dreaming over the ocean

so, got my next two weeks of training today. And, goodness... definitely thankful for the chance to have a recovery week, this week. my body feels good (despite being sore from yoga yesterday), and I feel rested. I was just out for coffee with some friends of mine this afternoon, and was talking about how once you resign yourself to the amount of work that needs to be done, and the great amount of time that is going to be spent being a hermit... well, it feels a little easier to handle. because you just know that it is going to be that way. so, changes in the next two weeks includes things like: 12 hour training weeks, 3x a week of strength (Up from 2x/wk), a bike ride that includes "pounding that shit out" 1 minute heavy gear climbs, and next week, adding more tempo zone workouts in. seems like things are getting to business. i mean, really, my first 1/2 ironman of the season is only about 4 months away ;) ... and my first "major" race of the season is only...

today, i have had a lovely day. After yesterday, where I didn't really leave the house at all, it was time to wander outside. Despite the fact that I do enjoy "work at home" days, I also find that I can feel quite isolated. Especially this semester, where it now seems like we are finally in a graduate program... everyone in my class is spread out between supervisors, and locations, and different placements, and different practice times, etc. We don't get so see each other much, especially compared to this first year and a half. But, I suppose, if I am going to be spending 4 months in Malawi next fall , I need to get used to it! So, knowing that I had strength and a run on tap for today, I thought that I would use the morning to do some work in a cafe, eat breakfast, then yoga and run it up. But, I woke up with a bit of a headache (and was really worried it was going to end up being a full fledged migrane), so I went back to sleep. 1.5 hrs later, I woke up, an...

and, i have 3 whole days of nothing really super duper scheduled... and, you know what that means?!!? it means i can work from home, decide any time during the day I want to work out, and get a little extra sleep. And, that makes me HAPPY! this week has been a recovery week, and it came just in time. It's kinda funny, because as someone who has a degree in exercise physiology, and have spent some time learning about periodization, i know a decent amount about it. I also know that periodization occurs at different levels, and that sometimes, it is nice give yourself an extra little push~ allow your body to go through a bit of an overload. But, This week was not it. So, when I looked at my training week, when it was posted on sunday, and saw that my three week block was extended into a 4 week block, I had a little freak out. Not that I would mind having another heavier week, just that i was mentally (and, physically, it seemed) ready to have a recovery. I emailed coach, she ...

So, i have a few things to write. but, i have procrastinated enough this morning, because a friend of mine wanted to know if I knew a good "Training Log" for a 10km running race. So, instead of finding her one, I made one up for her. HA! Nat and I used to work at Body and Soul in Vancouver. She worked as a lovely front-desk receptionist, and I, as a personal trainer. And, I gotta admit... many, many, of my friends who I have from Vancouver are people I met at B&S. And, for that, I am really thankful. Now, she is a Momma, and makes lovely Tutus. Have a look at her page , to see what she does. This spring, she is deciding to take on the every delightful Vancouver Sun Run. I love the race, because it is one of the largest 10km races in North America, and almost everyone in vancouver does it ;) (not really, but, you know what i mean...) And though I don't have a great idea of what her level of fitness is right now, this is a pretty simple plan that will wor...

so, not much to talk about today. maybe except for the fact that going to church these days has been great... mostly because it has just about doubled in size, with those new people all being around my age. which adds a great different vibe. and one that i LIKE! it feels good not to be one of the only token 20-something's in the congregation. and, coming home from church this morning, i encountered this on the street.... not everyday where you get to see one of those :) anyway, nothing really eventful in training this week, except that I am really feeling the end of this 3 week strength block. I am crossing my fingers for a recovery week! we shall see, as soon as my training peaks is updated for the week. other than that, i had an amazing run last night, in -15C weather, and starting at 7:45pm (meaning it ended just after 9ish). I had no idea that a cold-"late-night"- endurance run in the middle of winter could be so invigorating. and, i wasn't even cold!!!...

