stand up and finish what you started

so, i've been feeling really lost these past few weeks as you may have been able to tell by the significant lack of updates through the MOVEment facebook page. lost and humbled. lost in my direction and humbled by the fact that i gave up on my own challenge at 70 days. this is discouraging. i have done this challenge before....i should be able to complete it now.

maybe should is the wrong word. a dear friend of mine often reminds me that "people 'should' on themselves too often. it isn't good for you".

i have a million excuses, as we all do. this year has put a lot of pressures on me as i finish up my degree at the university of victoria. i am disappointed that i let everything get the best of me and my reaction was to hide out for a few weeks. i just stopped participating.

but today i came across this photo:

and i had to laugh because i thought "are you speaking to me?!"

so the only logical thing to do is to start again.
and that is not a bad thing. in fact i may be starting and participating in this challenge for the rest of my life! i hope i am. and i hope you are.

MOVEment has become an incredible community and the support and encouragement i have received from people to continue has been overwhelming. the stories i hear about how physical activity has changed peoples lives are what motivates me most of all. thank you for being a part of my journey and thank you for letting me be a part of yours.

today i feel more inspired than i have in weeks. what lessons will i learn this time? who will i connect with? what adventures and opportunities will present themselves to me? i will never know unless i continue.

February 1st, 2012 is day one.

she slips...

and so close to the end....she slips.

last sunday came with a twist in my plans, a change in the route i thought my life was going to take, and consequently i spent the day dealing with this change. and i forgot about MOVEment.

now where do i go from here?

i completed 70 consecutive days of MOVEment.
do i start from day one again? do i continue from where i am?
i didn't want to be in this position...

happy new year: balancing the past and future with the present.

a new year usually means time to reflect on the past and look into the future. where have you been this year? what have you accomplished? where do you see yourself going?

i just wrote a sentence about how there were many goals i had set for 2011 that i did not accomplish....and then i deleted the sentence. what am i really trying to say? what do i want to share right now?


BALANCE is my word of the moment.
i believe we need to look into the past to learn from our mistakes and successes, as well as explore our future possibilities and plans. but i believe this needs to be in balance with discovering the present MOMENT. this moment. right now.

what are you feeling? take a moment and pay attention to each sense: sight, touch, taste, sound, smell...maybe write it down...or just reflect.

that is something i love about running trail. it forces me to connect with the present moment in a way that i often find challenging to do. running trail forces me to combine my breath, mind, and muscles and to pay attention to every sensation around me. i am acutely aware of the position of my body, the weight distribution over the joints of my feet, the  feeling of the air as it flows around me... i am blissfully unaware of the dishes waiting to be washed in my sink, the next approaching assignment due date, or that i am out of milk. i am living completely in the moment. and in this i find a place to meditate. it seems like a funny combination: to be acutely aware of everything around you, but to also feel like you are meditating. running trail reminds me to enjoy the journey as much as i enjoy the destination.

this moment is what we really have. our past has brought us here and our future will carry us to where we need to go, but what we have now is this moment. future goals (or call them new years resolutions) are extremely important (we all know how i love goal setting) but the path we take to achieve those goals is just as important. so choose something this year that gives you a path you will enjoy. create a goal with a journey that is just as appealing as the end destination.

and lets see where that takes you...




25.12.11: day 55
boot camp style workout with my brother! we got some strange looks as we utilized the local playground to complete sets of squats, rows, jumps, pushups, core exercises, lunges, and running in the middle of the afternoon on christmas day. it was so worth it :)

26.12..11: day 56
a waterfront walk with the family. 45min.

27.12.11: day 57
core exercises at hm. evening walk 30min.

28.12.11: day 58
walk dallas rd to ogden point breakwater and back. rainy. time well spent with a friend.

29.12.11: day 59
run/walk 2 hrs! feeling good. need to do more stretching...

30.12.11: day 60
35 min cardio on spin bike; full body strength training. i love how my body feels when i lift weights! why do i ever stop?


31.12.11: day 61
walking 30min.

01.01.12: day 62
walking much of the day!

02.01.12: day 63
walking 30 min. very low key today.

igloo village

 my most creative MOVEment yet involved building an igloo village in the meadows at hollyburn ridge, up cypress mountain. this was something i had done before, but not with this many people camping over night with us. there is something very magical about being up in the mountains over night. the scenery is incredible, for one, with the fog rolling in around the snow capped trees. i also find the moments i share with people in the wilderness become something special. they become the stories i tell, the photos i review, and the memories i turn to when i need inspiration. this night was no different.

