Tag Archives: running

Jun9

Calgary Marathon Weekend-50 km Ultra Race Recap

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I participated in the Calgary full marathon, half marathon, and full marathon (again), in 2009, 2013 and 2014.  Calgary is only 2 hours away from Lethbridge, so the ease of access to these events is fantastic.  I didn’t want to drive up there and do the same thing again….so when it was announced that they would be having the 50 km Ultra for a second year in a row, I decided WHY NOT?!?!  I mean, I would have been only a month off my Vancouver full marathon training, so my body would be set, and I had never done an ultra.  And what’s an additional 8 km anyway?  So I registered for the race, and put it in the way back of my mind, since Vancouver and qualifying for Boston was what this year was about. I had been so busy with school and coaching in the month of May, that this race weekend snuck up on me.  I will be honest—after Vancouver, I didn’t properly keep training for this event.  My body was exhausted, and it needed recovery.  I did keep up some running in between Vancouver and the Ultra, but it was no where near what it should have been if I was training for the Ultra as my goal race.  I knew I would be able to finish the race come Sunday, May 31st…I just wasn’t sure how ugly it would be.

I headed up on Saturday morning and went straight to the expo.  The expo is at Stampede Grounds.  It is easy to access, with free parking, but the expo itself is small and nothing outstanding.  I was able to pick up my race essentials, and purchase a cute tank top, all pretty quickly.  I then headed to my hotel to check in.  I opted to book on Priceline and got a steal of a deal by ‘naming my own price’ for a 4 star hotel.  I lucked out and got the Westin for only $75!  They offered a shuttle to the start line on race morning, which was a nice perk.  I also took advantage of the rooftop pool later that afternoon.  Dan’s best friend Chris lives in Calgary with his girlfriend Ashley, and I walked a measly 3 blocks to meet them for lunch.  We threw back a few beers, had some great food, and I lamented how I didn’t really care how tomorrow would go.  When we parted and they headed out to a friends’ party, I was sad to be going back to my hotel alone.  I wanted to go out, not run!  Oh well, I would finish this race some way, some how.

race swag

I got up around 4:30 AM, and was on the shuttle at 5:30.  I was only about a mile and a half from Stampede grounds, but having this shuttle was a nice bonus.  I did my bag check, did my pre-race rituals, and was set to go for the 6:30 am start.  The half, full and ultra would all be starting together at 6:30, and the 10km event would begin at 7:30am.  There was also a 5 km that would run at noon!  So lots going on in the morning!  It was comfortable outside right before the race began, but you could tell it was going to get ugly out later on.  Ugly as in HOT.  I tried not to think about it, and when the race began I was off.  I had told myself to try and pace an 8:15 minute mile, as I did 7:49 in Vancouver, but my first mile was just that…7:49.  I knew this was too fast for this hilly, high elevation course. I decided to ease on up and just try and enjoy the race.  By 10 km, I had to go to the bathroom.  Maybe the beer the day before wasn’t a good idea.  This would be 1 of 3 bathroom stops on the course.  The later ones were more so for also having time to hydrate and eat something.  Also around this first bathroom stop I ran into Todd Myers, a teacher at Chinook High School.  He was also doing the 50 km, but he has done crazy races before.  My goal in my mind was now to just stay ahead of Todd. 

start line

A little bit later, a lady was running next to me and chatting away.  She looked very intense….I could tell she knew what she was doing and was no rookie at this.  I come to find out and realize that this is Dennene Huntley.  Now, you may not know the name, I didn’t know the name on paper…but holy crap this woman is impressive.  She had come back from doing this 24 hour championship in Italy where she ran 193 km in 24 hours.  SERIOUSLY!  And, the funny thing about running into her, is that in Edmonton last year I actually ran into her at the end of the race.  When I was struggling to finish that full marathon, she came up behind me with her friend and paced her friend in to beat me.  She recognized me because I was wearing the same thing I wore in Edmonton, and she had told her friend to ‘catch the purple skirt!’  Her friend was in a similar situation as I was at that race—was trying to qualify for Boston, but didn’t.  It was a heartbreak, much like it was for me.  But her friend, the one who didn’t qualify last year….she qualified this year.  Much like me!  Anyway, Dennene and I ran most the race with eachother from about 14 km on.  We’d lose eachother for a kilometre or two, but then be back together.  She helped me tons complete this race and it was a pleasure getting to know her.  Turns out she knows a lot of the same people as me….my run coach for Vancouver, Dean Johnson….she knows him very well!  It was great hearing her stories as we ran. I could talk about every mile in this race and what happened, but that’d be boring for most of you.  I wasn’t racing this for a record or anything, I was just now on track to really enjoy the experience.  The weather was getting progressively warmer, and the sun was shining super hard.  If there wasn’t the breeze, I would have had to walk for stretches…I hate the heat!  And I have to add, the aid stations saved me this race!  There were tons, and since you do a couple loops past the same spot as you head out and back, and do the extra loop for the 50 km turnaround, you pass some of the stations a couple times.  They had cold water-soaked sponges at a lot of them, and these were amazing.  I think I doused myself in a sponge about 20 times.  I was soaking wet by the time I was done!

