Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon – The Fairy Factor

Now before anyone gets the wrong idea…let me state emphatically that this blog is about actual fairies!! Not fatigue induced mirages or hallucinations, more on that later!

As many of you know, I competed in my second marathon, once again with Team in Training. My goal was to finish in a time of 4:29:59 or better (sub 4:30). A goal I felt was well within reach given the training I had done. Thanks to my incredible coach for painstakingly preparing monthly plans and adapting as needed to fit my other commitments along the way!

Let me just say that the publicity for the Toronto Marathon is entirely accurate, it is Flat, Fast and yes even Festive…what they forgot was…Smelly and maybe a tad boring…definitely different than Ottawa…but, maybe that’s because I had so many friends and family in Ottawa and I was very familiar with the majority of the Ottawa route and was not even remotely familiar with the Toronto route.

The first km or so was actually downhill…not much of a help given the number of participants and the resulting 5 min walk to get to the starting line after the official gun time (you’ll see the discrepancy reflected in the official results vs. chip time).

Once we got started running though, it really was very flat, a nice way to start any race…and did I mention we just happened to get perfect weather, it was a cool 13C and overcast…my favourite weather for a race!

The plan for this race was to break it into thirds… running the first 14K at a conservative (should seem SLOW) pace, the second 14K at a slightly faster pace and giving the last 14.2K everything I had and finish with nothing left! There was of course the 32K psychological barrier I’d have to get past (my bonk point in the first marathon) and I would have to adjust for whatever race day happened to throw at me.

Although I didn’t have any family or friends from Ottawa joining me in Toronto, I was by no means alone, scattered along the route were LOTS of Team in Training staff, alumni and supporters, and each time they saw any participant in purple approaching, they exploded with cheers, noisemakers and energy that helped to fuel more than one participant, including yours truly to the next water station, km or cheering section, you could see the extra bounce in their step.

There were also all the other Team in Training participants out there on the course, and although I had only met them the night before, there was no mistaking out there that we were in fact a team, every Team in Training participant I passed, or was passed by (in some cases this kept happening in true yo-yo fashion), was sure to offer a cheer, thumbs up and usually a hearty “Go Team Go!!”, there’s just something about knowing that no matter your goal, your time or you ability, we are all part of something bigger, raising awareness and funds to fight blood cancer…there is an instant bond with complete strangers that is unexplainable!

As if that weren’t enough, at various points along the route (no doubt strategically placed), there were the incredible Team in Training coaches, these dedicated athletes do so much for us as participants that it really would take an entire blog entry just to attempt to list out all that they do, instead, I’ll focus on what I witnessed and experienced during the race (remember, this is only a tiny portion of what they do leading up to the race). I had the pleasure of running a short bit at around the 10K mark with Rick Hellard, our Ottawa coach, he made sure I was feeling good, that all was going as planned, checked to see if I needed anything and managed to snap the only picture I have of this race. He cheered me on, ensured me he’d see me again (this was an out part of an out and back loop), made sure it was ok with me, and then headed off to run with another Team member.

At around the 25K mark, I was starting to feel the fatigue set in, everything was going according to plan, I had managed to stick with the nutrition and pacing plans and in spite of the fatigue was feeling good about the prospects of meeting my goal…the 4:30 pace bunny was behind me at this point, not much, but enough to give me comfort in the fact that my goal was within reach. I met up with Lori (another Team in Training coach) and she offered to run with me a bit, honestly at this point my mind was already racing ahead and trying to deal with the 32K mental barrier, I let Lori know my time goal, and my immediate goal…stay ahead of that Frickin’ pace bunny, we laughed and Lori asked if I wanted her to keep me on pace, I did and we ran together for the next 5K, Lori offered to keep running with me past that 32K mark until we could meet up with one of the other coaches, but I really wanted to get past 32K on my own…so with a hearty cheer and an offer to help me out with my (by now) tightening IT band (she just happens to be an RMT), we parted ways and she headed off to find another Team member.

I managed to get myself past that 32K mark and it was a huge relief! By this point the pace bunny was just ahead of me, but still within reach for a finish line sprint :)

And this is where the FAIRY bit comes in…if you’ve seen the photos from Ottawa, or if you’ve been to any Team in Training event where Ramona or Theresa were participating, then you know that these extraordinary women (Team in Training coaches), like to not only run copious amounts of kms at each race to ensure that they get time with as many Team in Training members as possible, but they also do it all dressed as…you guessed it….FAIRIES! What a sight for sore eyes..well sore legs really…but boy was I glad to see Ramona! With a little less than 10K to go, the pace bunny was increasing his lead and my spirits were beginning to take a bit of a beating. It didn’t take long for Ramona to bring a smile to my face, infuse me with energy and get me picking up the pace (although she never once told me to do that), she reminded me of what the bigger picture goal for all of us was, that I was DOING this and that she would be with me as long as I needed…and at that point I needed every bit of what she was dishing out…as if that wasn’t enough, anytime we passed a water station, she would grab extra water for me to ensure I didn’t need to worry about carrying an extra cup, when we came across a store owner who was handing out bottled water and bananas, she made sure I got some of both and again carried them for me…I was indeed getting spoiled…keep in mind, Ramona had likely already done a marathon between all her back and forth of accompanying other Team members at this point…and all of this while dressed as a FAIRY…wings and all!

