Just getting back to running here in Ottawa again after a month away...a month where I was able to run in Paris, Continental Greece (Attica, Vravrona & Loutsa), Crete (Kotouloufarri & Hersonisos) and Paros (Dryos) and I noticed a few interesting differences.
The routes:
Here:
In spite of out tendency to complain, we have an incredibly mature and developed network and infrastructure perfectly suited for running. Mind you on the routes I've run, the bodies of water (Canal & Ottawa River) are polluted, opaque and smell of dead fish on the best of days.
There (Paris):
Surprising given the size of the city, but within a 1/2 hour I was able to reach a beautiful park with a dirt trail around a small pond with an island in the centre where there was a Buddhist temple, the water was opaque but lacked any distinctive odour
There (Greece):
To be fair, I was running in small villages, so no infrastructure or formal paths to speak of, but the vistas, clear blue water and unique architecture more than made up for that!
Traffic:
Here:
If you've read my facebook status updates with any regularity during my short running career, you'll know I have had a few incidents with vehicles both as a runner and as a cyclist, most in the early or twilight hours when I felt, given the amount of lights I tend to use, were avoidable, but in most cases, drivers are aware (once the season starts and they grow accustomed to us being out there again) and generally courteous.
There (Paris):
I came to the conclusion that Paris motorists must either leave really early, really late or they take public transit until well after my running for the day was done (I was typically back in my hotel by 7:00 a.m.)
There (Greece):
For such a laid back people, from my experience, they are anything but when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. The speed limit seems to be as fast as the vehicle will go with the pedal firmly pressed to the floor, regardless of road conditions, other traffic, pedestrians or cyclists. The acceptable distance/clearance between vehicles, immovable objects, bicycles and/or pedestrians seems to be anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2 of an inch...scary to say the least. I found myself running onto the gravel shoulder or into the ditch on more than one occasion...and running facing traffic only seemed to aggravate the drivers, I noticed in the third week that local pedestrians appear to walk with traffic, so I'm left wondering if that was the reason I was given so little room. Granted there was the occasional drive who would make the effort to move over and allow a 3ft buffer, but that was rare. Now maybe I'm the one who just is not accustomed to the close proximity, because the European concept of personal space is quite different than ours the 1/4 to 1/2 inch buffer seems very appropriate on an uncrowded metro or bus too...odd for me, perhaps quite normal for the locals.
Other Runners:
Here:
Typically when I am our running and I encounter another runner, there is some form of acknowledgement, a wave, a smile, a gasping hey, hullo or some remark about that dang hill or the weather..there's an unspoken camaraderie from a shared interest/joy, that's not to say there aren't crusty old sods out there who won't give you the time of day...but as a general rule, most runners will offer up some form of greeting to each other when they're out there.
There (Paris):
In Paris there seems to be some common understanding that as you approach another runner, eye contact must be avoided at all cost. In spite of my attempts to offer a greeting to the runners I encountered on my workouts (a conservative estimate of 25-30), I received a grand total of a 1/2 smile (maybe an ex-pat) all of the other runners upon noticing another runner approaching would turn their head to the opposite side and glance towards the ground...very odd indeed.
There (Greece):
Other runners...what other runners...I drew more than one odd glance from the folks sitting at the Tavernas and encountered not a single other runner in my 9 run workouts in 3 different areas of Greece. I didn't expect a race, but for the birthplace of the marathon...I thought for sure there would be other folks out there training...not so.
My intent is not to pass any sort of judgement on running here or there, only to point out the differences I observed. I had as much fun doing my workouts in Paris in Greece, in part because they were different than my experiences here in Ottawa, my guess is I would have been very disappointed to travel across the ocean to experience exactly what I do here on a regular basis.
I definitely want to add a European endurance race to my bucket list and I know that my best way to do that will be to sign up with Team in Training. If you're thinking about a destination marathon or 1/2 marathon, I strongly suggest you checkout http://teamintraining.ca/tor
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
The legs say NO, but the plan says GO!
Time to let you in on a little secret…contrary to what you may have read or may have been led to believe…I do not always feel like doing my workouts…more specifically, parts of my body don’t always feel like doing a workout…but in the last 3 years, I’ve missed only 3 workouts…that’s not to say that’s normal or that I haven’t wanted to miss more, my point here is not about missing an occasional workout…it’s more about how or why I feel I am able to get out there even when I may not feel like it (rare as that may be).
