PT Diaries

My personal trainer deWolf has been preparing physically and mentally for the Subaru Ironman for the last twelve months. I was at the race last year to support my friend Mike who finished his third IronMan. This test of endurance has to be one of the most challenging events know to man, so I wasn’t about to miss seeing deWolf compete.

Once again, Alicia and I packed up my truck and drove out to Penticton. As we cruised down the highway, traffic suddenly came to a dead stop. There we were, in the middle of nowhere, sitting without music (my cd player’s been jammed forever) waiting for a wave from the traffic attendant. “I’d really like some tunes!” I whined pressing the button in frustration. Then just like that, my wish was my command: Chris Martin’s voice came out of the speakers. “Oh my god! I can’t believe its working! That’s crazy!?” Alicia squealed with excitement.

Every year all the hotels in Penticton sell out for this epic athletic event so I was forced to make unconventional arrangements. I’d found an ad online for a rental accommodation and I’d been corresponding with a lady by the name of Shannon. When we arrived at the address she’d provided me, Alicia I sat in the truck for a moment and stared blankly at the house. The front yard looked unmaintained and we both sensed something eerie. We stood at the front door with much apprehension; I rang the doorbell. The door swung open and an unusual looking blond man stood in front of us barefoot.  “Hi PT Girl! Come on in. I’m Charles.” He motioned to us to follow him down a hallway and opened the second door to the left. “Here’s your room girls.” he leered. “I’m making spaghetti! As well I have another guest staying in the basement, he’s doing IronMan. Make yourselves at home” he mumbled as he walked away.

Alicia and I sat on the bed, backs against the headboard gazing at the dreadful sheep painting on the wall in front of us. “Where’s the TV?” Alicia asked. I shrugged, opening a bottled of wine attempting to stay positive. “Is Charles actually Shannon? I’m confused!” I said looking at Alicia as concerns started to brew. “Where in the heck did I have us staying” I thought to myself.

The house, although clean was an empty shell; no pictures, no ornaments, nothing at all to show signs of people living here. “Are we in Charles’s (aka Shannon’s) bedroom?” Alicia asked with a look of horror on her face.  We gulped our wine in silence when all of sudden we heard a dreadful sounds coming from outside our window. I peered out and saw two kids ripping around the backyard. “IronMan brought his family!” I said throwing down the local tourist magazine I’d been flipping through. As fate may have it, the magazine fell open on page 7 and there staring back at me was an ad for the Summerland Lakeside Resort and Spa. “I’m calling!! Someone’s cancelled, I know it! We’ll get in!” Alicia looked at me with hope in her eyes. “Oh, ok… so no lake view… but you have a room? Great! We’ll take it! See you tomorrow!” I hung up.

“O.M.G.  We check in  tomorrow? Sweet!! This bedroom is probably rigged with spy cams.” Alicia laughed. “Let get something to eat, this place is giving me the creeps!” I said grabbing my purse. We ended up over eating and indulging in good wine at Theo’s Greek restaurant. Afterwards we ventured down towards Lakeshore drive to check out the IM festivities. Near the stage where a band was playing we saw Charles; he was eating poutine and dancing by himself a good ten feet away from the rest of the crowd. Alicia went straight up to him “Hey Charles, can we get a key to get back in?” “Nah! You don’t need a key, I leave the place open all the time!” he laughed sinisterly. Stunned, we forced a smile and walked away. “We’re going to end up on Dateline!” Alicia said seriously as we walked into the first pub in sight. We cozied up at the bar and ordered two more glasses of wine. All the bartenders were wearing IronMan 2010 t-shirts “I’m want one of those shirts and somehow before the night is over one of these bartenders will give me their shirt! I said believing myself.  “Ahah! You’re funny!!!! … and we aren’t going to have pay for any drinks either!!” Alicia said attempting to manifest more good luck.

A glass of wine turned into a bottle. The place was hopping and then the bartenders’ decided to mix us some flame shooters. As the liquid courage started to run through my veins I began spouting off to whoever would listen “I’m going to sign up for IronMan!!!” No one seemed to really take me seriously as I sipped from the trough. (The Bartenders specialty; a bucket of all mixed alcohols)

We sat at the bar for hours chatting and laughing with many great, interesting people and as predicted we stumbled out at three a.m. with no bar tab and an IronMan t-shirt on my back! “Oh what a night!”