So, it has been a long week, and I know that I was SUPER tired last night. And, I also realized that I have to make sure that I have good sleeping patterns in order to make it through the week to weeks. but, this week, late nights came because I had two conversations with the boy i like which lasted 3-4 hours. parts of those conversations were times where we talked about nothing. and in those times, we get somewhat distracted by the internet, and will send links, photos, etc. back and forth to each other. And, you know, many people spend time doing nothing together: you know the times.. where both people are sitting at a table, and reading the newspaper? together, doing nothing, but, being together. And, since the boy I like and I cannot physically be together, we procrastinate on the internet. we look at blogs about bikes. we find interesting hilarious ridiculous things on etsy. we do nothing. because that is what people do. however, as you may have also guessed, we ta...

in a search for Fage Yogurt substitutes up here in Canada (Other than Liberty), I came across a neat blog . I LOVED this flow chart!

(i just re-read this post... and I said "annoying" so many times! HA! i guess it is clear what my sentiments are when there are too many people at workout times!) so, last night, I went to the swimming pool at McGill during the 6:30-8:30 lane swim time. and, i did this, because my classes are scheduled too close together on tuesday's to get the lunch time swim in, without being totally crunched for time. I just gotta say that I am SO EXCITED for the pool at the Y to re-open, so I can have normal master's on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings. I decided to swim late, due to the fact that I also wanted to go see Harry Potter. You see, tuesday nights are 6.50$ night at the big fancy theatre downtown. And, I have no classes on wednesday. It is my mid-week "work from home" day. which I love!!!! So, to McGill I went. And, reallllllly?!!? this is the second time that I have had this week during the "evening workout time" that I have been SUPER annoy...

sometimes, i have days that i am shocked at how much i eat. today was one of those days. this says nothing of portion sizes, which were controlled. but, i suspect it does say something about the 3 week strength block i am in... breakfast: 2 eggs, banana, plain greek yoghurt (small bit) post-gym snack: latte, muffin (gasp!) snack: mixed nuts, apple, more pomegrant greek yoghurt. lunch: tomato-veggie soup, salad, soy-whey-almond butter-chia seed drink. snack: larabar, frozen berries with soymilk. dinner: left-over veggies and tofu, with shrimp and eggplant added to fill it out. post-swim movie snack: homemade baked yam fries. ridiculous.

there is pretty much one thing i would rather be doing right now, that sitting comfy in my bed writing a blog about my wonderful weekend. and that would be sitting comfy in my bed having a skype conversation with the boy i like. but, he decided to go to tron. And will be back at about 11. and, frankly... that is too late for me. and, there is only 1 thing that is beneficial about that. and it is that... I do not have to go see tron with him. at any rate. Today was a LOVELY day. The weekend was lovely, after a slightly chaotic 2nd week back at school (is it really supposed to be feeling so disorganized?!!?) I had a little sleep in on saturday morning, because it was "Travel Day." travel day to where, you might ask?! SYRACUSE! my friend annie and I piled into a small rental car with the black flying machine in the back, and down to the states we went. We went down, because I was having a train-this testing and video weekend, at the YMCA in downtown syracuse... which has ...

i am not pregnant. re-read. it is in section of things that OTHER people have said to me this week. so, stop freaking out. that is all.

This is a on going series that is posted on (the occasional) thursday's, to answer the question: "What helps you to thrive in your environment?" The series is written by myself, and a variety of guest Contributors. This week, I want to comment on peopel who lift you up. if you are a regular follower of my blog, you will know that I have not had an easy start to the semester. if anything, it has been humbling. It has been character building. It has opened my eyes to how easy it is to just be brought back down to reality. And, it got me thinking about how certain people, this week, have lifted me back up in through this week. Mostly, it has come in the form of the academic leaders that are around me. it seems as if this week, there has seemed to be a lot of blog posts about not hitting perfection. Coach Mary commented on it , and referenced "single dad laughing" post about perfection. My teammate/friend/train this coach Kelly talked about being real in her...

it has been an up and down week in terms of life. Lots of conversations with the boy i like on skype, a few sobbing breakdowns into girlfriend's lap, and a few too many glasses of wine last night. but, i did get the new year's newsletter out. And, i LOVE THAT! and, it was a solid week in training. An hour extra, because i had to fit in a run last monday, that I had skipped on sunday (due to travelling from victoria to Montreal, that day). so, there is an hour extra. Just finished my first "long ride" of the year. 2hrs on the trainer (90min endurance, 30min tempo to finish). I watched "outsourced" and part of an episode of "weeds." Not bad, but my crotch is definently not accustomed to the long rides yet, and it feels as if my bike is slightly off balance (lean to the left?). so, that makes the last little while of the ride a push, because the only thing i want to do is get off!!!! Swim: 2hrs, 5000m Bike: 6 hrs 7min Run: 3hrs 35min Strength: ...

