My Spirit Runs

Running 2010 Racing Alone.wmv

2010-06-26T14:56:00.000-07:00

Niagara Ultra 50K Report

2010-06-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

I have gone from the couch to running a 50K in less than a year. Yes, indeed, you read that right. It is still hard for me to believe. Let's take a look back at the beginning. Just under a year ago, I had had enough. Enough of feeling tired, soft, mushy and fat. I had let myself go, not out of laziness, but because of lack of goal and improper prioritizing. I wasn't doing anything for myself. I missed running and I missed feeling fit. In July of '09, I began the Couch-to-5K program. I loved it. Then my friend Kathy stated her dream of running a marathon to me. The two of us joined a half-marathon running clinic at The Running Room. We were very dedicated to our training throughout the winter months. In March '10, we ran a half-marathon. At the end of March, a 30K. In May, I ran my second (1st being '92) and Kathy ran her first full marathon. We are training for another full which we will run in September, and have a couple of half's and 30's scattered throughout the summer. This past weekend, on Saturday June 19, I ran my first (and it won't be my last) ULTRA Marathon! I ran a 50K race. In less than a year's time, I went from not being able to run 50 seconds, to running over 6 hours and 50K! I still find it mind-boggling.

The route followed the Niagara Recreation Trail with the gorge of one side and the vineyards on the other. It was a beautiful route with our half-way turn-around being at the famous Horseshoe Falls of Niagara. My friend Cindy and I started out together with the intent to move at a slow and controlled pace and enjoy ourselves. We had our head's wrapped around the fact that we would be spending the greater part of our day out there running. But Cindy felt crappy. She had a cold coming on and was suffering a sore throat, sinus congestion and drained energy. I tried to keep her feeling uplifted, but just past the half-marathon turn-around, she urged me onwards as she really was not feeling confident she could finish.

I reluctantly headed out on my own. Kathy lent me her iPod, thankfully, as it would have been a long and lonely time in my own head. I have never run with one before. I have since purchased my first MP3 player.

My game plan was to run 15 minutes, walk 2 minutes and to not rush through aid stations -- take advantage of each one. Being an ultra, they were set-up every 5 K's, so you had to be prepared. The day was slated to be steamy hot, so I had a lot of electrolytes, gels and water on me and restocking at the aid stations was essential. I loved the 15:2 ratio, it allowed be to get into a running rhythm and enjoy it for a while, and the two minute rest allowed me to take in a decent amount of water or electrolytes and really rest the legs.

At one point, however, I got pulled off my game. I caught up to a RR teammate who was running 8 minutes: walking 50 seconds. She swore by her method, so I went along for a time, but found it too choppy. She was struggling, so I went back to my game-plan and edged ahead. There comes a point in a marathon or an ultra, that you have do your thing. I was by no means out to set any records. I was slow...slow...but steady and just had to keep moving forward. that was basically my mantra for this race...KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

What a surreal point in the race to run PAST the full marathon half-way point. I can't really say I was happy, but I was excited. Given the option, I would not have turned around. I was there to run the 50. What a reward the 50K runners received at our half-way turn-around -- the Horseshoe Falls of Niagara. Sure, dodging the tourists, when agility is not quite your forte after running 25K's was tough. But the mist off the Falls and the scenery was priceless. Another surreal moment was at the 30K mark, when I said to myself, "Yeah only 20K's to go", I mean who says that, really?

I firmly believe that in any race experience, we will meet our running angel, be it a fellow runner who says what you need to hear when you need to hear it, or a spectator on the sideline who thanks you for running for their cause. I once had a Golden retriever join me on a trail run for about 5k and then he turned back for home. Well, on this day, at the Falls I saw a malamute. I ran over to the couple walking him and asked if I could steal a hug and he proceeded to lick the salt off my face. I mentioned I had 15 at home. They asked if I showed and bred. I said yes, asked where they got him and it turned out to be from a friend of mine in Michigan. I came across them again after the turn-around and a ways back up the trail where they had driven to have a picnic lunch. My encounters with Cooper-the-mal made my day. Another nice surprise at the Falls and the turn-around? CINDY!!! What a girl, she kept on moving, caught up to Tracy and they supported each other through to the end.

As beautiful as the course was, it was not without it's challenges. On the outbound route, we ran uphill for about 10K followed by and equally long descent. After the turn-around, we had to climb again until we had 10 K left to go and then it is winding trail through the park system on a trail with a very awkward camber. Owee, said my ankle. And the heat -- it was hot. I was smart with my pace, water, electrolytes and gels, sunscreen, sun visor and shades and therefore, oddly enough, did not feel overwhelmed by the heat. Normally I am. We were very lucky to have cloud cover for much of our race, in addition to a fairly strong headwind on the way out, which became the blessed wind-at-our-back on the way home.

That final 10K? That was hard. That was where fatigue had set-in and the iPod and the mantra KEEP MOVING FORWARD became essentials. People were struggling on the route. I maintained pace as best I could, kept up with my 15's and 2's and started to pick people off. It becomes a game at this point: that guy in the red up there, I am going to pass him by the end of this 15 minute run. That sort of thing.

I lost my way with 1K to go as I missed a turn. A man reeled me back in and set me straight, but I managed to tack on a 0.2K bonus distance that I really did not need. The last 800 meters is on grass and it was at that moment when I heard my friend Joan, who had run the half, jump up and yell "There's Jen!" I have said it before, and I will say it again, there is nothing like the Barrie Running Room gang: supportive, enthusiastic -- simply AWESOME!

