25 pounds in 9 months

First things first. I am in my taper for the Phoenix marathon on February 28. Now since I have been running by time and effort instead of miles it's a bit tricky to know how to do this. I am following the schedule my coach Susan Loken gave me for the NYC marathon. This taper was a little longer and worked well for me. However I am taking the miles and convert that into time (kinda). So if she wrote 5 miles easy that means I will run for about 50 minutes now. Running 50 minutes in extreme weather will not give me 5 miles but that's ok. It's all about the effort.

So this week is nice and easy. I am swimming on my off days just because I like it. Easy does it though!

Now on to good news. I lost 25 pounds since last May. That's right, slowly but surely. Anybody who wants to know what I did, I finally learned to be wise and went to a dietician. I have been losing and gaining pounds all my life but always thought I could do it myself. With the result that I went from one way of extreme eating to the other. Sure I made my own food, ate mostly healthy but generally too much. I actually never really learned what worked for me. This time around I simply listened what Jess told me and did it without thinking I know better. She gave me great dietary advice for the marathon as well which has also worked very well for me. I had a metabolism test as well as a sweat test from which I learned a great deal.

Now the interesting thing is that I lost a large amount of that weight during the winter months. Usually I gain weight during the winter, especially here because it's so flippin' cold. That makes me hungry all day and because of the cold I really think I deserve some extra goodies. This winter I was determined to stick with my servings/amounts (It's a simple system but I won't go into it here). I am making a lot of soups and stews that are not high in calories, have a shipload of veggies and fill me up to satisfaction. This works great for me, especially in the extreme cold! I actually got really good at it, the combinations are endless.

I feel great! I have less intestinal issues. Running is obviously easier but what I like about it the most is that I feel at ease. I mean at ease with eating, at easy with stepping on the scale (which I hardly do but when I do I don't freak out because I know it's ok) But most of all at ease with feeling relatively full after a meal. I know what I ate was good, not too much and is fuelling my body the way it should. No panic feelings like OMG I ate too much so now I am going to starve myself tomorrow morning and workout more etc etc. I know this sounds psychotic but that's how I usually reacted. I realize that even more now that I don't have that response anymore.

Also I feel bones where I have never felt them before. Especially when I sit on a hard surface. First I thought I had a growth on my tailbone or something like that but now I realize my buttcheeks just don't cushen things up that much anymore.
Problems problems.....:)

Anyway, I could go on and on about this but I won't. Ask me if you want to know more. I'm sure I can fill a few hours of your time.

45 mile week

Finished a 45 mile week today. It was a tough one. I don't think the temp. was above -30 for the entire week. It's been extremely cold for 2 weeks now and I had enough. I really need a little break. Hopefully next week is better.

Sunrise this morning.

I did 12 miles today but I divided it in a morning and an afternoon run. I just can't run that long in this cold. It's too hard on my body.

Polar vortex dog. Allie loves running outside in this weather

I also have to find a way to keep my butt and thighs warmer, they just get too cold no matter the layers. Anybody with suggestions feel free to let me know. 

Ok enough with the whining. I am still going and part of the success is for sure  you people reading this blog. This week I was seriously contemplating the treadmill but I made a deal with myself to run through winter so I'm going to keep at it. 

Thanks for reading. :)

What a difference a day makes

Beautiful sunny day to run 6 miles. Can't believe what a difference of 10 degrees of windchill makes.

The temperature today was the same as yesterday -20C/-5F however the windchill today is -27C/-14F compared to -37C/-34F. This really made my run a lot easier. My bones were not so sore and I did not have to wear as many layers.

Sunset in freezing clear temperatures can be gorgeous. The snow reflects the beautiful pastel colors of the sky.

I want it back!!

This will be just a short post. As some of you may know our truck was stolen at the airport when we came back from vacation and today is a lot of phone calls and paper work. It was an old truck so not insured for theft. UGH! I really hope we'll get it back, but still it's just money....

This is where the truck used to be..

Today was another brutally cold day in the frozen tundra. The forecast said -20C/-5F but it had a wind chill warning. With the wind it was -37C/-34F. That is quite a difference but very important for outdoor activity. That means an extra layer on my head and one for my legs.

