Ottawa – Page 2 – Live, Laugh and Laces

November 28, 2015November 28, 2015

Running Adventures with Friends

Depending on where you live, this past week may have brought some snow! Not everyone is an all season runner, but for myself it’s no longer up for debate. My goals keep getting bigger and therefore my running season continues to expand.

My training in 2015 started pretty much in January, leading up to some early spring races, one of which was Around the Bay. It only continued to grow from there! Before I knew it I was booked with races in May, June, August, September, October and into the first weekend of November. Not all marathons, but regardless I seemed to be racing most weekends. I have one race left to go on New Years Eve.

The race I think I was most looking forward to this Fall was the Ottawa MEC Race. I wasn’t originally going to run it because it was 2 weeks after running the Toronto Marathon. After having a conversation with Chris Chapman, the race director, I decided I wanted to see how I’d do in what is quickly becoming known as one of Canada’s toughest races. Besides how many races offer poutine at the end! I had seriously considered running the marathon, however, after running Toronto I had a minor lower leg issue surfacing and did not want to risk an injury.

The morning of the race was beautiful. I woke up excited and nervous. I had gone up to Gatineau Park a few times for training but really did not know what to expect of the hills for race day. I happened to run into a friend of mine before the race started. She was already running with a friend of hers but invited me to join them if I wanted. So I did, at least I figured starting out it would be nice to be accompanied by others.

The race start line is approximately a km from the finish line. So it required a light jog or walk down the approximately 1km hill (the race is set up to require a km climb at the finish, brutal)!

By the time we made it to the start line we had about 30sec. to get organized and then we were off! I believe the first 4 km’s or so were relatively flat with minimal climbs. Then the hills began!

The views throughout the race were spectacular, but this one was worth stopping for.

At the top of the longest stretch of an incline someone yelled out in victory and I think those of us within earshot celebrated with them! The best part was the 4-6km decline towards the end of the race, followed up of course by the last km climb to the finish line.

Allyson, Kristina and myself managed to keep each other in our sights for most of the race. During some of the more difficult climbs Allyson came up with a 10sec. run/10 sec. walk chant to get it done! We used this near the finish line as well. You can do anything for 10sec., right?!

This was the first time I met Kristina. What an experience to share. We ended up with a very respectable time considering we were only wanting to complete it! I loved the company and would seriously consider doing the marathon in the future.

The week after this race I ran the Cookie Run. I decided early on in 2015 that I was going to participate in more local runs. This was the 2nd last race of the year for me. The weather was perfect, the course was fantastic with a 5K loop, that we did twice.

What I love about the running community is the friendships you can make. Your life can be completely different from one another and yet running can bring you together.

That’s how I met Agnes. We are huge supporters of I2P and through mutual online friends we connected. There was an event where Ray Zahab (founder of Impossible2Possible and adventure runner) and Christopher McDougall (author of Born to Run and Natural Born Heroes) were speaking in order to raise support and awareness for I2P. Agnes was coming up to Ottawa for the event so she figured she might as well run the Cookie Run in the morning. 🙂

We made arrangements for coffee the day before to meet in person for the first time and then decided to run together the next morning. It was a blast!! We ran very well and talked throughout most of the race. So fun!

I’m currently enjoying my down time from formal training. I am continuing to get out for runs and doing back to back longer runs in the trails on the weekends, no pace in mind just a length of time on my feet.

2016 goals are now set and I’m working on the details. I cannot wait to announce my BIG race goals! This year will be more about training and much less racing!

How about you? Do you have your 2016 goals set yet?

October 26, 2015October 26, 2015

Fall Into Fitness Exchange

I was recently invited to participate in a fall fitness exchange with Canadians. As a Canadian Sweat Pink Ambassador I thought this was a great way to connect with other Canadian Bloggers. Also, I love the idea of connecting with new people and if they love running/fitness as well, bonus! Besides, who doesn’t like giving and receiving gifts. 😉

A fellow Sweat Pink Sister from Ottawa, Brittany, came up with the exchange idea. Brittany and I recently met as we were making plans to launch an Ontario Sweat Pink Chapter. You can follow Brittany over at My Momma Journey.

There were some general rules to the exchange. Share a favourite fitness dvd or book that you love (even if it is gently used), favourite recipe or two, a motivational note and an item of our choice.

