The other side of the highway

Today's run was a winter white out without the wind, we decided to run across the highway in a new plot for 20 minutes straight, our first 20 minute straight run. The snow was coming down in big flakes and we were running pretty easy and steady. Alyssa's egg timer, as i call it, was going off because her heart rate was going too fast so I slowed down my pace and we kept up our chat the whole time not braking stride. It was a good first 20 min run. Upon finishing we watched the show 42 ways to kill Hitler, really crazy and interesting. Great end to the week and month.

Wolf Moon Run

The Payne family is sitting down watching an episode of Dexter. Alyssa and I are relaxing at the kitchen table from the wolf moon run. Tonight is the first full moon of the year, as well as the brightest moon of the year... and, unfortunately for us, one of the coldest days in 2010 so far. The running plan for the night was to run for 8 minutes, walk for 5, and then run for 8 again. It was the first time we ran for 8 consecutive minutes and it felt pretty easy; we both thought it would be harder. I was running slow and easy, Alyssa was moving steady and fast. She had a good 50m lead on me not that I was paying attention. The weather also wasn't as bad as we both thought it would be... as soon as I started running I warmed right up.

Also, Alyssa got a few of her school marks today:
Sociology Summative (worth 10%):  96.5%
Sociology Exam (worth 20%): 94%
Accounting Summative (worth 10%): 86%
Accounting Exam (worth 20%):  77%

She figures she'll finish sociology with around a 93-95%, and accounting with an 86%.

What not to wear!

I looked like a homeless person tonight. I was wearing Reid's Atari pj bottoms (I forgot mine at home), my lumberjack coat, and I had the pjs tucked into my socks to attempt to block any drafts. Alyssa was laughing at me and joking that she was embarrassed. The run was pretty decent for me for the first ten minutes or so, however half way through I slowed down and coasted. I was a little winded from my bronchitis, but I managed. Alyssa was ahead; she always runs at a good pace. It was pretty warm for the most part, but the rain from earlier in the day was starting to freeze and made the sidewalks very slippery, so we decided to run on the road. We also ran down a street with tons of cars on it, turns out someone was having some sort of sex party according to the decal on the company car parked outside of one of the houses. All in all it was a decent start to week five of our training.

A side note: Alyssa wrote her Sociology exam today... she felt she did well, but she won't find out until Friday. She also has a math exam early tomorrow morning.

Into the darkness...

Location location location. The spot we chose was reminiscent of a spooky back country horror: dark roads, hills, a river, and two out of breath people running and working hard to make it to the end. The sun had pretty much set and we warmed up with are usual five minute walk. The run was good, I liked the up and down course, winding road, and the little river. Alyssa had on her little light and it came in handy so we could at least see some of the road. The last five min was pretty tough back uphill. I didn't struggle today, but Alyssa was a little short of breathe at the top of the hill. But, still she pushed through and completed the run. I would like to run that course in the day time or early morning, maybe we could see some wild life. I give that course a 4-5 on the point scale.

Alyssa's account of the run...
It was a great run, definitely different then usual and a little spooky. The course was hilly which were definitely not used to and it was so dark out you could barely see in front of you; their was literally only one street light on the whole road. My light I use to check the time on the Gymboss helped, but not to much. I'm not going to lie I was a little worried about some cars barreling down the road and not seeing us, but lucky only one car even passed and they saw us. I also had visions of a werewolf or something jumping out of the bushes attacking me lol. Luckily, these were only dreams and neither manifested. Anyways, it was a challenging run, especially the uphill last five minutes, but we completed it and it feel soooooo good to be finished week four. Already itching to run again. :)

Payne payne go away, come again another day...

Tonigh'ts run was a struggle only because the day before I ran all over the city of Toronto to pick up a Pulp Fiction poster that I promised for Reid. I picked up his poster and made the GO train home with seconds to spare. So I was a little sore and my muscles were tight in the homestretch for Alyssa's home. Alyssa commented that it was a bit of a harder run, but she also "accidentally" made us run an extra minute and a half. She's a great partner and girlfriend, she pushes me to exceed and to drive. When I was really struggling I took her tip of running from light post to light post; it kinda worked, but I just cared more about my breathing patterns. That's what I find really helps me. After that we did our sets of push ups and then watched the end of the finale of Jersey Shores. GTL baby!