I did 7 miles and got way too hot. It's almost impossible to dress for outdoor activity in this weather because safety will tell you to dress a certain way but the body eventually does warm up and produces a lot of energy. My legs actually never really warm up so running is hard on those legs.

The reason I mention the temperature on almost every post is that I really need it for my own feedback, this way I will be able to look back and learn from how I felt. But also I have noticed that I get a lot more traffic for my blog on days that I mention the temperature compared to days that I don't. Especially from other cold countries like Sweden, Lapland, Russia etc. I really hope other runners get inspired and get the courage to run in their climate. It's possible and rewarding!

Finally a picture from the northern lights. I did not take this picture but I've seen it this beautiful. I guess you need a good camera for that. There's beauty everywhere, go outside and look for it!!

From plus 30 to minus 35

And I'm back!!

After my last post I did not get to run again in Nicaragua. I had too much diarrhea and felt too weak. Fortunately I was not too sick to enjoy my vacation. I felt ok but too weak to run. I tried it once again but felt shaky and my heart really started to race. It just did not feel good.

Poor me feeling not so good ^

The t-shirt says run now wine later hahaha, I thought that was funny.

Goodness I look really terrible and visibly dehydrated in this picture.

I'm back in Canada now and happy to have free health care. I had all my fluids in and out of my body tested right away. No results yet but we'll see.

The good thing is that I feel basically normal again so I went for a run today.

It was -35C/-29F. Yes that is quite a difference to the heat and humidity in Nicaragua. But nothing that good clothing can't handle. 

I don't know what I dislike more, extreme cold or extreme heat. I can handle dry heat like in arid desert climates but humidity is truly a battle for me. 

I did 5 easy miles today. I thought it might still be a bit difficult so I prepared to go real slow but surprisingly I felt very good. I played a little with my tempo but kept it easy. Hopefully I will stay ok and be able to pick up regular daily training again. 

I noticed that in this extreme cold shoes do not cushion at all. Whatever shoe I'm wearing it feels like a racing flat. I had noticed it before but not really paid attention to it. This time I really felt it. I guess the material it is made of is not working in these temperatures. It's not a big deal since the snow softens the landing on pavement anyway. I tried out a pair of shoes that I bought for winter running a few years ago but did not like. I actually do like them now, they are stiff but work well in this cold. They also have a double insulated layer so that my feet stay nice and warm.

Saucony pro grid razor ^ worth a try if you live in a cold or wet climate

No matter what, running outside is awesome. Forward movement is a wonderful thing!

800 meters

Yes 800 meters are my nemesis. It's mentally one of the hardest workouts for me. I am usually procrastinating on that day of training.

I had 800 meters on my schedule this morning but it's a going by feel schedule. However it was not too cold so I thought it would be a great idea to measure out half a mile and do some repeats.

Ouch! Hello wake up call. I even took my gps watch with me and I really tried hard but gave up on the watch pretty quick. No matter how much I tried to pump my arms fast my legs just did not want to follow. I did the 800 meters in about 4 minute and 15 seconds while usually with good weather on the track I do my repeats at about 3.45-3.50.

What am I trying to proof and what was I thinking? I read everywhere that cold weather running is harder on the muscles and joints and there is no way you can get to your normal speed. Also there was quite a bit of snow on the ground so it's not that the surface is like a nice smooth athletic track. But somehow I thought that I might be the exception to the rule. NOT!

Sigh, oh well. I did 6 repeats and it was really hard. Physically I would say it was just as hard as when I do them in summer on the track. It felt hard and now, half a day later I can still feel it so I definitely had a good training. Oh and I am super hungry.


Today is a good day to remind myself why I am running through winter outside. It's not to break any personal record but to stay healthy and happy during the winter and be curious about my potential and what it will result to comes spring.

Trees grow through roofs

Everybody knows that!

5 miles today at an easy pace. Beautiful sunny day. Nice and crisp. 

Temperature -10C -17C with windchill (13F/8F)

The wind came strong over the lake and that made one stretch pretty cold. The rest felt really nice. 

All the snow on the trails has been cleared now so that makes it easier.

