Change

A lot of things are changing this time of year, and generally in my life these days.  Of course, the most visible and noticeable to runners right now is the season change:  The shift from long hot days where runs in humidity feel like you are travelling through a thick fog, to the fall which cools and provides wonderful running temperatures, but gives hints of foreboding winter weather yet to come.

Many people are changing their training routines as they finish their fall goal races, transitioning from peak weeks to maintenance over the winter, or starting a new training program for the winter and beyond.  As mentioned before, my half marathon training is starting on Tuesday, and it has really snuck up on me.  I am unquestionably nervous, but am not 100% sure why.  I have ran half marathons before (race reports here and sort of here ), but really didn't enjoy the process of racing either of them.  I know this time will be different (and think it is actually funny I predicted my next half would be the Disney Princess two years ago!) as I am running for fun, I am running with friends at my pace, and I am in a better mental state.  I have also started running 10's and 1's, which has changed my style of running, and group running with the Running Room, which has given me a wider support net of fellow runners with similar goals.

Change has also happened with respect to my mental focus with running.  I was all negative, all the time for such a long period of time.  While you do have to sometimes "embrace the suck" as my friend says, you can't do it all the time, or else running becomes painful, rather than fun.  Somewhere in the past year, I have embraced the idea of running my own races, doing the best that I can on the day, and not stressing if every race isn't a PB.  I have PB'ed while feeling happy, something I had never done before.  I have enjoyed teaching others how to improve their times, and actually, have considered taking on the challenge of being a teacher for a learn to run clinic, because it is so fun to help people bring the joy of running into their lives.

Finally, there has been change in my general life and those around me.  I am now 4 years married, working full time, own a house, and am so far away from where I was when I started running.  My friends are now actively trying to get pregnant, and it is an interesting thing to get used to, the idea that we are all grown ups now.  This change is the hardest personally to adjust to, generally since a) I am firmly on the fence about having my own children, and I like to say my feet are on the No side of that fence.  This is probably because b) I have been a parent to my stepdaughter for the past 9 years, and have helped raise her from 4 years old to being a teenager.  Even though I am of the age where a lot of people do decide to have children, I feel like I am 40, and wondering why I would want to make babies when we have already went through the childhood stages once.  It is like I feel we are moving towards the empty nest and being the old married couple, and having a baby seems like a regression at this point.  Hardest thing of all is, try to find someone, ANYONE, who thinks like that, who is in my shoes.  It is pretty hard.  My friends all have kids, have adopted kids because they couldn't have kids, want kids, or are too young to be thinking about kids yet. 

Generally, I say embrace the change.  If you don't, you usually end up stagnant in your life, and missing some pretty awesome opportunities.  I am trying to embrace the change in running, even if it scares me a little.  I am NOT looking forward to running in -40 degree weather in February, but I guess the pleasure of taking a week's vacation in Florida in the winter comes at a cost.  Changes in life are a bit harder to embrace, but I am trying to be open to opportunities, and adult enough to recognize that I am in control of my life's path, and that whatever I chose, it will be ok in the long run.  If I decide to have children or not, life will go on. 

What changes are you facing in your life? 
What ones are you embracing, and what ones are challenging you?

Editor's Note:  Maybe the world is trying to show me I have someone who understands.  Within seconds of posting this, my friend shared this link on Facebook: http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/open-letter-women-chose-not-kids-162100827.html

Running Judgment

So today, I admit, I am fired up.  I have had two things blog related that have popped up this week, and combined with my new attitude towards running (less focus on time, more focus on enjoying it), they have got me going. 

Let's just admit it, there are a lot of runners out there that are judgmental.  Whether it is judging the outfit the person next to you is wearing, or judging the distance you can run, or the biggest one, the time you can run in, some runners can be pretty mean. 

I have been following a blog for the longest time, with an awesome woman behind the wheel on it, Amanda.  She and I have many similarities: we both are step moms, we both struggle with weight issues, we both have Boston Terriers (well, mine is a cross, but still), and we both would, at some level define ourselves as slow runners.  Amanda posted this great blog post yesterday:

http://therearetwosides.com/2013/09/my-response-to-the-slowest-generation-article.html

In summary, someone at the Wall Street Journal decided to print an article about how pathetic young runners are, how slow they are, how they aren't taking running seriously.  How we are turning races into "parades."

I read this after I had reviewed my stats for my blog out of curiosity, and found someone had found my blog this month by searching "big girl running" - ouch.  It hit a real spot with me.

I have so many problems with the judgment that the Wall Street Journal, and others have of slow runners, of runners who are starting out, of runners who are doing this for fun.  It's our LIFE.  Leave us alone!!!!   As Amanda pointed out, some people are running despite great odds.  For her, it is 5 knee surgeries.  For people I ran with this weekend (at the Army Run 5k), it was this kind of obstacle:

Statistically, there are more women running these days than any other time in history.  Women cannot run at the same speed as men.  This does NOT mean we are lazy or unmotivated.  People tend to have less time to train, and don't put in the same 70+ hour weeks that some men used to do to train for races in the 1970's.  This does not mean that races these days are turning into parades.

What the shift in our generation does mean is more people are getting out there and running.  Running is no longer owned by the elites.  It is becoming about the masses.  There is nothing wrong with having races available to people to start running in a society where obesity is an epidemic. 

