I DID IT! 30 Day Plank Challenge DONE!!!!

June 30, 2015 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 29 Comments

YEAH! I managed to actually start AND finish a 30 day challenge! Of course, it started of fairly easy and grew harder over the weeks. Right now, I’m just happy to say it’s completed!

30 days of planking from 1 minute to three minutes and yes, that is a face-plant post plank in there 🙂

That’s A LOT of planking!

Learning’s from planking for 30 days:

Don’t plank on carpet every day – your elbows will hate you.
Go bare foot – you get a better grip and avoid slipping around.
Face planting post plank is completely acceptable.
You are stronger than you think you are.
My triceps hurt the most.
Plank when you are on your own! Having little kids around always made it harder. Though they cheered me on and even attempted to plank, it wasn’t fun trying to keep them off me.
When you husband (or significant other) tells you your bum is too high, you correct yourself. Not only do you correct yourself, you get pissed off at them for telling you which only makes you want to hold the plank longer.
You can surprise yourself!

Running:

I managed a nice 6k runch today even though my training plan only called for 5k. It was really warm and muggy but I was having a great run. The sky was overcast, with the sun poking out every so often. It was perfect.

Tomorrow is Canada Day! Happy Canada Day to all those crazy canucks out there tomorrow! Hope you have nothing but sunshine, good food and create great memories with friends and family! We are starting off the day with some strawberry picking and some other adventures later on the in day!

Anyone complete a 30 day challenge this month?

Are you celebrating Canada Day? What are you doing?

Happy Canada Day!

MRW Half Marathon Training Week #1 Recap

June 29, 2015 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 19 Comments

First off, I’m a tad bit excited to be writing those words “Half Marathon Training Week #1 Recap”. It’s been a long 6 months being on the injured list, thinking I was better, going back on the injured list and staying there much long then anyone would ever want to. Saying that, I’ve had a hard but great week of training!

To recap:

Race: Maritime Race Weekend Half Marathon (Double race called Tartan Twosome 5k & Half for me).

Dates: Sept 12th – early morning (Sept 11th 5k @ 7pm)

Training Plan: Hal Higdon’s Novice 2 Half Marathon

What Was Planned vs What Really Happened

Day 1 – Monday June 22nd – Rest Day – Rest Day! I sure rocked this one! It was really weird not running and I even thought about just doing it anyway but life got busy and I didn’t even have time to run. (2:15 plank)

Note – I was on the road for three days (7:30 – 5:30) this week and my husband was away as well. Busy times!

Tuesday – 5k Run – 5k Treadmill Run (2:20 plank)

Wednesday – 5k Run – 5k Treadmill Run (2:25 plank)

Thursday – 5k Run – 5k Trail/Hill Run at lunch in the hot sun. (2:30 plank)

Friday – Rest Day – Rest Day …. nailed it! (2:35 plank)

Saturday – 7k Long Run – Cross Trained with my lawn mower in the afternoon sun. (2:45 plank)

Sunday – Rest Day – 7k Long Run (2:50 plank)

This week had it’s up’s and down’s and I wasn’t sure I was even wanting to do my long run after Thursday’s terrible run. I planned on doing my long run Saturday night but after a long day with my family that included mowing the lawn for an hour in the HOT sun, not to mention the beer I had at dinner…I decided a rest day/cross training day would be better.

Sunday’s run didn’t start off great. I left the house around 9 and during the first kilometre I thought it was going to be a struggle the whole time! I actually hated it and all I could think about was “how am I going to get the next 6k done?”

The temperature was cool and the sun was just starting to break through the clouds. I left my subdivision and headed out onto the old highway. The side walks were empty and I just focused on where I was running. On the way out, I hugged the left hand side of the sidewalk and for some reason I thought this was weird.

On my way back, I almost got hit by a car! Crazy, eh! I was waiting at a cross walk, you know, waiting for that little guy to say it’s okay for you to walk…you HAVE the right away”. But the truck that was literally waiting beside me to turn had other plans. The cross walk guy came on, I looked over my left shoulder to make sure the truck wasn’t coming and started to walk across the cross walk. The guy in the truck decided it was his turn too and bolted out in front of me! I threw up my hands at the guy (I was so close I could have hit his truck with my hand) and pointed to the sign. He even looked over at it and kept driving! I was pissed at that point and kept crossing with other cars looking at the truck in shock.

Drives – pay attention. Runners – pay attention to the stupid drives that can’t follow street signs.

As I got closer to my house I picked up my pace and was about 100 metres off from finishing at my driveway. Apparently our girls were really upset that I ran past our house! I just had to finish my last km though! I had a quick cool down walk back to the house and was greeted by two cheering little girls! What a way to come home!

Not sure about a pre-run self picture 😉

Later that afternoon, I even managed a 20 minute nap – a much-needed nap. Thanks Sai 🙂 And of course a dance party before bedtime with our girls!

