Running Bébé

Running Bébé Takes Manhattan: Day 5

2009-11-05T21:56:00.000-08:00

Today we headed down to Lower Manhattan to wander around and also to go look at wallets at Century 21. We don't have those in Canada (Century 21's, not wallets). The department store was super crowded, so we did a lot more walking around outside than in the store.

Ian sipping coffee with Trinity Church in the distance behind him

It was a perfect day for aimless meandering through the streets - not too hot, not too cold, and not raining.

New York Stock Exchange Me on the steps of Federal Hall , which was the original capitol of the United States

Back at our room we were treated to quite a show, as the USS New York docked right in front of our hotel (picture above taken from our room!). Apparently part of the hull is made from steel salvaged at Ground Zero. Being our last day I thought it was important to get some shots of our room, which was AWESOME. This images don't do the hotel justice, but they're better than nothing.

Fabulous walk-in shower

View from the lounge area into the bedroom beyond

We had a great time in New York, and we highly recommend the Ink48 Hotel. The service is amazing, the rooms are well-appointed, and since the hotel only opened in October - everything is shiny and new!

Running Bébé Takes Manhattan: Day 4

2009-11-04T20:35:00.001-08:00

Today we had a lot of fun exploring the modern galleries at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the Upper East Side. We LOVE modern art. We also saw the important Vermeer exhibit, including the famous painting of "The Milkmaid":

To be honest I'm not really one for Dutch masters. This stuff is way more fun if you ask me:

"Spectrum V" by Ellsworth Kelly, ca. 1969

As usual I was obsessed with finding funny shots at the museum, like this one I took of Ian - which was not staged. He had no idea until he saw this picture.

The painting, "Mark" by Chuck Close ca. 1978-79

Me admiring Jackson Pollock's "Autumn Rhythm (Number 30)", ca.1950

The Mall

After fun at the Museum, we cut back to the West Side across the park. After some pleading on my part, Ian agreed to take a rowboat out on the Lake, something we never got around to the 2 years we lived in the city...

There's a video of me rowing here and one of Ian rowing here.

A good day all around.

Running Bébé Takes Manhattan: Days 2 & 3

2009-11-02T18:04:00.000-08:00

Day 2: Halloween

Halloween night in New York City we were, literally, the only people NOT dressed up in costumes. Check out this group on the subway platform at 50th Street:

They were good sports, they even struck a pose

Naive as we were, we thought it would be easy to take the subway down to the East Village, where we were meeting our friends for dinner. When we exited the train at West 4th, this is what we encountered:

Packed like sardines at the W.4th subway station

We were stuck in that crowd for a good 20 minutes, and then I realized we actually needt to TRANSFER, not exit. So we had to go BACK through that mess (against the crowd)!

Day 3: The New York Marathon

I got up pretty early to meet my friend (Fellow Runner, Jeannie) in Queens at Mile 14. I got a HUGE thrill when I saw the lead women run by, especially my all-time-favourite runner, Paula Radcliffe. She looked great! And tough! Click HERE for the video!

Later on we headed into Manhattan, and managed to see the elite men run down off the 59th Street Bridge onto 1st Avenue. There was a lot of loud cheering going on there, and the runners were eating it up!

Next stop was Mile 26 on Central Park South. The marathon was slower than I expected, so we were actually able to see the lead women AGAIN! Paula had dropped back and she really looked like she was hurting. Her face was the giveaway. I cheered "GO PAULA" as loud as I could, hope it helped.

Next, we got to see the lead men, Meb Keflezighi was way out in front haulin' ass! He looked quite relaxed and confident too!

Here's Meb in the lead with about 1/2 mile to go!

Amserican runner, Ryan Hall didn't look like he was lovin' life the last 1/2 mile

Here are Jeannie & I in our "Paual is NYC Marathon Royalty" crowns

Running Bébé Takes Manhattan: Day 1

2009-10-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

We had a very full day today in New York. I tried to log my miles walked on the Garmin, but I kept forgetting to turn it on and off and then it would sort of go to sleep on me. I want to say I probably walked about 4 or 5 miles. My feet are telling me that it was at least that.

Late this afternoon I headed back to hotel to meet Ian for a run. There was a little map in our room showing a 2, 4, and 6 mile running route along the Hudson River on a path. We headed out hoping to do the 6 miles, with a few walk breaks. I've been having leg issues so I wanted to be conservative.

The leg hurt right away when I started to run - mostly around the hip. After a few minutes it didn't feel too bad. We ran 1 mile, took a little walk / stretch break, then started running again. Last 2 miles we ran without a break.

It was breezy and cool. I was happy to have the arm warmers. We saw quite a few runners - and most of them were super fast. Not sure what that's all about.

Celebrity sightings: 1

I walked right past Kathleen Turner on W.70th & Broadway.

Rat Sightings: 0

New Experiences

2009-10-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

I have to look on the bright side. I've been running consistently for just shy of three years, and before this month I had never been sidelined due to illness or injury.

That's pretty remarkable when you think of it. Ok, truth be told, I had to take some rest days after the Worst Hangover Ever last July. Anyway, I was back to running no time.

Injury wise, I've had the odd ache and pain here and there. I have to ice my knees and ankles regularly to keep myself going. There have been periods in my training when I may have abused Ibuprofin just a little bit. But I can honestly say that none of these problems have resulted in a visit to the doctor or a layoff from running. If anything, they've been minor inconveniences.

Well, things took a turn this summer when I became inexplicably sluggish and wiped out. Turned out I had an iron deficiency. A few weeks of iron therapy and I started to see improvements. I was feeling like maybe it would all work out just fine and I'd be in great shape for a December marathon.

Then, out of the blue, and without warning, a couple of weeks ago I was stricken down with a severe bout of Bronchitis. It was so bad, that when I went to the doctor to have it looked at, he said I was having an asthma attack and send me home with 2 inhalers and a course of antibiotics. I was out of commission for about a week.

What bronchitis does to your lungs

Finally, last Monday, I woke up before my alarm with a spring in my step and took a deep, invigorating breath. I was ready to run! I decided to start conservatively with an easy 3 miler. It was great to be back at it, and I felt fantastic. My marathon advisor, John, had me run another easy 7 miles the next day, which also went swimmingly! Two days later I was ready for something more intensive.

I headed out for a 7 mile tempo run, with the aim to run an easy 2 miles, speed up a bit for the middle 3, and then run the last 2 miles at a fairly speedy pace. Just a little ways into the last 2 miles I felt a sudden pain in my left leg. I was determined not to fail this time, so I pushed past the pain and finished my run in the desired time.

But by the time I got home I was hobbling and was relieved to be able to lie down on the floor.

I am still struggling to figure out exactly what the heck is wrong with my leg. I can't even really pinpoint where the pain is. When I ran I could feel some achiness in my hip. Afterwards it was more mid-shin. After sitting all day it seems to be at the front of my ankle, where my leg meets the foot.

