Daily, Health, Running, Soccer, Videos

Running songs

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Monday night I ended up running at 9pm with two friends. One of those friends I haven’t ran “alone” with (besides group trail runs) in over a month! It was good to finally get out there with them both and have a good relaxing run. Except it wasn’t relaxing for me. Once again my breathing started getting all crazy and it sounds just like I’m  hyperventilating, or that I have asthma. It gets embarrassing, because my body can do it — since I have done it in the past, and just this past 4 or 5 weeks my breathing has been slowing me down.

I mentioned last week I went to the doctor finally. But there hasn’t been an appointment yet set up for me to get some pulmonary function tests done. So I called my family doctor who is also my soccer team mate. She’s on freaking holidays. She did not make an appointment for me to get my breathing checked. What. the. hell? Just because she thinks I’m fine in soccer (which I sometimes am I mean, you get TONS of breaks with soccer) but c’mon you’re a DOCTOR. If I have breathing problems, just don’t tell me it’s mental if you’ve only known me during a brisk game of soccer, and you haven’t gone on runs with me. To say I am a bit upset at this, is a bit of an understatement.

But since she’s on holidays I somehow sweet-talked my way with the receptionist who will get the replacement Doctor to sign off on a requisition to get me checked out. So much crap to go through just to get peace of mind. Plus, I’m going on holidays soon for two weeks. At least the receptionist is being incredible and looking up places in my city (so I don’t have to travel to my family doctor’s city) so I can have all this stuff done.

So.  Continuing on the topic of running… I update my iPod once in a while (which I haven’t updated it, since I received it in 2007 I don’t think. I KNOW. Crazy.) But I just don’t download music anymore, and I don’t buy the $0.99 songs on itunes. So I’m stuck with either old music or no music when I go out on a run.

Some upbeat music that I have been wanting to put on my ipod lately?

  • I speak no Americano (I LOVE this! It’s insane, but so catchy)
  • Magic. Feat B.O.B. I already have this song, I just have to put it on my iPod. I can definitely see myself running a bit harder when this catchy tune comes on.

Do you run with music?  Do you listen to upbeat / mellow / hardcore music on your runs?  Tell me some songs! I need some new ones :)

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OOTD, Photos, Running

Outfit of the work week + a little breathing drama.

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Remember, you can CLICK to enlarge the pictures of the work week and read where all the pieces are from.

I went running last night with a different group of people. We did a 7k huge loop, and they weren’t really loving the 10 minute on, 1 minute walking — but I said that I had to have that as my breathing was a bit mental. They didn’t realize what my breathing got like until it was loud. It’s all I can do though, that’s how I breathe when I run and I’m needing that break between minute 10 and 11. The two of the three people that went with us are personal trainers and they seemed quite concerned about my breathing and kept asking if I was alright.  Embarrassing. I just nod, because I hate talking when I’m like that, hah. It just sounds as though I can’t get a deep breath in. They asked if I was wheezy, which I’m not — but they seemed to think so. One of them suggested I had asthma, or running induced asthma. I’m pretty sure I don’t, but then again I never really thought about it.

I have only been running for 4 months, but at the same time you’d think it would get better. I can run for longer distances but my breathing remains troublesome. Get this, I don’t think my breathing is terrible on treadmills. Then again, I haven’t been on a treadmill in months so I guess I wouldn’t really know if I hopped on one and ran distance.

Some of the suggestions that the runners told me (including my Boyf):

  • Breath through your nose, out through your mouth (impossible)
  • Lean over when you run up hills (much easier on your breathing, I tried it yesterday!)
  • Slow down your pace (how much slower can I get!! I’m doing a 10 minute mile some days.

It’s just very difficult to go to a family doctor who is in a completely different city 40+ minutes away. Taking time off work, making that time up. Then probably getting referred to a specialist. Maybe I’m reading way too much into this, I’m not sure. But I’m really annoyed with my breathing. It’s why I need my one minute break in between the 10 minute runs. The trainers couldn’t get over that I fully recovered with that one minute break, and my breathing only affected me when I was at minute 7-8 or so.

Pain in the butt, that’s for sure. It could be nerves, it could even possibly BE asthma. Funny thing is that I can control is, so that makes me think it’s nerves. I need to mentally focus and challenge myself to say “this is a leisure run, you’re not running for time. You’re stronger than you think you are. Breathe slowly”. I think I miss running with my running buddy (we run together but still in groups), because she “calmed” my breathing down, ha.

I think I’m going to try and go for another run tomorrow, by myself — really slow (maybe) and see if I can control it. Because if I can, it’s nerves. Right? I gotta be right.

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Health, Photos, Running

Athletic weekend

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I have been upping my running mileage by 500 meters each week so I can be in 10k race form by September. This week I am between 6 and 6.5km’s. On Friday I decided to ask my Boyfriend to do my 6k loop with me — I felt really good, so I pushed myself hard towards the end and I bet my time by a good two minutes. I ended up doing a few crazy somewhat long sprints that left me feel like I wanted to vom. We finished in 35 minutes and some change, so really like a 10 minute mile – I don’t get it. I guess maybe it was the stop lights that we had to wait at that made it seem longer?

I also ended up wearing my visor that I received as some free swag at a bike shop when we went to Ironman Canada last year. It definitely keeps the sweat from accumulating on my face. Or so I’d like to think. I turn purple/red and I sweat A LOT on my face when I run. The picture on the left is from Monday’s run though. The blue tank is old, purchased from Winners and probably not the best shirt for running as it rides up a bit :(

Monday we had a holiday here in Ontario and so I asked the Boyf to come on another run with me but take a brand new route. It was only 6.89k but it felt like miles longer than what it was. I ended up whining, and complaining a lot. I pretended I was near death and wanted to stop for water, thankfully he put up with me being annoying and pushed me harder. He’s all “What? You want to drink some water out of the manhole?” It wasn’t funny when I heard it but when I think about it, I’m glad he pushed me hard. Plus it was a holiday and realistically we couldn’t stop for water. Nothing was open! I think the route seemed 2x longer than what it was because I knew the roads and I knew they were really long. We finished in 46 minutes. 11 minutes way slower than Friday and it was only 800meters more! Isn’t that weird? Towards the end I was crawling at a snails pace, but still “Jogging”. I’m not sure what was up. I get so down on myself when running days go like that. I need to stop being negative.

Tonight is the trail run. Let’s hope I don’t quit like last week, 2k in. I can DO this.

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