29 and under 29

Good thing for friends! As the running season wound down, my friend Steph tried to convince me to join her in the MEC Race 7 Half Marathon. Ha! For those who have been reading these (rare) blog entries, you'll know why I immediately declined.
But maybe... I thought. Maybe a 10k is a good goal. THAT will get me out training more.
Only it didn't. I sat inside and ate chocolate and thought a lot about going out for a run, but the thought never seemed to transfer to reality.

Along came a blessing in the form of another friend, Leslie, who happened to invite me to run in the 5k distance of the same race.

At first we negotiated between the 10k or the 5k, but in the end I was happier to run the shorter distance with her. Thank goodness!

It was a gorgeous day. I sent the champion Steph off on her half marathon with a cheer, then lined up for the 5k with Leslie.


We chatted happily the first half of the race. Unfortunately, in my over-exuberance of wanting to catch up with Leslie, I also got a bad stitch. Rats! While I kept up the conversation, I also focused on breathing deeply to try and break up the stitch. No go.

By 3k I stopped chatting altogether, and I'm happy to say my stitch started to disappear. Unfortunately, I was doing my typical wheezy breathing that stems from my [exercise-induced] asthma. It was par-for-the-course for me, but I'm pretty sure I started to frighten my poor friend. She diplomatically suggested we slowed down. Slow down? Ha! I was in my wheezing glory! This was the grit of the run, where I buckled down and huffed my way to the finish line. Slow down, my foot!
"I'm...fine!" I rasped. "This...is how...I sound...when...I run."

Leslie didn't seem reassured. She politely asked if it would be okay to run ahead of me.

In the true spirit of running, I never hold a grudge for those who want to speed on ahead. I will admit to just a little jealous that she was going to kick my butt in the race, but then, most people do!
Instead, I focused on my A-Goal, which was sub-28.30 (this A-Goal was developed during the course of the race...I was hoping for sub-27 or sub-29, and settled for a middleish ground).

Off sped Leslie, with me labouring behind her.

 No, the clock ticking 1:48 is not actually for my 5k race time! That's the marathon timekeeper.

Final Time: 28.28min

I hung around for a bit after the race to cheer on Steph, and was delighted to run into Rachel and Tucker who had also come as support (Rachel having run a PB in the half marathon the week before!).
Steph finished with her own amazing PB.

Among all these speedy champions, I still felt pretty happy. I may have been a good 5min off my own PB in the 5k, but hey, I did complete my last 5k as a 29 year old in under 29 minutes. It has a nice ring to it. I'll take it!
Sounds like a podium finish to me...for all involved.

 Steph, myself, Rachel and Tucker celebrating the day

Divine Intervention (of the Sisterly Sort)

I'm going to go for a run today. I told myself. Right after work. Boom! Done.

I sat down on the couch.

I'm going to go for a run...after I eat...and digest...

A short time later...

I'm going to go for a run. By 6.30pm I will definitely be on my way out the door. Or if not then, by 7pm. Yep, 7pm at the latest I will be out on my run.

I cracked open some chocolate.

And then the phone rang. It was my sister, surprisingly enough.
"What are you up to right tonight?" She asked.
I sighed and confessed: "I'm sitting on the couch eating chocolate and trying to motivate myself to go for a run."
"Oh, because I was just calling to see if you wanted to join me for a run. I thought you'd be busy, but I really wanted to run with you so phoned on a whim."

Cha-ching!

And out we went.

The Stitch Came Back, The Very Next Day...

The Stitch came back!
I'd hoped it was a gonner but
The Stitch came back.
It just couldn't stay away...

My little pup Brizzy can no longer use the excuse as being a puppy to avoid running with me...or is that the other way around?
I finally came to the decision that I could safely start taking him for runs with me without risk to injury...so long as I approached it gently!
And what better day than on a morning where I woke up...and could still feel That Darn Stitch.

Off we went for a very easy jog. I kept the pace below Stitch-level, which was quite slow. We did 2x 10 minutes with a 1 minute walking break in the middle. He did really well.
There was a bit of leash yanking when he saw rabbits, and towards the end where he felt that sniff was more exciting than keeping up with me.
There was a bit of shoelace chomping and leg jumping at the beginning when he felt this was a great game of chase he could play and - Tag! I was "It"!
But for the most part, he kept up just fine. Maybe he will be a great running companion.

Philosophy of Life

Three years - almost to the day - I ran the Whitsunday Trail Race. Officially "28 to 29k" of creeks, rocks, roots, and hills. I ran it with my most awesome trail running mentor, Barry, who pushed me through the whole race until the last few kms where he got a stitch so bad that he could still feel it the next day. Of course, he self-sacrificially encouraged me to go ahead. But how could I leave him? We started together, we ran together, and we finished together, which was what mattered most.

I've had many a stitch before (mostly during races! Siiigh...), but not many could compare with the pain Barry went to on that race day. However, I think this one may have come close!
I started out with good intentions. I really, really did!
The goal: run 10k, in a pattern of 2k warm-up, 5k tempo, 3k cool down.
But less than 4 minutes into my [very slow] warm-up, I had to stop when a sharp pain in my side made breathing difficult and moving less than desirable.
I tried to shake it over the next 15 minutes...I'd walk until the pain stopped, then run a few steps before I felt it slice back into me.
This was rather disappointing! I know I haven't been running very much this summer, but still.
Fortunately, I found that sprints weren't so bad on me. That is, I could run my little heart out for a good 20 seconds and then recover without seeming to Wake the Stitch.
Sprint training it was! I was in a more rural area and used driveways or street lamps as my markers. Run one, walk one, run one, walk one...And on and on and on for the next 30 minutes.

