Yo-Yo-Yoga

At the beginning of December I gave up the yoga class that I had been teaching since early 2012.

I came to a point that I felt like I was doing the ladies who came each week a bit of a disservice by the fact that I wasn't feeling inspired or truly engaged in the classes I was teaching. I suppose, it just started to feel a bit stale. Every Thursday night, I would almost dread the “commitment” of having to be there, and wasn't necessarily enjoying leading the practice like I once did.

I decided stepping away from the class would be a good opportunity to focus on my own practice a little more. Not to mention the fact that during Ironman training, I’m out of the house enough and was longing for more time at home with Shane and Rusty.

So, have I spent more time on my own practice? Not really, but I have spent more time with my two favourite guys, so it's been worth it.

On top of that, I've had the opportunity to sub the odd class, which has definitely helped keep me involved and in the yoga “teacher” mindset.

On Monday night I ended up subbing for Kirsten, as she has been taken OUT by the flu that is plaguing so many people in Victoria right now. She teaches two classes back to back (you can sign up through Panorama Rec if you’re interested), with the first one being a downDAWG Yoga class (essentially, flow yoga + hip hop music = downDAWG Yoga).

I am not trained or certified to teach downDAWG, but since Kirsten was in a pinch, I was her best option. By nature, I tend to teach a very gentle style class, so any sort of power class is a little out of my wheelhouse, but I've been to enough power classes, that I figured I could make it work.

So, I let the women in the class know that they wouldn't be getting a downDAWG class that night; but that we’d still use the fun music and I’d still give them a challenging yoga class where they could work up a sweat and have a good stretch. They were totally game and well, I think they were secretly (or maybe not-so-secretly) happy to be getting a slightly easier session to start the New Year.

We shook our bums to the music, blasted our cores, and then cooled it down with a good round of hip openers (among others things). It was a lot of fun, and a nice easy and welcoming atmosphere to be in.

Round two (aka. the second class of the night) was a “Yoga for Athletes” class.

This style of class is definitely more up my alley and allowed for my more natural “gentle” style to be front and center. That said, it didn't come without some new-to-me aspects.

It was a much bigger class than the first one (16 people) with over half the participants being men. Having done my yoga teacher training in a group full of women, and then teaching at women’s only gym, teaching men was new to me. It was not a bad thing, and it was actually pretty cool to see so many guys taking part in a yoga class (rather than the token 3 or 4 you often see in a studio full of women), it just took me by surprise.

Once class got going, it really made no difference that half of the participants were male and half female. Some women had good proprioception, some didn’t. Same goes for the men, some seemed to be naturals, while others not-so-much. The young guys giggled during certain poses, much like the young girls often did in my Thursday night class. In the end, the atmosphere was similar to what I was used to, but little things made it feel fresh and new.

Anyway, while Monday was a long day (that saw me eating mini-eggs for dinner), it was nice to do something a little different and to feel a bit excited about teaching again. I may have even been a little keyed up with yogic adrenaline at the end of the night. :)

Namaste Motherf*ckahs.

A Glance Back, A Look Forward

Glancing Back…

2013 was a pretty good year. I didn't do very much racing (in fact, I didn't do one triathlon the whole year), but I certainly had some fun new adventures and probably learned a little about myself along the way.

Highlights include running my first stand-alone marathon (well, I ran 30ish km of it and shuffle/walked the rest) and diving head first into the wonderful world of trail running. Obviously, a week spent running through the Colorado Rockies was a major, MAJOR highlight and something I won't soon forget.

Through it all, I definitely had some ups and downs and certainly struggled at times, but I finally got some race photos I'm happy with (ones where I don't look like Sloth from the Goonies) and found a whole new appreciation for multi-sport.

Don’t get me wrong, I really loved hitting the trails and being off-road and don't plan to ditch the trail running anytime soon, but I also realized the variety of triathlon is what makes me truly happy. The smell of chlorine on my skin after a hard swim workout is something that will always make me smile.

Looking Forward…

While I don’t really have any true resolutions that I feel the need to declare as we start 2014, I did think it would be fun to do a little list of race goals and other silly/fun things that I would like to accomplish this year.

1) Swim 500m with flip turns. (I totally stole this, but it is such a great idea. I’m always saying I want to learn to flip turn consistently, this might just be my push).

2) Actually get my butt out of bed on a Saturday morning and go to a Duncan Masters session. It will take me out of my comfort zone for sure (both socially and physically), but it will be good for me.

3) Do a cyclocross race in the fall. I had so much fun when I did a couple races back in 2011 and I would like to give it another go.