I'm heading to the walk-in clinic to see my doctor in a couple of minutes, and I'll update this after I see her. I doubt she'll be able to tell me much, but it's a first step...

THE UPDATE:
Ok, I'm back from the doctor's office with good news. Doc thinks it's "fascial pain" and NOT a stress fracture. She thinks the fact that the achiness is migrating around my leg is a sure sign it's a nerve thing and not a bone thing. This is great news! The doctor wrote me a prescription for some heavy duty anti-inflammatories which I'm to take 3 times a day with meals. She thinks the pain should go away when the inflamation dies down. I am cleared to walk and if it feels ok to try running at any time. As long as I'm pain free I can keep increasing the intensity. Best of all, the doctor felt that I should be back to normal in a week!

So I better keep my cross-training up...Sounds like I'll be back to running soon!

Guest Blog: The Portland Marathon 2009 Recap

2009-10-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

This race report was graciously provided by my fellow Team Point Two teammate, Donna, who was the first of the group to complete her goal marathon on October 4th.

Starting with the Oct 3rd race bib pickup, and Sports Expo, Portland Hilton

Drove with my family and to Parents in-law to drop off our children for the night, and my husband I and were off to Portland Oregon. We drove through Goldendale and saw lots of Indian reservations and the wild mustang horses, beautiful fall colors just starting. Then over Sates pass to the beautiful Columbia River Gorge, Dales Oregon.

The Gorge

We arrived in Portland at 6 pm and went straight to the Hilton Portland where we picked up my race bib and race chip barcode tag (new state of technology for me). We had about ½ hour to venture the sports expo before closing.

Portland

The biomechanic feedback station caught my eye, so I strolled over, put on a pair of their Nike racing flats on hopped on the a treadmill for a video analysis. The Physical Therapist studied my gait after playing it back in slow motion, she said I had a neutral foot plant with no signs of over pronation or ankles angling inward. She said, “Wow you have really strong feet”. “Thank you.” I replied, and chuckled under my breath. Little does she know I train in racing flats and run barefoot in the sand and grass. So five stars for forefoot running, Chi running, and Vibram soles.

Race Day
Well, lets get to the Nitty Gritty of the race. Race morning Oct 4th came with a bang. We stayed at a La Quinta Hotel and they forgot to give us our 5 am wake up call. Thankfully I woke up at 5:35 screeching “Yikes, oh shit…. we gotta go” they never gave us a wake up call!” So 20 min. later, my husband and I drove to downtown Portland, a damp Dewey 40 degree morning perfect for racing. We found a parking garage for $5.00 a day. I put on sweats, earmuffs, and gloves, and then trotted in the parking lot while my husband Reidar put his Mt. Bike together.

Donna could've used one of these

We both started in the direction of 1st and Salmon Ave where the start was. We were amazed to see along the way how many runners were camping out inside Starbucks for their last minute caffeine fix.

Race started at 7 am and it was now 6:30. After finding where the runners with bibs could legally enter, I hung out with my husband until the final departure. We befriended a Father/daughter couple that was both very friendly. The daughter was 28 years old and was planning on qualifying for Boston by running a 3:40. Her father was there on his Mt. Bike as well in order to support her at various spots in the race. Hence, my husband Reidar had had a buddy to hang out with.

And they're off!

I kissed my husband and departed into the chute. I found my way in the cluster of wall-to-wall runners (believe me this was tough, since I’m so claustrophobic) to the 3:40 pace group. At 6:55 the National Anthem was sung by a retired Opera Singer, now running the marathon. The gun goes off at 7:00 am and the wheel chair marathoners are off, a minute goes by and we’re off. Lots of intense cheering, three miles into the race people are tossing this and that of various clothing to the sidelines. Gloves, hats, sweats, just a heaven for the homeless that roam the street afterwards. I was happy for them.

Portland Marathon

The 9-mile mark was a turn around with bands playing. Felt amazingly well inside a pack of runners it was like being pulled along effortlessly. It reminded me of a long time ago back in the 80’s on the track running the 1500 meters and being boxed in. I never used my iPod, the entire marathon. I just soaked in the atmosphere.

An Unscheduled Stop

14, 15 miles? I was at the tail end of 3:45 pace group when a whistle blows! A freight train was coming. We had to be stopped as angry runners cry” This is insane! No way, not fair!” I was upset at first since it takes you off guard and off rhythm. So, we were told to stop our watches and account for the loss at the finish. I had a 2 min 23 sec. delay.

Example of a freight train

Pushing Through
At mile 16 I was feeling my right hamstring start nagging, right calf start twinging, then decided to wait it out. Sure enough it went away. Mile 17 was the famous ½ mile hill, up and over St Johns Bridge. I was starting to stiffen up a bit. By the 20 mile I knew the race was over for me. When I wanted to start to race and kick it in, it clearly was not going to happen. I was down to a 9 min pace, shuffling, and hanging on. I told myself if the pain is only this great and won’t get worse, then just maintain. I started to think of my teammates “TeamPointTwo.” I said now listen “D”, Susan, LJ, Chris, Jamie, Nicole, Tony and your coach John J. Ellis are pulling for you right now. So, come on girl, hang in there.

I took my first race GU from the aid table at mile 23, it was called liquid gold. It was an amazing!!!! Tasted like Amber Honey. It gave me an energy boost.

The last mile was definitely the longest and never seem to end, in fact my mantra at that point was, E.T. Phone home….. E.T. Phone home…. E.T. Phone home….

The Big Finish!

My finish was a blur muffled with cheering. My pained body hit the Finish Plate Sensor. The finished runners were guided through (what seemed to be eternity #2), wobbling another ¾ of a mile in order to get out. I asked myself, “So D would you do this again?” I answered…. Yep!

Finishing time without freight Train Adjustment: 3:59
With re-adjusted time: 3:56.23

9 Weeks to Vegas and a Lack of Motivation

2009-10-05T17:20:00.001-07:00

Lately I've been feeling a certain lack of drive to run or to reach my running goals, the most notable being a 3:45 finish time at the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. I have been finding it harder, mentally, to keep running when I'm tired or sick of running. I've been tired and sick of running more often. I've been tired even when I'm not running. I've been sick of talking about running. This leaves me feeling: 1) Inadequate as a person and 2) SUPER guilty about not stepping up for the Team (Team Point Two) and my Running Advisor John Ellis. Why can't I just pull up my socks and go for it? Time and time again I find myself quitting or slowing down because it's easier than pushing through. This morning I had a stress test, which confirmed what John & I predicted: There's nothing physically wrong with me. A while back, when I was at the peak of my running "obsession", I was asked if I'd ever stop. I responded that I thought I'd stop when I stopped improving. I kind of feel like that's what's happened this year. I have been running consistently for almost 3 years now, with almost constant improvement in my race times. This was going to be my breakout year, when, with John's guidance and the support of a Team I would push my physical limits and find out what I was made of. I thought that would mean seeing big improvements in my race times and mounting enthuiasm as marathon day approached. Instead all of this training and guidance has left me with a constant feeling of inadequacy and a realization that maybe this is as good as I'm going to get. Maybe my problem is that I just don't enjoy pushing myself hard physically. I don't know. Anyway, I'm not looking for sympathy here. If anyone deserves sympathy its John, because he's doing his job week after week, and I'm not coming through. Going forward my plan is to take it week by week. This week all I can do is to try my best to hit all my targets and finish all my workouts. Oh, to end things on a positive note, I DID buy a SUPER CUTE new running outfit which I plan to wear in Vegas. I also made a groovy new playlist that should give me a bit of a lift when I'm running.