The article points to our generation embracing mediocrity, but they seem to be equating mediocrity with being average.  Since when is average not ok?  Not everyone is the star basketball player, or the best academically, or able to earn a million dollars.  Why isn't ok to be good at some things, and average on others? 

My opinion is that I am average, in many ways. 

I am average with my weight.  I don't think I am a "big girl running".  I wear a size 8 - since when is that big? 

I am an average runner.  I am working towards the elusive goal of a 5k in 30 minutes, or a 10k in an hour.  I'm close, but not there yet. 

I am a mediocre blogger - I drop off too easily, and I am trying to fix that.


Everyone is running their own race.  It is cliche but true.  We all have our own demons we are facing, and if doing a race through mud, or through coloured powder, or with a tiara and tutu stopping for pictures on the way makes you happy, do it.  Your goal doesn't have to be about time, and you don't have to come first.  Finishing any race is an accomplishment, and it means you are focusing on you and your health.  I will never judge you for that.


Have you judged another runner?  I admit, I have.  Usually related to race outfits or pictures. 

Have you been judged?

What do you think of the Wall Street Journal article?

Getting back to business

Back early this year, January to be exact, I thought I was going to pick up the blog again.  Well, 9 months later, I guess it is about time.

I think it is a perfect time to do so, since my prespective with running has changed so much since then.  In March of this year, I signed up for a Running Room clinic.  I have had a negative mindset with running for quite some time, focusing too much on times, and not enough on consistency and just being happy.  I signed up for the clinic thinking that I could at least find one running partner who was at my pace, and could try out the method of 10's and 1's to get faster. 

I definitely got more than that out of it:  I had a great instructor who pushed everyone, and who never left any runner behind.  I tried the 10 and 1 method, and was able to knock a whole 6 minutes of my previous PB for a 10k race.  I gained several running friends.  But most of all, I began to love running in a way I never had before.  I didn't dread having a running schedule, I embraced it.  It became routine, and the distances were no big thing.  When there is someone else who is waiting for you to run with (and when you have paid to get your butt in gear) it is easy to find motivation and avoid saying "I'll do it tomorrow." 

So fast forward to May Race Weekend, I rocked it.  Since then, I have kept my distances up, aside from the past two weeks, and have came up with a running plan for the next year or so. 

Given that it is my 30th birthday this year, I wanted to do some things that were out of my comfort level, that cost more than I would normally spend on myself, that put me first.  So out of the blue, I have decided to do this:

Registration Confirmation for:

2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend

Dear Pamela,
Congratulations! You are now registered for 2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.runDisney.com

This is for the 2014 Glass Slipper Challenge on Saturday, February 22, 2014 and Sunday, February 23, 2014.

So in a little over 150 days, I am going to run a 10k on Saturday, and a half marathon on Sunday.  In costume.  With three of my best girlfriends.  It is daunting, but so much fun.

Training starts October 8th.  I am not sure if I am mentally ready yet, I haven't ran a half marathon in over two years, so it is a big challenge.  I wasn't happy during my first two half marathons, but really, how can you be miserable when running in a tutu through the happiest place on earth?

What is the best race you have ever done?  How can I start to prepare mentally for the journey ahead?

All it takes is one great run....

It's been a long time for me since all the pieces fell into place, since I have had that one great run. 

You know, the run where you are able to get into the zone, block out all the negatives and negativity inside yourself, and just feel perfect running, like you could continue for ages.  Were your legs feel as light as air, where your lungs are so expansive that you never need to stop to take a breather. 

My run today was that run.  I am a weather wuss (to be fair, it was -21 celcius here today!!) and decided to get my butt to the gym for a run.  I have set a goal for myself this year to get to the gym 3x a week, or at least get running 3x a week.  For the first few weeks of this year, I have been consistently failing at that goal. With being in Florida for Christmas, and getting back to work, I just haven't been getting it done.  Come March, I will be forcing myself to do it, as I have signed up for my first Running Room clinic (more to come on that, and my annual running goals).

But for now, I am on my own.  So I got to the gym, and decided to do a long slow run.  For me, long was going to aim for about 4 miles right now.  Pathetic, I know.  I started up, at a pace of 11 minutes a mile, and felt fantastic.  Normally, I am huffing and puffing within minutes, thinking of reasons to stop.  But today, it was awesome.  Not even the idiot running beside me with their treadmill going at 9 miles an hour, with a 10% incline, who was running by lifting most of his body weight with his arms, leaning on the treadmill the whole time, not even he could get me off my game.

I ran a wonderful 5 miles.  Way longer than anything I had done recently, and it felt amazing.  I could have went longer, but with sleeping late, I had other things I had to get done. 

I'm so happy to have that run under my belt, because I was starting to worry that I had completely lost my game.  I just realized, I was pushing way too hard, way too fast. I'm looking forward to investing the time and taking the effort to reach my goals this year...... which will be posted soon! 

When was the last time you had a "perfect" run?  Have you managed to have one on the dreadmill?

P.S - check out Running Diva Mom's Nuun giveaway here - http://runningdivamom.blogspot.ca/2013/01/nuun-review-giveaway.html

Lance Armstrong

I tried to do another post to celebrate my 100th blog entry, but as I was drafting it, I realized that I can't delay my thoughts on the Lance Armstrong interview with Oprah one bit.  I need to say my peace, and find out the opinions of runners regarding Lance Armstrong wanting to be able to compete again in the future. 