When I ran first thing in the morning (4:30 or 5:00 was the norm about a year and a half ago), I had one simple rule, when the alarm rang I got up! If I hit snooze, I knew the workout wouldn’t happen, similarly, when the appointment reminder went off at lunch, I went to the gym…for exactly the same reason. It’s always been easy for me to come up with an excuse, reason, justification for missing a workout in the past, but ultimately I felt worse after missing it…it took me the first year of training to figure this out…hence the reference to 3 years above…and not the full 4 that I have been running…sly huh?
The major motivator for me over the last 3 years has been my plan… at the beginning of every year my coach (a.k.a. my brother-in-law) and I sit down, set some goals, schedule my races for the year and figure out which will be A races, and every month, my coach puts together a plan for me based on the previous month’s results and the upcoming races. I send him weekly training reports that not only record the time & distance of each workout, but other details like weather, terrain, perceived effort, observations and any information that may be relevant in helping him determine how the plan is going, or how I am adjusting to the plan. He is always interested in knowing my energy level, if there are any specific concerns and especially if there is any pain, soreness or other issues. Based on my feedback, adjustments are made…and he has made it clear, that missing or moving an occasional workout is perfectly acceptable, he reminds me that I am not a professional athlete (as if my times didn’t make that painfully clear), but his point is that these workouts are not my main focus, they are a means to an end, that missing out on life for a workout just doesn’t make sense, that sticking to the plan and ending up injured does not help me get any closer to my goals and so being flexible is also and important strategy in achieving success.
There are two other things that help motivate me to get out the door, or to keep going in the middle of a workout when my motivation or willpower may not be at their strongest…I think back to a few years ago when I couldn’t complete a 2K with my son and how far I’ve come since then, I remember that it took a lot of tough workouts that I didn’t always feel like doing to get to this point and that 1 missed workout…could lead to a series of them and eventually to being that couch potato again…and that thought scares the crap out of me…so I choose to stay in motion.
The other thought I draw on when my energy starts to wane is of my friend Derek and other survivors I have met through Team in Training who have battled cancer, I recall that sign, or maybe it was a shirt that says “If you think running a marathon is hard, try Chemotherapy” and all of a sudden, getting out the door in rain or snow, finishing that next hill, interval, or km doesn’t seem quite so hard, perspective is everything.
So whether your motivation is your plan/coach, a memory of your unfit self or maybe a vision of your new fit self, whether you draw your strength from within or externally, the point is, there will be times when you just don’t feel like it, when your daily life is making it near impossible to find the time or energy, that’s when you need to remember why you’re doing this, what is your reason? You also have to allow yourself to change the plan (a little), to allow yourself some flexibility and to forgive yourself (yup sometimes missing a workout can feel that bad) so that you don’t miss the next one because you still feel bad about missing the last one…it seems silly, but it happens all too often.
I may not be able to help you with the memory bit (then again I’ve know some of you a very long time, so maybe I could), but if you’re looking for a coach, I have met some excellent coaches at various events here in Ottawa and would be happy to introduce you, all of them are great people and are great at what they do and if you’re looking to train with purpose and for a worthy cause, well I just can’t speak highly enough of Team in Training and the people involved, and if you haven’t figured it out from my FB status updates or blogs…I simply love to talk about running, cycling, training and being active…so if you’re looking to get started or searching for your motivation…I hope this helped…and if I can help in anyway…let’s do coffee and chat!
When I ran first thing in the morning (4:30 or 5:00 was the norm about a year and a half ago), I had one simple rule, when the alarm rang I got up! If I hit snooze, I knew the workout wouldn’t happen, similarly, when the appointment reminder went off at lunch, I went to the gym…for exactly the same reason. It’s always been easy for me to come up with an excuse, reason, justification for missing a workout in the past, but ultimately I felt worse after missing it…it took me the first year of training to figure this out…hence the reference to 3 years above…and not the full 4 that I have been running…sly huh?
