Harbour City Ramblings

We’ll start with letting the cat out of the bag actually- I did not run in the TC10k! Insert gasp here.

I still run religiously, and I love every bit of the footstep-pounding-on-the-pavement action. I still intend to partake in future races. But the timing of the TC10k was completely inconvenient for me due to other major life events and changes. I probably should have hopped on here in the couple of weeks prior to the 10k race to divulge that bit of information. Sorry to keep you in the dark!

In recent weeks I’ve commenced a refreshing new career and met some incredible connections, among many other exciting things. More on that soon enough.

For now, back to life, as I leave you with a little video my new co-workers have tendency to throw on once in a while to lift spirits…

Tonight I enjoyed a phenomenal meal at a fabulous Victoria establishment close to home. The service at Santiago’s was top-notch, and the Chipotle Mussels and Sangria were unparalleled. The only problem I had was with the guilt gnawing at my conscious throughout the delectable meal all evening long- “Alyssa, why didn’t you run today?”

I haven’t ran since Tuesday. But you know what vexatious voices inside my head? I’ve been “busy.”

Busy is a tricky excuse. One can presume another is “busy” with work, with family, with personal issues in general and simply accept it.

I, on the other hand, have no real excuse to back up my own “busy-ness” other than a brief stint with a head-cold that possessed my entire being as of Wednesday. From the time I awoke that morning straight through until yesterday, I had the sensation my entire brain was wrapped in a thick layer of tinfoil.

With every move I made, it felt as though the interior of my head crinkled and swelled, and begged me to stay still for not to endure such boisterous bedlam clambering inside my cranium.

Alas, as it is now Sunday, I am behind on my personal TC10k training plan.

Sad but true.

Since I commenced my training in February, I have ran no more than 6 kilometers at once. 4 entire kilometers short of the April 25th requirement of 10 kilometers.

My lack of self-discipline, even when caused by circumstances beyond my control and marred by illness, disappoints me. But this late in the game, there’s no way I’m throwing in the towel now.

Luckily my body has not completely been neglected over the last week. I have managed to partake in some cross-training. Mixing mild strength training and yoga, with a 20km cycling expedition along the Galloping Goose this past Friday.

Come tomorrow morning I intend to get back on course with my running.

I will have to endure a long run, and slowly over the next couple of weeks work up to 8km. But I am motivated by the fact that I have eaten well over the last few days, thus I have a built-up energy to get through a tough go on the track. My headaches and clogged sinuses have since passed. Plus I haven’t had the opportunity to listen to my galvanizing Running Playlist recently, so I am most looking forward to hearing a few songs I’ve neglected to listen to in almost a week. And lastly, I know my muscles, though not as firm in my own mind as they should be after almost a week off of my training plan, have their own memory. They know I can handle a 6km+ run, they’ve done it before… and come tomorrow morning- they’ll do it again.

Then in a mere month and a few days- I will be prepared to give it my all in my very first 10km race.

When I initially started hitting the streets to train for my very first TC 10k I went out and bought an armband for my iPhone, and proceeded to put together a playlist of songs I figured would get me pumped.

I sifted through all 3900 songs in my iTunes collection and managed to muster up 30 tracks of what I surmised to be my definitive running soundtrack.

Since I am not the world’s largest fan of hip-hop, rap or dance, I opted to leave such genres out. Plus, they really only make up around 8% of my iTunes ensemble. Instead I piled on my favourites- Propagandhi, Metallica, NOFX and Pennywise, to name a few.

My first attempt at a run was short, and as I quickly discovered so was my level of tolerance for that crappy, demotivating playlist of punk and metal.

What I discovered was horrifying…

I am motivated to run by rap music.

I never thought I would admit that. But I scrapped everything except the 1 song that got me running faster, harder, and for a far greater distance than I expected: Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” Sure I kept a large amount of other genres, but otherwise I did a complete overhaul to accommodate my previously unknown proclivity to hear bass pumping through my earphones.

My new playlist has grown on me. I am now 8 runs into my training, and with yesterday’s haul of just under 5 km I am working my way slowly up to 10k without the help of any guitar solos.