I admit, I wasn't following this scandal as much as some people who are very interested in the cycling world; I was one of the people who knew of Lance from his achievements, the 7 tour wins, the cancer fight, dating Cheryl Crow, creating Livestrong.  I thought of him as an amazing man, someone who had persevered and done amazing things in his life, and had actively taken the time to pay it forward through an amazing organization for cancer research. 

When the ASADA report came out, I didn't read it, but I wasn't sure what to think. It seemed, based on what had went on for years, that people were out to get him.  At this point, the historical testing of his urine samples hadn't happened, and so I kept thinking that all the facts weren't known, and that I wasn't prepared to judge one way or another.

I watched both interviews last night and today.  Wow.  I am torn regarding the interview, whether he was sincere, whether he truly admitted that his life was a lie, that he was a bully, a jerk.  I thought he admitted some things frankly and candidly, but it certainly was not a no holds barred interview, he didn't admit how it was done, he avoided topics, and keep walking a fine line between accepting responsibility for his actions and blaming the "doping culture."

I don't think the interview was enough, or was done for altruistic reasons or for the public's benefit.  This was clearly for him, and what he could do to earn money, get sympathy, rebuild his reputation, or get the ban lifted.  However, I do believe there is a doping culture, and that at some level, because he was so popular and got caught, he is becoming a scapegoat, someone that is being punished more than others who had similar "crimes against sport."

I was especially struck by the conversation when it turned to his ban, and how this affected his ability to run. He got a lifetime ban, from anything sanctioned, which means many, many running races, he can never participate in.  Lance Armstrong says he hopes to have that ban lifted, to run in the Chicago Marathon when he is 50.  Online, there has been talk of his Boston marathon time of 2:50:58 from the 2008 race, where he came in 497th place, that it would be vacated, as if it didn't happen.

As a runner, I understand how this would be hard to accept.  Races are part of what we do, what we enjoy, why we run. To run without a goal race, without something to work toward, would be very hard to accept. I have a hard enough time having motivation when I do have a race, I can't imagine having to accept to race against my own time on my own made up courses or a treadmill.

That being said, it is a consequence of his own stupid actions.  He needs to understand that his actions have consequences.    Cycling is his love, and he should never get the chance to race again.  Period.   That will be punishment for the rest of his life.  But running?  He is never going to place in a big race like Boston or Chicago.  Should he be allowed to join a group of people to work out together, to enjoy a hobby that will never earn him money, that will never get him prize money?   What happens if he gets better at running without doping?  Do we ban him then?

What about triathalons?  Apparently, he was having quite a good year in 2012 before he was banned, and could have had a shot at Kona: http://www.runtri.com/2012/02/lance-armstrong-results-at-ironman-703.html

If I had to say my peace on the running issue, I would lean towards letting him run a 10k, letting him join Team Diabetes or another charitable running program to make some amends.  Him running probably won't make any negative impact in anyone's life.  But ban him from triathalons, from the bike, because that is where he should be punished.  Let him compete in running, but don't let him win.  That will hurt him just as much, if not more than not letting him participate at all.


What do you think of the running ban that comes along with Lance Armstrong's ASADA punishment?  As a runner, do you think he should be banned from races?  Why?

Back and Ambitious!!!

Hey!!!

I've came back after a very long year (nope, no baby to announce, just work and life and the ups and downs that come with it) with a new sense of renewal and dedication.

When I left the blog last year, I realized that I had the wrong focus, that I had become a person who was too obsessed with "competing" with the fast bloggers, the bloggers who ran Boston, the runners who are generally freaking amazing.  I LOVE these bloggers, but it took me a heck of a long time to figure out, I'm not them.  I'm not even close.

After I got back from my whirlwind Europe trip, which was awesome, my friendship with my best friend, the person whose wedding I attended last November, went off the rails.  Reasons will not be discussed, but it is sad to see one of your longest friendships fall off over something so insignificant.  Things were rocky, then bad, then we just stopped speaking.  And I'm ok with it.

I've moved forward with life and work, finding great people in my life to "fill the void" so to speak, and expect a pretty big improvement at work very soon.  More to come on that in the near future.

With respect to running, the past year has been all about running for me.  I did the Resolution Run last December, and it was a great race.  I made good time for me (somewhere around 33 minutes) but didn't really care.  Maybe that was due to the Irish coffee I drank before the race.... ;)  But it renewed my sense of being a runner, and that I could define what that meant.

Since then, I have ran in the following races: a short (5k), small prediction race in March, the Spartan Race, the Perth Kilt Race, a Race called Rattle Me Bones, and the Franktown 10k.  Most of these races went very well.  The 10k didn't, mostly because I undertrained, and once again focused on time expectations without putting the effort in.

In December, I turned 29.  Eek!!! Most women certainly know, you hit a certain age and really have to evaluate where you are and what you want to do.  I decided I am at a good place overall - great job, family, own my own home, decent-ish debt load, etc.  Even with my contentment, I decided I haven't been spending enough time (or money really) on me and what I want to do.  I am the person who hands over the remote to my husband, who gives my step-daughter my shoes when she forgets hers at her mothers, who lets my friends have the last slice.  So this year, I have given myself a 30 under 30 (really a 30 before 31) list of things to do, and have started crossing them off. 

