Dinosaur Valley

Two weeks after what felt like a set back of a race in Edmonton, I was in route to run a 10k race in Drumheller. This is one of the shortest races I have run, but I figured it would be a nice way to test out my knee while pushing race pace a little bit.

My training runs after the Edmonton Marathon weekend had gone well. I was stiff for a few days, as was expected, but my knee didn't seize up like it had previously. I considered this a good step in the right direction. To ease the impact my body was under while pushing to get my long runs back into the 20-30km range, I decided I would once again tackle a Galloway running technique.

Galloway's method is an extremely popular running method in the United States. I do know a number of Canadian's that swear by it but I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan in the beginning. I didn't like running a race to have someone in front of me stop dead in their tracks for their slow interval. It drove me nuts. I was of the mentality that if you could run a distance solid, don't run it at all because it is obviously too much for you to handle.

When I tested out a few different run/walk intervals earlier this spring I found I would cramp instantly after the walk interval which would make me struggle for that entire interval and kill my time and technique. Three different time intervals later....well... I wasn't enjoying myself and went back to my solid runs at a consistent speed.

Having done more reading and research while out injured I decided I would give the sucker a try again. Ha. Go figure. It worked!

After Edmonton, I adopted a 4:1 run:walk ratio in my training. I decided to test it out with a quick 5km to see what would happen - if anything.  I was fine. Not only was I fine, but I was also running my run intervals at my usual race pace of 5:10min/km. With a quick walk I had an average pace just over 6mins/km. Thinking it was a fluke, I tried it again on my next training run, 8km, thinking that the slightly longer distance would have me winded as I neared the end while running the run intervals at a fairly quick pace. Sure enough, I ran at 5mins/km, even faster than the last time and I finished the 8km feeling comfortable and only slightly tired. My next mid-week 8km run was the same, and again it was slightly faster than the previous.... so maybe this thing really was worth a try after all!

Race morning my mom, dog and I left for Drumheller at 3am. A quick stop at the local addiction centre (a.k.a. Tim Hortons) for coffee and we were set. We arrived in the Ditch (it's nick name) shortly before 6am and settled in at the race venue. Impressively we had another vehicle pull up shortly after we arrived. If you know me at all, you know I like to arrive for things... really early. If you know my mom at all, you know she likes to arrive for everything really, REALLY early! Seeing another vehicle pull up shortly after us was pretty darn impressive! I must say I was a little bit surprised! Okay, I was really surprised!

I checked in at packet pick up around 6:30, collected my swag and awesome running shirt. The fact that it was blue AND had a dinosaur on it meant that I absolutely had to wear it for the race. I don't usually wear a race shirt on race day because it isn't something I have trained in or with. Usually the fabric isn't the same as what I run in and you can never really tell what is going to happen with it until you try it out or have a similar shirt. The last thing I'd want to do was to discover that the shirt wasn't as breathable as I thought and to then overheat as a result. WELL, this shirt also happened to be a material very similar to my typical run shirt, it was a match made in heaven! I HAD to wear it! Dinosaurs... I still love my dinosaurs even though I haven't worked on them in a few years!

*the swag and bag were also awesome by the way - best one yet this year for me*

The half marathon slow start was small and uneventful. There were probably about 15 or so runners that took advantage of the start an hour before the official race time. The race director counted down to the start of their race and the dozen or so individuals made their way out of the starting gates and around the corner of the first city block and out of sight. As the 'slow pokes' (no disrespect meant, I started my first race with slow start and made some pretty awesome friends there too) began their official races, the crowds of runners preparing for the half, 10k and 5k races were growing exponentially.

The parking lot for the Community Facility was now overflowing with vehicles and bodies and the lines for the toilets were goring by the minute. As every runner knows and knows very well - there can never be enough bathrooms at the start line of a race! Well, I would just like to say the race organizers for this race know that REALLY well! We had the indoor facilities and probably 2 dozen portable bathrooms for our use. Line ups were actually quite short given the number of runners! It was quite impressive to be honest! I was extremely pleased with this aspect after standing in line for 15 minutes prior to the race in Edmonton only a few weeks earlier.

Just before 8am all 10k and half marathon runners were called to the race area for a pre-run warm aerobic warm-up. I don't do these kinds of things because I don't change anything on race day. I had a good time chasing the guys running in a pack around the Community Facility building in their Boston Marathon shirts and compression socks and sleeves. With my sleeves on, I fit right in! Hahaha, this was probably the only time I'd be able to keep up with these guys. After the gun went off I'd be miles behind them! After our jog, I then did my usual warm up and bounced up and down behind all of the people doing their aerobics.

Just before the aerobics finished I made my way to the front of the starting gates. I knew, having looked at the placements and times for the previous few years this race had run, that I stood a really good chance of placing in my age division and the race overall. Even being in less than peak shape, I knew that my times would still put me in a really good position for a top notch finish.

I was the furthest runner to the left and had the shortest tangent line out of the start gate to the first corner. I really couldn't have planned it better in all honesty. I was also next to one of the fastest runners in the race (anyone shooting for a 40 minute 10k is a good one to be next to in my books), I definitely couldn't complain. We sang the anthem, the radio station dude said a few words and then our race count down began. I had 800 people behind me fighting for my spot, I knew my start was destined to be a good one and a fast one.