east village

I felt fairly in control most of the race until the last 10 miles.  My right leg started to tighten up, especially near my hip flexor and my hamstring.  I wanted to keep on moving because if I stopped, I didn’t know if I would be able to start again.  After I had done the second loop of our turnaround, I had rejuvenated energy, as I knew I was on the home stretch.  I also had no clue of my time after 27.5 miles because my watch died.  We looped back into the city, through East Village a second time, and into the Stampede Grounds.  I was sore, warm, sweaty, tired, and numb…all at the same time.  I was able to cross the finish line in a time of 4 hours 40 minutes and 34 seconds.  The sun was beaming down and I just felt other exhaustion!  I also could barely feel my fingers….it took about 5 minutes to do so, but I am not sure why that happened!  They were bloated and shaking…..nice.  I had put my body through hell and back.  I initially had the thought “never doing that again” but we all know how that pans out….

50 km finisher

….because a while later I saw the official results and was surprised to find out I took second in my age group!   As they would say on “A Christmas Story”…..I WON A MAJOR AWARD!  Ok, it wasn’t major…but it is my first trophy ever!  Makes me feel pretty bad ass.  And It also makes me want to do better at it another time.  And how did I celebrate?  I found Todd in the beer tent, found out he had placed 2nd in his age group, and we toasted our personal victories!  And oh yeah….I beat him!

todd and andrea

May5

EXCEPTIONAL NEWS!

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In August 2014, my husband Dan and I were fortunate to travel out East to beautiful St. John’s, Newfoundland.  During that time, we attended George Street Festival, an awesome music extravaganza!  We were lucky enough to see Dropkick Murphy’s on one of the night’s mid-festival, and had a prime spot….front row of the patio at Rockhouse.   The show was awesome, every last bit of it.  The crowd was ecstatic.  A lot of songs I had not heard before, but many I had.  I was patiently waiting for one song to be played, though.   And it was almost like a “Name That Tune” moment, when I heard the first chord, I know exactly what it was….Shipping out to Boston!  

I recorded a video.  I took lots of pictures.  I have listened to the song lots.  I then I ran the Edmonton Marathon a few weeks and bonked at mile 21.  I cried.  I cried a lot.  I felt defeated.  I started training again specifically with the goal of hitting a Boston Qualifying time at the Vancouver marathon in May 2015.  I made THAT SONG my ringtone as motivation.  I wanted it so bad.   I ran Vancouver today as hard as I could.  And I finally can say….
I’M SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON!!
I will write a recap very soon.  There is a lot to recap.  But I wanted to write a general note of sorts to indicate that YES, I reached my goal!  And I didn’t just squeak by; I hit it hard!   I needed a 3:35.00 to qualify and I ran a 3:24.56!  My personal best before that was in fact that Edmonton Marathon, where I ran a 3:44.59.  The training paid off and I have so many people to thank.
My dad.   What more can I say.  Dad, I love you. You were with me this whole race.  I know you are so proud.  I can’t even put anything more into words right now; I am just smiling.  You would be telling everyone you know, and random strangers too, that I qualified for the Boston Marathon.  I can’t wait to go to there in April and run for you.  For us.
 