There are several fitness related ones, including doing the May Race Weekend 10k again and beating my sucky PR for that race of 1:09:45.  I actually went and signed up for a running room clinic so that I can meet new running friends who are at my pace.  It excites me and makes me internally freak out all at the same time. 

I am also planning to do the Spartan Trifecta, which you can read about here because I'm crazy, and frankly, there needs to be more women's names on that list. 

Finally, I have a few other goals that I will share that are not running related - cooking a meal I am terrified of, eating something scary and awesome, zip lining for the first time in my life, losing some weight, reading some of the great classic books, etc. 

I hope to make this new version of Running from the Law interesting to you, so if anyone comes back and reads this post, please, please tell me what you want to see.  Me making an idiot of myself? Less running more life, or vice versa?  Informative posts about things like research and gear??? More/less pictures?  Let me know.

K, I'm out for now, but will check in soon with pictures of my newest running gear, and details of the trip I went on over Christmas. Later!

Foto & Follow up Friday

I'm Alive!!!!

Yes, I know, it has been too long for me to be away. I somehow forgot to tell you all that I was going to be away for a while! My husband and I went to a wedding for a good friend in England, and decided to make a tour of France and Germany at the same time! So there was a lot of packing, travelling, eating, relaxing, and some stressing when our travel agent messed up our flight home. Since we've got back, I have been working overtime to get back on track. Why does it always seem like you have to spend two weeks catching up from a 2 week vacation?

So to make up for my absence, here are some photos for your enjoyment! More to come!!!

Third Time Thursday

Well, this weekend I had scheduled plans to help my friend M complete her first marathon. She had signed up for a tough local race, once that had a lot of hills, and a pretty arbitrary policy of telling people to not sign up if they thought they would take more than 6 hours max. Even those who thought they might be over 5 hours had to sign up for an early start time. As a result, there were only about 200 marathon runners, and my friend was SUPER nervous.


The week before her race, I agreed to meet her about 25km into the looping course, and help her run the rest in. 12-15k was something I knew I could do just fine, so I planned where to park accordingly. The morning of the race however, everything went wrong. I couldn't get to the place I wanted to, so had to park with all the participants, and had to walk the course to the 25k mark. This meant about 5k of walking to get to the meetup point, with a bag on my back in 28 degree heat. I was worried I had missed my friend, and kept an eye out for her. I texted her, and was scared when I got no response. There was at least one marathoner I passed who collapsed at the 20k mark, and I assisted another in dropping out on my way to the meetup point.


Finally, I called my friend, and found out she was just approaching where I was. She had got to the 23 k mark, and decided that running it wasn't fun, and she wanted to cross the finish line with a smile on her face, so she made the executive decision to walk the rest of the race. Somehow, I was convinced to walk with her. So, I accidentally completed my third half marathon this weekend. My friend was the last person on the course, and didn't finish in the 6 hour time limit, but thanks to some great volunteers, she had a human finish line to cross and a medal to receive when she got there.


I had great fun being a sherpa for her, even with the blisters and sore muscles the next day. I got home to my husband saying he told me so (I said I wouldn't do another half marathon again) but that was ok. It was my first time "spectating" and was completely enjoyable. If all my races were like that, I would do a half marathon anytime. There were no expectations, no pressure to complete in a certain time frame. The goal was to cross the line, and in the end, we both did.


Anyone have their own "spectating" stories where you ended up being more than just verbal support? What do you think about a race having a time limit?

Spoke too soon

Every year, I get to this point (October) and think, I will run through the season. I will not be a wuss. I will put my big girl pants on and get my butt out of my warm bed and run, even though it is getting chilly.

And then the season change comes, and it hits me like a freight train, and I can barely get out of bed to get to work on time, let alone run. I have signed up for the Resolution Run in December, so I have to get back to it, but I am giving myself a little bit of breathing room for another week or two before getting back into it full force. I have a pile of other things going on, work related, life related, and sometimes, you just need to give yourself a little break.

So my last post, I mentioned that I managed to avoid the dreaded black toes that I had last year. If you weren't here, 5 of my toes turned some shade of purple or black after my first half marathon, and partially detached from the nailbeds. I managed to keep them all, but was not happy about the process. This year, some of my toes turned a strange shade of pink, but after almost two weeks, I was confident I was going to keep them all.

Fast forward to this past Saturday, I had a friend visiting from overseas and we were showing her our new house. My husband and I stepped in to hug her at the same time, and sure enough, my husband stepped on my big toe, and I immediately knew it was trouble. I looked down and the middle of my nail had already started turning purple/black from blood pooling underneath, or bruising, or something. So, I'm back to crimson nail polish!!!

FYI - don't google black toenail - some people have ugly toes!

Are you a fall runner? Do you notice any change in your running when the seasons change from warm to cold?

I love running...

This post has been a bit inspired by Mel over at Tall Mom - she had a negative incident with a photo caption, and clarified that you don't always have to look happy or have a smile on your face to love running. I think right now that point needs to stick in my head. I don't have to be competitive, I don't have to be fast, I don't have to run marathons or half marathons. I could, and I know that, but just because I choose not to doesn't mean I am not a worthy runner, and doesn't mean I don't love running the distances I choose to run from now on.

