races – Live, Laugh and Laces

January 12, 2018

Celebrating 2017!

Wow, what a year! I had so many amazing experiences and very little time to write about them!! I plan to go back and do a recap on a few adventures (including finishing up my G2G recap), however, I must start fresh in order to move forward 🙂

Here’s a quick recap! After all the training and travelling involved with Grand to Grand Ultra 2016 (G2G), I decided that 2017 would be a year to stay close to home and focus on local races. Lucky for me, my friend (and coach) Ray Zahab had some amazing local trail races that I could focus my attention on! 3beaversracing had 3 unique and amazing races spread out over the year. These races included the 3/6/12 hr Black Fly Race in May, the Bad Beaver Ultra (150km, 3-day stage race) in August and the Midnight Moose Ultra (25/50/100km), starting at 10pm, at the end of September. I set my sights on the 100km Midnight Moose, and used the Bad Beaver Ultra as a training run. Worth mentioning 3beaversracing now has 5 trail races to choose from, be sure to check them out!

In 2016 when I was training for G2G I did the bulk of my training alone. I was still fairly new to trail running and did not know many people who were training for ultra trail races. I’m also more of a mid to back of the pack runner and was a little intimidated to run with others. Early in 2017 I decided I wanted to connect more with other runners so I started doing open invites to have others join me on my runs, even if for only part of them. Surprisingly these small group runs grew throughout the spring/summer and I found myself rarely running alone! I am still amazed and grateful for the friendships and connecting with other crazy distance runners!

In 2016 I trained religiously! In 2017 I found myself struggling to be consistent. My life was in transition and I was trying to find a new normal, my mid-week training suffered as a result. I still managed long runs on the weekend and used them to connect with friends and fill my “tank” to get through the coming week.

I went into 2017 with 1 goal: complete a 100km race.

Here is a breakdown of what I ended up doing:.

Ottawa Marathon (May)
Limberlost (42k) (July)
Bad Beaver Ultra 3-Day Stage Race 150k (August)
i2P 100k (August)
Midnight Moose 100k (Sept)
Gate2Gate 100k (Oct)
Fat Ass 50k (Nov)

In 2016 I had a very clear goal but was inexperienced and unsure of what to expect, For 2017 the goal was Midnight Moose 100k and I felt more freedom to add races for fun, I mean training ;). Gate2Gate just kind of happened and Fat Ass just seemed like a great way to finish off the year!

Refueling 73Km’s into our spontaneous 100Km run!!

All in all the year was pretty amazing! I had the opportunity to complete THREE 100km runs, each experience so different!! I learned a whole heck of alot about myself and my friendships with some amazing people grew.

Looking ahead to 2018 I have a few goals but one probably will help me in all the others and that is be more consistent! My focus is strength, flexibility and nutrition. I am back following a plan with a year end goal of running the Grand to Grand Ultra again!!

How was your year? Did you try something new? Do you have a specific goal for 2018?

October 20, 2016October 20, 2016

Grand to Grand Ultra – Getting to the Start Line

The Grand to Grand Ultra (G2G) surpassed any thoughts or expectations I may have had about this adventure.

Its been about a year since I first heard about G2G. I was ending 2015 with a sincere desire to inspire others to chase dreams and to not limit themselves. My desire to run G2G was to demonstrate that we can dream big and choose an outrageous goal, make a plan and work hard to achieve it. This race was beyond my comfort level and certainly outside of any experience I had as a runner.

Participating in the Bad Beaver Ultra (BBU) and the 100K i2P Run proved to be 2 of the best training events I could have done. The BBU gave me the confidence of running a multi-stage semi-supportive ultra. I also gained experience with having an extremely bad run day followed up by an incredible run day. This helped me realize that I could push hard and get through a difficult day, rest/sleep and and do it all over again.