Our names were exchanged and we were paired up with our exchange buddies. I ended up getting Rebecca, who crazy enough also lives in my neighbourhood, like what are the chances of that!! I was able to do up a gift bag and drop it off at her door!! What’s also cool, is Rebecca and I are both Team Awesome Members for the Ottawa Race Weekend 2016! If you would like to see what I sent her, check out her blog: Running.Food.Baby

My other exchange buddy, who had my name, lives in Calgary. Tina and I first met online through Bondiband, as we are both Ambassadors! She connected with me, asked some questions and came up with some pretty meaningful gifts.

Now before I unveil them, I’d like to share a few things. First, I love hearts, always have. After being diagnosed with a heart condition that seemed inevitable that one day I would require surgery, I was determined to not let a diagnosis define me. Nor did I want to go on long-term medication if I could avoid it. I was not being stupid, nor do I recommend for you to ignore your doctors advice, however, my doctor and I came up with a plan. I continue to show improvements (which is a small miracle in itself) therefore I remain off medication.

The symbol of the heart is one of hope, strength and of course love.

I got this tattoo as a symbol of the intense love I have for my family. My husband and I (the larger hearts) are intertwined, the three smaller hearts represent my three children and the small pink heart inside my heart is in memory of my mom. The heart also represents the hope and strength I have to live and be healthy.

Now for the butterfly. A few years ago there was a series of events that took place that in of themselves, each one would have been heartbreaking, combine them over a fairly short period and it was almost too much for me to work through. During this time the butterfly became a symbol of hope. As I was working through life, the idea that “sometimes the struggle is part of the plan” came to me. Like the caterpillar there is a time in the cocoon (we won’t go into the gruesome details), and in the perfect moment the butterfly emerges. A complete transformation has taken place. It’s like pain with a purpose or a struggle with a plan. There was a purpose for the caterpillar to enter the cocoon. Just like I believed there was or could be a greater purpose for what I was going through (as well as my whole family).

So yes, another tattoo 😉

Of course I did not share this with my buddy, I mean gosh we just met. 🙂 I did however share things like favourite colour, number, workouts and that I do like the butterfly symbol.

Here is what she put together for me:

Amazing gloves, cute bird paperclips, really cool race bib clips (wore them for my marathon last weekend – amazing!!), a bondiband headband (hearts and butterflies), a buff (more hearts) and a beautiful card…oh and inside the card was this (a magnet – now on my fridge)

The past two years or so this has been a thought of mine, and yes, I’ve said it out loud. Live Out Loud! Be, Do and Say who you are. Live authentically with intention. Be free to be who you were created to be, unapologetically.

It was a true blessing to open this gift with all the reminders of what is important to me and also to continue to “live out loud” proudly!

Thank you so much Tina!

Have you ever participated in an exchange similar to this?

Check out the others who participated in this exchange.

An InLinkz Link-up

October 26, 2015October 27, 2015

Favourite Running Clothes and #STWM Marathon

Getting ready to run my third Toronto Waterfront Marathon was very different than the two previous years. Perhaps it’s because I still had the Ottawa Mec Race to come, and that is the race that I’m ~~nervous~~ excited about. It also may have had to do with the fact that I trained differently this time around. September was a busy month for me and I was travelling and racing more. I managed to get three 32km training runs in but they were a tad earlier than I would have liked. I had also started training in Gatineau Park for my long runs, running on rolling hills for 22+ km’s.

After returning from Halifax, mid-September, I kind of lost my drive to run. I was getting in the minimum but it was a struggle getting out the door some days.

The week leading up to the race I wasn’t feeling very confident in my training, I knew I would complete it but wasn’t satisfied with the last 6 weeks. I also knew that if I reviewed my training I would be surprised and reassured that I didn’t do all that bad. However, at this point it would be what would be and I needed to get my head in the game. So, I refocused, did a head check and made the decision to do my best, regardless of how I felt.

I enjoyed girl time with a friend as we drove up to Toronto the night before the race. We started discussing racing options for next fall. Neither of us were convinced we would return to Toronto again the following year. It’s an amazing race and if it was my home city I’d do it every year but there are so many races/cities that we want to experience. We settled on a tentative game plan. 🙂

We hit the expo immediately when we arrived and I was able to pick up some Run Happy arm warmers! (I actually got a different pair as well because they are so soft and I love sleeves!)

