Red wine = Perfect run

Hello runner’s high and Canuck’s high!

When I set out on my run this morning (which was closer to the afternoon than the morning) I really tried to just let my feet guide me. I didn’t want to think about potential ankle or shin pain, or fatigue, or how many kilometres I should be running versus how many kilometres I would be running, I just wanted to run. For the first few kilometres it was difficult not to think about what the ankle was doing, but once I shed a layer of clothing (I might have gone a little overboard with the jacket, mitts, two shirts, arm warmers and tights) and cranked my music up, I got to say, I was freaking awesome! So awesome I didn’t want to stop.

TODAY’S RUN:

• 11:30 a.m. BG before: 13.0
• Temp. basal: -50 per cent (2.5 hours)
• Distance: 16 km
• Average pace: 6:40 min/km
• Average heart rate: 163 bpm
• Time: 1:46:53
• @45 minutes: GU gel. @65 minutes BG: 7.3. @ 90 minutes: GU gel.
• 1:30 p.m. BG after: 8.7
• Temp. basal: +50 per cent (1 hour)

Earlier this week my physio gave me the go ahead to start increasing my mileage again. You may recall he suggested I do a 10 km and 12 km run this week – not 16 km. But here’s the thing, I’m running along, checking out my surroundings on the Vancouver Seawall, one of my all-time favourite places to run (despite the people who walk five by each across the path, despite the dogs on extendable leashes, despite the fact I got injured by one of those dogs on extendable leashes) and my mind really wasn’t focused on the mileage, not at all. I’ve run this route quite a few times, so I knew when I hit the Lions Gate Bridge I was around 6 km and when I hit the Second Beach Pool, it was about 8 or 9 km and the Burrard Street Bridge was about 12 km, so I had an idea of the mileage I was clicking, but I just wasn’t focusing on it, I was truly just focused on how great I felt, my surroundings, and my music.

I’ve got a pretty awesome running playlist, but I hardly ever get to listen to it. When I’m with my girls, I rarely play it as I’m so busy chatting away and listening to everything they’re saying, there’s just no time for music. But on my own, that music is key. A playlist can make or break a run, and last year when I was preparing for the marathon, I spent hours choosing the perfect songs for motivation, inspiration, memories, giggles, etc. And I did a pretty rocking job if I do say so myself. Almost every time I plug into this playlist I’m pleasantly surprised at how close I can relate to these songs on a run. I mean just look at these:

• Destiny’s Child, I’m a Survivor: How perfect is this for me right now?
• Kanye West, Jesus Walks: My feet were not failing me.
• Eminem, Soldier: You better believe I was a soldier today!
• Justin Timberlake, SexyBack: I may have been sweating like a crazy, but I was damn sexy doing it 😀
• Eminem, Til I Collapse: Just check out these lyrics:

“Cause sometimes you feel tired, feel weak, and when you feel weak, you feel like you wanna just give up. But you gotta search within you, you gotta find that inner strength and just pull that shit out of you and get that motivation to not give up and not be a quitter, no matter how bad you wanna just fall flat on your face and collapse…”

Seriously, perfection.

And so by the time I realized I had surpassed the 12 km mark, I was already at 14 km and really there was just no sense stopping there, so I kept going. I reached Science World at 16 km and seriously felt like I could keep going, and I wanted to, bad. There was a super fresh, super tasty sandwich calling out to me from Granville Island, just another 3 km away, surely I could keep going, and I would have had I not had to walk back those 3 km in sweaty clothes!

And my run was done all in sun!

The fact I had such a great run today keeps my theory of red wine the night before a run going strong. We went out for dinner at Nicli Antica Pizzeria in Gas Town (owners are from Naples) with our Italian friends (who are going back to Italy this summer, which I’m so jealous, and am trying to master the art of contortionism to fit into their luggage) and I had a funghi pizza, which was sooo tasty, with two glasses of red wine. Red wine = Perfect run!

Mario’s was super envious at the table last night where four of us had iPhones and the only one without was him.

And for those of you not in the know, my Vancouver Canucks are up 3-0 in the playoff series against the Chicago Blackhawks! I heart Ryan Kesler!!!

Do you have superstitions routines you follow before a run?