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Wednesday 29 February 2012

Is someone gonna plow this route?

Holy Shit. 18 centimetres of snow fell the day before the Edmonton HypoHalf.

It's kinda laughable. I mean, it IS winter. We live in this godforsaken country. It SNOWS. And we know it. So embrace it right. But man...let me tell you RUNNING in it is another thing entirely!

So it's the morning of February 26th. We are ready to rock Edmonton.

But there is trepidation in the hearts of  the HypoHalf Trio -  meCalli and Lisa. We know we CAN. We know we will. But really. Let's be honest. There is 16 cm of fresh snow out there. IT's not a bitter as Calgary, so that is a bonus. BUT there is a lot of snow. A LOT. sigh.

Honey Badger don't give a shit. yes. Hold tight to this mantra!!!

How bad was it? AS  Calli  said...if you have ever run through sand dunes, that's what running through Edmonton's Highlands neighbourhood was like...

But it was AWESOME! Yes worst "time" ever for a half. But i had a helluva workout, and i felt FIIIINE when i got across the finish line. Damn Rights I can. Take that motha nature.

Also super awesome was meeting John Stanton, Founder of The Running Room and having a great pre-race chat.

So next week we hit RedDeer, and its gonna be ok.

I might actually be learning something about this running thing  - it's not really about how fast you do it, it's all in HOW you do it. And that every run, or race, teaches you something!








Saturday 25 February 2012

pouting OVER





I've spent a week pouting about my run. And the "time". Conveniently I have ignored that this is one of the best times ever for a half for me. Seriously it's only the 3rd one I have done. Geez!

So seriously It can't get worse can it? Nope. I sure hope not.

Onwards and UPWARDS.

Edmonton HypoHalf here I come!

Sunday 12 February 2012

Running For Sherry

Yesterday The HoneyBadgers started a journey of epic proportions. The Five week Hypothermic Half Triology began.

Crazy. But Hey! We Are Canadian. And from Alberta. And we have Winter. DEAL. Run or Freeze!!


Today we started with Calgary - Running for Sherry! Bibs on and we are good to go. The run starts and we are in good spirits...but i am pretty sure I haven't eaten enough. And neither has Calli ..but we forge on.

For me the first 10km are good. Sun is shining, Lots of giggles...
 And time for silly poses. You will notice mittens are absent. At this point its lovely...sunny...
But honestly, after the first 10k, and the turnaround into the biting very bitter wind, I know I am pooched. First my energy dramatically drops. Not sure what is up (well hindsight being 20/20...and right then I remember i forgot to eat my porridge, which is still sitting in my condo! DOH!) 

And even better -- i gotta poop. I know. TMI. 

But seriously, why does this have to happen. GRRR. I am feeling like I am running in good time (first race of the year and 5+ months after only my 2nd ever half) I gotta stop, disrobe. Take a few layers off to go to the biffy. Man, we might have beautiful winters, but taking off a mountain of clothes SUCKS. 

By the time I get out of the loo, everyone (save the volunteers at the waterstation where the water is FROZEN!) is long gone ahead. 

Crap, i try to speed up to catch, but i don't have it in me. I was on track for a PB and i sort of fold when I know its gone. But then I see Calli in the distance, calling me. 

The two of us struggle and finish. In times we both are not happy with. But we are DONE. 


 I think that I am the only one who is OK with my time (2:31) cause it is REALLY close to my first half mara time ever. And i know with more training and better eating I can do better.

But poor Calli the cold got to her and the late start time made for a nasty result. Here we are one minute sort of laughing it up, and the next....well lets say you know its bad when you are barfing at the Armani makeup counter.

You can't see our awesome makeup - something we thought we could do before hitting the town to celebrate our first half of the year (and being in a hotel sans kids and such)...but yeh, no one else saw our awesome makeup cause we all headed back to the hotel and crashed. Literally.

Hey we had fun and giggles, but we learned the lesson once AGAIN that life is never what you have planned out. It is what it is.

So we have 2 weeks til we do Edmonton HypoHalf. It will be better. And it will be awesome with the grrls!

Monday 6 February 2012

Ya Gotta Have Ticker, Maaaaate

Years ago my Aussie Roomate, used to scream at the telly (during cricket, of course), "Maaaaate, Ticka. Ya gotta have it!"

