Well that was a bit of a gong show of a training week. Tuesday's run was done inside on a treadmill for fear of freezing. Wednesday's run was forfeited for a birthday dinner for my brother in law and their newly grown family. Thursday was a ridiculous snow day and I decided to save my ankles for race day and not to run in the snow. Which brings me to my cold, wet run today. Though it wasn't snowing, it sure felt like it could have... brr! Bring on the warm weather!
I will be boarding the plane for the Caymans in 3 days!!! I can't believe it's almost here. The master plan is to take my laptop with me and update my blog when I get there, probably the night before the marathon and then of course after the marathon to let you all know how it went. Keep your computers locked to this channel and it might seem like you're right there with me :)
Many of you have wished me luck and sent emails of encouragement, and I thank you. You've made this experience one that I will remember for the rest of my life and though it was both physically and mentally challenging I wouldn't change any part of the journey. You've all been so great and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of your support.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Baby it's cold outside...
Here we are, 8 days from boarding a plane to the Caymans to run a marathon and I'm out running in -6 degree weather! What the heck? I knew there was a chance that I would have to run in the cold before I left but I had no idea it would be this cold. Hopefully the weather warms up a bit so I can thaw out before heading down to the 30 degree weather. Something tells me that this is going to be an interesting experience...
I had to abandon my run on Thursday due to frozen fingers so I went straight home to start the hunt for my running gloves. Unfortunately it seems the weather is too cold for them too as they are still in "hiding". Sunday's run was a cold one and am I ever glad that I went out and bought a new pair of running gloves to replace the ones that are missing in action - they kept my hands toasty warm. Unfortunately the new gloves did nothing to help keep my butt warm and after 23kms I found myself sitting in a bathtub of warm water for 20 minutes to try to get the feeling back to some sensitive areas!
This week's 16km long run is going to be done at my race pace and I'm hoping that it warms up a bit so it won't be in the biting cold. I will probably be running from Rocky Point Park at about 8am and heading along Guildford into Port Coquitlam. Anyone looking to run 16kms or any part of it at a 5:45 - 6:00/km pace is more than welcome to join me!
The fundraising is all done as you can see from my previous posts but I had a little something else to keep me busy this week. My sister Breanne, her husband Jim and their daughter Ella welcomed another baby girl - Samantha - into the world on Friday. Congratulations to the Fenyedi/Corrick family, she is absolutely beautiful and has already stolen her Auntie Lisa's heart just like her big sister did!
Thanks to everyone for their support again this week - even though my fundraising is finished my web page is still available for any donations you may still wish to give to the Arthritis Society. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others!
I had to abandon my run on Thursday due to frozen fingers so I went straight home to start the hunt for my running gloves. Unfortunately it seems the weather is too cold for them too as they are still in "hiding". Sunday's run was a cold one and am I ever glad that I went out and bought a new pair of running gloves to replace the ones that are missing in action - they kept my hands toasty warm. Unfortunately the new gloves did nothing to help keep my butt warm and after 23kms I found myself sitting in a bathtub of warm water for 20 minutes to try to get the feeling back to some sensitive areas!
This week's 16km long run is going to be done at my race pace and I'm hoping that it warms up a bit so it won't be in the biting cold. I will probably be running from Rocky Point Park at about 8am and heading along Guildford into Port Coquitlam. Anyone looking to run 16kms or any part of it at a 5:45 - 6:00/km pace is more than welcome to join me!
The fundraising is all done as you can see from my previous posts but I had a little something else to keep me busy this week. My sister Breanne, her husband Jim and their daughter Ella welcomed another baby girl - Samantha - into the world on Friday. Congratulations to the Fenyedi/Corrick family, she is absolutely beautiful and has already stolen her Auntie Lisa's heart just like her big sister did!
Thanks to everyone for their support again this week - even though my fundraising is finished my web page is still available for any donations you may still wish to give to the Arthritis Society. Together we can make a difference in the lives of others!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Fundraising is D-O-N-E!!! Bring on the marathon!
It's true! I reached my $5,900 fundraising goal this past week and what a HUGE relief that was. I might have shed a tear (or two) when I realized that I had reached my goal. I knew I was stressed about it, but I had no idea how stressed I actually was until the muscles in my neck started to relax and this state of calm washed over me. Whew!