I felt euphoric as I crossed the line. Where's the beer and pizza, was all I could think. That was what they were providing at the finish line (along with the obligatory Gatorade and water) and I think I had started fantasizing about beer and pizza an hour earlier.

The rest of the day was devoted to eating carte blanche, though it is hard to shake the good eating habits. I ordered a freakin' grilled vegetable sandwich on multi-grain with hummus. Seriously. Then when we went for ice cream, we opted for mixed berry frozen yogurt. I kid you not. Finally, when my blood sugar bottomed out while Cindy was browsing souveniers at Niagara-on-the-Lake, I buckled and got myself a caramel apple with smarties sprinkled on top. That's more like it, albeit, I shared it with Joan.

Funny enough, none of us were that sore. I think the slower pace and longer duration helped our bodies to process and rid the lactic acid from our systems. The next morning I felt like I could run again, so I headed out with Kathy to our Sunday group run. We had a 16K scheduled, of which I ran five. My ankle was acting up and five was enough to help loosen things up again.

Would I run another 50K race. In a heartbeat. I will definitely run that race again.

Mississauga Marathon...Check!

2010-05-18T04:52:00.000-07:00

We did it!!!!!

Ever since Kathy said to me last summer, "One day I would like to complete a marathon", we have been on a mission. We did it smart, we did it right and we finished well. We are grateful to the gang at the Barrie Running Room for their incredible leadership and support, and to our SparkFriends, who are, to put it simply, there -- always.

Well known by now is the fact that I have been battling to reduce inflammation in a very irritated trochanteric bursa over the last couple of weeks. In fact, I wasn't even certain I would be able to run 5km of this race, let alone the 42.2km, but regardless, I was prepared to walk it all, if need be. That was the plan, anyway. We wanted to ensure that we were well rested and cool as cucumbers leading into race day, so we booked ourselves into the host hotel the night before. We struck out early on Saturday morning as we had to deliver canine semen to the airport, bound for PEI. My lucky dog, Elliott, is being used at stud by a breeder in that lovely province. It was little, obscure side-trip. LOL

Aside from getting a little bit lost at the airport, that diversion went as smooth as can be. Our timing all day Saturday was bang on. It was then time to visit the Mississauga Marathon Race Expo to browse, shop, pick up our race kits, register our timing chips and...drumroll please...meet John Stanton, president and founder -- aka guru -- of The Running Room. What a nice guy -- so informative, supportive and easy to talk to!
-- photo to come --
There was a great t-shirt booth at the expo and we each bought a technical shirt. I bought the one with the slogan that read, "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?"

We had lunch, checked into our hotel and had a nice afternoon nap. We woke up to head out for a pasta dinner and to buy bottled water at the near-by convenience store, and were back in our room by 7:30pm. We ordered up a movie, threw on our jammies and were in bed by 8:00. We watched the movie and fell asleep by 10. We both slept great. Well rested, we were up by 4:30 and ready to go. We grabbed a quick breakfast at 5am that the hotel put on for the runners, consisting of oatmeal, a banana, a coffee and a hard-boiled egg. We ate that early enough that it, hopefully, wouldn't cause either of us problems during the race. Then it was time to head to the start line and meet up with the rest of the Barrie Road Runners for our pre-race group photo.

We stood in line to take that all important port-o-potty break and then made our way to the start corral for the 7:30am start.

Kathy, Lucile, Kirsten and I all started out together and held on to a conservative pace for more than half the race. It was so much fun staying together for that time. Beyond the halfway point we started to spread out. I was feeling good -- good enough to maintain a fairly even pace through the entire race. Even my final kms were staying within the ranges I had been conservatively keeping during the beginning stages of the race. I felt good about that.

About my hip. I took a Motrin -- ibuprofen -- before the start and stuck a Motrin patch over the hip-bursa area for the race. The hip felt good -- the feeling was there, but bearable. It was my low back, sacro-iliac joint, that was tightening up and seizing up during the last 10kms or so, as well as an irritating patch of skin chafing that was starting to come up from the inside of my upper arm brushing against my tank top. It was warm, but there were lots of beautiful, mature trees providing shade, and a nice breeze off the lake, so the heat was not unbearable. I am, however, sunburned today. When the pain really started to seize me up in those last kms, I had this mantra going through my head over and over, "When you feel hurt, don't be hurt, be AWESOME instead!" It came from this poster, LOL!

And this one makes me laugh even harder. It is what I had up as my Facebook profile picture in the days leading up to the race in order to psych myself up:

With 2kms left to go, I started to pick up my pace. I passed Kathy's mom, daughter and friend and that revved me up, and the rounded a corner to see the greatest gang of cheerleaders ever assembled -- the Barrie crowd. WOW! I was 400m from the finish and in tears. I poured it on for the finish and found a couple of fellow Barrie runners there as well as my husband. Nothing better than a big hug at the end of a big race. I grabbed a banana and water and watched for Kathy to come in. She wasn't that far behind. How amazingly, wonderfully fantastic to have completed such a distance on such a wonderful day with the most amazing people.

Then it was off to the pub for a beer and a burger. Well-deserved, I would say!

And here is Kathy and I -- post-race -- hobbling around.

My chip time? 5:03:30. Considering my last few weeks of battling this injury, I simply happy to have made it to the start line, let alone finish the race. It leaves plenty of room for a PB down the road. Meantime, stretch and strengthen these muscle imbalances I have in the hopes that there will be no more bursa flare-ups and no more seizing S-I joint pain in those long runs.

