I spent last week in Disney World with my husband, parents, 10 year old brother-in-law and of course, my two beautiful daughters. (They were over the moon. Seriously. We went on It’s a Small World three times.)

At one point, in a bathroom somewhere in the Magic Kingdom, I watched as a mother washed her hands, 10(ish) year old daughter beside her, then turned to the mirror and said, Let’s see how bad I look.

Every ounce of my body screamed Nooo!!! because those kind of statements are wrong on so many levels. We are so programmed to be critical of ourselves that we don’t see the real harm that negativity possesses.

What does that statement tell her daughter? What does that teach her about her own self worth? How does that woman’s view of herself affect her relationships?

I go to gym at my university and the private school across the street uses the facilities for their gym classes. The girls stream in, 13, 14, 15 years old and parade past the mirrors.

Ugh. My hair.
Ohmaigawd these shorts look bad!
I hate getting sweaty.

And on and on and on. I want to grab them by the shoulders and shake them because this is no way to develop your self-esteem. Minimizing yourself is not the way to achieve success!

Why do these girls speak to themselves this way? Once you see the fault in negative words and thoughts, you begin to see them everywhere. And you begin to see how utterly toxic they are.

I’m constantly watched by two pairs of eyes, and I see that in the way my girls play (like last week, when the “mommy” in the game made the dog stay outside in the muddy yard because the floors had just been mopped). They watch my actions, but they also see more than people give them credit for. I try to set a healthy example for them, we talk about food as fuel and energy. We talk about the ways to keep your body healthy (eat good food, exercise, don’t smoke). And even last week while we were away, when my 4 year old asked me if I was going to go for a run soon, I told her that we were on vacation. She looked at me puzzled and I said it was a vacation from running, too.

I read a challenge yesterday: Don’t day anything negative about anyone for three days. Then for 45 days. Then for three months.

I’m doing it. You should too. Just don’t forget that you have to include yourself in there, too.

Name: Katrina Lee (Formerly Cripps)

Run Distance: Marathon

Sponsors: Mizuno and Remedy Drug Store Co.

Coach and Hero: Nicole Stevenson

Run Group: Nic’s Angels

Favourite workouts: 1k repeats…which is 8-10 1k repeats at a quick pace with a couple of them HARD. It’s gut busting while you’re doing them…but after you feel strong! I also love my 35-38k long runs…which is a given ‘cause I’m a distance runner and “mileage junkie”.

Favourite Mizuno gear for workouts: Wave Elixir running shoes, Breath Thermo tights for winter long runs, and the Inspire shorts and the Wave Rider tee for the summer.

Favourite Mizuno gear for Racing: Elixirs and Musha flats, Jinx sport top and the Inspire shorts and Maverick split shorts.

Food Essentials: My “everything” oatmeal (as in everything, but my running shoes goes in it), Tim Horton’s coffee, and peanut butter…on everything.

What keeps me going: My love for running and my “Angels” who are an amazing group of talented athletes.

Training Tips:

-Never ignore the little pains while training. Taking a couple days off to rest is better than letting a sore spot progress into a serious injury that could take you out for months.

-Race for motivation. Sign up for races to keep you motivated to keep running and training.

-Find a support group. Training or doing fun runs with other people makes running even more enjoyable. Plus, talking to people who understand what you physically and mentally feel through training can be very uplifting.

-Run with someone faster. Running with someone with a quicker pace than you can make your runs more challenging. By making it a goal to be able to keep up, is a fun way to get faster…and really rewarding when you finally catch them!

Best Training Advice: Be consistent with your training and be patient. They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day…well neither was speed!

My motto: Always believe that you can accomplish anything.

I am so excited about running the Mercedes Benz 10K in Oakville on May 8th! Mercedes Benz has been kind and gracious enough to agree to not only sponsor me to run the race but they will be picking me up at my home on the morning of the race in a …..you guessed it….Mercedes Benz ! How cool is that?!

THAT is totally cool!  I think that they really must care about their people and their runners as they want me to arrive refreshed and unhasselled at the starting line so  that I can run my very fastest time ever in a 10K! Actually, I have never run a 10K before (silly me …I started with the longer distances first!…LOL) and I am looking forward to seeing the turnout of the crowd and the course too!

THANKS SO MUCH to MERCEDES BENZ for all of their support!!

I REALLY appreciate it!

Just a sec, I’ll just brush the dust off my keyboard here…

Hi! So… hmm. I’ve been on vacation. To Disney World, actually. And oh, it was awesome. My kids loved it, I loved it, my husband loved it, my 10 year old brother in law loved it and my parents loved it! We ate ice cream and swam and sang and walked forever (it seemed) all over The Magic Kingdom and Epcot and Typhoon Lagoon.

But I didn’t run. Well, actually, I ran once. A whopping 3k. And the week before last I was neck deep in final exams so I only ran twice.

There’s this saying that everyone in my family uses: Everything in moderation, including moderation.

Last week was my moderation of moderation. And it was great and I really needed it. I can’t remember the last time I took a whole week without working out. It’s good to let your body rest that way.

The down side is that I definitely struggled in my first post-vacation 7:30am run in the fog yesterday morning (hello rude awakening!).

Anyway, this week is back to the grind, as there are only five weeks until the Ottawa Marathon! I have a 34k and a 36k run planned before I start to taper.

The machinery of running and yoga and weights and eating healthy foods in moderate proportion creaks loudly this morning, but soon, I know, it will be running smoothly again.