A Mini-Vacation from Running

2009-09-27T16:41:00.000-07:00

After last weekend's disheartening performance at the Peace Arch Rotary Half-Marathon, my running advisor, John Ellis, took pity on me and essentially gave me the week off. My only task was to get in 4 good workouts.

On Monday and Tuesday I rested, and on Wednesday I decided to try to swim 2000m nonstop. I completed this workout at the Vancouver Aquatic Center during one of the busiest times of the day (5:30-6:30pm). It was SO crowded you really had to pay attention to avoid crashing into people passing other swimmers! I alternated between breaststroke and frontcrawl and completed the swim in about 52 minutes.

Thursday I rested again and on Friday I decided to go for a 5K run and see how fast I could do it. I ran the first mile in 8 minutes, but then I hit some kind of wall and needed a walk break to catch my breath and get my heart to stop pounding in my ears. I ran the second mile in about 10:30 and the last in close to 11:00. There was a lot of walking in there. I just felt like I couldn't run! It was not very nice.

On Saturday I went for a really fun mountain bike ride with Ian on the Valley Trail in Whistler. I didn't wear a watch or HR monitor, all I know is we went for an hour and a half and there were some big hills in there, here are a couple of pictures:

Ian ahead of me on the trail

Here I am on my rented Giant Reign Mountain bike

Here's a bit of trail that I WALKED my bike on (chicken!)

Here's Ian checking the map

On Sunday I ran the Whistler Spirit Run in the Whistler Olympic Park. It's the venue for the 2010 Winter Olympic Nordic Skiing, Biathlon, and Ski Jumping. The point of the race from my perspective was to:

1. FINISH a race

2. Have fun running in a race

3. Get a good workout

The setting was absolutely stunning, check out the pictures we took:

I don't know the name of this mountain but it sure is pretty

This is the Olympic Ski Jump. Crazy.

First race I've been to with a Jumbotron

I'm in there somewhere

This is near the end, probably less than a mile from the finish

Here's me making a strong finish!

My final time was around 1:01. I am pretty happy with it because there were some WICKED hils on this run! I'm also happy because it was my first trail race ever, so in a way it's kind of like a new PR....

Onwards and upwards, this week I'm going to do the best I can and take it as it comes (no races planned for a while!)

My So-Called Race Report

2009-09-20T20:40:00.000-07:00

This SHOULD be a light-hearted description of a triumphant half-marathon performance. Instead it is another tale of failure. Yes, I dropped out of a race for the second time this morning after running all of 4 miles. It's the fourth bad race experience I've had in a row. I have to be honest. I'm not keen to sign up for another race at this point. Next week I get the pleasure of my annual performance review at The Office. I will be asked why I haven't finished my professional exams (which was my stated goal last year) and I'll be faced with the prospect of telling my boss I'm too busy playing make-believe-athlete to spend extra time on my career. In case you are really curious what happpend today I can't really say, other than that I felt fine in the morning. I arrived early to the race site. I warmed up and stretched dutifully before the start. I ran the first mile at my intended pace (8:33/mile) and expected to do so for all 13.1 miles. The pace felt a bit fast, but I kept telling myself I just had to get used to it. By around mile 3 I felt the need for a short walk break, hoping that just catching my breath would be enough to get me back on track. I started running again and noticed my time getting slower and slower. By the time I got to mile 4 it was clear that the only way I would finish would be at a 10:00/ mile pace. I was too upset to go on and decided I would rather not finish at all if that was the best I could do. Right now I'm not even sure I want to run any more, much less train for a marathon. I really wish I hadn't gone and told EVERYONE on the planet Earth I'm trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. Who's idea was that?!? Am I feeling sorry for myself? Yeah, a bit.

X-Training: Second Beach Pool

2009-09-10T13:21:00.000-07:00

On Monday, August 31st I took my last swim of the summer at the outdoor Second Beach Pool. Swimming at Second Beach was one of the hightlights of my summer this year. After living in Vancouver for over 10 years I had never swum there until I was required to add cross-training to my marathon training plan - thanks to my TEAM POINT TWO marathon advisor John Ellis. It was so great to ride my bike on the seawall along the shores of Vancouver to Stanley Park, where the Second Beach Pool sits on the edge of the park, right along the Pacific Ocean.

As you can see, the pool temperature is kept at a compfortable 20C / 80F.

Here's a shot looking at the swimming lanes from the pool deck.

This was an unusually hot summer in Vancouver, with 2 days in a row setting all time temperature records. That put the wildfire risk to EXTREME.

Here's another shot of the swimming lanes. The pool is HUGE and there are fast, medium, and slow swimming lanes roped off. The lanes are 50m in length.

Sunset on the pool and the seawall and ocean beyond. There are a couple of slides for kids, one of which you can see on the far end of the pool. Note the runners in the foreground.

Here's a shot on the waterfront side of the pool. This is the Stanley Park seawall, which I frequently use as a running route. The fence on the right surounds the pool. There are a few freighters in the background, which are common in the English Bay area.

I'm sad to see this part of the summer go, but I do prefer to run in cooler temperatures and luckily there are plenty of indoor pools I can use.

Pumping Iron

2009-08-18T16:41:00.000-07:00

In recent weeks, especially during the month of July, I did not feel like myself at all. Despite my best intentions I could not, for the life of me, stick to my training schedule. Runs that were easy only a short time before seemed impossible. Running at anything faster than a 10:00/mile pace seemed outrageously hard. After a few days like this I started to take notice of a whole cluster of "symptoms", including:

1. Weakness (i.e. muscles felt tired, weak, powerless)
2. Tiredness (needing to take lots and lots of naps)
3. Dizziness (only on a couple of occasions, but still, it's not normal!)

4. Grumpiness (some might say this is not so much a symptom as a personality trait, but whatev)

5. Headaches

6. Paleness (especially my gums and the red part of my lower eyelids)

7.Shortness of breath (especially during workouts, but also climbing hills or stairs)
8. Trouble concentrating ("What was I going just doing?")
9. Loss of endurance (not feeling like I could finish a workout that was easy a couple of weeks prior)
10. High exercise heart rate (I mean, like running at a 13:00/mile pace with a HR of 153 bpm!)
13. Loss of interest in exercise (Do I HAVE to!?)
14. Poor appetite (this is SOOOO not normal for me!!)

