Welcome to the life of a 6 foot tall runner living in Saskatchewan, Canada. This is where I document my adventures in food, fitness, fashion, and my life in general. My sarcasm hand is always raised and 90% of my iPhone photos are of my dog.
I am NOT a certified personal trainer or nutritionist. This is merely a space to share information I have picked up over the years. Please consult your medical professional before making any fitness or nutrition changes. ALWAYS honor your body.
This weekend is the Saskatchewan Half Marathon. My training up to this event has been, let's say, sub par. Are we fighting, Running Gods? Have I done something to offend you? It seems like nothing went right this training period.
First and foremost, the blisters. It seems like every second run brings on newer and bigger blisters on top of older blisters. Yum.
Secondly, the tightness of my hip flexors and my knees. Apparently my hip flexors can flare up on me at any given moment - like during a 5 second run in baseball. And my knees have been feeling like those of a 75 year old woman. FYI, Running Gods, I'm 24.
Lastly, I haven't been running as much as I have in the past few times I've trained for a half. This isn't your fault I guess, Running Gods, but I like my lists to be at least 3 things long. My lungs are never the ones to give out on a long run (it's been my feet FYI I hate them) but still there's that inkling that I haven't run enough.
So basically, Running Gods, please look down on me with mercy this Sunday. I know I'm not going to be the speediest kid on the block, but I would love to not rip half the skin off my feet. Also - I have a wedding to go to the next weekend and it would be super cool if I could wear sandal type shoes and not have children run away in horror at the sight of my feet. But that's just me being vain.
I promise I'll be good next time if you let me come out of this one unscathed. Like I'll legit foam roll and stretch everyday no matter what activity I do. Maybe. If I remember.
Lovingly yours,
Erin
PS: If you know the Personal Training Exam Gods, do you mind putting in a good word?
The first day back at work after a long weekend is always tough. That alarm clock this morning sounded like the screams of a million infants (overly dramatic alert). Although, the alarm clock going off at the same time yesterday morning didn’t feel so bad
Look at all that beautiful Sasaktchewan grass! So alive and healthy!
But it could have something to do with the fact that I was waking up to go golfing instead of going to work. Small detail.
Mike and I were golfing machines this weekend. We played yesterday and Saturday because Mike has officially named this summer “The Summer We Get Really Good At Golf”, or TSWGRGAG for short ;) My game improved this weekend, but it’s easy to improve when you play the worst you’ve ever played in your life aka my game on Saturday.
I’ve seriously have lost all ability to drive and I have no idea why. Time to hit the range.
I may have also lost all ability to run a decent half this weekend. I had my long run scheduled for Sunday and after fuelling up
Blueberry pancakes and bacon - nom nom.
I headed out to do 12 out and back miles on the farm road that’s behind our condo. That same day, Mother Nature decided to throw 40-60km winds at us so I spent my first 6 miles leaning into the wind and feeling like I was running up a massive hill. I seriously had to check a few times to make sure I was actually moving because it sure didn’t feel like it. The last 6 miles were way better since the wind was at my back, but I was dead tired that afternoon.
Doesn't everyone take angry selfies after a horrible long run? No? Oh.
Pro Compression and Veronica Mars were my BFFs that afternoon.
Fast forward a few hours to our regular Sunday night slo-pitch game and I attempt to sprint to 1st after batting....and immediately felt sore in my hip flexor. Add in sitting around, waiting, batting and running again and more sitting (it is baseball after all), and both my hip flexors were so tight and sore, it was difficult to walk. The next morning, I still felt stiff but was able to do a golf swing (tough life). This morning, they’re still stiff. I’m hoping that my stretching is helping and that I’ll be able to do a great taper run this week and feel fine. Fingers crossed! Glad I’m not going for a PR with this race.
In addition to the normal amount of anxiety I always feel before a race, I will also be filled with some regular old test anxiety this weekend – MY CANFITPRO PT EXAM IS ON SATURDAY!
So this week should go by FAST! I’ve set some mini goals for myself to keep up with my UA What’s Beautiful timeline – and it will also force me to take a break from studying/freaking out about things and relax.
Now that Mike has a summer job, Sadie is all by her lonesome all day. She’s caught onto the new routine and now she makes her sad face and doesn’t leave my side all morning. Such is the life of a needy, Velcro dog.