the snow conditions were surprisingly perfect for igloo building and the evening went incredibly smoothly. we built two igloos and with three people per igloo, the building seemed to go by pretty quickly. we found the best arrangement was one person working in the block quarry (as i like to call it) cutting blocks out of the snow with the snow blades and saws we brought, one person shuttling the blocks to the igloo and helping pack the walls, and one person working from inside the igloo, receiving the blocks and forming the walls and ceiling. after our two igloos were complete we decided to connect them with a massive tunnel (that almost became a third igloo itself!). the process took about 4 hours but the end result was a very impressive snow structure that provided shelter for our winter camp out!









this was a fantastic experience but i would insist that interested people do a bit of research before they try this themselves. a good outdoor store like Mountain Equipment Co-op is a great place to start. we made sure this was a safe experience by doing a few simple things:

• we chose an area to camp in that we were already very familiar with.
• we told other people where we were camping and what time we were expected to return home by.
• our group was a mixture of experienced and less experienced winter campers, so we had enough knowledge and skill to draw from (as well as a first aid professional).
• we brought appropriate gear, including specialized winter camping gear, as well as a small heater, stove, and hot drinks. on an extreme scale, the difference between appropriate gear an inappropriate gear can save your life. when nothing goes wrong, it still serves to increase the comfort and enjoyment of any trip.

i can't stress both sides enough: how memorable and rewarding outdoor adventures can be but to know your facts before planning any outdoor adventure.

9.12.11: day 39
walk in eve.

10.12.11: day 40
walk downtown victoria: 2hrs.

11.12.11: day 41
cardio at the Y.

12.12.11: day 42
strength at the Y.

13.12.11: day 43
 walking.

14.12.11: day 44
just stretching. i was really sick the night before :(

15.12.11: day 45
stretching 30 min.

16.12.11: day 46
christmas light walk :)

17.12.11: day 47
trail run in pacific spirit park, vancouver. 1 hr.

18.12.11: day 48
walking.

19.12.11: day 49
igloo village building! at least 4 hours of hiking in the snow, cutting and lifting blocks, and sculpting igloos before camping out over night.

20.12.11: day 50!!!
waking up in an igloo was a remarkable way to start day 50! i concluded with a beach walk at night.

21.12.11: day 51
quick jog and stretch in local park.

22.12.11: day 52
walking along the vancouver waterfront.

23.12.11: day 53
walking downtown victoria.

24.12.11:day 54
simple home strength workout: squats, push ups, v sits, stretch.

my very own race

ok, this post is a little late.....with exams, work, christmas preparations, and family visits, i've fallen a little behind on my MOVEment updates. enjoy, and i will try to post something more up to date soon....

funny story:

my most interesting MOVEment experience over the last two weeks came to me through my choice of running route one evening. i decided to run the evening of dec 3rd and the route i had chosen (actually one of my favoirte waterfront routes) also happended to be the route of Victoria's annual Christmas truck parade. i ran the entire 12km about 20min in front of the parade, so i never saw it, but there were hundreds of spectators lining the streets as i passed. i was even followed by a police car for a few kilometers as he made sure the parade route was safe! there was such energy in the crowd and at one point the sidewalk became so busy i couldn't pass....but the road was clear. traffic had been stopped for the parade but the trucks weren't on the road yet....so......out on to the road i go!!

i sprinted down the middle of the street as fast as i could, with hundreds of spectators watching me. and some of them started to cheer!!! just like that i was in my very own race! i must have looked ridiculous but i was having such a good time just running and feeding off the energy from the crowd. it was by far my funniest running moment to date.

hey, maybe this will be a new fad. i just might look for other local parades to run in front of! and next year, maybe i will run wearing christmas lights!!


***

21.11.11: day 21
cardio 30min; upper body strength workout.

22.11.11:day 22
cardio 1hr spin workout; lower body strength workout.

23.11.11:day 23
walk 30min

24.11.11:day 24
walk 40min

25.11.11:day 25
walk 30min

26.11.11:day 26
walk 30min

27.11.11: day 27
walk; splash in puddles; learn to be a child again :)

28.11.11: day 28
walk 45min

29.11.11:day 29
cardio 30min spin

30.11.11:day 30
walk 30min

1.12.11: day 31
walk 45min

2.12.11:day 32
walk 35min

3.12.11: day 33
12km road run: 1:25
ran my own race. just me and hundreds of spectators!! felt amazing.

4.12.11:day 34
walk 45min exploring another community at night.

5.12.11:day 35
walk 30min

6.12.11:day 36
walk run 12km with training partner. 1:35

7.12.11:day 37
cardio 30min spin (getting stronger on the bike!!); full body strength training.

8.12.11:day 38
30min stretch. my most minimal MOVEment yet :( i came home from writing an exam in the evening and performed a very minimal stretching routine that barely counted towards my goal of at least 30min of MOVEment a day. but i did sleep really well that night and i felt less tightness in my hamstrings despite the strength workout the day before. so the stretching did benefit me...it just wasn't my ideal exercise.

