlier today along the Goose.

Thetis Lake 1:37:57

Sunday, April 9, 2006

I met up with Jarhead, Boob and Matty at Thetis this morning. This was Matt’s first time out with us at Thetis although he has run the route many times before. I hope he liked it. By the time I got there, it was hardly raining but we were still expecting a muddy run from the rain we got yesterday and overnight last night.

I stuck to my promise to go easy. Matt and Boob ran ahead while Jarhead and I kept each other company at an easier pace. They would stop here and there allowing us to catch up. I picked it up just a bit along Munn’s Road just to feel some spin in my legs but went right back to the easy pace the rest of the way. I felt pretty good despite yesterday’s effort although I am tired now. Jarhead and I decided to do an extra loop around the lake making the whole run about 97 minutes long.

I drove straight home so Giuse could have the car for the rest of his day of rehearsals. Jarhead met me there and we headed over to Brannigan’s just up the street and had a big breakfast. I spent the rest of the afternoon puttering about here at home. I just washed the floors and did some laundry and now plan on vegging and resting…maybe do some reading. Giuse has a break for supper so I plan on meeting him so we can eat together.

The Goose WO 1:36:21

Saturday, April 8, 2006

I slept last night for the first time with my new retainer. My jaw got a bit out of line from my bike accident. Apparently the muscles near my jaw joint got over stretched on one side which is causing a clicking sound when I open my mouth. The retainer is a plastic apparatus that fits on my bottom teeth and prevents me from clenching or holding my jaw and engaging those muscles unnecessarily. It also makes me drool…charming. The muscles after a few months will have a chance to fully relax and will hopefully find a balance again.

Jennie was nice enough to give me a lift to the WO this morning. S was driving and a friend of theirs was with us too. RB had us running along the Goose again this weekend. Once again Syl and RB were there  keeping an eye out for us at the road crossings. There was a slightly smaller group this week since most are running the 15km Merville race tomorrow. We decided that I wouldn’t run Merville as today’s WO would be more beneficial at this point. This means I don’t qualify for the race series since I haven’t run a distance further than 10km.

The WO after a 5km warm-up were intervals of 6-2-12-12-2-6 minutes with 2 minute breaks, 4 minutes between the 12s. I felt strong today and was able to maintain a quick, steady pace even through the second 12 minutes. We did a long cool-down back to where we started. My fitness level I feel has really improved this past month. I remember when we did 30 minutes of tempo running at the beginning of the year that had me gasping for breath. The shorter breaks now are even feeling like enough recovery time to start a new interval…this is when the real fun starts!

I met Shan and Jennie at Demi-Tasse for brunch and then we went to a very interesting sports nutrition seminar. We learned a lot of stuff about recovery, supplements for athletes, the importance of balance etc. from a naturopath/homeopath who works with athletes. I found that part the most interesting. The second hour was more of a pitch for supplements by some distributor and was a bit of a nodder.

The three of us were all inspired so we wondered over to The Vitamin Shop and grabbed a few supplements that were recommended. I then went and picked Giuse up at his rehearsal. I was supposed to go to a fundraiser tonight for the opera/symphony but decided to bail since I know only hors d’oeuvres will be served all evening ( I would starve!) and I would be stuck standing around (in heels!!) talking to people I don’t know….brutal. I am a bad wife, I know!

Thursday at the Lakes! 1:04:36

Thursday, April 6, 2006

I had a lesson after work today. It went ok but I was not thrilled. I have to be more consistent.

Giuse met me at the Conservatory and we went from there to the lakes for the first run there since the fall. There was a huge group out…some new faces and some that we hadn’t seen since last summer. It was great to catch up with everyone.

The WO consisted of a 15 minute warm-up followed by 4 x 4 minutes with 2 minutes break. We then met at the hill near the 1km marker and did 8 strides up the slight incline to (going only about 1/3 up the hill). We did about an hour or so in total. I was told to keep the intervals at an easy tempo so I wouldn’t be burnt out for Saturday morning. Some people decided to just do an easy run around the lakes including Giuse who was trying out a new pair of shoes. Fortunately, the shoes are great and his knee pain seems to have gone away!

Most of us headed over to the Bird of Paradise right after the run. We ate, drank and socialized until about 9:00…I even had a cider…!

KD Wednesday

Wednesday, April 5, 2006

I had to rehearse at the church in Langford after work so I had to miss the run with Boob and the gang. My rehearsal was…well, not great. Oh well, bad rehearsal, good performance, they say…

The plan was to meet Jarhead after the rehearsal who agreed to run with me instead in James Bay near his place. My calf was a bit tight though, so RB suggested a day off to give it a proper rest. I still met Jarhead but we went for a walk instead along the breakwater with T, Squintch and Donna. Dinner was chez Jarhead with Squintch and Donna cooking up a culinary masterpiece: Kraft Dinner with chicken wieners (I am sure they were grain-fed, free range ones) with broccoli. Brutal. T was very happy and finished off her meal with ice-cream and strawberries. I declined…the introduction to more milk (or milk-like) product to my system would have done me in. It was a fun night though!

Tuesday at the Track 1:02:47

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

Today really felt like spring…even summer- like! The extra hour of daylight makes such a difference, doesn’t it? When the gang met up at the track, it felt like the day was only half over. There was just a small group out for the warm-up including Nancy who came all the way from Shawnigan Lake. She has been doing track WOs by herself so she was happy to have some company. It was great to have her join us!

