2011 Moose Run

I had a great time with the 2011 Moose Run today in Cow Bay. There were over 170 participants, which is more than typical. I would say this year’s run benefited from my sister’s involvement because over 40 members of the Heart and Sole Running Club in Dartmouth ran in the event.

It was very cold this morning when the race started, but by the time my leg of the race began at noon, it had warmed up quite a bit, although it was still windy. We live on the race route, so we had a cheering section consisting of our spouses and kids, complete with signs, to help motivate us.

My goal time for my 8 kilometre leg was 48 minutes, which is a 6-minute-kilometre pace. I finished in 49:03, I think partly because of the strong headwind that the third-leg runners faced for about 1.5 kilometres near the end. I am still happy with the result, it is an improvement in pace over my recent runs, and I can now imagine achieving the 10 kilometre Bluenose run in 60 minutes or less, since we have 2 months still to train.

Thanks to everyone for all your words of encouragement! It helped to know I had friends and family supporting me!

Adidas gear - looks good and works too!

I picked up my Adidas gear on Wednesday from PUSH Fitness. It is impressive: new Adidas Supernova Glide 3 running shoes, Adidas Adistar long-sleeve running shirt as well as Adidas Supernova jacket and pants to protect me from the elements.

The shirt, jacket and pants all have the Team Myles logo, so now we will really look like a team when we run, with the same uniform and everything!

I was looking forward to a team run this morning, unfortunately only two of us showed up at PUSH Fitness this morning! Caroline Taraso and I waited until 10 AM, then she went to market to wait for Lisa Olie, after which their plan was to go to 108 Yoga, one of our sponsors.

I decided to go for a run anyway, since I was psyched up for it. I knocked off 5 kilometres and surprisingly fast, too! I was just over a minute slower than my target pace for the Bluenose run despite the wind and rain, so that was a nice surprise. It just shows that I do have my work cut out for me, so I think some hills and interval speed training are needed. I think I also need to create a running playlist on my iPod, I have found that the right music can help me go faster. Any suggestions?

Sunny but colder than expected...

Confession time: because of other commitments, I haven't been to a Team Myles run for over a week. I really miss the experience of running with the team and I hope to be able to run with them more as we near the race date.

However, that hasn't stopped me from training! I went on my elliptical machine a couple times and this morning ran 6 kilometres on the Salt Marsh Trail.

The trail was a mix of ice, packed snow and frozen gravel, making it passable with caution. I had to be careful of my footing, which slowed me down a bit.

It was a beautiful morning today and although the high temperature was expected to reach 3 or 4 degrees Celsius, it was still below zero when I ran.

After my run, I joined my Cub pack for a 2 hour hike in Shubie Park in Dartmouth. As tricky as the Salt Marsh Trail was, the Shubie Park trails were much worse! We walked less than 2 kilometres, picking our way along the ice about 90% of the time. We had fun though, including the time when a few lucky Cubs had chickadees eating from their hands. To quote one of the kids, "I have done that before, but it's cool every time." It sure is!