At 7:30 a.m. we were rudely awaken by the nonstop buzzing sound of a blender and kids yelling at the top of their lungs in the kitchen. I turned over and looked at Alicia. “IronMan is mixing the world larges protein shake!! I’m getting out of here!” Completely sleep deprived we showered, packed up and got the hell out of dodge.

We checked in at the Summerland Resort & Spa and were ecstatic with our new pad! “This is how we roll!” Alicia smiled. Our gorgeous one bedroom suite was equipped with a full kitchen, soaker tub, oversized fluffy bed, 2 TV’s and a huge balcony overlooking the lake. I sighed as we sat on the deck enjoy the sun “Some things are worth paying for… Minimzing the odds of being killed in our sleep; priceless!”

Lakefront view even though they told us there weren’t any available

We took a quick ride back into Penticton to wish deWolf good luck in person. The wind was blowing hard and the lake was extremely choppy “The wind will die down by the morning, I swear it will be calm for your swim” I told him. deWolf was oddly relaxed; not showing any signs of anxiety what’s so ever. “It’s just another day of exercise” he smiled.

The morning of the IronMan race came fast, even though I had another one of my typical sleepless nights. We rushed back into town to see the start of the swim.

deWolf is in there somewhere

As promised the lake was calm

As returning IronMan supporters we were pretty familiar with the bike route and managed to meet up with my trainer about 6 or 7 times along the 180 kilometers stretch. Each time we saw him, he seemed upbeat and looked strong.

deWolf looking good at the top of Richter’s pass

“Could I do this Alicia?” I asked hesitantly. “For sure you could!” she said. “What should I do? Should I sign up or not?” I fretted back and forth all day long, I needed a sign!

We veered off at Keremos to grab a bite to eat. Once we returned to the highway we weren’t able to find him again so we thought best to try and catch him near the start of his marathon.  Standing at the seven kilometers mark the wind picked up and it started to rain. Alicia spotted him up the road and I waved my big homemade sign YOU ROCK!! He ran by us “Shoot me!” he said smiling. I laughed. “You’re doing great!! We yelled and cheered.

“Ok, can we go now??  I’m freezing!!!” Alicia shivered, jumping up and down; so off we went to warm up, clean up and rest up. We returned to the same spot a few hours later. Dusk made it hard to see the runners clearly but I know deWolf’s stride and saw him from afar “Here he comes!” I pointed and dashed to the side of the street. “Run with me.” he said.  As I ran beside him I couldn’t help but feel extremely proud of him! He said his foot hurt but he didn’t even look that tired to me. “You’re doing so great! You’re almost done! You’re a rock star! I said as I handed back his water bottle. “See you at the finish line” I yelled as he took off.

As we waited for him across the finish line I watched the many other Ironman finishers rejoice with friends and family. I couldn’t wait to congratulate him; after all IronMan was the very FIRST triathlon he’d even signed up for and completed amazingly! Crazy, impressive and extremely inspiring!

That night I lay in bed with a slight wine buzz and stared at the ceiling replaying the day in my head. “Are you telling me I shouldn’t sign up?” I asked deWolf as we ran. “This was a great experience!  You should definitely sign up!” he said after swimming 3.8 km, cycling 180 km and at that point being a mere 6 km away from finishing his marathon. My mind was spinning “I’ll regret if I do…but… worse, I’ll regret if I don’t!” That was my answer; I jumped out of bed, pick up my blackberry and texted my friend Mike “I’m signing up!” I typed. “Ok, I’m in!” he replied.

I slid back in bed. “Alicia, Alicia… Are you awake?” I whispered. “I’m going to register in the morning; will you line up with me?” I asked timidly “Yeah, I’ve already set the alarm for 5:30 A.M.” she replied. I pulled the blanket up to my chin and felt incredibly blessed to have such great friends.  Thinking about the journey and challenges that lay ahead, a surreal calm suddenly came over me. “Tomorrow is the start of a brand new year!” I thought drifting sound asleep.