Just two weeks after the BBU I attempted my first 100km run (i2P). The goal of this race was to gain experience running at night (the first 50km), but I had every intention of completing it. During the night portion of the run I experienced an upset stomach from about 5km’s on, and extreme knee pain for at least the last 25km’s. I took off to start the next 50km’s before my coach could talk me out of it, after all we accomplished the primary goal. The pain was so bad during the next 23km’s I had to limp going downhills, eventually it was continuous pain. I chose to pull out at 73kms (after some tears) as this was intended for training and was not my goal race (perhaps I’m maturing??) I had never experienced this kind of pain and was concerned about an injury preventing me from running G2G. This race gave me incredible mental training and confidence that I could keep going even if I experienced pain.

Both of these races were in August, so by the beginning of September, I was struggling to get out for my long runs. I mentally was feeling exhausted and my life was incredibly busy. I managed a few more quality runs, but not as many as I would have liked. I worried I wouldn’t be ready, began to doubt myself, my training, etc.. It came down to making sure I was mentally in a positive place, so I focused on getting my head ready!

I headed down to Kanab, Utah on Monday to get acclimatized to the altitude and adjust to the dry heat (race start was the following Sunday). Runners began arriving throughout the week and it was nice to connect with others who were about to experience this amazing race.

Some I ran with during the week to loosen up and explore, others I had either lunch or dinner with. To my surprise, there were many first time stage racers. Of course there were many experienced and elite runners as well. I loved hearing everyone’s stories as to why they were taking on this challenge, it put me at ease.

The Grand to Grand Ultra is a self-supported race requiring you to carry everything you need for the 7 days, including food. A tent and hot water was provided at camp every night (and morning) but everything else was your responsibility. The mandatory gear check-in was Friday afternoon, runners were given a gold sticker if they had everything necessary.

My bag weighed in at 23.2 lbs, I believe 10lbs of that was food 🙂 Many of the people I was chatting with had bags weighing approximately 13-16lbs. Of course, this caused me to second guess my gear/food and I wanted to eliminate more weight but I had crazy light gear and I was sure I needed the food 🙂 I purged a little more and think I came back starting around 22 lbs. Turns out the average weight for bags was just over 19lbs.

My coach called me and gave a big pep talk and told me to trust the plan and follow it! He convinced me that I would be happy I didn’t get rid of things and would need the food to fuel properly to get through the event. So, I did what I was told and more than once I said to myself during the race, “Ray, you were right”!

Friday evening was the welcome dinner and a chance to meet all the runners, volunteers and of course race directors. It was a fun evening, but I think we were all extremely antsy to get started! We were given our race bibs, tent mate list, race booklet and other essentials for the race. Much to my surprised I was sharing a tent with my fellow Canadian friend and 5 men! I had a chance to meet so many runners but none of them were the names listed as my tent mates, with whom I’d be sharing a tent with for 6 nights. Honestly, by this point, everything just became all part of the adventure. I guess I would meet them eventually 🙂

There were 139 racers heading to the start line from I believe 24 different countries.

It was a long drive so of course there was a mandatory pit stop for a bathroom break.

Bathroom break - boys on one side; girls on the other — Bathroom break – boys on one side; girls on the other

Dinner was catered (and delicious), last minute guidelines and rules were given and before you know it we were heading off to bed for hopefully a good nights sleep.

Dinner - What a view!! — Dinner – What a view!! pc: Grand to Grand Official Photos

Goodnight Moon pc: Grand to Grand Ultra Official Photo

Music blared on speakers at 6am sharp to get everyone moving, hot water was ready. Let’s do this!

Stay tuned for the journey after crossing the start line…..

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?

December 5, 2014December 5, 2014

A Quick Look Back – Exciting Things For 2015

This time of the year excites me! I love looking back and evaluating how the year went. Often, the year didn’t go quite the way I planned. Through every experience, highs and lows, personal bests and setbacks or injuries, there is always an opportunity to learn and discover more about myself and, if I’m lucky, about others. This year was no different and through my injury I was connected to my now running coach and a ton of other great people.

