Sun, run, fun.

Reasons I love the long run:

1. There's no pressure; the pace is nice and easy.

2. It's all about the chat.

3. I'm actually happy to get up early knowing that soon I'll be running with friends.

4. I get the run done early and the rest of the day is ahead of me.

5. As the runs get longer, the feeling of accomplishment gets larger and more satisfying.

Bring on the long runs!!

L-R: Tegan, Madison, Cristal, Haven, Sonja, Laura and Carey.

Another beautiful day in Victoria! Today was a fun run and I was so pleased we all got to get out together. We ran the same route as last week (view here) and we completed it in one hour and two minutes. Today was the first time in a while that we've run without taking timed walk breaks and it was awesome to just get out and run.


Can't wait to do it all again next week, when we'll increase our run time by fifteen minutes. Until then, see you for the workout Wednesday/Thursday!

Double the workout, double the fun..?

My oh my, I forgot how hard workouts can be! I mean, I run hills all the time with the girls in the stroller, but once I get to the top of a hill, I don't usually turn around and run them multiple times. It's tough!


This week's workout was the same as last week's: run uphill (hard effort) and back down (easy) as many times as you can in five minutes. We did this three times, with a one-minute break between reps.


Yesterday, Cristal, Christy, Laura, Brenda and I ran this workout on a slightly tougher hill than we ran last week. It was a good, hard workout in lovely weather. I could tell we all put in a solid effort; this is a very positive omen for the remainder of the clinic! It's so encouraging to be part of a group who isn't afraid to put in the work.


This evening, Carey and I ran the same (steep!) hill we ran last week, except this time I was running with my girls in the Chariot. What a difference a loaded double stroller makes! Halfway up the last climb, I asked myself why I was feeling so darned awful and in a flash of clarity I thought, "Because you ran this same workout yesterday, Einstein!" Yeah... From now on, I give myself permission to take it easy on one or both of these workouts; I believe that's called self-preservation. :)


So excited about our second long run this weekend. We'll be running one hour leaving from Frontrunners at 8am. Thinking of joining us? Come on out! You can register at anytime at Frontrunners (1200 Vancouver St.) or over the phone (250 382 8181).

First long run - check.

Well, not everyone was able to make it, but we had a fantastic run yesterday morning and although it was overcast, it was warm; great running weather.

There's nothing like heading down to Dallas Road and seeing the majestic peaks of the Olympic Peninsula poking through the low-lying clouds on the other side of the straight. Conditions were just about perfect.

Our group consisted of Christy, our new Running Mom, Laura, and me. As a bonus, we were all running solo! Yay! Here's to leaving the kids at home on Father's Day. :)

We ran ten and ones and our total run time was one hour; one hour and five minutes including walk breaks. You can view our route here. We ran, we chatted, it was wonderful and I can't wait until we run again. Thanks, ladies.

First workout - check.

Half Marathon, here we come!


The Wednesday-Morning-Workout crew consisted of Cristal, Christy, Brenda (she came with us since no one showed up for the drop-in) and me. Cristal and I had our kids, but Christy was lucky enough to be running solo. 


We ran ran a short warm up, then ran three five-minute hill intervals with a one-minute break in between reps. We ran up and down the hill as many times as we could in the five minutes; hard effort on the way up, easy jog on the way down. I picked a hill with a very easy grade, since I wanted to focus more on form and efficiency. Everyone did really well and it was a great introduction to the hard work to come over the next several weeks.


The Thursday-Evening-Workout crew consisted of our newest Running Mom, Carey, and me. Carey was running with her adorable little guy Breck, and I was solo (yay!), since the girls stayed home with their Dad. Carey is a longtime runner and has been running often with her Babe. She has also done some pretty serious hill running, so I chose a considerably tougher hill and we ran the exact same workout as was done Wednesday morning. Carey rocked it and I was more than happy to push myself without having the girls in the stroller. A great workout all around!


I'm not posting the routes for these workouts, since we literally ran up and down the same hills over and over and they would not be very exciting to view. Contact me if you'd still like to see them. 


I am so excited for this clinic. If you think you may be interested, you can still register anytime for the next three or four weeks. Just please contact me before you do so that I know you're planning to join the group. Email me at joy_sara@hotmail.com anytime. 


There is a drop-in run tomorrow morning at 10am and our first long run is Sunday morning at 8am (it will be one hour easy). Bring it on!

Drop-in runs still on for Wednesdays!

Good news, Moms! My good friend Brenda has graciously offered to fill in to lead some of the drop-in runs on Wednesdays and I am so grateful to her. This means that if you are not planning to join the Half-Marathon workouts on Wednesday morning but would still like to run, Brenda will be there to take you out for a nice leisurely run, leaving Frontrunners Victoria (1200 Vancouver Street) at 10am. 

Brenda won't be available every Wednesday, so I am on the lookout for a permanent replacement or at the very least, someone who would be willing to share the duties. I will keep you posted. :)

Stellar.

I didn't get too much sleep last night, since Haven decided to be wide awake between midnight and 4am. Argh. But on the bright side, she normally sleeps through the night pretty much every night, so I figure I'm way ahead.