4) Try not to be so shy around new people. As in, introduce myself to others rather than standing around looking awkward waiting for someone else to make the first move and introduce themselves to me.

5) In keeping with the above thought, I think it would be fun to get out to more group workouts and make some new friends who share similar interests.

6) Run a sub 22 minute 5k. This really shouldn't be that hard if I actually pace myself properly. I've been very close the last couple years (22:01, 22:06 & 22:07) and well, I know I've got it in me.

7) Run a sub 1:45 half marathon. I haven’t really raced a half marathon since 2010. At that time I set my current PB (1:50:53). I think I am a stronger, more confident runner now and so I’m pretty sure I have a faster half in me. Who knows what the year will bring, but I’m thinking that if all goes well and I’m not totally burned out by the fall, I might see what I’m capable of at the Victoria Half in October.

8) Race a perfectly executed Ironman in Coeur d’Alene. For me this will involve nailing my nutrition, talking nicely to myself throughout the day, having fun, and most importantly leaving it all out there. I had a time goal of sub-13hrs in 2012 at IMC, and while I still want this, I want all the other things to happen first. If the time on the clock starts with a 12, well that will just be the icing on the cake.

9) This one may be a bit cliché but: Talk nice to myself. Judge Less. Get out of my head.

Shane said something the other day that is very true… my “failures” in racing aren't because I don’t train hard or because I’m physically not capable; they are because of this *points at head*. I'm pretty sure my future successes will be found in the same place.

I have some other more “financially responsible” goals and habits I am hoping to form and have written down in my own special little place, but that is boring stuff (you don’t really care if I bring my lunch to work more than I buy it, do you?), so we’ll stick with the fun sport and health related goals for now.

And with that, I leave you a passage that I once read on Clara Hughes’ blog that seems very fitting at this time of year. 

“The goals I have now are small and most likely invisible to others.  Goals of changing the words inside my head to nicer sentiments.  Goals of simply enjoying what I do no matter how small the deed.  Even more than enjoyment, letting myself feel some sort of satisfaction and accomplishment with these small things.  Not simply moving forward like a freight train though all the beautiful moments, forgetting to stop and feel the wonder of it all.”

33

The holidays have always been one of my favourite times of the year. I love Christmas. Everything about it, from the twinkly lights and the festive trees to the mistletoe hung with care. I love all of the decorations – from the beautiful and ‘sophisticated’ to the goofy and the gaudy; it all makes my heart sing.

I love all the sweet treats and the mass quantities of food (even though my waistline doesn't), but most of all, I really love the endless hours of time spent with family and friends.

Another little bonus to the holiday season is the fact that my birthday falls just two short days after Christmas. (It's pretty awesome, as it definitely helps to extend the festive feeling of the season).

This year, I had a really hard time deciding what I wanted to do for my birthday (and it felt like EVERYONE kept asking me what my plans were). Since the pool had been closed for most of December, and was reopening on my birthday, I had told Shane I wanted to swim 3300m in honour of my 33^rd birthday.

When he didn't refuse the idea, and then Kirsten and my parents showed interest in joining too, the wheels starting turning in my head and suddenly my birthday plan started to grow. Soon enough, I was plotting a little 33-themed birthday ‘triathlon’ of sorts.

The plan: 3300m swim, followed by 33km on the bike, topped off with 33mins of running (and, I would hazard to guess, probably close to 33mins of transition time too, haha).

The day started at the pool with Kirsten, Shane and my Mom (my Dad will be learning to swim in the New Year, so opted just to join in on the bike/run portion of the event). I ticked off 3300m at a consistent and comfortable pace. I feel like I have been a bit sluggish in the pool lately, but this swim felt pretty good. I had a few moments of feeling oddly clunky and spastic, but mostly, I was clicking along, nicely rhythmic and fluid.

We suited up into our rain gear and warm clothes for the bike, and rolled out onto the Goose for a nice 16.5km out and back. The pace was comfortable and the company was great. We pedaled away with the wind (unknowingly) at our backs for the first half of the ride. Shane and I had new fenders on our bikes and we happily teased everyone else for the large brown streaks up their backsides, while we stayed clean and dry. The way back was a little tougher as the tailwind we enjoyed on the way out turned into a headwind (shocking, I know), but the rain stopped and the sun even started to poke through the clouds.

I rolled into the parking lot with my odo showing 33.23km. (I probably should have ridden the extra little bit to make 33.33km, but c’est la vie.)

