After watching the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I put it out there that I wanted to do a half marathon next fall. I also mentioned that Ali, Jamie and I had so much fun running the Around the Bay relay last year that we planned to do the same thing this year. Except by the time we went to register, it was already sold out!

Ali and Jamie, being the hardcore runners that they are, have already signed up for the full!  I am less confident in my ability to run 30km in less than 4 months, seeing as the furthest I've ever run is 10K! But I put an Around the Bay Training plan together and have been sticking with it so far. More than that, I've really been enjoying the training. I've even noticed time and speed improvements, albeit small ones, and my ability to just keep running when I want to stop is also much better.


I sure do wish I could get my legs to look like this! source

To support my plan, and keep me motivated, I've signed up for two races; the Santa Shuffle 5K in Guelph on December 1st, and the New Year's Day Resolution Road Race 10K in Brantford on January 1st. I've even got some time goals, which I never really had before!

Now if only Runner's World would bring back their "What to Wear" page, I'd be golden! It was my saving grace in figuring out what clothes work best for me in the changing weather.

Hooray for tap water!

This got me thinking of a radio interview I heard in the summer time. The two creators of the App Quench were interviewed. Quench is a mobile app for iPhone, Android or Blackberry that finds the nearest water fountain or Water Re-fill location in Toronto. It looks like there are lots of places to re-fill my water bottle!

Source

Blackberry App World, here I come! At the time of the radio interview, there was no Blackberry version.

With the remnants of Hurricane Sandy going through here for the past week, I've discovered that I am a three season commuter cyclist.  I'm planning for four seasons, but I'm waiting until the middle of January to decide for sure!

Arriving Home

Some of the things I've found work well for me while riding in the rain:

• Rubber boots (mine are aubergine Wellingtons, and I LOVE them)
• Wearing dresses with running leggings with a change into leggings/tights at work
• A jacket with a hood

Arriving at work, mostly dry

• Awesome running glove/mitts from Nike. Waterproof on the top, soft and breathable on the bottom. They're pricey, but one day in and I already think they're worth it. I got mine at MEC.

Nike Running Tech Index Mitt (source)

• Front and rear lights, so that I'm more obvious to drivers in dark conditions. This adds to the visibility of my eggshell blue Bobbin Birdie bike.

Front and Rear LED lights that snap on and off easily

• A panier to keep my change of clothes in. I've got the Basil Jada Shopper XL, which I adore because of its capacity and long shoulder straps and the Timbuk2 Shift Panier Messenger for my Laptop.
• Fenders!

Fenders ensure your backside stays clean

• A cloth to wipe down the seat/handles if they get wet while parked, like mine did yesterday while at class. Thankfully my work has secured bike storage in the underground parking, so I don't have to worry about wiping down my seat most days.

Wet seat