Week Three: Competition

on one end of the spectrum, there are people who thrive on competition. nothing is as exciting as it is when you are against someone else. what are your strengths? who can you beat? are you faster, or are they? the motivation that comes from competition is often unmatched.

on the other end are those who shy from competition. they fear the attention of coming in first, the disappointment of coming in last, and simply shy away from being compared to others. i would have to place myself more in this category. i was not raised in competitive sports and i rarely found myself placed against someone in a physical challenge. now when i do enter a competition, i am easily intimidated and discouraged.

i am slowly trying to overcome this challenge. i do not enter very many competitions, but when i do, i am often filled with anxiety the week before and i have to remember that above all, i am doing this for fun. but even i have discovered benefits form competitive actives if i am in the right mindset. i try to let the event and those people around me build my energy and enthusiasm for the race, not detract from it. and in the moment (and afterwards) i do enjoy it. encouragement from other competitors and the excitement of the spectators really mean the world to me! i can not even express how much this influences my race. this year, at the gunner shaw 2011, as i was running up a particularly difficult hill, an elderly gentleman reminded me how great i was doing and that it was so wonderful i was out here trail running. his kind encouragement really boosted my motivation and that hill suddenly seemed not as steep.

i was also fortunate to run this race with friends again this year, and competing with those you respect and love often makes the experience that much more memorable. without a doubt, my favorite part of the race this year was coming around the corrner near the finish and seeing by good friend waiting for me.
"what are you doing?!" i yelled. "you're not supposed to wait!!"
"i know," she laughed. "but i wanted to finish the race with you!"

we raced across the finish line, linking arms and laughing, which confused the race volunteers to some degree.
"Girls, stay in order! Who finished first here!"
"We finished together!!" we shouted.
"no girls, this is very important. you don't understand."
"no, i don't think you understand. its not important. we don't care which order we are in".

...and maybe that is the value of competion.
you get out of it what you want to. if you can use it to psych you up and motivate your body and mind to race stronger and faster than you have in the past, then that's amazing. if you use it to push your boundaries, instil a few pre-race jitters, but throw it away at the end in favor of having more fun, than that is also just as amazing.

a sincere 'thank you' to all those involved in organizing an hosting this amazing race, as well as a thank you to all the competitors and spectators.

14.11.11: day 14
30min spin

15.11.11: day 15
45min walk

16.11.11: day 16
30min walk

17.11.11: day 17
30min spin

18.11.11: day 18
30min walk

19.11.11: day 19
Gunner Shaw 10km trail run (1:06)

20.11.11: day 20
30 min stretching
felt amazing after my run yesterday, but i still wanted to take it easy today. i thought some dedicated flexibility practice would be beneficial.

Week Two: scattered thoughts

how is it possible that i still struggle to make exercise a daily routine?
how many times do i have to do this until it gets easier?

we all have busy lives. could the lesson be that it may never get easier to incorporate physical activity into your daily life...but we don't do it because its easy? we do it for the countless physical, mental, and social benefits...and because it makes us who we are.

 
i call myself a runner. is there a definition for this? do i need to run four times a week to be a runner, or cover mind boggling distances like my ultra runner friends? what about being a surfer, kayaker, or hiker for that matter? should i be logging hours and trips to prove my status.

does your physical activity define who you are?






last week was my birthday and i was blessed to spend it with some wonderful family members and friends in one of my favorite places in the world: Tofino, B.C. i spent the week surfing, beach running, kayaking (a few small waves), and relaxing and recuperating from life in the real world.

 now i am back into a world of pressures and scattered thoughts.

i have the gunner shaw race this weekend. i am not a racer (a runner, but not a racer? how do i know this?) even though my time for this race doesn't really impact anything, i have been stressing all week about it. i didn't grow up in competitive sports, so my enthusiasm for competition, even at the lowest level, is relatively weak. so i must relax and try and enjoy this race (and i will, as i'm running it). "Run for the love" as a dear friend once told me. must remember.


MOVEment this past week:

13.11.11: day 13
30min walk

 12.11.11: day 12
1.5 hours of surfing in the morning. we were some of the first out there in the misty rain and white water. great way to end the trip.

11.11.11: day 11
running along long beach. 1 hour approx? the wind was so strong i was leaning into it and still had trouble moving forward at any kind of respectable pace! but it reminded me of my long beach running this past summer and i felt thankful for the experience regardless of the wind.

10.11.11: day 10
spent most of the morning surfing. did a little kayak surfing too.

09.11.11: day 9
30min walk along chesterman beach in the dark. walked with papa bear and relaxed after a busy morning getting ready for the trip and a long car ride to tofino.

08.11.11: day 8
full body strength at YM/YWCA

07.11.11: day 7
cardio training