When I arrived at Frontrunners for the run this morning, I was more than a little out of it, but I knew that the run would do me good. It was just Cristal and I, so I started us off doing ten and ones. After the first ten minutes, I could tell that Cristal was game for just going for it, so I turned off the interval timer and switched on the chronograph. So glad I did; we had a really great run at a pace perfect for chatting and all the kids were incredibly well behaved. It was like everything just clicked into place. 


We ran a total of 8.7km in roughly 55 minutes. You can view our route here. It was a leisurely pace by our standards, but a really good warmup for the Half-Marathon clinic; those long runs should always be a bit slower than you are used to running.


Once again, I was reminded that I can feel super crappy and a good run will make everything feel better. Ahhh. Bring on the weekend!

Lotsa Moms!

Wow, wow, wow! What a day. Arrived at Frontrunners for the last Wednesday drop-in run and lo and behold, there were four Moms; Cristal, Devon, Norma Jean and Stef (please excuse me if I've misspelled your names). Turns out I have more interest in a Wednesday morning drop-in run than I originally thought...


We had a great run on a beautiful day and thank goodness my dear friend Brenda was running with us, since she was gracious enough to stay with Devon, Norma Jean and Stef, while I did my best to keep up with quick-as-a-bunny Cristal (she really is a very fast runner!). You can see our route here. I'm not exactly sure how long we ran today, but I'm guessing it was around forty-or-so-minutes, running seven-and-ones.


So based on the interest shown today, I'm looking to keep the Wednesday drop-in runs going, provided I can find a run leader to take it on. I will keep you all posted and will let you know ASAP.


I also realized that I completely forgot to post our run from last Friday (seriously, how do I make it through life with this brain??)! It was a fun seven-and-one run with Cristal and Brenda and you can view the route here. I can't believe I forgot to post it..!


Here are some photos from today; I promise to have more on-the-run shots again very soon (again, my brain):

Haven.

Tegan.

Madison, Haven and Sonja.

Just a reminder: please let me know if you have any questions about the Half-Marthon clinic. I've had a few questions about wanting to join but being away on vacation during the summer;  it is possible to do both! :)

New Clinic Details!

Hi everyone!


Here are all the details for the upcoming Half-Marathon clinic and the Drop-In runs. You can find the same info on the Run With Us! page.




NEW!! Starts Wednesday, June 15th/Thursday, June 16th.

Running Moms Half-Marathon Clinic, hosted by Frontrunners Victoria and training for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon in October, 2011.

This clinic is open to ALL MOMS, whether you run with or without your kids and whether your kids are small or grown. Grandmothers welcome!! All paces and abilities will be accommodated.

Requirements: ability to run one hour (interval running included; example: 10 and 1's)

Workouts: (choose one) Wednesday mornings at 10am or Thursday evenings at 5.30pm. Workouts are generally 30-60 minutes, including warm up, cool down and stopping for instruction.

*Please note: You are welcome to stick to one day (Wednesday or Thursday) or run Wednesday one week and Thursday the next, but only one workout a week. 

Long Runs: Sunday mornings at 8am (I know it's early, but the runs will get long throughout the summer and it's nice to finish before it gets too hot). First long run will be around one hour.

All runs leave from Frontrunners Victoria, 1200 Vancouver St. 

Cost: $99 plus HST, payable to Frontrunners.

DROP-IN RUNS

Join us for a free drop-in run leaving from Frontrunners (1200 Vancouver St.) every Friday at 10am.

Come with or without your kids! All Moms are welcome, whether your kids are little or have already left home. All levels, paces and abilities will be accommodated. 

You can also find this info on the Frontrunners website.

Please contact me if you have any questions!

Great day!

It feels like forever since I've posted! So good to be back.


Today was a very special day, since Cristal has finally been given the green light to rejoin the group and I am so happy to run with her again. It is always such a pleasure to run with someone who is so in love with running. Now we just have to make absolutely sure that she takes it easy and gradually in the next few weeks so we don't lose her to injury yet again. To top things off, Cristal brought along both her girls, Madison and Tegan. And even better news: Madison will be home full-time starting August 4th. Yippee! Cristal has worked so hard in the last year to be able to gain full custody of Madison and I can only imagine how excited she is to have both her girls home where they belong. We are all so proud of you Cristal; no doubt you are very proud of yourself!


We ran five minute intervals today, with one minute walk breaks. Our total run time was twenty-five minutes; twenty-nine minutes including the walks. You can view our route here. 

Sonja and Madison.

Haven at the water cooler. As usual.

In other news, I'm happy to announce that we are starting a Half Marathon clinic on June 15th, leading up to the Good Life Fitness Victoria Marathon in October! Workouts are Wednesday mornings at 10am or Thursday evenings at 5.30pm (your choice), and long runs are Sunday mornings at 8am. All runs leave from Frontrunners Victoria, and all levels and run paces will be accommodated. Strollers are welcome, but not mandatory. The only requirement is that you be able to run for one hour, but it's totally cool if that hour is done running intervals (the longer the interval, the better). If you have any questions, please contact me at joy_sara@hotmail.com. 


This clinic is open to all Moms, whether your kids are wee or grown - Grandmothers are always welcome! It's a wonderful opportunity to either cross something off that list of things you've always wanted to do, or simply a great excuse to get out with a fun group to train for your next goal.