It was a great day -- Kathy, I wouldn't and couldn't have done it without you. Bring on the next one -- whaddya say?

Trochanteric Bursitis

2010-05-12T05:10:00.001-07:00

Oh so we are 4 days away from the marathon and I have deduced, along with my PT/Chiropractor, that the problem with my hip isn't a muscle, it is trochanteric bursitis. The bursa sacs that are located all over our body to act as friction buffer pads are highly innervated and have a strong pain reaction when irritated. Due to repetitive strain, too much too soon and the imbalances in my hip musculature (strength:stretch ratios) I have irritated the beejeebers out of my right trochanteric bursa. This is located under the glute medius and tensor fascia latae muscles and over top of the greater trochanter - the ball & socket hip joint.

This bursa is inflamed so I am doing everything in my power to reduce the inflammation and hence, the pain. I have resorted to taking NSAIDs (just a short course), ice, rest, gentle stretching and massage. Additionally I am taking and applying the homeopathic Arnica (the product is called Traumeel), and today I will be picking up another natural product called Serrapeptease which is supposed to have really promising anti-inflammatory properties. If I put together a protocol that creates success, I will certainly share. I am just piecing it all together right now, because this trochanteric bursitis is one of those issues which tries to render one sedentary. Ya, well, not me, notsomuch.

Yesterday I got in a painful but gentle 2k jog followed by a 40 min Jillian Michaels DVD and cool down. I tried to run another 2k, but didn't make it out the driveway, so back to the ice bag.

Currently I am:
- 2x/week: seeing a pain and injury specialist for trigenics (ART), chirporactic, ultrasound and laser
- taking fish oil, multi vit, cal/mag
- 3x/day: taking Traumeel orally and topically (Arnica - homeopathcs)
- icing affected area twice daily
- just started taking NSAIDs (ibuprofin)
- analgesic cream in affected area in conjuction with gentle massage followed by ice
- doing yoga

What I will add:
- Serrapeptase (natural anti-inflammatory)
- a joint-health supplement that includes MSM, Glucosamine, Boswellia, curcumin, bromelain
- continue in the NSAIDs until current inflammation is reduced
- ice more frequently, ideally 20 min every hour)

I know we only have one body and there is always another race, so if I don't race Sunday, or try and cannot finish, that is ok. I am ok with that. But I have to put on an all out attack and attempt to make it to that start line -- I cannot surrender yet. That is just my nature. I am by no means being delusional or unrealistic here. As my brother keeps joking to me, "It's play-off time, Sis, suck it up and play hurt."

He is joking, of course...

Hot Hot Hot!

2010-05-08T18:56:00.001-07:00

On a snowy, yes snowy May 8th, I decided to partake in a Lava Yoga class. Also known as Bikram or hot yoga this is a flowing yoga class in a room heated room. Heated room -- they aren't kidding! We were up around 98 degrees and sweating profusely within minutes. I mean sweating, drenched, pouring. I have never, in my recollection, sweated so much in my life. We are supposed to embrace the heat and let the sweat flow. Halfway through the class I felt queasy, so stepped out for some cool air and potty break. I came back and completed the class, but felt a little queasy at the end of class as well.

When class was over, my first thought was - why on earth would I put myself through this again? Then someone asked me if I was going to come back, and my response was, only if someone drags me in kicking and screaming. Give me some reasons why this form of yoga is beneficial.

I get that the heat gives you a better, deeper stretch. Stretching warm muscles -- makes sense obviously.

I get that it is purifying and detoxifying. I sweated out my entire innards and every possible toxin that could possibly have ever made it's way into my body.

They say that because the heart is pounding heavily and rapidly in an attempt to cool the body, that it is reaping cardiovascular benefits, but it feels rather like a cardiac episode to me.

I would caution anyone thinking of taking this type of class. Know your body, drink gallons of water, take breaks when you need them. It is WOW!

I still don't know if I like it, or if it is right for me. But I am rethinking the whole kicking and screaming part. I will probably try it again, on my own accord. I will have a better idea of what to expect and could possibly enjoy it a wee bit more.

OUCH TFL!

2010-05-07T05:09:00.001-07:00

So as it turned out, I didn't need an ounce of guilt about skipping Wednesday's speedwork run. It was cancelled due to thunderstorms in the area. I attended the Thursday clinic and headed out for the run with the group. An easy night of fartleks was in the plans. I ran about 1.5k and realized this TFL (tensor fascia latae - a muscle on the side of the hip, just behind your hip bone) was NOT happy. My right TFL is an angry, angry little fellow.

So, I pulled out and walked back and went to yoga. There was a restorative yoga class starting and it's slow, gentle, recuperative pace was what I probably needed. This is frustrating and scary - especially this close to the marathon. But, my take on it is that everything happens for a reason. Obviously I am having these issues for a reason and need to work through them for a reason. And the reason is? I don't know - but there is something to learn from every set-back, right?

Ann, our yoga studio owner and a past Olympic track and field athlete, advised me to not run at all until race day. Do yoga, visit the chiropractor (he does ART and trigenics, laser and ultrasound on me), ice, rest and restore. That is the idea for the next week. It's HARD, because I feel SOFT! But it's ok and it's necessary.

And the taper begins...

