Frosty Trail Run race report and Operation Lose the Gut

I read about the Frosty Trail Run and it appealed to me: winter trails, new-to-me venue, and very few participants (there were 6 people registered in the 1 hour last year).  I debated between 1 and 3 hours but I really didn't want to be out there running for 3 hours if I hated it.   
Robin unfortunately didn't make the drive, but there were 2 people I knew:

Rhonda and me hoping that we wouldn't meet mid-race again.

 Fellow Supermom Alison!

The course was a 2K loop and for whatever reason, no one ventured outside until 1 minute before race start, so I didn't get satellites on my Garmin until about 400 m in.  The loop was not technical nor very hilly, but a lot of it had ankle/mid calf deep snow.  The trail was just starting to get worn in when I was done, I wonder if it had turned to mud soup with the thaw at the end of the 6 hours?  At about 1K in, I looked behind me and saw no one.  Oh well.  Managed 3.5 loops, following Rhonda and her guide for all but the last kilometre.  The loop had markers every 500 m, and when the air horn blew, you took note of which marker you were closest to, walked back to the start, and honour system reported to the RD, who was sitting at a table with his laptop.  

UPDATE: official results posted.  I was 4/6 female and 11/13 overall.  woohoo!!

Following Rhonda and her guide.  Photo by Christopher Giesler.

When I finished, I evaluated whether or not I'd want to be out there for another 2 hours, and the answer was a resounding, "NO!" But I felt it was a bit silly to drive 1 hour each way to run for just 1 hour.  Maybe next year if there's less snow....

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I had a serious metabolism slowdown when I turned 20, resulting in a 40 pound weight gain.  At the time my exercise consisted of sitting on my ass and my diet could be best described as eat whatever the hell you want, however much you want, so in hindsight, it wasn't very surprising.

Miss Fat Ass, Y2K New Years, about 9 months before I started exercising.

In the past year or so, 10-15 pounds have crept up on me.  At first I attributed it to a few too many AYCE sushi lunches, but I cut those out and my pants still kept getting tighter.  It especially rankles, because I got back to my pre-pregnancy weight in about 2 months and the weight that stared at me last week was only 3 pounds less than what I weighed when full term pregnant with Bryden.  I suppose the silver lining was that I dress well so no one noticed my expanding girth?

I've used Sparkpeople since 2006 for tracking exercise and community on the message boards, but never used the nutrition tracker, despite knowing that people who track their food are far more successful with weight loss.  Previously, I lost weight and maintained with the South Beach diet, which includes no counting, but clearly this approach was not working for me any more.  

So I've been logging my food for about a week now.  I've set Spark to give me a calorie range based on 0.25 pound loss a week, I'm not in any hurry.  But imagine my surprise this morning when I weighed in at the gym after my usual weekend eating - more controlled though, I paid attention to portions and didn't eat until the point of pain - and saw a loss of 3 pounds!! Now I know most of this is water weight, but I am ecstatic.  Food tracking isn't for everyone, but it makes me aware of portions.  Plus, I pre-track, so I'm unlikely to deviate from the plan, since I would have to change my tracker.

My skincare routine

Included in the Oakville HM race kit this year was a sample pack of TheFaceShop products.  Having had acne since age 8, over the years I've tried tons of skin care products.  I have to say TFS products have impressed me like no other.    All the products I've tried so far have a very pleasant, but not overpowering scent and most importantly, they pretty much do EXACTLY what they are supposed to do!  They are also very affordable, and there are constant store-wide discounts on top of that.

So I thought I'd write this blog post to detail how I keep my skin in decent shape while being outside year-round.

Cleansers:

 TFS Herb Day 365 Cleansing Foam Spearmint For Man - this is supposedly for men, but the fragrance is a pleasant green tea/mint scent and is suitable for both sexes.  I used Clean & Clear Deep Action Cream Cleanser for about 10 years, but the first TFS product I tried was The Smim toner, and after washing with C&C, the toner still removed a ton of makeup I didn't realize was still on my face.  The Herb Day cleansing foam washes absolutely clean.  A freaking steal at $6 for a giant tube.

TFS Rice Water Bright Cleansing Foam - I got this in a gift pack from Nicole for Christmas.  It doesn't clean quite as deeply as the Herb Day, but still very thorough.  Smells great, faintly citrus-y.

Rice Water Bright Cleansing Set.  Includes Cleansing Foam, Eye/Lip makeup remover, 3 sheet masks.

Exfoliant:

TFS Jelly Apple Peeling - I had a sample of White Jewel Peeling, which is stronger and liked, but they were sold out so I got this instead.  I'm not a huge fan, I can't feel the dead skin beading up when I scrub like I could with the White Jewel.  My skin does feel very smooth after using though.

Toner:

TFS The Smim Fermentation Concentrate Emulsion - I bought this because it was less expensive than the toner (The Smim is one of the most expensive TFS lines) because I was so impressed by how well it cleaned off the makeup remnants, but the Herb Day does such a good job that I find the toner somewhat unnecessary.  I use it if I've been out and about all day without makeup and still want to clean a bit before bed.  

Moisturizer/sun protection:

Marcelle Essentials Multi Defense Cream SPF 15.  This is my every day stuff.  It's soothing and keeps my face from getting chapped, even in the winter.  TFS doesn't have a facial moisturizer with SPF.  Shocking.

Kiehl's Facial Fuel UV Guard SPF 50+ - the hardcore shit for sunny days and summer.  My skin is completely non greasy after applying, and it doesn't sting my eyes.  Worth the $39 price tag.

TFS Seaweeds Moisturizing Pack - one of the samples in the Oakville race kit was the Babyface Aqua Drop Pack, which I loved for how gentle and soothing it was.  Also, it was a light gel texture and again very lightly scented, unlike many anti-aging night creams out there.  I couldn't find the Aqua Drop Pack at my local TFS, so the girl recommended Seaweeds Moisturizing Pack instead, and it is very similar.  You squeeze a tiny amount (about the size of a pencil eraser) and rub it into your face, where it melts into liquid.  You then gently pat your face until the liquid is absorbed into the skin.

Other:

TFS Rice Water Bright Lip & Eye Remover - the engrish is pretty funny, eh? Lip & eye MAKEUP remover, as I still have both lips and both eyes after using.  It is a biphase cleanser, non greasy, smells great.  I still have a bit of mascara residue after using but less than the Nivea remover I was using before.

TFS Real Nature Mask Rice - I've never used a sheet mask before, and it was less annoying than the clay masks that get into your hair and fingernails, crack when your move a muscle and take forever to wash off.  I once tried a sample of that Glamglow mask that a lot of people seem to love and it made my normally grease bomb skin so dry and irritated,. that it took almost a week to calm back down to normal.  My skin was very soft and smooth after using the sheet mask.

Disclaimer: All products reviewed in this blog post were purchased by myself or received as gifts or samples. I am not affiliated with any companies or brands - therefore the opinions expressed in this blog are solely my own.