2014 Year in Review:

Around The Bay and Ottawa Marathon were misses due to injury. My planned marathon for Calgary was downgraded to the 5K just so I could experience the race 🙂 My daughter and I volunteered and loved it, as usual, and I dressed up for the first time ever in a race to celebrate running through the decades. I started training for the Toronto Marathon as soon as my boot came off, and had a PB on race day. I ran my very first trail run, a 23K with the I2P run in Gatineau, QC, dressed up for the Ghost Run and ran one of my favourites, in the pouring rain, the Army Run!

My husband and daughter participated in their very first races this year (Strides for Ethan and Ottawa Foam Fest), it was amazing to do these with them. A few other smaller races and to top the year off I hired a running coach. Lots of firsts this year!

Setting Goals for 2015

This is also a time that I am looking ahead. I’m planning new race goals, distances, training schedules, and making arrangements for out of town events. Some events are still under wraps but staying true to myself, I am setting goals that take me beyond my comfort zone.

One of my goal races this year is The Ottawa Race Weekend Marathon. I originally planned on running my first marathon in Ottawa (and second) but due to injuries was side-lined from accomplishing this. I ended up running my first and second out of town. I am determined that 2015 is my year to run the Marathon in the city I call home.

I am so thrilled to have been invited to join The Ottawa Race Weekend’s Team Awesome. This is such an incredible honour for me. To share my love for running, encourage others to set race goals and connect with other runners throughout our journey to race day is something I’m already so passionate about – being able to do all of this as part of Team Awesome is a forever memory in the making!!

You can follow the entire Team Awesome on a variety of social media sites. We will be using #TORW2015 to connect and chat with all of you. We all have different strengths, personalities, interests and experiences so you’ll likely relate to more than one of us. Meet Team Awesome

If you’ve ran the Ottawa Race Weekend before then you know it’s a fantastic race and an incredible way to see the city. If you have not experienced this race for yourself, it’s a must and you should seriously register. Register Here

I also love volunteering for race kit pick up every year for Ottawa Race Weekend, as this is something my daughter and I do for numerous races in Ottawa. We even convinced my son to come with us for one event. This is such a great way for your kids to be inspired by others, share something with you that you love to do, and in their words, get cool free stuff! You’ll see me at Race Pick Up again this year – say hi if you see me!

November 11, 2014

Done and Done – No. 2 Completed

The Toronto Marathon did not disappoint!! What an incredible experience. Compared to last year’s adventure (read about it here), this race was everything I had hoped for. My goals for 2014 did not include having 2 stress fractures (same time, same foot), wearing a boot for 8 weeks, no running for 12 weeks and therefore not sure if running a second marathon was going to be possible.

If I was to run another one, I hoped to run again in Toronto to see if, with training and the right gear, I could do better. When I was invited to join the STWM Digital Champions I jumped in and fully committed to doing my best. This incredible opportunity gave me the extra motivation I needed to train hard and believe for a good race. My boot came off mid-May (official training started mid June). I did not have a solid base because of the injury and tried to ease back into running. My injury caused me to miss Around The Bay, Ottawa Race Weekend and Calgary Marathon. The boot came off in time to run Calgary, but with no training for the full, I ran the 5K just to experience it. I even dressed up in an 80’s running costume, something I never do as it’s way out of my comfort zone. But I thought, so what?! Participate, have fun and let loose. 🙂 What a beautiful way to see the city! I’m hoping to still experience the Calgary Marathon in 2015 – but we’ll see.

So after an adventure filled summer of training runs and races, the day finally arrived for the marathon but so did feelings of doubt and anxiety. I fell on a trail run just 2 weeks before the marathon which caused a slight injury in my groin. I couldn’t run for a solid week because of the pain it caused. I got out for a shake out run a few days before and felt okay but not solid.

My goals the morning of the race were to enjoy it, take more in, and be more aware of the people and my surroundings. My time goal obviously was to beat last year’s time. I didn’t know if I could get under 4hr. 45min., as I didn’t feel I was trained up enough. My, “I’m going to cry, can’t believe I did it goal,” was under 4:30 but I honestly had no expectations of that going in. The mental battle of self-doubt was strong and I wasn’t even sure I could complete the second half. I even gave myself permission that if I was in pain at 19K, near the split, I’d make the decision to end the race early and come in for the half-marathon instead.