My husband proceeded to keep digging a hole with me today when he called me at work. After the run, he didn't ask what time I finished in, and to be honest, I didn't share because I was horribly ashamed of it. I should be able to run faster than I do. So many people I know, bloggers I see do halfs in 2 hours or less like it is no big thing, so when I have to say I did my second half in 2:48, it sucks.

I guess my husband took it upon himself to look up my time, then he called and jokingly called me a slacker. Which resulted in me bursting into tears at my desk, because I feel like it is true. I feel I failed, I am lacking, the result isn't impressive, and am terribly ashamed. I think upon hearing my reaction, which was crickets followed by a conversation on why that wasn't funny, he finally got it.

Still waiting on the photos, but my body is pretty much 100%. Toenails are a bit sore, but thankfully, I think none of them will turn black or fall off this time. Might try to get a run in tomorrow.

Has anyone ever made a really stupid comment to you they thought was "funny"? What did you do about it?

Not my best today....

Wanted to check in really fast to provide an update, as I received a few comments on my last post. Saturday night, I knew that things weren't going to go my way when the hubby didn't go to bed early, instead deciding to stay up till 2am (I know, he woke me up when he got in bed) watching movies and doing his thing. I didn't even bother trying to wake him up on Sunday. He didn't show, but he did manage to drive into Ottawa that same morning (could have probably made it to my finish) to go shopping instead.

Race was fine for about 8k, then we stopped because my friend was having digestive issues, and I just didn't want to go any further. I was done. It just wasn't my definition of fun anymore.

I finished the race, 5 minutes slower than my first, but did noy feel joy or relief. I just felt empty and sad.

At this point, I don't think I will be running another half again, at least not with any serious intentions. Maybe the disney princess half, but no others. My heart isn't in it, and the whole process has just made me sore, cranky, sad and depressed. And it truly shouldn't make me feel this way.

So 5's and 10's are what I'll do. I'll accept what I now know is my personal limits. It is hard not getting caught up with other bloggers who go further and faster than me, and it is getting me down. So I am going to focus on what I can do decently well, that puts a smile on my face.

P.S - two years ago today, I married my husband. Realized I never posted any photos of us last year, definitely meant to, so here's one for you:

Freak Out Friday

Two recent developments have me freaking out in different ways about this weekend:

1) the race directors/powers that be have just announced that the course has changed for the third time in three years. While I hate that there isn't consistency, and that I now don't know/have never run about half of the route, the advantage is we get to avoid a KILLER hill that made me nearly keel over last year. It's about 2k of straight uphill torture which I am glad to miss. See my comments on that hill and the racer who I saw collapsed on the course here.

2) the bigger freakout has to do with my husband, who I love, but is not a runner. I have tried to convert him, he has done part of the C25k program, has ran with me as recently as this month, but has never caught the running bug. I can accept that. However, he has always been supportive of the past in attending my races and cheering me on, which is something I thrive on and means a lot to me.

So I had the following conversation with him on the phone just now:

Me: Hey Hun, so we have to get to M's house at around 7:45-8 so we can drive into town for the race, since it starts at 9.

Him: 7:45?!?!

Me: Yes, it is a 9am race.

Him: Well, I was planning on going out to the shooting range tomorrow morning, and was really looking forward to sleeping in on Sunday.

Me...... um, ok, but you knew about the race.

Him: What am I going to do for 3 hours anyways?

Me: Go have breakfast? Watch me and support me?

Him: *sigh*

Seriously???? He knew about this race MONTHS ago, and all of a sudden sleeping in is more important? My friend M has her parents, who live in Alberta, who have flown out just to see her run, and my husband can't get out of bed and spend three hours supporting me. I could just about cry right now. Because the only thing worse than racing, is racing knowing no one is there to support you specifically. The rest of my family is in a different area of the province, so if he doesn't come, I'll be going it alone. As much as I am upset, it isn't worth me forcing him to attend.

I have been realizing over the past little while that I am losing my run mojo, and with this it feels like another nail in the coffin. It is hard to continue doing something where you have no one supporting you, and where your goals aren't motivating you like they should.

Do you have supportive family? If you don't, how do you do it?

Slacker Monday

On the weekend I was checking my facebook account, and was confronted with my status from last year which indicated that I had two interviews on one day. At the time, the interviews were great news as it had been a long trying summer of attempting to find employment, only to get two different job offers on one day. On October 4th, I will be with my workplace for one year, and so glad to be gainfully employed and earning $$$!

However, this status update reminded me of how different my life was last year, and where my head was at the week before the race. Last year, I had a guaranteed job, but hadn't started working yet. I was essentially on a holiday, with all the time in the world to run. I was optimistic and full of energy after a long and depressing summer. As a result, I was super excited/nervous for my first half marathon.

Fast forward to today, I am 6 days out from my second half marathon, and I feel like it is a chore. I did my last long run last saturday in brutal heat and humidity, and it was a definite slogfest. I have ran one 5k since then, and feel like my heart isn't in it. I am so focused on my job, my new house, our upcoming trip, finances, getting the Munckin back into the routine of school that running is something I do, not necessarily something I love or an excited about.

I know that excitement will come back as I attend the race expo later this week, get my swag and maybe buy some new gear, but for now, it is SO hard to convince myself to get out there and do a run or two this week. It is so scary to think that this weekend, I run 21k. I feel unprepared and nervous that I will tank out worse than last year.

