Month: April 2017

April Runfessions

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 48 Comments

Another month, another round of Runfessions! It’s been a month of trying to get back into running more regularly but also doing other sports to cross train.

April Runfessions

I runfess that I’m struggling to increase my running days while trying to train for a half marathon. I’ve been loving having an indoor trainer and working through some challenging rides. I’ve also been loving getting back to weekly yoga classes which seem to help my back a lot.

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I runfess I’m done with Physio. I feel like I’ve spent the last 2 years going to physio for either my hamstring, my SI joint, my ankle injury and now my back from the car accident. I’m just done with going but I’m still going as I kinda have to if I want to get my back better. I’m tired of leaving work for PT but I’m also tired of having a sore back. Catch 22!

I runfess that I’ve been loving all the Boston Marathon coverage but secretly would love to run the London Marathon! My husband is from England, so it would be nice family trip for us but I just feel like running in London would be awesome! PS – I’ve never run a marathon before.

I runfess that I FINALLY registered for Johnny Miles Half Marathon (June 18th) – whoop whoop! I guess I took the month of April to convince myself that I can get back into training for a half marathon. Though my training and lose training plan have been wish-washy, I’ve managed to get through some long runs with limited back pain – so that’s a win in my eyes!

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I runfess that I’m loving the kinda spring like weather we are having but haven’t had many runs outside. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful to have a treadmill to do most of my runs on but I’m sure looking forward to more outdoor runs this spring!

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I runfess (yes, an extra one) – that I’m really missing playing soccer and can’t wait to get back on the field. Having had this car accident and dealing with whiplash has sidelined me from contact sport – which makes sense. However, I’m missing it.

Do you have an Runfessions for the month of April?

Are you loving the spring like weather, or has it even arrived ?

I’m linking up with Marcia for today’s Runfessions post. It’s hosted on the last Friday of each month! Check out my March, February and January Runfessions.

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I’m also linking up with Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for the Friday Five 2.0 linkup!

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Run|Cycle|Earth Day Weekly Wrap Up

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 38 Comments

Happy Monday folks!

Last week we had a COLD week in Nova Scotia and even saw snow twice! The first morning that I woke up to snow I actually wanted to cry. Don’t get me wrong, I love snow in the winter but not mid to late April. Luckily the snow (1-2 cm) melted by the end of the day. The second time it snowed I had my long run scheduled – awesome!

What was Planned VS What Really Happened

Monday: Rest Day | Cycling. 40 minutes on the indoor trainer. I’m starting to push myself a little more on the bike by increasing/decreasing the speed/gears to make it more challenging. It was hard and my legs were tired afterwards.

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Tuesday: Yoga | Yoga at lunch. I still love going to this class. I always feel great afterwards and my back feels so much better after an hour of yoga.

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Wednesday: Run | 5k Treadmill run. Struggle bus!!! There was nothing pretty about this run. I kinda hated it but loved it at the same times as I know getting back into regular running is going to be hard work. I also has Physio for my back.

“Sometimes it’s not what’s in front of you but within you that can get your through challenging runs”.

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Thursday: Cycle | Rest Day. I wanted to cycle but was just too tired so I took a rest day.

Friday: Rest | Rest Day. This was a scheduled rest day but to be honest I wanted to do something. However, I took a rest day and hung out with my husband that evening (most of my workouts are at night)

Saturday: Long Run | 10k Long Run + Earth Day. This was a test to see if I could handle the longer distances, even after finishing an 8k last weekend I wanted to get this under my belt before trying to move forward. Though the run was good, bad and ugly – I got it done!

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I wanted to get up early and get my run in but it was more like 8:30 when I started. It was snowing. I had to wear gloves and a toque and the wind was whipping.

I knew I’d be just over an hour and wanted to stay on some flat terrain instead of hills. The first few km’s were great but then it got a little hard. After it got hard, it got bad so I had to walk a little more. The it got ugly on km number 9, so I walked. There is nothing wrong with walking. I managed to run my last km and felt strong at the end, so I’m taking that as a win!

Earth Day

My oldest daughter wanted to do something for Earth Day so we decided late afternoon to go clean up garbage. We started in our front lawn but could only find a few things so we went down to our local trail. It’s used by walkers, runners, cyclists and some motorized vehicles. There was garbage everywhere!!!

We cleaned up an area of almost 1 full km and called it a day (mainly because our bag was full)

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Sunday: Cross Training | Rest Day. The morning was spent at swimming lessons for the girls and they both did awesome! Hilary hates the water but she finally did 100% of her lesson. The afternoon was spent doing laundry, cleaning the house and being referee to the girls. Saï took Hilary out shopping and Lilly and I baked vegan blueberry muffins. I wanted to get on my bike that evening but was exhausted so we watched a movie instead.

Total # of KM this week: 15 running, 13k cycling

Though I had a few more rest days the I wanted, I’m okay with that. I’m trying to get back into half marathon training while keeping in mind I’m still dealing with whiplash from my car accident in March. I don’t think it’s going to be fully heeled any time soon but I’m doing everything I can to reduce the pain and get stronger.

How was your week?