It was a busy week - not only did I finish my fundraising but I also did my last long run before marathon day. Now some of you are looking at the side of my blog thinking, "is she crazy? She has 23kms to run this week!" This is true, so I'll rephrase - the taper has begun! Over the next couple of weeks my training focus switches from long steady runs to shorter faster runs to work on my speed while letting my legs recoup before a very warm run day.
I just happened to check the weather today in the Caymans and was slightly shocked to read the 27 degree weather at 6am this morning. The most shocking part was the "feels like 36 degrees" written down the side. Oh my, this will be an experience indeed! I can honestly say that I have never run in that kind of heat and am fairly certain that it will be a shock to the system. The master plan is to lay on the beach for the 2 days that I have in the Caymans leading up to run day and try my best to acclimatize my body to the heat before taxing it by running a marathon. This whole thing sounded a lot more enjoyable before I really started to think about the chafing and possible heat stroke that might come into play. I am currently accepting applications for water boys and will bring extra luggage to smuggle you down there!
This week will be another interesting one for the Fenyedi/Corrick clan as my sister should be giving birth to baby #2 any day now. One could say that my sister is prepping to run a marathon of her own this week. Good luck Briggy, you're a fabulous mom to one and you're going to be just as great with two! I can't wait to meet my new niece/nephew. Come on out little one :)
A million thank yous to those of you who donated and gave me your support over this past year. I couldn't have done this without you! I didn't realize going into this year how humbling an experience raising that amount of money can be. Those that fundraise on a regular basis are in a class all on their own and they deserve the highest amount of respect society has to give. Thank you for your support!
It was a busy week - not only did I finish my fundraising but I also did my last long run before marathon day. Now some of you are looking at the side of my blog thinking, "is she crazy? She has 23kms to run this week!" This is true, so I'll rephrase - the taper has begun! Over the next couple of weeks my training focus switches from long steady runs to shorter faster runs to work on my speed while letting my legs recoup before a very warm run day.
I just happened to check the weather today in the Caymans and was slightly shocked to read the 27 degree weather at 6am this morning. The most shocking part was the "feels like 36 degrees" written down the side. Oh my, this will be an experience indeed! I can honestly say that I have never run in that kind of heat and am fairly certain that it will be a shock to the system. The master plan is to lay on the beach for the 2 days that I have in the Caymans leading up to run day and try my best to acclimatize my body to the heat before taxing it by running a marathon. This whole thing sounded a lot more enjoyable before I really started to think about the chafing and possible heat stroke that might come into play. I am currently accepting applications for water boys and will bring extra luggage to smuggle you down there!
This week will be another interesting one for the Fenyedi/Corrick clan as my sister should be giving birth to baby #2 any day now. One could say that my sister is prepping to run a marathon of her own this week. Good luck Briggy, you're a fabulous mom to one and you're going to be just as great with two! I can't wait to meet my new niece/nephew. Come on out little one :)
A million thank yous to those of you who donated and gave me your support over this past year. I couldn't have done this without you! I didn't realize going into this year how humbling an experience raising that amount of money can be. Those that fundraise on a regular basis are in a class all on their own and they deserve the highest amount of respect society has to give. Thank you for your support!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Pub Night Saturday Nov. 13th - See you there!
Well here we are, the first week of November has come and gone and I've been lucky enough to have my long run day fall on a dry day yet again. Yeehaw! I did my 31kms this past week on Saturday morning so I could balance living life (yes I attended and thoroughly enjoyed a wine tasting on Saturday night) with my marathon training schedule. It wasn't sunny like it was on Sunday morning, but it was dry and it felt great. I bought my new shoes this week and took them out for their first spin on Saturday - it felt like I had pillows around my feet! It was fantastic! This week's long run will be 34km and it's the last long run before the taper starts. Woo hoo! I'll probably be running it on Saturday again this week so I can get it done before the pub night. As I've said before - I'd be more than happy to have you join me for all or part of it.
My last fundraising "event" is this Saturday, Nov. 13th. I am holding a pub night at the Point Pub in Port Moody and you can find full details on the left side of this page. I do still have tickets to sell so please contact me ASAP and let me know if you will be joining us. If I don't have your name and the number of tickets you would like, I can't ensure that you will get one. The burger and beer/highball deal is only applicable if you have a ticket and you need to order your food before 8:30pm. It's going to be a fun night and it finishes off the fundraising I've been doing for the past year so come on out and help me celebrate!