At around the 35Km mark, things took a turn for the worse, for reasons I won’t get into here (I think I may be close to a character limit), my IT band and knee really started to flare up and give me issues…so bad that I had trouble walking…with Ramona’ s help, I managed a few stretches, a quick self-massage of the IT band and got moving again…for a km…more stretches…another km of running and this pattern would repeat…somewhere around the 38 or 39 km mark we met up with Theresa….the other Fairy…a fact that did not go unnoticed by the spectators and other runners, I was flanked by my Fairy (step-sisters I think we finally decided) and some runners (non-Team in Training) thought that 2 Fairies for 1 runner might not be fair…but let me tell you, having these two incredibly supportive fairies gave me more wings than any energy drink could ever hope to!! I am not sure if I could have kept on going without their constant encouragement and reminders that no matter the time, I would finish!

When she was sure (about 1Km left), that I was going to make it and with another Team member needing her help, Theresa made sure I was good to go and that Ramona would stay with me and she took off to join that other team member and run them in…

Ramona ran with me that last km, reassuring me that I was going to make it and I crossed the finish line at 4:45:50, not the goal I had in mind, not the best time I think I can run, but the best time that my mind and body could muster on that day.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am VERY happy with my result, I know that I will run another marathon, I know that I will train to the best of my ability, run the best race I can on that day and be happy to be living a life that allows me to be surrounded by so many incredible, supportive people!

That day, many people along the way referred to Ramona and Theresa as angels, and although the costumes were indeed fairies, the women who wore them, were definitely my angels that day, they carried me when I needed it the most and I will always be grateful to them both for that!! Even post-race, Ramona ensured that I got into the medical tent and pretty much forced the staff there to let me see the RMT to get my IT band looked at….once she knew I was in good hands….off she went to find another Team member who needed her wings to guide them in.

If at first you don’t succeed….

Spend the next 5 months logging lots and lots of Kilometers, figuring out a better nutrition plan, training with amazing people, bouncing ideas off your coach, friends and experienced endurance athletes…then try again


There were a lot of great things about my first marathon, countless friends and family cheering me on along the course, a HUGE fundraising success, new friendships formed and it was capped off with being able to cross the finish line with Derek…I don't think any race will ever be able to compare to this experience, but in spite of all of that, not achieving my sub 4:30 goal…left me with unfinished business and any of you who know me also know that I can be fairly tenacious…ok you all likely call it stubborn or pig headed…but no matter what you call it, setting a goal and not achieving it…just doesn’t sit well with me.

“The race is not always to the swift, but to those who keep on running”, so this Sunday in Toronto, I’ll be lacing up my shoes, pulling on my Team in Training purple shirt and applying all of the lessons learned over the last 5 months.

I feel calm, rested and ready to run, I’ll keep you posted on the results.

My thanks to all of you for your continued support and encouragement!

Thomas Foxwell Buxton said “With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”

Let’s hope that he was right and that I’ve got enough of both to reach this goal!

Random running thoughts

It's been a long time since I wrote anything on this blog, not since the day after my first marathon.


That's not because I haven't been training, or fundraising for that matter, it's more about that precious commodity...time. With Summer vacation, summer camps, Elrik's activities, my activities and oh yeah training, there really hasn't been much time to sit down, gather my thoughts and put them to paper...er or blog as the case may be.

Summer camps are done, activities are winding down and some would argue so is summer, so I "found" a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of family life, post training and oh yeah it's raining.

My first couple of years of running and Duathlons, I trained mostly alone and was happy to have the time alone.

I've been blessed this summer to be able to get in a number of long runs with my Team in Training team mates, amazing women everyone of them in their own right. If you ever decide to take on an endurance event, my hope for you is that you find a group of equally amazing, positive and inspiring people to train with. Going the distance with these women along to share stories, laughs and sometimes the pain of training is part of what makes getting up early on a Saturday morning worth while.

I look forward to the long runs mapped out meticulously by our very own Julie McCoy (a.k.a. Jane), the meet and greet pre-run and the post-run chats that inevitably ensue and although I still enjoy the occassional long run alone, it's just not quite the same.

This weekend I did my long run alone and let me tell you, you get some pretty strange looks along the NCC paths when you're chatting with yourself and laughing at your own jokes...maybe next time I should se my inside voice or just ponder the stories in my mind.

A great big thanks for all the runs this summer and dangit I sure missed you gals this weekend, can't wait for next weekend's run!!

THANK YOU!!

To my wonderful, supportive wife Sonia who has been so patient and understanding of all of my training runs, my absent mindedness (causing many a scheduling conflict) and for keeping me grounded throughout this journey, I LOVE YOU and cannot thank you enough!

To my son Elrik, my apologies for missed activities and my often very short fuse as I let my self-induced panic and fatigue get the best of me at times, I'm looking forwards to a less rigorous training schedule for the next few months, to our canoe triathlon relay and especially to our boys weekend and just hanging out together. And also for being at the race with Sonia for over 5 hours, taking photos of all the purple people, and for your encouragement, bell ringing and super home-made sign at the race.

To my daughter Riana, for understanding why I chose the marathon and couldn't run with her this race weekend, for being there to cheer me on with high fives and one "Kick Ass" sign and for being late for an equally important social event so that she could be there for my finish and to give me that great post-race hug.

To my brother-in-law and coach, thank you for all the encouragement, support, plans, advice and flexibility and for helping me to understand what all those odd running terms mean and how to deal with all the side effects of long distance training and tapering.