My husband, for handling my crazy schedule and putting up with days I was probably a complete pile or bitchy crap.   Yes, I know those happened.   I used you as a punching bag many times when I was upset and training days didn’t go as planned.  I love you; I hope you still love me after these six months of training!
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My mom, who also heard the frustrations and anger sometime, but who was also there to congratulate me….after she would freak out and be anxious before I finished any event, of course.  She had never seen me run a distance road until spring of 2013, when I came home to run the Waukesha Trailbreaker Half, and beat my old half marathon best, running a 1:52.53.   She said she cried at the start of that race.  She is going to be a mess in Massachusetts.
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And of course, I love me some local YQL people/organizations/businesses/professionals.  Runners Soul Lethbridge, for a fantastic marathon club program and a fantastic store full of support and camaraderie.   Shawn & Erin Pinder are fantastic people who will bend over backwards for the running community.  And speaking of camaraderie….Bob Higgins, fellow marathon club runner and friend, who ran with my during Vancouver full marathon to help me qualify.  Wow!  Thank you so much!  You my friend are an inspiration.,,.everything you have done over these last years of running is amazing.  It was an honour to run with you for 20 miles of the race….until you had to pee.  I am proud of the fact you never caught back up!   
To Dean Johnson, who wrote me an incredible training plan and edited it partway through to reflect the changes in my race times.   Anyone in Lethbridge looking for personal gains in running, please talk to Dean!  To my doctors, Dr. Michael Galbraith & Dr. John Power (the best in the sports med business) who have helped me with knee issues and the stride problems over the last year.  I am calling you both in the morning and leaving voicemails of me freaking out.  So when you hear my Wisconsin accent blubbering, I hope you smile.  Or at least laugh.   My friends, family, coworkers….you all have handled me obsessing over this quite well.  Thank you for still being my friend.  Or at least pretending to be.  You may have to fake our friendship even longer because the next year leading to Boston I am going to be very, very annoying.  Probably close to obnoxious.  You may block me on Facebook or unfollow me on Twitter.  I won’t be offended.  That being said, I am so fortunate, lucky and happy to have moved to a city with such support and love….to have family and friends from all over be by my side.   Thank you!  
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#BOSTON2016 !!!!!!
May2

Husband Guest Post 2 – The Night Before Vancouver 

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Andrea watches a lot, A LOT, of shitty reality television (note – all reality television is shitty, but her shows are generally, the worst of the worst).  The thing that drives me most insane about these shows is when one of the characters (usually a dumb blonde or no-longer-relevant actor) talks to the camera, and says something preposterously overdramatic and entirely untrue like “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life” or “I’ve never wanted anything so bad in my life”.  

Now I understand it’s TV, and that drama sells.  But it’s bullshit.  Complete bullshit.  In generations past, before reality TV, I think these grandiose statements were actually meaningful.  Those phrases were reserved for the few times in life that actually mattered.  So for the people in the world that actually do something of great merit, I find it insulting towards them for people clinging to their 10 minutes of fame on TV to try to bolster their appeal with this fake drama.

For Andrea’s sake, and for the sake of everybody that truly puts their heart and soul into something they love, let’s appreciate the following statement for what it’s worth, and not just take it at face value:

Andrea has never worked this hard towards something in her entire life.

That’s not just words.  She has walked the walk.

She changed her diet (among many things, she gave up ramen noodles… RAMEN F-ING NOODLES!!!).  She changed her step and stride (she went to a foot doctor specializing in athletes).  She signed up for every race possible (and won most of the local ones).  She hired a trainer to write her a training schedule (with the goal of 3:35 in mind, and the training difficulty was increased concurrently with her time improvements).  And more than anything, Andrea stuck to her training schedule and ran.   It was, and still is, unbelievable.  I honestly can’t imagine putting in the persistence, time and effort that Andrea puts into her running.  I don’t even think it’s fair for me to attempt to describe it, because I don’t know that level of grueling commitment.  It’s every damn day.  She runs, at an insane pace (usually at 7 minutes/mile… for comparison, I ran a 10 mile race at an average of 11 minutes/mile and that was giving it everything I have).  While she never does a full marathon distance during her training, it’s not uncommon for her to run 15 miles.  And then, after 15 miles, she just goes about her day, like that 15 mile run was just a 15 minute walk with the dog.  That might be the craziest part to me about her training.  She’ll run these super-long distances, and then still want to walk downtown for dinner, or walk the beagle to the dog park. 

So I am proud of my wife, and of all her accomplishments.  She has pushed herself beyond what I thought was possible.  A hobby has become an obsession, and her pace and race times reflect her hard work.

So my dear… Go.  Get it done.  You can do it, you’ve proved it to yourself.  You put in the time, you put in the work.  You owe it to yourself.  I love you, I’m with you, and he’s watching.  This is how you remember.

Dan

 


Apr12

Milwaukee Recap and Training Countdown

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Three weeks to go until the BMO Vancouver Marathon!  My last few weeks have gone well, but I knew I had some crucial training runs coming up that needed to go well, as to boost my confidence.  Also, take into account I went home last week to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and this has historically led to me sluffing off on training.   I only skipled  (whoops) one day on my plan, so I am pretty proud.  I had slept in too late before a friend picked me up for the morning, afternoon and evening of activities, and by the time I got back home I was wiped.  What crazy activities did we do?  Well, went and got my bridesmaid dress for her wedding fit, and then we went to Potawatomi Casino downtown to play bingo for three hours.  We used to do this back when we weren’t yet 21, as 18 year olds can access the bingo hall at the casino, just not the casino floor.  I think the best part of it was just laughing at all the crazies around.  Best person we saw was a lady on the smoking side (glass wall separation) walking around with a surgical mask covering her face.  