He's right. We need heart.

ticker [ˈtɪkə]
1. Slang
a.  the heart
b.  a watch
2. a person or thing that ticks
3. (Economics, Accounting & Finance / Stock Exchange) Stock Exchange the US word for tape machine [2]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003

The last few weeks I haven't had a lotta heart. Three weeks ago my parents came to the City for a routine visit. My step-dad was having an angiogram. Routine. No prob. Then several hours later Mom called to say actually, no it wasn't routine and we were going to have by-pass surgery. I cried. Of course. Since I am the family crier. 

Went for a run. Had a great 5km run. The next couple of runs were tough. So hard to keep my head on straight and not get distracted. Of course, I got distracted about getting distracted. ARGH! A week of minus40 weather had already distracted from some good training. Then my inablility to put life aside and go run showed me i still have lots of mental prep work to go  to "be a real runner".

Once my Dad had surgery and it went better than helped, I got in a great long run. Then it hit. The Flu. Typhoid. Or somesuch heinous nasty. I was so tired. Unable to get out of bed for an hour or two at a a tie. Sweats, Fever. Chills. And such bad bad aches. I was feeling mighty sorry for me. I couldnt see any of my family, as they would take germs back to the hospital. I couldn't see for myself that everyone was doing well, and on the mend. Heck, this past Thursday I wasn't even well enough to have lunch with my mom just before she picked up my dad to come home from the hospital. JESUS.

Earlier this week I crawled out of bed to go to the doc. He prescribed painkillers for my aches. I want sure i needed or wanted them. Then of course he asked me about running and exercise. When i had told him i started to feel poorly last Sunday right after a 10 mile run, he freaks out. Saying I shouldn't be exercising, or I would risk fluid around my heart.

WTF. WHHAAAAAAAAAAA?? Fluid? ummmmm. I thought exercise was good for me. (Granted one shouldnt run with the flu.....) but I felt there wasa slight over reaction. Then again, doc swears I dont have the flu with no cough or runny nose. But he's concerned about my big blood pressure drop, chills, sweats, etc etc. So off to bed i went. And stayed there for the rest of the week. Barf.

Finally Saturday i didnt feel like dying all day. So I ventured out for a little run sunday. At irst was only gonna go 5km. But then i hit 5, and thought, lets do more. So i overshot and did 12km instead of 10km. Felt marvy. Still do. THANK GOD.

Still, am a bit tired today. But a conserving some energy. I have a Half Marathon this Saturday. I am trying to not be hard on myself for not being in the RIGHT shape. I may not be able to hit my ideal time...but I think a Personal Best will happen. How can it not when we are running together for fun. For health. Can't be anything but good for our hearts and heads. Besides...we have two more half marathons (in Edmonton and Red deer) to run faster, if we feel the need.

These 3 halfmaras are part of our marathon training. And, part of my training to realize setting goals and following thru are more important than time.

And then, lest I forget the MOST important part of the race. The champagne afterwards! And the knowledge that a year ago I couldn't have done done one half marathon, let alone 3 in 5 weeks.

Onwards and upwards.
♥ Faster  Stronger ♥ Further 






Ready to Run!

Today I finally got the bibs laminated!!

Lisa, Calli, Emily and I will be pinning the bibs on the backs of our jackets and running 13.1 with Sherry.

On Saturday, February 11th at 1pm, we'll be taking part in Hypothermic Half Marathon in Calgary.What are you doing for the Virtual Run?

Sherry will also run with us on February 26th in Edmonton, and March 4th in Red Deer. The HypoHalf Trio is all over this. The Hypo Honeys. The Honey Badgers. Hmmmmm. We need a name, methinks.

Following the run, we will be enjoying sushi and bubbly (after the hot tub soak, natch!).

See you on the trails.

And thank you to Beth for putting this run in motion!

Thursday 2 February 2012

Enter the Dragon


Gung Hay Fat Choy!

The oldest and most important festival in China is called the Spring Festival. otherwise known as Chinese New Year.

The Spring Festival celebrates the Earth coming back to life and the beginning of plowing and planting. Because the Chinese use a lunar calendar, the date of the Spring Festival changes each year. This year it falls on January 23, 2012.

At work this past Saturday, we had a plethora of Chinese celebrations (and egg tarts!) to help welcome the Year of the Dragon! 

Enter the Dragon. 

For a full description of Year of the Dragon (or an other zodiac sign) click here.
I am a Monkey. Here is a quick description...