In the end, the run ended up being a little bit like my life philosophy: I had made a plan I was looking forward to, and something changed. It wasn't my ideal situation, but I made the best of it.

As my friend Steph would say, I achieved a B+.

Of Friends and Dogs

I met up with a high school friend (whom I don't believe I've actually seen since High School, but thanks to social media we'd kept in touch). We thought, what better way to catch up than over a run? Because isn't that what most people think, after all?

I took my dog, which was a great excuse to not push too hard. We met at Eau Claire - familiar ground for me now! - and did a pretty little 5.5k(ish) loop around the river over some bridges.
The goal was 5min run, 5min walk all along. This had the double benefit of giving Brizzy the chance to sniff and my friend and I more chance to hang out. Although who were we kidding? We weren't going to let a run stop us from talking! There is a different purpose to a training run vs a social run, and this was definitely of the latter variety.

Just A Little Bit More

I went for a "5k tempo" run the other day. I was feeling a bit time crunched so I told myself I'd just go for 4k. But somehow I got out there with the group and felt the groove of the run set over me. I told myself...just a little bit more.
I ended up doing the full 5.5k loop.
The downside was coming home and getting a rather unfortunate asthma attack (if coughing incessantly classifies as an asthma attack), of which the after-effects lingered well after.
I guess sometimes it's great to do that little bit more. Other times, it's important to be realistic with your body and take it easy to avoid suffering the consequences of your over-exuberance. It is a balance that I'm still learning! The big take-home message for me is: girl, you gotta get out and do some more running!!! The will power to run frequently faces off with my will power to be lazy. This year, it appears that Lazy has been much better fed. Hmmm.

We Love to Hate Hills

Ah, hills! You gotta love to hate them. Nothing makes you feel more unfit or out of breath as a good 1 minute running (or "running") up a hill.
A while back a friend and I ran up a hill. It took me 1.40min to get to the top. I made the ambitious goal of running up the hill three times.

3 x 1.40min = ~5 minutes of exercise, with lots of rest in between.

Forget 2 hour or 3 hour runs. I love hills because they are so short and punchy. And you feel pretty kick-ass AWESOME at the end! (After you've caught your breath and your heart stops pounding...)

How Fast Can You Run?

[I've been convinced to digress from a running blog to discuss a recent event that resulted in a different sort of cardio. If you are here to read about running...skip this! If you are here to be entertained, I hope you find this entertaining.]

The fastest human on the planet is not considered that fast in the animal kingdom.

We're not bad. We're just not good at running. Now, I'm no Usain Bolt so I know I have a disadvantage compared to the above chart.

Last week I was out canoe camping with Russell, my boyfriend. Canoe camping is where you pack everything into a canoe, paddle out to a remote-ish campsite, and spend the night(s) there.

 View from our campsite. Across the lake on the left point is where two guided groups were camped (this is important for later in the story).

 Another view from our campsite

We settled into the tent around 11pm and within 5 minutes after that I heard the distinctive crunch, crunch, crunch of footsteps walking directly past our tent. Since there were no humans in the vicinity, my first thought was BEAR!

We heard the animal climbing the tree towards our food. Now, let me just paint the picture a bit more for you a little bit here:

 Kitchen area with the two barrels and tarp. The big tree is where we hung both barrels off one of the high limbs coming off to the left. The bottom of our tarp is tied to the canoe to protect us from the wind. Behind the tree in the bush is where we set up our tent...it's far enough back that it's not in sight.

Get the picture?

When we heard the animal climbing the tree, Russell jumped out of the tent to yell at it and scare it off. Only...that didn't work so well. Instead, we could hear the animal emitting loud hissing from the tree.

I threw on my shoes and scrambled out of the tent to stand with Russell. When a predator gets aggressive towards you, it's best not to be seen looking all small crouched down in a tent! So together we stood to face off with the hissing creature (I was terrified! If I hadn't just gone to the washroom less than 10 minutes before I think I would have peed my pants).

Because of the hissing, Russell voiced my thoughts: "I think it's a cat." And when we say cat, we don't mean...

                                                                          But rather...

We started yelling for help, but it was hard to imagine others would be awake to hear us, let alone get up in the middle of the night in the rain to paddle across the black lake to our aid.

After a few minutes of hissing and green, glaring eyes, we saw that it was not a cat, but...

Yep, a bear. A mean little black bear was hissing, huffing, and posturing at us. I felt only slightly better that it wasn't a cougar. Cougars are terrifying. Black bears are less so...usually! This one was quite the exception. About 175lbs of pure nasty.

We backed slowly away from the tent until we reached the end of the clearing. Remember that lovely set-up we had done? This meant that the barrels of food the bear was trying to get was set up directly over the canoe and between us and our only escape route. Never again will I put any food between myself and an easy escape!

After we backed off, the bear returned it's attention to the food barrel. About 15 minutes after I had first gotten out of the tent, the bear managed to retrieve his prize and dart into the woods. At which point Russell and I grabbed our rain gear (at my insistence...it was raining quite steadily and I just had on my pyjamas. Adrenaline only keeps me warm for so long) and quickly dashed to the canoe and out onto the water.