 

Other Milwaukee-Related activities I partook in was watching the Badgers NCAA Final basketball game at the bar I used to work at.   They lost.   Then my mom, cousin and her husband went to Miller Park to watch the Brewers second game of the season.  They lost too.  But all was a lot of fun!  One of my last nights my mom and I spent a day and night in Milwaukee doing the Lakefront Brewery Tour, eating at some awesome local places, shopping, and then painting at Splash Studio.

 

  

  

  

  

Now, I didn’t just eat, drink and watch sports.   I did run.  I really did!  I even found one trail in the Franklin Woods that I honestly had never ran on before in my life.  It was super pretty!

   

 

It was also actually a lot of fun to do my runs back on the bike trail near my moms house.  It is really an awesome trail.  For the training runs that I did it worked quite well.  My best run was on Thursday morning when I did 5 miles at my Tempo Run pace.  I needed to be between 6:54-7:10 minutes per mile.   I was thinking “how the hell am I going to do this solo?”  I was going to get up real early to do this run but there had been thunder lightning, hail, rain, downpours, everything all night.  It was still raining pretty heavy.  I checked the radar and ther was going to be about an hour or so window at around 8:45 with no thunderstorms so I waited and headed out then.While it started thundering in the distance at mile 4, there was no lightning (just a steady rain), but this caused the trail to be empty!  You never see this trail empty.   Anyway, I head out unsure what I would be able to do, but I made it back home doing better than I could have ever hoped for!  I did my 5 miles in 35:18, with each mile being 6:52, 7:03, 7:19 (you can see this as the out and back point on the map where I had to do a turnaround), 7:03 and 7:01.  I felt like a million bucks when I got home!

  

So the running in Milwaukee went well, but I wasn’t home free yet,  what I was nervously awaiting in my Lethbridge home was my 20 miler run to do on Sunday.   After a week of making poor food and drink choices not conducive to a good training plans, and after a day of traveling….I needed to muster out 20 miles at a pace between 7:48-9:04 per mile.  The weather was quite windy, but the temperature was ideal.  I headed out optimistic and knew I wanted to push myself.  The route Runners Soul had planned for our club run today was awesome.   Only one big hill and the wind was fortunately at our back heading up it,   Running down the hill into softball valley first was more challenging, as it was the slowest downhill I have ever run!  Wind was pushing your body backward almost, and the water treatment plant sewage was wafting right in your face.  I managed to complete my 20 miles in 2:42:42 with an average pace of 8:08 an mile!   I am training for an 8:00 minute mile, so I am right where I need to be!  My fastest two miles were actually mile 3 and mile 20, each at a 7:48 and 7:49, respectively.   My slowest were mile 8 and 11, where I had an 8:29 (wind!) and 8:30 (hill!).   Being able to hold it together strong the latter half of this training run was my big concern, so the fact that I could makes me so excited for Vancouver….just three short weeks away!

   

 

Mar22

Weekly Recap-6 Weeks to Go

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i headed into this week of training a bit nervous, as I had been sick the week before.  I really wanted this week to go well, as I needed my confidence in my ability to run a 3:30 full marathon to be strong again.  Here’s how the week went:

Sunday

My first run in three days.  It was a 55 minute run in the coulees and felt awesome.  I was still a tad sick so I was very pleased.

Monday

5.5 miles in 46:25.  8:15, 8:35, 8:35, 8:40 and 8:19. Did my last half mile in 3:58.  Was feeling great!

Tuesday

Fartleks training today.  Did 15 of 1 minute hard and 1 minute jog.  Got 3.92 miles in and felt solid.  I had been having a stressful couple days at work so this was a great feeling. 

Wednesday

I didn’t follow Wednesday training plans exactly as I run with my track kids.   This was a great workout nonetheless, as I got the kids to do a speed workout at Chinook Lake and then I finished it with my own 3 miles at my newly prescribed pace (Coach redid my pace ranges on Tuesday night since I have been doing a lot better in races this year).  Totaled 7.64 miles over a total time of 65 minutes.

Thursday

An epic speed workout!  I was nervous as my new pace times had me needing to run 3-5 miles of intervals in 6:54-7:10 per mile.  I really didn’t know if I could do this alone, so my friend Bob joined me.  We did a mile warmup and then busted out 3 miles of intervals.   6:57, 7:02 and 7:00!  I was ecstatic!  

Friday

Rest!  

