Sunday weather

Today the forecast for Sunday calls for rain and I hope that holds true for some reason as a rip around downtown,chinatown gastown and Stanley park in the rain fits the way I`ve been training,minus Vancouver of course. right now I`m looking at a map of the course and I`m thinking that once I hit prospect point,which is the last hill,I`ll push it from there to the finish line at BC Place and that`s about five miles.The feeling between body and and mind will decide that though after the first eight.

8 days

Well it was another rainy,windy early morning run and with eight days until the half marathon I know I`m prepared for whatever the forecast will be May 2nd, although the seven day weather watch starts tomorrow. Tomorrow will also be my last long run and comparable distance to next Sunday as I`ll spend the week keeping it easy and steady. I`m looking forward to getting back to the gym and the pool once this race is over because I`ve just been focused on this for a good month or so but I`ts still a step towards ironman and I want to keep training so that I`m ready for when I start an ironman training program later this year, so I`m training so that I`m fit for training, make sense? Anyway this afternoon I`ll have some strongbows and go watch some Whitecaps ball.

speed

Up at the crack of dawn to work on my race pace today and that just means that i ran fast and steady. The long distance part of running is the easy part for me but running those distances as fast as i can is the challenging part. Farther and faster! There's something I like about pushing my body and feeling what it can do, there's a place on the edge where I like to be and I like to be there at a maximum heart rate. Wow deep, guess I'll have a chance to attain my next zen moment in 11 days.

april 18

So far this month I've been working double the hours than I normally do and my training has taken a dip because of it but with two weeks until the Vancouver half I'll be focused and locked in on training and diet. With the weather warming up it makes for some great early morning runs and this morning I ran down Royal Oak hill around Deer lake then back up Royal Oak hill and then back home. Now going down that hill was fine,I had a great view of the north shore mountains and on my right was the lake surrounded by all the green trees and fields, no cars just birds chirping and a crazy woodpecker sitting on top of a metal street light post and pecking the shit out of that thing! I laughed out loud then just breathed in all the fresh morning air as I glided down this massive hill. I was about half way down when I thought to myself..I going to have to run back up this fucker! Now the run around the lake was great as always just incredibly peaceful with a loon floating across the middle of it leaving a v wave pattern behind it, and I thought about stopping and taking all of this serenity in but once I start running i don't like to stop. Anyway here comes the "Hill" now there are some cars that have trouble getting up this thing so running up it feels more like a mountain climb! and that's what I eventually pictured in my mind once the leg burn set in, so with each arm movement I imagined pulling a rope..baby steps pull,baby steps pull! c'mon Jamie get up this hill..c'mon!!! Once I'm at the top I'm just gassed but I'm still 25 minutes from home so I take in some gatorade and run the rolling hills home. Now Izumi and I can enjoy our Sunday drive maybe some shopping but me and the legs will wait in the car thanks.

Easter

Easter Sunday started with a 8.5 mile bike ride then immediately followed by a 4 mile run in 32.24. My run was at about a 8 minute mile pace which felt really comfortable if I was to average that in a marathon I'd end up with a 3 1/2 hour finishing time. I've trained hard three out of the four days this month which leads nicely into Easter dinner with some very important people and as I look out from my patio and the first thing I see is the brilliant colours of the neon signs that read "Liquor Store Open" reminds me to go buy some wine to enjoy with family.

Good Friday

Up at 7:00am to run and it was a wet and windy one once again. After the first few miles i ended up at local track and decided to do some laps and once I got on the track it was calm and peaceful and I start thinking about where I'm going to take Izumi for dinner tonight, and then as I round the end just behind the net all of a sudden it's a head wind from hell with rain smacking my face and I'm feel it trying to push me back and then once I round the opposite end it's back to calm and I think to myself how about that Greek place in North Burnaby? So I did eight laps then went back to the streets but all those laps were the same,calm one way and nasty the other. So continuing on I must have ran past a bakery because the smell of freshly baked bread filled my senses which lead me to one question of course, How come my only choices of bread in Japan was the white thick sliced 5 piece bag or the bonus 6 piece thicker sliced family bonus pack? Then came a hill and of course running up the hill,head wind was coming down the hill and my thoughts went straight to c'mon c'mon get up the hill!! Then I was home. Now as as I sit here typing this my windows are rattling from the wind so it probably wasn't the best day for a run so with the half marathon exactly a month away I hope a lot of people decided not to run today!