A visit to my doctor, and a blood test or two later, and there you have it: I was iron deficient! Why, you might ask, would iron deficiency be such a big deal for a runner like me?

Because:

1. Iron makes red blood cells.

2. Red blood cells carry hemoglobin.

3. Hemoglobin carries oxygen around to different parts of your body.

4. If there is less oxygen transported through the body, your athletic performance drops.

Imagine the iron in your body is the steel that is used to build a ship.

This ship is very important because it's carrying containers (hemoglobin) which are loaded with food (oxygen) to feed the city (your body).

If there isn't enough food (oxygen) to go around, the the city (your body) will suffer from a famine (a drop in performance).

I'm not sure if this is a very good analolgy, but my point is, this explains why I've been feeling so rotten for the past several weeks! Not enough oxygen!

Once my diagnosis was confirmed, my doctor prescribed a course of iron therapy, which for me means taking a 300mg ferrus sulphate tablet once a day for 3 months. (Note: Iron pills, if not needed, can cause major issues like too much iron in your blood and irreversable damage to your body. So don't take iron unless your doctor prescribes it!!)

I've been doing some reading up on iron deficiency, and it turns out that I was at particularly high-risk because of my low-fat, high carb, no red meat diet, being a female of child-bearing age, and endurance training.

Here's what I am planning to do to prevent this from happening again:

1. The iron in red meat is more readily absorbed by the body than the iron found in plants, so I'll be eating it twice a week from now on.

2. Taking vitamin C with my iron pills or my iron-rich foods, which will help my body absorb it better.

3. Tannins in red wine, coffee, and tea can allegedly make it harder to absorb iron, so I need to at least TRY to cut back on the wine with dinner and the caffeine.

4. Use my cast-iron pots and pans more often. Iron in the cookware will leach into foods (especially acidic ones like spaghetti sauce). Normally things "leaching into foods" is a cause for alarm, but in this case it's a good thing.

So far so good, I've been taking the iron for a few weeks now and am feeling way more like myself. Hopefuly my NEXT race will be a raging success! No more bad race reports!!!

Anatomy of a Bad Race

2009-08-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

This partiualar "bad" race took place yesterday, Sunday, August 9th, 2009 in Delta, BC (about an hour south of Vancouver). Here's what it was made of: 7:00 am - Arrived at race site,the Ladner Leisure Centre, and picked up my race number. Noticed firetrucks outside the building and wondered how this would affect the bathroom situation. 7:10 am - Listened intently as the race director announced that the bathrooms inside the rec centre would not be available due to a major flood inside. Not to worry, "A" port-a-potty was on the way. 7:30 am - Officialy start time delayed due to lack of potty. 7:35 am - Lined up for the long awaited potty. 7:43 am - Queued up at the start line. 7:45 am - Start of Race My goal was to run at an average pace of 8:45/mile. The first three miles I actually had to slow myself down as my pace was closer to 8:30. Felt confident this was doable. 7:53 am - Mile 1 in 8:46, average HR 169 bpm 8:01 am - Mile 2 in 8:46, average HR 178 bpm 8:10 am - Mile 3 in 8:47. average HR 179 bpm Between Miles 3 & 4 I felt I needed a walk break. Nothing hurt at this point, but I felt the pace was getting to me a bit. 8:20 am - Mile 4 in 9:10, average HR 178 bpm I don't recall what happened between Miles 4 & 5. I either took another small walk break or ran a bit slower. 8:30 am - Mile 5 in 10:03, average HR 172 bpm 8:39 - Mile 6 in 8:54, average HR 178 bpm I took a walk break after passing the Mile 6 marker, and when I started to run again my right knee FAILED. In other words, it hurt too much to run. At this point I changed my goal from a 1:55 finish to finishing upright. 8:52 am - Mile 7 in 12:44, average HR 157 bpm Started joggging super slow, then a bit faster, and after a few false starts I found my knee felt ok once I got up to a certain speed. Thought a decent finish time was still possible! Started "reeling in" all the folks who'd passed me while I was walking one after another... 9:01 am - Mile 8 in 8:50, average HR 177 bpm Got tired again. Took a short walk, started super slow jogging, got up to a sustainable pace. Gave up on catching all the people in front of me. Settled in for a LONG 4 miles. Thought about quitting, but decided it would build character if I continued. 9:12 am - Mile 9 in 10:49, average HR 166 bpm 9:23 am - Mile 10 in 11:21, average HR153 bpm Took comfort in the fact that I was now in the double digits. Knee felt OK, but I was bored with the scenery. Time slowed down. 9:33 am - Mile 11 in 10:03, average HR 162 bpm Overheard a woman behind me ask a volunteer if it was much farther. Tried to block out the answer. Succeeded. 9:44 am - Mile 12 in 11:27, average HR 156 bpm Ran by a volunteer cheering "you're almost there". Wanted to shout back, "No I'm not! It's over a mile away you idiot"! Didn't. Passed a family with a sign that read "YOU ROCK" on their driveway with big smiles. Sped up. Got back to familar territory, realized the finish was not too far away. Spotted Ian. Made eye contact and picked up pace more. 9:54 am - Mile 13 in 9:54, average HR 163 bpm 9:54 am - Finished in 2:10:51. (NOT last) Took a couple of minutes to take some photos of the bunnies which were ALL OVER THE PLACE. They seem to have taken over the grounds around the rec centre. Drove to my sister's house with Ian and on to a breakfast place where I ate a grotesquely large pancake, 2 paoched eggs, and a single slice of bacon sporting my finisher's medal.

Guest Post: Trail Mix by Nathan

2009-07-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

This post was contributed by my good friend and fellow runner, Jeannie. Please check out Jeannie's own blog, here: "Somewhere There is Jeannie". You can also follow Jeannie on twitter at: http://twitter.com/whereisjeannie

And now....Jeannie's post!

I finally found a fuel belt that I am very pleased with after some research and unsatisfactory trials with other belts. The belt is Trail Mix by Nathan. I couldn't ask for a better fuel belt.

My main criteria for the belt is that it needs to have a sizeable storage for my iPhone, keys, chapstick, ID card, Metrocard, and some emergency cash.

The large pocket on the Trail Mix is able to do that comfortably. In fact, you can fit almost any handheld device in the main pocket. You can hold your cell phone, Blackberry, and iPhone or iPod Touch. There is an outer mesh pocket; where I stored my chapstick or hard candy for easy access.

It's very roomy but you don't necessarily want to pack the mesh pocket full of stuff; it then becomes an unsightly bulge.

There is an inner pocket for storing your ID card and money with a Velcro closure. There's even a clip for your keys, which you can tuck into the inner pocket.

The belt also features two holsters with two 10 oz. water bottles; which lasted me during my one hour run. The holsters held the bottles in place during my run. I was able to grab the bottles and return them to the holsters. The bottles did not leak during the run.