Saturday 

The week was going great, and today was the icing on the cake.  Did a 16 miler with the last six miles at my marathon goal pace.  Did the first 10 all within my easy pace requirements, and then the last six came in.  I was starting to get mentally beat and was nervous I wouldn’t be able to get pace.   But I overcame and did it.  Ran my last 6 in 8:04, 8:03, 7:57, 7:47, 7:49, and 7:54.   My goal pace is 8:00 so this was fantastic!  I ran all 16 miles in a total time of 2 hours and 12 minutes.  And most importantly, I felt strong at the finish.

I have six weeks left until I put it all out there in Vancouver and attempt my Boston Qualifying run.  I am feeling stronger and faster than ever before.  I cannot wait to!

Mar15

Spending a Week Sidelined with Sickness

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Last week, I was riding on Cloud 9 after my Moonlight Run 10km success.  I went into my Sunday training run (60-90 minutes easy) and did 63 solid minutes and 7.37 miles,  this was epic considering I had ran the Moonlight Run less than 24 hours before!  I decided to use Monday as my rest day (could have been rest, cross train, or 45-60 minutes easy) as my throat was starting to feel a bit sore.  I was figuring it would pass. But, come Tuesday, all hell broke loose.

I had some huge training runs planned for the week—-90-105 minutes easy, 60-75 minutes easy, 8-10 Yasso 800s, and an 18-22 miler.  All of this had to be scrapped.  I attempted to do the 90-105 minute run on Tuesday, but had to end it after 23 minutes.  On Wednesday, I ran with my track and field kids for 3.55 miles, but finished with a dry-heaving attack in my classroom.  Coach Dean advised me to not do the Yasso 800s and rest on Friday, in hopes to run on Saturday.  I actually had to call in sick on Friday, as I had no voice (hadn’t sounded pretty since Wednesday) and felt like a pile of garbage.
While I started to feel a lot better on Friday night, when I mentioned to my husband about doing my 18-22 miler the next day, he lost it.  I was not close to 100% and this would do more harm than good.  I mentioned it to Dean, and asked if I should maybe do my shorter Sunday workout on Saturday and do the 18-22 on Sunday.  He told me 
exactly what I was thinking, but I needed affirmation from someone wiser in order to listen.
“…Rest is not the absence of training.  It is an integral part of training…Don’t stack the workouts.  Skip them if feeling sick.  Give yourself recovery time so you are 100% quicker.”
I ended up having three days in a row that I did not run.  This was the longest stretch in months that I haven’t run.  By Saturday night I was feeling useless, albeit healthier.  Today I felt well enough to do the planned workout—45-60 minutes easy.  I headed out early afternoon in the rain, and went down by Sugar Bowl and up the wooden stairs,  I went down some beaten up wash out paths and headed towards the river.  I eventually made it to a part that was marked off as “do not pass.”  Whatever, I did.  Yeah, I felt like a rebel…and it was great.  Ran on a portion of trail between part of the river and the Country Club before hitting a wash out, partially submerged bridge.  I climbed over it Spartan Race style and onto a really muddy trail.  I didn’t get too far before I hit 25 minutes and decided to turn back and head home.  This route, which I did not know existed until today, will be one worth exploring when it is summer!  It was an awesome run, I felt great, did not hack up a lung when I was done, and finished 55 minutes on pace!  
So this week I will be back at the it.   Back at the grind.  And I am happy about it.  Having a slow week after finishing the prior week on such a high was difficult and frustrating, because there was nothing I could do except wait out my terrible cold.  I am glad I took those rest days, as it was needed after pushing so hard at Moonlight, and I hope to stay healthy from now until Vancouver.  BQ or Bust!
Feb19

A Failed Training Run….and How it Actually Ties to Teacher’s Convention!

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I have had off of work since last Friday. Had our regular weekend, however, ours was busy with my in-laws coming down to visit. It was Family Day on Monday (same day as US Presidents Day) so no work for everyone. Then, our district had the Tuesday and Wednesday off. South Western Alberta Teachers Convention was held at U of L today and will continue tomorrow. And then another nice weekend before back to the grind next Monday.

This is all fine and dandy. But….my sleep schedule has been out of whack since the start of this break. I find it necessary to stay up till some ungodly hours watching shitty television. This morning, I had to get up at a somewhat respectful time of 7:15 am so I could get ready for convention. Fast forward to coming home, I laid in bed with Snoopy at 3:15. In my head, I was going to take an hour nap and then go on my run….