I wanted to have them as a friend of mine, Jean-Paul Bedard, was running the marathon 3x to raise awareness and support for sexual abuse.

He is sponsored by Brooks and had shared a post wearing the sleeves. I figured it was a fun way to run happy and think of him during my race. I would highly recommend that you follow Jean-Paul as he will continue to be an outstanding influencer.

You can read about his adventure running 126.2km’s on his recap of the race.

Okay, so the start line. After going back and forth as to whether we should wear shorts or pants, we settled on pants. It was a very cold start to the morning but it looked like it might get up to 5°C. 😉

I had been approached by MEC to do an honest review of their brand of clothing. I had been given a few items to test out during my training runs. I seriously loved every piece and have since only purchased MEC running clothes as I am that impressed with them.

I wore the MEC Agility Tights. Here’s what I loved about them. The tights do not skimp on length and I suspect even if you are taller (which I am not) you would be pleased with the length. They are incredibly comfortable, providing complete freedom of movement without feeling restricted anywhere. The flexibility, breathability and moisture wicking features allowed me to almost forget I was wearing them. They have a mesh backing behind the knees that allow for venting. This feature was helpful in my decision to wear them instead of shorts. There is a rear zippered pocket and a front smaller pocket that provided extra storage for gels, etc. On top of this, they are a fantastic price. I purchased the Agility Capris after trying out the tights and I highly recommend them.

I also wore the MEC Vitality Short-Sleeved Tee. This shirt is fantastic! I was given the tank to try in the summer and it became my favourite tank to run in. After testing the tank out I purchased a few more, including the t-shirt. I love the length of the shirt. Often I find I’m having to pull down t-shirts when I run and I do not at all with this one. The shirt is highly breathable and light-weight. It is made with flat seams to help prevent chaffing, and the colours are fun! It also features some reflective elements to help you be seen when running in the dark.

Alright, back to the race. My girlfriend and I started out together but got separated when I ran into Jean-Paul around 10-12km’s in. I walked and listened to how he was doing at that point. He would have been approaching 96km’s or so (having already ran 2 loops of the marathon route). I could tell he was exhausted, you could see it in his eyes. After a quick hug I was back running. In hindsight, I kinda wish I had stayed with him for the duration.

I felt pretty good until about 25km’s where my right arch was giving me some pain. By 27km’s my right outside knee and right hip were also giving me grief. I continued to run with the right side of my leg causing pain for the remainder of the race. I’m not sure what was going on as I had not had any pain going into the marathon. At around 26km’s I made myself sit down and loosen my laces as I felt like they were tight and cutting off circulation. Either that or my feet were swelling and they became too tight? Not really sure. It seemed to help, but by the time I adjusted the laces, I think the damage was done. Around 32Km’s, I began having a serious discussing with myself about NOT running the MEC Marathon but instead running the half. I told myself, to remember this moment and be smart moving forward. I wanted to start 2016 healthy and ready for a great winter/spring training season.

The spectators were great! I enjoyed the cheer stations along the route. They helped keep me going when I felt like I wanted to just walk. I felt like I was pushing myself to keep a decent pace, like I couldn’t possibly be holding the pace I needed. Then I’d look at my watch and be like, okay I’m doing good, this is okay. My legs felt tired early on but somehow I just kept running. I know we all earn the reward of every race, but I felt like I had to dig deep for this one. It felt physically harder, both in the pain I was feeling but also in the effort I had to put out (or felt like). Of course this plays with your head and you end up battling through your thoughts!! I did terrible again at tangents and ended up running 44.2 km’s. In the end, I’m happy with my results. Another successful marathon in the books.

We drove home after a quick shower. A little stiff on the ride home and the next day but by Tuesday I was feeling great again. Of course by Monday I was already debating whether I should just go for it and run the marathon 🙂 I was out for a little jog on Tuesday and felt good, more reason to run, yes? I decided to leave it up to my coach. He agreed and we decided to stick with the half. I was able to get out for a trail run on Saturday.

Next up is the Ottawa MEC Race and the week after the Cookie Run with an awesome fun medal!