Another feature of the belt are the adjustable ties for holding towels or jackets. That's where I secured my little hand towel to wipe away the sweat from my face.

When I first put it on and ran with it, I noticed a bit of chaffing and the belt would begin to shift. I realized that I probably didn't tighten the belt enough. Once I adjusted the belt, the chaffing and shifting stopped. I wear mine with the pocket to the side as opposed to the back; it is a snug hug.

The Trail Mix is only available in grey with yellow accents. The color works for both men and women. I would have liked the belt to come in a variety of colors like magenta, or black.

Storage wise, the Trail Mix fulfilled my requirements, and then some more. I highly recommend this belt to runners who are looking to keep their hands free and are looking to hold a little more than something larger than a credit card. For longer runs two 10 oz. bottles may not be enough. Nathan does offer belts with 4 bottles are a single large one.

Check out their website here for other products by Nathan.

http://www.nathansports.com/index.html

For more information about Trail Mix, click here

http://www.nathansports.com/our_products/hydration_nutrition/trail_mix.html

Race Wish List

2009-07-14T23:47:00.000-07:00

Here's an excerpt from an e-mail I wrote recently to my Team Point Two Marathon Advisor John Ellis. I sent him this after we both decided it would be a good idea to incorporate some races into my training for the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon on December 6th.

Hi John,

FYI: Here's a list of races in my area I'd be interested in. Any of these would be great - I don't have any preferences, except:

1.It would be nice if I could do one on July 26th. I'll be in bored because Ian's out of town that weekend with "the boyz".

2. I'd like to do the half-marathon on Sept. 20th with Ian (his first - he'll probably beat me anyway!)

Here's the list, with a little history on why each race is included:

Jul 26

Diva on the Run 5K & 10K

Super nice setting right on Jericho Beach. I did the 5K last year and WON my age group (it wasn't even a PR).

The Zone @ 91-3 Esquimalt 8k

Its on Vancouver Island so I can stay at my Dad's and he's likely to take me for lunch afterwards. Not to mention I've never done an 8K before (guaranteed PR!)

Aug 9

Delta Half Marathon & 5k

It's flat. I did the 5K last year, and had a cold so it would be nice to have a do over. They have medals for both distances. Delta's not far from where my sister lives in White Rock.

Aug 16

Richmond Oval 8k

If I don't do the 8K on July 26th then this is another chance for my first 8K (=guaranteed PR). It's right by the new Richmond Speed Skating Oval, one of the venues constructed for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's bound to be flat, being in Richmond, which is flat.

CFB Esquimalt Navy 10K

See The Zone @ 91-3 Esquimalt 8k on July 26th, minus the part about being an 8K.

Sep 13

Coho Festival Run 14K

Guaranteed PR, never done a 14K race before. Point to point, which is always nice. Ends at a festival celebrating the return of the Coho salmon to the North Shore.

Sep 20

Peace Arch Rotary Half Marathon, Relay

My old town of White Rock, right on the Canada-USA border. My sister is almost guaranteed to show up, and I can stay at her house the night before and eat a delicious, home-cooked meal.

Oct 18

Diva on the Run Half Marathon & 10K
A race for girls only, like the other Diva races - there's also a very scenic route on a gravel path next to the beach.

Oktoberfest Brewski-Daddle 2.5k, 5k

A race sponsored by a microbrewery, need I say more?

Oct 24

Spooktacular Scurry 5K

Cute name, sounds fun. Unlikely to attract serious competition. This is not a bad thing.

Oct 25

James Cunningham Seawall Race 5.9mi

Guaranteed PR (weird distance, huh?). Running on the seawall is nice. James Cunningham was an accomplished stone mason who oversaw the construction of the seawall in Vancouver from the 1930s until his death in 1963.

Nov 15

New Balance Fall Classic 5k, 10k, Half Marathon

This is the last great race of the year in Vancouver, and the course is on my Alma Mater's campus. Lovely, big trees all around and usually a pretty big event.

Big Announcement!

2009-07-09T13:20:00.001-07:00

Ok, everyone, ready for the big news?

Here it is: I'm switching fall marathons! (Gotcha!)

Yes, that's right. Instead of attempting a Boston Qualifying time (3:45 or less) at the Queen City Marathon in Regina, Saskatchewan on September 13th, I'll be going for gold at the Rock 'n' Roll Las Vegas Marathon on December 6th.

Why the change? I don't have a lot of time to wax poetically this week, so I'll sum up the top 10 reasons in point form:

1. My Team Point Two cohort, Jamie, is running it AND going for the same time goal as me!

2. It's supposed to be a fast, flat course.

3. It's in my time zone.

4. It's a relatively short, easy flight.

5. There are some wicked air / hotel pacakages available on Expedia.

6. It will be a fun destination for both myself and Ian.

7. Rock 'n' Roll marathons are supposed to be super fun! Lots of live bands and spectators!

8. The fun location might entice more of my friends and family to turn up.

9. It will give me and my Marathon Advisor, Team Point Two's Intrepid Leader John Ellis 12 more weeks to get me ready.

10. I may just win the jackpot. Slots, blackjack, Texas hold 'em...It doesn't matter.

Race Report: Scotiabank Half-Marathon

2009-07-02T14:27:00.000-07:00

I was sold on the Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon because of this:

Course profile

Yes, as you can see, the race features a long downhill section just before the halfway mark. I've run up and down this hill a bunch of times, and I can tell you it's a lot more fun to run down than up. The race was also a point to point, starting at the thickly forested University of British Columbia campus and ending in Stanley Park, which is a stunning urban park. I was sold, and signed up in February.

In March, one of the e-mail bulletins from the race organizers mentioned that runners had the option to choose one of 15 different charities to raise money for by running the half-marathon. Having just lost my dog Fred a few days before, who we'd adopted from the SPCA in 2002, I decided to run the race in his honour by raising money for the SPCA. I set my fundraising goal at $1310 ($100 for every mile) and started the campaign. This was my first experience raising money through running and I am sure it won't be my last. I was able to raise just over $2000 for a very worthy cause.

I picked up my race package on Saturday afternoon at a local hotel and was greeted by friendly, well-organized volunteers who quickly found my bib and chip, scanned the chip, and then sent me to the T-shirt table.

This is where things get interesting. I held up the shirt to see how big their "medium" was. In this case, medium was huge and I asked if I could get a small. Instead of being told what that process was for requesting a different size, the crotchety old guy working the T-shirt counter grumbled: "Over my dead body" and started blathering on about how it's not the way they do things...etc...etc....etc. As I started to walk away, he made this remark: "You ordered a medium, what happened to you?"

Anyway, to make a long story short, I got my small. But obviously the volunteers were not instructed what to do if someone asks for a different size, which I think is strange.

On race day, I drove up to the university campus, parked, and jogged about a mile to the start. I was annoyed yet again when I got to the gear check table to find out there was a $2 cash charge to check bags. That was a first for me. Do people have change with them on race days? (our $1 and $2 are coins up here in Canada). Why didn't they just roll the two bucks into the cost of the race? Luckily, a nice gentleman behind me in line spotted me so I wouldn't have to run with my backpack.

