Annual Cox & Palmer 5k/10k

Last Saturday morning we had the privilege to run another 5k with Flo.  After the Sole Sisters run she told us about the 5k run her law firm, Cox & Palmer, puts on every year to raise money for prostate cancer and how she wanted us to come over and run it with her.  It didn't take much to convince us.  A weekend in PEI (albeit short), another chance to see Flo, and a nice Saturday morning run.   Sold!

We arrived on the island around 8pm on Friday night and checked into our hotel and then had about an hour visit with Flo. 

Woke up bright and early on Saturday morning to a beautiful sunny and hot morning.  We stayed at the Hotel on Pownal (which seems to be our race hotel of choice as it's so convenient and has a FREE breakfast (not to mention coffee all day and FREE homemade cookies from 3pm to midnight).  Registration for the race was at 8 a.m. so Flo registered us and we met at the park.  This race started at 9 a.m. so as the hour dragged on it got hotter and hotter.  But that's ok because we were running through Victoria Park by the water.  It's always breezy there right?  WRONG!  Not today.  Not a breath of air.  

When the gun when off we started off quick and Twin 2 set a new record for her fastest 1k at 6.53/km....shouldn't have done that.  By km #2 she felt it and the heat/humidity didn't help.  Twin 2 and Flo ran together throughout the race but Twin 1 was a little ahead of us and she made a new friend.  A 65 year old man who just started running and is training for his first 1/2 marathon.  In. Spiring.  He wasn't actually running in this race but was following the same route along the water.  Him and Twin 1 chatted and ran together for about 1.5k and then she lost him at the water station.  She was well ahead of us and we saw her when she was on her way back after the turn around spot.  Instead of waiting for us she just continued on and finished the race ahead of us.  She was there to meet us across the finish line with a cold drink in hand.

And instead of a medal after the race we were given a mug instead.  While a medal is nice, who doesn't need a new mug?

After the run we hung around the park for a bit waiting to see when prizes would be drawn.  They told us around 10:30 a.m.  It was around 10:00 a.m. at that time so our hotel was only 3 blocks away so we went back and gathered up our belongings and walked out the front door. We arrived back at the park around 10:20 a.m. and all the prizes were being drawn at that time.  We didn't win any of the prizes that were still being drawn for and we hoped that our name was still in that bin and we didn't miss winning (if they drew your name and you weren't there they drew another).

After the rest of the prices were drawn we took advantage of the nice weather and took a stroll around the waterfront and a stop at Starbucks for a treat of course.

After our treat and walk around downtown we ventured over to Flo's to see the kiddies and to have a little fun on the trampoline.

We left the Pilons between 1pm and 2pm and headed home.  The only reason we headed home was because we had a long run scheduled for Sunday morning.  We knew for a fact that if we had of stayed in PEI for another night we would not have woken up Sunday morning and went for our run.  So we played it safe and headed back home Saturday night.

After we got home Twin 2 uploaded her Garmin and checked out her race route....

We know it was hot but she doesn't remember running through the harbour, although it would have been a good idea....

We want to end this post with a shout out to Callie Jo.  One year ago yesterday in the early hours of the morning she came into this world two months premature and Twin 2 had the honour of being by her mother's side and witnessing the birth of the little bundle.  She was born at 3lbs 7oz.  A year later she is a force to be reckoned with.  Love you Babe!

Tip Tuesday

Deck yourself out in running gear.  Looking good out there can really give you a mental boost, which is going to make the effort seem easier.  So buy a great-looking, color-coordinated running outfit that you enjoy wearing.

Shopping you say?  Yes, please.

60 days until go time!

An Update in Pictures

We have not updated for a week or two so today we are going to update in pictures:

This week was birthday week.  Twin 1 and Twin 2 split the German Chocolate Cake (fav) and each ate half.

Time for new sneaks.  Twin 2 found a pair in her size (on sale) but Twin 1 had no luck.  We called all over the province for this particular kind and in her size.  We're keeping our eyes open and hope new stock comes in.

We had 2 long runs since we last updated.  First was was 13k and last week was 14k.  We needed to try some fuel so we bought a pack of Fruit Smoothie flavoured Honey Stingers....just like gummies/jube jubes.  Last year we tried sport beans but these are a bit better as the sport beans seems to be more sugarey and you need to drink water with those.  These ones are very easy to chew and don't require water.

