2011 into 2012

After reading everyone's year-end recap, I figured I should write one of my own. But I'm going to keep this brief. 2011 was a year of firsts: first half marathon, first time in a bike club, first year taking running seriously. I did 3 half marathons - one in the pouring rain and freezing cold, another in the remnants of Hurricane Irene, and the last one (a PR) done on a whim in brand-new shoes. I also did a 20km race, a staircase challenge and a handful of triathlons. I'm extremely pleased with my mileage on the year (666 miles), despite a couple injuries.

For 2012, I want to do the following:
- do the Hamilton Around the Bay 30k
- complete my first marathon (preferably under 5 hours)
- do the Quebec City Staircase Challenge again
- participate in the Warrior Dash in my hometown
- focus more on running and less on triathlons
- do a couple half-marathons (and ideally break 2:00)
- do a few local 5ks and 10ks (since these races don't require pre-registration, I tend to succumb to my lazy side when the alarm goes off the morning of the race - don't do it!)
- get at least 1000 miles running on the year
- keep up with my calorie-counting (only 1 counting-free day per week)
- keep active 6 days/week with running and my other cross-training options (spinning/cycling, yoga, strength-training, P90x, Kinect fitness, etc)

Happy New Year!

Awesome (freezing cold) run

I almost didn't go. Almost. But after chasing Miss Mika around the neighbourhood (after she somehow got off her leash), I realized that -23*C (-10*F) wasn't so bad. So I got my lazy butt up off the couch and went out for a leisurely 3 miles around the neighbourhood. The roads have been packed down in the last few days, so it's much easier for running (aside from a few slippery patches here and there). This is what I looked like when I came back:

 I didn't bother wearing my glasses because I knew they'd just get fogged up. My hair was a mess when I took my hat and neck gaiter off! I'm glad I got out there and as a bonus, it was entirely pain-free!

Going back to Miss Mika's escape. I tracked her down by following her foot-steps through the snow (one advantage to winter, right?). In the process, however, I managed to creep some guy out, as he was watching me (from his back window) tramp through his backyard, whistling and calling the dog's name. I waved and continued on my way. I was out there in a jacket and PJ bottoms - how much of a threat could I possibly have been?

Possibly the worst run of my life

When I looked outside this morning, I saw that we had received a good 8 inches of snow overnight. There was a big pile of snow at the end of the driveway from where the plow had gone by, but other than that, there was nothing unusual. So I decided to get in my 2 miles (which I was supposed to have done yesterday, but with all the driving I was too tired by the time we got home) before things got too cold this afternoon. I should have checked the weather before I left; if I had, I would have realized that we were under a wind warning and that maybe today would have been a good treadmill day.
But no. It was -5*C/23*F with a windchill of -13*C/8*F, which at first glance doesn't seem too bad. However, the wind was blowing at 30km/h (19mph) with gusts in excess of 41km/h (26mph) coming in from the west. It was a miserable run. The streets are poorly plowed (~4 inches on the roads) so every step I took, my foot slipped a half step backwards and my average pace was close to 12min/mile as a result. I decided to take a short cut to get home a little faster and as it turned out, the path across the field wasn't plowed. By the time I realized it, I was committed to taking it, so I pushed through into the wind and ran through the 8 inches of snow. By the time I got home, I couldn't feel my face.
I got it done though - 2.13 miles in 25:19.

We're home!