I had hoped to meet up with the other DCs before the race, but got lost and ended up missing them. I coincidently bumped in to a few of them near the start corals, said a quick hello, grabbed a quick photo and then we were off to line up.

StartCorals — Christine, myself and Susan

Once in the corals with over 25,000+ other people Susan from my running club – who I had no plans to meet up with – happened to find me! This, I believe, was no coincidence! We ended up running the first half together, pacing really well! I ran my first ever continuous 1/2 marathon and pb’d it. I had loosely planned on walking at water stations but because I really wasn’t sure how much pain I’d be in due to the injury I was open to do 10/1s or whatever I had to do to get it done. I hadn’t expected to feel so good. My biggest concerns during the first half was if I was overdoing it, was my pace too fast, should I pull back? What if I tank for the 2nd half? BUT Susan and I talked most of the time and I didn’t feel like I was pushing too hard. Even when I suggested we pull back a bit, within moments we were back running the same pace, feeling good.

For the 2nd half I decided maybe I should switch to 10/1s to be safe–still concerned that maybe I’d tank after the 32K mark, knowing what was ahead still. I had seen Laura (also from my running club) earlier and she was focused, had a plan and was doing her 10/1s. I saw her ahead of me and kept her in my sight. When she walked, I walked, when she ran, I ran. I did this for awhile (I hadn’t set up my app for 10/1’s so this was just logical to me).

At around the 30K mark I was feeling a lot of pain in my right foot. My foot pronates inward and I had been transitioning into newer shoes trying to solve my issues. Add the groin injury on the same side and I think I was overcompensating a bit. I had to push through quite a bit of pain the last 3-4K. BUT I still felt overall pretty good. I was smiling at the camera whenever I saw it, I was enjoying the cheering stations and the people along the route and I even took time to pull alongside fellow DC – JP, aka Batman, to introduce myself in person as we had only been connecting online up to this point. JP is doing amazing things to raise awareness and support for Sick Kids Toronto (you can see more here: Batman Runs For Sick Kids Toronto).

There was a moment when a 4:30 was in my reach, but at around 39K I realized I was going to miss that so I allowed myself to ease up a bit as my foot was killing me. BUT, not too much as I could still come under 4:35. As we rounded the corner entering the final 500m run to the finish line I was hurting a lot! I was considering walking it in when I saw two guys ahead of me, and something in me decided I was not coming in behind them. So I pushed a little bit harder picking up speed for the final 300m passing them both and coming in strong!

When I kicked it up and passed them, the announcer called my name and Christine (pictured above) who had ran the half marathon started yelling my name from up above me somehow….and then it was over. It was amazing and I knew immediately I would do this race again!

September 7, 2014September 8, 2014

For The Love Of Running

As a Digital Champion for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon I’ve had the amazing privilege of connecting with so many wonderful people online. Many training for their first marathons but a number of ultramarathoners as well. Interacting with so many runners motivates and inspires me daily!

August was a busier than usual month for me in regards to races and boy did I have fun! It’s hard to pick my favourite one however the Ottawa Foam Fest focused on FUNCORE. This is a quick video of what I experienced with my husband and daughter running their first official races Ottawa Foam Fest Video.

23K Trail Run - Halfway and still smiling! — 23K Trail Run – Halfway and still smiling!

Equally as awesome was my first ever trail run. I absolutely love Ray Zahab’s passion and vision for Impossible2Possible. So when I found out there was an organized trail run with distances ranging from 10K – 100K I wanted to be a part of it. All proceeds went to support the youth ambassadors with I2P. With a little encouragement I signed up for the 23K. Thank goodness two friends decided to run as well, as it would have been a completely different race experience without them! I think I’m pretty much hooked and am now including more trail running in my training.

My training has been going very well, I’m actually enjoying my progress and am having more fun! Long runs are getting long, like really long – today I will be running 32K. I still feel really good and cannot believe we are 6 weeks out from my goal marathon for the fall.