The major motivator for me over the last 3 years has been my plan… at the beginning of every year my coach (a.k.a. my brother-in-law) and I sit down, set some goals, schedule my races for the year and figure out which will be A races, and every month, my coach puts together a plan for me based on the previous month’s results and the upcoming races. I send him weekly training reports that not only record the time & distance of each workout, but other details like weather, terrain, perceived effort, observations and any information that may be relevant in helping him determine how the plan is going, or how I am adjusting to the plan. He is always interested in knowing my energy level, if there are any specific concerns and especially if there is any pain, soreness or other issues. Based on my feedback, adjustments are made…and he has made it clear, that missing or moving an occasional workout is perfectly acceptable, he reminds me that I am not a professional athlete (as if my times didn’t make that painfully clear), but his point is that these workouts are not my main focus, they are a means to an end, that missing out on life for a workout just doesn’t make sense, that sticking to the plan and ending up injured does not help me get any closer to my goals and so being flexible is also and important strategy in achieving success.
There are two other things that help motivate me to get out the door, or to keep going in the middle of a workout when my motivation or willpower may not be at their strongest…I think back to a few years ago when I couldn’t complete a 2K with my son and how far I’ve come since then, I remember that it took a lot of tough workouts that I didn’t always feel like doing to get to this point and that 1 missed workout…could lead to a series of them and eventually to being that couch potato again…and that thought scares the crap out of me…so I choose to stay in motion.
The other thought I draw on when my energy starts to wane is of my friend Derek and other survivors I have met through Team in Training who have battled cancer, I recall that sign, or maybe it was a shirt that says “If you think running a marathon is hard, try Chemotherapy” and all of a sudden, getting out the door in rain or snow, finishing that next hill, interval, or km doesn’t seem quite so hard, perspective is everything.
So whether your motivation is your plan/coach, a memory of your unfit self or maybe a vision of your new fit self, whether you draw your strength from within or externally, the point is, there will be times when you just don’t feel like it, when your daily life is making it near impossible to find the time or energy, that’s when you need to remember why you’re doing this, what is your reason? You also have to allow yourself to change the plan (a little), to allow yourself some flexibility and to forgive yourself (yup sometimes missing a workout can feel that bad) so that you don’t miss the next one because you still feel bad about missing the last one…it seems silly, but it happens all too often.
I may not be able to help you with the memory bit (then again I’ve know some of you a very long time, so maybe I could), but if you’re looking for a coach, I have met some excellent coaches at various events here in Ottawa and would be happy to introduce you, all of them are great people and are great at what they do and if you’re looking to train with purpose and for a worthy cause, well I just can’t speak highly enough of Team in Training and the people involved, and if you haven’t figured it out from my FB status updates or blogs…I simply love to talk about running, cycling, training and being active…so if you’re looking to get started or searching for your motivation…I hope this helped…and if I can help in anyway…let’s do coffee and chat!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
A season of learning…
Last fall when I signed up as a mentor with Team in Training for their Spring events, I figured it was a great way to help the organization and new participants. All that was required was that I share my experiences (however limited) in running and fundraising, organize weekend Buddy runs so that Team members could meet each other, have someone to run with and stay motivated throughout the winter, send out a few e-mails to check-in on team mates and offer assistance, when/if needed.
Not an overly complicated set of tasks, so I figured even I could pull this one off, and after all, there had been someone there for me in my first season with Team in Training, so it seemed like a good way to Pay it Forward.
What I didn’t count on was how much the whole experience would affect me. I’m fairly confident that I got way more out of mentoring than any of the mentees…I know that’s not the idea, but meeting and getting to know my team mates and hearing their reasons for joining, watching them progress through their training and then hearing their race day stories.
I learned from every one of my team mates that I had the opportunity to run with, sometimes about them, sometimes about myself, but what one of my team mates said at our pre-event dinner in Hamilton, really captured the essence of it all. There’s something profound and indescribable about the connections that were made as we ran those miles together, bantered, shared stories, and ultimately forged new friendships. Perhaps you can’t help but develop a strong bond as you run long distances together, perhaps it has something to do with the shared purpose for our training and fundraising…regardless, there is no denying there is a special bond that forms between team mates when you join and experience Team in Training.
So to my team mates and new friends, THANK YOU to every one of you who allowed me to share in and in some small way be a part of your journey.
I am so very Proud of everything you accomplished, as individuals and as a team.
See you at the races!
Not an overly complicated set of tasks, so I figured even I could pull this one off, and after all, there had been someone there for me in my first season with Team in Training, so it seemed like a good way to Pay it Forward.