I'm also doing Turkish Get Ups with kettlebells for strength daily (well I try). I definitely need to work on strength! It's the perfect strength exercise for runners, more about that another time.

Running before work

Wasn't sure if I would make an early run before work. Had to start at 8 so I was out running at 6. In the end cold is cold, darkness doesn't really make it colder, well maybe a little....

I really need this ^^

Did one hour with 4 X 3 minutes at 85% effort. Temperature about 0F/-18C. I wanted to do at least 6 repeats but ran out of time because my app did not want to cooperate.

You see a gps/garmin only works if kept warm somewhere under my coat so I couldn't use that. My stopwatch also quits in the cold besides I can't see it in the dark anyway. 

So I downloaded a few apps that beep on intervals that you can select yourself. You can hear it when listening to music as well. 

I tried the gymboss app first but it really sucks, it stops beeping in the middle of the workout which is terrible. Now I have something else, can't remember the name but it's not perfect either. I will try a few different ones in the next few weeks.

By the way my phone quits too when getting too cold but I keep it inside a mitten in my pocket and that works so far. 

I bought these and tested them out today. I'm very impressed with the performance. I had the microspikes before and really liked those too. However these are more specific for runners. They are lighter. You can really run fast on ice and packed snow. Love them! 

Running by effort

You would be surprised to know that running in -13C/8F feels extremely balmy after those brutally cold days. Well maybe not balmy but it did not feel cold at all.

Happy!

I'm training by effort. That means that I do not go by speed. Going by speed in this cold and all this snow on the ground means only frustration. No way you can keep the same tempo as when the temps. are fairly normal. Also all the snow makes it feel like you're running on a sandy trail. 

I guess runners who live in an extremely hot part of the world do something similar in summer. 

A gps watch is a great training tool. However I know myself and have the tendency to check it way too much and that way not be so much in touch with how I feel. Last year I started doing all my easy and unimportant runs without a gps and I have to say I loved it. It felt more relaxing and I had more time to actually enjoy my surroundings.

This winter I will run mostly by time and effort. This is how a week could look like:

Monday: rest

Tuesday: 50 minutes

Wednesday: speed, 6 X 3 minutes at 85% effort with 2,3 minutes recovery (plus warm up and cool down off course)

Thursday: 40 minutes

Friday: 50 minutes plus pick ups (fartlek)

Saturday:  40 minutes

Sunday: long run, time equivalent of 13 miles (probably around 2 hours)

Obviously I have to consider the weather every day. If Tuesday is a beautiful day with little wind that would be the day I do my speed and not wait for Wednesday when disaster can strike again. Flexibility and ready to adjust without freaking out will be key.  I know I will also miss runs here and there and that's ok too.

If any of you have other tips or experiences please let me know!! It's a lot of trial and error for me. 

As cold as it gets

If I can handle this I probably will be ok this winter.

This seems brutally cold but I was actually getting too hot after the first 4 miles and went home to take off some layers.

This is what I learned so far from running in extreme cold:

- With the right gear you can run in pretty much any cold weather.

- Most important areas to protect: head, neck, hands and legs. If your neck and head are warm you feel good. 

- No gloves, use thick windstopping mitts. 

- Protect your legs. Especially your butt! This area gets very cold and one layer is not enough. I wear a thick running tight and as a second layer a wind stopper. Still my butt is cold but it is doable.

- No wind stopper jackets, I'm serious, you get too hot. No hard shells either. You  will overheat.

- Wear a second hat or take one with. Nothing is worse when your head covering starts to get wet from your sweat and then that starts to freeze. You will need a second layer to stay protected.

- Use your head and hands as regulator for temperature. Even in brutal cold you will have moments that you get too hot. For instance you start against the wind but another part of the run the wind is behind you. This will feel like it's super hot and you'll start to sweat. The best way to regulate that is via your gloves or hat. Either take them off or allow some wind to cool off your skin partially.

- Drink! You will not be thirsty but running in extreme cold dehydrates you quickly. It's very dry. Water will freeze and I don't want to buy more gear. I am wearing enough weight as it is. I just go home more often and drink. 

Kids still playing outside. Shows that as long as you are well dressed you still can have fun and enjoy the outdoors.

Failed attempt...............