Do you have a race coming up? What about a favourite fall clothing pieces you love?

October 11, 2015October 11, 2015

Help! Tips On Fitting in Fitness/Running

There are so many reasons why “life can get in the way” of our own fitness/running goals. Have you heard these comments, or perhaps even said them yourself?

I’m too busy, I just do not have time
My kids are to young, it’s difficult with them around
I can’t afford a gym membership
my spouse/partner is not supportive of my goals
I’m a single parent and do not have any support

As mentioned in my previous post, we all have 24hrs in a day. However, we all live very different lives mostly. So how can we balance our lives in order to achieve our goals. First up, know what your goal is. Do you want to workout 3x/week? Do you want to learn to run? Run a goal race? Know your goal and then write it down.

For myself, I tend to look at seasons and I’m about to enter a slightly more relaxed season but I do not want to lose my consistency with running, my base. However, I will be adding in home workouts for variety and strength training. I highlight any races coming up with purple, my running days get highlighted in orange and the rest just get marked on the calendar. This is my “plan”, but if I have to adjust I just change it on the calendar 🙂 We cannot always control our lives, but making “appointments” for ourselves helps us to intend to get them done!

As you can see, I have 3 races in October and two marathons! So I’m actually slowing down with my running to get ready for those bigger races. However, I still want to be working out, more yoga/piyo and some running.

There are a number of challenges we are faced with as mentioned above. I’ve chatted with a number of people about this topic. Some ride/run to work, others get it done over their lunch hour, or hit the gym on the way home from work. Some single parents put their heavy workout schedule on the week their ex has the children. The challenges are real, here are few more tips:

Ray shares: (Adventure Runner; both parents running long distances)

It’s about recognizing that you both have goals. Respecting each other and stepping in where you need to, in order to make it happen. Getting the runs in where ever they fit in for that day. Sometimes that means an exceptionally early run, running when the girls are at school or one parent prepping dinner, hanging with the girls while the other gets a run in. Whatever works! Working together as a team!

Find our more about Ray and follow his blog.

Noel writes: (new dad)

What I find tough is finding time to run and trying to adjust to à new way of life.

So far I have switched to running at lunch and after work (run home) so when I arrive at home I am ready for daddy duties. On the weekends I now run when I can, not always when I want to lol. Now that Morgane is 4-months old I have just started running with her in the stroller and this allows me to run with my daughter but also give mom à break at the same time.

As an uber new dad, I have been able to train and got quite fit but dad duties, family stress with new baby and adapting to everything made races almost impossible. I ran one 5k and had to bail on planned fall marathon. BUT happy, have great family and still running.

I think there is always a way to find time to run, but its about being flexible, adapting to à new lifestyle and defining your priorities and determining your goals and what is important to you.

Find out more about Noel and follow his blog

Brent writes: (Brent and his wife are new runners)

Having two boys 5 and 7 it’s a bit more of a challenge for us but a good jogging stroller and two tablets keep them happy for an hour or so. Most of the time my wife goes for a run at 6pm when I get home from work and I go at 9pm when the kids are asleep. We have had the luxury of my mother in law being available to watch the kids for us to do full day events.

Laurie Ann writes: (Author, Mom and Outdoor Adventurer)

Parenting and fitness is a tag-team, juggling event in our household. During the weekdays I am often like a single Mom with Bryan’s travel schedule. I have Fridays off so during the school year I am able to hit the gym with a friend and now that my son is old enough he can watch my daughter from time to time. Bryan and I also take turns plus we do fit things that include the kids. After all, they need to keep moving too. When my daughter was little we used the running stroller and a bike trailer. When our son was 11 or 12 he’d cycle back and forth on the trail while I ran or he’d run with one of us. When he wasn’t old enough to babysit on his own he’d watch a movie with my daughter in the same room as my treadmill and I’d run with them in view. When Bryan and I would run at the track I’d start my run and then he’d show up later with the kids. They’d run with us for a bit and then we’d walk while Bry finished his run.

Oh and with the stroller… a MEC Newt Suit is indispensable. Kaia would sit in her stroller and even in the worst weather that one piece rain suit would keep her toasty dry.