With about 20 minutes until gun time I headed off to try to find a safety pin and use the potty. I only had 3 pins and thought the late registration counter was a good bet. Nope. They had long since run out. Slightly irritated, but with no time to waste, I headed to the port-o-potty area to find this:

Port-a-Potty line with only a few mintues until the start

It's safe to say the organizers didn't have enough port-o-potties for the 5000 runners who showed up. The line was super long all the way until the start. I jumped out of my little unit with about 2 minutes to spare!

Two minutes went fast, the air horn sounded, and we were off. I spotted my Twitter buddy, triathlete, podcaster, and blogger extraordinaire Erin (@erin337). She was holding a huge pink sign with my Twitter name on it (@runningbebe) as well of those of a few other Twitter runners.

The first couple of miles I definitly ran a bit too fast at about 8 minutes each. I had to regroup between miles 3 and 4 and took a bit of a walk break, followed by a jog. Then I got my groove back and settled in.

Tree lined street at UBC taken during my little break

The rest of the race went rather smoothly. As predicted I thoroughly enjoyed running down the long hill. After the hill there was a long stretch along the shoreline near Spanish Banks, which is very scenic. I took short walk breaks at all the water stations and alternated water and Gatorade.

There were two significant uphills where a lot of people walked (miles 8 & 10), but instead I just took it down to a jog and kept myself running. I had hoped to be able to speed up a lot after the Burrard Bridge (the last uphill) for the last few miles, but I was pretty tired by then and could only manage the normal pace.

With 0.1 miles left I sprinted past everyone I could see for the dramatic finish. Sadly nobody I know was there to see the heroics and I had to settle for congratulating myself.

I did know my mom was working at one of the food tables, however, and after getting my medal and catching my breath I set off to find her.

Me after the finish, picture taken by my Mom...

I found my mom working the bagel table, like quite the pro, and she was kind enough to take my picture with the fancy new hardware.

My mom working the bagel table. First race I've done with my mom volunteering

Around this time I started texting back and forth with Winnie and Dana (@WinnieYeo and @CDNRunningGirl) - two more Twitter friends. This would be our first meeting in person after many conversations online, which is always fun. We finally met up near the gear pickup tent and had a nice little chat. Winnie had completed the half marathon in around 2:20 and Dana was kind enough to come out to meet us even though she wasn't racing.

Left to Right: Me, Dana (@CDNRunningGirl), and Winne (@WinneYeo)

Even though there were a few snags with the organization, I would still recommend this race to anyone looking to do a fun half-marathon in the Vancouver area. The scenery is very beautiful and it's a fast course.

This Week's Mileage (12 Weeks to QCM):

Planned: 36 miles

Actual: 29.1 miles

Reason: Made a mistake on Thursday and only did 1 mile warmup and cooldown instead of 1.5 miles each, skipped a 6 mile run on Saturday (the day before the 1/2 marathon) because I only slept 5 hours on Friday night and was too tired.

Who Do I Run For?

2009-06-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

On this week's Open Mike Episode of the podcast, The Runner’s Roundtable, listeners are being asked to call in with their answers to the question “Who do you run for?”. This got me to thinking. Do I run for anyone? After giving it some thought the first person who came to mind was me. Not just me, but different versions of me.

I run for my present-day self because, quite simply, running makes me a happier person.

Me (work photo) looking pretty happy I think

I run for my younger, less-empowered self because I now know I can do things I never thought I could do if I work hard and believe in myself.

Me, age 3

Finally, I run for my future, older self because I won’t be able to run forever and I want to make the most of the time I have left. That’s a big one.

Me and my 92-year-old Grandma

As I processed this profound information I also realized that I actually run for a few more people. I run for those of you out there in the universe who are watching me. You follow me on Twitter and you read my blog and I know if I stopped running you’d notice.

I also run for my dog, Fred, who passed away in March. He can’t run and I can. I’m even raising money in his memory by running a Half-Marathon later this week for the SPCA.

And last, but not least, I run for my friends and family. Those people whose lives have been improved a little bit by having a happier version of me around, the most notable being...

...Ian

...my Dad

...my sister

...my Mom

Believe it or not, I can be a bit of a handful at times and I think most of my loved one’s would agree I’m more pleasant to be around now that I’m a runner.

Cross-Training: Flower Power

2009-06-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago when I joined Team Point Two, my marathon advisor, John Ellis instructed me to "start cross-training". He suggested swimming, biking, or even rowing as good ways to excercise while resting my running muscles.

My bicycle, in front of some dumpsters, in front of my building

LUCKILY, around this time last year I purchased a used bike from Spokes Bicycle Rentals. In its former life my ride had been rented hourly by sightseeing tourists. I paid $225 cash for it and then tricked it out with a black metal mesh basket.....

....some flashy safety lights..... ....and a titanium bike lock that came with about 12 keys. I also bought a bottom of the line helmet to protect my noggin.

As you can see, my bicycle is pink and purple with some pink flowers on it....

I know, it just screams "Bad Ass" doesn't it? People see me coming and they scurry. To be honest, I'm not really a huge fan of purple, but the price was right and it fits. It has 6 gears, but only 5 of them work. The rubber grips are disintegrating and sliding off the ends of the handlebars .

These handlebars are also very wide and ungainly, which makes getting the bike in and out of my apartment building a bit of an exercise, especially since there are 5 sets of doors between the storage locker and the sidewalk. And here's proof:

My bike in jail (Door No. 1)

The elevator ride (Doors No. 2 & 3)

I still haven't decided whether its easier to back the bike into the elevator or back it out.

Front door (No. 4)

Front Gate (No. 5)

The point is, I bought this bicycle primarily to get around downtown - not to impress people. You know those places that are too close to drive to and too far to walk when you're in a hurry? I bought my oversized, run-down, garish used bike so I could lock it up outside and not worry about it being stolen.

Some asshole stole the last bike I owned 12 years ago, and I still feel traumatized by the experience. It was a candy-apple red Rocky Mountain with grey tires and I'd ridden it in my first (and only) triathlon. I usually try not to get attached to things, but I was very fond of that bike and was pretty sad and pissed off when it was taken.

Anyway, back to the cross training. The main thing I'm doing these days, outside of running, is swimming. There are 3 pools within about a 20 minute bike ride from my house, two of which are outdoor. So, I ride my jalopy of a bicycle to and from the various pools, where I lock it up and swim lengths. I log my bike riding time on Buckeye Outdoors just like any other workout, even though I can't really go fast enough to work up a sweat.

I might train for a triathlon again sometime, and I imagine I'll want to invest in a slightly more serious bicycle. Until then, I'll keep riding the cumbersome pink flower bike to the pool, the really good video store, the best pizza place in town, the big movie theatre, and my Grandma's house.