To my many experienced marathon and 1/2 marathon friends for your encouragement and advice and for sharing your race and training experiences to help put my mind at ease.

To so many of you who showed up at different spots around the course to cheer me one, offer high fives and take photos, those were the spots where I found renewed energy and focus to pull me through.

To my friend Rod for jumping on his bike and following me around to be at a few spots to cheer me on...sucks that you ended up with a flat...free change service as soon as I can bend my knees again.

To my running mate Jane M. for your wonderful banter in those 29km that we were able to do together...my apologies for not being able to stay with you and leaving you to do oh so many more km alone...I hope that we can race together again and that I can be better prepared to run a sub 4:30 with you.

To the woman with the HUGE free high fives sign who moved around to different spots along the route...I think I managed to get one every time I saw you.

To all my wonderful Team in Training Team Mates for teaching and sharing with me how to Train Endure Achieve and Matter, you are truly a special breed and no matter your result yesterday, you should all be proud of everything you have achieved!!

To all of you no matter how you offered your support, through your generosity and encouragement, I personally raised over $7200. Team in Training for this event alone raised over $200,000 and in their 22 years, they have raised over 1 Billion dollars to fund research to find a cure for blood cancers and offer patient support to those fighting blood cancers.

And finally, to my friend, honouree and inspiration...Derek, thank you for all of that and for reaffirming in those last 7km that we ran together exactly why I was out there...that it wasn't really about getting that sub 4:3o time, for reminding me where you were a year ago and what the efforts of Team in Training and the Leukemia Society of Canada have done for you and others living with and fighting blood cancers.

This was my first marathon, but it will not be my last. Although I did not achieve the sub 4:30 goal I set out for myself I think we as a collective achieved something much more meaningful.

I will be back to take a shot at that goal again and you have all shown me that I will have the support I need to meet that goal as well as the fundraising goals that I set along the way.

THANK YOU!!

RACE DAY…THIS IS IT!!

It’s been six months since I decided I was going to run a marathon to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada, and it all comes down to race day TODAY.

Through your support, we raised over $7200.00!! Through your encouragement, advice and belief in me, I have managed to put in all the hours and Kilometers (over 1500 since Oct.) and somehow survived my hardest taper ever and at 7:00 a.m. today, I will line up with friends, strangers, team mates and elite athletes from across the globe to compete in my first marathon.

I am so excited!!!

I can’t wait to get running to see the parts of the course I didn’t get a chance to train on, to get to those spots I have trained so I can settle in and clam my nerves…but most importantly, to finish what I started and celebrate what all of you have helped me to achieve.

To those of you who are planning to come down and watch the marathon or half marathon, thank you, your cheers, bells, signs and presence really do carry us through the rough bits!

If you are coming down and you’re looking for me, I’ll be wearing my dark purple Team In Training shirt and a white cap, my timing should be between 6:00 and 6:30/km if all goes well.

No matter who you’re coming down to see, please cheer for everyone, runners and walkers, but maybe save a little extra umph for anyone in a purple jersey, they’re my team mates and have all raised money to fight blood cancers as a part of their journey to get to either the half or the full.

Oh and if you happen to see me walking, don’t worry it’s part of the race day plan…30min run, 1 min walk.

I hope to see and hear you out there

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…actually it was Taper time…

First of all, for those of you who do not know, tapering is the practice of reducing the volume and or intensity of your workouts before a key race. The goal of any tapering program (and there are a few variations), is to ensure that you are fully recovered from previous workouts and at the same time, completely rested for the big event.

The reaction to tapering is different for each person, but usually falls into one of two categories, it is either dreaded or embraced…personally, I have always enjoyed the taper, looking at it as an opportunity to relax, refuel and bank some energy for my goal race.

This time around, my experience has been a little of both, at times relaxing and a welcome break from the long distances and time consuming workouts, and at times…unsettling and downright bothersome!

I’m used to that antsy feeling from last year’s DU season and the multiple races and tapers, but this experience has been quite different. Maybe it has to do with the reduced race schedule, maybe because training for the marathon has been going on for so long, or maybe because this is such a public goal with so many people supporting me in so many ways over the last few months as I have been training and fundraising.

Whatever the cause the effects have been odd, the runs I am doing have felt good, but times have been much slower, odd aches and pains have been noticed and I ALWAYS feel like I have ate too much, in spite of reducing the amount I’m eating and paying close attention to what exactly I am taking in. I’m getting 8+ hours of sleep per night (more than usual), but still wake up feeling I could sleep another 2-4.

I have been doing some reading and I know that none of this is uncommon, but it is still one of the more challenging aspects so far. I’ve been trying to focus on the race plan, and all the logistics for the race (race kit, meeting places, TNT commitments, etc) to keep my mind off of the more worrisome aspects, hence this blog entry…the good news I guess is that we’re less than a week from race day, and I’ll have to trust that all these months of preparation and all of the great folks who have and continue to be so supportive, will get me through this and that come race day…all I’ll have to do is just show up and run…maybe that’s the thing…focus on the KISS principle and forget all the other outside influences.

One thing for sure…this preparation, taper period and no doubt the marathon itself…have been like no other I have experienced so far.

Looking forward to seeing many of you on race day…and hopefully hearing you too.