PT Girl xo

I remember the summer “Just Dance” first played on the radio;  I was obsessed with it.  I played it over and over on my computer speakers for Jim (the cool lawyer) at my office. Laughing he would shake his head and say with a huge smile “You know I tell my 11 year old daughter not to listen to this main stream crap…” I didn’t care, it just made me feel good!

I wasn’t sure what to expect at Lady Gaga’s concert last night at GM place (aka Rogers Arena).

Although I think she’s this century’s Madonna, unlike her, Gaga didn’t pull the ultimate diva move and didn’t make us wait until midnight to bless us with her presence; she emerged on the stage promptly at nine P.M.  She looked absolutely fabulous.  Her body was rockin’, her ass killer!! I swear she must do over 100 squats a day!

Some of my expectations were fulfilled; a sexually charged, narcissist Gaga danced around the stage surrounded by fireworks and hot half naked men frolicking and adoring her … and then out of nowhere Lady Gaga straddled the piano and sang a cappella… the crowd went silent. Her voice was raw, real and brought chills up my spine as she poured her soul out about her drunken father.  No amount of yoga classes would ever allow me to bend over a piano half naked, look so graceful and play the shit out of it!!! That my friend is TALENT!

The blood, the weird masks and the overall creepiness is interesting and would even pass as artistic to some people.  But I think the show is too naughty for the pre-tweens and tweens.  A 10 year old girls sat beside me and I found myself blushing and feeling awkward as Gaga yelled “M*ther F**ers get your d**ks out” I wouldn’t bring my daughter to see this type of show; distinction between reality, sexuality and what is acceptable are easily skewed when you are so young.

Did I love Gaga or did I hate Gaga…?? Well unlike Britney Spears who’s  performance was a train wreck that confirmed that she is simply a recording artist without a real gift for music (or dance) I think Lady Gaga is the real deal. She put on a great show and backed it up with a real voice; ya…she’s  chosen the money making, video selling, recording industry to make a bazillion bucks but she is still up there with Christina Aguilera if you ask me; beside who the heck am I to judge?  If I had her talent would I not do the same?

Before you knew it… the costume changes and set turnovers were done…it was over.

“Encore! Encore!!” the crowd chanted!

Finally…..Lady Gaga saved the best for last “J’ai ton amour and je veux ton revenge, J’ai ton amour, I don’t want to be friends… oh…caught in a bad romance…”

A definite 2 thumbs up in my opinion!

PT Girl xo

I started training for my first marathon this week. I have 18 weeks until I run the Rock & Roll in Las Vegas; where everything is excessive, sinful and neon lit. “Fitting…right?”

Monday Hill Training: I felt good after this first run/interval session. I didn’t stop my Garmin and I managed to do the entire 6 km (including the 5 hills drills) at 6min/km. This hill is my secret weapon.  “Watch out…” Every Monday I will run 5 to 10 – 200 meters hills drills. The route there and back is about 5 km and the goal is to run this short distance as quickly as humanly possible.

Tuesday Cross Training/PT Session: I woke at the crack of dawn to meet my trainer at 6:30 a.m. Sleep deprivation left me feeling weak and unmotivated

Wednesday Medium Run: This was a tough day. I woke up grumpy and wasn’t able to shake it. After work all I wanted to do was go home, eat junk food and curl up on the sofa with my fur baby Gucci; I refused to mess up on my first week of training though. So I pushed away all thought of comfort food and laziness, I put my sneakers on and set out for the long loop around False Creek. The first few kilometers were horrible; negative thoughts swarmed my mind. “WTF was I thinking signing up for a marathon… have I gone mad?” The sea wall was packed and the wind was blowing against me. These factors were making me crabbier and when I got to the third kilometer I had the urge to stop and go home. “Suck it up! Seriously big baby! *&%$ You will train and you will kick ass!” I told myself. All of a sudden my pace picked up and I started feeling better.  As I rounded the bend to home I notice that I’d finished 9 km in 48:34 (5:30 per km).  I was pretty pleased with that considering my slow start.