And this was fuel for after the 14k.  Can't go wrong with snickers and a coffee.  Hungry?  Grab a snickers.

Found this gem at the Country Market.  The Cinnamon Monster.  Recommend it.

Tuesday we started hill training.  We did 4 repeats of this hill....we picked the biggest/steepest one in Timberlea.

At the top.  As you can see we didn't have much of a view.  It does overlook the lake and the new golf course but that night was misty/foggy which made the run not as fun as we had no view to look forward to at the top.   It does make a difference.

On the way back down.

Tonight we are headed to PEI to run another 5k race with Flo tomorrow.  Updates from that will follow in due course.

Tip Tuesday

Are you drinking enough water?  To check, go to the bathroom.  If your urine looks dark, like iced tea, you're definitely not drinking enough.  Pale yellow is ideal.

(We promise to update this week)

Tip Tuesday

To replace salt and other electrolytes lost through sweat, eat a snack such as baked pita chips dipped in almond butter after a run.


You had us at eat.

Bacon, Skunk & Poo

This past Sunday was our long run of 11k.  This is the second 11k that we’ve done.  From here on out our long runs are all over 10k as we only have less than 3 months of training left.

This past weekend was a hot one so on Sunday morning we wanted to get our run done bright and early before the heat set in.  Once again our 11k route went from Twin 2’s house to Twin 1’s.  This route consists of road/trail/road.  As we set out at 7 a.m. all’s we could smell in the neighbourhood was bacon.  We only had to endure this smell for about the first 2k then we were in the trail and had to deal with the smell of skunk.  We never think of meeting skunks while in the trail, just bears and coyotes but we think getting sprayed by a skunk would be worse than being chased by a coyote or bear (yes we do).

So we’ve been reading different running blogs and the topic of pooping on the run has come up.  This is always a fear of ours and yes people it’s real.  Twin 2 had an episode about 2 years ago while just running a 5k route when she only made it to 2.5k and had to stop into Tim Horton’s (we always make sure there is a bathroom stop on our routes ‘just in case’).  Twin 2 has never had any problems since that one time but as we are starting to run further distances and it’s getting warmer it is becoming a fear.  However, with proper hydration/fueling/pooping before our run it should not be a problem (fingers crossed).    

On our run on Sunday after about 6k Twin 1 was contemplating on whether or not she needed a bathroom break.  As we were nearing the trail exit to Tim’s Twin 2 told her that if she’s humming and hawing about it it’s better to stop than keep going as we had 5k more to go and we didn’t want disaster striking.  Here’s a tip: If you think you need the bathroom and are near one STOP and use it b/c you never know when the need will strike again and you may have no choice on where to go (bushes, if you are lucky).

After our stop we continued on and we met more people in the trail than what we thought we would so early in the morning.  But like us, everyone was out to beat the heat.  All in all it was a good run and even with the pit stop we were about 1.5 min faster than our last 11k.

Before pic.  Bright eyed and bushy tailed.

 Our beacon of relief.

 After pic.  Check out our new running outfits.  You know you're a runner when you go 

shopping for running clothes now as opposed to work/casual clothes.

Monday was our rest day.  We had no work on Tuesday due to it being Canada Day so on Monday night after work the Mexican Four got together and played a round of golf.  While it was a sweltering day that day after 6 p.m. it was a beautiful night to golf.  Not too hot, not cold.

As stated above, Tuesday was Canada Day and we had a 6k tempo run scheduled and as it was due to be another hot one we decided to wake up early again and hit the road at 7 a.m.  Between 6 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. the rain started and it continued to be a torrential downpour for a ½ hour straight.  We thought thunder was coming but then all of a sudden it ended right before we were scheduled to run.  We dodged that bullet once again.

The rest of Canada Day consisted of treats and plants and relaxation. 

 Fuel for our potting of the plants.  They up sold us on the WARMED ginger molasses cookie.

Tip Tuesday

Nothing builds running strength better than hills.  Running inclines forces your muscles to work harder with each step; as you grow stronger, your stride becomes more efficient and your overall speed improves.