Here are the songs that- though some tough to digest at first- keep me pushing toward my goal of completing the TC 10k:

• Saul Williams (cover of U2’s) “Sunday Bloody Sunday”
• Jay-Z “Run This Town”
• Beastie Boys “Sabotage”
• Queens of the Stone Age “No One Knows”
• Iron Maiden “the Trooper”
• Eminem “White America”
• Kanye West “Stronger”
• Lamb of God “Again We Rise”
• Incubus “Vitamin”
• Westside Connection “Bow Down”
• Rise Against “Behind Close Doors”
• Children of Bodom “Needled 24/7″
• Daft Punk “Da Funk”
• Ol’ Dirty Bastard “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”

And the 3 that never fail to make me literally go that extra mile:

• Green Day “Jesus of Suburbia”
• the Offspring “All I Want”
• Eminem “Till I Collapse”

Those are what do it for me, as much as I previously denied it.

It all boils down to matching a song’s rhythm to your pace, and hearing the right song at the right point of your run.

A few times this week I have been about ready to quite and give my legs a half minute of walking- until one of my key 3 songs came on and I couldn’t help but push on. What songs, bands, or specific genres keep you motivated and moving?

Across the pond, along with all the Winter Olympic hype, the hubbub over unseasonably warm weather postponing events, canceling spectatorship, and refunding tickets is really putting a damper on things… for those in Vancouver.

Meanwhile here in Victoria, we are fortunate to share the same record breaking temperatures, but have the ability to fully enjoy it without sitting under the watchful, critical eye of the rest of the world. Who are still writing about Vancouver’s weather woes constantly.

I personally am benefitting from our balmy spring-like conditions, since this year I have taken up a new physical activity, by which I can enjoy the sunshine and all the fresh air my lungs can handle.

I decided last fall that I would partake in my first Times Colonist 10K Race. I wanted to run 10km in the year 2010. It’s a new venture for me, as in the last few years my workouts have only really consisted of yoga, and a particular video game…

Using Wii Fit to… gain weight? Yep.

In the last couple of years have I incorporated a regular fitness routine into my daily schedule. It takes place in my living room, using my TV. And if I really want, I can do it in my pyjamas. Though it isn’t extreme exercise, Wii Fit has enabled me to correct my previously poor posture, evaluate my gait, and gain muscle mass on my slender limbs.

Because of my through-the-roof metabolism I have always struggled to maintain a healthy weight, and gaining it was damn near impossible.

Nintendo’s Wii Fit has helped me to simply tone-up and reach a healthy BMI.

I may be one of the few individuals on the planet who can say they have successfully gained weight with Wii Fit.

With two years of performing push-up side planks, lunges, and various yoga poses in the comfort of my living room, I was ready to take my newly fit self to the streets.

Last Tuesday after starting with a custom-made Wii Fit routine to stretch, I strapped on my Saucony running shoes- which I acquired from my mom late last year when I decided I would run the TC10K- and I headed outdoors.

Tracking my 10K Training Progress

Within the last week and a half I have ran every other day. Using Run Keeper to track my progress, I have successfully covered 17.7 km of ground at a (slow, but progressing) average speed of 8.5 km/hour.

I have managed to cut a minute off of my average pace while bumping up my distance over these first 6 runs. My first run was 2.87 km. Today I completed exactly 4 km. I have set a schedule and plan to increase my distance and pace up until the big day- April 25th, 2010.

Co-workers and loved ones are supremely supportive and have been sharing their own personal running tips, which I have compiled here:

• Maintain good posture; leaning too far forward is tough on the diaphragm. Which brings me to…
• Find a breathing rhythm, and breath deeply; I have learned from past yoga instructors to breath deep into the diaphragm, to picture the oxygen reaching and energizing every part of your body.
• When running down hill ensure your feet stay beneath your body, don’t extend them too far forward, and again… keep your posture upright.
• Relax your arms and hands; keep them lose and hip-level, clenching your fists expends more energy.
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate- both well before and far after.

With just under 70 days to go, my only hope is to continue enjoying this new found venture, quicken my pace, build-up my stamina, and make it past the finish line around the 60-minute mark.

Now here’s hoping this brilliant weather keeps up until April.

Every year around this time the writer within me goes into hibernation. Few outdoor activities worth sharing, lack of travels to document in order to reminisce afterwards, overlapped by the hectic holiday season produce one boring blog with little new content in far too long.

For the past while anyone who happened to stumble upon my place in cyberspace, used to share vacation experiences and hometown hum-drums have been faced once again with crickets. But as an excuse for the silence- here is an example of how I have been able to keep busy, and creative, over the holidays…

A Snapshot of the Future

Though I may be one of the few individuals on the planet who has not read ‘the Secret‘ by Rhonda Byrne, I have always bought into the power of a positive mental attitude, with the notion that what energy you put out into the universe, is returned to you.

Future travel aspirations.

These are the mere two things I have in common with a book I have not read.