Find out more about Laurie and follow her blog

Liette writes: (both parents running)

Challenges? Getting homework done is my number one (why so much, whyyyy??!!). My number 2 would be getting the laundry, groceries and any other household task done that I can’t accomplish during the week. Especially when the Sunday distances are long. Sometimes, it’s 2 o’clock by the time I’m cleaned up and fed. That reduces my weekends to just under 1.5 days.

So how do we manage? Barely. LOL! I do the bulk of my running during the lunch hour. He runs after work while I get dinner on the table. He cleans up my mess while I do homework with the little one and make sure the teenager is on top of his workload. We tag team the chores on the weekend. And meal planning is key! If I’m lucky, I can get a pot of soup, sauce or chill on the go Sunday afternoon so weeknight dinners are easier.

Jennifer writes: (mom and business owner)

It is super hard to make time for fitness as a mom of little ones. I only started when my youngest was 2yrs old, prior to that I just couldn’t get it together! But once my little one was in daycare it gave me much more time freedom. As soon as I started I became happier and much more productive in all areas of life. I realized that fitness/running/being outdoors gave me time to be alone, focus on my dreams and goals and in turn be a better mom and wife. It really changed my life.

In terms of time management, I only work out Monday to Friday so that my weekends are free to spend time with the kids. School/daycare are my saviors!

Find out more about Jennifer and follower her blog.

Cathy writes: (mom of fur babies)

My hubby and I don’t have kids, but we are joint owners of a small business and our needy 3 dogs (one very senior, 2 rescues with separation anxiety). For me, I have a very understanding husband who knows how important running is to me. He is willing to ‘hold down the fort’ for my long run on Saturday. I do the same on Sunday but for him it is so he can work. During the week, I combine my run, walk or cycle with my commute to work. So I do arrive to work later than he does (he drives and brings the doggies) but again, he is very understanding and the amount of time for this varies depending on the season/closeness to a race.

Find out more about Cathy and follow her blog.

So as you can see, regardless of who you are, what challenges you have, what you do for a living or the goals you set for yourself, if you want something bad enough you’ll figure out a way to make it work. It’s often not easy, sacrifices often need to be made but you can figure out what can work for you. The key is to know what you want to accomplish, set a goal and then work towards achieving that goal.

my daughter keeping me company on the bike path

Getting fit can also be done with your family. Planned hikes, workouts at the park, kids riding alongside you as you run. Be creative, have fun and find what you love to do!

Lastly, for those that find that they cannot afford a gym membership or that they struggle with getting to the gym at the times available for group classes, here are a few of my favourite home workouts.

PiYo (great for body strength exercises and a fantastic workout compliment workout for runners).

21 Day Fix (focuses on portion control with your diet and has a great mix of workouts to jump start anyone looking for a great workout).

I have a ton of dvd’s I rotate through but I seem to come back to these two often.

Do you have a tip on how you fit in your workouts/running with a busy life? I’d love to hear about it!

October 8, 2015

When Life Gets Busy

Hitting a Busy Season

Suddenly my life is feeling crazy busy! I’m so glad I’m entering a taper period just to try and catch up. Does anyone else feel like this, at least occasionally? Here’s the thing, most of us will put ourselves last when life gets busy. If you have a family, are working outside the home and/or have other commitments that keep you busy, you understand what I’m talking about. I’m in a season of finding a new normal, I think.

Putting running or fitness as a priority in your life can be hard. I have been struggling lately with getting out for my runs, period. I’ve been training consistently for over a year and a half. I think mixing things up and creating a schedule again will help me re-commit to what honestly is very important to me, running. 🙂

So what’s my plan? Well, that’s just it, I need to create a plan and set some new goals for the rest of the year. My two big races are coming up this month and then I have two months to play. So I’m looking at mixing up my workouts, working on some core/strength exercises and keeping a running base. Come January I’ll be back to training, but in the meantime I feel like mixing up my fitness goals. In the end, it’ll benefit my running.

Last week I ran the CIBC Run for the Cure. The weather was perfect! I love witnessing the variety of runners/walkers who participate in this run. Most, if not all, have in some way been touched by cancer. My mother passed away after a 7 year long battle with breast cancer, my mother-in-law beat breast cancer and most recently my sister-in-law has just completed her treatment for a rare form of breast cancer. Raising awareness and support especially for those who are battling this disease is close to my heart. Our team raised over $1,700!

