Lazy weekend

I must confess - this weekend, I did absolutely zero running (plus I broke into the Halloween candy...). I did, however, do a very refreshing 4km run on Friday afternoon. It was quite cold but since I was only out there a short time, I wasn't freezing by the time I got home.
Saturday was jam-packed from the time I woke up (at, ahem, 9:30am) until I went to bed around 2am. I spent the entire morning cleaning and unfortunately, our vacuum broke. As in, I lifted it up to start using it and a piece fell off the bottom. After trying to fix it, I ended up sending Chris out to get a new one. He came home with this alien-looking machine. It's impossible to describe so here's a picture:

It works really well though and it has a cool attachment for doing the stairs too. I managed to get the house presentable by the time my friend came over in the afternoon. We hung out and chatted for a couple hours before the start of the ND game. We only got to watch the first half before we had to go, but things were looking good.
Saturday night we went to Chris' boss' retirement party at a local hotel. It was 6 hours long! We arrived at 6, cocktails til 7, then we spent the next 5 hours at the dinner table. We got our first course at 8, 2nd at 9, 3rd 10 and dessert at 11. It was a little boring for me, since I really didn't know anybody and almost all the conversations were in French and about planes and flying. The food wasn't even that good. Aside from being really long, it was an okay evening and I really enjoyed hearing the honouree's stories from his career. Unfortunately, we didn't get out of there until past midnight so it was quite late by the time we got home and into bed. As a result, today ended up being a lazy Sunday.

It's freezing!!!

Despite the cold weather, I've managed to get in some good workouts this week.
Tuesday - rest day. My legs were still really sore from Sunday's speed workout, plus I was feeling really exhausted so I decided to make it a complete rest day. I even skipped spinning.
Wednesday - 5km night run. I purposely went at night to check on the status of Operation: Streetlight. I'm pleased to see that the city has come and replaced all 17 burnt-out streetlight bulbs in the PMQs. I'm actually quite impressed with how quickly they responded to the complaint. Because I was running at night, it was extra-cold out and unfortunately I was under-dressed, but that gave me the extra motivation to run faster (10 seconds faster than my target pace).
Thursday - 9km tempo run (2km warm-up, 6km @6:26, 1km cool-down). Again, freezing!!! I was a little better dressed this time (long-sleeved shirt under my jacket instead of a short-sleeved one), but my hands got so cold even with my gloves on. I think it's time to bust out the mittens. However, I did manage to get my target pace exactly without killing myself, so despite the cold it was a good run.

Monday...

Nothing to exciting to report - just a long, long day. The weather was beautiful after my class on the base so I went for an 8km run before my evening class. My calves were sore today from my speed workout yesterday, so I was looking forward to the opportunity to run easy and loosen them up. Unfortunately, it didn't really work and they're still sore, probably because I was having difficulty running slow. My target pace was 7:05/km and these were my splits:
km1 - 6:55
km2 - 6:51
km3 - 6:49
km4 - 7:01
km5 - 7:01
km6 - 6:52
km7 - 6:48
km8 - 6:35

So, not even close to 7:05. My average pace over the whole run was 6:52/km and I just couldn't make myself slow down. I've got a short run planned for tomorrow, so I'll try to take it easy then.

On an unrelated note, I'm making Indian food for dinner tonight! Chicken madras with basmati rice and man, does it smell good!