5.... 4.... 3.... 2.... 1.... GO

5...4...3...2...1...GO! And we're off!

Ha! Fast was an understatement! I made it through the first kilometer in under four minutes! I have NEVER done that before, not even in training. I was happy but knew I'd never sustain it. After my Garmin 310XT beeped at me to tell me I reached the 1km marker I decided to go with what I had done in training. Run and walk. So here we are crossing main street and about 100 people pass me as I'm speed walking and waving to the cars and saying thank you to the police officer holding traffic. I'm more than certain all of these people running with me must have wondered what in the name of wahoo I was on to be walking so early...!

My minute was up and then it was time to go again. That is how my race went. Run for four like you've never run before and walk for one. Run for four, walk for one. It was simple really. I had my eyes glued to my iPhone's RunKeeper app and on my Garmin. I could hardly believe what either device was telling me outside of the time. I just ran.... and then walked.... and then ran and walked some more!

The rest of the race in a nut shell. The course was awesome! One small downhill that allowed me to fly past a few people. Three great water stations and cheering sections in the residential areas west of down town. I got to wave to my friends and their cat watching from their living room - twice! I passed almost everyone in my race.... oh yeah... that hundred that passed me early on.... pay back... well, at least to those that were running the 10k race, the 10k race and the half marathon race courses split around the 4km mark. But anyone that was doing the ten kilometer race and passed me, I made up for it by kilometer 5 and 6. Easily!

By kilometer seven I was running pretty much alone with one other person in my sights. The fastest runners were around a bend in the road but I had my sights set on the girl in front of me. At first she was about 400m away, then 200m... and then I passed her. My walk interval allowed her to catch up every now and then and going into the final kilometer we were almost shoulder to shoulder.

Looking at the girl next to me as we leap-frogged one another, I could tell she was undoubtedly in my age group. There was no way she was over 30 and she was definitely not younger than me. Anyways, whatever possessed me to do the math to determine her age in my head also said 'when you hit the underpass for main street, book it.' Long story short, I booked it!

My last kilometer was my fastest. I managed to catch up with another runner who also looked like they were in my age division in the last 300m of the course. We turned the final corner shoulder to shoulder, she had the inside and subsequently tighter turn. I could hear her foot falls getting quicker but she hadn't yet put a gap between us. Without even glancing to the side my feet kicked into high gear. I ran the previous 9700m with my typical forefoot stride, landing square on the balls of my feet and my toes. I finished the last 300m of the race pounding it out like I had in my spring sprint training. Holy heel strike, but it paid off. I left the girl in my dust and finished a good 10m ahead of her.

I should also mention I am more than certain I didn't breath on the home stretch until I hit the finish line. It is definitely safe to say I was winded to the max and more than thankful for the water that was tossed my direction after what was, quite probably, my strongest race and best race finish EVER!

I was not about to let anyone get in front of me. Zoom Zoom!

I was pretty much on a high just from the final few hundred meters alone... you should have heard the screams when I got my race time!

So, when most people run a personal best they do it by a few second here or a few second there in a fast race. In the big picture, a 10k is considered a fast race! I smashed my personal best by a solid 5 minutes and some change. I was elated. Not only did I have a great finish, I had a new personal record and quite probably placed in the race!

Results were posted about thirty minutes after I finished my race. I got my race metal (also amazingly awesome with a dinosaur :D :D :D), some munchies and changed into some warmer clothes as the sun had yet to break through the clouds.

My mom and I strolled through the outdoor expo - which was impressively large for such a small race! It was bigger than the expo in Edmonton! By the time we made it through all the booths and by the time our dog said 'hi' to all of the other dogs out for race day, the race results were being posted.

I finished one out of the money. Darn! BUT, I had a top 5 finish in my age division and placed 17th overall. Heck, no complaints there! My first top 10 and top 20 finish respectively. I was THRILLED! I couldn't have asked for a better day! I was also really happy my mom and dog were able to come out for the race! This was the first race I have done where I have had someone there to cheer me on at the start/finish line. It was pretty awesome and was made even more awesome because I was able to share a really great racing accomplishment with them.

My mom and I stuck around for the awards as some of the people I had met before the race had placed. Runners are an awesome group like that - really supportive and happy to share in the fun and festivities of a race... they are also really quick to make friends! Of the 4 other women I started with at the front of the start line, we all placed and placed 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 respectively. What a special moment to share with some really great people!

Race Recap: awesome course(s). I will definitely be back to this one! Extremely well organized down to every last detail. I wouldn't hesitate in the least in recommending this race to anyone of any ability for any of the distances being run. The organizers and volunteers should all be extremely proud. I don't think they could have done anything better!

The Edmonton Marathon

I'm a bit behind on my blogging as a result of preparing for exams. As soon as I get the rest of my schooling out of the way (almost there! YAY), my posts will become significantly more regular.

Anyways, on August 25th I ran the Edmonton Marathon - well, the half marathon. Below you can find my account of the event, my trials tribulations while overcoming an injury and about all of the cool people I got to meet.

I registered for the half marathon in Edmonton in early spring. I wanted to run a race later in the season that would allow me to get a better time than my earlier half marathon and subsequently a better corral placement for Disney in January. Well, that was the plan at least!