Speaking of new routines...
I’ve been working on my chin-ups every day! The first day we installed the bar, I surprised myself and did one full chin-up! HOLLA! I’m stronger than I think! Then Mike did 3 in a row NBD, but I will have my revenge when I can do 10 by July. I’ve been at it for a week now and I can already see improvements and progress. Practice, practice, practice!
Backbend progress has been less than stellar. That could be because I haven’t worked on it yet – I’ve been too jazzed about the chin-ups ;) I’m heading down the yoga studio by my work today to get a membership so I can start going once a week over lunch. A few months ago when I was doing yoga regularly over lunch, I saw major improvements in my backbend (along with everything else). I hope that by going once a week to a studio and then doing a regular practice at home, I can meet and crush my Under Armour goal.
Other things:
-Slo-pitch season is here!
We had our first games on Sunday and it was so much fun! The season was delayed a few weeks because of flooding/snow still being here (only in Saskatchewan), so we had a double header. My right arm was a bit sore the next morning. Time to get in the swing of things!
-It’s crunch time for my canfitpro PT exam!
My brain absorbs info better when I have Cougar Town on in the background....
I have now finished reading every chapter and my notes are done. Now, it’s time to memorize and study hard. Flash cards, anyone?
This isn’t anything important, but I just wanted to let you know that this tea is the nectar of the gods. That’s all.
Fitness Schedule
It’s been a while since I’ve posted my fitness schedule for the week! It’s high mileage week for my half training so I should be spending some quality time with my foam roller this week.
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: Sub Zumba Bike 35 minutes
Wednesday: Run 5 miles
Strength
Thursday: Swim 30 minutes
Yoga
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Bike 35 minutes
Sunday: Long run – 12 miles
Slo-pitch
And I can actually do my biking OUTSIDE now! It’s a miracle! No more hamster wheel spin bike for me!
What’s your fitness schedule look like this week?
How are you doing on your goals?
I’ll see you guys later this week!
PS: I was a part of a shape.com article last week! Check out the article here and my part here. SO COOL!
Check out what I made last night with the last of the strawberries:
Strawberry and mint infused water! So easy – take a pitcher and fill halfway with ice, add strawberries (washed, halved and without the tops), a handful of mint leaves and then fill the rest of the pitcher with water. You can let it sit for about an hour and it will have a light taste to it or you can mashed the strawberries and mint around in the pitcher with a big spoon so they are bruised and therefore release more of their taste.
It was pretty good, but I think I can make some tastier combinations. I’ll be sure to let you guys know what combos are winners!
Other winning combinations:
(sick segway alert)
me and Zumba
My shirt was soaked after the class! It was approximately a thousand degrees in the studio because the weather has spiked to the high 20s and no one has turned the AC on yet. Yum.
I subbed a zumba class last night and it was ROCKING. It was the first class of the series so there were TONS of people. Lots of first time zumba-ers who looked a little worried at first but were shaking it like no one’s business by the end of class. I love it when people don’t give an eff about what they look like and just go crazy – that’s when zumba is the best!
Me and my training!
I have been attacking this tri/half marathon training like no other lately. I was stressing over the Saskatoon half marathon and how fast I would run, if I was prepared enough, yadda, yadda, yadda. Then I kind of realized I should just run this half for fun and EVERYTHING changed. I no longer fret my long runs or my pace or anything else that was stressing me out. That’s NOT why I love to run! Now I run for fun (but still getting my big mileage in) and it’s just the best. Maybe I’ll think about attacking a PR at the Queen City half marathon in September but I’ve kind of come to terms with the idea that not every race has to be a possible PR run! I know, shocking information ;)
Also, I’ve been making progress in the pool! One of you guys (Tanya – hey girl) left the best comment of life on this post and recommended a bunch of training drills. I’ve been doing a bunch of them, especially the kick drills. The first time I did a kick drill with a paddle board, I was going so slow, I literally almost came to a dead stop in the middle of the lane. If this was twitter, I would put #embarrassing because it was. Now that I’ve fixed my kicking form and have been doing these drills, I move a bit faster. It’s really helped take all the pressure off my arms/shoulders!
Me and Under Armour’s What’s Beautiful Campaign
A few of you were around when I attempted the Under Armour What’s Beautiful challenge last year. I let it fall to the wayside (sad face) but I am BACK and more determined than ever to kick ass at it this year!