I'm not too sure if anyone has noticed, but the thermometer on my fundraising page made a HUGE jump in the past couple of days to 98%! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!!! As I said above, my pub night will now be more of a celebration with fun and games than a stressful event to raise x-dollars so please do come out and be part of the celebration. With your generosity and support, we've done it! I am absolutely humbled and amazed at the support you've all shown me to accomplish this goal for the Katherine's, Tony's Sue's, Christine's and the many other Canadians, young and old who are living with Arthritis. Thank you!
My last fundraising "event" is this Saturday, Nov. 13th. I am holding a pub night at the Point Pub in Port Moody and you can find full details on the left side of this page. I do still have tickets to sell so please contact me ASAP and let me know if you will be joining us. If I don't have your name and the number of tickets you would like, I can't ensure that you will get one. The burger and beer/highball deal is only applicable if you have a ticket and you need to order your food before 8:30pm. It's going to be a fun night and it finishes off the fundraising I've been doing for the past year so come on out and help me celebrate!
I'm not too sure if anyone has noticed, but the thermometer on my fundraising page made a HUGE jump in the past couple of days to 98%! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!!! As I said above, my pub night will now be more of a celebration with fun and games than a stressful event to raise x-dollars so please do come out and be part of the celebration. With your generosity and support, we've done it! I am absolutely humbled and amazed at the support you've all shown me to accomplish this goal for the Katherine's, Tony's Sue's, Christine's and the many other Canadians, young and old who are living with Arthritis. Thank you!
Monday, November 1, 2010
I'm leaving on a jet plane one month from today!
Is it just me or have the past two months flown by? It seems like just yesterday that I was starting my marathon training and now here I am, one month away from leaving for the Caymans and my distance is already up to 31kms and counting! That went by really fast and I'm sure the next 5 weeks will also fly by.
The next couple of weeks will be very busy. The pub night is coming up on November 13th and I still have lots of tickets left so please contact me if you are planning on coming. Keep in mind there are no ticket sales at the door as I have to get my numbers in to the pub this Saturday so they are ready for the group of us. Tell your friends and family, get tickets for all of them and come on out for a fun night to help out a great cause!
This week's long run will be between 31-34kms and I'll be running it on Saturday morning. If any of you are thinking of going for a run on Saturday morning, come on out for all or part of it, I'd love to have you! I haven't finalized my route yet so I can be flexible to pick you up along my way.
The thermometer on my fundraising page is at 90% though there is more money that will be posted in a couple of days. Yesss! I do still have a couple of the Epicure dip sets left for sale that I would love to have go to a good home so let me know if you're interested. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, your faces kept popping into my mind while I was out for my run on Saturday and you got me through another 31km run!
The next couple of weeks will be very busy. The pub night is coming up on November 13th and I still have lots of tickets left so please contact me if you are planning on coming. Keep in mind there are no ticket sales at the door as I have to get my numbers in to the pub this Saturday so they are ready for the group of us. Tell your friends and family, get tickets for all of them and come on out for a fun night to help out a great cause!
This week's long run will be between 31-34kms and I'll be running it on Saturday morning. If any of you are thinking of going for a run on Saturday morning, come on out for all or part of it, I'd love to have you! I haven't finalized my route yet so I can be flexible to pick you up along my way.
The thermometer on my fundraising page is at 90% though there is more money that will be posted in a couple of days. Yesss! I do still have a couple of the Epicure dip sets left for sale that I would love to have go to a good home so let me know if you're interested. Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, your faces kept popping into my mind while I was out for my run on Saturday and you got me through another 31km run!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sometimes it's best if you just listen to your body
There are ups and downs when one is training for a marathon and this week was just one of those weeks where my body was not happy running. Today's run was supposed to be 34kms and I knew going in that it was going to be a tough one so I decided to take today as my rest day, do 23kms and let my body recoup. Running these distances requires proper rest and fuel and unfortunately I suffered from a lack of sleep and poor eating habits this week. It definitely caught up to me today and to avoid the risk of injuring myself by pushing through the fatigue, I actually made the smart choice of listening to my body for once!