I arrived in Edmonton early on Saturday morning for packet pick-up. I drove. Driving in the city centre of Edmonton, to me, is like trying to find ones way around a different planet. I had my GPS yelling at me to turn this way and that way and constantly came up against one way streets, construction blocking the most obvious paths and a farmers market in the heart of down town. Had I not been pressed to arrive at 9:30 to meet with a fellow runner, I would have ditched the truck and walked to the host hotel and convention centre instead of fighting my way through the city. After three different loops around the downtown core and two trips out of the city on the various one-way express ways, I did eventually find the place I was looking for. I did have to go in the exit ramp of the parking garage to turn myself around so I was facing the right way to get on to the entry ramp... but that's another adventure in and of itself!

The expo was small, very small. The bulk of the expo consisted of a running room 'booth' with gear and event shirts for sale. There were other, significantly smaller booths as well, most were promoting other races (i.e., the Vancouver marathon), travel packages (i.e., run the ING New York Marathon - guaranteed spots if you travel with us) and 'run food' samples (i.e., power bar pieces).

Anyways, I grabbed my race bag, bib and shirt and sat down to chat with a few fellow runners - some of whom I had met online through various run groups but not in person to date. What better place to meet fellow run geeks than at an expo right?!?  We had a lovely time chatting before parting ways for the day to begin our pre-race day rituals.

Sunday morning started bright and early - 4am. Well, I guess it is safe to say it definitely wasn't bright, but it was still pretty darn early! I was packed up and ready to check out of my hotel and head down to the Northlands for race morning. A pre-race oatmeal and water and I was set to go! I made it down to the race grounds shortly after 5am and was one of the first ones there. The early start marathon was beginning at 6:30 so a few of the slower runners were also beginning to show up. I had no idea what to expect in terms of parking and figured it was better safe than sorry. I do wish someone had told me there was no need to rush... but whatever... I was there, and I was ready and, I was definitely staying camped out in my truck to avoid turning into mosquito bait!

I hung around and just relaxed until the sun started to break the horizon. A truck pulled up next to me with a man preparing for the slow start (for those expecting to take longer than 6h to finish the marathon). I joined him and headed to the starting line. It was quite a nice morning. It was cool in a t-shirt and shorts but definitely comfortable. I had the wonderful pleasure of being the loudest cheerleader for the start of the early race. Along with the medical supervisors and a few race volunteers, it was a pretty small cheering section.

Photo: from the Edmonton Marathon FB page

The start was pretty uneventful with probably 20-25 people taking advantage of the early starting time. One brave individual was running the race in a gorilla suit - of which I am sure was immensely hot by 8am. A second individual, which grabbed my attention immediately, was running the race with a guide dog and a white cane - he was blind. This, to me, was nothing short of amazing! What an inspiration!

By 7am the marathon crowds were beginning to appear in droves; first in tens, then by the hundreds. I met a few really nice runners while waiting for the marathon start. One girl, Kim from just north of Edmonton, was running her first ever marathon. We chatted for quite some time. She was really excited but also extremely nervous. It was fun to see her later on during the race, while we were running ours, and to be able to cheer her on! I also met dozens of others from all over the province. Two other girls were running their first ever half marathon. It was kind of fun to be able to help answer questions and ease their fears and nerves about the race. I also saw them on the course after the switch back - it was fun to give them some high fives and check in with how they were doing. I am sure they will be back, the definitely looked to be making out okay.

At 7:30 the marathon started. Hundreds of runners dashed away from the start line and out of the gates of Northlands Park and began their course through the heart of down town Edmonton. Pace bunnies with sign posts and pink rabbit ears were scattered amongst the sea of runner, bunny ears and signs bobbing up and down like a bird floating on the water. As soon as the last of the marathon runners were out of sight, runners for the half marathon were called to the starting gates.

Our starting gates were PACKED! Even then, packed would be an understatement. I couldn't get anywhere near where I had anticipated starting. In fact, I was probably in the last 1/4 of the starting field and next to the 2:30 pace bunnies. Definitely not where I wanted to be. Oh well! After the signing of the national anthem and some casual chit-chat with those around us, the gun went off and it was time to get the legs moving. It took me a whole minute and a half from my position in the starting gates to hit the start line (I have a real hate for the use of gun time over chip time when it comes to race placement...). From the start line, it was a hard and very fast right out into the city. I was definitely starting too hard but I did want to make up a bit of ground early to get past the slower runners and run/walkers. I did catch up with the 2h pace bunnies by the end of the first kilometer so pulled back and just let things happen.

The course was great! The volunteer marshals, the police man blocking the streets and random passers-by were all very supportive and cheered everyone on.

My first 10k where pretty quick. I was on pace to set a pretty substantial PB and my knee was feeling good despite having very little in in the way of distance training since hurting it nearly a month earlier. The this part of the race, we had the elite marathon runners and half marathon runners coming back at us. It was an amazing atmosphere as runners on either side of the course were yelling words of encouragement to one another.

At this stage in the race, the suns rays were also beginning to hit the ground with their full intensity and the temperature began to rise from a balmy 10C to 20C fairly rapidly. I must say, I was thrilled to see the residential section of the course was well treed - the shade was definitely a welcomed relief. Running the entire length of the course in full sun, even mid-morning would not have been very fun!