The worst is over and the best is yet to come

Yesterday my teammate Jane M. and I did our last long run before the Ottawa Marathon, 32Km from Kanata to Bank Street. I am grateful that I didn’t have to do this one alone...although we got distracted and ran above our target pace a few times, one of us seemed to eventually notice and we were able to stay mostly on pace. I was especially glad to have Jane with me as we tackled the last 2Km...things were starting to tighten up and my calves were starting to feel a lot like they did in Hamilton. Thanks for being there Jane and for keeping me going to that virtual 32Km marker.

We weren’t the only “purple people” out for a long run that day, we ran into another of our teammates, Kailena out for a post training jaunt with her “puppy” Faeryn, there really is strength in numbers!

Which leads me to my next point...over the last few months as I bombarded people with requests for donations, status updates about my progress (both fundraising and training) and blog entries, I have been overwhelmed by the generosity, support and encouragement that I have received from so many. Each of these people has found their own way to give, some financially, some through support and encouragement, some through sharing their experience and advice, and some by all of the above, but each person has in some way contributed to my ability to come this far...and each of you will have played a part in getting me to the starting line for my first marathon...here at home...and I cannot wait.

For the next few weeks, I will be following the sage advice of my experienced friends...enjoying the taper, the rest and recovery and I am looking forward to running the longest race of my life (so far) on fresh legs, injury free!!

To those of you who will be watching the marathon, I’ll be looking for your faces in the crowd, I hope to see you or at least hear you, or your cowbell ;-)

P.S. If you’re planning on heading down to watch the marathon, I would love it if you would inflate a purple balloon...you may not see me in the thousands of people running...and I may not see your face in the crowd, but I will be watching for those balloons, hopefully that will allow me to see you and at the very least, I will know you were there to cheer me on and that may just be what it takes to keep me going and get me across that finish line.

Around the Bay HamHILLton race report

Nope, that is not a typo, Hamilton is HILLatious, so, I’m re-naming it HamHILLton!

My good friend Rod and I drove up to HamHILLton the day before the race, picked up our race kits, visited the fitness expo (of course some $ was spent there), got settled into our hotel and made our way to the Pasta dinner…delicious carbs and some great desserts too!

After supper we drove the majority of the 30K race route (there’s a section that is only accessible to pedestrians), the course description is pretty much bang on “The first 20k of the Around the Bay Road Race is an exciting, scenic, and fast route. The last 10k includes rolling hills through scenic North Shore Blvd.” As Rod put it, that’s great if you’re buying real estate, but it Sucks for a race…more on that later.

After the long drive up, we both agreed that an early night was in order, so with the tour of the race course complete, it was back to the hotel and lights out by 9:00 p.m.

Early to bed ad early to rise, start time for the 30K was 9:30 and 9:45 for Rod’s 5K, but we were both up well before 8:00. Turns out we both hate to feel rushed in the morning, so having plenty of time to doddle before the races suited us just fine.

We were both able to find our race start lines and with my race starting a little earlier than Rod’s, he was able to cheer me on as I ran past the start line and still make it to his own race start on time, very kewl!

The pre-race report that I had read on Tri-Rudy was bang on, the first 1k was downhill and my pace was faster than expected or desired this early in the race, but with the help of my trusty Garmin, I was able to adjust and get back to a more comfortable and sustainable pace.

The first 20K or so felt great, some very slight inclines, but mostly flat, we had a fantastic day, not too warm, not too windy and so far a dry race with plenty of fans and some race favourites like the Grannies in the self-titled “Tin Pan alley” with their pots and pans banging out encouragement as we ran by, very much appreciated as we neared the 18K marker.

And then…..the hills came (oh and the rain too, but just a drizzle really)…rolling hills fer sure…but in rapid succession…I didn’t count, but I’m sure there had to be at least a half dozen…back to back then a short flat and a couple more hills for good measure…at this point the crowd was letting us know, only one more hill to conquer…a very accurate word indeed, given that the last was a monster (well for me at the 25K point of the race it sure was) 450 m, 18% grade and there was no way I could run the hill at this point and make it another 5K. In the interest of self-preservation and being able to complete the race I walked this monster of a hill, but to no less encouragement from the fantastic specatators than those who dug deep and were able to run the whole beast! There were sooo many spectators with bells, horns, music and other noise makes cheering us on up this hill that it was difficult not to break into an all out sprint, their energy was infectious, but I was banking it for the rest of the race…something it turns out I would need.

After the monster hill was complete, there was only another 4K to go…and the good news was, it was all flat..YEAH BABY!! With this monster behind me and the Copps Coliseum finish line so close, it was time to get the feet in gear and Git’r done!

About 2.5K out from the finish, the race takes us by a graveyard and there in the middle of the course is the Grim Reaper, determining the fate of all who run by some he said would die that day or appeared to be dying as they passed him, some by their own admission, and some he chose to let live to run another day, I refused to let him get a grip on me and hollered out..”Not Today sir…Not Today!!” A few hundred meters later, I began to question that…my calves were burning and seizing up, I had to pull off the course and stretch them out, only a short stop as it turned out but I just couldn’t muster the energy to break into a run again, I knew I had to get moving so I started the legs going in a slow walk, feeling a little worse for the wear but I would not let this spoil the day, I was going to finish this race, I started remembering the photos of my buddy Derek in the hospital during his Chemo treatments and reminded myself of the battle he has been through over the last year, the rebuilding he is doing now and how through it all, he remained so positive and never once complained…that was it, I found what I needed to tap into to get my motor running again, and I was off and running with about 2K to go…I knew I was going to finish, there was no doubt in my mind.

