Monthly Update – Goodbye May, Hello June!

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Goodbye May, Hello June!

I got this idea from my fellow Vancouverite & Bib Rave Pro, Brie (find her, follow her, and love everything about her at Brie ‘Like the Cheese’!). I enjoyed her April/May post so much, I asked if I could copy her for this month. The idea of the monthly update is to reflect back on the month that has just ended, but at the same time look forward to the month that’s on its way.

Also, in order to ensure giving credit where credit is due – this idea originally came from Jessica Lawlor – so make sure you visit her site, too! I’ll match her style of highlighting 3 things from May, and 3 for June.

Without further ado, let’s wrap up the last month, and excitedly anticipate the next!

In May, I…

1. Achieved my half marathon PB! I actually ran two half marathons in May – started out with the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon, and three weeks later travelled to Ontario and ran the Ottawa Half Marathon. Both runs were great experiences, but it was Vancouver that took the cake. A perfect storm of weather, course, and luck – I was able to complete the race in under 1:45 – which was a true hurdle overcome!

2. Ran my third ever blog contest! This time, it was a giveaway for the Ambleside Mile – coming up very soon in June! I was thrilled with the response I got from interested runners, and excited that my running buddy, Emily G., won the giveaway…and will be joining me at the race! Looking forward to seeing some of my other Twitter & social media friends there, too!

3. Participated in Link-Ups! If you’re a blogger and you’ve never participated in a link-up, you should totally start. It’s a great way to meet new folks with common interests, and get some new ideas and motivation!

  • Weekend Update: Such an inspirational bunch of people sharing their achievements over the weekend (and previous week). Tara at Reading ‘n’ Running hosts this link-up – and today’s post is part of that! Drop by her page, visit other folks, and link up!!
Running 'N' Reading
  • Wednesday Giveaway Roundup: Every week, Erica at Erica Finds hosts a Wednesday Giveaway Roundup. I think this is fantastic – though for us poor schlubs in Canada it can be a bit frustrating, since a lot of the giveaways are limited to US entrants. Nevertheless, my blog contest gained a lot more exposure through this link-up, and Erica has something going on all the time – definitely worth a visit!
  • Thursday Triumph: This NEW link-up is hosted by Smitha (Running with SD Mom), Carlee (Carlee McDott) and Linzie (Sharp Endurance). It’s a great chance to share a success and learn about what other runners are up to!

In June, I will…

1. Run three races! At least, that’s how many I’ve signed up for so far…

  • Ambleside Mile: Next Saturday is the aforementioned one-mile race in West Vancouver. It’s a new route this year – looking forward to giving it a go again. Last year, my Dad was in town for the race, which was really special.
  • Longest Day 10k: Held at UBC, the Blueshore Financial Longest Day Race includes both 5km and 10km distances. I race the 5km back in 2010 and it look me nearly 29 minutes to finish. We’ll see if we can’t improve on that pace this year!
  • Scotiabank Half Marathon: Once again, I’m fundraising on behalf of the BC Cancer Foundation – and the total so far is nearly $2,000! I appreciate all the support and I’m so happy the money will be going to this great cause. I’m also excited to run my 5th half marathon of 2015, continuing with my #yearofthehalf theme.

2. Get back to the gym! I completed three training session with Lisa at the YMCA a couple of months ago. They had another deal in May for a discount on a 3-pack of sessions, so I signed up again. Because I’m out of town this week – headed to Edmonton for work – I’ll probably get started in the 2nd week of June.

3. Sing! I belong to a local community choir called Simple Gifts. Next Sunday is our final concert before the summer. We sing a variety of music – classical, jazz, musical, African folk – and have a lot of fun doing it. We also sing at two seniors’ homes as part of our ‘outreach’, which I think is one of the most fulfilling things about it. For the summer, I join SummerChor, which each year rehearses and performs a single major classical work. This year, we are working on Faure’s Durufle’s Requiem, which we will perform at the end of August.

Tell me about what you achieved in May in the comments! What do you have planned for June?

May posts you might have missed:

 

17 Comments

    • bjcjapan

      Thanks, Wendy! I’m looking forward to running the races…and writing about them! 🙂 I appreciate the heads up on Jessica’s link-up. I have followed her on social media and will flag that for Tuesday! Cheers!

    • bjcjapan

      Of course! You were my inspiration for this post! I am fortunate to have a dad who sings (and a mom who played the piano, though I never gained that talent). I sang in high school and college – and enjoy doing it now. 🙂

  1. Emily Gercke

    I had a dream last night that I totally forgot about and missed the Ambleside mile and I was so nervous about how I would explain it to you!! I promise I will not do that…

  2. Running and singing you have been one busy guy! I love all the link ups- tons of fun and you can always find new blogs to read! I traveled a lot in May and have focused on speed. This is my summer of speed so I am working some more speed training into my running. Here we start a great summer series of 5K’s next Saturday so I am ready! Have a great week!

    • bjcjapan

      I haven’t yet tried running AND singing – maybe that’s the next step! I didn’t include it in my June plans, but speed work is definitely something I want to focus on. Did fartleks today at lunch. Rock your 5K!!

  3. I like this idea!

    Oh, choir and singing – I miss that fun sometimes. I was in choir through high school and then some musical theater and the like after that. My voice isn’t quite what it used to be for a number of reasons, but I so loved doing it.

    • bjcjapan

      Feel free to use this idea and make it your own! I think it’s a great way to reflect back and set goals.

      I did some musical theatre in high school as well, and then a choir throughout college. I got back to it a few years ago…in fact, probably about the time I started running! Gives me joy, for sure! Thanks for dropping by!!

  4. Cool post! I had a pretty busy may – two triathlons, a 2 mile lake swim, and a 40K cycling time trial. June will be my peak racing month in terms of goal events. Escape from Alcatraz and Ironman 70.3 in Mont Tremblant. Outside of that – I finally moved into my master bedroom – remodel is finished!!

    • bjcjapan

      Wow, Kelli – that was a busy May!! You’ve got some amazing stuff going on…very impressive. Thanks for coming by and please keep in touch. I would love to hear more about your achievements! Will drop by your blog, too!

  5. Congrats on the PB! 1:45 is impressive! Enjoy your upcoming races!

    Feel free to stop by our Tuesdays on the Run linkup as well. We offer a topic each week, but you are welcome to write about anything running related. This week’s topic is “running breaks: should you take one.”

    • bjcjapan

      Thank you! I was pretty stoked about the PB, too! 🙂 Also appreciate the Tuesday invite. I’m swamped this week, but will definitely consider a post in the near future!!

  6. Let’s see…well I began my weight lost journey in May by joining Weight Watchers. I attended my first meeting on Thursday, May 28th. I also purchased a Fitbit to track my progress. I am so excited to see where this journey ends. Hopefully, with a strong, healthy, and attractive body! 🙂

    • bjcjapan

      Lowanda – that’s amazing! Proud of you for starting that journey! I find having some ‘electronic motivation’ in the form of a Fitbit or something similar. Please keep us posted on your progress!

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