The turnaround for the course was around the 11km marker. I turned around and felt that I was somewhere close to the the middle of the pack. Another 5 or so kilometers brought us back into the hear of the city where Sunday morning commuters were inching through gaps in the runners cautiously under the direction of police officers at every intersection. Off in the distance sirens were wailing. At one stage a group of us were stopped to let two fire trucks and an ambulance through the race course. If there is one good way to get your anxiety levels up, this would have been it!

As I neared the water station around kilometer 17 my knee began to tighten. I knew it was time to pull off the throttle and give my legs a break. Knowing that this was just the beginning of my fall race 'season' and my first race in a month and a half, I knew there was no sense in pushing too hard. While I wanted to finish with a solid race under two hours to use towards my corral placement in Disney World, finishing in one piece and being able to run all of my other races over the coming weeks was more important.

I had just reached the water station and watched a girl collapse hardly but a few meters in front of me. If my tight knee wasn't a good enough indication that is was time to pull back a little bit... seeing something like this definitely was! Thankfully the water station was full of volunteers and also had a medical team stationed there. The girl was definitely in good hands.

Hardly but another kilometer up the road however, I came across another girl my age who was throwing up like mad. An older man and I checked in with her to make sure she was okay. After waving off help, we decided it was best to take action and alerted a bunch of course marshals and volunteers as to her condition. While I am all for pushing yourself to your limits... I'm not a fan of the 'run so hard you puke' club or the 'run through injury to get a good time in this race and never run again' club. I have my limits, that's for sure! I'm crazy and I can push myself extremely hard, but I know when it is time to take a step back... clearly the girl throwing up and the girl that collapsed have yet to find their breaks!

The last stretch of the race for me was really tough. I knew I was falling off my pace faster than a cheetah going after its breakfast. It was really disappointing even though I knew I had made the right decision to pull back. A walk break here, and a walk break there allowed me to really pay attention to what was going on around me in the race instead of just barreling through the crowds to hit the finish line.

A few steps ahead of me I saw another girl, also my age, walking. We had run the first 7 or so kilometers almost stride for stride. She was really struggling and almost in tears. As I got closer to her I asked if she was okay. She said she was fine and I continued to explain how we started together and ran almost half the race together. She smiled and let out a bit of a laugh. When I asked if she had anything left in the tank she said yes and I suggested that because we started together, we might as well finish together. Right up until the 21km marker we stayed close to one another. On occasion I would lose her as she took a quick break but she would catch up if I slowed down, taping me on the shoulder the same way I did to her to get her to keep going. We made it. My the 21k route marker though, she was running on empty. Her boyfriend was trying to encourage her and was running beside her on the other side of the fencing. She had nothing left in her tanks. While sore and feeling the tightness of my knee (as a result of a lax hip muscle, of which I was also feeling by this time), I decided I did have enough left to book it to the finish line.

This was probably my toughest race mentally because I knew I could do significantly better. Having a bit of fuel to burn lead me into a 500m sprint to the finish line in which I passed another 50+ runners. Hearing the cheer of the crowds was definitely a nice driving force and made me want to run harder. While my finish was strong, and the last half of my race disappointing, I felt like I didn't want to disappoint the crowds waiting in masses at the finish line. That was one whopper of a sprint and it was the only time I heard my name called on the course by someone other than the announcer on the microphone (which happened to be John Stanton!). Thank you to whoever it was that tried their darnedest to say my name - man that was some seriously good motivation!

After crossing the finish line and receiving my metal and finish line photo (hahaha, I looked so winded!), it was on to the food line.

The race over all was pretty low key. The webpage was a far cry from the webages of any other marathon out there, and the information was limited... but boy was the food great! Water, juice, bananas, apples, oranges, muffins, granola bars, your choice of sandwich/wrap, chips... sheesh... I'm usually lucky to get an orange slice. I was pretty darn happy to be getting a lunch! One less stop required by this girl before hitting the road for the long drive home. Additionally, while waiting in line for food, I got to meet up with a fellow digital runner. How awesome is that? We met initially as part of our training for the 'Dopey Challenge' that we will both be running in January through a forum online. Little did either of us know that we cross paths quite frequently and had just never met! Well, now we both have someone to talk 'run geek' with. What more could a girl ask for!?!?

My thoughts on the race: I will definitely be back and would definitely consider this race to qualify for the Boston Marathon. While not totally flat, it is pretty darn close. What hills were on our course (and thus half of the marathon course) where hardly but a few meters in elevation and had a pretty generous slope. I really enjoyed the course! The volunteers were great although I feel like there could have been more water stations. We had 3 very busy stations and I feel like maybe one more would have been good.... maybe it was just from my lack of training but I ran out of water en route and felt uncomfortable with the distances between stations. I don't usually take water for anything less than a 16k run so it was odd to me that I would go through my 2 whole little bottles when I usually hardly ever take a sip (even for a half or full). Other than that, GREAT run and GREAT race!

Well done Edmonton! I am already looking forward to hitting the course for the full marathon next year! Can't wait!

The Runners Smile

So my last run was Sunday. I don't even know if I can call it a run! With the exception of a clinic visit and 5 minutes on the treadmill tomorrow, I'm not allowed to run again until next week!

I did run somewhere between 7 and 11km of my usual 16k loop around the reservoir on Sunday though. It wasn't a constant run after the 4km mark as my left knee has been unhappy since my first run at Camp Calvin on the Monday morning. I have NO idea what I have done to it. Physio seems to be getting it back on track to a degree.