Busy week, busy weekend

So I managed to survive my Thursday and Friday with minimal pain and suffering. Because of the fatigue accumulated throughout the week, I didn't do any runs on those days (the gloomy, cold, rainy weather didn't help my motivation either). Friday night, Chris was at an away game in Quebec City with his football team, so I had the house to myself! How did I spend my evening alone? It was pretty lame, actually. Dishes, laundry, vacuuming, cheesy chick flick (it was god-awful) and cookies.
Even though it was supposed to rain all day Saturday, I managed to squeeze in a run between showers. I did an easy 8km with a 7:05/km target pace. I managed to get all my splits in under 7:05 and it was a great run! After such a hectic week, it was so nice to have an hour to myself - it was so relaxing. I never thought I would say this, but I'm actually enjoying running in the cool weather. In the evening, I went to a friend's house for a potluck and probably ate back all the calories I burned off during my run, but it was fun so I don't care.
Sunday morning at 6:15am, I had the privilege of driving Chris to meet the bus for his other away game this weekend. Yay....not. I came home and went straight back to bed. When I finally got up, I spent a few hours lesson planning and writing tests for three of my classes this week. Creating tests takes so long....
In the afternoon, I went for my speed run, 3x1600@9:13. After a 2km warm-up, I did the 3 intervals at 8:56, 9:03 and 9:07, with 800m recovery after each. I normally don't enjoy doing long intervals, but today wasn't too bad. The temperature was around 5*C (41*F) and I'm glad I invested in some winter gear to make it more comfortable.
Tonight, Chris and I took the dogs for a walk so I could write down the locations of all the burnt-out street lights. In total, we found 17 lights that were out and considering the PMQs only have about 4km of roads, that's a pretty ridiculous ratio. We're going to send the list to the city tomorrow, so hopefully they'll get changed soon - it'll make my night runs a little less treacherous.

It's only Wednesday???

My goodness, how long will this week go on for? And you're telling me there are still 2 days left???
Despite constantly running from one thing to the next, I have managed to squeeze in a real run every day so far this week. Monday was a nice relaxing 8km run, even though it was a bit cold. I averaged a pace that was 4 seconds faster than my target, so that was a nice bonus. In the evening, I discovered that my dog Kona, who loves to carry around shoes, had relocated my left shoe (always the left one) upstairs. Not only that, but she untied the shoelaces, which are usually kept in a double knot. How and why she did this, I'll never know.
On Tuesday, one of my afternoon phone classes was cancelled so I managed to squeeze in a 5km run over lunch. Unfortunately, it was really cold and rainy, so it was not my most enjoyable run and I spent the rest of the afternoon freezing! Tuesday evening was my usual spin class and as always, it was a great class. I managed to do the middle-of-the-class 90sec wall-sit without blinking, which is a serious improvement for me. Unfortunately, I had to race home after the class because I had to teach a course myself 45 minutes later. The spinning class finished at 8:15 in Chicoutimi, I drove home, showered and made it to La Baie for 9:00. Quite impressive, even if teaching until 10:00pm is not exactly my cup of tea.
Today at work, I had a surprise visit from my boss (she works in Quebec City, 2 hours away). It wasn't a formal teaching evaluation but it always makes me a bit nervous when my supervisor sits in on my classes. I really had no reason to stress about it but I can't help it. Anyways, it turned out to be a nice visit and we chatted over lunch. She also offered some interesting ideas during class discussions and my students were their fantastic selves.
After work, I was planning to take a nap but as usual, that never seems to happen. I did my 4km run immediately after I got home; unfortunately, it was not very enjoyable due to stomach issues and the fact that I hadn't dressed warmly enough. I had a few work tasks to get done and before I knew it, it was time to go to the movie with my English class. With the courses at the community centre, we're allowed to take our groups to the English theatre on base once per session. This week, the movie playing was Colombiana and that's the one they chose to go see. For me, the movie was only so-so; Chris, however, loved it - from a guy's perspective, what more could you want than a sexy lady, guns and explosions?

Busy Week

Despite being a short week because of Monday's holiday, this week seemed to go on forever! I was on the go from 6:30 every morning until past midnight every night. I started teaching two new civilian classes on the base, one on Thursday afternoons (intermediate level) and the other Friday mornings (absolute beginners), which means my week is now booked solid - I have something every single weekday morning, afternoon and evening. No wonder I'm exhausted by the end!

Here's a run-down of this week's workouts:
Monday - easy 3km
Tuesday - spinning at the CEGEP (This week's class was really hard! I don't know if it was because I was tired from the long weekend or because he made us do a wall-sit in the middle of the class, but I was hurting by the end.)
Wednesday - easy 4km
Thursday - 9km with 6km tempo (Throughout the tempo portion of the run, I was really struggling to keep my target pace, especially because of the wind and cold. But when I got home and uploaded my run, it turns out I actually hit the pace exactly - 6:27/km.)
Friday - rest
Saturday - easy 8km (Even though it looked gloomy outside, the weather was perfect for a run!)