We got a comedian in the house.

First workout of week four is in the books!! It got off to a funny start with my comedy act of funny hands and a Donald Duck walk, Alyssa was laughing uncontrollably. Then when I calmed down, we hit the pavement and got going. It started out pretty warm and clear, but by the end of the run there were little flurries; it felt really nice on the face, cooled you right off. I think we were both a little anxious about the run upon seeing that we had to run three minutes straight, walk for a bit, then run five minutes straight, walk for a bit, then run three minutes straight, walk for a bit, and then lastly run for five minutes straight again; it appeared to be our hardest run yet. All in all though, it wasn't that bad. I concentrated on my breathing and Alyssa used her game in her head of running from light pole to light pole to distract herself. After finishing we took a nice eight and a half minute walk and now we are drinking water about to do some sets of push ups and Killer Abs X... wish us luck!

Running, Monopoly and Naps

Last run of week 3 and Nazaire wanted to change up the scenery today so he took us out to a little country road where we saw a couple hawks that he couldn't stop blabbing about... Cooper's hawks apparently. He's a bird watcher and can rattle of names and facts about birds he see's in the sky or on the television... it's cute and kinda funny lol. Anyways, the run was great... very warm, felt like it went by so quickly, and reminded me of my old street in Winnipeg. I'm looking forward to week 4... we're 1/4 of the way done the program and it feels great. After getting back in from our run we played a game of Monopoly... I thoroughly kicked Nazaire's bum! After that Nazaire was flipping back and forth between the Golden Globe's and I Love You Man when I just passed out, I was so sleepy. Later, I headed home listening to the book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman. I downloaded and burned the Audiobook from the local library... I've heard it's a good book and figured it's a good way to pass the 20 minute drives back and forth. So far the book is as good and interesting as promised. :)

Book

Third Time the Charm...

For the last few days my foot has felt a bit funny, so Nazaire suggested we wait til tomorrow to run and although I wasn't psyched to take that route (felt like I was giving up) I decided it was probably the best idea and I do love running in his area, it's a lot more peaceful. So, instead of our run we decided to get all dressed up and go out for a drink and a movie... we had no idea what a mission it would turn out to be. We went and got the movie tickets early (Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera), then headed out looking for somewhere to get a drink. First stop was Milestones and we had no luck there, it was PACKED! Second stop was Canyon Creek and it was also pretty full and Nazaire just wasn't feeling it. Hoping the third time would be the charm we headed over to Kelsey's and it was, a couple just left a booth as we got there. We finished up our drinks and headed over to chapters where we browsed for a bit to kill some time, then headed over to the movie theater. We ended up getting great seats, I had movie popcorn for the first time in month (mmmm lol), and the movie was GREAT! It was one of those understated comedies and we both laughed a lot. Definitely, made us forget about the madness of finding somewhere to have a drink lol. Then we headed back to my place and watched some Kenny vs. Spenny. Can't wait to train tomorrow! :)

A Sweet Surprise...

School has been absolutely crazy lately and today was no different; I wrote 2 summatives. I just kept checking the time both wishing for the crazy summative to be done for the day and excited to see Nazaire (he was picking me up from school). He picked me up at 2:40pm and we headed over to the Heart and Stroke Foundation where I had to pick up some volunteer kits that I must deliver to get my 40 hours of community service necessary to graduate. After that we headed to my house and while I was making food he said he forgot something in his car. I wasn't really paying attention and figured he just forgot his hat or mitts, but to my surprise a minute later I looked over and saw him holding flowers and a stuffed animal of a bulldog (their my favorite!). It was such a sweet and unexpected surprise and I loved it! So, after a few hugs and thank you's we ate, and then headed out for our run. Nazaire said the first half of the run felt very slow to him, but the way back as a breeze... honestly, I felt opposite about it. It was also really warm and there was little wind which was great. Upon finishing the run we did our push ups and went out where he helped me deliver some volunteer kits. He's truly a great boyfriend. :)

The Canadian Equivalent of Sand...