Oh and I have new shoes! I’ve finally made the transition (okay, making the transition slowly) to a lower profile shoe to encourage a more natural running form. So far so good, I still have happy feet!

Most recently (but certainly in my thoughts for 6 months or more) I’ve decided to get a running coach. I realize that there are so many amazing athletes who have expertise beyond my own experience in running. Running is not just recreational for me. I do run for fun, for therapy, and for the challenge and overall feel-good feeling I get by getting outside and running. However, I want to be challenged more and accomplish more than I think I can accomplish. I want to achieve some really awesome running goals and for that I will need someone who is more knowledgeable than me to help me achieve the goals I have.

I’ve decided to go all in (well, because that’s what I do! LOL) My training schedule has changed and I’m trusting in the plan and of course my coach. Week 1 of my new training schedule is now in the books and I accomplished everything I was told to do. Nothing more and nothing less. Okay, maybe a wee tiny bit more BUT I’m learning to do a little less for now 🙂 AND I’m happy to be dragging a few running friends along for the ride, making memories, having fun and simply getting out and running!

Up next for me is the Army Run. Not sure if I’ll be racing it or using it as a training run at this point but I know that it’ll be amazing and I’m looking forward to it.

How is your training going? What was your summer highlights? Would love for you to share.

July 19, 2014October 17, 2015

The Forgotten Marathon Bag – Yes, It Really Happened!

When I chose to sign up for my very first marathon I had no idea the challenges that our family were about to face. I could have chosen to wait and run another time but I had already made the mental commitment to run, I had already psyched myself into doing all that was required to run a marathon. Running during that time became very therapeutic for me, almost necessary. It became a place for me to process my thoughts and feelings, by talking it out with a new running friend, or being lost in my own thoughts and feelings on a long run. I believe training for the marathon saved me in many ways.

So what happened when I discovered every runners worst nightmare and forgot all my gear in another city the eve of my run?

Read about it here on the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon where they posted my experience in their blog. Honey, I Forgot My Marathon Bag!

Have you ever experienced something like this?

July 14, 2014

With Or Without Others

The past two weeks are somewhat of a blur! I have had to run many of my training runs on my own because of my schedule. It’s been a great two weeks, my runs have been amazing and I’m feeling really good. It’s almost like I’m in a stage of newness again, like rediscovering running for the joy of solitude.

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE running with a group. However, I’ve come to realize that maybe I’ve become a tad dependent on the group. Having to be somewhere at a specific time helps me get out for sure. I’ve had some unexpected things come up forcing me to get out more on my own which made me realize I’ve missed the long runs on my own. I’ve missed the strength I feel when I’m pushing myself at a faster pace OR pulling back forcing myself to slow down for the slow/long run. I’ve forgotten the satisfaction that comes from being in control of the course and the pace, the feeling of being lost in my thoughts and feeling renewed in my heart, thankful and grateful for my family and life.

I have always been a solo runner and I’ve trained for most of my races on my own. I never considered being part of a running group prior to training for my first marathon. When the kilometres started to really climb, I realized the benefits of group running.

I thrived in the group and loved getting to know other runners and feeling inspired and empowered by many of them while out on runs. Running in a group also allowed me to run in areas I wouldn’t run much alone, allowed me to just run without thinking about pace or direction and it certainly kept me company on those 3-4hr training runs. It was the perfect timing for me to connect with the Running Room and train with the marathon group.

This training period feels different though. I know I will get out with the group when I can, and it’ll be just as amazing when I do, however, some of my goals have me being away or training for different events, requiring me to do more training on my own. I think it’s good though, it’s kind of the best of both worlds.

What about you? Are you a loner? Do you like to run on your own or do you need to belong to a running group? Have you ever been a part of a group? This certainly can apply to anyone going to the gym, taking fitness classes or whatever new adventures you might be taking on. There are benefits to doing it alone and certainly joining up with others.

For myself, I think there is a time for both, and I’m thankful I can experience both as I continue to train for all the races coming up in 2014.

Being a part of the Digital Champions (DC’s) for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon has also allowed me to connect with some pretty inspiring runners and a fantastic online community that I am truly blessed to be involved with. So although many of my training runs will be on my own, I’m not really alone. A supportive online community can also be just what you need!