This past November I received an invitation from my former co-worker, Lynnell, to attend what she deemed to be a trial run at a ‘Vision Board’ evening. Taking the age old idea of making visuals of ones dreams, only made more popular by ‘the Secret,’ and committing to making them happen appealed to me. So I enlisted my mother and we RSVP’ed.

With cash and/or donation to the Mustard Seed food bank, a few old magazines, and future hopes and goals crammed into one’s cranial space, an evening of creativity took place at the Victoria Executive Centre that Thursday, Nov. 19th.

Prior to letting our creative juices flow, mom and I enjoyed an authentic Italian meal at the ever-enjoyable Pizzeria Prima Strada, in the heart of Cook Street Village.

Cut, Paste, Visualize, Repeat…

By the time 6:00pm rolled around, we were ready to make our way to the venue just a few doors from the Blue Fox on Fort St. With the wine and catered spread of local snacks and baked goods to fuel our small group, we embarked on our first ever attempts to design tangible, visual affirmations of what we want in our lives.

Around 3 hours later, after sifting through the heaps of magazines and cutting out anything that stood out, each of us ended up with a unique stack of quotes and photos. From there we had some time to assemble our words and images onto our poster board.

The finished product.

The outcome was huge insight into how varying each person’s wants and desires are, and how different our values can be. Some boards shared similar themes, but not one was alike in style or content. With positive feedback, and the ability to work out a reliable system based on the success of the first Vision Board event, Lynnell is holding a second one at the end of this month. For those who believe that starting a fresh calendar year means another shot at getting through a list of newly set resolutions, this is a fun way to hold yourself accountable to make that happen. I really enjoyed the event and know Lynnell will have plenty of continued success with Vision Board workshops in the future.

A frog once educated me in song form on the difficulties he faced being green.  I admit, he was typically a rather downcast character, often distraught over blending in with ordinary things or his relationship with one specific swine, so I didn’t pay much attention to him. In fact, I find his statement to be completely false.

These days, what Kermit once cursed- deeming his natural shade a constant detriment- is all the rave and practice amongst the masses who are hoping to either master, or cash in on, the art of being green.

For forward-thinking minds wanting to see this world around much longer than the Maya prophecy inaccurately predicts, buying local, seeking out chemical-free products, and expanding their knowledge while raising awareness have become an everyday pastime.

Personally, for years I have been phasing out cleaning, clothing, beauty and other products around my home and replacing them with certified organic and natural items.  Currently I am working on increasing my ability to live off of a local diet, ensuring I purchase products not laden with pesticides, herbicides or other pest and insect controlling substances.  I am also employed by a company who shares in these views, creating dynamic development properties certified platinum by the L.E.E.D standard, utilizing local, sustainable building materials and practices.

There is a growing list of products I now consistently pick-up when grocery shopping which cater to my need to be green.

For the sake of my stomach (and health) I always have on-hand:

• Level Ground Trading coffee – Cafe San Miguel is my favourite blend from this Victoria-based producer of fair-trade, locally roasted coffees. Their newest venture- the Ecotainer, is an absolute blessing to see, as I constantly find myself cringing at the site of conventional coffee cups being thrown into trash bins around town. If you’re not B.Y.O.Mug’ing then this is the best alternative.
• Island Bakery’s organic Sunflower and Flax or Ancient 7-grain bread – Located less than 50kms up north in quaint Cobble Hill, their wholesome breads are hard to beat.
• So Nice soy beverage – Produced in Vancouver, their completely natural and preservative-free soy is a staple of my diet.  I would not switch back to it’s nutrient-lacking-in-comparison cousin milk any day.
• Golden Organics peanut butter – No salt or sugar added, simply pure roasted organic peanuts made a ferry-ride away in Burnaby.
• Nature’s Path granola – Though not produced completely locally, their environmentally sound methods of production, goals to be waste-free by 2010, and an outstanding line of such good organic granola make for the perfect morning brain-boost (or when mixed with the above soy, or yogurt and a banana, you have yourself a work-out fueling snack).

Green reading material is widely available through various means.  Tips on how to bring out the earth-lover in all of us are plastered all over the internet, it has also been the theme of various Expos- such as this weekend’s Organic Islands Festival- and you can learn more how-to’s and benefits at most any spot you will find literature sold.  I would recommend this read- a gift my cousin Ali picked up for me last year- Adria Vasil’s national bestseller Ecoholic, a great resource for some of the best environmentally friendly information, products and services around.

I know Kermit the frog has been around for over 60 years now, but if he wants to maintain this level of popularity he might have to change his way of thinking. If only when it comes to being green.