Once there, we came across two guides who were paddling towards us on a rescue mission. It turns out the group across the lake was doing a guided tour. When the two guides had heard us yelling they decided to come and help (although, as neither Russell nor I wanted to sound panicked when facing off with a grumpy bear, the guides had mistakenly presumed our calls for help were non-urgent, and finished off such important tasks as brushing their teeth before coming to our aid).

As a group of four, we returned to our camp to quickly stuff the rest of our gear - one barrel and the tent - into the two canoes and set out back across the lake to join the other group's camp. We learned later that the bear had run off with our food barrel (rather than our barrel of cooking equipment, lifejackets, and other miscellaneous items), so we were grateful for the offer of breakfast the next morning. We got to the guides' camp around midnight, one short hour after the entire ordeal had started.

And yes, I did fall asleep that night. I felt much safer surrounded by a large group of other campers and once the adrenaline had eased out of my system it was easier to let fatigue win. If we had taken the time to pick out a nice flat tent site rather than one that sloped horribly and caused one to constantly slide down the hill, I think I would have slept even better. But that being said, sloped campsite was right next to the fire surrounded by lots of other campers, so it felt safe.

After our refugee breakfast, Russell and I headed back to our campsite to see what we could find. Due to Russell's fantastic tracking ability, we were able to find the remnants of the barrel about 200m into the brush.

Every scrap of food was gone. The area reeked of rotted meat and bear. I had my camera, but we didn't linger to take photos (just in case Mr Bear was feeling a bit possessive of his food cache and returned to chase us off) but stuffed everything into the barrel and brought it back to the main campsite for a salvage report.

Salvage report:

Barrel - punctured with teeth. But not completely wrecked, as the bear worked out how to open it. Still, it's no longer water proof and ergo ruined.

Food - gone. Except for some vegetables and fruit, and one bag of what appeared to be untouched Cup of Soup. We threw it all out.

Sandals - intact!

Tarp - intact! But woof, did it stink!

Sunscreen - intact! I believe the bear meant to eat it, but the bug spray can was in the same bag and it looks like he mistakenly bit into that instead. Heh heh heh.

Medications - intact! Mostly.

Toilet paper - intact! But the bag was punctured and we decided to chuck it anyway. Eau de Bear on my butt? I think I'll pass, thanks.

Day pack and water bottle - ripped and punctured, respectively.

Question: How fast can I run?

Answer: Not faster than a bear. Thank goodness I didn't have to put that to the test!

Kudos to the Superheroes Among Us

There is something so amazing about running with a Run Club. Every now and then you find yourself struggling with your goal/pace/distance. You want to fall back. You want to give up: cancel those goals, forget that pace, and drop that distance! Because you know you just can't do it.

And that's when something amazing happens. Another runner - a faster runner - slows down so they can run with you, and encourage you through your run. They don't do it because they get any training benefit from it; they do it because they want is to see you break through those mental demons and come out triumphant in the end.

And you feel like that person is

It happened with me the other day. It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last. These are the people that make Run Club so special.

You know who you are! You are a Superhero.

The Witching Hour

Weather is no excuse not to come, Run Club told me on my first day. We'll still run...besides, there's an uncanny truth about running in Eau Claire from 6-7pm. It doesn't rain.

Well, the other day when I dragged my reluctant butt out to Run Club it was raining. And boy, was I ever squawking about that rain!

This pretty much sums up my feelings of running in the rain

"Liars!" I cried out to anyone who would listen (and even those who were blatantly trying not to. "They promised us it wouldn't rain. And look at it. Look. At. It."

But then something funny happened...just as we shuffled outside, the rain let up. Instead of a downpour of icy water, it was a cooling mist tickling our skin. Hmm, not too bad. Not too bad at all.

Apparently, our Run Club leaders are right. There is some sort of Witching Hour over Eau Claire between 6-7pm when the rain clears up. No complaints from me! And I guess that means...no more excuses about weather, either.

Color Me Rad

A year and a half ago an ankle injury sidelined me from my first - and thus far only - race. I was doing "The Color Run" with a friend when a few weeks ahead of time I fell off a tire and rolled my ankle (read the linked blog entry to better understand it if you wish). It was a hard decision. By the time my race came along I had just started walking without crutches. Yet despite this improvement, I felt that doing a 5k - plus the driving and walking to/from the event - would be an unwise decision. Well, and the fact that I had a hiking trip plus the big 500k relay coming up also helped motivate me to Choose Wisely.

So, nearly two years later I finally got my wish of running in "Color Me Rad". It's exactly like the Color Run, but with a different name.

Russ and I got there super early, which was good since it was so crowded. We made it in time for our "wave" and set off through the path. It was scorching hot.

Since my goal was more about getting Russ as colourful as possible, I wasn't too worried about the time. We ran a bit, walked a bit...ran a bit more and walked a bit more. I'm not sure if it quite measured 5k, but the important thing is that we ended up looking like this...

...And had heaps of fun along the way!

K-100: Chafing the Dream

This year marked my second time in the K-100 relay, my fifth time ever running on a relay team (ah, how I miss the Endeavour 500!!! ... if only I could get back to Australia to run it again!), and my first time organizing the team myself.
Our team this year was - by popular vote of 5-4 "Chafing the Dream".
I pulled Team Captain privileges and selected my first choice to run on, which was Leg 6. 9.4km of downhill madness. Downhill running - non-steep downhill running, that is - appears to be a strength of mine. Or at least, something I find rather easy and enjoyable.
Plus, it was the shortest leg I could run. With a new puppy in my life and (let's be honest) little motivation to get out and run this spring, I knew I could pull off a sub-10k without hassle. Some of the more uphill longer legs of the race were not going to be a good idea. But fortunately in a team event there is always someone willing to volunteer and make that sacrifice!