With a quick change into our runners, it was time to hit the JdF trail for the final leg of my birthday triathlon. The first few steps surprised me a bit, and reminded me what it feels like to run off the bike (it’s been a while I guess) but soon enough, we were trotting along, up and down the little hills around the rec centre. In no time, 33 minutes had passed and my birthday triathlon was complete.

Obviously, there was no race clock and no sense of urgency to compete with one another; just a great day spent doing what I love, with the ones that I love most.   

It's Friday, I'm in love…

I don't care if Monday's blue

Tuesday's gray and Wednesday too

Thursday I don't care about you

It's Friday, I'm in love…

And so, how about a few random ramblings?

1) Last week was crazy busy… CrAzY!!

Dinners out, comedy shows, festive family outings, whirlwind trips to the mainland and one giant family gathering (aka. gong show) in Black Creek made fitting in training a little difficult. I realized either sleep or training was going to be sacrificed, and well, it was mostly training that got the axe. I think I’m growing though, as the guilt I felt over the skipped workouts was very minimal… and thankfully this week has been a little easier to maintain balance with work, training, sleep and fun stuff.

2) We've had a puppy in the office this week. Rosebud. A co-worker got a new Boston-terrier/French-bulldog cross (a Frenchton) for Christmas. I've quickly come to realize that the best days at work are the ones when you have a puppy sleeping on your lap.

3) Not to be outdone, my sweet little (and by little, I really mean big) pooch is pretty much the cutest Christmas pup around. He never fails to make me smile.

Evidence.

4) I have curly hair, and well, if you have curly hair, you’ll know that finding someone who knows how to properly cut the curls is not the easiest thing. I’ve gone to the same hair dresser for years. She’s great. I love her, but she is a located a little out of the way and she just had a baby, so is working limited hours.

As such, I decided this might be a good time to try out a new-to-me stylist downtown Vic, so that I could go for a cut on my lunch break. New stylist did a decent job, but I have to admit, I’m not super thrilled with the final outcome. We talked lots about giving my hair more shape (as it gets a bit 'blah' and angular the longer it gets), and well, she didn't really deliver in the layers department (even though we talked about it in great length). Now I feel like I need another haircut, even though I just had one, but I don’t want to pay. [This is what the kids on the interwebs call first world problems, right?]

That said, she did straighten the ol’ locks at the end of my appointment, which was kind of fun. I definitely never take the time to do that myself, so it was nice to see myself in a different way.

5) We got snow today. I was really hoping for enough snow that I wouldn't be able to make it into work, but alas, it did not happen.

6) JdF (where I normally swim) has been closed for maintenance, so I've been swimming at Crystal pool this week. This means I get 50m lengths instead of 25m… and I love it. I feel slow as molasses in the pool and the chlorine makes me sound like I have the worst snotty nosed cold for a few hours post-swim, but there is just something about long course laps that is really appealing. I’m thinking that even when JdF re-opens, I might need to keep Crystal in my rotation.

7) Growing up, we always drove around and did a Christmas light tour, usually on Christmas eve after dinner at Grandma’s. For the past couple years, I've been thinking it would be fun to do a similar sort of thing, but instead of driving, maybe strapping on the running shoes with some friends and taking in all the festive sights on foot. After reading Kyla’s blog the other day about her run club Christmas pub crawl, it made me think about the Christmas light run tour once again… perhaps this will be the year to make it happen.

So, who’s in?

8) Dad and I submitted our application for Amazing Race Canada last night. Cross your fingers for us.

And that my friends, is all I've got. 

Merry Christmas to all... and to all a good night!

Or should I say, a very Murray Christmas to you!

The Great Shoe Discovery of 2013

For years I have run in the Nike Pegasus. While not the lightest or fastest shoe, it always just seemed to be the most comfortable for me and it seemed to work. Every now and again, I’d go into Frontrunners and try on a whole bunch of different shoes, thinking I should switch things up, before finally settling back on the Pegs.

This past summer as I got into trail running, I switched to the Saucony Xodus. While Nike offers a Pegasus Trail, they really didn't seem that much different than the road version and I wanted/needed something with a bit more aggressive tread.

I quickly fell in love with my new Sauconys. They carried me through countless training runs and finally, 6 long days of running in Colorado.

As winter began to descend on Victoria and I once again started hitting the roads a little more than the trails, I realized I didn't actually have any road shoes anymore. I had about 3 pairs of trail shoes that were still functional (for the trails) but was finding them to be a bit stiff and slick on the wet sidewalks.

So, I headed back to Frontrunners and started the same song and dance of trying on countless different brands and types of shoes, before once again, finally settling back on the Pegasus.

