Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Mojo

My mojo (my running mojo that is) has left the building!  I still feel sore and worn out from Muskoka 70.3,  and realized this while running the Scotiabank Waterfront halfmarathon this weekend.  Even though I took it "easy",  it was truefully not an easy race for me.  I was sore and sick after,  I seem to have some lingering blisters that are really affecting my running gait,  making everything sore and achy.  Anyway I guess I'll just keeping plugging away to get out of this running slump! 

After Scotia marathon I met up with some friends and watched our friends finish (including Marlene rocking her redemption,  and Hubs ran his 28th marathon!!).  One really cool feature of the Scotia Marathon is special celebrity guest runners called "running legends".  One of them I have mentioned on my blog before,  Ed Whitlock.  Ed Whitlock ran the 2004 Scotia marathon at age 74 in 2:54:49.   Today he is 78, and ran the half marathon in 1:37:33!!   Incredible!  I also got to witness what I would have previously declared IMPOSSIBLE.  Fauja Singh is 98 years old and finished the 5K event in 35 minutes.   I felt a wave of emotion when I saw him approach the finish line.  What an inspiration!!




98 and running a 35 minute 5K.  Even more inspirational I read that he didn't start running until he was 81.  Incredible!!

--------------------


So while my running mojo has left the building, thankfully there are other sports I love to keep me active and motivated.  Today I went to newly formed staff weight training club after school.  I generally dislike lifting weights and want to spend as little time at the gym as possible, so it was good to just do a simple 45 minute circuit after school.  The club meets Mon and Thurs,  so this should be enough in terms of weight training for me and it felt good to get a strength training workout in.  Today was arms and I did the following
-15 pushups
-50 situps
-incline press (15 reps of all of the exercises below)
-chest press
-dips
-seated row
-upright row
-tricep curls

I just did one set today since I didn't want to be super sore tomorrow (I probably will be anyway),  but it is a good start anyway.  Thursday is legs!!

I also went to an Epicure party tonight,  and sampled some delicious dips.  I bought mini pizza pans,  which I am super excited about.. mmm homemade pizza. 

After the Epicure party,  I went to my second triathlon swim class.  The class is coached by Paul Johnson and so far its pretty good.  Alot of sprinting and speedwork. I hope we also get some stroke improvement tips.  We also do alot of drills with flippers,  so I went out and bought a pair.





Tonight we didn't end up using the flippers, but did a few challenging drills.  One was an 8 x 50 meters sprint with 15 seconds rest. After each set our "rest" began after we jumped out of the water onto the pool deck,  an extra upper body workout!    Anyway I am really liking the class so far,  although it is definately a good workout!!

Sorry if this post is full of typos, I'm tired and need sleep!
Hope you all had a great Monday.  Thanks for reading!!

30 comments:

RunningLaur said...

I love that you have your flippers on with jeans!

Hope your mojo comes back, but it's nice that you have some other things to keep you going while it's taking a break :)

EndorphinBuzz said...

Nice flippers :) Don't worry your mojo will come back...

Mel-2nd Chances said...

the 98 year old is amazing! great job on Scotia, and also to hubs on his 28th marathon! I know your running mojo will be back, not to worry. Interesting about your swimming, our tri swim seems to be the opposite, no speed sets, but drills and stroke improvement, hope you end up getting what you want out of it! :)

Unknown said...

Your mojo is on vacation. It needed a break after those tough races.

Ali said...

Mojo will return it's having a nap.

I saw Ed Whitlock talk before the London marathon, he was fantastic. If you get the change go see him, great story.

Marlene said...

Oh my goodness, hearing about runners like that is so humbling. Incredible!

Hope you get your running mojo back soon. :)

Mel -Tall Mom on the Run said...

WOw oh WOW!! There is a lady who runs in my are 65 and it ALWAYS just on my heels. But 98 really?? Wow oh wow!!

Hope you get your MOJO back..

There is a man who WALKS miles and miles in our area who wears a turban. In the summer months he walks arond and goes to Garage sales.. he came to our last year and I had to ask him how often and how far he walked. He said he walks about 20 miles a day...because he has nothing better to do and he loves it. CRAZY!!