…5:59 pm. Snoopy decides it time to finally wake up, which in turn, gets my ass out of bed. The plan of no alarm and relying on Snoopy’s internal food clock failed me. I quickly got up, fed the dog, and headed outside. I was supposed to do 6-8 800 meter repeats with a 400 meter jog in between. The 800 meters were supposed to be at a sprint in good form. I was planning on doing the first 800 as I ran to the Civic track by the curling club, then I would do the 400 m jog, do 4-6 repeats in the track, and head back with my 800.

I went out strong on my first 800. This was on sidewalks and slightly uphill, but I powered through. I felt good, not great, when done, and then went into the 400 m jog. I had gotten to the track just before my second 800 was about to begin. The shale track, which I have successfully ran Yasso 800s on before, was wet and squishy. Footprints were all over and footing was not great. I started the second 800 on the back stretch of the track, but I only made it 3/4 around at full speed when I had to slow down.

My footing was off. It was getting darker as it was 6:30 pm. My hip, which I had loads icy hot on, was in a lot of pain. I was tired, my legs were heavy….I went into a slow jog, and then headed back home. I completed a measly 1.65 miles and had only done 1 of the 6-8 sets.

I’m pretty let down right now with how this went. I have had a tough week and a half coming off of my 1:35 Hypothermic Half. My recovery hasn’t been going to best and I haven’t been able to do all my workouts to the best of my ability. While my longer runs have been successful, these speed workouts since the half marathon have been a mess. The varied sleep schedule and the “vacation” time have seemingly thrown me off. I am hoping this is just a phase and that this Saturday’s 16-20 miler going off without a hitch. My goal Saturday is to get in 18 miles, all within that 8:06-9:23 sweet spot. Then, hopefully getting back into my normal routine next week will sort things out naturally.

This has happened to me before in the past…And I felt like a failure. While I am upset at how tonight’s attempted speed workout went, I am not calling myself a failure. A lot of my optimistic view comes from growth and maturity over the years, but most of it today was in part from a presentation I was at this morning. Our keynote speaker, Debbie Silver, at teacher’s convention today talked about how kids need to experience failure in order to find success. She has a book entitled “Fall Down 7 Times Get Up 8”. She explained her points with personal stories and experiences. It all resonated well with my experiences as a high school teacher, and many of the children and students she brought up in her presentation reminded me of students I have taught. It also reminded me of me and this training. It reminded me of how far I have come with my running, how many successes I have had, and how these do in fact outweigh the failures. But the failures are just as important. I fell down tonight, but I got up. And it’s going to be ok.

Feb12

Strength Training as Cross Training…and More…

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I mentioned a while back that I was attempting to get into the fitness centre twice a week to do weights and strength training with my friends from work, JJ and Shannon. I figured this would be helpful for my Spartan Races….which it has! I have had a tough time sticking with going on both Monday and Wednesday morning, partly because I get lazy in the morning. Unless it is a race day or a long run with Runners Soul Marathon Club on a Saturday, I love to SLEEP. This week, I could not pull myself out of bed on Monday for our workout (I felt just exhausted and beat from my half marathon the day before). But, I did get myself up and out of bed in time for our Wednesday workout…..but OUR workout turned out to be just a ME workout.

JJ and Shannon ditched me Wednesday. Alright, alright, they didn’t ditch me…just on Monday when I ditched them, they decided they wouldn’t be coming in Wednesday (Shannon was going to be at Curling Zones that day). I just didn’t find out about this until I got to work at 6:50 am and no one was there. For a split second, I was tempted to just change into my regular clothes and bail. Then, I thought of just going in and doing the elliptical. It wasn’t until I actually walked in the doors of the fitness centre that I realized I should just stick with what I was going to be doing all along—arms and abs.

I still am not wise when it comes to being in a weight room, but I had luckily remembered 7 of the 8 exercises from the circuit we did the Wednesday prior. We did this circuit three times, with a short break in between. I laid out the mat for bicycle abs, the Swiss ball for the other thing of abs, got a plate ready for whatever the thing is where you are inclined on your stomach and lift up….got barbells set for lunges and bench press…got a bar out with light weights for what I think is called “Military Press” and some other squat thing…and since I couldn’t remember the 8th thing, I took out a box to out under the hand grips by the chin up bar so I could reach and do hanging abs. Wow….I am such a fish out of water in the weight room, can you tell? I seriously don’t know what any of the proper names of things are…I just follow JJ and Shannon around.