2010-05-07T05:08:00.000-07:00

We are into the taper for our Mississauga marathon.
I skipped the speedwork last night -- our last hard workout before the taper. We had 10 Yasso-800's planned. I am battling various strains in my hips area. Usually it is the psoas and low back, but last Sunday on the long run my right TFL wore the brunt of the effort. Problems are stemming from imbalances that I need to work on once this marathon is out of the way - imbalances in strength ratios between glutes and other hip stabilizers. I am glad to have identified the issues, because now we can zero in on them and get stronger for the future, but all in all it is a bit of a setback. Hence, I started my taper early and it is a recovery/taper. Well, a taper is a recovery, but you know what I mean. And this basically happened because I had a couple of weeks of 5-6 days running and higher mileage than what I was able to handle at that time. Ohhhh, typical Jen, bit off more than she could chew. It's tough, though, as my cardio and motivation could certainly take on the load, but the imbalances in my hips were pushed to the limit and reared their ugly head. But as my chiropractor said to me, "If I truly wanted to find out what was wrong with a person's body, I would ask him to run as far as he could until he broke. Then I'd know. You have done that for me!" And I am not truly broken, I toned it down and caught it all early enough, so I am feeling ok about where I am . Everything is a learning cure -- at least for me. And I am going to finish this marathon -- there is no question about that.

Kathy is prepped and in a good place for this race, too. We are TEN days out!!!!!

I have been asked to be a co-leader for the marathon training group at the Running Room for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I am excited to encourage others to reach their goals and to re-commit into the fall. Every step of this journey is a learning experience. You learn so much about yourself, your body, your mind.

Hurting Hips Setback :(

2010-04-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

I am getting close to the race - we are three weeks out. The higher mileage and five days a week running has pushed my hip flexor injury to the brink. The chiropractor found a slight scoliosis in my lumbar spine and said that my hips are surrounded by muscular imbalances and weaknesses that I need to start working on. I basically hit my breaking point on the 30K run last weekend. How? I pushed too hard I guess. Mind you, I had a better time at ATB30K. So who knows. I think that it was just the drive in me to continue to build the weekly mileage, but my increments were too much. I have backed off extensively this week. I will have only run twice. Suffice it to say I guess I have started my taper. I intend to get 4 runs in next week. We start that off tomorrow with a 38.5K (24mi) run from Barrie to Orillia. I hope the hips cooperate - think positive - they will. I will touch base later tomorrow when the 38.5 is behind me.

Wild Trail Running Adventure

2010-04-10T13:10:00.000-07:00

So today was supposed to be an easy run day, a junk mile day, just a loosening and prep for our long slow distance day which is Sunday. I always go for an easy run on Saturday and usually take a dog along. The dogs were into their thing this morning, playing in the yard, napping and so I decided to leave them be and hang with them this afternoon. I set off on my own with the goal to get in a 13km easy run. Why the 13k? Tomorrow is slated for an "easy" 23km and I am kind of jazzed about adapting to the higher mileage these past few weeks, so I wanted to keep that up. A 13km run today would keep my weekly total at 64km - same as last week.

I trod off onto South Bay Road, my usual home route. Up and over the winding road and rolling hills until I came out to the highway which I had to cross over (a bridge) to meet the 6.5km halfway point. So I did - but once I reached that point, I looked to the right, and low and behold, before me was the snowmobile trail that my husband has told me about. This trail would link me down and into Port Severn. This trail is my only hope of creating a route that loops around to and from my house, as opposed to simply out and back. So you know what I did, I hopped on it.

I cannot explain how invigorating this trail run was for me. I felt like a hunter & gatherer, a cave woman, an animal, a wild trekker. I felt like I should have be foraging for nuts and fruit (but I didn't have to, I had a Clif bar). I met a beaver, numerous birds and was hoping to see deer, a moose, a bear - ok, so maybe not a bear. I also met a convoy of 30 or so ATV'ers who smiled and waved politely at me while more than likely thinking in the back of their heads, "What the h#ll is she doing out here?"

I talked aloud to myself, laughed at my slip ups, walked when I needed to, nibbled my Clif bar, snapped some funny photos that I am sharing with you here, and phoned my hubby a couple of times to let him know that his crazy wife was somewhere in the bush - not exactly sure where. He knows those trails well, so could assure me I was on the right path.

And here's the thing. I had a ball out there. My butt didn't hurt. I was smiling as I was dodging mud holes, branches and rocks. I had run 6.5km on road before I hit this trail and ran about 6km on the trail followed by a final 2.5km on the road again. The 6km of trail running went by effortlessly. It was pure BLISS! Which seems a funny thing to think and say when you come across hurdles like this:

And wind up with legs that look like this:

I made it through the trails and hit the pavement again. Once I realized where I was it dawned on me that I had about 10km ahead of me to get home. I was NOT slated to log that many kms today -- it was supposed to be an easy, low mileage day as tomorrow we have our long weekend run. So, thankfully I had my cell and a caring husband who wasn't that far away. I called him for a pick-up. I ran until I logged 15km and he met up with me to take me home. What a mighty good man!

(despite the fact that he was laughing at me)

Marathon Runners - video clip

2010-03-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

Here is a funny comedy clip about marathon runners.

http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/MarathonRunners

Hey, it is important to laugh at ourselves, right?

Around The Bay 30K Road Race 2010

2010-03-30T04:40:00.001-07:00

The Barrie Road Runners assemble in new shirts prior to the race.

Kathy (GONE2THEDOGS) and I pre-race.