We did an easy 15 minutes and then went right on to the track for 4 laps which consisted of a gradual pick-up. The workout was 3 (for those of us who raced on Sunday) or 4 x 300m with 100m rests and a lap set break. I wasn’t sure how I would feel after Sunday’s race. Surprisingly though, my legs were not sore or stiff. My only complaint was the usual lower back injury. I just have learned to deal with it by doing a lot of stretching during the day while at work. I ran the intervals with Tony again. We did the first set in 57-59-59, the second set 58-57-58 and the final 55-56-55. The last set felt very easy and relaxed and my breathing felt very low in my body. We did two easy loops around the ring to cool-down…we should have gone on the chip trails now that it’s lighter out…we’re such creatures of habit! Matty was being a pest. It's his B-Day tomorrow so I need to get him somehow....

My right calf started feeling a bit sore in the last 5 minutes of the cool-down. I called RB when I got home who said to ice it…last time it was the left one and it went away pretty fast so I am not too worried. I think I just need to rest it a bit.

I have a rehearsal after work tomorrow so Don said he would do an easy run with me afterwards. If I feel any pain in the calf whatsoever, I will stop and call it a night. The last thing I need is to get injured.

Dave came over for dinner…well, he brought his own pizza and I had a chicken dinner that Giuse had prepared…I know…I’m spoiled!

Shan called and is looking forward to the run on Thursday night after her week-long and well-deserved training break. It will be great to be off the pavement and on gravel trails!

Recovery Day and Core Class 46:26

Monday, April 3, 2006

I met up with Giuse after work for a quick bite during one of his breaks. He dropped me off at Jennie’s and Jen M met us there too for a run. We did a 45 minute route along and around Dallas road at a super easy pace. My legs felt very good. No muscle pain or aches after yesterday’s race. I think doing a long cool-down really helped.

The three of us were running a bit behind making the 7:15 start time for our core strengthening class we signed up for. We were giggling as we headed in since we were a good 5 minutes late! Thankfully Jen M’s boyfriend is the teacher so he wasn’t too mad. I found the class quite good and I am sure it will get more and more challenging as he starts to put all the positions in a sequence.

Time for a snack, some tube and then to bed…wow, it’s after 9:00 and I am not yet in my PJs!

Sooke 10km 37:25

Sunday, April 2, 2006

Squintch picked me up at 8:30 to head to the Sooke 10km race. He remembered the time change but forgot to set his alarm!! He still managed to pick me up only 10 minutes later than planned…I am sure he had the fear of God in him!

A lot of club members were already there when we arrived. We helped set up tables, made signs etc. and everything went pretty smoothly. I had plenty of time for a warm-up and did about 4km with Kate and Cheryl. We chatted about running and racing and asked ourselves why we were about to put ourselves in a painful race…we’re nuts, we concluded!

RB sugeted picking up the pace after the first few kms if I was feeling good...he was dead on once again.

Usually I feel strong in the first few kms and then I start to hurt and the wheels start to come off. This race, the first few kms were not happy ones for me but then just as RB predicted, at about 3km I started to feel stronger and stronger. I am sure he knew that would happen...or it was just a good guess! It was a hilly course so I tried not to push but stayed as relaxed as possible. At the end I felt I could have kept going which made me very happy. I think the mileage must be helping my cardio system. Now I just have to stay healthy.

Kate and I did another 45 minutes of easy running as a cool down along the course. It sure is a pretty course! We yakked the whole way and just enjoyed the route...what a great gal!

The club had some great performances today! Roy had an astounding race and Wayne once again placed 1st in his age category. DonE managed to run a 10km PR after a week of feeling a bit tired…way to go!!

After the awards ceremony a bunch of us tore everything down, packed up and cleaned up the school gym we rented for the day (Jarhead was being a brat and was throwing balls of tape at my head!) and then went to the 17 mile pub for something to eat. The sun made an appearance so we were able to sit on the patio and relax in the fresh air. We were all very happy at how the race turned out. It’s a huge thing to organize!

A Run with Giuse!

Saturday, April 1, 2006

Giuse had the time to go for a run this morning so we drove to the lakes to do a nice relaxing lap. We caught RB’s group of fastees doing their Saturday WO. RB was there with his son cheering the runners on. Unfortunately, Giuse’s knee was acting up again so we had to stop a few times. I hope he can get his chiro to work it out. He is so fit right now; it would be a shame if he can’t run the Garden City race at the end of the month. I did some strides along the last km of the route to feel some spin before tomorrow’s race.

I spent the rest of the afternoon running around collecting the last of the draw prizes and doing an hour at the registration table for the race at FR. I met Giuse again for dinner between his rehearsals and he realized he had forgotten his jacket and tie for the concert that night. He wasn’t conducting but had prepared the choir so he has to come out and take a quick bow at the nd of the show. I headed back home, got his tie and jacket and then stayed to listen to the concert. I only stayed for the first half so I could get home and finish preparing the draw prizes. Thankfully Shan reminded me of the time change just before I went to bed…which only flustered me because instead of it being 11:30 it was 12:30….arg!

Friday Off

Friday, March 31, 2006

Today’s voice lesson went well. The two arias I am singing on Easter morning are not easy and take a huge amount of breath control and support. I have been practicing them so much lately though, I think it’s time to take a break and sing something else until a few days before the service. No use beating a dead horse.

I met up with Giuse after his rehearsal for a quick bite to eat downtown. Squintch met us there and we go t caught up on all of Squintch’s news. Giuse had to go to another rehearsal so Squintch and I just bummed around downtown hoping to look at some hiking packs for our next hiking trip this summer…I am so excited! Unfortunately all the camping stores were closed so we ended up just wandering around some other shops downtown.