Done and Done

Well I did it! I ran my first marathon-Injury and all and what an amazing experience.
From 1K to 30K I was on track to qualify for Boston! I was rocking and rolling but unfortunately at around 31-32 my hip said oh no you don't! and totally flared up. I was left with a struggle of a lifetime. At that moment I decided I would push through and make it. It was my race. It was my experience and no one can ever take that away from me. At the end I was in awful pain but after a few insane tears-I smiled and thought, I cannot wait for the next one when I am injury free and I qualify for Boston!

Hell yeah!

V.

Runners Get Those Engines Warmed Up...

I am a bundle of nerves and the butterflies are fluttering like mad hornets in my tummy.
I am excited, I am nervous and to be honest I am a little bit scared...I am bucking up and have my sights set on a miracle or maybe an out of body experience!? Please?
No but seriously I have come to realize that on Sunday morning I will awake with some pain and I will suck it up and run my very first marathon. Whatever the outcome, it will be an experience. An experience of an effing lifetime! So there be it.
Tonight I will finish checking off the items on my checklist, pack my bag and my race gear, I will prepare my mind and soul, and I will become my fierce self.

I CAN DO THIS!!

Ottawa here I come...

V.

The Ottawa Marathon Route

Here is where I will be spending this coming Sunday Morning in Ottawa:


V.

5 Sleeps and Counting Down..

5 Sleeps and counting down...Tonight is my last clinic night before the big race. I received my CW-X compression shorts today. I have them on and am testing them out. Tonight I will sit down and begin the preparation-which will include what I will be eating for the next few days, what clothing I will need to bring and of course all of the other little details that need to be put on the list and double checked.
OMG I am excited, I am nervous...I am...I don't even know anymore! I can SO do this!

A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways as they're capable of understanding.
~Steve Prefontaine

BRING IT ON!

V.

Race Day is approaching...

Race day is quickly approaching. Less then a week from now I will be hitting the highway to Ottawa for the BIG race. The time has come for my first marathon. My injury is healing up nicely. The butterflies in my tummy are beginning to flutter with nervousness and excitement. Tmo I will write my to do list and begin my preparation for the weekend. Let the countdown begin...SIX Sleeps.

I CAN DO THIS!!

We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon.
~Emil Zatopek

V.

Jelly Belly's refuel and energize!

My running nutrition obsession are SPORT BEANS. There are a lot of products on the market-and a lot of good ones. But some are just not for others. I have tried gels and bloks-just don't love. For some reason they play havoc on my tummy. But the Sport Jelly Beans are fantastic! They refuel me and energize me. I take them every hour or every 10K depending on how I am feeling that day. I will definitely be taking advantage of them in Ottawa!!


V.

I am FIERCE!

It is time to taper...Taper is just what it sounds like-cutting back on the amount of running. It is the time when you rest up, recover and relax. My tapering time is different then all of the others in my group. My taper time is TOTAL relaxation with some R.I.C.E-(Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation)thrown into the mix because running is not an option right now. Many say once you hit Kilometre 35 in the Marathon it is no longer a fight with the body but a completely Mentally motivated game. So my friends I am practicing. I am practicing the art of staying positive through self doubt and discomfort. I am practicing trusting my body but more importantly my mind. I am perfecting and rehearsing my power statements. These words are: DO IT, YOU ARE FIERCE, YOU CAN DO THIS, YOU ROCK, BE FIERCE...I AM FIERCE!
Though this practicing is not lacing up my runners and hitting the road and managing these powerful statements through my mind. This practicing consists of lying on the couch or in the bath, with eyes shut saying these statements in mind and visualizing the road, the race and those around me in my head. Race day will be upon me before I know it and I need to mentally be prepared. I have put the hours of running in, eaten the proper foods, hydrated like a mother effer, worked the core and the arms...Though this avulsion has caused some uber rest time, I am taking it in stride and using it to my advantage. I am ready for the race. I am fierce! I can do this! BRING IT ON...
11 DAYS and counting down...

V.

Break it down, baby and Ooze some Happy!

Oozing happy is my new mantra. When I wake up and start my day-I am neutral. So once things start happening I repeat in my mind-OOZE HAPPY. It helps me to smile, take things as they are and keep things in perspective while remembering to stay happy!