Place - 4008/5697
Gun Time - 3:15:06.5
Chip Time - 3:10:58.1
Pace Avg - 6:31
F40-44 Age Category Result - 278/469
Gender Place - 1563/2683
10km split - 1:03:39
15km split - 1:35:43
20km split - 2:07:42

Older than Boston, this race is. This was the 116th running of the Around The Bay 30K Road Race in Hamilton Ontario. I had heard much about this race over the years and much of what I had heard was to not be fooled by the distance. Just because it is a 30K and not a full marathon, doesn't mean it is any less of a race. You break this race down into three sections as it is roughly a triangle with each leg being approximately 10K. The first leg carries you through and out of Hamilton. Not the prettiest of towns, but many members of this community were out on the streets and cheering us on, while some were complaining that they could not cross the street to get their laundry done.

Gathering at the start line. Over 10,000 participants overall.

With my pace buddy, Dave before the start.

Gun has gone off, 5 minutes before we cross the start line.

Starting down the streets of Hamilton.

Dave looking fresh.

Me feeling fresh.

We turn into Burlington and run along the east shore of Lake Ontario, along Beach Rd. I had a coach who used to live in one of these quaint beach houses. Again, people were out lining the streets to cheer us on with signs and noise-makers, but along this stretch, the most memorable cheer-leaders were the senior citizens from a nursing home lining their stretch called "Tin Pan Alley". They beat on pots and pans and are apparently there, every year, rain or shine. We ran along with a man, momentarily, who was wearing an orange bandana and Dave commented, "Nice bandana!"
Bandana man, "Thanks, it was my mothers."
Me, "Awe..."
Bandana man, "She hated that I ran."
Me, "Oh, so you wear it just to show her? My dad hates that I run, too."
Bandana man, "No, I wear it to have a piece of her with me on my runs, she was a strong lady."
I love this guy, and get all verklempt.
We crossed over the Canada Customs lift bridge which has wide grating, so was kind of freaky, and pass the 15K mark. Halfway! We veer left and enter the third leg of the race. We pass another man who states to us, "You run the first third of this race with your head, the second phase of this race with your heart and the third phase of this race tests your personality." I guess he means your guts?

Each kilometer was clearly marked with signs and each sign had an incredible motivational quote to read. I looked forward to each and every one and surely wish I could remember just one!

UPDATE : I did remember one, and this one is great, "Most people don't have the balls for endurance running. The polite word for them is sprinters."

Heading into the last third of the race.

We turned into Burlington, the last third of the race, at about the 18K mark. I told Dave to go ahead whenever he felt ready. Up to now, we had been deliberately maintaining a comfortable pace and kept the reigns on ourselves. I wanted to conserve for the first 2/3 of the race and then do whatever we felt capable of in the last third. He broke away at the 22K mark and ended up four minutes ahead of me in final chip time. I had great energy. I loved the hills through this section as they engaged new muscles and included refreshing downhills. The homes were gorgeous and the people of this community were out in full force.

Stan the Midget was out, as per tradition, blasting "We Will Rock You" from his boom box. This guy is another famous fixture on this race course.

A Barrie Running Room runner came up from behind. This is James, he is a Chi Running instructor in Barrie.

He, in turn, took my picture.

We were now into the deep hills and as I came around the corner, I came up on THE HILL. This race has a notorious hill at the 24K mark, approximately. I have been so forewarned about this hill, but have also trained hard hills, so literally, when we started up the hill, I had to turn to a lady and ask, "Is this THE hill?"

Base of THE hill. It is 450m and 18% grade, but still...

I breezed up it and clipped people off one by one as I went. A man yelled out at me, "Great pace, you've got this!" And I did!

At the top of the hill there is a man dressed in a Superman costume giving everyone high fives. He is a tradition, too, rain or shine. He shouted out, "Great work on that hill!" Another man replied, "What hill?!" My sentiments exactly.

Now we were on the final 6K and I was feeling fresh. I did surges between pylons for the last 6K. Three pylons hard, two pylons easy. I was passing people and this felt good. We pass a large cemetery and people are dressed in Grim Reaper costumes and coming out, grabbing your hand and saying, "It is time to come with me, now, my darling." I was cracking up, and saying, "No, sir, it is not my time yet, I am feeling too good!" Oh, that part was hysterical. I couldn't fumble fast enough to get my camera out for Superman and the Reaper, but next year. They are worth the photos - next time, for sure.

In the far distance on the other side of the harbour, that's where we had been.

The final stretch to the finish. Copps Coliseum in the background.

Our finish is inside the Coliseum, so it is exciting and a lot of fanfare. The crowds line the streets in front of the Coliseum and cheer you in. I was in a full on surge, which felt like a sprint, but lets be real. The crowd most certainly carried me. As you enter the Coliseum, the announcer announces your grand entrance. That was very cool. This time I remembered to smile as I crossed the line and did not have my finger on the stop button of my watch with my head down. Although I did not raise my arms up. That will take a bit of coaxing.

Across the line and into the cattle chutes. Just show me the bananas...

Blurry, but the finish line inside Copps.

Kathy through the finish (in purple).

Sandra and me.

Dave and me - and I am trying to dig out my medal.

The hardware!

After a nice pint of Keith's Ale and a couple of Advil at Slaintes Irish Pub.
We are feeling no pain!

Hill Training ROCKS!

2010-03-25T04:55:00.000-07:00

I love these Dirty Girls cartoons, and they can be found at the Dirty Girls Run website. I am so looking forward to both the Dirty Girls Run (30K) and the Chocolate Run (Half Marathon) this August as the race, organization, people and concept all sound so fun!

So, I love the above cartoon as it is so me these days. I am loving the hill training. My body feels it's best in the midst of hill training. I feel myself getting stronger; nothing hurts; nothing feels strained. We did nine hills last night, including the Nelson St stairs and...drumroll please...Dundonald! All tolled we ran about 15km last night!