Anyone do anything for Earth Day?

Anyone race this weekend? 

I’m joining the Weekly Wrap hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.

https://hohoruns.blogspot.ca/

 

Running & Chocolate Weekly Wrap Up

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 22 Comments

I think this is the first time that I’m actually sick of chocolate. I feel shocked that I could even say that! Way too much Easter chocolate over the last 4-5 days has me looking the other way.

In running news…I ran three times this week, even with a minor set back with my neck/back injury. I’m really excited to see what happens on the roads in Boston today! From Kathrine Switzer and the 261 Fearless crew to local Nova Scotian’s and of course the elites!

What was Planned VS What Really Happened

Monday: Rest Day | Rest Day. This is where things went down hill for me with my neck/back after feeling really good. I co-facilitated a workshop and we were on our feet for 3.5 – 4 hours. I was doing a lot of writing on flip chart paper on the wall for a good chunk of that time. Pretty much right after we finished, I started to feel nauseous and my neck hurt a lot. It was kinda horrible but I had already booked a massage appointment so I quickly went to that appointment.

The massage helped significantly but I took it easy for the rest of the day.

Tuesday: Rest | Rest 

Wednesday: Rest Day | Plank: 2:08. A last minute decision to start planking again … right before bed of course. I was hoping for 45-60 seconds but just kept going. After a bit I wanted to see how far I could go and managed 2 minutes and 8 seconds. What a rush!

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Thursday: PT and Run | PT and Run. I was introduced to “dry needling” at physio and I’m pretty sure I cried a little! It was way more painful then the cupping (stripping) I had last year on my glutes and hamstring when I swore a few times. I could only handle two needles and I was done! I think it helped but didn’t feel good in that area until Sunday morning.

As for my run, it was all about just moving and getting active. I ran after our girls went to bed. My pace is slow for me, though after months of not really running I’m not disappointed. I’m just happy to be running. I’ve managed to drop my pace from 6:26/km to 6:13/km in a few days. I even saw a 5:55/km – the last one…guess I really wanted to get home!

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Friday: Rest Day| Cycling (10k). After a full day at the Zoo, walking trails and hanging out at a playground (plus laundry, cleaning the house etc.), I was spent. Although I had planned it to be a rest day, I wanted to do a little cycling and some PT. It felt good to cycling and have tired legs with less impact than running.

Saturday: Run outside| 8k Treadmill run. This was my longest run in MONTHS and it felt great. I just wanted to run and see if I could managed 7-8k. Again, this was after a busy day with the girls: errands all morning, another playground with friends, baking for Sunday dinner, more laundry and dishes for days!

To be honest, it took everything in me to put on my running clothing after getting the girls to bed. I was relaxed and just wanted to skip my run.

For the most part it was easy and felt good. I tried to channel my inner #261fearless girl as there were a few times when I had to either get off the treadmill or just slow the pace down. However, I was also able to increase the pace during the last 2-3 km, so that was awesome.

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Sunday: Rest day | Rest Day. I took Sunday to rest. Ideally, I would have liked to get on my bike or do some yoga. We traveled to the city for a family dinner and after that BIG meal all I wanted to do was hang out and relax…so I did!

Total km this week: 13 running (10 cycling).

This week I’m hoping to go to yoga again as I found that helped my back a lot. I need to register for Johnny Miles Half. And I need to change my current half ass training plan into a better, more formal plan.

How was your week / weekend?

Anyone else training for a spring race?

Okay – who is glued to Boston on TV, online, social media etc. today?

Since it’s Monday, I’m joining the Weekly Wrap hosted by HoHo Runs and MissSippiPiddlin.

https://hohoruns.blogspot.ca/

Hop Hop Hop Easter Treats & Tricks

/ Anna @ Piper's Run / 1 Comment

Happy Easter!

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend with family and friends. We’ve managed to spend most of our time outside at the Zoo, in our yard, playgrounds and found a bunch of chocolate in our house this morning?

I may have got a sunburn Friday watching them play (this playground was actually massive! This is just one section.

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Then we climbed a dead tree at the Zoo – a must-do each visit.

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Yesterday, we started making these Easter nest/eggs together but somehow the girls were drawn to the outdoors and started raking our neighbour’s leaves with her. So, I continued to finish them by myself and brought some over to taste test.

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We’re off to spend today with my family in the city while my husband has to work. Sure thankful for Paramedics (fire fighters, doctors etc.) who have to work holidays but kinda wish it wasn’t my husband’s weekend to work. Oh well…we still got to see him before his shifts.

I’m looking forward to seeing my family and doing our little Easter egg hunt that ends up becoming a bit of a competition to re-hide the eggs. You see, we each get 1 egg with our name on it that the Easter bunny leaves behind while we all eat….but we never notice (this is actually pretty cool for the girls). Anyway, my brother and sister tend to re-hide each other’s eggs to they can’t find it and then the Easter Bunny can’t remember were it was hidden.

Never a dull moment with the family on Easter weekend 🙂

How’s your weekend going?

Do you have any Easter traditions? Egg hunts, family dinner, church?

Anyone excited about Boston?