In my short little run around the store they felt the best. Not 100% great, but I figured that was just because I had gotten used to a different shoe over the summer and needed to readjust. They would do (or so I thought). 

At this point, I should give a little background…

I've had an issue in the past with my ankle (I think I've mentioned it on the ol’ blog before) where my talus kinda slips out of place and locks up. It hurts. A lot. I've always just assumed it was because my ankle was loose from spraining it countless times as a teenager and I needed to work on strengthening it (and no physio or massage could ever really offer a better explanation). So I just got really good at dealing with the discomfort and popping it back into place after a run (or going to a professional to have them do the popping when I couldn't).

This summer, it seemed to get better and I rarely had any issues [Stage 5 of TRR on that damn ‘V’ shaped uneven trail on Vail mountain was the huge exception – it still hurts me to even think about that one, haha]. I couldn't explain the sudden lack of ankle lockage, and just assumed it was because of the amount of time I was spending on the trails and not on the road. In my mind I thought all the downhill pounding on the trails was giving the “popping back in” adjustment as I ran.

It never occurred to me that it could have been because I switched up my shoes.

So, with my new Pegasus in hand (or shall I say, on foot) I headed out for a couple short, easy runs. Both times I returned home in a significant amount of pain. My ankle was back to its old ways – as in, completely locked out by the end.

Finally it clicked and I started to see that maybe, just maybe, there was a connection. Maybe my shoe choice was affecting my feet?! Go figure eh.

And so, I started researching the differences between the Pegasus and the Xodus.

Aside from the obvious differences (I mean, ones a trail shoe and ones a road shoe after all), the main difference I could see was the heel to toe drop. The Pegasus has a heel height of 32mm and a forefoot at 19mm. So we’re looking at a 13mm difference. The Xodus has a heel of 26mm and forefoot at 22mm. Aka. a 4mm offset.

While I don’t know 100% if that is the reason why my ankle has decided it isn't going to play nice in the Pegasus anymore, I think it very well could be. It kind of amazes me that 9mm could cause such a huge amount of pain and discomfort. 9mm people!

So, I once again headed back to Frontrunners, armed with my new knowledge (ideas?) about heel to toe offset and a plan to try out some shoes that fell closer to that 4mm drop.

I finally settled on the Saucony Kinvara.

I've completed quite a few runs in them in the last couple weeks, and *knock on wood* ~ so far, so good!

While they aren't super cushy, and my forefoot was a bit sore/numb after my first outing in them, they have gradually gotten more and more comfortable (and they look damn good to boot). Oh, and the best part of all, my ankle has remained in the non-locked position!

Anyway, I found it interesting that something so small could have such a large impact.

Who knew that changing my shoes could be such a good reminder that as I change and grow as an athlete, sometimes my equipment and ideas of what works and what doesn't, have to change and grow as well.

The Internet Read my Mind (kinda).

I wrote this to myself not long after TransRockies. It sits in a spot in my 'draft' folder that means I see it every so often, but not every day…

"I have come to the realization over the last season or two that I put very high expectations on myself and then tend to not live up to those expectations on race day. When I don’t live up to those expectations during the race, I get a bit down. Negative even. Next season I’m going to try and turn over a new leaf and choose to be happy and positive on each race, no matter how the day plays out. No matter how much it hurts."

Anyway, I’m not entirely sure why, but that little thought has been on my mind a lot lately. In fact, Shane and I chatted about it quite a bit over the weekend while we were out running and biking. We talked about the fact that as a teenager I was soooo competitive ~ with myself, with others. I straight up just wanted to win. All.the.time. Now, I like training more than I like racing and in general, I think I’m a pretty non-aggressive person.

So yeah, somewhere along the way it seems I lost a bit of that competitive edge. Sure, I still like to challenge myself, and push myself and see what I’m capable of, but I feel like sometimes I lack the killer instinct or stubbornness to meet my lofty expectations. I think this often translates to me giving into the negative thoughts on race day.

Anyway, eerily enough, I came across two different posts/articles recently that I could really relate to. At times in each article, it was like the writers were in my head, articulating my thoughts and feelings better than I could ever articulate them myself.

The first one is here.

This line “Things I would never even think to say to another human being, much less one in pain, became perfectly acceptable to say to myself. Horrible, vile things blared between my ears with every step…” was eye opening.

Many of the things the writer was saying to herself were the same things that were running through my head during the marathon of IMC 2012. I felt like such a failure that day. I felt like I was letting down all of my friends and family who had come to watch by making them wait so long. It seems laughable now, but really, I felt like such a loser. The perspective the writer gave it, noting the fact that you would never say this to a friend (or a stranger for that matter), kind of hit the point home. I am realizing more and more that when the going gets tough, I tend to talk a bit negatively to myself. Obviously, this is something I need to work on.