 Team Photo right before the start of the race: 10 runners, 2 mascots, and 1 fantastic driver support

 Brizzy (one of our two team mascots) waiting attentively for the next runner to round the corner

I was tagged off by my teammate who ran the notorious Leg 5. And off I went.
Big surprise here...It was great! I loved it.
Since I don't train a lot on downhill running, I went by effort instead of time. I tried to keep the first few kms at a 'moderate' effort level with the goal of either maintaining or stepping up after the first 5k.

Ready...

 ...Set...

 ...Go!

The scenery was gorgeous, and my team awesome in their cheering and support. Relays are one of the few times in running where getting honked at by passing cars as people roll down the windows to whistle and shout is actually a compliment.

 The fun and energy of the "support crew" is what keeps bringing me back to relays year after year.

Admittedly, it was also a bit of an ego booster for me to pass a few other runners along the way. I think a lot of teams make the mistake of putting their "non-runners" on this part of the race since it looks so easy, but downhill running is a lot harder on the knees and I know a lot of the people I passed were feeling the strain. That being said, I would be running at my fastest pace ever (4.12min/km! Woohoo! I will never be this fast again!!!) and next thing I know a speeding bullet runner would zip past me effortlessly. More often than not this would end with a high-five and/or words of encouragement from one to the other.

 Always stunning scenery in the K-100

Tagging off to a teammate marked the finish of my run.

Total distance: 9.48km

Total time: 48.58

Average pace: 5.10min/km

I like being a faster runner every once in a while, even if it's because I am running downhill. It's fun to be able to reflect, "oh, so this is what fast feels like!"

They Say He's Not a Runner!

The other day I took my puppy and my friend on a run. Being a beginner to running (training for his first 5k! I remember those days!), we negotiated a 3k run with 2.5min run to a 1min walk.
This would be Brizzy's first on-leash run, so I wasn't sure how we would actually go. But as it turns out, both did wonderfully well. Okay, there was a bit of dancing around and a few disgruntled yelps (from the dog, not my friend), but we made it through really well. Both were great troopers, and it happily exhausted my rambunctious puppy. I may need to start taking him for regular runs. Keep us both fit and happy! My puppy is not exactly a "running" breed, and I know my friend would never call himself a runner, but 3k is pretty respectable. I guess perceptions can be broken.

Run, Brizzy, Run!

It was time to take the newest member of my family for a run. He is a little bundle of energy, and if this didn’t tire him out, nothing would!

So off we pranced to the off-leash area near my parents’ house (conveniently very empty of dogs most of the day!).

Off came the leash, and off I ran. For the first 100m he was all puppy joy: biting at my shoelaces, jumping on the back of my legs. Eventually he settled down and became quite a good little running companion. I think he quickly realized that conserving energy would be the smart move. Balancing out the “I don’t want to overdo it for him” versus “I’m having a great time! I could keep going!”, I ran as follows:

15min + walk break

10min + walk break

5 min + walk break

Grand total time: 30 minutes

Energy level of puppy: depleted

Mission accomplished! He may never be a marathoner, but maybe there are some 5ks in our future together.

All set and ready to run!

Calgary "Marathon"...Where's The Finish?

I like chronology. I’m rather Type-A in that way. Give me a book series in the middle, and I usually can’t bring myself to read it until I’ve read at least the first book (exceptions to every rule, of course!).

But chronology on a blog is better for people who are more timely with their blogging! Therefore, the next few entries are going to be a little un-ordered. So for all my other Type A readers: take a deep breath! I promise there will be no unexpected plot twists or character developments that will spoil things for you.

So...Calgary Marathon. First, it’s always awkward to mention you’re in the any kind of "X Marathon" (the name of the event) when you’re not actually running the marathon.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

“I’m running in the Calgary Marathon…no, no! I’m not actually running a marathon. I’m just doing the 10k that's taking place in the event called the Calgary Marathon!”

It was an absolute gorgeous day outside – bright and sunny and warm. Reminded me a lot of my Gold Coast races back in the day. Because the race was so close, I was able to walk there, which is always a bonus. Forget race day bathroom line ups! Say goodbye to parking frustrations! I'll walk over, thanks.

Due to an unexpectedly sore hip flexor this past week, and the fact that I have been looking at this race as more a “training race” for the K-100 relay, I didn’t have any strong goals other than to finish. Okay, so my A-Goal was sub-58min and my B-Goal was sub-60min, but otherwise I wasn’t fussed. With my naggingly sore hip flexor, I thought I might end up jogging it out instead of running.

I kept it easy the first 4k, enjoying the day, the cheering spectators, and the random entertainment along the way. (The community of Bridgeland through the middle km’s of the 10k really steps up to the plate for cheering!). I felt strong with a 5.45 pace across these first few kms, so picked it up to a 5.30 pace as I continued on. I had meant to hold off on the speed increase until the 5k marker, but somehow I was so buoyant and energized I couldn't quite help myself.

This worked well for me until 8k. And then things started to hurt. While my hip flexor was holding up like a champion, my knee started to twinge. And boy, was fatigue starting to set in!

I did slow down a bit in the last 2k. That’s what comes from setting a loose A-Goal that is too easily achieved: the mind cannot push through the discomfort.