I am not a finisher.  I find starting things quite easy and do it often.  In my word, I tend to hire people who are detail oriented and finish things because I love the thrill of starting something new and creating new ideas.

I have found that this lack of finishing impacts me in running as well.  At this point in the training program, I am physically tired and as finishing is not my thing, it is hard to work as hard to get to my goal.

When I am doing my speed work outs, I find the finishing of them the worst thing.  I can start running at the fast speed, but finishing the quicker interval is much harder.  The ends of runs are my hardest part.  It does not matter if its a shorter 5 k run or a 15k run, the last kilometre is brutal for me.  I almost always walk to my finish location and in a race situation, my natural inclination is to slow up before I hit the finish mark.  I am pretty sure that is not the right approach to improving my speed.

So in the spirit of finishing strong, I should go finish that sweater I started knitting, clean the top part of the windows in my house, organize the other half of my closet,  and do all of my filing.  Or perhaps, I will just finish the makeover contest strong.

Today I turned 43 and I am the fittest I have ever been, so I should be able to finish strong.

How closely have you been paying attention?  Over the next few weeks, we will be asking you a few trivia questions about the Runner Makeover – don’t worry, there are no tricks!  All of the answers can be found in the Runner Makeover blogs.  Don’t give away the answers in the comments section, though!  Send by email with the subject line “Trivia Challenge 1” to webeditor@irun.ca, along with your name and full mailing address.  We will do a random drawing from all correct answers, and the winner will receive something sweet from our friends at Adidas!

Ready to play?  We’ll make the first question easy for you:

What colour were Brock’s first pair of AdiZero Boston shoes?

Good luck!

Mizuno is a proud supporter of Absolute Endurance Training and Therapy!

AETT is Toronto’s most comprehensive training and health care facility, dedicated towards helping athletes and other fitness-minded individuals find everything they need to “fuel personal performance” all under one roof.

Please meet two members of the AETT team and feel free to get in touch with them to learn how they can help you achieve your best.

Alan Chud, Endurance Coach and General Manager

Multisport Coach
C.P.G.A., Recreational Facility Management (Humber College)

E-mail Alan

Alan Chud is both general manager and a Multisport Coach at Absolute Endurance.  He is nationally certified as a Multisport Coach and provides programs and guidance to endurance athletes of all abilities from beginners wanting to run their first 5k race to more elite athletes looking to run the Boston Marathon or qualify for Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. 

Alan is also golf professional and active member of the Canadian Professional Golfer’s Association.

Alan has been training and racing in the sport of triathlon since 2002 – he has many top age group finishes and is a four time Ironman finisher. Alan has also completed three Boston Marathons.

Alan does still do some work in the golf business as well. He is the owner and president of THE CHUD GROUP INC, a company that specializes in project management, design, and development of golf courses, residential communities and related infrastructure.

THE CHUD GROUP INC is the Designer for the new Three Silos Golf Club in New Haven Connecticut and The new Dover Coast Project in Southwestern Ontario, is the Project Manager for The Coppinwood Golf Club, and was retained by the Oakdale Golf and Country Club to act as their Design Consultant and Project Manager in developing a 5-year master redevelopment plan for the club. THE CHUD GROUP INC. is also responsible for the design and project management of Rebel Creek Golf Club in Kitchener, Ontario.  Alan was responsible for all aspects of the design, development and construction of this project including, but not limited to; capital budgeting, RFP preparation, contract negotiations, monthly variance analysis, Golf Course and Clubhouse design and commissioning.

 Dr. Cindy Lewis, Chiropractor and Endurance Coach

D.C., B.Kin
Multisport Coach

E-mail Cindy

Dr. Cindy Lewis graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College following her degree in Honors Kinesiology from McMaster University. She has been an endurance athlete for most of her life and has spent years learning about the body’s functions, biomechanics, injuries and how to optimize performance while minimizing the incidence of injury.  Dr. Lewis has qualified three times for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii and has competed in the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater, Florida. 

As a Chiropractor, Dr. Lewis believes in taking a functional integrative approach in examining and treating her patients. She believes in treating a painful area but also looks at the whole patient to determine the cause of any dysfunctions related to her patient’s complaints. She believes that educating the patient on his or her condition is of primary importance in order to work with them to correct any abnormal biomechanics and get them back to their active lifestyle. Dr. Lewis uses a variety of therapeutic techniques including Chiropractic manipulation of the spine and extremities, Active Release Techniques (A.R.T.) and other soft tissue modalities such as muscle stripping and trigger point therapy, and therapeutic modalities such as low intensity laser therapy and ultrasound. The rehabilitation process is essential and Dr. Lewis will work with the patient as they learn functional rehabilitation exercises to correct muscle imbalances and decrease the chance of injury or re-injury in the future.

As an Running and Triathlon Coach, Cindy works with athletes to help them through the process required to reach their goals.  She works with each of her athletes on goal setting, program design and implementation.  She believes that every goal is important and the the pathway to achieving each goal must be scientifically based and safe, but also must results in enjoyment along the way.  Cindy has competed at the top of her age group while working more than full time.  She has the experience to help athletes achieve their best while respecting other life priorities they may have.

Dr. Lewis has been a guest speaker for the Canadian Fitness Professionals annual trade show and conference’s in Whistler and Toronto as well as a regular guest speaker for the Running Room.  She has been a contributer to Breathe Magazine, Can Fit Pro Magazines, and newsletters for Multisport Canada, Toronto Women’s Running Series and Marathon Dynamics.  She has also been featured on TV shows including The Art of Building Bodies and Breakfast Television.