This Week's Mileage: Planned: 35 miles / 56.3 km Actual: 24.06 miles / 38.72 km

Reasons: Low blood sugar crisis on Thursday, ongoing lethargy the rest of the week, maybe I had a virus or something. Runs definitely felt harder than usual.

Race Report: Sandcastle Classic 10K

2009-06-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

The Sandcastle City Classic 10K took place in the lovely seaside community of White Rock, BC, which happens to be where I grew up. It is located right on the USA-Canada border, directly north of Blaine, Washington.

There was some chaos and confusion on race day. Tina had completely forgot to pick-up my race package as promised on Friday night so we had to head to the finish area to get my bib a bit early. Also, somehow in my early morning stupor, I managed to forget my watch and iPod. So, I made Tina drive back to her house to find all my stuff and a T-shirt, since I'd decided the sleeveless top I was wearing would be too cold. By the way, the sun came out later and I regretted this decision.

Package pick-up in Bayside Park on White Rock Beach

Shuttle buses ready to take runners up to the start line

Charismatic race director

The race was scheduled to start at 9am, but at around 8:40 the race director announced that the start would be delayed by 10 minutes or so because one of the buses broke down. Lucky for us, since my Dad was about 25 minutes away!

Some much-needed dog love at the starting line

Getting focused and waiting for the whistle.

I was never able to find a course profile on the race website. The only thing I read about the race that stuck in my head was the long downhill stretch before the finish. So, I was a little bit surprised when about 400m into the run I found myself running up a big mother of a hill. As it turned out, there were many more moments like this throughout the race, each one as surprising as the last.

Shouting "Number One!" at my curb crew at around the halfway mark

This display of confidence was only for the benefit of my Dad and sister. By the 5K mark I knew my unrealistic goal of 50 minutes was out of reach, and so was a PR. Some of the hills were so big I had to take walk breaks.

Sprint finish

Instead of hauling ass down the last hill to the finish line, I decided to coast and save some energy for a sprint finish. There wasn't anyone to see me run fast down the hill anyway.

Catching my breath and looking back at the clock, which read 55:19

Mmm...tasty watermelon

My Mom, Tina, and me chowing down

My Mom was good enough to make the 45 minute drive from downtown Vancouver to come and cheer. She also brought me a bottle of red wine as a reward for finishing, which I decided to save for later.

My Dad, Tina, and I decided to stick around to see if I won a door prize. As usual, I didn't win anything. We also watched all of the awards, which was interesting. Again, I didn't win anything. BUT, I was very keen to see who did win my age group. My Dad wanted to see what the 64-59 age groupers looked like. We all agreed that all of the winners looked younger than their ages. The top 3 women in my age group had no body fat. Bitches. Just kidding, haha.

My Dad & official photographer and me

Even though I was thoroughly disappointed with my time, it was still a pretty fun day. The course is quite scenic and finishing on a downhill at the beach is a huge bonus. It was a good excuse to get my Dad over to the mainland from Vancouver Island and we spent a nice afternoon together.

A little tip: Don't expect to set a PR at the Sandcastle Classic, unless you're a hill specialist.

Official Results:

Final Place: 150/ 296

Place in Sex: 54/149

Place in Division: 14/30

Official Gun Time: 55:20

Pace/KM: 5:32

This Week's Mileage:

Planned: 30 miles / 48.3 km

Actual: 27.72 miles / 44.6 km

(Excuses: Hot weather, poor air quality, and pre-race rest days)

10 Things I Wouldn't Like to Run Into

2009-05-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

1. A bear. There are a lot of bears in Pemberton, where we spend most weekends. Apparently the LAST thing you should do if you see them is run. SO, what if you're running and he sees you first???

2. A pack of youths. Especially if they've been drinking. Apparently the LAST thing you should do if you see them is run...

(Me running in Pemberton, no bears in sight)

3. Another racoon (yes I've run into them before) . They are not cute. They are rather fierce looking little creatures with jagged teeth and sharp claws. Yeah, I know, what isn't cute about that?

4. A shootout. It's a bit like the Wild West out here lately, except instead of duels between men with names like Whiskey Joe and Willy One Arm, there are turf wars going on between gangs with names like the Red Scorpions and the United Nations.

5. People copulating on the beach. I do a lot of evening runs and some of my routes take me past secluded beaches. Places where people like to go on dates. Luckily so far I haven't had any unfortunate views of gross stuff. 6. A foot. Last year there were a lot of news stories about feet washing up on the shores of British Columbia. Left foot in sneaker, right foot in tennis shoe, etc... Well I haven't come across one of those so far and that's ok by me. 7. A snake. I don't care how tiny or how harmless, I don't like the way they slither. Actually I don't like the fact they don't have legs. 8. Quicksand. Especially if it was starting to get dark outside and I couldn't extract a hand to reach my cell phone. And there wasn't a vine hanging down arms-length away. 9. A landslide. This is most likely to occur when I'm on the far side of Stanley Park in Vancouver. The seawall there was actually closed for quite a few months in 2007 after a huge storm caused several slides. This is a rather narrow path with a rocky shoreline on one side and a sheer cliff rising up hundreds of feet on the other. Nice view though...

(CTV News photo of landslide, November 13, 2008

10. My arch rival. Actually, this is a fantasy. I wish I was competitive enough to warrant a running nemesis, but sadly I'm not. One can dream...

Race Report: Capitol Hill Classic 10K

2009-05-21T19:23:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning we woke up to pouring rain, darkened skies, and the crackling of distant thunder. Not exactly the conditions one would hope for on a race day in May. Undaunted, my friends Kate & Ben and I piled into their Mazda along with Murphy the dog and made the quick trip from Arlington, Virginia to Capitol Hill.

As Kate and I warmed up and looked for the starting line, Ben and Murphy went to park the car and find a spot to cheer. We were beyond happy to find the weather had cleared up and conditions were now perfect for a road race.

About 15 minutes before gun time we queued up in front of the starting line with about 2000 other athletes and I got my Garmin 405 all synched up so I could keep track of our pace. I'd vowed to help Kate get in between 1:00 and 1:05. We were inspired by the promise of a milkshake and Obama burger at "Good Stuff" as a "Very Special Bonus" for making it in under an hour. This would be no mean feat. Kate admits a disdain for running and had not been training for the 10K distance. She had set her previous P.R. of 1:06:30 a mere 6 weeks prior at the "Cooper River Bridge Run" in Charleston, South Carolina. Her goal time would require a 6 minute improvement!

(Kate getting her number at package pick-up on Saturday)

I decided to try to keep our pace a bit under 9:30 and to allow for walk breaks at all the water stations. I knew about "THE HILL" around mile 5 (that would be Capitol Hill, and yes, its a doozy) - so I hoped we'd feel fresh when we arrived there and have a little bit left for a strong finish.

(Kate humours me by posing with her bib, yes that's a smirk)

The race took us through old, established residential neighbourhoods with leafy green canopies, around Robert F. Kennedy Stadium (which did involve a small uphill) and past the Capitol Building (which I paused to photograph).