Mentally I was more than prepared for this run. I was ready to knock this sucker out of the park. I was using it towards a 10mile virtual race (16.1km), a training incentive to help me work on both distance and time together, to help me get to 'bigger and better' things. I was ready! I was ready to smash this sucker out of the park and to run the 'loop' faster than I have ever run it before.

I was optimistic. I guess I was a little too optimistic! I smashed out the first 4km in record speed for me and then everything kind of fell apart. I went from the prospect of setting a new 5km PR to my slowest 5k split time to date. It was bad! Really bad! My knee buckled for lack of a better word. Something pinched and it hurt. A few hopping steps to slow down and I knew that was pretty much the end of my blistering pace (I was averaging 4:30mins/kilometer. A normal run for me is about 5:50/km most runners that I know in town that aren't elites struggle to keep the pace under 7mins/km). I was done. My brain was still on over drive - go go go - but this time it was my body that threw in the towel.

I was mildly shattered to put it lightly. After the 3k mark there really is no turn around point in this loop. Sure you could turn around in the literal sense and walk back to your vehicle/starting point. If however you decided to go forward, it was at least another 4km before the next possible pick-up point if you had any issues. I figured that I was here for a race and I wasn't leaving until I knocked out my full 16km. I'm not going to lie, it hurt! Physically it was going to be a struggle to make it around the wonderfully hilly route when anything other than flat seemed to set my left leg into a world of hurt. Shooting pain up and down my leg starting from the knee with any sort of incline suggested I was in for a really good, long and painful slog. Mentally I was kicking myself in the butt. How could I be so ready and then crumble after only 4 something kilometers? Well... it happened! That also mean I had another 12km to fight with myself! SO much fun!

I did better than someone ...about 3.5km into my run everyone had to pull off
the path to make room for an ambulance that had to come up from the Weaselhead.
I hope whoever they had to go in and haul out is okay! While not 'dangerous' it
has to be at least mildly difficult trying to get someone out of the Weaselhead area
given the steepness of some of the paths and the low overhang of trees. Hopefully
the person(s) were not too seriously hurt/injured!

While fighting with myself mentally, I was allowing my knee time to relax and chill out a bit. Afterall, on the flats (there are some, not many, but some!) the pain would go away and I could walk normally. When I pinched my LCL after sideswiping an ice block with my right leg in early March, I had a hard time walking period. I could still walk without a pinch so I was hoping I was just having a minor setback. I tried running again. I was able to last for little spurts between 6 and 8km and stopped again to walk when things were starting to feel a bit out of sorts. I survived the big hill, granted, I walked it and it pinched from time to time...but I made it! At least I didn't have to suffer the "pleeeeeaaaase come get me" phone call of tears and shame!  I made the big hill so I was going to finish the last 8km of this bloody loop!

The top section between the big hill and the canoe club is relatively flat. I regained my composure and decided, still beating myself up mentally, that maybe I was doing something stupid. Maybe my form had changed and I was doing something to set my knee off? I wasn't willing to given into the fact that I still had 8km to go and that I'd be walking the bulk of it. It wasn't allowed to happen. I made it to kilometer 11 (not bad...!) paying close attention to my technique and taking the time to work on my fore-foot strike. My pace was undoubtedly slow (for me, I was pushing 6:40 mins/kilometer) but I wasn't about to give up. I made it to the canoe club and once again leapfrogged the same couple I had passed at least another four times on the path. They were also running. I blew past them in my first 4km then they caught up to me... then I passed them a couple of times in the Weaselhead and they did the same. I lost them at the hill (go figure) and thought that was the end of that. HA, then I passed them at the boat club!

There was a slight incline after the boat club. The incline is slow and gradual leading up to Crowchild and Glenmore. It's noticable visually but when running it really isn't too bad. At this point my knee decided it had had enough. Another good pinch on my downward step left me to do another few hopping steps to bring myself back to a crawl. What a pain in the patooy! I'd fought it out for nearly 12km and finally had to resign myself to the fact that the rest of the 'course' was hills. I was walking! I still had a fabulous four more kilometers to hang my head and walk. Slowly. Very slowly!

It's not the end of the world of course! I was disappointed with myself for being so confident in my knee post week of intense physio. I was also happy that I didn't give up and turn back after the first four kilometers, after all I still need to do some sort of activity to keep myself in shape. Additionally, I also needed to keep myself on my feet for as long as possible. The only way to train for longer run distances is to do it on your feet! 16k isn't terribly shy of 20 which in turn is really darn close to a half marathon. I need a time somewhere under 1h 50m for my next race. My goal was 1h 45m. I think what was hurting me more than my knee was knowing the possibility of breaking 1h50m in exactly three weeks time is pretty much out of the question. It's not impossible but improbable. This thought on its on means I will be required to find another certified half marathon sometime in the last two weeks of September so it doesn't conflict with my big races in October.

Brilliant! Three days later and I still find myself in a bit of a bind and doing the math to see just how hard I would have to push to get the time I need on the 25th given any number of different race scenarios. My fingers are crossed that my knee behaves and I can just go for it! 