Today marks 6 weeks to race day and I'm happy to report that even though I had a rough week, I'm feeling stronger than ever and am looking forward to race day! The chill in the air makes keeping hydrated easier, but I am still packing around as much water and gels as I can fit so I will be used to carrying them and ready for the very hot race conditions. I have never trained for a marathon in cool weather only to run the race in warm weather so if anyone has any tips, please send them my way. I already have my anti-chafing Body Glide packed in my bag and ready to go! Trust me, the name sounds much more risque than it really is.
My fundraising thermometer jumped this week to 90% of my goal raised and counting!!! The pub fundraiser is the last item on my list and there are still plenty of tickets left. Please do get in contact with me if you plan to attend so I can get you tickets and give the pub a proper head count of how many to expect. It's going to be a fun night so bring your family and friends and come on out! See the left hand side of my blog for more details. Thank you to everyone for their support again this week, I wouldn't have made it this far without you!
Today marks 6 weeks to race day and I'm happy to report that even though I had a rough week, I'm feeling stronger than ever and am looking forward to race day! The chill in the air makes keeping hydrated easier, but I am still packing around as much water and gels as I can fit so I will be used to carrying them and ready for the very hot race conditions. I have never trained for a marathon in cool weather only to run the race in warm weather so if anyone has any tips, please send them my way. I already have my anti-chafing Body Glide packed in my bag and ready to go! Trust me, the name sounds much more risque than it really is.
My fundraising thermometer jumped this week to 90% of my goal raised and counting!!! The pub fundraiser is the last item on my list and there are still plenty of tickets left. Please do get in contact with me if you plan to attend so I can get you tickets and give the pub a proper head count of how many to expect. It's going to be a fun night so bring your family and friends and come on out! See the left hand side of my blog for more details. Thank you to everyone for their support again this week, I wouldn't have made it this far without you!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
A huge thanks to Caroline & Erin for joining me today!
First order of business is thanking Erin & Caroline for joining me for the last 12 kms of my 31km run this morning. You ladies had me running a negative split for the last 12 kms, woohoo! It was a fantastic day for a run - though it was a tad chilly out when I started at 8am. I ran the out a back along the Barnett Highway for my first 19kms and then met the ladies at 10am at Rocky Point Park for the last 12kms. It was so great to have them with me for the end to listen to them chat and keep my mind of the soreness that I really struggled with the last 3kms of my 29km run on Thanksgiving. After today I'm feeling WAY better about the distance and a quick parking lot consultation with Coach Caz has me deciding to run 34kms this coming Sunday as opposed to the scheduled 32.
I don't know if any of you have noticed, but the thermometer on by fundraising page took a rather large jump this past week - I'm up to 88% of my goal and closing in!!! The goal is to have my fundraising wrapped up by mid-November after the pub night (details are on the left hand side of this page) so make sure to get your tickets from me. I also have 5 of the Epicure Dip Sets left to sell - 3 of the Savoury dips and 2 of the Sweet dips so if you didn't get a chance to order any or if you bought some and have realized that you want more, let me know!
Race day is closing in with only 7 weeks left and I can not thank you all enough for the support that you've shown me through this journey. I am have been overwhelmed by your generosity and and constantly surprised by those who have shown me their support however that has been. Thanks to each and every one of you - we're almost there!
Lastly, I would like to congratulate my old friend Chris for running his first marathon on Thanksgiving long weekend. Welcome to the club Chris! I hope you stick around for more - I look forward to running one with you in the future!
I don't know if any of you have noticed, but the thermometer on by fundraising page took a rather large jump this past week - I'm up to 88% of my goal and closing in!!! The goal is to have my fundraising wrapped up by mid-November after the pub night (details are on the left hand side of this page) so make sure to get your tickets from me. I also have 5 of the Epicure Dip Sets left to sell - 3 of the Savoury dips and 2 of the Sweet dips so if you didn't get a chance to order any or if you bought some and have realized that you want more, let me know!
Race day is closing in with only 7 weeks left and I can not thank you all enough for the support that you've shown me through this journey. I am have been overwhelmed by your generosity and and constantly surprised by those who have shown me their support however that has been. Thanks to each and every one of you - we're almost there!
Lastly, I would like to congratulate my old friend Chris for running his first marathon on Thanksgiving long weekend. Welcome to the club Chris! I hope you stick around for more - I look forward to running one with you in the future!
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