After spending the last 10 or so days in Ontario, we're finally home! As always, I wish I could have stayed longer but we had to get home to our fur-babies.
Our stay in Kingston was interesting as usual. We met up with a friend and had some Curry Original for dinner. We were feeling brave so we ordered some chicken vindaloo - big mistake! Holy crap, that stuff is spicy!!! Chris thinks it must be some national joke on tourists/foreigners. I don't mind spicy food, but it wasn't even enjoyable to eat. It felt like something to get through rather than enjoy.
Our time in Barrie was mostly consumed by Christmas preparations. We had most of our stuff done, but Chris and I spent a lot of time assisting his family in buying their gifts. I did make it to the Running Room and I got some supportive insoles for my Progrid Razors, so hopefully that'll solve the knee problems and I'll still be able to use them. In between all the shopping and running around, I did find some time to meet up with old friends and get some of my to-do list done. I made sure to stop at Chapters to buy some English books. I bought the first book in the Hunger Games trilogy; I've heard some great things about it, so I'm excited to start reading it. I also bought a Classics book, Caesars' Wives, about the women of the emperors. So far it's very interesting. Yes, I am still a Latin geek at heart.
On to the Christmas gifts....I think the highlights of my year were the Classics Club jacket I got from my high school Latin teacher (and good friend too), and a personalized gym bag from my in-laws. My husband got an XBox Kinect, so I think it's safe to say that's his favourite gift. He went to Future Shop on Boxing Day to buy games for it; he got a fitness one (for me), a football game (for him) and a shooting game (apparently for us??? - not so sure about that one). I also got a foam-roller set from Chris, plus I splurged and bought myself a new pair of running shoes at the New Balance store in town. All in all, it was a pretty good Christmas and everyone seems happy with their gifts.
So, after spending 10 days speaking English and spending time with family and friends, we had to make the depressing 12-hour (we made it in 11 today!) drive back to French land aka Quebec. Sigh.

And, on the running front, I managed to squeeze in 4 runs of 2 miles each, the last couple of which were pain-free!

It's freezing!!!

I went for a PAIN-FREE 2 mile run this afternoon. At least I think it was pain-free - it was so cold it was hard to tell. It was -14*C/6*F with a -23*C/-9*F windchill, but I went out there and got 'er done. I wasn't as cold as I thought I would be, but then again, I had on a ridiculous amount of clothing. It was a fantastic run until the last 3 seconds; I took my eyes off the road for a moment to stop my Garmin and in that time, I managed to slip on a patch of ice and I went down hard. It happened right in front of my house, so I hope the neighbours didn't see. Fortunately, I only have a bruised left knee - could be worse, right?

Good news!!!

I went to the chiropractor yesterday and I think we've solved my knee problems! He found a giant knot in my right quad and as soon as he pressed on it, my knee started hurting in the exact same way as when I'm running. He did some work on it yesterday and I went back there this morning for another appointment. Things are looking good! I'm going out for a run tomorrow afternoon to see how it goes (if it's not too cold - they're calling for -15*C/5*F with a -23*C/-10*F windchill - we'll see how brave I am tomorrow).
In other news, I'm done work for 2011!!! All my classes are either finished or on Christmas break. With the exception of my private students, I won't be back at work until Jan. 9. It's a three-week (unpaid) holiday for me. Yay!

Arms....so sore!

I went to the gym yesterday with my friend V to do an upper body workout. We did our usual weights but I wanted to add in an exercise to help me improve my pull-ups (because I can do 0 at the moment). Someone suggested I try standing on a chair, then jumping up and slowly lowering myself down. Dear god! It's waaaaayyy harder than it sounds and I'm paying for it today. It hurts even to straighten my arms! I guess that's a good sign!

Christmas shopping - (basically) done!

This weekend was extremely productive on the Christmas front. Everyone whom we could buy for, we did; there are 3 gifts that will have to wait until we get to Barrie, but otherwise we're done! And, I even wrapped everything tonight. I love wrapping! When I retire, I'm totally going to volunteer at the wrapping station at the mall.
I went out for a 2 mile run tonight. It was -7*C (19*F) with a slight wind chill and moderate snowfall; most of the roads in the PMQs had not been plowed and there was about 4-6 inches of accumulation that made running a little more challenging. I stopped to walk in a few spots where it was icy and I tried to run in the car tracks wherever possible. I ran in my regular shoes (since my Razors have been banished to the closet indefinitely) but I was surprised that my feet didn't get that wet. So far my knee is holding up fairly well but I'm not in the clear yet.
This'll be my last week of work before Christmas - as of noon on Thursday, I'll be free as a bird until January 9th!

Here comes the snow!