Tonight we had our first run of week three and we weren't sure what to expect... this week included running for longer periods of time and walking less than usual. It was also a cold night with some strong wind, as well as ice and snow covered sidewalks. I felt uneven running on the sidewalk because the snow wasn't packed down good enough and my footing felt off so I took it easy. Alyssa sure picked up the pace for both of us and was moving at a good pace; she loved it, said it it felt just like running on sand which she's a big fan of. Week three has begun and we have just registered for the Frosty 5K, I'm quite excited.

It's a beautiful day in the neighbourhood...

Today was a beautiful, sunny, and warm winter day and our last workout of week 2. We ran in Burlington just chatting and soaking up the rays... it was almost too bright; I pulled out the sunglasses which helped a lot, but Nazaire was not so lucky. The run was great, the conditions were very comfortable and we pushed each other and run our furthest run yet. Then afterward we took on a new push up challenge. We were previously doing 1 more push up each day, but at 20 push ups we were starting to see slower improvement and starting to struggle to keep up. So after some online research I found a plan that will hopefully break our plateau and help us get to our goal of 100 consecutive push ups. This new program consists of doing four sets of push ups with short breaks in between, and man is it challenging! By the last set I thought my arms might just buckle and give out leaving me flat on my face. For anyone curious about the program you can find it here. After that we did P90X's Ab Ripper X, which was brutal I had to stop a lot, Nazaire did much better than I did. He pushed himself really hard and I was so impressed. Then after that we did a few tricep and back exercises before downing some protein power and making my famous "healthy pizza." Overall, a very productive day. :)

Is that Rudolph running with a red nose?

This evening Alyssa and I set out for our run in her neighborhood after a good healthy meal of flax omega 3 whole grain pasta mmmmmm. Alyssa mixed it up with lots of herbs, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and mozzarella; it was great. We didn't end up actually heading out to run until 7:17 because Alyssa was so tired and took a nap... a LONG nap. Anyways, since it was so dark outside and we weren't sure how slippery the sidewalks would be Alyssa wore her Father's blinding bike reflector light just in case we had to run on the road. It was blinding me every time we ran past someone and I had to trail behind her lol. The wind was present but not too harsh, I felt good and she said she was sweating up a storm. To me it felt like a much longer run then we usually do (maybe because it was a new route), Alyssa thought it was the same and it nearly was, just a little longer than the last. After the run Alyssa had to complete her exercise science summative worth 10% of her overall mark. I knew I was committed to helping her with a school project, but little did I know I would be staying till past 1:30 am lol. But it had to be done and I knew how important it was to her, so I didn't mind helping her at all. We had fun and took breaks when necessary watching Jersey Shore making "the situation" jokes lol. Bring on the weekend.

Comment from Alyssa:
I'm going crazy trying not to drink pop.... especially when Nazaire is drinking 1 or 2 in front of me each day were together ahhhhhhhhh lol. I decided to try to cut down as much as possible since Dec 18th 2009. Okay, that's a lie, actually the plan was to not drink any pop or fast food for 30 days. But, I couldn't take it, especially with Christmas and New years and going from drinking it at least once a day, I couldn't stop cold turkey. In the last 3 and a half weeks I've eaten fast food once, and drank about 6 cans of pop. Definitely better than I was doing before December 18th. After Jan 18th hopefully a cut down to ZERO lol.

numero deux week

Today was our first run of week two in Stoney creek and it went pretty good, we ended up running a little further this time (tiny amount within the same 20 minutes but still we'll take it! lol). We didn't end up starting our run until 6:55pm; Alyssa was busy and couldn't get here any sooner. The weather was nice though, cool but not too cold; Alyssa kept complaining she as burning up and wearing too many layers. There was nearly no wind and we chatted the whole way. Again it went by so fast, especially considering the little bit of anxiety we both had about what week 2 would be like. All in all, I think week two has been pretty good so far. Alyssa started back at school this week after a few weeks off for the holidays; she is a little stressed with assignments and trying to find a volunteer position to finish her 40 hours of community service hours necessary to graduate (she needs 35 and their due at the end of the month!). Hopefully though the running will help with the stress... can't wait until Thursday's run.