I get so fired up when I watch that video. Female athletes coming together and being POWERFUL! Plus a yoga and surf retreat in Costa Rica? Yes please.
FYI: I want to be upfront with you guys on here. Even though I would 100% participate in this event on my own, I am being sponsored by Under Armour through FitFluential. It absolutely does NOT change my opinion on this campaign. I loved this challenge a year ago when I wasn’t sponsored and I still love it today. I think it’s doing wonders for the female fitness community and helping change the perspective of who the female athlete is.
My goals have to do with strength and stretching, two things that I struggle with all the time in my training. I always say I’m going to make strength training and stretching a priority, but then life happens and I choose running, biking or swimming over them. Whoops.
So there you have it. The official declaration of my goals. By July 20th, I WILL:
-be able to go into a full backbend and hold it for 5 breaths
-do 10 unassisted chin-ups
-have maintained a clean diet
I’ll do a separate post talking about how I plan on attacking these goals within my training plan because this post is already pretty long for me and I’m sure some of you are just here for the Sadie picures ;)
It won’t be anything different from my training plan I posted a few weeks ago, I just now have a solid plan for those strength and stretch days.
If you have something you want to get better at, join me in this challenge!
And my team is here! The team is basically a group where we can post our accomplishments, motivate each other, and share our successes. Let’s redefine the female athlete!
If you're on twitter, you can use those hashtags to join the convo.
Guys, I’m one more “rah-rah female power” sentence away from posting a Spice Girls picture.
This may be the best picture of the Spice Girls ever. Girl power = grabbing yourself/blue steel/giving the guns? Sure, why not.
Name one thing you want to be better at. Do you want to do X amount of push-ups/burpees/squats? Run a mile? Run a mile in a specific amount of time? Or go 8 weeks without weighing yourself (ie break up with that demon scale)? Catch and stop yourself from comparing your body with everyone else’s? It can be anything!
Guess what’s back in my life after a loooooong hiatus?
The Bombshell Spell from Tone It Up! It’s a concoction that increases metabolism, provides digestive enzymes, and gives you an energizing effect first thing in the morning. I used to drink it every morning but then got lazy. Whoops. But now it’s back! And I honestly feel better now that I start my day off with this drink. Side note: Unfortunately, I can’t share the recipe since it’s part of the Tone It Up Nutrition Plan (which you have to pay for).
This has been my breakfast routine for the past few weeks now:
Water, bombshell spell, and greek yogurt with granola and fruit. Quick and easy.
All my breakfasts will be filled with strawberries this week because....
Check out what I got at the farmer’s market this weekend! All these strawberries for $10. Pretty excited about that deal. I’m going to try some strawberry infused water later so I’ll let you know how that turns out.
Some other eats and happenings from this weekend:
My sister made us an awesome meal on Friday – thinly sliced steak marinated in a soy sauce mixture with sautéed peppers and broccoli served on lettuce. We found that making lettuce wraps out of the steak and veggies was super delicious.
Spinach salad topped with chicken, cashews and – what else – strawberries! This is my lunch all this week. I’m going to turn pink from all the strawberries I’ll eat this week.
Homemade iced tea made from David’s Tea’s Berry Good.
Shiny new accessories from Aldo. They suck me in with the nautical theme and then really crank it up with my spring/summer favourites – mint green and neon.
New candle alert! My parents were in Yellowknife this past weekend and brought me back this beautiful candle holder. Now I have two or more candles in every room of the condo. God help me if Bath and Body Works has a 3 for $30 candle sale any time soon...I’ll need a bigger house to accommodate my candle collection.
CPT Exam Prep Update
I’m almost through the entire Can Fit Pro textbook! After that, it’s flash card/memorization time. It was amazingly warm and sunny this past weekend, so I took my studying outside
And I swear, I learned SO MUCH MORE by reading/studying outside in the sunshine ;)
I’m getting pretty excited about all the new stuff I’m learning. I can’t wait to put together a program for myself and one for Mike to practice everything!
How was your weekend?
Is there something you do every day start your morning off on a healthy note? Now that it’s light outside before my alarm goes off, I’m going to get back in the groove of running before work. Such a great way to start your day.
Friday, May 24, 2013 at 8:30AM 