About 1K out my calves seized up again, on fire and feeling like they had shrunk about 3 inches! I wasn’t expecting this, I’d been here such a short time ago…but I knew what I had to do, I pulled off the course, did the stretches, repeated the walk cycle to get the legs moving again and 100 meters later I tapped into that memory of Derek in the hospital again and felt the energy surge return…with less than a kilometre to go the only question was, could I make it across the finish line under the 3:30 outside goal I had set for myself…I wasn’t going to leave this to chance and I was determined to not to have anything left in the tank…so I ran as fast as my legs could carry me at that point…reminding myself that for 900 meters, anything was possible and sustainable…the crowd was getting thicker and louder as we got close to the Coliseum and the finish line, but the one line I heard very clearly brought a huge smile to my face “If they told you you look good, they’re lying…you’re almost done!”

Less than 200 meters now and as close to a sprint as I could manage, peeled off the jacket I’d been running with for most of the race, the rain felt damned good! The fenced off finish coral was visible now, with large signs warning us to proceed with caution 2- 90 degree turns and a steep ramp were ahead of us before the straightaway to the finish inside Copps Coliseum. There were wall to wall people all along that finishing chute the cheers grew louder the closer to we got to the Coliseum, but all I could think was you’re going to finish! Now…make yourself smile!! 1 corner done, onto the steep ramp, not too slippery and very short, 2nd corner rounded and there it was, less than 100m to the finish, not enough left to break into a sprint, but I managed to muster a slight speed increase to get me across the finish….with a smile and my arms raised high!! I was really surprised by the wave of emotion that came over me, I still can’t identify exactly what it was, and I have never felt that in a race before so it caught me by surprise, I’ll have to see if that comes back on Marathon day.

There were lots of folks directing us out of the finish area and towards the food tables, keeping us moving out to collect our medals and to the cool down and stretching area. Spent a few minutes here catching my breath and stretching out the legs, I was surprised and how quickly I was able to get up and get moving, tired, but mentally I felt GREAT!
Up the escalator (thank goodness for that!) to the pre-arranged meeting spot where Rod was waiting patiently having had a fantastic race himself (he was recovering from the flu and still made the trip and ran a strong race).

First order of business...find the nearest Starbucks…still no caffeine in my system. We decided to walk to loosen up our legs before the long haul home (who knew it was so far?).

Caffeine acquired we were ready to hit the road. I won’t bore you with details of the drive, suffice to say that I was very fortunate to have Rod there to do the driving on the way back, there is no way I could have managed that drive after the race, a HUGE thanks to you my friend!!

All in all it was a great day a well organized and supported race and I felt so much better than I did after completing the ½ marathon. In spite of being tired, I was happy with my race, eager to get home and ready to take on the rest of the training plan, fundraising and complete the journey to my first marathon in support of finding a cure for Blood Cancers!

The Thrill of Hills

I tried to come up with something more witty and even tried a couple of music themed blog titles, but "I found my Thrill on Blair Rd Hill" just didn’t do it and The Hills aren’t alive, I am feeling more so because of them, so the one above will just have to do.

This month the training plan has a necessary focus on hills. I am running the Around the Bay 30K at the end of the month and apparently there’s a challenging hill as a part of that course…dunno’ it will be my first time running this race.

It’s not like I have never run hills, I typically throw a hill or two into my long runs and to be quite honest, I have not really enjoyed them all that much. This month there have been a few hill repeat workouts as a part of the plan and I LOVE them!!

There’s just something about getting to the top of a challenging hill, recovering, making the descent and conquering that hill again…OK maybe conquering is a little strong, but that’s how it feels after you climb the same hill for the sixth time and you know from the first step up the incline that not only are you going to make it, but you’re going to be smiling and you’ll recover quickly on the flats and the cool down.

So if your future running plans have hills in them and you’ve been dreading them…take comfort in the fact that they are not that bad, in fact in my books, they are all GOOD! I’m looking forward to more…Hills, they’re not just for breakfast anymore!!
Watch for a post race blog in the first week of April and I'll let you know if the hill training paid off.

Racing, rooting and recovery

Race day is always a little different than any other day, the adrenaline, the crowds, timers, support crew and volunteers, and last Sunday’s race was no exception, even the weather was different than what we’ve been training in this year…quite a bit different. It was a mild enough day, but for the first time in weeks, there was actually snow on the ground, wet, sloppy, slippery snow. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fair-weather runner, far from it, but this season that’s all we’ve had is fair weather, so the ol’ legs just weren’t accustomed to the lack of traction.

Finishing my first ½ marathon would have been a lot more difficult without all the rooting from my Virtual Team iN Training (VTNT) teammates (Janice, Jane, Jenn and Nicole) and fellow purple people you gals really kept me going when I was lagging behind and I truly appreciate your words of encouragement, cheers and smiles along the course. I was fortunate enough to have my incredibly supportive family (my wife, my daughter and my brother-in-law/coach) all there to root me on too, and I sure needed it those last couple of laps, oh yeah did I mention that the race course was 4 laps of an out and back loop and a 5th lap of 1.1 km to finish it off, somehow I kept track of the laps and didn't get too dizzy!