You’ve Got 24hrs!

How do you spend your 24hrs? Let’s face it, many of us live very different lives. BUT in the end, we all have 24hrs, correct? So, what fills your time? What is important to you? Are you giving time to the things you “say” are important? If not, how come?

Sometimes we need to look at how we spend our day and weeks and see if they line up with our overall goals. Are there hours that are wasted online or watching random tv shows that we could instead use to achieve some of our goals? Can we find even 30min. extra in a day to do something for our health?

I know I can! I can use time online and television as “down-time” that I tend to relax with. It’s a mindless activity and quite frankly I enjoy it 😉 However, if I am complaining I’m running out of time, I think I can re-prioritize some extra time for working out. I have a number of home workout DVDs that I LOVE. I find trying to get to the gym and working a fitness class into my already busy schedule is difficult, so working out at home lets me control the time I do it.

So I’m re-focusing some of my goals to what is important to me. I’ll be making a plan, writing it out on a calendar (I still use a paper calendar 🙂 ) and staying accountable with a few friends online.

Do you have a plan written out that you follow? OR do you pretty much wing it when it comes to getting a workout/run in? Do you prefer to workout at a gym? Or does working out at home benefit you most?

October 3, 2015October 4, 2015

Run, Race and Run Some More

Training, Racing and Tapering

I’m someone who thrives on a schedule, knowing what is coming up and working backwards helps me to have focus. This year has been a completely different experience for me. I still have a schedule, but I have added races to my schedule more on a whim than part of a bigger plan. I don’t know if that’s particularly good or bad thing, but I’ve been having a lot of fun! However, I’ve been less focused on what I want to accomplish with my running.

I still have a number of races coming up and am looking forward to them all, however, putting some focus back in 2016 will be good for me.

This past weekend I participated in the first ever Girls Run Ottawa, hosted by Run Ottawa. It was amazing to chat with other runners who were running their very first race. There were a lot of teen girls running and many women of all shapes, sizes, and ages. There was a sense of celebration. Some women were walking it and when the last walkers came in many stuck around to cheer them on. The course started out at the Terry Fox Facility and ran along Mooney’s Bay, to return to the facility for a second loop. If you are in Ottawa and a woman you should have this on your list for next year!

Up Next

This Sunday I’ll be running the CIBC Run for the Cure in memory of my mother and in honour of my sister-in-law who has just completed her treatments. This was the very first race I ever participated in (2008), I’m looking forward to sharing this day with so many people who have their own stories and reasons for choosing to participate in this event. If you would like to donate to the cause please visit my fundraising page.

The Toronto Marathon is also coming up (Oct. 18th) but I’ve been training more for the MEC Race two weeks after Toronto. This will be my third year running the Toronto Marathon and I’m hoping for a PB. However, this is my first year running the MEC Race and anything new or unfamiliar makes me want to get ahead of it somehow. Last week I went out and ran up Gatineau Parkway – 8.5km and then turned around for a total of 16.5km road. I veered off the parkway and hopped on the trails for another 6.5kms before returning to my car.

Trails have been an important part of my training this past summer and has enabled me to be injury free finally! I’m trying to still get a few kms of trails in every week.

This week I went the other direction on the Gatineau Parkway and got confused 4kms in 🙂 Usually I’m a planner, as I’ve mentioned, but this year I’ve been so much less “rigid” and more just flowing with it. This is an example of that. I should have looked at a map before heading out but just assumed that the parkway would be a loop and I’d just follow it until I returned to my car. Well, that appears to not be the case! I mistakenly ran up Dunlop (1km climb) to Camp Fortune. Then ran back down as it was a dead end. I ran into some cyclists and asked for some clarity.

I was wearing my I2P patch and one of the guys saw it and said, “I see you are connected with I2P, you must be doing crazy a$$ sh*t”! Ha, I responded with “well, I’m learning to do crazy a$$ sh*t!”