Thursday Cross Training /PT session: This session was fun; probably because I spent so much time chatting and laughing. “I wanna beat Oprah’s marathon time…” I blabbed as I did my sit ups. “What was her time?” de Wolf asked “In 94’ she finished in 4:29:15” I responded smirking in anticipation of his disapproval. He stop in his track and looked at me in disbelief “Jessh!! PT Girl!! Darn right you’re going to beat Oprah!” I burst out laughing! He seems to have a crazy notion that I am way more capable (aka faster) than I actual am. I don’t quite know what to do with that sometimes….To be honest my true goal is run the marathon at 6min/km. de Wolf thinks I should aim for under 6min/km. Only time will tell but right now, today, as I sit at my desk after gorging on a pecan tart… this seems unrealistic.

Friday Rest Day: Mental preparation for 25 km tomorrow morning.

Saturday 24 km: Longest run ever. My calves were killing me from the ball thrusts from Thursday’s PT session but I was well rested; which is unusual.  I felt strong and kept under 6 min/km. Half way around Stanley Park I saw my friend Alicia playing with her dog Jetsom at the beach “Hey!! How you doing??… Can’t stop… ping you later” I waved.  My legs started to slow around 17.5 km and I struggled to keep my pace, falling behind.  I didn’t bring gels or Cliff bloks and ran out of vitamin water at the ninetieth kilometer. I had the intention of running 25 km but when I approached my place and saw that my Garmin said 24 km the thought of water made me salivate and I decided to call it a day!

I must admit I struggled at certain point during this run and started to question why I’ve set this new goal.  But I know myself; there is no turning back now. Pushing forward on bad days or when it gets tough is what fitness journeys are all about. If it was always  fun & easy then everyone would do it! If it didn’t take determination, persistence and pain the awesome feeling of achievement wouldn’t exist!

PT Girl xo

This week wasn’t any better than last. Work is hectic because both of my clients are moving at the end of the month. On top of that I still have unresolved business that is weighing heavy on my shoulders; with lots on my plate already why did I sign up for my first marathon?  I had a moment  at the office where I boasted about an 18 km run; a bit smug I got carried away and before I knew it was typing in my credit card number online and registered for the Las Vegas Rock & Roll marathon on Dec 5, 2010. I’m an impulse buyer and never second guess a purchase. Shoes, purses, running gear, dresses and suits for the office I’ll bring up to the till with little regret. But this was different; pressing the ‘purchase’ button evoked instant buyer’s remorse!! “What the hell was I think…?”

A few days (and short runs later) I started to process and deal. I started rationalizing my decision, training for something more challenging might be exactly what I require right now; a grander goal to keep me focused and positive.

I’m bound to have uncontrollable interruptions during my training so alleviating any setbacks I do have control over is very important. I must remain injury free; for that reason I have made the following promises to myself.

“I, PT Girl swear to stretch after each run. I swear to attend one yoga class a week. I swear to see my RMT once a month (at minimum). I swear to take my fish oil pills daily and I swear to nourish and rest my body as required”

My friend Julie invited me to join CC and herself to a yoga class on Sunday afternoon. If you’ve been following my blog or tweets you know that yoga is not my forte and I’d usually decline the invitation. “Yes! Yes! I will come.  What’s the address?” I said. To my surprise this was no typical yoga class.

This was Infrared Yoga. I’ve been in infrared saunas before, I like the way the heat gets distributed and know of its many health benefits.

• Promotes weight loss
• Improves your immune system
• Improves your strength and vitality
• Helps cure several skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis,  and acne
• Strengthens the cardio-vascular system
• Helps control your blood pressure
• Detoxifies your body
• Gives you more energy and relieves stress
• Relieves pain (joint pain, sore muscles, arthritis)
• Helps control your cholesterol level
• Helps treat bronchitis
• and many more….

The small private studio (holds up to 6) was immaculately clean and beautifully lit with little red candles along the mirrored wall. It’s located in the heart of Vancouver and in last Sunday’s class it was just us three girls and the awesome yoga teacher. Upbeat, positive and full of confidence this yoga class is a more then a hot stretch session, it’s a self esteem booster!  The close personal attention from Sarah the teacher was fantastic.  She knows how to mold her class to her students’ personalities. I’m frightfully inflexible; it’s hard to believe that once upon a time I was able to do the split! These days I’d be happy to see any kind of elasticity. Like most yoga classes the vibe was mellow and relaxing but Sarah was quick to read that cracking jokes and making fun comments would be more then welcomed by us gals. At the end of the 60 minutes I felt fully relaxed! “… yes I will be back next Sunday!” I said thanking Sarah.