Monkeys will try anything once. To this vivacious lot, it’s all about enjoying life and living it to the fullest. They are uninhibited and simply do not care what others think of them. Monkeys outgrow that tendency early, so they possess a “devil may care” attitude throughout the rest of their life. If you are a Monkey’s friend, expect a lot of blissful craziness this year and hang on for dear life!
Monkeys appear to be perpetually jovial. As a matter of fact, others wonder if they ever experience a bad day. Monkey people are almost always upbeat and their happiness is contagious. If you need to be cheered up, call a Monkey. They generally have a funny story to relate and you will get off the phone feeling a lot better then when you got on. But, truth be told, what the Monkey shows to the world on the outside often has little to do with the anxiety he conceals on the inside. In spite of that uneasiness, the Monkey’s specialty is keeping friends happy and content. 
Oddly enough, that is pretty damn accurate. 

I am rather excited that Dragons get along marvellously with Monkeys (ME)! So this bodes well. 
Hoping my year is filled with power and good will and, well, money.
That would be preferable. 

Oh, and of course, here's hoping your year is prosperous too!! Here's to a new adventure. 

Winter Makes me Think (or WISH) for Spring

Mary Mary Quite Contrary....How Does Your Garden Grow? 
The last few weeks has been rather stressful. And I have drowned my sorrows (so to speak) in foot candy. Ah...shoe porn makes it all better.

That is the danger of working in a high end department store. Shoes staring at you. Beconing you. Saying. "Hello lady. What ARE you doing? Come over here. Slip me on. What are you doing tonight? Take me home. you know you waaaaaaaaaaaannnaa."

Tho' most of the shoes are unwearable (by my standards). Too High. Yet Dead Sexy. I still love them, even i f I know they will never EVER grace my tender tootsies.

Still I cannot resist looking. Touching. Petting. prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Like these wedges. They make me think of Spring and summer. Of freshly lacquered toes.

Toes that are not black or bruised from miles put on by running.

Toes that look dead sexxy. Oh I still remember those kind of toes.

Actually, I am happy to announce that right now I have no black toes!!! I fear that come summer, they will be back. So no orange for me. Slate grey or black or navy nail varnish it will be. Or closed toes and not something fab like these uber sexy little flats.

Every once in a while I do come across a pair of two that make me double take. And not in a good way. Like these.
They have WHISKERS.
Eyes.
Ears.
Whiskers. MY GOD.
That shit freaks me out.

Maybe they work on a 12-yr-old. But not on an adult. Sorry Marc Jacobs. I love your stuff. But not these. I can't get that freak on. No way no how.

Flats with sparkle and shine, sock it to me. I am all over them. But maybe You all love the little micey shoe. But if you are like me, you will be forever freaked out and think...whoa. (And yes, btw, I do think Hello Kitty is creepy, too!)

Been off sick for a couple of days. Happy to go back and join my little friends for a bit of comfort and wanton desire. Maybe that will help me kick whatever is kicking me. Flu or whatever it may be.

And if these pics whet your appetite you can look at a lovely online book of shoes available at Holt Renfrew. Drool Worthy.

Virtual Run for Sherry Arnold- February 11, 2012

The second week of January gave the running community some scary news. A runner named Sherry Arnold, from a small town in Montana, went missing. I first read about it on Twitter, then went to Beth's blog to read more.

I was terrified for this lovely lady. Just that morning I, too, had gone for a run. Alone. I emailed my most awesome running friend Calli, who lives in a small Alberta town (similar to the one I grew up in). She too ran alone. Both of us were really freaked by this story.

And we followed the feeds to see what would unfold. Fingers crossed. But by mid-January the news wasn't good. Part of me was surprized how deeply I felt so affected by a stranger's death. But in many ways she isn't a stranger. She loves teaching, she loves to run, she loves her family. She is one of us. She could be you. Me. This can happen to anyone. It shouldn't. But it does. It breaks my heart that this happened.

So when the Virtual Run was posted, I emailed my girls in Edmonton to say...LOOK at the DATE!!! WE are so doing this. So Saturday, February 11th is the Hypothermic Half Marathon in Calgary. Sherry is running it with me, Calli and Lisa. She will also run with us on February 26th in Edmonton, and March 4th in Red Deer. The HypoHalf Trio is all over this. Bibs are printed. Just gotta get 'em laminated.

It totally warms my heart to watch the outpouring of love that is happening in the running community - the world is pretty small sometimes. It's nice to see and feel that love. 

AS SUAR says, the purpose of this virtual run is to "run with Sherry in your mind and heart". Hells yeh! You need to do this. Do it!! I am taking some extra laminated bibs to my local running room for the manager to give out too.

Will post pics after each run!