In case you don't remember, I ran my first half in 2:43 last year. I am not exactly a speedy Gonzales here. I will be embarassed if I don't surpass that. I should be a better runner now, having another year under my belt, but I am concerned that with my life back on track, I didn't take the time to become a better me.

Is this rambling part of my taper madness? Maybe. Is it messing with my self-esteem? Yes.

Despite being so focused on life this year, the one thing I do find about my training is that I have been WAY more positive. Last year I would fight my running buddy to take breaks when it gets tough. This year I found myself pushing her on when she wanted to stop. I am hoping that between the two of us, we will be able to challenge our limits in a reasonable way, and get close to that 2:30 time frame I had initially wanted. I have not been wearing a Garmin on my training runs (*gasp*) and don't really know if I am on track, but I am hoping with some determination and drive, I will be able to push it (push it real good!) and get to my goal.

I WILL run a 10k tonight

I WILL be excited for Sunday

I WILL be positive and keep moving for as much of the 21k as possible

I WILL meet my goals, no matter what they are the day of

I WILL be happy for myself, even if it is just for being healthier than at least 50% of the population

What will you do today?

Foto Friday - My Creation

A few weeks ago, I won an Allied Metal Display in a blogger contest. I was trying to find a design that screamed me, and it wasn't there, so I contacted Joel, and we bounced ideas around. I have had the greatest customer service from Joel over at Allied, as it literally took me weeks to try and figure out what felt right for me.

While Allied had several cityscapes that are really nice, they didn't match up with my newly re-acquired country/small town life. So Joel and I talked, ran through several ideas, I even sent a PDF very bad sketch his way, and we came up with something I really enjoy. This afternoon, it got posted on the Allied Metal Display Facebook page, and I squealed with delight!!! 16 people had liked the photo and 8 more left comments, and I felt like one proud mama.

Here are the photos of my/our/Allied Metal Display's new "ruralscape" design:

It has been sent out, so I hope to be taking photos of the real thing in the near future, and holding a great giveaway for you all!

Happy Friday!

Fueling Friday

So I have thought about doing a post about how to appropriately fuel for a run for quite some time, I even tried to get a guest blogger to come do some notes on it, but alas, no dice. But now that I am back up to decent distances (yes, I have failed to fill you all in, but my half marathon training is somewhat back on track, with 4 weeks left to go!) I have been re-evaluating my fuel options.

I often do not fule for anything less than 10-12k. Just water. I find for this distance, as long as I get home and grab some lovely chocolate milk or other source of nutrients, I'm good.

But, with the longer runs now, I need something to keep me going. Every runner has their preferences, and I will just share mine! So here are some of the popular choices (food based, not any electrolytes or other brews), and my thoughts on them.

Clif: Clif offers two different products, the gels and the the shot bloks. I have tried both, and although I am not a fan of the chewiness and stickiness of some chews, I think Clif has hit a good balance for both of these products. I can take them manageably, and the flavours are pretty decent. They also tend to be cheaper than many of the other products out there, and the gels have convenient little tabs so that you don't have to litter on the run. That being said, I find the effect, the high you get is a bit muted, and may not last as long. They are my current #2 brand!

Powerbar: Probably one of the oldest and most well known companies for sports energy products, the powerbars, bites, blasts and the gels can be found in most sports stores and often in grocery stores. Powerbar provides a number of flavours and are generally middle of the pack on cost. I have tried the bars for non-running, and like them. On the run, I can't really fathom eating a powerbar, so I have tried the gel and the blasts. Sadly, I hate them. The gel in both products has a taste and consistency that I just cannot stomach, and they generally cause me some GI issues. They might work for some people, just not at all for me. I'd rather run without fuel than use powerbar gel.

Stingers: I have a pack of these purchased, but haven't gotten the chance to bite into them yet. The stingers are made of honey and kola nut, which is the natural source for caffiene, and they use mostly organic materials. The company produces waffles, stingers, and gels, but they are VERY hard to find in my area. I have never seen the gel, and the waffles and stingers are generally only available at Running Room. Stingers are limited in flavours as well, but are reasonably priced.

Jelly Belly: This is JB's attempt to diversify it's products, by taking jelly beans and adding some electrolytes and vitamins. These taste just like the real jelly bellys, which is an advantage in the taste arena. However, they are also made 100% like jelly beans, meaning a sugary exterior and chewy interior which equals a bad mix for me. I hate eating something that tastes so much like candy while running. They are extremely portable, and I love how the little bags are resealable, but I will take a pass on these beans.

Sharkies: These adorable little jelly candies pack real fruit flavour and some serious energy. The package is a bit more bulky, meaning that they can be harder to carry on longer runs, especially if you need to carry more than one. Nutritionally, they are a good balance of everything you need while on the run, and I find the energy is really great over the long term - no peak and crash. I do find that Sharkies have a bit of an aftertaste, and can stick in your teeth quite easily (saving for later?) but generally a good choice.

Gu: With Gu, you either love it or hate it. And many, many people love it. Myself included. Medium price (not including the Roctane), but with a superior energy punch, and great long term power to get your through the tough runs. I tend to like the variety of flavours available, both fruity and heavier options. I personally LOVE the Jet Blackberry flavour (2x caffiene for the win!). My #1 choice on all runs.