My body was feeling great on Monday and was ready for a long run.  The weather was overcast and 19 degrees, which is perfect!  I set out with no specific goal; I just wanted to let my mind go blank… so I ran and ran and ran some more, clocking 19 km. I kept a steady and easily sustainable pace of 5:52 per km.

Tuesday morning I had to face Toby my RMT. O.M.G. that was the most torturous 45 minutes of my life! How can my body feel so good yet be so stiff, tight and knotted?? “I’m barely applying any pressure; you are so tight. You have to stretch!” Toby told me again.  “To hell with this! I can’t take another excruciating massage like this” I thought to myself as she rubbed out the knots in my lower back, I vowed to religiously to stretch and attend yoga.

I’m excited about my marathon training. I’m starting this weekend by attempting a 24-25 km run (my longest run ever).  But as a marathon NOVICE I would like to ask my followers for some tips and advice. Dos & don’ts. Recommended books or training programs. HELP!!

PT Girl xo

I think we all make plans and have these grandiose ideas of what our final destination is supposed to look like.  But life is unpredictable and unbeknownst to us we are often faced with unexpected road closures and we end up in a completely different city; or in my situation country. Where did I veer off wrong? What the F** happened? My recent dilemmas have lead me to wonder how much control do we really have over our lives? How much does fate really play a role?  I wish I had the answer.

I’ve always been a firm believer that we create our own destiny,  that we can manifest anything we truly visualize and that we get back tenfold the good we give out; in the end having true power over our lives. Thus far this way of thinking has served me quite well. Unfortunately, it’s come to my attention that some things are unpredictable and are completely out of our hands no matter how much planning, thought and caution we put in. This is a tad unsettling for someone who tends to be a control freak.

Through it all, over the past few months I have learned that hard times show us who our true friends are; and I can say I am extremely grateful for the ones I have. (You all know who you are …love ya all lots xo) The cream rises to the top and the rest is just mediocrity. Besides my wonderful friends whom mean the world to me, the one constant thing I can always count on is my runs.  In the past few years I have ran for many reasons. I’ve ran to lose weight, I’ve ran to get faster, I’ve ran to prove something to myself  and to others,  I’ve ran because I am competitive and I’ve ran because it just feels damn freaking awesome!  But lately I run because I can be in command of how far I run and how many times I run. It is my sanctuary where no one can touch me; where I tune out the world that is spinning out of control around me.

Why do you run?

PT Girl xo

Can anyone become a faster runner? Well after running three half marathons where each race I finished shy of breaking two hours by 90 seconds or less I am starting to believe that I’m not designed  to run any faster! I decided to run the Okanagan Half Marathon Oct 10, 2010 and am about to embark on a three month training program where the bulk of my energy will be focused on increasing my pace.

The last half marathon I ran was the BMO Half in May; my official race time was 2:00:47; pace of 5:40 per km.

I used to think that I had to run more miles to run faster. I’m no longer worried about the distance of the race, as my Saturday leisurely 17 km run is one of my favorite times of the week (besides Friday afternoon cocktail hour on the patio…of course) I attempted some hill training during my last half training but focused mainly on logging miles; unfortunately running those extra miles at my regular pace didn’t turn me into a cheetah After talking to some friends, discussing with some trainers and a little online research it seems the only way to learn how to run faster is to get out there and run faster!  Here are a few steps that I think will help me:

Step 1

Increase your turnover (turnover refers to the number of times your right (or left) foot hits the ground in 1 minute). Obviously the faster your turnover, the more distance you cover in a given period of time. Count your current turnover rate and then aim to increase your turnover by 5 steps per minute until you eventually reach that magical 80. Elite runners usually clock around 90+ strides per minute but for us mere mortals runner a turnover of 80 is considered pretty decent.

*Note – Don’t let your feet get in front of your body.

Step 2

Push off with your big toe. This will also help to take some of the pounding out of your heels and push your body forward more effectively.

Step 3

Swing your arms forward, not across your body. Moving your arms back and forth across your body will pull your body from side to side. Aim your hands in the direction you want to go; directly in front of you.

