Category Archives: 2011

Back at It!

  By Crystal Clarke | January 8, 2012 - 11:10 pm | , , , ,
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By “it,” I mean training AND fundraising. Oh yeah, we are still fundraising for Team in Training. We did a bottle drive last weekend and we were very successful in getting donations. Thank you to everyone who has donated! As for me, my training totally went downhill in December. I had a stomach flu for several weeks. It was really brutal and debilitating. Then, of course, the holidays came and were super hectic. With two kids in my life now, it was a lot more exciting than the last few years. Also, I am getting a new sister as my … Keep reading →

Dwight Schrute – A Great Personal Trainer?

  By Crystal Clarke | December 6, 2011 - 11:40 am | ,
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The latest episode of The Office (one of my favourite shows these days) shows Dwight Schrute open a gym. Don’t worry, this post will not spoil the episode for you die-hard fans out there. It made me think of my own personal trainer and about personal trainers in general. I mean, what makes a good personal trainer? Before my friend and fellow triathlete, Amanda Stalwick, was my personal trainer I had never had one. My sister has had great success with a personal trainer over the past couple of years so I was excited to try it out. However, if … Keep reading →

Counting Blessings

  By Crystal Clarke | December 1, 2011 - 9:49 am | , , , ,
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As I was driving home from the winter biking interval session I coach, I felt so happy. It was at this moment that I realized that I had done it. Somehow I have managed to fit everything that I love and am passionate about into my life. Sure, there are times when some of my passions take a bit of a back seat to other ones that I am focusing on, but they are still present. Somehow I managed to have several jobs that combine into my one perfect job. When I was a young university student there was no … Keep reading →

The November Blues

  By Crystal Clarke | November 29, 2011 - 10:08 am | , ,
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Yes, this post does have to do with training and working out despite what the title suggests. Sometimes November really kicks me in the ass. It’s a month of darkness (literally and figuratively) and having a mental illness makes me very sensitive to this lack of light. My theory is that because the light is changing quickly this time of year and it puts us mood-swinging people off-balance. I think it’s why I’m affected more around the equinoxes. As the blues start to hit and stress increases, it inevitably takes its toll on my training. Consistency is the key to … Keep reading →

Stretch & Strengthen – well, duh!

  By Crystal Clarke | November 27, 2011 - 11:37 am | ,
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As I have been working with my personal trainer, Amanda Stalwick from Positively Fit Personal Training, I have noticed a change in my performance in running and biking (I haven’t swum enough this year to notice). Obviously, doing strength training is going to increase strength and power, but I am noticing that I don’t feel any nagging injuries that I usually do. And when I do, they are temporary and pass quickly. There has been a common theme over the last couple of months – focus on core. CORE, CORE, CORE. Work on core. Strengthen core. It’s all about core. … Keep reading →

“Why Bipolar People Should Not have Dinner Parties”

  By Crystal Clarke | November 22, 2011 - 3:35 pm | , , , ,
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The title of this blog post was suggested to me by MellowJohnny. He said it in a moment of frustration at my stressing out over a fundraising dinner party I held on Sunday night. He proclaimed, “You need to write a blog called ‘Why Bipolar People Should NOT have Dinner Parties!’” We laughed about it loudly at dinner that night when a few of my best friends were sipping wine and taste-testing vegan lasagne. I thought that I would address a few sides of this statement… 1. Why bipolar people should not have dinner parties: – it causes unnecessary stress to an … Keep reading →

Team in Training – Introduction

  By Crystal Clarke | November 14, 2011 - 9:28 pm | , , ,
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When I first did Ironman Canada in 2007, I saw the purple Team in Training jersies everywhere on the course. I had no idea what it was about, but a few conversations on the bike and run caught me up and I learned that the money they raise is for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. An internet friend of mine also trains and races with Team in Training (shoutout to Jen!). A couple of years ago, one of my best friends went through a horrible time when her boyfriend was re-diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma. Over the distance between here … Keep reading →

Team 50km Ultra Marathon Race Review

  By Crystal Clarke | October 23, 2011 - 2:59 pm | , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Yesterday my training buddies, MellowJohnny and SpeedyK, and I ran together in a team effort for Saskatoon’s 50km Ultra Marathon event. It’s a great fall season event and it was really lots of fun! The three of us had had many discussions about who would take which “leg” of the race. We didn’t know the distances when the discussion began, so we tentatively set it at me doing the first, SpeedyK doing the second, and MellowJohnny doing the third. It ended up going exactly like that! This meant that I would take the longest leg at 17.4km, SpeedyK would take … Keep reading →

Fast Food Indeed

  By Crystal Clarke | October 11, 2011 - 8:45 pm | , , , , , ,
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Today I got home from work like so many other people in western civilization –  very hungry. My stomach was growling the whole way between work and home. It was at this moment that it made so much sense to me why so many people eat at fast food restaurants. As a vegan, though, I am lucky enough to have very few options in the world of fast food and, therefore, am never tempted to put such gross “food” into my body. So instead of eating at a greasy fast food restaurant, I made my own fast food! It’s quite … Keep reading →

Running in Relationships

  By Crystal Clarke | October 1, 2011 - 12:08 pm | , , ,
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My boyfriend, MellowJohnny, and I decided to do a team relay with my bestie, SpeedyK, for the upcoming 50km Saskatoon Ultra Marathon. We thought it would be fun to train for something together and it would keep us accountable to our “team.” Sure enough, all three of us have kept true to our plan of running at least twice a week and doing our long runs with all three of us. It’s funny how making it a team effort has made us all commit just a little bit more. I am the first to admit that I’m not the fastest … Keep reading →