Here is a shot of the Ottawa Team, a small portion of the DC’s that are encouraging runners who have chosen to make the Toronto Marathon part of their fall racing goals.

Running alone has its perks and for me it is so therapeutic. It brings me back to the reasons I love running. It’s a place for me to really be in touch with who I am and process through the events in my life. However, I will never give up the joy of running in a group. The friendships, encouragements and challenges that come from pushing yourself with others, especially on those long, hot summer runs or, not so long ago, those unbelievable long, cold, snowy ones!

However you run, may you get all you can out of it and be renewed in your love for running!

June 28, 2014

The Ups and Downs of Training

Training for the Toronto Marathon officially began June 19th at the Running Room I run with. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of runners who have chosen to run Toronto this year. I’m loosely following the Running Rooms Training Plan but will switch some of my runs on my own to trail running as I’m trying to challenge myself differently this season.

We ran an easy steady run on our first Thursday night together and it felt good. It was my first time back running with a group since my injury in February and I missed it. Saturday I was out for another easy 6K on my own and again felt really comfortable.

Before I officially signed up for the marathon, I had the privilege of connecting with Ray Zahab, who is the founder of i2p (impossible2possible)and chat with him about my injury and my goals for this season. I have been a huge fan of his for years, I recommend these books about his journey: Running To Extremes and Running For My Life: On The Extreme Road with Adventure Runner Ray Zahab. He was kind enough to connect me to Mike Stanish who runs runeffortlessly.com, a run clinic that teaches proper running technique (as well as raising money for local charities). I took one of Mike’s clinics and have since been working at staying relaxed during my runs, it seems to be a little more natural now. Mike then connected me to Dr. Troy from Holistic Clinic who specializes in helping athletes through torture, ahem, I mean ART (active release therapy) treatments. He has been helping me with my hip issue. Dr. Beauchamp and Mat from Sante Chiropractic and Wellness Center are part of my wellness team for massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic care, to help me get to the finish line injury free!

So back to training, on Sunday it was a 10K run with the Running Room and again felt really good. Feeling rested, lighter on my feet, and encouraged that perhaps I was back from injury and ready to get into the fullness of marathon training again.

I need to learn to bottle that feeling up, as we all know that we will run into bad training days.

Week two proved to be less than stellar. Easy 6K on Tuesday on my own and it was an okay run. Wednesday met with the group and we headed out for our 10K Tempo run, which was my first 10K continuous since February. I believe our temperature was 89% humidity and 25 degrees (not sure the ‘feels like’ temperature). So it was hot and humid! I was feeling pretty good the first 7K, even chatted a lot during the run (on a tempo run you should not be able to have a conversation with someone, you should be pushing yourself). I even thought to myself, this feels good, I’m even able to chat. AND THEN, I had to stop talking.

I found it difficult to keep up with the group but kept at it. I realized I should stop and take a walk break but the others in the group seemed good, so I fought with myself for 0.5km. I was wearing my new Bondi Band Headband that says “Find Your Happy Pace” and I was telling myself, this is my training, I need to run it smart. It’s okay to walk if you need to and so on. I smiled at the thought of my headband and the reality of finding my own pace. I pulled back and took a needed walk break. I then proceeded to run my own pace to complete the run. I was disappointed and filled with doubt about my upcoming races, including the marathon. I was already in a slower pace group than I was in the winter, in hopes of giving myself a recovery period to train smart and not over do it. Then I asked myself, what would you say to someone else, and I started to encourage myself with those same words.

On to Thursdays 6K steady run. I work long hours on Thursdays and need to bring my running gear to work and have a 15min. window to get to the running group. As I was changing I realized I forgot my socks. UGH! This means going home and missing the group talk before the run. Okay, no big deal, headed home.