My coach reminds me often the achievements that I accomplish in my running/training. I don’t always recognize it, I’m just doing my thing and getting the training done. Maybe it’s because I am surrounded by so many amazing runners that I look up to. I appreciate when he tells me though, it’s a good reminder. 😉

After getting some directions I ran up Fortune Parkway and headed towards the Champlain Lookout (this would add on extra kms). As I was still unfamiliar with the route and had limited time, I returned the way I came from for an out and back. Besides, after running up Fortune I felt it was my reward to run back down! I now know what the route should be, so likely next week I’ll head back for an easy go at it. Total kms was 22km on a very hilly route. Worth mentioning, 2kms into my run, 3 small black bears ran across the road in front of me (off in the distance but I saw them)!

Time to Taper

Just over two weeks to go before the marathon. I’ll start to taper now but likely will do one more decent run in Gatineau in preparation for the MEC Race over what I need for Toronto. Then I’ll take some time to go stir crazy, ummm I mean time for the body to recovery and get prepared for the race.

Fall is by far my favourite running season and one of those reasons is when the leaves start to change. The next few weeks will be such a colourful reward while running. Just a little motivation to go up to Gatineau.

What are you training for? How is your training going? Do you have a favourite season?

September 26, 2015September 26, 2015

Memories in the Martimes

Ever stumble upon a race and think, “I have to make this race happen!” I can’t quite remember how I came to hear about The Maritime Race Weekend, but likely I stumbled upon it on social media. I connected with the race director (Michelle) and followed the race’s social media pages. Michelle does an amazing job with all the posts. She also does an exceptional job working with her sponsors and volunteers to get people engaged and excited about the race. Go follow the race now, seriously. 🙂

Okay, so once I decided I wanted to run this race, I had to see what my husband thought. He was all in for a family trip down east! He has family in Canso and loved the thought of getting to see them while we were there.

Awesome! Plans were in play.

We’re Off

Packed into a rented Malibu, we left very early on Saturday (4am) and drove straight through. Overall the drive down was great. Aside from the car being crazy full with all our stuff and of course the big bodies (we are a family of five, wife, hubby, 2 boys, 22/20 and our daughter 18). My eldest son is passionate about outdoor adventure and practically begged us to camp on the Cabot Trail. So in addition to all our stuff, we included 5 sleeping bags, 5 pillows and 2 tents!! I should have taken pictures as we left, but I trust most of you can get a visual. 🙂

First Stop, Canso N.S

We arrived in Canso around 10pm, after some hellos and hugs we were all in bed by 10:30pm! We spent the next few days visiting our Canso family, exploring, dipping in the Atlantic Ocean and hanging out together. We headed out Tuesday to the Cabot Trail. It started out very foggy and we were not quite sure what kind of camping conditions we’d get by the end of the day. We booked our backcountry camping site and took a chance. It was approximately an hour hike, mostly down, to get to our site BUT what a view!

We were instructed to hang any food items up and away from our tents as there were black bears, moose and coyotes. Needless to say, I slept extremely light! We did not bring much with us so using my Ottawa Marathon bag seemed perfect to hoist our food up!

Birthday Baby

The next morning we woke up and my daughter was 18!! Happy Birthday Rebekah!!! We planned to celebrate with dinner in Halifax that evening. We still needed to climb back up this incredible trail that took a little longer and somehow was a little less enjoyable. 🙂 I questioned if I could actually run an unsupported ultra from this experience. Side note, I’m always thinking about future goals. 😉

We made it to Halifax found a neat restaurant that apparently had just opened. Turned out that it was so new it didn’t have a dessert menu yet. 🙁 So much for cake to celebrate! Fortunately, Bec was meeting up with a childhood friend for the night and they decided to go for dessert together. We would continue to celebrate when we returned home.

The End of Camping

We decided the camping had gone well, so we ended up camping 2 more nights. We headed to Peggy’s Cove, as it was a must on our list.

misc — Lonely Rock, Fox Island, then Peggy’s Cove

The 3rd camping night we ended up getting rained out. So much rain, by 3am the boys had stuff floating around in their tent. From inside our tent there was a gentle mist covering us. We all hopped in the car and headed to Tim Hortons. By 4am we were back at the tents, hoping to sleep a bit. That didn’t happen. I called ahead to the hotel we had booked in Dartmouth for the race. Did I mention I was running? They were so accommodating, they told us to come anytime as they would have a room ready for us!

As mentioned above, Bec had a friend living near by and we are friends with her parents. Graciously they allowed us to go to their place and throw some stuff in the dryer and get reorganized. We decided we were done camping and threw out some gear! This of course gave us more space in the vehicle.