The second post is here.

I can’t pinpoint one line that sticks with me quite as much as the previous entry, but I can definitely relate. I love training. Hell, I’ve said it many times before – I prefer training to racing. And, much like the writer of the above post, over the years I’ve come to realize that time trials or timed sets scare me. When I notice them in the calendar, feelings of nervous dread hang over me until I finally get the sucker over with.

I used to just tell myself the feeling of fear was “because it meant something to me.”  Which I do think is partly true. Of course, I want to see the improvements and gains that all my training has led to, but I also think it is a fear of [my own perceived] failure perhaps? Fear of a plateau, fear of not improving.

So, does this all relate back to my lack of killer instinct on race day? I dunno. Maybe.

What I do know is that I think it’s good that I’m becoming more aware of this and hopefully, as I get deeper into the training season, I’ll be able to acknowledge when/if I’m being hard on myself and when I just need to suck it up and dig deep. In turn, maybe I’ll find a little bit of that killer instinct that I somehow discarded a decade ago.

*crickets chirp*

Via UrbanDictionary: Used to point out or emphasize silence. (Well, not precisely silence, since chirping crickets make sound. But you get it.)

So yeah, it’s been a little quiet around the ol’ blog the last few weeks, hasn’t it?

The silence was mainly brought on by the fact that I spent the better part of last week paddling my way through the Sayward Forest Canoe Route with Kirsten, her co-worker Sutty, Tyler, and a plucky bunch of Grade 11 students from her Outdoor Ed. class.

The other reason being partly because as I get back into my regularly scheduled training regime, it is a lot of same-old-same-old. Good same-old-same-old mind you, but same-old-same-old all the same. (Haha, is that a record for the number of times the word ‘same’ has been used in a sentence??)

So, since training has been rolling along nicely (and somewhat uneventfully), let’s talk about Sayward.

Short version...
It was a pretty wicked trip.

Long version...
I’ll admit, there were moments on night one, while lying in the tent, listening to the wind and rain beat down on us (and even feeling the rain splash my face through the tent’s fly), that I questioned my decision to go on the trip. I quickly realized that while I love the outdoors and do spend my fair share of time outside doing fun things, I haven’t really done a lot of overnight backpack camping (or you know, any of it).

I definitely spent the first little while feeling a bit useless. My hands were numb, which made tying knots to hang the tarps difficult (although my general lack of know-how on knot-tying trumped the numb hands). So, I kinda stood around and held up the tarp while Kirsten and Sutty strung it up. After a number of school trips together, they’ve pretty much got things down to a science, so I suppose I shouldn’t feel too bad about my uselessness (cause they really didn’t need me anyway).

Anyhoo, needless to say, night one sucked, but by the time we started paddling again on day two, and the skies [mostly] dried up, it was all good.

Camp on night two was great. It was dry. We had a good fire. The maturity level of 16 year old boys is pretty much the same as the maturity level of the women in my office (whom I think are hilarious), so some laughs were definitely had, and for the most part I felt pretty comfortable and relaxed. The previous night's deluge was a distant memory.

Side Note: Night two introduced me to what I'm pretty sure is the best name ever for an intramural sports team. Alpa-Kenny-Buddy. Say that one fast. Now imagine it being said over your high school loudspeaker announcements. Classic.

For the first two and a half days I spent most of the time paddling at the front of the boat (and essentially being the muscle), but after a few partner changes, I got to try my hand at steering toward the end of the trip as well, and… I didn’t completely suck at it. Woo!

Camp on night three was an absolutely gorgeous setting, and when the rain started to fall overnight, knowing that the following day was our last one on the water, and that warm showers and cozy beds were waiting for us at home once we crossed the final lake, it didn’t even matter.

The final day of paddling wasn’t the fastest for me and my partner, but the lake was so calm and peaceful that I didn’t mind spending a little extra time out there. The clouds hung ‘just so’ over the forest lining the shore and the movement of the paddles was pretty much the only sound around us (aside from the air horn one of the kids smuggled on the trip that is, haha).

So, while night one may have had me questioning my sanity, it turned out to be a really great trip. All the kids were super fun and well behaved and Kirsten and Sutty took care of me and introduced me to a new world of paddling, portaging and camping.


p.s. I did not take my camera, as I don’t have a waterproof one, but once Kirsten posts some photos on Facebook I’ll poach a few and add them.