There were some great signs that kept me entertained...

Toenails are for Sissies!

May the Course Be With You!

Who Needs Nipples?

But for me, the winning sign could be found just after the 9k marker, when you're entering the edges of the Stampede grounds and you can't help but think:

WTF…Where’s The Finish?

There were a lot more that I wish I could remember. There are some very creative support crowds out there! And speaking of support, where would I be without my lovely support crew? Russell and Brizzy both came along.

All fresh and ready to start!

 Regardless, I finished with a very happy time of 56.31. Surprisingly, that actually put me in the top 20% of female finishers. Go me!

Brizzy was very happy with my results, too. (Actually, he was probably more excited to play outside with Russell while they waited for me to finish).

Dry Run

I like cake. And cookies. And lots of other goodies! Why yes, I will have my cake and eat it too, thank you.

It's a bit the same with exercise.

So when I was tossing up between a run and a hike, I thought, why not both?
I thought about joining the group, but the later start time (8.30am) plus the knowledge that they were doing a long slow run energized me to go earlier on my own. Plus, I really haven't done much training for my 10k and I thought a "dry run" (heh heh heh) wouldn't be a bad idea. I didn't run the course...I just wanted to run a 10k steady run and see what pace I could keep. Nothing kicks me out the door faster than the knowledge of an impending race I haven't trained for!

Instead of a 10k, I ended up doing a 60min run, which amounted to just over 10.5k. Super happy I can still do 10k in sub-60! (I think I did it in around 56.45min).

On to the hike! It was a gorgeous day and I was looking forward to getting out to the mountains...

Happy May Long Weekend, Canada! The day that every Canadian breathes a sigh of relief that winter is over *ahem*.

Whoops! Clearly not the hiking conditions I was hoping for. Well, you can't win them all!

Who Wants to Play?

"Do a fartlek," they said. "It'll be fun," they said.
Okay, so no one told me to do a fartlek, but I'm pretty sure I've been told that "fartlek" translates into "play". And who doesn't like to play? But then I realized, I'm a person who prefers to play with others. Playing by myself just isn't the same.
So while it was a short run today, I thought some play was in order. I did a 20min fartlek, with added warm-up/cool down time.
The first 5min I had a great rhythm: run-jog-run-jog-run-jog
The next 5min felt tougher, so I changed up my rhythm: run-jog-run-walk-run-jog-run-walk...
The last 10min I was done. My sprints were not quite so speedy, so I increased my recovery time: run-walk-run-walk-run-walk

Was it a great workout? No.
     Was it a fun workout? Not particularly.
          Was it a wasted workout? Never!

...when you only are running 1-2x/week, there is no such thing as a wasted workout! But maybe next time I do a fartlek, I'll find someone else to play with!

That Secret Feeling

There's something special about working out first thing in the morning. Sure, you bemoan your choice as soon as your alarm clock rings, but then you go out and "get 'er done". If I wait exercise until the afternoon, I am quite creative in spending the whole day developing the perfect excuse as to why I can't go. (Usually all that creativity is summed up into the 4 words: "I don't want to.")

But first thing my fuzzy brain doesn't have time to make excuses. So up I get and out I go.

I didn't have a plan when I got up. I just knew I had to run something. So I got out and after my 1k warm-up I decided to do a 5k tempo run - the one I'd meant to do last week but was sitting heavy on cookies.

I wasn't sure how I'd go, since it's been so long since my last tempo run. I was hoping for split times under 5.40, and I was hoping for consistency across all 5k.

Goals achieved! My split times were between 5.29-5.34 with the exception of my last km, which was 5.21. But that's okay! I meant it to be faster. Not "sprint" faster just "push" faster.

I tricked myself by promising 4k. Then as I neared 4k, I told myself I didn't have to go to 5k...I could do a time goal (e.g.: 25min). But when all was said and done, I made it to my 5k.

And the rest of the day I got to carry that secret feeling around. That secret feeling you get when you've worked out hard and your body is thanking you. Not to be mistaken for working out so hard that the sight of a stair ahead makes you want to cry, but the good-hard feeling when you spend the rest of your day surfing on the endorphins. Why yes, today is going to be a great day.

There's Something Green in that Sea of Red*

I had a Chicken vs Egg question at the start of my run Tuesday night: Do I eat cake because I run, or do I run because I eat cake? (And yes, I may have been eating this while running with a big piece of undigested cake sitting in my stomach. It's called grocery shopping when you're hungry!).

Or maybe it's like they teach in high school science: correlation does not equal causation.
[I have deleted all snarly comments I initially made here as this is a blog about running slowly...not about politics!]

Regardless the philosophical answer, I ate cake and I went for a run in the same day. I could tell you from past - and likely future - experience that this is not a good idea!

My initial plan was 1k warm-up, 5k tempo, 1k cool down. I couldn't shake the stitch in my side for the entire warm-up, so I knew things wouldn't go well. 500m into my "tempo", I realized I was being stupid as I struggled to fight the pain of the stitch in order to keep my theoretical tempo pace.
So I slowed down and went by effort, not numbers.

At the 2k mark, things got super interesting super fast. I discovered a newly opened pathway near my house! It's a gorgeous river pathway that was closed all last summer. I don't know when it opened, but I got to explore it today.