Step 4

Incorporate speed workouts into your program. Speed workouts are a great way to increase your pace slowly and steadily over time.

In addition to a long run and a shorter fast run per week, here are the new rules I will be living by for the next three months:

Rule # 1 – Set a clear & realistic goal of a time you wish to beat

I want to run a 1:55 half marathon (5:27 per km) Thirteen seconds per kilometers faster

Rule #2 Use hill training to build muscle & endurance

Hill sprints at least once a week

Rule #3 Yoga & strength training to prevent injury and to increase flexibility and range of motion

Strength training twice week with my personal trainer.

2 yoga classes a month and 1 massage therapy session a month.

Rule # 4 Interval training, using sprints to increase speed as well as lung capacity

To be incorporated in each of my personal training session

Rule # 5 Give your body rest so your muscles can recover and avoid injury

I swear to take a rest day (or yoga day) a week

Does anyone have any other suggestions how this turtle can evolve into a cheetah?

PT Girl xo

My long weekend launched off Wednesday with a late lunch at Cactus Club with my friend Shauna. She was there when I arrived and was holding a beautiful burgundy drink.  “The sangria is awesome!” she said as the waitress came up to our table; I pointed at her refreshing looking cocktail “I’ll have one of those please!”

After one glass I was feeling my happy place.“Holly Yum…!”I smiled. “Aren’t they the best!” Shauna said. When the waitress came back and we ordered a second round. I sighed “Yikes… I could really get on roll here but I’m supposed to do the Grouse Grind.” Shauna slightly rolled her eyes “Have fun with that?!” I started to think it may be a bit ambitious of me to hike tipsy especially as I recalled my disappointing first hike of the year a few weeks ago where I didn’t come close to breaking an hour (1:07:44). I don’t know if it was too early in the morning or what but I couldn’t find my pace and just wasn’t able get my breathing in check. It felt as is I had to stop every twenty steps.

Mike, Michelle and I headed up around 6 p.m. and my only intention was to find a pace where I didn’t have to stop. I reached the first quarter mark in 15 minutes and knew if I was able to keep my rhythm I’d make it under and hour. I reached the top in 58:14  “Bring it ON!! I shaved ten minutes off my first climb! I said jumping around. Every Wednesday is social night at the top of Grouse Mountain so we decided to stay and have some nachos and of course a few drinks. The elevation really does wonders for your buzz We chatted about Mike and Michelle’s Iron Man experiences and laughed our asses off while “beerstorming” (brain storming) for innovative fitness ideas I could bring to my blog.  (Which I will share with you in future posts)

When I got home I popped a melatonin and slept for six glorious hours. It was heavenly! Thursday morning my girlfriend CC came over for a short run. We ran my usual seven kilometres Cambie to Burrard bridge loop. She’s training for the Okanagan BMO Half Marathon in October and managed to convince me to sign up as well. “Twist my arm!”

Later in the day I meet Hank and Jules at Local in Kits. The vibe there is pretty relaxed and the drinks over the bridge are so cheap! But today’s 20 something fashion trends are seriously disturbing.  All the girls were wearing scarves (it’s not winter) flannel chequered shirts and/or flip flops. I just don’t get it?! A few sangria’s..blah blah blah… a few tequila shots, fast forward….fireworks and “Happy Canada Day!”

Friday morning I had to go into work- blech! I took care of the few necessary tasks and rushed home to grab my fur baby Gucci (Yorkshire Terrier) and went to North Vancouver to meet my friend SM and his dog Reggin for a hike in the trails. We walked about five km then headed back to his house which is absolutely gorgeous; it looks like it’s permanently staged for a photo shoot in Modern Living Magazine. We sat in the backyard basking in the sun drinking Frenz Rose from Naramata,B.C. I was pacing my intake because I planned on running 17 km the next morning, when deWolf sent me a text and told me he had an opening for a session instead.