Right from the beginning of my very short (so far) running career, it was easy to understand the physical value of a recovery week after a race, and never was that so true as this past week, I’m not sure if it was the hilly terrain, or the lack of traction, but by the end of the race, my calves were bunched up in knots and my quads were tighter than guitar strings, good thing for me the training plan called for two recovery days before hitting the gym on Wednesday. I still sneaked in an evening of PLAYing volleyball, strangely, my legs felt better after the volleyball. What I did not realize about the importance of Recovery in a training plan was the psychological side, after the ½ I was really beginning to wonder what I had got myself into, I was just so mentally exhausted, I literally had nothing left in the think tank, as much as the race had taken out of me physically, it had taken a much greater toll mentally, I truly did not feel like running for the first time since I started this journey, something that was very unsettling for me and I began to wonder if I had it in me to do a full marathon. In the same way that volleyball had helped my legs to shake off some of the lactic acid and begin to feel better, the PLAY in playing volleyball helped me to shake the negative thinking and get my focus back and I am happy to report that by Thursday (my scheduled Brick workout) I was looking forward to running again and felt fantastic after completing the short run and bike workout..phew!!! By this weekend's long run (1.5 hrs), the end goal seemed once again attainable.

With last weekend’s race complete, I am ½ way to my distance goal, and with the generous support of family, friends and even some unknown contributors, I am happy to report that I am nearly ¾ of the way to my fundraising goal.

To help me reach the goal, I will be hosting “Comedy for a Cure" at Absolute Comedy club (412 Preston Street, Ottawa, ON) on April 14. Tickets to the event must be purchased in advance from me or one of my wonderful volunteers and are priced at $10, ticket price includes an entry into the door prize draw (I will post a list with some samples on this bold in the near future).

If you’re interested in attending, please send me an e-mail and we can make arrangements. I look forward to seeing as many of you as can make it and to sharing some great laughs and raising money to help find a cure.

Tapering...the side effects

It’s been a while since my last post, it wasn’t entirely on purpose, but I was hesitant to post too soon after my last entry…especially given the overwhelmingly supportive response…I just didn’t want to mess with inertia and the momentum gained towards meeting my fundraising goal, with your help we’ve already raised almost $3300.00 towards finding a cure.

This last week I’ve been tapering leading into the Winterman ½ marathon on February 21. Simply explained, tapering is a reduction in the length of your runs and workouts leading up to a race, the benefit…a chance to recover and store more fuel in the tank for race day, there are lots of articles out there on tapering and tapering is very specific to each athlete and their unique training plan, in my case, it leads to lots of extra energy and a brain that goes into overdrive, for me it is as challenging to deal with the psychological effects as the physiological ones.

This week has been a prime example, I’m not sure that the training plan itself has demanded anymore of me in the last little while than it has since I started this trek back in the late fall, but my brain certainly recognized the effects much more this week. For the first time I felt my body might not be up to the challenge, my hip flexors have been getting gradually tighter and more inflamed, and the discomfort has become a constant, my left knee has become inflamed on a regular basis and I can feel the effects of the runs right up until I start the next run, and that nagging ankle sprain recovery just isn’t making much progress.

To be honest, I haven’t been doing much about any of these, accepting that they were par for the course and that with enough mileage and positive thinking, they’d take care of themselves, towards the end of this week as a result of the tapering side effects, I started doing something about each of these, appointments are set, a more regimented rehab program for the ankle is in place and I am confident that I can overcome these challenges.

Two things helped me to tackle these challenges with renewed vigour and remain positive, first I thought back to how Derek must have been feeling as he went through his treatments, and how he remained positive and confident that he would beat this throughout and secondly the words of encouragement that I have received from so many of you. I couldn’t quite put my finger on how it was that I was getting my daily dose of support, until I read one of my VTNT team mates’ blog, she reminded me that each time someone sponsors me online and nudges me closer to my goal, I get and e-mail alert…that daily dose of positive encouragement is what has been helping me keep going.

To all of you who have been able to offer your support so far, a huge thanks to for your contributions and the words of encouragement and support that you have passed along!!
And for those of you who may be interested in offering your support, here’s the link to my fundraising page http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2430646

Stay tuned for more frequent blog updates and some fundraising event announcements too.

P.S. if you know a small business (or an individual/group) that would consider donating either items or services as a door prize for one of my future events, please get in touch.

Goals, Motivation and Inspiration…oh my!

Towards the end of the 2009 season, I started thinking about my next challenge, I wanted my training to contribute to something, I wanted more than a personal goal. Just about the same time, I read an article in a running magazine about Team in Training (TNT) and the light bulb went on, I decided I wanted to join TNT and raise $5000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC).

The next decision I had to make was what event to train for…from my training and competitions in 2009 I felt that a half-marathon was well within reach…I didn’t think I could stay motivated training for something that was “too achievable” so I raised the bar an chose the Marathon, as my training progresses I am left wondering where the line between fear and motivation blurs.

My inspiration for all of this and what helps me keep my focus and dig in when every bit of me wants to turn around and head back to a nice warm house (especially this last week with at -31 C with windchill) is my very good friend Derek Threinen.

On March 4, 2009 Derek was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

I felt helpless on the sidelines being able to offer nothing more than moral support through Derek’s battle.