It would be boring to go on and try to explain everything I did, because it would also be painful to try to interpret what the hell I’m saying. But I will say this—immediately upon starting my first set in the weight room solo, I thought of my dad. And I couldn’t stop thinking about him. The weight room was his place of worship. It was his safe haven. I had these images in my head of heading into our basement to go ask him a question and stopping outside the back room…his weight room. If he was in the middle of a set I knew to just stand and wait and then talk to him after. I remembered the random home video from the late 1980s we have of him doing bench presses in the basement while I’m dribbling a basketball next to him. I have mentioned before that he would mention to me on occasion about trying to lift, and I always shot him down. He never pushed, though, because he wasn’t like that. As I grew up, he could clearly see it “wasn’t my thing” so we left it at that. But having all these thoughts in my head early on a Wednesday morning made me push myself.

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I never pictured myself in a million years in a fitness centre, alone, doing a weight training circuit. But this Wednesday, I was. I started this blog to honour the memory of my dad, I started all my crazy running to help deal with my loss…and now I have found that being alone in the weight room is another way to reflect and just live. I felt alive. And I felt like he was there with me. He always is.

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The pictures of my dad before the last paragraph are from 1995. He had undergone triple bypass surgery in June of that same year. These were taken in November. He was 43 years old. Heart Disease can effect anyone.

Feb9

Calgary Hypothermic Half-My Muddled Post-Race Thoughts

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Running a February half marathon in Calgary, Alberta, is slightly crazy. But running one with the mindset of getting a personal best is slightly insane. But, that’s how I went into the 2015 Hypothermic Half Marathon. Go big or why do it, right?

I signed up for the event in November, as I had wanted to find a chip-timed event for my Digital Running “Time of the Season” Challenge (a timed event every month from March 2014 through February 2015. This was the only event I could find somewhat in the area with official timing (other than a 50km!). I have gushed about my love of running Calgary before, as the routes are always pretty and I’ve had pretty consistent race success, so driving up for a quick weekend was something I had no issue with.

I headed up to Calgary on Saturday afternoon for packet pickup at the Eau Claire Market Running Room. Pickup was easy and seamless-received my race bib, which had the timing chip right on the back, and the swag, which was a pair of winter running gloves and Running Room’s version of a Buff (neck/head warmer piece). All were very nice! The ladies at pickup were also very nice at explaining the map to me, which I had looked at online. I was somewhat familiar with the route, as I have ran parts of it on previous races but I wasn’t completely sure where the turns at the bridges would be (more in that later).

My 7 am alarm came fast and I felt pretty lethargic. I was slow to move, but made it to Tim Horton’s to get my oatmeal and coffee for my breakfast and preparation rituals. I was staying at my friend Cindy’s house which is a two minute drive to a Tim’s, so I was able to go there and get back right away to get prepped. It was COLD out…colder than I thought it would be. I needed to layer correctly so I was warm enough….but not miserable. I hate feeling overheated. I also taped my knees and quads up, as those are always potential issues. I headed out the door at 8:20 am to attempt and find my way to Fort Calgary for the race start.

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Not much parking by the Fort, but I was able to finagle a spot for my tiny Pontiac Vibe. I was cutting it a little close as I needed to go to the bathroom and the women’s line was ridiculous. I made it out to the start with about 5 minutes to spare, and I ran out there doing some high knees and other dynamics. I was now set to go and hoping for the best. I lined myself up right in the front center and went out like I was going to own it…

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The biggest thing for any race of a half marathon or longer, for me personally, is getting in the pace groove. I had wanted to be hitting 7:25 minute mile paces or faster in order to potentially beat my September 2014 personal best time of 1:37:51. The first three miles were pretty well marked, had an occasional volunteer directing you, and was all located in the south side of the Bow River. I ran these in 7:14, 7:25 and 7:38, respectively. Because of this inconsistency, I honestly wasn’t that sure of myself at that 5km mark. I needed to get on track fast.

The part of the course I was on now was familiar. I had been here before during Run for L’Arche last March. This “comfort zone” factor helped ease me down some. Also, since this is a public trail and local runners were out running, the random runners cheering us “racers” on as we passed was awesome! This helped push me to a 7:19, 7:26 and 7:18 mile 4-6. This brought me to the clearly marked turnaround, which if this had been a 10km race, I would have gotten a personal best. I was feeling strong, so I decided to get on trucking.

Everyone else around me looked like they were freezing, but I was strangely feeling fine. It was about 10F outside and I kept alternating between having my buff covering my mouth to just my neck. So maybe I’m superhuman, I don’t know. I was grateful that I did have my running sunglasses on, though, just to protect from the bright morning sun and wind. With the paths being clear of ice and snow, I was able to keep my pace up during the tough miles of 7-10, where I ran a 7:21, 7:24, 7:25 and 7:25.