This is not me but if could have been. I tried to go for a run but stopped at 1.5 mile, a very hard 1.5 mile. 

My inside runner person feels like freaking out but I know it will be ok. Just rationalize those crazy OCD thoughts away. I worked the kettlebells instead. 

Temps around -22C/-4F don't know the wind chill but it was cold.

There's always tomorrow....

Creepy me!

This is me after my 40 minute easy run with frozen eye lashes. It looks bad but actually doesn't feel bad at all. 

These were the temps on my run:

-20C/-3F temp,
-26C/-15F with wind chill

I will probably be ok this winter because it felt not that bad. I must say my new balaclava is super awesome. It really makes a big difference compared to others, especially the wind mouth protection.

Go outside!!

The wolf of Bonnyville

Not my pic, but looked like this.

I am sure I saw a wolf on my run today. Tom says it was probably a coyote but this was a big ole animal bigger than a german shepherd. Maybe it was a coyote but if it was then it was ginormous. It ran too fast for me to take a picture so you have to believe me at my word. 

Headed out early because the forecast was a big blizzard today, it was already snowing pretty hard.  Got myself a new balaclava so I was excited to try it out today.

I'm very impressed with it. Although you can't really see the mouth piece that it has in this picture. It works well in the cold and keeps the balaclava from getting wet because of the heavy breathing. 

This is a better picture. It's a sonic outdoor research balaclava. Recommended for the arctic so I guess it will work well for me.

6 miles today, temperature around -17C/0F. I actually got very hot with this balaclava. 

First the trail looked like this ^

Then the plow came by and it looked like this ^

The plow lady looked at me in awe and admiration. At least that's what I like to think, she might also think I'm nuts. Unfortunately you can't see from this pictures that it's snowing pretty hard. 

Yesterday I had my first fall so I wore my Kahtoola's today. Best purchase ever for winter running. You can seriously run down hill on a sheet of ice with these things. 

Have a great day all! Go outdoors, it will make you feel happier!!

Long Shadows

            

Long shadows on a sunny afternoon. It's the middle of the day but the sun stays quite low on the horizon. Temp was -11C/12F but it felt a lot warmer than yesterday. Lots of sunshine and practically no wind.

Did 1.5 hour run plodding through lots of snow. Snow in the weekend in a small town means no plows. So I had to run on the road dodging cars. I actually only ran about 5.5 miles so that tells you how slow it went. Kinda feels like running on a sandy beach. 

Just for fun, this is what my neighbor wears when he goes for a smoke outside when it's 12F.  He's a nice guy though :)

wind chill

I have not officially started my training yet, I am just keeping up with my mileage and doing easy runs. Total mileage around 30 now but adding a little every week.

Easy 6 miles today. Lots of snow in the forecast for today so I didn't want to go too late in the day knowing that it would be harder with all the fresh snow on the ground. Temp was -8C/19F but the wind chill forecast was -17C/1F. 

You can't really see it but the snow was blowing horizontal because of the crazy wind. Still I enjoyed it and started sweating quite a bit. However because of the wind chill I didn't take any layers off.  

According to wikipedia wind chill is the "perceived decrease in air temperature felt by the body on exposed skin due to the flow of air." If you stand still in air that is 20 degrees F and there is no wind, your skint will be warmer than 20 degrees. Wind carries some of that heat away and the faster the wind the faster the heat loss. Once the wind surpasses 25 mph or so, it whisks away heat more quickly than your body can emit it. 

That is important information. First of all I hate to feel cold so I rather overdress, do a warm up, come home and adjust my layers. Second if the wind chill is bad it means ones you cool off you really don't warm up anymore, at least not outside. So if the wind chill gets real bad like -20F or below than I don't go too far from home. That way I can go home if I start to feel cold. No need to take unnecessary risks. 

It's decided. I am going to run outside in the Northern Alberta winter. No excuses just do it.

I know there will be many challenges but hopefully just as many solutions. Anything is possible.

Please follow me and help me to keep going!!!!

Today was 4 miles easy. There was freezing rain so it was very slick. I ran on the snow to avoid falling. Not too cold around 32F/0C. The above picture is from last year.

Still running easy, recovering after the NYC marathon.