What I didn’t count on was how much the whole experience would affect me. I’m fairly confident that I got way more out of mentoring than any of the mentees…I know that’s not the idea, but meeting and getting to know my team mates and hearing their reasons for joining, watching them progress through their training and then hearing their race day stories.
I learned from every one of my team mates that I had the opportunity to run with, sometimes about them, sometimes about myself, but what one of my team mates said at our pre-event dinner in Hamilton, really captured the essence of it all. There’s something profound and indescribable about the connections that were made as we ran those miles together, bantered, shared stories, and ultimately forged new friendships. Perhaps you can’t help but develop a strong bond as you run long distances together, perhaps it has something to do with the shared purpose for our training and fundraising…regardless, there is no denying there is a special bond that forms between team mates when you join and experience Team in Training.
So to my team mates and new friends, THANK YOU to every one of you who allowed me to share in and in some small way be a part of your journey.
I am so very Proud of everything you accomplished, as individuals and as a team.
See you at the races!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The year in review
I had originally planned to post something on this subject over the holidays, or early in the New Year, but between family time, renovating, training and studying…I’m only getting to it now.
2010 was a year filled with firsts for me and my family. I ran my first ½ marathon…Winterman – Feb., my first 30K…Around the Bay – Mar. and my first marathon…Ottawa – May. It was also the first time I had repeated participation in an event for the same distance…Ottawa Riverkeeper Canoe Triathlon with BERT42 – Jun., and the MADD Dash with Riana – Oct.
Elrik competed in and completed his first triathlon…he’s the first in our family to do a Tri…very proud moment!!
Sonia, Riana and I participated in our first family Triathlon relay and had a blast doing it!
The great thing about doing that first event at ANY distance is that no matter what goal you set, whether you’re overjoyed or even a little disappointed, you set a personal best and draw a line in the sand that you can measure your progress against should you choose to continue. I don’t feel the need to compete with the other runners out there, but I do like to compete with myself and keep raising the bar, trying to find new ways to improve.
Another first for me was joining Team in Training (Ottawa Marathon) and with your help I raised nearly $8000 to help further the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. Team in Training introduced me to some incredible people, coaches, mentors, survivors and fellow athletes who I am fortunate to call teammates and friends. People join Team in Training for many reasons…but there are two main reasons I keep coming back and raising funds:
1. One day…soon I hope, we will raise the last dollar ever needed to find a cure for cancer (I'm quoting from site of a Teammate I've never met in the USA but can no longer find the site or her name)
2. The people, they truly do make it the experience of a lifetime.
If you’re interested in finding out more, drop me a line or visit the website http://www.teamintraining.ca/
I promise you won’t regret it!
2010 was a year filled with firsts for me and my family. I ran my first ½ marathon…Winterman – Feb., my first 30K…Around the Bay – Mar. and my first marathon…Ottawa – May. It was also the first time I had repeated participation in an event for the same distance…Ottawa Riverkeeper Canoe Triathlon with BERT42 – Jun., and the MADD Dash with Riana – Oct.
Elrik competed in and completed his first triathlon…he’s the first in our family to do a Tri…very proud moment!!
Sonia, Riana and I participated in our first family Triathlon relay and had a blast doing it!
The great thing about doing that first event at ANY distance is that no matter what goal you set, whether you’re overjoyed or even a little disappointed, you set a personal best and draw a line in the sand that you can measure your progress against should you choose to continue. I don’t feel the need to compete with the other runners out there, but I do like to compete with myself and keep raising the bar, trying to find new ways to improve.
Another first for me was joining Team in Training (Ottawa Marathon) and with your help I raised nearly $8000 to help further the mission of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. Team in Training introduced me to some incredible people, coaches, mentors, survivors and fellow athletes who I am fortunate to call teammates and friends. People join Team in Training for many reasons…but there are two main reasons I keep coming back and raising funds:
1. One day…soon I hope, we will raise the last dollar ever needed to find a cure for cancer (I'm quoting from site of a Teammate I've never met in the USA but can no longer find the site or her name)
2. The people, they truly do make it the experience of a lifetime.
If you’re interested in finding out more, drop me a line or visit the website http://www.teamintraining.ca/
I promise you won’t regret it!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
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.
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.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
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!
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!
Monday, September 6, 2010
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!!
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!!
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