Now looking at my GPS tracking after the race, I notice that mile 10 was approximately where we crossed over from the south side of the Bow River on the way out. I was in my own world by this point, but now it all makes sense because I didn’t recognize anything around me from that day (I recognized the road parallel to me from running on it during the Calgary Marathon, but that’s not what mattered). I knew that the last part of the course was going to be on the opposite side of the river as where we started, but I really wasn’t sure for how long. The last volunteer I saw said “go until the St. Patrick’s Bridge!” Well, that’s great, but I don’t live here and don’t know what that bridge is! That is my one complaint about this event-the lack of volunteers in the later part of the race. I asked every random runner/biker/walker/human I went past from mile 10 until the bridge where this bridge was. I was running with a little uncertainty the last 3 miles because I was nervous I would miss my turn and screw up my time!

I did keep pushing because I knew I was on pace to break my personal best. I held up mile 11 and 12 in 7:21 and 7:24. I knew I had to give anything I had left in the fuel tank the last mile to see what I was made of. There was about 1/2 mile left when I turned on that final bridge and I was feeling awesome! I gave the photographer a smile and looked way ahead for the finish. It was a winding path, heading into the Fort a different way than we had came out. I felt the strongest I had ever felt coming into a half marathon, finishing my last mile in 7:03…..7:03! My official finish time was 1:35:41, good enough to best my personal best by 2 minutes and 10 seconds. I placed 1st out of 62 in my age group, 3rd out of 216 in females, and 17 out of 426 overall. And I did this all while running in a February road race in Calgary, Alberta. And it was COLD! I thrive on the cold, I really do!

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While I usually never want food immediately after finishing a race, I did today. Maybe the cold had a hunger effect on me, who knows. But let me tell you, I am glad I did want food. The brunch that was included with our race entry was awesome! I sat with some great people—-a guy from Red Deer and some local Calgarians. The food definitely hit the spot and held me over on my drive back to Lethbridge.

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Anyone reading this blog for the first time may think that I have always been this fast. Let me stress this—–up until April 2013, my best half marathon time was a 1:54 and change. Finding a plan, finding a motivation within….that’s what I needed. If you read my older posts you will find that I started this blog to honor my dad’s life, and to try and deal with some of the things I had yet to handle since his premature death at age 51 in 2004. I took the thing that caused me so much pain for so many years and found a way to ease that pain-through running, I have found myself. I am also becoming more of an athlete, more of someone who I never though I could be. But I know my dad always thought I could be it. And I know he is proud.

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Feb1

…and Winter is Here

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We had a really random weather-week here in Lethbridge. It was 67 degrees outside last week Monday. 67! On January 26th! In Lethbridge, Alberta, CANADA! Well, of course this wasn’t going to last. This Saturday blizzard-like conditions hit and I looked outside at 7:15 am saying “What the……” It was time for me to head to my first Runners Soul Marathon Club run of the year and I needed to get in 90-105 minutes at a pace between 8:02-9:23 for each mile. As much as I wanted to head back into bed, I knew I couldn’t.

Club run was 8 miles in length for those training for marathon distance, but I knew I would need more than 8 to reach 90 minutes. I ran from our house to Runners Soul (which is exactly a mile!) and got there in 8:58. The snow had started in the middle of the night, so nothing was shoveled yet, and visibility was tough. I knew this 8 mile route would feel a whole longer today.

The route brought us around the southside to the trail behind Home Depot near the coulees, past the College, and back down Scenic Drive. I won’t lie-it was rough going. I had wanted to be hitting around 8:20s for my pace, but I knew with the snow and ice I would have to lessen up, but still stay within pace parameters. I managed to do so for 7/8 of the miles in the club run, and the one I didn’t hit was only off by seconds! My miles were done in 8:57, 8:42, 8:43, 8:50, 8:41, 8:47, 9:03, and 9:26. So it wasn’t until the last mile that I fade and missed my pace by 3 seconds. I warmed up a bit in the store (which was a mistake) because then when I went outside to do my last mile home I got SO COLD SO FAST. I ran as hard as my body would let me and got home in 9:10. My feet were soaked, my fingers were numb, and my husband greeted me at the door with “I can’t believe you ran in that shit.”

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While still snowy outside today, the weather had warmed up to just at freezing. My options for today were either to take an off day, run 30-45 minutes easy, or cross train. My calves were sore from all the resistance running in the snow, so I opted for cross training. My husband and I took our nearly 8-year old beagle out to the off-leash dog park for a little hike. 3.2 miles later, we had taken Snoopy through the coulees, down stairs, through bushes, off the path….he acted like a puppy and was having so much fun. He even did some sprints with us up some hills and held his own. It wasn’t a traditional “workout” but it was a perfect way to spend the Sunday. Winter may be back, but that doesn’t mean it has to slow anyone down.

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