The Around The Bay 30km road race is this weekend. The forecast has changed and they are now calling for rain. I am staying optimistic that the forecast will change back to part sun and cool temps. That is what they were saying earlier in the week. Fingers crossed. I am going to treat this race as a training run -- at least run with my head for the first 20km and see how I feel.

Getting up there in training runs

2010-03-22T05:12:00.001-07:00

The training is increasing. Weekly mileage and long Sunday runs are on the rise and so far, so good.

This past week, the mileage increased by 10%. Oops, not the 2% increment that is recommended. I trod cautiously through the week, paying attention to my body and it's complaints.

I am craving carbs and when not fueling properly I am reaching for honey and simple sugars. I was buying gummy bears for a couple of days in a row last week. That is a tell-tale sign that something is amiss.

I am ache and pain free until about the 14km mark in any given run. That is when the top insertion point of my hamstrings, glutes and low-back (sacro-iliac) starts to kick in. I had a great long run yesterday and it would have been 100% had it not been for this nagging pain.

I did an hour of yoga when I got home, spent some time on a tennis ball and foam roller and that felt better. A trip to a chiropractor would help loosen up that seemingly seized sacro-iliac area, too, I am sure.

We have the Around the Bay 30K race this weekend, but I am going to treat it like a long training run as I would rather my race focus be the Mississauga Marathon on May 16.

Looks like we have a decent day lined up for this Sunday :: part sun/cloud and 4 C. Neither hot, wet or frigid. Just right. Ahhh, now for the big question...what to wear?

Chilly Half Marathon Summary

2010-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

WHAT A DAY!!!! The sun was shining, the temperatures very spring-like and the race route was beautiful (lovely homes, great crowd and scenic waterfront). The race was very well organized, the shirts bright and cheery and the camaraderie of the Barrie Running Room contingent was supportive, enthusiastic and upbeat.

The race was set to start at 10:05 and for an hour prior, we debated on what layers we needed. At 9am there was partial cloud and a slight wind, but temperatures were supposed to be 9C and sunny I ran at roughly 10am the day before and a long sleeve layer over short sleeve base layer was more than enough, so I stuck with my plan and it worked well. I needed a gel between 8-10km so I am glad I packed one at the last minute. I could have used one more bottle of water on my Fuel Belt, but still managed fine and was decently hydrated -- not over, not under.

One of our group members/co-leader, Dave, committed to being my pacer for the race which was so generous. We have trained at similar paces through the season and he pushes me just enough. We started out very well and were keeping under 6:00/km pace, but at the 8km mark, I felt the heavy legs coming on and knew I needed that gel. That helped. By 14-15km, my tights hip issues started to re-appear and that gave me something to think about for 5km.

But with 5km to go, I was pretty jazzed, kept my cool and decided not to power-up a finish until a half km to go. Dave took off for his finish with 1 km to go and he finished a minute-plus ahead of me. That was great because it gave me someone to hug when I crossed the finish line.

We wandered around post-race and found the most yellow bananas I have ever seen, so I took two. We all know how much I love bananas. They served us, very appropriately, chili. Deeeelicious. With food in tummy we wandered over to cheer on the rest of the finishers.

Then it was time to get back on the bus and head home. We seized up a bit in those cramp quarters, but again the camaraderie was fun. Runners are a great bunch of people!

I ran a full marathon, rather pathetically, back in 1994 and have not raced a race since, save for the few 5K's that Kathy and I have run in the past year. And prior to July 2009, I could not run a full kilometer, let alone 30 seconds. So here we are, after focusing on training for this race all winter long through all sorts of conditions, across the finish line. I am so proud of Kathy and I. Bring on the next challenge (which is a 30K race on May16).

Here are my stats for this, my first ever full Half Marathon! ::

Jennifer Remazki :: Bib number 1238
1579 out of 2499 Finishers
657 out of 1323 Females Finishers
116th out of 221 Females 40-44
Gun time :: 2:10:49
Chip time :: 2:08:25
Average pace per kilometer:: 6:12

Second Speed Week

2010-02-18T04:58:00.000-08:00

We talked about goal-setting on Tuesday night and then went out for a 5.2km run. The run felt good. I wondered how my legs were going to feel after the long run on the greasy, snow-covered roads. I was happy to know that they were feeling fine, light and energetic. My left psoas is still acting up a bit but it feels much more subdued.

Last night we did week 2 of speed training:
2.5-K warm-up
3 x Yasso 800's / In-line Surges @ 4:20 (2:10) pace
2.5-K cool down
For 9-K total.

It felt great and Sandra joined our pace group to give us a push, which I appreciated. I had a very rough ("ruff") day at work and just wanted the day to be over. I was exhausted. Once we got out there, all that washed away and I was able to burn off steam through my efforts. I was a little ahead of pace for most of our repeats which I was happy about. I felt good and just went with it. And boy, do I ever feel this speed work in my butt!

"The goal is not to be better than the other man, but to be better than your previous self."
~ Sprichwort der Hindus

Solo 20km Training Run

2010-02-16T05:40:00.000-08:00

It was a busy weekend as we hosted a February Frolic up at our property. Many of our Alaskan malamute-owner friends came up to enjoy some mushing and ski-jorring. We had a scheduled 18 km run for Sunday with our training group. I got in a 12km run with my dog, WiiGii on Friday. It was just an easy pace, no pressure, have fun, feel good run in the sunshine.

WiiGii and me on our 12km run and bumping into our friend, Kim.