My BILLY Bookcase...

For a while now I've known that I was in need of a new bookshelf; the old one just wasn't cutting it anymore. My books were starting to pile up all over the place.... there were piles in my room, in the basement, in the bathroom. So, after months and months of saying I needed one I was browsing the net and saw that Ikea had a bookcase for $69. Nazaire came over and I asked if he wouldn't mind coming to check it out with me, we headed there and walked through that maze of a store searching for it... not an easy task, it was a complete zoo in there and seemed like everyone brought their 3 year old. We get to the shelf area and honestly I was expecting it to be small for $69, but nope it was bigger than both of us expected. We headed to the warehouse area and thank god he was there or I would have had a hell of a time; the box was huge and really heavy. Anyways, with his muscles we got it into the truck and even got some of their great frozen yogurt in the process...yum. We got back to the house had a bite to eat and then got to building this sucker. Luckly, it went pretty we'll... we didn't have to rebuild it and didn't kill each other in the process either. It looks great and I appreciate all the help Nazaire gave me so much. After that we just RELAXED! We played a game of 9 ball (which I won... got to boast because that may be the only time), watched some Twilight zone, ate some chips, and did a whole lot of nothing... it was great!

Oh and the unfortunate accidental injuries continue... last night while watching the TLC show 650 Virgin (incredible and inspiring how he lost 400 pounds naturally), I went the the bathroom, and tripped up the wood stairs bruising and skinning my knee. It killed! It's funny how the littlest injuries seem to hurt so much (ex. paper cuts). Ahhh... it's still hurting, darn I'm getting klutzy.

 

 

 

Welcome 2010

Nazaire:
The new year is here; where did 2009 go.  Today does not feel like a friday, it feels more like a sunday, but we're back at it day 3 of our journey. The bridgestone classic was on, the outdoor NHL hockey game between Boston and Philadelphia and as much as i wanted to watch it, I'm committed to this experience with Alyssa and I'll take her any day over a sporting event. Todays run was the same as day 2, we were back in the creek again (mapped it out for curiosity sake and it was a nice little 3.4km course), my cheeks were rosy and Alyssa was running at a good clip. Her new sugoi subzero tights looked good and she was pretty happy with her new purchase. With the ring in of 2010, i feel its a great opportunity to set some goals and accomplish new experiences and gain a new hobby.

Alyssa:
Jeez, this year flew by so fast; I swear just the other week it was January 2009. New years was great... spent it with Naz just relaxing and then brought in the new year with our 3rd run this week. It was a lil more chilly today; the wind came back to say hi, thank goodness it wasn't snowing though. Big bummer was that I forgot my new heart rate monitor. I was pretty pissed; I love using it, I get all excited as we get in the door to check out the stats and compare them to the previous workouts. But on the bright side, the new tights are great, very comfortable and warm for anyone looking for a good pair for winter. But, ya we completed week 1 of our 9 week program; great success. It feels really great to have week 1 in the bag. The new year is off to a great start and I have a good feeling about this year. I definitely feel ready to kick some butt and accomplish some goals! Cheers and happy new year to all :)

P.s. for anyone curious about what we've been up to the runs for week one all consisted of:

• 5 min brisk warm-up walk
• Alternating running for 60 seconds with walking for 90 secs for a total of 20 minutes
• 5 min cool-down walk & some brief stretching

We've also been having a bit of a push up challenge.... started out doing 1 push up day one, 2 push ups day 2 and so forth... I'm at 14, Nazaire is at 15 (he started a day before me).