to those of you who are visiting because I just sent my NewYear's Newsletter, please leave a comment! I would LOVE to hear from you! On the 27th-29th of december (Snowboarding the 28th), I went to Whistler with Sean, to meet up with some of my favourite people in the world: Zach and Ben Mauss. The 28th was Zach's 27th B-day. Here are 4 photos! "birthday cake in a cup" Irish Car Bombs with two USARMY Officers! yup, the translation of this sign is: SICK RIDING TODAY! As always, a little sushi is needed in life. Me and those two Mauss boys. Love 'em.

so, this week has been a week of learning humility. Why should I think that it would stop on saturday morning? I have been training on and off with the YMCA tri team over the past few months. Only for swimming though. And I stick to the plan that coach mary gives me. If it fits, i go. If it does not fit, i don't go. simple as that. It is also the reason I jump out of the pool early ( even though it feels like I am slacking ). 'cause my coach knows me. and i pay her for something. I don't pay her to give me suggestions that I will not follow. I pay her to give me a program that will get me to succeed on the other end, and go fast in races, that I take seriously. SO, this morning, the run was going to fit. I got an email through the list serve saying "9am at the Y, a 10-12km run." i'll be there. I have an hour run. That is about accurate. I enjoy the group, sure, let's go. and, let's just remind you, that out of the 3 disciplines, r...

So, it has been quite the week back to Montreal. In getting back, I thought that things were going to be fairly normal going into the new semester. But, it has been anything but that. this week taught me a lot in a little time, and they are lessons that we all need to learn, and need to learn repetitively. It has been a week of lows and highs. I have always been decent at school. I am not stupid, and yet it has never been SUPER hard to get good (not excellent) grades. I have always thought that "if i did not have as much going on" i would be a straight A student. Every once and a while, I think "eh, that is not true" but, it is about what you put into it, right? My CV is exceptionally full, with life experiences that I have been totally blessed to have. For at 27 year-old, i have life experience of someone way older. I do have the tendency, because of those two things, to set high standards for myself. And, i am happy when I achieve those standards. In s...

and, after sleeping almost 11hrs, i am feeling much better than last night. Still concerned, still worried, still feeling many of the same things. but, after that first day, the second day gives you better perspective. and did you know, that if you cry that much in one day, and still workout, you end up being REALLY dehydrated?! yup, mental note: water is on the menu today. and, i want to offer a "i'm not as lame as it seems" statement. At McGill, in grad studies, a C+ is an F . that is right, you drop from a B- to an F in a couple of wrong answers. And, i am not saying that it is not an F (it still is), but it is not less than 50% or whatever. it still makes you feel like shit though. but, that is all on that topic. i'll keep you updated as to what happens. ---------------------------- let's talk about something else. training. How about training?! well, christmas was interesting, to say the least. It wasn't like i was missing everything left and ...

but, it sure does help. And, I guess that is the thing about exercise. It doesn't necessarily solve the problem, but it sure does allow you to deal with it better. The endorphins (or whatever you want to call them) that flow while you are exercising allows you to face the day, the situation, or whatever... better. movement, though done with the body, is healing for the soul. so, it is the new year, and it is back to the grind. I got back on sunday, late afternoon, and did a whole lot of nothing yesterday; pretty much was waiting for today to start. watched a rom-com (umongst other things), grocery shopped, and trained. that was pretty much it. so, before we begin, i present you with cute pictures. here is me and the boy i like x2 . he needs to shave his neck in the second photo. that is all i gotta say about that ;) ok, so, after a whole lot of nothing yesterday, today arrived. and it has proven to be an awful day. i won't say "The worst day is such and su...

Yes folks, it is that time of year again. The annual chronicals are here. Enjoy. Hopefully you can read it. If not, ask for it to be delivered to your inbox! AHHHH! there we go. Click on the image, and click again to enlarge!