(Me with my race T-shirt, and past T-shirt designs behind me)

Around mile 4 we got a glimpse of The Hill and were forced to run down it, while avoiding eye contact with the poor souls running up. Their eyes seemed to say "Don't go that way". But we did anyway. We were passed by the two leaders, neck and neck, striding up the street like nobody's business.

(Kate attaches her "D-tag", which replaced the traditional chip at this race, a first for me)

Kate did better than I could have hoped. She easily maintained the pace I set, slowing down when necessary and speeding up when I gave her the go ahead. Not until about 3/4 of the way up The Hill did I notice any sort of fatigue set in, and even then Kate dug deep and kept on running.

(Apparently there's no martini drinking allowed in DC parks)

About 500m from the finish I gently suggested we speed up as much as possible and Kate mumbled something like "I can't do this", thinking only I could hear her. But the lady in front of us half turned around at that and yelled "YES you can". Something about that phrase seemed fitting considering our location. And moments later our spirits were buoyed with the sight and sound of Ben cheering and, as it turned out later, fumbling with the camera to get a GREAT shot of us both smiling and giving the "Thumbs up". We only found out later there were no batteries in the camera.

(Runners waiting for the starting gun)

Moments later we crossed the line together with a chip time of 1:00:33. Kate started to feel better after taking a gel and eventually the feeling in her extremities came back.

(Well deserved post-race nosh, that's the Obama burger BTW)

I would highly recommend this race and would love to do it again in the future. I found it well organized and the participants were enthusiastic and friendly. For the most part it's a fast course with lots of gentle downhills.

(Me and Chef Spike at the "Good Stuff Eatery")

My only complaints are that the race course might have been a bit long (according to my Garmin we were finished about 300 m before the finish line) AND the event photographer failed to catch us. Be sure to treat yourself at the "Good Stuff Eatery" afterwards. It's worth the effort.

Fundraising Update

2009-05-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

A million thanks to everyone who's already donated to my BC SPCA fund for the Scotiabank Half-Marathon Charity Challenge! Don't forget, the charity that raises the most will receive an additional $5000 from Scotiabank! Here are the standings as of today: Top 3 Fundraising Charities (Online Pledges Only) 1. BC SPCA ($4,062.50) 2. BC Cancer Foundation ($3,697.00) 3. BC Children's Hospital Foundation ($3,050.00) Top Individual Fundraisers 1. Leanne Wood ($1,670.00-BC Children's Hospital Foundation) 2. Nicole B. ($1,055.00 -BC SPCA) 3. Derek Shepherd ($1,017.20-Adoptive Families Association of BC) 4. David Porte ($1,001.19-The Arthritis Society) 5. Tanya Peace ($775.00-Heart and Stroke Foundation) 6. Cecilia Garcia ($736.56-The Arthritis Society) 7. Karen Levy ($730.00-BC Cancer Foundation) 8. Suzy Grass ($625.00-The Multiple Sclerosis Society) 9. Michelle McCaughran ($575.00-BC SPCA) 10. Louie Maione ($555.00 -Adoptive Families Association of BC)

(My inspiration, Freddie, 2001-2009)

Scotiabank Half-Marathon Charity Challenge

2009-04-27T10:51:00.050-07:00

(Fred doing what he did best)

Normally I would be writing a very detailed race report about Sunday's Times Colonist 10K right about now. I would be talking about my morning pre-race routine, what I wore, how the weather turned out, and all the important details you might want to know if you were going to run this race. But I'm not going to do that.

The reason I'm not wasting this post on another race report is that I found a cause!

Some of you who follow me on Twitter might have heard that my dog Fred died quite suddenly in March. It's been a very devastating loss for us and it's left a big hole in me personally.

I recently found out that a half-marathon I was already signed up to run in June is now set up so that participants can run for one of a number of charities and get donations on their charity's behalf.

When I saw the BC SPCA (British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) on that list I immediately signed up. Our dog was rescued by the Vancouver branch of this society and that was where we found him nearly 7 years ago. Now that he's gone I've got this longing to take care of animals that won't go away and I've promised Ian I'd wait a year before rescuing any more.

Anyway, to go to my donation page click on the image below:

Here are some gratuitous shots of Fred and I during happier times:

(Fred was a big time cuddler)

(He didn't mind being hugged and sqeezed)

(Sometimes I'd sqeeze too hard and he'd yelp, but he didn't hold a grudge)

I'd appreciate ANY size contribution ($5 is a nice round number) and if you know anyone who might be sympathetic to the cause please direct them to my donation page.

Thanks!

Race Summary: TC10K

2009-04-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

This is not my Official Race Report, but until I get to that, here is the breakdown of my race: Mile 1: 8:17 (weaving in and out of the crowd) Mile 2: 7:59 Mile 3: 8:18 Mile 4: 8:58 (Big Mother Hill) Mile 5: 8:06 Mile 6: 8:23 (doing the best I can, but not feeling so hot - tummy ache!) Last .2 Miles: 7:54 (strong finish at the last 100m or so) Good race. No aches or pains in any of my joints. Stomach bothered me a bit the last mile or so...This is a frequent issue for me (nerves?) Unofficial time: 51:39 BUT my Garmin didn't start right so you have to add 30-60 seconds onto that - will check results online later!

Rave Run: Sidney By the Sea

2009-04-20T22:48:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were petsitting for my Dad at his house in Sidney, BC. It's a cute little town just outside Victoria on Vancouver Island. We took the ferry, which is about a 2 1/2 hour trip, and got to see a bunch of dolphins swimming alongside the vessel. There were also a lot of seagulls hanging around looking for misplaced french fries or sandwich crusts, but they were less interesting.

Back to the petsitting, my Dad and his wife have 3 cats and two dogs. They're all very cute and lovable, but unfortunately Ian and I both have pretty severe cat allergies and even though the guest house is supposed to be cat-free, we had major issues (running noses, red, watery eyes, athsma). I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to run, but getting out for my 5 miles along the ocean was just what I needed to clear out the toxins.

(One of the allergin carriers, Ernie, wouldn't come out of hiding all weekend. But I found him)

I started out by Beacon Park, which is a little grassy area at the end of the main shopping street. I followed the path along the shoreline and ran out onto both piers and back to add a bit more interest. The trail only goes for a couple of miles and then you have to go up to the road...

(Pier No.2)

(Rather gory safety notice on Pier No.2)

It was a gorgeous, spring day and all of the flowers were blooming and the birds were singing. I didn't spot any wildlife or other runners, although I kept looking for them. I did see a lot of retirees strolling along or sitting on benches. There are a lot of people over 65 in Sidney.

(View of the sea from the road)

As I ran I listened to Phedippidations Ep. 183 where Steve Runner discusses why he believes the Boston Marathon is the best in the world. I think I'll save this one and listen to it over and over again.

Links: Sidney, BC