It's pouring snow outside! It's actually quite beautiful from an inside-don't-have-to-drive-or-shovel-it perspective. We're finally starting to get some significant accumulation; it's weird because normally by December 9th, we would have a lot of snow (measured in feet, not inches). However, I'm not complaining.
I survived my 18 hours of fasting and it only took about 2 hours to get all the tests done at the hospital. Confession: I was so hungry that I stopped at McDonald's on the way home for a burger. Disgusting, I know, but I was REALLY hungry.
When I got home, it was time for my run! (after a suitable digestion period of course) It was only a mile, so it was over before I knew it. I took it nice and easy, and everything was feeling good. Weird thing though - I was thinking so much about my knee possibly hurting that I started imagining it hurting. Does that make any sense? It didn't actually hurt (thankfully) because as soon as I forced myself to think about something else it felt fine. What do they call it, psychosomatic pain? Something like that?
Tonight, we went to a Christmas party for Chris' work. It turned out to be a lot of fun and we each won a door prize (a martini shaker set, and a nice bottle of wine with two glasses). Then the karaoke started. They opened with this local classic, La rue principale by Les colocs. Basically, it's about how opening the new mall (le centre d'achat) destroyed all the local businesses, like a bomb dropping on the main drag. And you wonder why some people call this region "Redneck Quebec"....

One more sleep...

Til I can run again! It's only 1 mile but at least it's something. I'm glad my running vacation ended up being this week - it's been so busy and chaotic that I probably would have had difficulty squeezing in runs anyways. This way, I don't have to feel guilty for not running.
I have to go in to the hospital for blood tests tomorrow afternoon (just routine stuff, nothing serious). However, this means I'm not allowed to eat from 8pm tonight until the test tomorrow. Which is going to suck because I have to teach a Level A class tomorrow morning for three hours. I hope they're not too trying on my patience.....hungry Caitlyn is not happy Caitlyn (and trust me, my husband can attest to this).
Wish me luck on my run tomorrow!

Fondue in the neighbourhood

Nothing much to report. I went to a yoga class yesterday, then did an arm/core workout at the gym tonight. I fully anticipate being sore tomorrow.
However, random piece of local news about the Fromagerie Boivin. For those of you who don't know, curd cheese (aka the squeaky cheese) is a big deal in Quebec. It's a major component of poutine, of course, but it's pretty good on its own too. There are many fromageries (cheese factories) in the region, but the Boivin one is definitely the most famous. In the shop, they have a viewing area and you can actually see the cheese being made. Sadly, it burnt to the ground this afternoon. No one was hurt thankfully, but they're looking at millions of dollars in damages and it'll be a while before they're up and running again. For those of you who read French and are interested in more details, here's a link to the story.
My favourite quote from the article:
Il est déjà évident que la production du fromage qui fait squick squick sera interrompue pour une longue période.
Translation: It is already evident that the production of the cheese that goes "squeak, squeak" will be interrupted for a long period of time. Hilarious!!! (The quote, not the event obviously.)
Only three more days til I can run again!

You're grounded!

My knee is officially grounded for 1 week. That means no running privileges for you! Til Friday!

On an unrelated note, my feet are killing me this morning after wearing high heels to the Christmas party last night. Whose idea was that again?

Trying to get back into the groove

I took two full days off to rest my knee and tonight I went out for a short test run to see how it was feeling. It's  a bit better but still not great. It's definitely not where I want it to be. I shuffled along for a little under a mile and it took me over 11 minutes, but I didn't want to push it. Hopefully a few more rest days and I can start rebuilding. While I was out, I rescued a stray dog and returned him to his seemingly unconcerned owner. 

I also went to a yoga class this afternoon. Last time I went, I was pretty sore the next day so tomorrow we'll see if this class kicked my butt as well. I had a headache throughout the class so I didn't enjoy it as much as usual, but that's no reflection on the class. 

Tomorrow, I only work in the morning so I can use the afternoon to get some errands done - deposit my paycheque, pick up the replacement power cord for my laptop from Purolator, some other things I know I'm forgetting. In the evening, we have a wine and cheese at the officer's mess then Saturday night will be my work's Christmas party. It should be a fun weekend!