On Sunday, I ran from home, instead of joining up with the group in town. I just had too many house guests and a big day of mushing ahead of us. I headed out at 7am on roads that were covered with about an inch of fresh snow. They were quite greasy underneath, so it made for a heavy run. I ate 3/4 of a Kashi bar right before I left and had Replenish electrolyte replacement drink on me as well as Sharkies. I am glad I had this opportunity to do a long run on my own, in my own head, and to test out the various fuels and liquids on my runs. I drank too much early on in my run and had a pretty full bladder the entire time. I pee'd under the overpass at Joe King's road (the 1/2 way mark) and a trucker saw me and honked his horn:) And I now know that Sharkie's aren't really the fuel for me -- not if I enjoy bloating, gas and cramping. Forget them. I am going to give raisins a try. The electrolyte replacement drink is ok, it doesn't bother me. I just need to monitor my intake better early on in a run. I forgot about the "only drink if you feel thirsty" rule.

I ran 20.5km. My time was not great, but I did stick within a 6:35-7:35/km pace range, on average, for the long slow distance run. I guess that isn't too bad, for me, as that is what the pace calculations for LSD training for my projected race goal are. It just felt sluggish because of the greasy, snow-covered roads and that I didn't have my training group along with me to push/pull me along. It was a great morning, though. I look forward to doing that route again.

At home, I enjoyed a hot bowl of oatmeal and then went out for a 2.5km ski-jor with WiiGii. That was a nice way to provide my body with some active recovery, as I have not been too sore in the two days post long run. We have a 21km run planned next weekend, followed taper week, and then the Chilly Half.

Yasso 800's

2010-02-10T19:43:00.000-08:00

"And now you've got an easier way: you've got Yasso 800s. Want to run a 3:30 marathon? Then train to run a bunch of 800s in 3:30 each. Between the 800s, jog for the same number of minutes it took you to run your repeats. Training doesn't get any simpler than this, not on this planet or anywhere else in the solar system.

Bart begins running his Yasso 800s a couple of months before his goal marathon. The first week he does four. On each subsequent week, he adds one more until he reaches 10. The last workout of Yasso 800s should be completed at least 10 days before your marathon, and 14 to 17 days would probably be better.

The rest of the time, just do your normal marathon training, paying special attention to weekend long runs. Give yourself plenty of easy runs and maybe a day or two off during the week." ~ Amby Burfoot, Runner's World 09/28/2001

Tonight we began our speed work and we did two Yasso 800's and two leapfrog-style surges. We alternated them and I ran with the 4:20 group. We had no idea how to pace ourselves in the first Yasso and went out at a 100m dash, record-setting pace. I think we made Bolt look like a slacker, until our heart and lungs started to explode out of our chests and our pace backed off and then regulated. We managed to finish the first Yasso in 4:22. The second in 4:19. Not bad at all. I realized that John, one of our pace group members, had the pace down to a "T", so we just had to stick by him.

I enjoyed the surges, too. We used to do workouts like this in flatwater canoe/kayak training. We ran in a line at just slightly under Yasso pace, and the person in the back of the line surges to overtake the lead and so on. I enjoyed the pace and rhythm of this training technique.

Overall I loved the workout tonight. It was challenging and felt good engaging the fast twitch muscles. We put in about 7.2km overall including a 2km warm-up and cool down. I look forward to building on this next week!

Yoga for Runners

2010-02-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

Yin Yang...

Balance...

I have seen reference to their being a couple of different "sides" to exercise camps. Some are of the yoga-pilates extreme and at the other end of the spectrum is running. I think this is a silly perspective as I have always felt that yoga and running are the perfect compliments to one another and I know many opinions agree with me on that. In both disciplines, your potential is solely dependent on your body and mind's capabilities as opposed to equipment that could fail you, another person's judgment, the skill and cohesiveness of teammates, and other external factors. I love thinking of it that way.

Yoga assists you with your breath, with learning to quiet the mind and with strengthening your core, not to mention your mental focus. Very critical tools you need as a distance runner. Yoga keeps muscles and connective tissue fluid and pliable which obviously is going to assist in keeping you injury fluid and your running comfortable and flowing.

I have not yet read the Chi Running book. I will get to it at some point.But it has always seemed logical to me. I had someone pose a question to me the other day, "How do you do it? I get so bored after 5K." And that is my point, you have to quiet the mind and allow yourself to feel the breath and go inside. You go to that place, that zone, where you wit the sweet spot and can seemingly go forever. It is that balance, that cooperation of mind and body wherein if your hips feel tight or your legs heavy, your strong mind can get you through; focusing on your breath can help you overcome the distractions of physical fatigue, or other external elements.
I never run with an ipod,or on a treadmill with a TV in front of me, for these very reasons. I do not want to become reliant on external factors, aside from scenery or light conversation with a fellow runner, to get me through a run.

We had an inspiring talk in our clinic last night by Ann Green of Studio Bliss. She is a cancer-survivor, two time Olympian, mother, wife, and yoga instructor and a complete inspiration who has a yoga program designed for runners. Every Sunday, after our long slow distance run, we join Ann at her studio overlooking the Bay and do an hour or so of recuperative yoga. It truly is Bliss. If you are a runner and not currently practicing yoga at all, I urge you to give it a try. Your body and mind will benefit in more ways that you can imagine.