Carb Boom: this product has larger packages and can be quite hard to find outside of specialty stores. They also quite high calorie content, and either no caffiene or double caffiene. Personally I have never tried this brand, so I can't rate the effectiveness, but I have heard both good and bad things about this product. It is thin and can be messy.

Hammer Gel: Again, one I haven't tried due to it's lack of general availability in my area. Only available at Running Room. Medium price, about 9 flavours to try from. Lower on calories and made with real fruit. Noted to have a lower initial punch and long term energy boost than some other brands.

Here's an interesting chart about most of the brands above, plus some I assume are American:

http://www.trail-running-blog.com/energy-gel-review-comparison/

What product is your favourite? How do you fuel on the go?

Spartan Race - July 2011

Ok, here is my long awaited race summary for the Spartan Race, which took place at Camp Fortune in Hull.

First of all, for some reason, after living in Ottawa for approximately 7 years, somehow I never managed to figure out that Camp Fortune wasn't just a lovely place to relax and do some hiking, but that it was also a ski resort in the winter. Oops. As a result, I had NO idea what I was about to face, and just how hard this race would be. I was oblivious and excited.

We arrived as instructed over an hour early, only to find out that there was no parking available right near the site. We were forced to park, ditch all of our extra clothing, wallets etc, at the vehicle, and walk 2+ km uphill to get to the race site. The weather that day was miserable, it was approximately 30 degrees without the humidex, meaning it soared to approximately 36 degrees Celcius, or 97 degrees Farenheit that day.

When we finally got to the site, we proceeded to write our numbers on our arms in permanent marker, get our chips and free t-shirts (which were white, and of course, we had no where to put them, so we hid them in the bush and came back to get them later). We had very little time before our heat was called and we were lining up.

The course on this race can only be described as brutal. I had heard positive things about the other Canadian races, but they were described as mostly flat. We were faced with immediate hills, climbing to ridulous heights. The gun went off, and we started plowing up the first ski hill with everyone else. It became very clear that to survive this race, we needed to pace ourselves, and slowed down significantly.

Once we were up the first hill, we were directed through a wooded path where we had to climb over and under wood poles, through a cargo net, and dash to the first true obstacle, which was a short wood retainer wall which we quickly cleared. Once cleared we were directed to a grassy area where there was a long strip of barbed wire laid down and we were told to climb under it all, army style. This was by far my favourite obstacle with respect to the challenge - it was fun while forcing you to get down and dirty, and a lot of people were helping each other by raising the barbed wire or to untangle others who had got caught.

Once this obstacle was done, we were relatively filthy, and headed back over to the hills where we were given a tire and told to lug it half way up a ski hill and then carry it back down. I proceeded to find the smallest tire I could, and went to it. The hill was very slippery, and it was hard to find your footings going in either direction.

Once we dropped the tire, we went back under more barbed wire, and if you weren't completely filthy yet, this is where you were covered in mud and hay.

They turned us back us the largest ski hill I think I have ever seen. It literally kept going and going, we would think it was cresting and then cry to see more hill in front of us. At this point, we were probably less than half way through, and the heat was getting to me and my 5 friends. We had no sun protection, and at the top of the hill, we found out there was absolutely NO WATER on the course. An email sent to us had said there would be 3 water stations, and it would have been extremely difficult to carry it with all the mud etc. I am decently fit, not perfect, but all of us were walking part way up the hill, stopping and sitting down, catching our breath, and then continuing. Any time expectations went out the window, and we aimed to just survive.

At the top of the monstrous hill, we were met with volunteers (who were in the process of eating lunch and drinking cold water) and had to climb ropes to the top of the Ski lift mechanism. This is an obstacle that is not girl friendly, as I have NO upper body strength. With the help of a few good men, namely my husband, and tow other guy friends, my friend M and I both made it to the top.

Down back into the forest we went, racing through to a cargo net which we had to scale. I had no problems at all with this obstacle, flying right through and getting some confidence back. Continuing through the forest, we came to the next obstacle that required us to either do 30 pushups, or lug a bucket full of water up and down a hill. I knew my arms were tired, but thought that the bucket was a better form of torture, and cut some time going that route. We dumped the buckets on ourselves at the end, and that water felt like the best thing in the world. At this point, we were outside for about an hour with no water.

Back out of the forest, we ran ahead to the next wall where the girls and boys were separated. Girls got the easier side, where they had put some handholds and footholds for us to scale. The men had to go it without those resources, and I felt bad for any guy who was of short stature, as he would have problems considering the height of the wall. I scaled it with the help of some other girls, and then turned around and helped other competitors before moving on. (I am far left in black, helping someone up)

On the other side of this wall was another ski hill. If you check out the video (below) you will see just how big this sucker was. It felt never-ending. I had to take SO many breaks on this hill, as my body was just exhausted. I thought I was somewhat fit, but between these hills and the women all decked out in shorts and sports bras with amazing abs, I was feeling a bit inferior. We climbed and climbed and climbed, and finally got to the top.

After all that climbing, it was a joy to head downhill and be directed to throw spears/javelins at some straw spartans which were about 20 feet away. If you didn't hit the spartan at all, you had to do 30 burpees. Again, this was an obstacle where many women were at a disadvantage, but I managed to chuck it with everything I had and hit the leg. Yeah for no burpees!!!