I did the full loop, curious to see what the distance would be (good for future reference, after all!). The way back took me past the Saddledome. At 7pm. With the Flames having a home game tonight in the playoffs. Yes, I did think it through before I looped around through the grounds. In all honesty, I was curious not just to measure the distance of the loop, but also to see the tailgate parties going on.

In my bright green racing cap - yes, I'm sure you all know the one by now! - I ran past all the people walking to the game. I ran past the vendors, and the music, and the food carts. And then I passed through that centre point and things started to get a bit more complicated, as I was moving decidedly against the foot traffic.

I felt like a small green fish swimming against a sea of slow-moving salmon. But eventually I swam away from the crowd altogether and back to my little fish-nest.

Total distance: 7.2km


*For my non-Calgary friends who don't get this reference, the "Sea of Red" or "Red Mile" is the nickname when the Calgary Flames (hockey team) are playing in the playoffs and everyone dresses up in hockey jerseys (or Where's Waldo costumes) in support on game nights.

Overzealous

I took a friend on his first run the other day. I love taking newbies out and sharing my passion for the sport! I got a little overzealous, though. I promised 20 minutes of 1:2 ratio for minutes of running versus walking. (For the non-mathematicians, this would equate to about 7min of running total)
9 minutes into our 1:2 ratio I decided he was breathing great so cut down the ratio 1:1 (I did check to see if it was okay!).
At the 10 minute mark I should have turned us around. I really, really should have. But the day was so lovely and I was having such a great time, I couldn't help but keep going.
At 25 min I broke the news that we had passed 20 minutes already.
"Why not just go to 30 minutes?" I reasoned. "30 minutes is a nice, round number to reach!"
I did manage to stop us at 30 minutes. I promise, I really did!
So our first run plan of 20 minutes with a 1:2 ratio became 10 minutes of a 1:2 ratio + 20 minutes of a 1:1 ratio (total running time: 13min, which was almost double my original suggestion). Whoops! Next time I will need to reign in my excitement a bit more!

Done & Dusted

When my friend texted me this afternoon to ask me to go for a 12k run, I considered my options. I was tired and had been planning to stay inside out of the freezing wind. Maybe catch the hockey game.
So of course I quickly texted back with a suggested time we meet. What else does one do on a Saturday evening after all? Sure, Flames are in the playoffs. But hockey schmockey...this is running. With one of the coolest gals I know. How could I resist?

It was one of the easiest runs I've done in a long time, even though distance-wise I think this is the longest run I've done this year. But running with a good friend does that. There is so much to talk about and before you know it you've gone the 12k and 1hr 16min has passed and you really can't believe you were running so fast (that time includes our 3 x 1min walking breaks) and never felt fatigued.

My benchmark for fitness can be measured by 2 different things:
1. When I run consistent (aka 3+) 1k repeats under 4.50min
2. When 12k feels easy

I guess I've reached that latter benchmark this year! With time, I feel confident I'll reach the former again as well.

But for now, I'm going to enjoy the rest of the evening on my runner's high. And look at that...I have time to watch that hockey game and be a proper Canadian.

Country Jaunt

Last weekend I had a run out in the country. It was a nice change-up.
I was a little nervous at the start, because I remember the last time I ran in a rural area, I got chased by a lot of territorial dogs that owners let roam free. I love dogs. I just don't love territorial, uncontrolled dogs who may or may not decide to bite me.
My other concern was for moose. I knew moose were in the area (I'd seen a calf the day before), and I really didn't have any desire to get up close and personal with any during my run.
And then there was the "don't get lost" factor of running in a new area.

So I kept it boring. Straight down one road for 4k and then straight back. It was icy cold, but manageable.
No dogs, which was great. I did startle a herd of deer crossing the road. Deer are fine. Deer are not moose!
I ran past horses and across a train track. Wouldn't it be funny, I thought, if a train came by and trap me on the wrong side? As it turns out, one did come along! But I had just squeaked onto the homeward side of the tracks so it was all good.

Total distance: 8k
Total time: irrelevant

Wardrobe Misjudgement

On Saturday morning I decided it was time for another run. I really miss my 1k repeats, so I thought they would be a good choice. As it was cold out, I put on a pair of long pants and a light jacket. Then, off I went. My aim was to get in 4 solid 1k repeats...maybe 5, if I was feeling strong.

It became clear to me within the first 50m that I had not chosen my pants wisely. They were comfy yoga pants that were by now a few years old, and the elastic had lost a bit of stretch. Good enough for a walk or everyday things, but when doing a fast 1k, I regretted the choice in wardrobe.

Lucky it was bright and early in the morning and no one else was awake! As it was, I spent most of the km ensuring that my pants stayed covering my butt. During my recovery, I wisely tucked my shirt in to try and bulk my waist up a bit so the elastic would hold better. I wished a bit for safety pins.
Total time: 5.02min (yes, this is significantly slower than my normal 1k repeats. I will get back there! I WILL get back there!)

Then I started my second km repeat. My pants were holding up (better), when my shoelaces came undone. Gaaa! Fortunately it was only in the last few metres, so I waited until the next recovery to re-tie my laces, re-tuck in my t-shirt, and re-pull up my pants.
Total time: 4.57min (on the right end of the 5-min marker, but still much room for improvement)

The third km repeat my shoelaces stayed tied, and my pants stayed on (with extra help needed).
Total time: 5.04min (siiiigh)

I was not only unfit, but the cars and people were starting to come out and I was rather sick of having to constantly pull up my pants in the middle of my run. So I called it a day.