Such a mantra has been difficult the last little while. With this damn hip avulsion, no running, drama in every which direction and just life in general.
Oozing happy allows me to see things for what they really are and realize that the things we cannot control should not control us. To break it down: On a cloudy day there is no reason to be gloomy-it is out of our control. So make the best of it. Make your own sunshine.
With this darn avulsion and the marathon-all I can do is rest rest rest, listen to my doctors and therapists and think positively and visualize a positive outcome which predominantly includes running the Ottawa Marathon under 3 hours and 40 minutes. I cannot control the avulsion but I can definitely control my thoughts and optimism.
When dealing with drama in ones life all we can do is shrug it off and keep it in perspective while always remembering: 1.don't take it personally and 2. what goes around will certainly come around-I have seen it happen.

So next time life is holding you hostage-break it down, baby and ooze some happy!

V.

I am an Avulsion

I am sorry it has been awhile. The last few weeks I have had a lot going on. Life side swiped me and well honestly I am trying hard to get back up.
It all started a week ago this past Tuesday evening. I went out to my marathon clinic as I have been doing for oh the last 3 months and ran my usual tuesday tempo run. I felt great. That evening I began to experience a twinge of pain in my right groin. Nothing horrendous or even serious. The next day it continued. I decided to see how I felt re that evening and fartlek. All day I teetered and tottered back and forth-should I run or should I rest? And at the end of that day I made the wrong decision. I laced up my runners got on my bike and biked my way over the running room. As we jogged up to Queen's Park the small twinge became outrageous. The pain was excrutiating. So I turned around and went back home. That evening I booked a massage. I took a 25 minute ice bath. Which did little. All I could think was shit how on earth will I run the Sporting Life 10K, the Mississauga half and most importantly the damn marathon which I have been training my little buttski for!!?? I became so consumed with stress I could not eat. I proceeded to throw up. Did I mention I was stressed?
The next morning I called Athlete's care (thanks to one of my coaches!!) and got in that very morning with a Doctor. He thought it was a groin pull but sent me for a bone scan to be safe. The scan indicated that I had an avulsion on my hip. [a·vul·sion (-vlshn) The forcible tearing away of a body part by trauma or surgery.] In normal terms-The tendon was pulling away from the bone.
So sporting life was out, mississauga half was out and now I am hoping, praying and wishing with every ounce of heart, soul and body that the Ottawa Marathon is not out.
I have been receiving chiro and acupuncture treatment. I have been cycling and water running. I am hoping I can jog tmo or Tuesday.
It is has been tough not being able to run but I am trying my darnedest to stay optimistic. All I want is to heal.
So my friends PLEASE cross your fingers and toes and say a little a prayer for me that I will heal up in a jiffy and make that race that has consumed my life for the last few months!
Here is hoping...

V.

Ohhhh Lord-too many GT's!

So my girls weekend in Daytona was absolutely fabulous! We had so much fun and way too many laughs. Some memories, in no particular order, include:
Ash's alive dead Dad; Awwwkward, and only the start to the theme of dead people weekend, Britney Spears, Hot people, TEAM PANTS, Lil miss news and her updates of shark attacks, dead surfers, weather etc., the convertible, Leftover scoochers, the tap water, a 29K bike/run, shopping, MAI THAI'S, Happy Hour, Mikey, Sopparo's, The Chart House, The Crawfish Festival, SUN, Ocean Deck for Lunch, the Beach, Kitty, Cindy and sooo much more!
It truly was the beginning of something-of many things-new friendships, new "terms", and best of all, at least one annual Girls weekend with ASH, ALLI, CAT & VINGS.

Thanks Ladies! Love ya!

V. xo

YAY FOR MAY!

Well Well Well, May is here already and I hardly had an opportunity to enjoy April! OK Ok OK I did but wow did April ever fly by!!??
April was filled with Sunny, Funny days that felt like summer was here! Much love, much fun and well needed girl time!
I was busier then a bee in all aspects of my life which is how I LOVE it. This month I enjoyed laughter, long-er runs, new friends, the bbq, cocktails and beers in the sun and most fun-a Girls weekend in Daytona Beach!
Thanks April for all of the fun but I am SO ready for some yay in May!

V.