Arrived as the group was about to head out. Again, humid day, high of 28 and lots of sunshine! We headed out and I intentionally pulled into the back to give myself room and run my own pace with only two others behind me. I ended up chatting again and it was a decent run. I turned to say something and missed the uneven sidewalk and for the first time in my life fell hard onto the ground. I’m not entirely sure how much of my body hit the concrete, but it seemed my shin, my right knee, elbow, shoulder and both hands showed evidence of the fall. AWESOME. Of course, the entire group stopped and helped me up and then shouted out “footing” the rest of the way back, LOL! I stiffened up after getting home but woke up feeling not too bad, the elbow/shoulder and knee sore but doing fine. So thankful, as the first thing running through my head when I got up to continue running, feeling some throbbing, was am I injured, is it adrenaline that is allowing me to run, fearful of another setback. Not concerned about much other than will this affect my training? 🙂

Isn’t training very much like life? There are highs and well, there are lows. I think we need to celebrate both. The highs build confidence and encourage us, and give us a boost, a place of rest almost. The lows build character and are a mental challenge that we all need to face and overcome. One thing I do know, we get up the next day and we do it again. We commit to the training and we work out the ups and downs on our runs.

June 18, 2014

Let The Adventure Begin – Round Two Booked!

It’s official, the marathon is booked! October 19th, 2014 is my goal race and I’m so excited to return to Toronto. I always look for ways that I can run for others in addition for myself, so this marathon I’ve decided to fund raise for the Children’s Aid Society. If you would like to partner with me and donate, you can do so here: My Fundraising Page

My first marathon was Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2013 and I had no idea then that I would return for another year. My plans for 2014 had included Ottawa and Calgary and then perhaps a different city or the Ottawa Fall Colours Run in the fall.

Due to my injury, my plans of course changed. In hindsight it is crazy ridiculous how things have worked out and I am actually thankful for the experience and the connections I’ve made through the journey. Maybe everything does happen for a reason 🙂 Hmmmm…..

As I train this year the experience will be completely different as I’ve been invited to be a Digital Champion (DC) for the race! As a DC I get to do what I am passionate about doing, I get to encourage and connect with other runners online to help them achieve their own personal goals and have an awesome experience doing it! Here is the list of all the DC’s: Digital Champions

If you are married with children then you get how much of a sacrifice the whole family makes when you are training for a full marathon. I am in awe of the parents who get it done and are still raising a young family. I am at a stage in my life where my kids can help out and that they do!

There were so many nights where my daughter (15 at the time) stepped in and would make dinner on the days that I knew I’d be working late, or if I was heading out for a run she would take over and get the family fed.

Countless times my family would help me stick to my goals by keeping me accountable to what I said, or question if I should be doing something. They always asked me how my run was or how many km’s I was doing on a certain day. They made an effort to take an interest in what I love to do, or at least to pretend to, ha!

I am already looking forward to the cheering and support that they provide. Yesterday, my daughter rode her bike ahead of me while I ran so I could run along the river and not be alone! It was so great to be chasing after her, I just need to figure out what she could carry on her back that I want bad enough to run hard for!!

There will be other long runs that I think I’ll have my son meet me on the route to provide a smiling face and needed nutrients, especially on some of the hot summer days that are coming.

Even my eldest son who is living in another province will ask me about my training when he calls, how many kids do that??

My husband tries hard to ensure the kitchen is cleaned after dinner if I head out for a run, which I cannot adequately express how much I appreciate that!

If you do not already have the involvement of your family, might I suggest that you look for ways to include them. Depending on their age, by including them you show them how much running means to you. You demonstrate to them that it is healthy for mom to have a dreams and goals that she is striving for. You might even spark a passion in them for running.

My daughter is the first to admit she has no desire to run. She’s been watching me for years, coming out to many races to cheer me on, volunteering at countless races to hand out race kits, giving me massages when required, cooking dinner, and so much more. This year there is a Foam Fest coming to Ottawa. A 5Km obstacle course that she is so excited to do. Say what!?

So much so that she has convinced the family to do it all together. No one else in my family runs. It will be so much fun and you can be sure great memories will be made.

What are some of the ways your family supports you? Have you found ways to include them to be apart of your journey?

Tag: races

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