Note to self: get better pants to run in!
Double note to self: do more 1k repeats to get back to previous fitness level!

Marathon of Hope

There is one runner who - in my opinion - stands in a class of their own. I'm talking of course, about Canadian icon Terry Fox.

Terry Fox is a man who left a legacy that inspires us all. So when I found out that today was the Marathon of Hope, I jumped on board and signed up. It's not an organized race, or even a marathon. It's just a bunch of people committing to run a certain distance in memory of this great man and what he stood for.

There were officially 1k, 5k, or 10k distances. But you could also commit to running any distance you wanted.

I opted for 10k. The day was sunny (but eesh, what a cold northern wind!) and the group smiling. I went out with the 10k group who were only running 8k, so I planned to add an extra couple of k's on at the end. Fortunately for me, one of the other gals was in the same mindset, so off we went. The last few km's went quickly. Tough, but quickly since I was trying to keep up with my running buddy.

Two days of running in a row...hooray! I'm starting to find my feet again. And the running shoes feel great.

And throughout the entire run today, tickling at the back of my mind were thoughts of Terry Fox. He may not have won any races, but he won over a nation.

I admire the speedy runners and envy them (gaa! How can I get faster???). But my favourite thing about my fellow runners? Their strength of character. Every one has a story. But few are quite so well known as that of Terry Fox.

Push Challenge Post-Testing

As I may have mentioned, one of my running friends and I took part in a 3-month fitness challenge at our local gym. It got us out training twice a week lifting weights. Weight training is good for runners, after all. Or so I keep hearing.
I was minimalistic (to say the least) about running this spring, but I did go to the gym faithfully to meet up with my friend and lift weights with the help of a fantastic personal trainer. I don't think I could have done this on my own, but having a friend there with me was fantastic.

What does this have to do with running? Well, as part of the "testing" we did a pre-challenge 3k time trial and a post-challenge 3k time trial. I was curious to see if my times would improve just by doing the weight training. Okay, I was planning to run as well, but that didn't seem to happen as much as it should have.

Having done weight training before Christmas with another friend and skiing throughout winter, I had thought myself in fairly good condition.

Pre-test 3k: 18.27min
Post-test 3k: 15.28min

I was a bit surprised. 3 minutes off my time is not too bad. Not great, but not terrible either. My pass was exactly 1min faster per km. With 5 laps around the track to a km, that's 10 seconds faster on each lap.

I did meet my goal time, in a way. Although I had been really hoping for a sub-5min pace, I knew that wasn't in the cards due to my lack of running fitness. But, I thought, if I can run a sub-15.45min pace, I would be okay with that. And so I set myself up from the start to do 1.02min per each lap (15 laps in a 3k). And while some laps I was a little slower and some laps I was a little faster, that's the pace I kept up the entire time. I was hoping I could speed up the last km of the run, and I was able to do so just a wee bit.

There's one thing to be said...I really miss the training I did in Australia. Every Tuesday we'd do repeats between 800m-3k. It made for a tough morning, but I loved every minute of it...in a love/hate sort of way.

PS - for interest sake, that wasn't the only part to the challenge. My before/after results for the other aspects are as follows:

Wall sit: 1:12 / 4:04
Plank hold: 1:06 / 3:11
Supine back row: 8 / 13
Triple jump distance: 13.8ft / 17.2 ft (why they felt the need to use the archaic Imperial system for this is beyond me)
8kg medicine ball throw:  142 inches / 151 inches (again, Imperial system?!)

Some of these felt a bit meaningless. The run was important for me. But how far can I jump 3 times in a row? How far I can throw an 8kg weight? In what world would that be important?

Potential

Ahhh! Spring is in the air. The weather is warming up and the snow has melted. That can only mean a new running season has started!
Technically, it should have started in February as it usually does for me. But snow + cold + running is not an equation I can easily master in winter.
But the start of a new season also means...new shoes! There's something about new running shoes that feel like potential. They are fresh and ready to hit the pavement...ready to fly as fast and as far as I dare take them. It's a nice feeling. Getting new running shoes always fills me with hope.

Yes, they really are this outlandishly amazing.

Yep, after dusting off a nice easy 6k (but when did 6k start feeling like a challenge?!), I bought myself some new running shoes for the year. It's time to retire my old ones into faithful walking shoes. They've done me a great service in 2014. But now it's time to look forward to the new season.
And with those shoes I had the chance to sign up (for free) to the Half Marathon clinic starting in July.
I have no half marathons in my sights for this year, but you never know! I might just find one that suits my fancy. And even if not, there's something so joyful about accomplishing those long Sunday runs. As hard as they are, as long as they are...I miss them.
This season is filled with potential and possibilities. And the best part is, it's only just begun!

Stretching Assistance

My life has changed rather dramatically since the last post. I got a puppy!
But that's no excuse, right?

I missed a training session with a friend last night, so I decided to do my own "punishment" to make-up for the missed session. My punishment was HILL REPEATS! Ugh! As punishments go, I thought it was appropriate (even if the workout I missed was upper body).

My ambitious goal was to do around 10 hill repeats. Ha! Deep down, I knew that would never happen. My dad and I drove out to a nearby park and did a warm-up jog together. Then, while he walked around I did my hill repeats. I only had 15 minutes, so I thought 5 would be an achievable goal.

I overestimated my fitness levels.