"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."
~ George S. Patton, U.S. Army General, 1912 Olympian

18km in Bitter Headwind

2010-02-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Our Running Room training group gathered this morning, shortly after a brilliant sunrise, to do our long slow distance run of 18km. The run actually measured in at 17.5km. The sun, which we haven't seen for days, gave the impression that it might be warmer out that the forecast predicted, but no. It was -13C and colder, much colder, in the wind. The sun was really nice to see. We started out at a good pace, a little fast, actually, for a long slow distance run. We were maintaining 5:54-6:14/km and managed to carry that pace throughout the run. I was struggling a little bit. It wasn't my easiest run and not for the distance as I felt ka-ka from the start. Heavy, tight, tired legs. I did run an easy 6 junk-klicks yesterday and even that run felt tight and heavy -- probably an after effect of our 9-hills workout on Wednesday.

I suppose this is all normal and to be expected when we are entering the final four weeks before the race. We have two more long runs and then the taper, so we are building. And the fact that we maintained a pace that was pretty much a race pace and finished with a strong time has me excited. If the build, taper and race day all go according to plan, I might just beat my projected time by a lot! Very cool. I have to watch my left hip. I am having strained hip flexor issues.

We followed the run today with an hour of yoga, a latte and omelette and an afternoon of dog-sledding. It was just an ideal day in every way.

9 Hill Medley

2010-02-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Last night we hit the final night of hill training as we head into the final stretch of the half-marathon training program. Next week we start speedwork. Six weeks ago we began our hill training with three hills. Back then, we felt it. Last night we clobbered nine hills and the total workout brought us to 12km. We also threw in the flight of 107 stairs which bring us to a beautiful scenic lookout over Kempenfelt Bay. I wish I had packed a camera. One of these days I will have to capture that view to share. We had become very familiar with five of the hills, but one street presented a daunting steep grade to us. I cursed it from the bottom. I ran it. And then I cursed it from the top. But, did it ever hurt so good! I was quite proud of myself, as many of the other runners had succumbed to walking portions of, or complete hills. I had a fantastic workout last night. Legs are feeling really good and my speed seems to be improving. I can really appreciate how far we have come with the training we have put in thus far.

On the topic of speed, the Speed Demons (elite marathoner group) were also out for some speed-hill training. I was approaching the foot of one hill with my training partner and the Demons were gathered at the base of the hill being instructed by their coach. We quipped to the group as we passed, "Hey, a little less talk and more action!" While we were able to dish out a dose of cocky 'tude, we was unaware than in the next moment we were to prepare to be humbled. The Demons set out like a thunderous herd and blasted past us like a fury. Oh, we were humbled all right.

Groundhog Day Run

2010-02-02T19:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight's run was just a 6km and it felt like a sprint. I started out fast and maintained it through sheer determination and by concentrating on using arms. Of course, I forgot the Garmin, but runners who were just a couple minutes ahead were running a 5:00/km, so I might have been doing 6:00. I don't know, and it really doesn't matter tonight as this was just an easy tempo run. Tomorrow night we tackle 8 hills, the set of 107 stairs and what will probably tap out at 12km +. This week is beefing up in intensity and I am looking forward to it.

A man in our group, and one of our co-leaders, asked me if I was interested in being pace buddies with him throughout our upcoming speedwork and the race. He said it is possible for us to race a 2:10-2:15 Half. I'd be thrilled. It was a compliment to say the least. I think it will give me the push I need.

We are at week 13-14 of our training and the race is a month away. I am feeling good, and I wonder if the Sunday yoga really had that much of a positive effect on my legs, as they really did feel fresh!

Sunday Run Yoga Sled

2010-01-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

Started this morning before the sun rose. Ate my obligatory oatmeal -- I will not rise without that to look forward to -- and headed out the door for a 12K run. Mileage is a down a tad this week as we are approaching the final weeks of training for the Chilly Half Marathon. I logged 10K yesterday morning in -31C temperatures. Today was a much more humane -10C. However, everyone felt a little heavy and draggy. I chalked it up to a sugar hangover, as I indulged in a piece of birthday cake at an 8 year old's party yesterday. Sugar shock. All this clean eating and the poor bod didn't know what hit it. But I Attended Yoga for Runners just after our run this morning and the instructor (a 2 x Olympian) explained to us that the body really is affected by such drastic changes in temperatures. In the depth of winter, we don't acknowledge 20 degree changes. Cold is cold. But a 20 degree change in temperature would throw us for a loop in the summer -- so in winter, why not? It just gives you something else to factor in.

Today was lovely. A 12K run, followed by an hours worth of yoga, followed by a delicious latte and omelette and then an hour or so of dog-sledding. Frannie (a dog) made me extremely proud of her prowess as a single-leader. Not an easy task for a sled-dog, running single lead. But she has taken very naturally to it. Love her!

Brief Introduction

2010-01-30T19:46:00.001-08:00

I am facing some amazing goals for 2010. I will list my race schedule on here soon. I am just getting my feet wet with this blogging thing.

Back in June 2009, I was at my heaviest weight of 163lbs and feeling like a slug. I started to use SparkPeople and the Nutrition Tracker and kept reading about Eating Clean and the Couch to 5K program. By dedicating myself to both programs, I have am now the leanest I have ever been and have lost 32lbs. I am training for a half marathon, a 50K, two 30K's and two full marathons in 2010. It is remarkable to me what a difference 6 months can make, let alone a year or more. Stay tuned!

"You have control over your own actions and how you think about the events that impact your life. None us can control the outcomes, but your actions can increase the probability that desired outcomes will occur. There are no guarantees in life. The only guarantee is that doing nothing will get you nowhere."

~ Krumboltz & Levin

This blog is going to chronicle the journey of each step I take towards actualizing those lofty goals of mine this year and beyond.