Anyways, to wrap things up a bit...
My motto for running - keep going and keep smiling! When you stop enjoying it, don't do it! Despite the pain of my knee (especially in the last 3km of solid roller coaster-like hills... ask me how much fun that was!) there was no way I was about quit. I came out for a reason. While I couldn't smash my run off the the charts, I was still there for a race. A virtual race in my books is still a race! It might not count towards anything in the grand scheme of things but until you REALLY do one, you don't know their value as training incentive. They are there for your time of need and they are designed to push you.

I am extremely goal driven. I don't give up. I don't think I have a quit or off button. Someone forgot to design one for me when I was being assembled! It's both a blessing and a curse! I will fight until I get something but it also means I get really frustrated in the process before I get to the final 'ah ha.' To get through things I usually grit my teeth and just smile. For running this means I may not physically enjoy the process but I'm sure going to find a way to make myself enjoy it mentally. Smiling is usually a good start! ***don't try this with archery though.... smiling is a really good way to throw off one's anchor point! Laughter is also bad and tends to throw arrows way off target!!!

If I can force myself to smile, I can force myself to find the good and enjoy something. Even if it is something small like a minor success or smiling at the baby ducks chasing after each other, there is always something to smile about. Heck, on this run I was thrilled to stay a few strides in front of the ominous thunderheads that were trying very hard to dampen my spirits...and maybe my socks/shoes! 

With that, you can always tell who the real runners are. When you are out walking along the parkways or paths in your area, the real runners are the ones who are smiling or take the time to smile. The rest are just "want to be" runners that take pleasure in having people look at 'how good they are.' I'm not saying this to be mean... more often than not it's true. Go for a run and test it out yourself! It doesn't matter how fast or slow you are or how 'skinny' you are or aren't. Just run. Simile at the runners that pass you and make your own judgement call.

That brings me to the following from a fellow runner, Alice. This is why it is possible to push and keep going when you are ready to 'quit.' 

"When you’re out there on the footpaths, do you smile? When your feet fall into the rhythm, one after another, do you smile? When the person running towards you has a grimace of pain and determination on their face, do you smile? When the person running towards you nods their head in your direction, do you smile?

The runners smile. The nod. The acknowledgement. A shared understanding of so many t...hings. A shared moment.

And every time I see someone running towards me I want to smile. I want to say 'how awesome are we right now for being out here and running?!' I don’t know their story. I don’t know what race they are training for. I don’t know if they’re just running for fun. I don’t know how many years they’ve been running for. I don’t know if they have been out there for 10 minutes or 2 hours. And they don’t know any of these things about me.

But when a fellow runner looks up and smiles it can mean the world. It can mean the difference between me stopping running because 'I feel exhausted' and finding the mental strength to keep going despite what my legs are telling me. It can be the difference between me getting down on myself for not running as fast as I want to and feeling on top of the world. We are runners and we’re all out there.

Do you smile? Today a lot of my fellow runners smiled. Perhaps more than ever before. And maybe that’s why my run felt so good. Even when I’m so tired from running that my mouth has forgotten how to work and I accidentally create a big spit bubble as well as a grin, I always try to smile. Because when you’re out there pounding the pavement alone, it’s nice to know that someone else is out there and for that brief exchange, they’re with you."

-Alice, 3quartersalice.tumblr.com/

Killer Bees

 I have just returned from my second music camp for the month. While I have run a few half marathons, my training has been significantly sub par since the city has flooded nearly a month ago. I was able to get a few smaller runs out while at camp and did a fair bit of walking. As a result I am feeling reasonable about my ability to knock off some distance runs in the near future.

Anyways, I returned Saturday evening and, after little sleep (if you know anything about music camps, you know very well that sleep is of extremely short commodity!) I headed out to Canmore with one of my teammates, Trish. Today was one of our Grizzly training runs out of the Canmore Nordic Centre. The drive was beautiful but the clouds over the mountains looked rather threatening. We left home around seven and arrived in Canmore around 9. A few wrong turns later, we successfully found our starting point – aptly marked with a ‘Grizzly’ truck and trailer. We were among the first to arrive and decided to walk around a bit and to also check out the wildlife sightings report at the centre itself.

By 9:40 most of the runners had arrived and the event coordinator, Tony, had started his pre-run briefing. There were probably about 30 runners in total. Tony would be doing the course backwards on bike to ensure that runners didn't get lost on the few really tight switch backs en route.

A view of our course from the 'stadium' at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
Straight up and into the mountains!

The course was beautiful!!! We started as a group right at ten. The first 3km of the course were straight up the side of a mountain and were definitely not for the faint of heart. This section did a pretty substantial job of separating the ‘big guns’ from the rest of us. It is safe to say Trish and I hung out closer to the back of the pack with some of the newer trail runners…. partly because I was one of the only ones who had a phone to call with in the event of an emergency…! We made it through the first 2.5k before we took a quick walk break to let our calf muscles release a bit. The lactic acid build up was something fierce and I was starting to feel like speed walking the day before hand was maybe not the best idea. I was feeling muscles that I hadn’t felt for a while! HA!!!

The end! A few of the stragglers on the final descent towards
the stadium area of the Canmore Nordic Centre. We took
group photos at the end of the race. It was great gun and a
great run! How is that shot for a great view? Picture that for
the whole course!!!! Amazingly awesome and awe inspiring!