Last night (Saturday) at the officer's mess on base, they had an Autumn Ball. Chris had two dates for the evening, me and my friend M. It was a black-tie affair, so we got all dressed up in our fancy dresses and M did my hair for me. The dinner was a 5 course meal - salad, soup, entrée, dessert, port/cheese. The food was really good (even though it was mess food) and they had a singer and pianist there for entertainment. Afterwards, the local regimental band was there but we decided to go home because they weren't really playing "dancing music". All in all, it was a fun way to spend a Saturday night!

Back in Canada

After a whirlwind weekend, we are back in the Saguenay. We spent last night in Montreal, got back around 3 this afternoon and went straight to get our puppies. As much as they love going to the "pet hotel", they are always super excited to go home.
The trip itself was fantastic. The weather could not have been better, sunny with temperatures in the mid-20s C. I wore shorts and a T-shirt and I was actually hot. I didn't dare complain, though, considering there was frost on the windshield Thursday morning. The game was Saturday afternoon and Notre Dame rolled over Air Force, with a final score of 59-33. It was an enjoyable game to watch since there was never any real question that we would win. Thank goodness for that because if we had lost, it would have been a long 20 hours home with Chris sulking the whole way. Aside from getting lost in Benton Harbour (again - same spot as last year), everything went according to plan. However, I will say one thing: boys are disgusting. I shared a hotel room with Chris, his brother T and his cousin CB, and oh man - I'm glad I never roomed with any guys. Everything stank and the fart/poop talk abounded. I'll leave it at that, but man was it gross!
Tonight I went for a quick 3km run around the neighbourhood. Last week, I mentioned to the base that there were many burnt out streetlights, but they told me I would have to report them to the city instead. While I was running, I counted exactly how many weren't working; 12 were completely out and 3 were sometimes on, sometimes off. I'll have to write down their specific locations at another time, but 12 in 3km is a little ridiculous. There's one section where there are 3 out in a row and when it's dark in the PMQs, it's really dark. I always have to be extremely careful with my footing. It was an enjoyable run and it felt great after not running for a few days. Even though it was nice to eat in restaurants and whatnot during our trip, I feel really gross now. That'll definitely help me get back in the swing of things this coming week.

Indiana

Just a quick update. We arrived in Michigan last night at 3am. The drive was relatively uneventful, except for some construction around London that delayed us about a half hour. We were up and on the road by 11am today and we spent the day on the Notre Dame campus. As always, we paid a visit to the bookstore to expand our collection of ND merchandise. We got a bunch of cheap T-shirts, a decal for the car and Chris bought a pair of pants.
In the evening, we went to the pep rally. Honestly, I was a little bit disappointed - it was really lame and it lacked energy. I miss the old leprechaun - the new guy just doesn't have the same charisma. After we got back to the hotel, we went out to dinner at Applebee's. I've been to the States several times, but every time the portion sizes amaze me. For $20, Chris and I got an appetizer to share plus an entrée each. I barely touched my pasta because I was so stuffed from the app!
Tomorrow, we'll spend the day on the ND campus again, tailgating until kick-off at 3:30. Let's hope the game goes well!

Blah week

Workout wise, this past week has been awful. On Monday, I got in a quick 4km before I had to teach in the evening. Since then, though, I have been really tired and feeling like crap. Both my stomach and my back are acting up, so the motivation to run definitely wasn't there. I didn't even go to spinning on Tuesday, which as you know is the highlight of my week. I've basically written this week off and I'll start fresh come Monday. 

This weekend, we're off to South Bend, Indiana to see a college football game. We leave tomorrow morning to embark on 20 (yes, 20) hours of driving. By this time tomorrow, we should be in the United States. I expect this weekend will be jam-packed so I doubt I'll have any time to run (another factor contributing to my writing off this week). I'll probably get in a lot of walking around the university campus so at least that's better than nothing.

