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.