Derek remained positive throughout the entire treatment. He may have lost his hair, but he never lost his sense of humour in spite of difficult procedures and side effects. Anytime I start feeling like I’m having a rough day, I think of Derek’s fight and it’s easy to push on through.

All that positive thinking paid off, Derek has officially been in remission since October 1, 2009. Congrats DT, we knew you could do it!!

I am currently training to run my first marathon (42.2 km) in Ottawa on May 30, 2010 and I need your help…no not to run (although that is a definite possibility), but to contribute to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. I aim to raise at least $5,000 in honour of Derek by the end of May.

So how can you help me reach (or beat) my goal?

1. Sponsor me (a.k.a. show me the money)
a) The easiest way is to make a secure online donation at http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=2430646

b) You can also by donate by completing and mailing a donation form, touch base and I'll send you the form

2. Forward this message to everyone you know (or tag them on it in Facebook). Don’t assume that if we know the same person that I have their e-mail or have sent to them, I know you may get this in some format 12-20 times, but really it’s a small price to pay IMHO.

3. Help me find corporate sponsors; drop me an e-mail and I’ll let you know what’s involved.

4. Volunteer to help me with my fundraising activities and events, I need ideas and people to help with selling tickets etc…

5. Find out more at http://www.teamintraining.ca/ about how to take part as a fundraiser in your own event,

6. Show up and cheer me on along the Ottawa Marathon course on May 30, 2010, I’ll be the guy in the TNT purple shirt looking like he needs a shower and 2 days of sleep!

7. All of the above!!

If you’re interested in following my progress, I’ll be posting regular updates to my blog http://shmittysrunningblog.blogspot.com/ which has a direct RSS feed to my Facebook Notes, so if you’re a friend on FB you can just check there.

If you want to know more about my fundraising or if you want to help in someway I haven’t thought of, call me, follow me on Twitter, comment on my FB Wall, Notes, or status, write a comment on my fundraising page, or comment on my blog.

Together we can help find a cure!

Thank you all!!

Brent Smyth

Winning isn’t everything

When I started running (and getting back to the gym on a regular basis) about two years ago, I made up my mind that I would do a 5K. I needed something to build up to, something concrete that I could put a framework around. I knew going in that there was no way I would win the 5K, heck I knew I’d be lucky to finish in the top ½ of the over 8000 runners participating in that run, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to keep moving and losing weight.

I finished that race somewhere near the middle of the pack and for me, that was a win…my Personal Best (PB) had been established…but, momentum is a funny thing…I kept running 3 times a week, an object in motion…later that summer I decided to try a second run…much smaller, only about 300 participants, I set a new PB by a couple of minutes.

I did another race on New Year’s Eve, no official time, just a fun race with my good friend Sharon who introduced me to Brenda and Steve two of her elite multi-sport athlete friends...at another race in mid-January I met Sharon’s coach (and elite multi-sport athlete in her own right) Jane…the thing Sharon, Brenda,Steve and Jane all have in common is that they always have such positive energy, offer lots of support and encouragement, and freely share their knowledge and experience and provide guidance to newbies like me who might otherwise not continue.

I ran a few 10K races with my step-daughter this year and I like to think I am closer to her now than I have ever been, sharing those experiences for me was priceless!

I competed in a Canoe-bike-run triathlon relay with my son and two High School buddies, Tim and Rod and we shared a fantastic day with our families.

I competed in a few Duathlons this past year and met some great athletes, volunteers, organizers and supporters.

In 2010, the relay triathlon is scheduled again (Go BERT42!), a late season family triathlon relay is also scheduled and a few more races will likely dot the calendar as the months unfold. I hope to see you out there in one capacity or another.

So why race if you KNOW you won’t win?

I haven’t won an event yet, but I’ve gained so much, as cliché as it sounds, racing has and continues to change my life for the better, not only by what I am doing for myself and my health, but by the people I meet or the people that I get to spend time with sharing in such positive experiences…to all of you, thank you for being a part of this journey, whether you knew it or not.

Forget the Caramilk Secret...tell me the energy bar secret

This past Sunday I was out on my long run (this week that meant run 50 min, walk 5 min, run 40 min, walk 5 min, run 20 min) and I mistakenly thought I had found the secret to keeping my energy bar in a chewable state...let me explain.

For my past three long runs, I have carried Gatorade and some sort of energy bar, I tried carrying the energy bar in the front pouch of my fuel belt, result...frozen bar. I tried carrying the energy bar in my jacket pocket, result...frozen bar. In both cases I was able to gnaw away at the bar, break a piece off and thaw it in my mouth until I could actually chew it.

This past weekend, I tried cutting the energy bar into little pieces with the idea that if the pieces froze, it would be easier to pop one in my mouth, thaw it and chew on....yeah, that was until all the pieces froze together...same problem as previous weeks, only this time it was one huge clump that I couldn't gnaw on. My workaround, hold the frozen clump, which at this point looked exactly like what many of the dogs have been depositing on sidewalks and which much to my chagrin their owners are not picking up, but I digress...I managed to thaw out the clumps and was able to keep my energy up so no bonking.

I should confess, I don't actually have any inner pockets on any of the layers of my winter running gear, a clear faux pas in hindsight. I'm thinking maybe I can MacGyver some sort of pouch on a string to wear around my neck on one of my inner layers and that should keep the energy bar in a chewable state...

Any thoughts from those of you with winter running (and feeding) experience?