After the 3.5k mark or so the course became filled with more bends and the occasional downhill stint. The uphill sections were smaller and much more manageable on already tired legs. This was Trish’s first run over 5km and her first trail run to boot. I should mention that 7km on a trail like the one we were doing is equivalent to running 10-12km on the road… so it goes without saying that Trish did amazingly well! We had to take it a bit easy on some of the downhill sections due to loose rocks and both of us nursing minor knee injuries. There was one particular section after the switchback that Tony had been monitoring where we were joined by another two ladies and all four of us fell in some way, shape or form. I was leading the group and nearly face-planted (I caught myself at the absolute last second), Trish nearly rolled her ankle on some rocks and both of the other two fell in to the rocks. It was becoming very clear how technical some of the trails are to the newbies but man, are they ever bloody fun to run!

It took us 40 minutes to make it through 5km. This is by far the slowest I have ever run. Even for me this was quite an eye opener as to what will be ahead of me over the coming months in my training leading up to the race in October. I knew I was going to be in for lots of hills and rocks and tree roots but I guess you can never really prepare until you are actually there. We finished our first loop of the 7km in a little under an hour (HAaaaahaahaha!) and made it out wildlife encounter free! The last 1k stretch was downhill and a little bit more open. As a result, I was able to book it at my normal run pace without having to worry about my group getting eaten by any sort of wild life.

Overall, the trails were densely wooded and incredibly beautiful. It was a blast getting to run with a group of like-minded people through one of the most incredible places on earth. Tony has done an amazing job organizing the Grizzly ultra and the bi-weekly run groups in Canmore. This guy is awesome! I am looking forward to our next run already and I am hoping that I can get some more of my teammates out to test the trails. It will be really good for them to learn just how much more difficult trail running is in comparison with road running …and how a 5k trail run is not the same as a 5k road run. Race day will be interesting but hopefully the rest of them come around. I am the speed at the front end of the race with the longest (15k) and one of the more difficult trails, but still! It is no reason for the others to let their guard down!

Stampede Road Race

So I guess it is time for another blog posting. While busy with school and fiddle related everything-s at the moment, it is difficult to sit down and focus on writing about running. I promise this will get better as I have to spend less time worrying about school.

Anyways, it is probably old news by now, but Calgary has recently been hit by some pretty bad flooding. As a result, my training for the last few weeks has been extremely limited. My normal loop around the reservoir has been out of the question as I would have required a snorkel and floaties to make it through the back stretch around the Weaselhead. I managed an 17km run through our district but wasn’t overly pleased with the need to run on concrete sidewalks because the grass was over my knees in places, or the need to stop at the dozen or so street lights. I like a solid run, none of this stop and go stuff. I was still proud of the fact that I was able to knock off such a distance and only get lost twice (the cons of trying to get out a big number distance wise in a relatively small area). The week prior to that, as the flooding was just beginning I did my regular 10k look through our neighbourhood.

This past week I was away at the Leahy Music Camp in Lakefield, Ontario. Talk about exciting! I had an amazing time playing alongside and learning from Leahy, Natalie MacMaster, Matt MacIsaac, Andre Burnet, Tim Edey and Mac Morin. I wasn’t able to run but I walked a lot and made up for some running through dance. Don’t forget that a single round of the Highland Fling is equivalent to running a mile. Add all of my practice dances up and I still ran about 30 miles this past week. That’s beside the point however as it wasn’t counted towards anything….!

After returning home I played a quick fiddle gig at the Calgary Stampede on Saturday and worked on getting my hydration back up to par before my half marathon on Sunday morning.

I signed up for the Stampede Road Race half marathon in early May not knowing whether I would be ready for the distance or not. With all of the flooding we had experienced my original training plan had to be put on the back burner. Not only could I not complete my 20km loops of the reservoir (both sides), but I was also helping with flood clean up and ‘feeling the burn’ for other reasons (i.e., because I helped carry 4 feet of solid mud out of a basement because the ‘water’ was too thick to pump out…. You get the idea). Going into the race I was nervous! Big time! My longest run to date had only been 17km. I was still a few kilometers short of my target distance and didn’t know how my body would handle the added mileage.

My fellow leading buddy. The other lady ran next to me
most of the time. We alternated who was out in front
but stayed together until we hit the big hill. What a great
group of people to run with! We even chatted as we ran
.... who knew? The nice thing was I even pushed my pace
a little as well so it was really a good group to be with. I
knocked 10s/km off my average pace to stay up at the front.
It had me smiling for the bulk of the race which is always a
good thing! A happy runner is a good runner!

Start times were slightly staggered. There was a group of runners and walkers starting at 7am and a faster group of runners at 7:30am. Given that I was out of practice with only two runs under my belt for the previous three weeks, I didn’t know what my expected finish time would be. I thus decided starting with the slower group was probably to my benefit. I knew I wouldn’t take longer than the 2h45m cut off time (if you were expecting to take longer than 2h45m you HAD to start in this group), but I wasn’t feeling overly confident about my ability to extrapolate on my 17km run time on a relatively flat course (100m of elevation gain) to estimate my finish time for 21km on a slightly more hilly laden trail (i.e., one big hill being 250m on its own and quite nearly vertical). Slow start it was!