On a more positive note, we got an iPhone this week! Chris and I share a cell and we had had our old one forever (and it was 3rd hand by the time it got to us). Finally, after getting frustrated with the old phone's inability to text (among other things), Chris decided it was time to get new one. I sent him to the store by himself because I knew I would be the perfect victim for a salesperson as he showed me all the cool things the phones can do. In the end, he came home with an iPhone and we've been playing with it ever since. It's so cool! I can't believe all the things this little phone can do. I was able to upload my Outlook calendar and have my emails sent to the phone, plus we can use the Google Earth app as a GPS and we can listen to all our music in the car - the list goes on and on. I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon enough, but for the time being, it's so much fun!

Chilly 13km run

I went for a 13km run this afternoon. I tried to go when the temperature would be at its peak because we are in the middle of a sudden cold snap (at least I'm hoping it's temporary). When I left the temperature was at 10*C (50*F), so I wore 3/4 length crops, a T-shirt, a jacket with thumb-holes and a toque. After an hour and a half outside running, I was freezing! I definitely need to buy some gloves or mittens for my fingers. I tried really hard to stay on my target pace (7:03/km), especially at the beginning. I haven't been doing a lot of long runs lately, so I didn't want to burn out too quickly. Here are my km times:
1km - 6:55
2km - 6:58
3km - 7:05
4km - 7:05
5km - 7:03
6km - 7:04
7km - 6:59
8km - 6:54
9km - 6:59
10km - 6:57
11km - 6:52
12km - 6:54
13km - 6:37
Average: 6:57
As you can see, my times got a fair bit faster towards the end (especially the last one). I was so cold that I wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
On another note, I don't know what the technical term for this condition is, but I call it "burny-lung" and it's my main obstacle to running outside in the winter. According to my definition, it's a burning sensation in the back of the throat and into the lungs, usually resulting from running in cold temperatures. This sensation may persist for several hours after the actual run is over and is often accompanied by unexplained coughing fits. Any thoughts?

Brrrr!!! (+ rant)

The weather here has taken a sudden turn for the cold. Most of the day, the temperature has been hovering around 6*C (~43*F for American folks) and they're expecting it to drop below 0*C (32*F) overnight. I did a quick 3km around the PMQs this afternoon. I tried to keep to the suggested pace (7:03/km) but it was difficult because of the cold; I kept running faster, both to warm up and to get the run over with quicker. I was definitely glad I wore a sweater and not a short-sleeved shirt because it was chilly. Thankfully, I didn't experience any burning-lung, as I often do when I run in the cold. I imagine by the time January rolls around, 6* will feel like summer and I'll be out there in shorts.
The next few weekends are looking promising. Next weekend, we're off to South Bend, Indiana to watch the Notre Dame Fighting Irish take on the U.S. Air Force Academy (college football, in case you're wondering). The weekend after that, we have the Winter Ball at the Officer's Mess on base (aka getting dressed up and eating fancy food - there'll even be a 22-piece orchestra!). After that, I have the year-end dinner for my bike club. October is shaping up to be a good month.
On a random note, Mika has started doing something funny. Sometimes, when she is playing with Kona, Kona will decide she's had enough and walk away. However, Mika decides that she's not done and she'll bite Kona's tail and won't let her get away. It's hard to describe but it's really funny!
On another unrelated note, I am peeved with Glee at the moment. They have introduced a new character who claims she has Asperger's and uses it as an excuse for her inappropriate comments. For those of you who may not know, Asperger's is a complex social disorder that's actually a form of Autism. My brother has this condition so I'm well aware of how it affects his everyday life. One of the symptoms is an inability to pick up on social cues (ie. body language, tone of voice) and they're often not able to see the potential effects their words and actions might have on someone. If you don't know that someone has this condition, they often come across as a jerk. Anyways, this character will say something offensive, then immediately apologize by saying "oops, Asperger's". My beef with this is that someone who truly has Asperger's would not be aware that their comment is offensive. By apologizing, this character acknowledges her comment was inappropriate and therefore it's not Asperger's. For all the effort that Glee puts in to preaching about bullying and the fair treatment of gay people and handicapped people, for them to turn around and mock a legitimate mental illness - it's unacceptable in my books. Mental illness is never a joke.