Going the Distance

Beat Beethoven

This is a run I wanted to do for the last 2 years but the timing was never right, it was not right this year but I was determined to do it anyway and make it work.  It was a cold windy morning when about 150 of us brave souls started the 8k run.  The theory of the run is to run 8K in less than 50 mins or the time it takes to play Beethoven’s 5^th twice.  I really did not think I had a chance to beating Beethoven but who cared; I wanted to have a good run and test the legs out before Disney.  I was running with Darryl, a friend through a client and he is a faster runner then me.  I had been increasing running my distance without stopping for walk breaks and had hoped to do the first 4k nonstop and then take walk breaks.  It turns out Darryl had other plans and we kept running, and running and running, the whole 8K nonstop.  This was a first for me and so was the time, 8K in 49:50.  We managed to beat Beethoven, finishing before the 50 mins, I was so happy. 

Disney Wine and Dine

This was the long distance week in my half marathon training, an 18K run and a weekly total of 43K.  I was happy that I managed to do all the runs and survive; I feel like I got to the top of the mountain and am ready to descend.  Next week is almost a long a distance but with a 6 week training schedule you do not get the luxury of a 2 week taper, I get 5 days. 

I have noticed I am getting faster and stronger when I run which is nice.  I was a consistent 6:30/km runner and it had dropped to about 6:16/k, getting closer to me goal of a 30 min 5K and a 60 min 10K. I hurt less after my long runs and feel better after them, the tired grumpiness is gone and the runner high is there instead.  I feel better knowing that I can run the long distances, feel strong and finish strong.

Shooting for the Moon

So I like to plan, I like to make plans, I like to plan things, it helps me stay focused and in control.  I also believe that if you do not put things out into the universe they can never come true and that dreams and plans need to be shared.  I am also smart enough to believe that announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh.   I have learned that it is OK to make plans but you have to flexible as well and be willing to readjust as you go along, keep your eyes open for opportunities that might present themselves and not lose yourself to your plan.  Some of the best things in my life where not planned, I threw caution to the wind and trusted my gut.  Sometimes you have a dream and the universe provides in way you cannot understand but it was just what you needed at the time, you just have to recognize it when it comes your way. 

In June,  I was a week into my triathlon training and did not know what to do, I was lost and did not know how to find my way to the finish line.  I was waiting in my dermatologist’s office and he was running late so I picked up a magazine to pass the time.  I found an article about Triathlons and how to train for a sprint triathlon, a six week plan to get you to the finish line.  The Universe sent me a lifeline and I grabbed onto it with both hands. I tore the training schedule from the magazine, something I would usually never do and took it home to adapt it to my schedule.  The training program was prepared by K2J Fitness a local Ottawa coaching service for runners and tri-athletes. 

Fast forward to last Friday when I had a meeting with Judy Andrew Piel, one of the coaches from K2J Fitness about coaching me towards my 50^th birthday goal.  The universe put her into my life and I was smart enough recognize the potential.   I have 27 month until I turn 50 and as I blogged before, I hope to complete and Ironman triathlon that year if I can, God and my body willing.  It was a great meeting and she said I have enough time to train if we started in January 2013 and was willing to work hard.  The working hard I can control for the most part, Judy can handle the plan and the rest of the stuff I am giving up to the universe and God.  It is not an easy task but one I am looking forward to with many milestones along the way, at least 2 Olympic triathlons, 2 half Ironman triathlons, 2 marathons and whatever other events Judy adds along the way.   In 2013 she wants me to run a spring half marathon and do a 2 day, 200k cycle ride called the Rideau Lakes Tour and that is just to start.  I will share a much of this journey as I can but some bits I will share after I complete them and I hope you understand.   As much as I dream big and push myself to do better, parts of this journey scare the pants off me (2 marathons, oh my) and I will need your support as I make my way, it should be fun and I hope you share this journey with me.  