The next obstacle came right after: we had to carry a cement block on our shoulders around a little track. Finally we were directed to the best obstacle ever: a river!!!! We were overjoyed to get in that water, cool down and clean up. We walked through the water to two culverts. We had minimal clearance, but were told to swim through the culverts to the other side. The culvert I was in actually had a dip in the middle, and we were forced to tilt our heads way up as to not drown. I loved every minute of it.

Out of the river, we ran over to a pole over some more water where we had to shimmy across or hang from it and climb across. Then we had to lift a brick on a rope up in the air and slowly back down. Easy peasy.

More running, mostly downhill lead us to more barbed wire, but this time instead of it being laid over the grass, it was overtop of a wood frame which was filled with ice and ice water. By the time we got to this obstacle, most of the ice had melted, but the water we had to crawl through was still pretty cold.

Nearing the finish, we had two obstacles left: the Spartans and the fire. (See my impressive jump in the background?)

From there the finish line greeted us, and "spartan women" gave us our rocking medals. We quickly went to the only water station at the finish line and tried to rehydrate as best as we could. We were told that there was free beer and a pay BBQ, but of course, our wallets and ID were in the vehicle 2km away, so once we were semi-cleaned up (and wounds were tended to) we slowly walked back down to the truck and called it a day.

Did I enjoy this race? Yes

Would I do it again? Yes, but I hope next year they do it better. We saw at least one person being taken away for heat exhaustion, and the staff wasn't the friendliest. They ran out of medals too. If they bring in water stations, and make the heats bigger but with more time in between (faster people made running in the forest dangerous), I would definitely try it again.

Here is a video I love, from the perspective of another Spartan Racer - it really shows what the course was like, condensed into 10 minutes. Enjoy! Aroo!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joIrCUtfxfU

Country Runner

Well, after a brief break from anything not related to moving, we are now settled into our new home. We moved on the 22nd, and then my parents promptly decided that the first weekend after the move was the best time for them to come visit and stay with us. It was lovely to see them, but meant a lot of rushed unpacking, and chaos.

Finally, for the first time in weeks, I got to put on my running gear and get out for a lovely run along the trans-Canada trail, which runs through a town near where I live. It is a lovely isolated little path, and I noticed a huge difference between my typical runs in the city vs this run. Such as:

1) I saw a grand total of 3 people. Two cyclists and one walker. Which was a good thing, because I had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction where I kept showing off my underwear to the world.

2) the bugs - I definitely got bit by something, and the blackflies were circling around my head for half the run. Bug spray is a new must for running gear

3) the quiet - related to #1, it was so nice to have a solid strip to run where the noises consist of the birds chirping and cicadas. Makes your mind relax a bit.

4) the little critters - practically ran over a chipmunk and a rabbit on my brief 40 minute run.

I am honestly loving the new scenery and environment, and plan on getting out there much more now that I am settling in as a re-found country girl. I grew up on a 30 acre farm, so being in the country is my true home, and I forgot that with the hustle and bustle of the "big city". I will be bringing in more of the country soon (hopefully) with a future giveaway from Allied Metal Displays. We're working on a custom/new design, and hopefully, I'll be able to show it off to you all soon and offer you all the chance to win your own display!

So, are you a country or a city runner? Who do you think has it better?

Why I Read your Blog...

(stolen from Rust Belt Runner here - see below)

Why do you read a blog? 
 


I currently have SO many blogs that I read on a regular, or semi regular basis, and I have different reasons for each one. Here are some of my favourites, and why I <3 you all!!! TMB from Racing with Babes


1) Love your sense of humour
Beth from Shut Up and Run


2) I know you from other online forums
Marlene from Mission to a(nother) Marathon
Meg from Worth a Tri
Huneybee from Mommy Running Through

3) You inspire me
Tall Mom from Tall Mom on the Run
Emz from RunEMZ
Laurie from The (Mis)Adventures of a Jogging Mom

4) I relate so well to you and your posts
Holly from Rust Belt Runner
The Turtle's Pace


5) You are an awesome runner
EVERYONE!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Currently I follow 67 blogs, and I swore, that number is lower than the number I thought it would be!


How many blogs do you currently follow and/or read?

To inflate my ego, why do you read my blog?

OMG!!!!

Without knowing it, I actually made a top 100 list for running blogs this year!!!!

You can check out the entire list here:

http://www.healthcarecolleges.net/awards/top-running-blogs-2011-awards/

I feel pretty privileged to make the list with some of the best bloggers out there! Now if only I can get my host, Blogger to work and get some comments flowing again, I'd be happy!!!

Go check out the other bloggers on the list, and I'll hopefully get my report (with functional comments) for the Spartan Race up ASAP. For now, here's a preview:

Hello?

Ok, so after posting about my Perth Kilt run race report last week, I was kind of bummed that I got no responses to the post. BUT, I know I have been having HUGE problems with Blogger lately and commenting on other people's blogs, so I am hoping that it is not just the fact that I am boring.

Before I write my epic race report on the Spartan race, including a 3k uphill walk to the start, 35 degree Celsius weather and ski hills with no water, can someone leave a comment if they are able to, or telling me that they weren't able to comment on my last post? If I get no comments, I am going to assume I need to play with my blogger settings to get things worked out.

Is Blogger causing you problems???