Chill-out! Ice baths, they do a body good…right?

I can’t say I am a big fan of the ice bath, but I do understand the concept behind the therapy.

In a nutshell here’s what sportsmedicine.com has to say about ice Baths (if you know of other more recent articles, let me know and I’ll update the post)

The ice bath is thought to:

• Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products, like lactic acid, out of the affected tissues
• Decrease metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
• Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown

If you want the full details on the contradictory studies, go here http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/Ice-Bath.htm

What I can tell you from a newbie’s experience with 2 weeks experimentation using cooler than normal baths is this:

• The initial immersion is NOT pleasant, especially when you have just come in from a -20C run and your core temp is up (Maybe I’m not doing this right, but cool is cool to me)
• It doesn’t feel much better while you’re sitting in the bath continuing to cool down…flashes of Grease’s soundtrack come to mind…I’ve got chills….
• Draining the water and getting out of the tub feels GREAT!!
• Running a warm shower and warming up before a stretch session…equally pleasing.
  

While I offer no scientific or conclusive proof either way, nor am I qualified to…for me the experiment albeit somewhat unpleasant is having some positive effects on my recovery, the last couple of weeks my legs and hip flexors have felt better than they have in a long time.

I won’t be breaking any records anytime soon, so for me the objective while running increasingly longer distances, is to remain injury free. As of this posting, I see this as one way to help.

I’ll keep you posted on this self-induced cold front.

Happy trails and sunshine and warmth!

Just another brick in the plan

I know this is going to sound repetitive, but I really knew very little when I started running and DUing...so....around about this time last year, I had no idea what a brick was. Now I'm even doing them in the winter...go figure.

So what is a brick, or more appropriately a brick workout?

Here’s one definition from an article on BeginnerTriathlete.com:

Bricks are a very important part of triathlon (and duathlon) training and they are sometimes overlooked. Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between; just as you would do in a race (I am sure you knew this). Usually when people talk about bricks they refer to a bike/run workout, but bricks could also refer to a swim/bike workout or to a run/bike workout (if you are training for a duathlon). These last two are often overlooked but still important to fit here and there in your training plan.

So why would a multi-sport athlete do a brick?

Once again according to the same article from BeginnerTriathlete.com:

When you stop biking and start running the legs feel “strange” and heavy (this is why they call these workouts bricks!) and the heart rate goes up, as our body tries to switch the blood from flowing into the muscles used for biking to those used for running. This feeling is more pronounced at the start of the run and usually the legs get better as time passes - although probably never as fresh as those you have when you run without biking before it (I wonder why?! ). Brick workouts help shorten the time our legs take to start feeling more normal thus allowing us to run better and faster. It is not uncommon to experience cramps when starting to run after biking, especially if you are not used to it. As usual, listen to your body and slow down if you feel a cramp coming

I first experienced the effects of not training using brick workouts when I did a Winter Triathlon (Skate-XC Ski-Run) and let me tell you, transitioning to the run…was NOT pleasant. My legs and hips did not cooperate for the first km into the run, won’t be skipping that the next time.

If you want another take on it, just ask my buddy Tim who competed in a Canoe-Triathlon Relay with me and some friends, Tim was doing the bike portion, but what was not mentioned in the race information was that Tim would have to run about 200m to and from the mount/dismount line to the transition zone…running to the mount line no problem…running to the transition zone after dismounting from a 20K ride…”hey legs, what the heck are you doing?”

So what does a brick workout have to do with running and why is it on this newbie’s running blog…’cause it’s part of my training plan to make sure I keep some of the progress I made over the last summer and I plan to DU again later this summer, besides it’s my blog and I’ll mix it up with pretty much whatever crosses my mind on the day that I decide to post…lol

That’s all for today folks, but stay tuned for my BIG announcement in the very near future.

The "Long" run

What exactly do people mean by the "long" run?

I heard other runners I know talk about it and always wondered, is there a specific threshold that makes it a "long" run, below X minutes equals a short run, above X minutes equals a long run?

So being a newb, I decided to ask a few of my running friends...the answer it seems is not so far from the infamous IT answer "it depends"...but as with the IT answer, that was qualified...this time with..."on what you're training for, what your plan calls for in terms of short and long runs and it is unique to you", so there is no definitive answer.

In my case this week, a "long" run consisted of 50 minutes of running, followed by 5 minutes of walking, followed by 40 minutes of running, according to the plan my coach (a.k.a my fantastic brother-in-law) has put together for me.

It was a good run, I chose a route that would have me running into the wind for the majority of the run, yes on purpose. I wanted to challenge myself physically and mentally today, the good news is, I made it through the run with energy to spare, and was able to visualize the wind at my back when it mattered the most. I also managed to include a hill in the route, the wind was not a factor on the hill, crosswind, so neither an advantage or a challenge.

Overall a great run and another week of sticking to the plan.

Happy New Year a.k.a the year's first run

Just a short quick run today...and an equally short post to go along with it.

-10 C, light snow and slightly overcast, makes for a perfect run in my books.

The year started out right with regards to traffic and other potential challenges of winter running, very courteous drivers at the intersections and a very patient neighbour who saw me headed his way and shut off the snow blower so I wouldn't have to contend with snow shrapnel...I think I took longer to get to him that he expected, but he still had a nod a great big smile, which were returned in kind with much gratitude!

Hope all of you had a positive start to the New Year as well.