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!!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
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!!
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!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
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 cele
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
Monday, May 24, 2010
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 em
This time around, my experience has been a little of both, at times relaxing and a welcome
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.
Monday, May 10, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, March 19, 2010
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.
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.
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