I was actually really glad I had started with the slower group. The people were awesome and very friendly. We had good fun joking around and talking at the start line. I started strong and fell into my normal pace quickly. I was actually impressed because I lead the group until the 12km marker. There was another guy and a lady from the Bahamas’ and I that held a rather tight lead group right from the start gun. At the 12km point, the elite group leaders had caught up to us and passed us in a flash. Man do those guys have legs – they don’t run, they fly! One day!

The course was a bit different than my normal route around the reservoir. We stayed to the higher trails…maybe this was in part to the high water washing out some of the lower tracks? It was nice to have a change of scenery but also meant we had a bit more in the way of hills to contend with. Never the less, I think this is by far one of my favourite run routes around!  After the steep descent into the Weaselhead area, signs of the recent floods were quite prominent. Part of the trail was sliding down the slope (marked off with bright orange pylons) and the bushes and trails were thick with mud. Had I been awake at 4am when I was getting ready for the race, I would have put on my trail shoes with better grips instead of my road runners! Whoops! The flat stretch along the marsh area was very thick with slippery mud. I am REALLY glad our little group had made it there just as the elite group was catching up. We had thankfully made it through the slime before the bulk of the people and thus probably made it through the slime before it got really bad. There were the odd dry patches amongst the mud but I can guarantee most of the 600m stretch was spent trying to catch ones balance before falling flat on ones face... unless you were lucky enough to have long legs that reached from dry patch to dry patch! I wasn’t one of the lucky ones and ran with my arms slightly out to the side and up trying to maintain my forward momentum and vertical stance.

The whopper. Note how small the people in front of me are. This is from the half way point of the hill just after going around a hair pin turn. It's a gross hill at the best of times, never mind when you are on tired lefts and 14km into a race.

Knowing I still had 1/3 of the race to go after making it out of the Weaselhead I opted to walk up most of the whopper hill and had a swig of my Gatorade to keep my energy levels up. Normally I would run the hill but again, I was 4km short in my training and didn’t know what to expect from my body as I neared the end of the race.

The stretch along the top of North Glenmore Park was beautiful. Overlooking the marsh area it was pretty clear most of the plant life was gone or covered by many inches or feet of mud. Nevertheless, it was still as beautiful as ever. Here the number of runners started to pick up significantly. Instead of being in our small group of 4 runners (we had another girl join us around the time we were in the mucky section), we were now in a group of many tens of runners. We passed the canoe club and the golf course before heading north again to cross over Glenmore Trail. Here I lost my run buddies as I don’t like to run on concrete. The overpass over Glenmore was concrete so I decided to take it slowly and speed walked my way up and over to the other side of the freeway. I could still see my run buddies only slightly ahead of me and figured I would just keep my pace solid until the end. At this point we had just reached kilometer 18. Still breathing… still standing. Sore, but still going!

Somehow I managed to make up a bit of distance on the home stretch and reclaimed 3^rd for our group of slow-pokes. The final stretch of the race, the last part of kilometer 20 and the early stages of kilometer 21 brought us back into the athletic park. We had a small grassy incline to run up before getting onto the race track and crossing through the finish like corral gates. This is where I caught up with my lead group. I finished my first 21.38km race (half marathon) in a little over 2h and 10m. I am really pleased with my finish time as I was expecting to be somewhere around the 2:30 mark give or take a couple of minutes. I suspect if I wasn’t airing on the cautious side and ran the whopper of a hill and the overpass that I probably would have finished just under 2h. Darn! Oh well, there is always next time!

I signed up for this race as a challenge – to see if I could actually do the distance. I wasn’t expecting to be prepared and I was definitely not expecting to finish as strongly as I did. I didn’t sprint to the end like I normally do because my tanks were well and truly empty, but I did finish with a solid clip and I was still vertical!

After the race we had a Stampede pancake breakfast. I will tell you that was one heck of a welcomed treat! I stretched out on the grass with a couple of juice boxes provided by Oasis and a bottle of water while the kids’ races were getting organized.  After a bit of stretching and taking my time to get back into a vertical position I joined the lineup for our pancake breakfast. OH YUM! The Lions Club brought out a truck, some grills and a group of volunteers to make breakfast for all of the racers and their families. Runners had the breakfast covered in their race fees, family members had to pay $5 – a very reasonable price for a yummy breakfast! We had pancakes, sausages and maple syrup a plenty. Cobs bread also had freshly baked scones of many different varieties to choose from. I loaded up with more juice and another water and joined my trail running buddy Greg on the bleachers around the track to much away on my breakfast and cheer on the kids as they ran between 300 and 1200m (ages <12m to 12 years). There were some future track starts in the making on the track if I had to hazard a guess. The kids races were followed quickly by awards, photos and a wrap up of the mornings events.

What a great way to spend a Sunday morning. The weather was beautiful and absolutely brilliant for running. It was 13C when our start gun went off and 20C by the time we finished. The temperature increase is another reason I am glad I started with the earlier gun time! It was nearing 25C by the 2h mark of the second gun time. I wouldn’t have been too excited to run the inclines, the over pass and the long home stretch with limited shade in 25C heat.

Anyways, I guess that is it for now! If I am still in cow-town next year, I can guarantee this race will be back on my ‘to-do’ list for sure. It was extremely well organized and extremely efficient. The people were amazing! I don’t think we could have had a better day to get out and celebrate the Stampede. Come hell or high water!