Saturday I woke up refreshed and got ready for my PT session. I decided to run the 7 km to the gym. I was unsure of how long it would take me because of the elevation on the last few kilometres. I made it in 42:55 and could instantly tell that deWolf had no intention of taking it easy on me; I knew he was actually going to push me harder than normal!  Argh! I know he thinks I can be problematic. I sometimes bring tude’ to our session’s and tend to question why he makes me do certain exercises. He’s stubborn, I’m stubborn and we butt heads from time to time.  But he’s encouraging and supportive in his own unique way, yet never forgets to remind me that I am capable of more. Given that I’m surrounded by friends and family who tell me I’m fantastic all the time his form of motivation typically works. After an hour of arms drills, core exercises, squats and hill sprints I was feeling surprisingly okay. I geared up, grabbed my iPod and headed out for the 7 km trek back home. My legs started to get heavy and forced me to slow down as I headed over the Burrard Bridge.  In total,  I ran 14.10 km in 1:22.

That evening the girls came over for dinner and copious amount of wine.  We all ravaged the low fat turkey lasagna I whipped up earlier that day and shared lots of laughs.

On Sunday I didn’t roll out of bed until ten am. I lazed around and later on hooked up with Alicia for a long overdue chitchat …and yes… more sangria!  But as all good things, the weekend has now come to an end and the reality of my week ahead has set in. I’m staying upbeat by enjoying the wonderful weather and as much running (away from life) as possible.

PT Girl xo

I wasn’t looking to post a personal best but I did have every intention of running the Scotia Half Marathon on Sunday but…. didn’t. My intuition is so good, I just need to listen to it more carefully; I had an feeling my plans were going to fall apart and they did late Saturday night. I lay awake in bed at the crack of dawn on Sunday wishing I had made alternative plans and agreed to commute up to UBC with Hank. I was pissed off at myself; I wanted to run so I should have just done so and figured out the logistics afterwards.

Big congratulations to Hank, he ran the Scotia Half marathon in 1:32:18 Impressive especially if you knew how much (or little) time was actually dedicated to his training. Way to go!!!

After a pot of coffee while watching the soccer match between Argentina and Mexico I was still beating myself up so decided to lace up. I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to get angry more often… rage really seems to help my speed.

Over the past few months I’ve been cursed with really bad sleeping patterns  and I feel as if I exist on adrenaline; and every so often I crash losing total motivation to do anything at all. Yesterday at work I was worn out and wished for nothing more than ONE good night of sleep; so I decided to go to the Steve Nash Gym and exert myself to the point of exhaustion. I jumped on the treadmill and ran 5 km in 27 minutes and then went straight into an hour spin class. Although I worked my ass off, I must admit this was one of the worst instructor’s that I have ever had. In my personal opinion the spin teacher (personal trainer or aerobic instructor) should not be panting harder than me, especially if they are working less than me. How can I possibly be motivated and take the instructor seriously when I’m being told to push harder from someone who demonstrates no fitness or athletic ability? Am I wrong for thinking this way?

Either way I made it my ride and gave er’ my all! My legs were shaking and I was completely soaked. I was convinced that this 90 workout would absolutely do the trick and induce me into an eight hour coma. Wahhhhh!! Yet another sleepless night!!! I’m about to lose my mind!!! Does anyone have a good insomnia remedy? I’m ready to try anything!!

PT Girl xo

It all a distant dream… my girlfriends and I went to Scottsdale AZ for a spa getaway a few weeks ago. Our flight left Vancouver, BC at 7:30 a.m. We landed in Phoenix, got the car rental, stocked up on snacks and bevies and were at the Princess Fairmont pool by 1 p.m. After a few hours in the blazing sun I headed to my first spa appointments; a sixty minute massage is just want I needed to shift into relaxation mode.

“Beep beep beep…” I pushed the snooze button on my blackberry alarm two mornings in a row. CC and I hiked Camelback Mountain and Pinnacle Peak. We figured it would be best to start before it got to hot. Jules was perplexed by the sound of alarm clocks on vacation. “Have fun girls, I’ll be by the pool when you get back.” she yawned waving from her cloud like bed.  By 9 a.m. it was well over 100 degrees but we persisted and kept going even though I was sweating profusely and CC was showing symptoms of dehydration.