Rep 1: 48 seconds. I made it my goal thenceforth to do ever rep under 1minute.
Rep 2: 60 seconds. Boom! Just made it.
Rep 3: 54 seconds. I focused on "Quick Arms; Quick Legs" and moved my legs really fast. Really fast. I was impressed with myself. My legs were starting to shake quite a lot, but more than halfway done!
Rep 4: 67 seconds. After this rep I kept circling the bottom of the hill like a conflicted vulture wanting to eat dead prey but seeing hyenas nearby. Finally, I saw my dad at the top and new I had to face the hyenas. Upward!
Rep 5: 67 seconds. My legs were shaking the entire way and at just under halfway I knew I couldn't possibly run the entire way up the hill. So I made myself run the entire way up the hill. (Well, when I say "run", that is open to interpretation).

We didn't jog back to the car as I had thought we would...my dad walked and I staggered beside him feeling slightly sick. I knew I'd eaten too many cookies this afternoon!

I got home and collapsed on the floor to slow my heartbeat. My puppy may not be great at running with me, but he's good at helping me stretch.

Kooks

I had many excuses to not run this morning, and believe me, they ALL went through my head. It's -13C outside! I'm tired! It's bound to be icy! And the biggest one of all...uuuuggghhhh!!!
But I left my excuses in my head where they belonged, layered myself up, and forced myself out the door before any of those excuses reached my legs.
I went back to the good ole Running Room. It was weird being there and knowing hardly anyone once again. But fortunately for me one of my friends showed up and - with the same goal in mind - off we set on our little 5.5k loop.
Our goal was to run a slow, easy, 6.30min/km steady pace. We did get down to 6.30 every once in a while, but for the most part we were quite comfortable going around a 6-6.15 pace. And boy, was it nice to have such a short run!!!
On the end of our loop we came across the crazies running the Hypo Half Marathon. And I went a little crazy myself.
As my friend would later tell me, my pace picked up and I was quite the sight flapping my arms around and cheering in a loud voice for the racers going in the other direction. From my perspective, I noticed my friend lean away from me and pull her hat down a little further over her eyes.

I couldn't see myself, but I imagine I may have looked something like this...

...which would explain why a few racers gave me a startled, "deer-in-headlights" look as they ran by

What can I say? I love cheering for my fellow racers! The morning was quiet and very few people were on the course. I know that for me, having someone cheer me along can make a huge difference in my race. I will go from feeling tired and uncomfortable to proud and happy with just one person who encourages me along.
So yes, I will be that person who flaps her arms and cheers loudly at all the passing racers, thanks. I will always be that person.
After we finished our lovely 5.5k loop, we stayed out a bit to cheer on many other racers as well, numb faced and all.
And the best part was when my friend decided to join in my kookiness and cheer as well. Two cheering kooks are better than one!

The Long Road Back

At the start of the New Year, one of my running friends twisted my ear and dragged me into this fitness challenge. The challenge is relatively straight forward: for 90 days we work out twice a week with a personal trainer at a gym, and there is 'before' and 'after' testing to measure our fitness levels.
I was hesitant to join up, but in the end I thought it would be a good kick-start back into running...or another activity.
You see, I still haven't decided if I identify as a runner any more, now that I've moved back to wintery Canada. I only started running seriously in Australia, where the running community was huge and involved - like a fun family gathering early in the morning.
But since I don't really identify as anything else right now either, it is safe to presume I am still (buried deep, deep down) a runner.

But I digress.

Part of the fitness challenge is a 3k time trial. In the pre-testing I was a "speedy" 18minutes and something. Yikes!

Knowing that I can typically run a 1k interval consistently around 4.45-4.50min (when I'm fit), I made the lofty goal of running my post-challenge 3k time trial in under 14.30minutes. (This equals 4.50min/km for the 3k). And while lifting weights and doing lunges are all fine and dandy, it really isn't going to help me run that 3k any faster unless I actually practice running.

So today I dragged my dad out to the gym bright and early so I could get some intervals in. My goals were ambitious: 4 x 1k intervals (while my dad did his own work-out) then a 3k time trial with my dad conveniently available to help me count the laps. Counting past 5 is not my strong suit when it comes to laps, and this would require counting to 15!

On my first 1k rep, I decided that I really shouldn't have eaten chocolate for breakfast, even if it seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. Time: 5.11min
On my second 1k rep, I thought maybe this wasn't so bad. I can do it! Time: 5.07min (note this is still much slower than the 1k time trial I did about two weeks ago which was 4.50min).
On my third 1k rep, I was exhausted and loathing every lap. Time: 5.23min
On my fourth 1k rep...oh wait. I didn't do a fourth 1k rep! Instead, I met my dad downstairs where he was just finishing up his own workout.

I didn't quite whine. I didn't quite tell him that I didn't want to do the 3k time trial. But with the gleam of self-pity in my eye and the drag in my footsteps, he told me (later) that my reluctance was quite obvious. But when neither of us offered me a reasonable excuse for me to back out of the time trial, off I started far before I wanted to but long after I should have.

I took the first 1k slow, finishing in 6:09 (lap splits averaging at 1.14/200m). I wanted to pick up the pace with each km rather than burning up at the start. My second km split I did in 5:59 (lap splits 1.12/200m). The final lap my mind said burn it but my legs said jog it. I finished the third km split in
5.37km (lap splits 1.05/200m). My total 3k split time came down to 17.45min, or 5.55min/km. Keep in mind that just last October I ran a half marathon at an average pace of 5.52min/km. Hmm. It is going to be a long journey back to fitness!