A run that started off so bad turned into a fantastic run, just what I needed. I even managed to drop some time! I’ve been running around 6:17/6:18 per km and managed 6:07 during that 7k! Not too bad. I’m still very far away from what my normal speed was last year but that’s 100% fine, I will get back there in time.

Oh and a big shout out to those who race the EPIC Canadian 10k and 5k this weekend – and those who did both in that order! My running buddy Krystol got two new PB’s!!!! Congrats!

How was your weekend?

Anyone ever confront a stupid driver before?

Dance party before bed time, yes or no?

The Key is just Being Active

June 28, 2015June 28, 2015 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 16 Comments

The other night I took Lilly to her soccer practice with Hilary in tow. It’s always entertaining when I take both girls somewhere as Hilary doesn’t like to sit still. Okay, it’s more entertaining for other people not me. I’m not sure which one ran around more during that one hour soccer practice but I do know they both had a blast.

Lilly was with her friends and listening to her coach while Hilary and I walked the track with her friend and parent and another mom. All of our children go to day care together and will be in the same school in September!

We walked the track together and got to know each other a little more. What we did for work, what our husbands did, sleep challenges with our kids etc. Eventually we got talking a little more and I learned that one was a “gym rat” (her words not mine) and the other is starting her first Learn to run 5k in August! They learned that I like to run, a lot 😉

After walking a few laps the little ones wanted to get out of their strollers to play in the sand pit/kick the soccer ball around too. I got thinking about gyms and they are not a place I frequent very often. When I’m visiting my family, I do like to hit up GoodLife Fitness, especially the female only gyms.

We have three local gyms within 10-30 minutes of where I live but I just haven’t brought myself to look into them. I love to run and be outdoors. I love to be active with our girls all year round. I do value what a gym can offer people and I do value the opportunities that it can lead to.

This next statement has always been something that I believed in and use in the work I do daily. The key piece is that “being active” is important no matter what activity you are doing. Being “active” at the gym, outside, inside, with people, without, on a plan, fly by the seat of your pants – it’s all good. It’s all good because you are making yourself healthier and happier.

My run on Thursday sucked (sorry, Mom) but it did. I honestly hated it. I looked at my watch WAY too much. I stopped a few times to catch my breath after a long hill. I even stopped once because I just didn’t want to run – even though I was ½ a km away from being done my run. Once I finished and had a chance to cool down, I was relieved it was over. Though I wasn’t happy at the time, I sure was happy after I got my activity in.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m super thankful I can run and that I could do so on my lunch break, rather than 8:30 at night. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t good and it was far from awesome. BUT – I was active. And that’s all that matters!

Does it matter to you what people do to be active?

Do you like going to gyms?

Do you like to workout with others or on your own?

Half Marathon Training – Maritime Race Weekend

June 25, 2015 / Anna @ Piper's Run / 44 Comments

Well folks, training for my 3^rd half marathon has begun! I’m training for the Maritime Race Weekend Tartan Twosome (double race). I’m running 5k on Friday Sept 11^th (evening) and a half marathon Saturday Sept 12^th.

Website: www.maritimeraceweekend.com

Location: Cow Bay, Nova Scotia

Number of runners: 5,000

Theme: Pirates!

Fun facts: this races has been named Best Designation Race by Canadian Running Magazine (a MUST RUN) and has the BEST BLING / Finisher’s Medals ! (seriously, the medals are ah–ma –zing!)

Past participation: I ran the Tartan Twosome last year – 5k Friday and 10k Saturday where I got two Personal Bests!! Review for 5k here and 10k here.

Training Plan for 2015:

Piper’s Maritime Race Weekend (Sept 12th) Half Training Plan

Thoughts:

I’m really excited for this race as it will probably be my first race of 2015. That’s what happens when you spend 6 months on the injured list!

I am using the Hal Higdon Novice 2 Training Plan and have adapted it to kilometres. Last year, I used Hal Higdon’s Intermediate Training Plan and loved it! I wanted to use it again but felt that I’d be jumping into TOO much running for where I am at with my hamstring (which is really good at the moment!).

HAL HIGDON HALF MARATHON TRAINING Novice 2

HAL HIGDON HALF Marathon Training Plan Novice 2

I’m scaling it back a bit but that’s not to say I won’t adapt the weeks as I move along. I’m planning on doing some cross training: DVD workouts, cycling and swimming with the girls J Yes, I’m totally going to count swimming with the girls as part of my training, ha ha!

Today’s plan was a 5k run! After two days of running 5k’s on my treadmill, my legs and body were a little tired. Not to mention I am still rocking the 30 day plank challenge each morning. I’m up to 2 minutes and 25 seconds – holy poop! It’s hard most days but today for some reason I got through it with very little struggles. Not sure what that means for tomorrow’s plank (2:30).

Today’s run was nothing but a struggle! It was terrible! I started off with a few hills (bad idea) in the shade and ended with a flat trail in the direct sun. It was rough but I feel great now!