The first hike was followed by coffee, a shower and breakfast. I had about two hours of R&R  then changed in my workout wear and headed out to the hotel gym to meet Charles the Personal Trainer for a session. I was strangely energized and ready to give er’. I was also curious to see what I’d get for a $89 +18% gratuity PT session. Twenty five minutes in Charles asked “How you feeling?” “Greeeeat!” I grinned. “Huh?” He seemed surprised then kept insisting I maneuver the most difficult variation of each exercise he presented me. Charles was really nice and was able to quickly determine how hard he could  push me. “You’ve been taught great form” he complimented. We talked about the hike I’d just done and I explained that overcoming the heat was the most challenging part for me. “Camelback is a small hill compared to the Grouse Grind” I told to him. “I’ll have to come to Vancouver and hike this Grouse Grind you speak about.” Charles said. The Fairmont charges $64 for a 30 minute stretch session so it was nice of Charles to include a 20 minutes stretch at the end of my session. He observed the same as every other trainer and massage therapist does “You need to stretch more!” he said. My review of my Personal Training session at the Princess Fairmont was A+. Charles was friendly, personable, knowledgeable and adaptable. If you live in the Scottsdale area or plan on traveling there and would like a good ass kicking I would recommend calling him for a workout.

The week we got back I was swamped at work and only managed to squeeze in one PT session with de Wolf and one climb up the Grouse Grind. Our first attempt of the year was executed at 6:30 a.m.  The only good thing about going that early is the lack of other ‘crazy people’ in our way.  de Wolf  suggested we go up twice but by the time I got my sorry butt to the top there was no way! “I’m not going again, not happening!!” I shouted.  How quickly I forget how hard this hike is. “How did we do this three times in a row?” I asked de Wolf reminiscing of the day last summer we hiked up the Grouse Grind three times in a row before 11 a.m. where I’d actually I finish each climb under an hour and he’d finished his well under 50 minutes each. To me that seemed impossible right now.

This week was way more productive.  I had two PT sessions where abs seemed to be the “core” focus; fitting as bikini season is upon us I also laced up for the first time in seven weeks and did two short seven kilometer runs. Yesterday morning after the best uninterrupted 8 hours of sleep in a very long time, I decided to attempt a real run. Out before 8 a.m. the sun was shining, Stanley Park was all mine as I enjoyed my new tunes and the great West Coast scenery. Nowhere near a record time I was still pleased to complete 17 km with ease after such a long running hiatus. So even though I haven’t been training and will probably not run a personal best I’m thinking of signing up for the Scotia half marathon next weekend. “JUST DO IT!” Right?

PT Girl xo

My life was chugging along quite perfectly … unfortunately perfection is an illusion that cannot be sustained. At some point we all stand at a cross road and face difficult times. I couldn’t allow my state of affairs to affect all parts of my life so it’s my training that was negatively impacted this month; unable to run and unwilling to workout I barely managed 25 km. I canceled personal training sessions, had to continually persuade myself to show up and even bolted mid session on one occasion. I was in state of “blah” that seemed unshakable. But I am pleased to announce (for my sake and for the people around me) I’ve regrouped and I’m back in business!

Determined to find my keenness I woke up at the crack of dawn yesterday and went to a  spin class for the first time in about two months. I was unhappy with the stiffness in my legs but felt fantastic afterwards. This morning I had a Personal Training session with deWolf. Near the end of the session the sunshine poked through the clouds; the blinding rays seemed symbolic of my renewed state of mind as I tried to balance a side plank on the bosu ball.

My left hip is still causing me a bit of discomfort so I’m seeing my chiropractor on Monday for what I hope will be my final visit. I‘ve stocked up on more Acid Zapper pills but most importantly I’ve managed to find my enthusiasm and I’m ready to train for the Scotia Half Marathon on June 27^th.

I have lots on my agenda; two spin classes, one hike and one PT session before I leave for my “Girls Spa Getaway” to Scottsdale AZ early next week. Once there I fully intend on shopping, flopping by the pool, drinking too many alcoholic slushy cocktails and being excessively pampered; yet I can’t resist planning some fitness time. Not having to hurry to get to work or rush home makes working out idyllic.

So between frolicking in the pool, catching up on gossip with the gals, hazy poolside tanning, spa appointments and shopping I’ve booked a “cheat on deWolf” session with Charles the Personal Trainer at the Fairmont, a hike up Camelback Mountain and one (maybe two) fitness classes.

Don’t forget to pack the shades, sunblock and ibuprofen!

PT Girl xo