The Hiatus Is Over

It’s been a week or more since we last updated the blog.  We took a hiatus for a week as Twin 2 took a road trip to see BSB and Twin 1 took a road trip to NH (that’s New Harbour, not New Hampshire).

 It's been a week and I still can't sleep! I'm even more obsessed.  Never thought that possible. 

We started off this week with our Long Run, 10k.  It was the hottest longest 10k we have had to date.  Summer is here.  We weren’t worried about time as we just had a week off and it was very HOT.  We ran at Twin 1’s place and went out 5k and back 5k.  We went out at 6pm after work.  This was our usual Sunday Long Run but as we were both travelling on Sunday we moved our running schedule around from Sunday/Tuesday/Thursday to Monday/Wednesday/Friday this week.  We are glad we did because today is Thursday and as this is being written it is pouring out.  The weird part that night was that as two cars drove by us the passengers were hanging out the window yelling in bullhorns encouraging us.  Is this a new trend?  Do we need to get a bullhorn?

 

We thought we would have to run in the rain last night but it sprinkled as Twin 1 was driving to Twin 2’s but stopped when we stepped outside. Last night was our 6k tempo run.  This did not go as planned because #1 – we still aren't experts in the execution of a tempo run, and #2 it was so humid last night that we just ran the 6k without doing tempo.  Our tempo was more like a slow love ballad as opposed to an upbeat dance mix.  We were also getting irritated with each other and starting to argue while running (the only downfall of running with family).  We chalked this up to humidity / hunger / sleep deprivation.  The highlight of the run was wearing our new workout gear that Twin 2 treated us to while getting cheap deals in the good ol’ U.S of A.

 Twin 2 has her 'hunter' orange on for the trail. 

When we got back to Twin 2’s we mapped our run to make sure we did 6k as our watches keep going out of sync.  One always reaches a km before the other and we aren’t sure why this happens.  They are the same watches but different colour and Twin 1’s was $10 cheaper so that might be it.  Ya get what ya pay for.  Still the best purchases ever. 

 

The Running Tip a Day Calendar had this to say (too bad we didn’t read it before we went because of the humidity):

  

Before going for a hot run, have a slushy made with crushed ice and your favourite sports drink.  To keep drinks chilled while you run, fill a bottle halfway, freeze it, and top it off with fluid before starting.

We also reviewed our schedule for the next few months and realised we only have 12 weeks to go before Ottawa.  YIKES!

The schedule showed a few more tempo runs and then onto hill training once a week for two months.  Our week night runs are longer as well.  Are we ready???  We have to be.  We have a schedule and we have to stick to it (for realizies this time).  Its crunch time….figuratively and literally. We have to keep up on our cross training schedule as well because every bit counts.  We made a bet with each other that the Twin who doesn’t do her “workout” scheduled each day has to pay the other $5 for every day she misses.    It is pouring out and it’s a go home, get in jammies kinda day…Tonight will be the test. 

Also Twin 1 has made a bet with her husband since last Thursday that she has to stop gorging on junk/chocolate and has to pay him $5 per day when she eats the forbidden fruit and $1 per day she does not do her daily workout.  She is now poor and realises that she should have made the junk/chocolate bet AFTER her trip to NH where Mom loves to bake.  To date she has paid him $16 and it hasn’t even been a week yet.  As Twin 1 is writing this there are chocolate covered almonds and caramel bars in the work lunch room calling her name.  Someone is “fund raising” …..that is why she is writing to take her mind off the temptations…..it is not working yet as the only thing that is working is she does not want to fork over any more money to her husband.  We had set certain days aside as “treat” days (i.e. every birthday day in July – which is pretty much every day of the month) from now until Sept 21 but this does not mean we can gorge on all treats all day long on that particular day. It’s ONE treat! 

Yesterday should have been good but when work started Twin 1 received an email that cupcakes will be served in the afternoon for celebration of a fellow employee's 30 years of service.  You have to have a cupcake for that!! Shoot me if I’m still here in 21 more years.  So means a cupcake was devoured at work that meant chips after work before the run and coconut flavoured M&M’s brought back from the USA after the run.  Go Big or Go Home.  Today is day 1 of withdrawal and chewing a pack a day.

Moral of this post, we like to gamble.

Until Next Time….