Cindy said...

get out, girl!! seriously! he's 98? holy cow!! totally inspiring.
i LOVE flippers. i feel invincible in them! of course, i am just a swimming peon--just learning (i must be a late bloomer).
your mojo will come back soon!

Tri Mommy said...

I'm impressed that you ran a half marathon so close to your 70.3. Having finished my 1st 70.3 just 2 days ago, I'm not even thinking about running right now!

Lindsay said...

wow to both of those runners! i can run a 1:37 now, in my 20's... not so sure about my 70's!! and definitely not too confident about my 90's! also a big wow to hubs and his 28th marathon!!! :)

i wouldn't fault you for taking a couple weeks off. you did have the half-iron and then a half-mar. rest up if your body needs it!

ShirleyPerly said...

I think it's perfectly normal to have one's mojo take a break after a big race. But how awesome that you got to see those running legends. I've heard about Ed Whitlock's amazing sub-3 hour performances (supposedly, his training is just 3 20-milers around a cemetery each week!) and Fauja Singh too. What an inspiration they both are.

Fun Flippers!

Anonymous said...

I love your little flippers :) That is so inspiring to see runners of all ages still racing! I absolutely love it!

I know I have had my mojo come and go in waves this past training season, but you'll get yours back! sometimes a little rest/break is all it takes :)

Jess said...

Holy moly, I hope I can stand, let alone run a 35 minute 5K!

No Longer Using said...

you have earned some rest for real!!!!

and flippers!!!! LOL!

seriously- you are awesome that you aren't letting a lil lack of running mojo carry over into the rest of your activities.. what's your secret?! so lucky you have a weight training group, too!!!! you got it goin' onnn!

FLYERS26 said...

98yrs old! That is amazing!
Good luck getting your groove back.. you probably just need some rest.

Jennifer P said...

Rest, heal and think to 2010 -- your mojo will be back before you know it.

Denise said...

98? that is incredible!! I wish I could have witnessed him finishing.

As for your mojo...I lost mine big time after the ultra. I just couldn't get back into it no matter how much running I did. So coach had me do a major cut back week where I just ran for fun. He calls them "zen runs." It really helped to take that easy week and not worry about pace, distance, etc. And now...mojo is back in full force!

Christina said...

I hope when I'm 98 that I'm running 5K's too.

MCM Mama said...

Geez, when your running mojo leaves, you keep busy doing other stuff. When my mojo leaves, I eat chocolate. Guess that explains why you are a triathlete and I'm, umm, lazy?

Those legends are just amazing. I hope to still be rocking the races when I'm that old.

Lily on the Road said...

Wow, isn't it incredible that some people just never, ever use their age as an excuse?

Maybe you're pushing the running mojo envelope just a little, but I'm happy to hear you are giving yourself the credit due. Enjoy your pool time!!

Heather said...

Nice flippers! Hope the mojo comes back soon. You've been a busy lady and you probably need a little break!

Sarah said...

Yeah, it was awesome to race with Fauja Singh. And he handedly beat me lol!

I am not a fan of the Scotia Events after this year. I guess I should try Toronto next!

X-Country2 said...

Those flippers are hot! Those runners are amazing. I hope I'm running half that long.

Mistyfied said...

I can only dream, that I will still be running at 78 or 98. Cute flippers.

Chic Runner said...

Dang, those flippers are cool! :) Don't worry about your mojo it will return soon. We all have those days!

Also, those stories about those marathoners/racers are pretty amazing! Thanks for sharing

joyRuN said...

Marci - I canNOT blame your legs for being a little tired after all the @$$kicking you did at Muskoka 70.3!!

Your mojo will come back - it just needs a little vacay :)

Alisa said...

It happens! I hope your mojo comes back with a vengence!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for any other informative site. Where else may I get
that type of information written in such a perfect manner?
I've a challenge that I'm just now running on, and I have been at the look out for
such information.

Here is my web page :: candy Crush saga hack

Anonymous said...

I'm impressed, I must say. Rarely do I encounter a blog that's equally educative and amusing, and
let me tell you, you've hit the nail on the head. The issue is an issue that not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i'm very happy that
I came across this during my hunt for something relating
to this.

My web blog; psn Code generator

Anonymous said...

Right now it sounds like BlogEngine is the preferred blogging platform available right now.
(from what I've read) Is that what you're using on your blog?


My page :: optimum stack