Tartan Twosome Races

The hotel had a pool, sauna and hot tub that we were all looking forward to enjoying. We decided to order in and relax. I had hoped to get a nap in before the race, as I had not slept at all the night before. Not a chance. Friday night was the Sunset 5K Race. The weather forecast for the weekend looked very gloomy with lots of rain. Fortunately, the rain held off until we were back at the hotel. The next race was at sunrise! Start-time was 8am and I was doing the half marathon. The rain stopped about an hour before the race start, but when we started there was a lot of fog. Originally, when I signed up for this race I somehow got the impression that it was a flat race. Mistaken, I know! Everyone I talked to when I first arrived just chuckled as there apparently is not a lot of flat areas in Dartmouth. I was a little nervous mainly as I did not know what to expect. I was also excited as this was a good test/training run for the MEC Race that I have coming up in Ottawa.

I decided at the last minute to run without carrying my own water. The first time ever that I would rely on water stations. I understood that there would be water stations every 3km or so, so I took a chance. I was so glad I did! I loved running “free”. There were more than enough stations throughout the course and I didn’t mind grabbing water for a quick break. Coincidentally, located often at the top of a hill! Oh and there were some decent hills, character building ones in fact.

along the route, it’s impossible to really capture hills (I find)

What made this race so enjoyable was the energy of the runners, volunteers and community as a whole. The pirate theme was fun and there were some really great costumes to admire. Somehow I missed the pirate parade and the fireworks had to be cancelled Friday night due to the weather, so it would have only been better had I experienced these things.

AND the medals!!! BEST Bling EVER!

My husband probably enjoyed this race location more than any other race. Fisherman’s Cove is a pretty awesome place if you love the small fishing town feel.

I plan to race it again next year and highly recommend if you are looking for a race to travel to with family or friends, then do this one! Plan on dressing up for the Friday night run in your best pirate get up, you’ll love it!

My plan for the next 3-4 weeks is to do more hill training in preparation for the Ottawa MEC Race. We finally have a little taste of fall, my favourite running season, so I’m excited to kick it up a notch.

What about you, have you travelled for your races? Do you have a recommendation for me? What did you love about it?

September 2, 2015

Sticking With It

In the middle of another week of summer weather! Actually, we’re talking mid 30’s°C or higher all week! I really do not mind summer weather but fall is by far my favourite season. As I’m preparing to head out to the Maritimes for my upcoming Tartan Twosome Race, things are seriously getting busy!

This stage in marathon training requires some consistency and the long runs are very necessary. This is when some sacrifices often need to be made, the long run needs to happen. Last week I managed to get my long run in on Saturday (instead of the usual Sunday morning with my running group). I really enjoyed this run. I put a shout out on my facebook page looking for runners to join me on part of my route, hoping to have some company for at least part of it. Two friends responded, so we planned a route to accommodate the pick up/drop off of each runner. I started off with 3km to meet the first runner, we ran 5km together and picked up the 2nd runner, together the three of us ran 10km. We then dropped off the first runner and continued for another 7km or so where we split and I finished the last 7km on my own. It was perfect! I loved starting and finishing on my own, but really appreciated having a mix of company to get through the hours of running.

I absolutely love the running community. I really enjoy hearing about the lives of my fellow runners. We obviously have running as our common thread, but when we are in the company of others over a longer period of time, we get to hear about other aspects of each other’s lives. I have always believed that I am who I am today because of where I have come from. My past has shaped me, not defined me, but played a large role in who I am today. I think the same is true of others. We all have a story, we are all experiencing life differently. I love hearing how others have overcome their past or have achieved different success in their lives. One of the runners I ran with on Saturday just completed her first Ironman and I got to hear a little about her experience while we ran. She had a goal and she worked insanely hard for years to achieve it. She didn’t give up. You should check out her blog and the recap of her experience, it will be worth the read!

This week I will need to get my long run in on Friday. Getting my long run in a day early this past weekend worked out beautifully. It allowed me to have Sunday off, run Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, take Thursday off and be out for a very early, long run on Friday.

Do you have a running community? Do you run with a run group? What about online, are you connected with other runners online?

Category: Ottawa

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