Why I run

On Monday I am hosting a motivational talk by Mark Sutcliffe, he is a runner, publisher and author of the book "Why I Run". He is also a big source of motivation to me in my running.  Neale brought a copy of the book home in May 2011 having met Mark at the Ottawa race weekend expo. He said I should read it and I thought, why would I want to read a book about running, I am not a runner.  At that point I was running 5K's and really did not like running, I just did it to stay in shape.  One rainy Friday afternoon in August, we were having a series of rolling thunderstorms and I turned my computer off.  I was looking for something to do and 'the book' was on the couch so I picked it up.  I noticed the forward was by Malcolm Gladwell and I like his stuff so I thought I would read that.  Then I read the introduction and could totally relate to his wife and her life where running was the priority.  I keep reading and at some point the thunderstorm stopped but I did not care, I was totally engrossed in the book.  I think we had scramble eggs that night for dinner as I read the book straight through, cover to cover, I could not put it down.  It sounds cliche, but I laughed and I cried, I was so caught up in the stories and as it ended I was sad it was finished.  The next day I marched into the Running Room and signed up for the next 10K clinic and the Resolution run on Dec 31.  I was so motivated and ready to conquer 2 long held dreams, to do an Olympic distance triathlon and to run a half marathon.

Fast forward a year and I did run a half marathon, I dipped my toe into the triathlon pool and am looking forward to next year when I attempt an Olympic distance triathlon.  We get motivation from many sources as runners and triathletes, magazines, books, websites, other blogs and they all help us achieve our goals.  Another source of motivation is my local running club where I have had fabulous clinic leaders and group leaders, I have had the opportunity to run with some great people and have made some new friends.  I have had runners stay behind with me on those Sundays I was having a bad run and I have stayed behind with others to motivate them when they were having a bad day.  These runners have all helped me get to the start and more importantly finish line of my races and when thing did not go as planned, they were there to pick me up and tell me it's OK.   One of the runners turned 50 this year, she ran the Boston marathon, did a 50K race and just recently a 50 mile race.  She is a beacon to me showing me that I too can be fabulous and fit as I too approach 50 and I can do whatever I put my mind too.

Back to the title of this blog entry...Why I Run.

I run to stay in shape, so that the weight I lost never comes back.

I run to get me away from my desk and to stop my clients from driving me totally crazy.

I run to show my kids that you can do anything if you decide to, work hard and dream big.

I run so that I will stay healthy and grow old with my wonderful husband, so we can continue to have new adventures together.

I run because I LIKE to run, finally I can say I AM A RUNNER.

What's next

So I finished the Army Run, what's next?  For me, my next race is the Disney Wine and Dine on Nov 10th.  It's a half marathon that starts at 10pm and we run through the Animal Kingdom and Epcot.  Once I am done, about 12:30am Sunday for me, we go to a food and drink expo at Epcot.  I am not sure how much wining and dining I will be doing at 12:30 am and the start time is my usual bed time but it should be fun.  I have my silver sparkle skirt and my new T-shirt and am planning to take lots of photos along the route.

I trained for 14 weeks for the Army Run so how do I train for a half in 6 weeks?  I bookmarked a site I found on the Bluenose site last May, a guy who lives in Halifax and does personalized running programs, Greg Wieczorek from Project PB.  http://pbrunningcoach.blogspot.ca/

Now I am not the greatest runner but I can follow a program when given one so I emailed Greg to see if he could help.  Within days a six week training program landed in my email inbox, just the plan to get me to Disney.  I like the program, a tempo run, a speed run, a long run and 2 easy runs, 5 runs a week and 2 days for cross training or resting (guess which I will be doing).

My first run back was the CIBC Run for the Cure in memory of my aunt Jeanne.  Jeanne died 16 years ago from breast cancer and I do this run every year in her memory.  I have run it in the sun and I have run it in the rain and cold and this year the rain did  not keep me or the other runners away.  It is a fun run, no timer, no stress, just a run to remember those who have passed and celebrate those who survive.  It is so nice to see the pink t-shirts of the survivors grow in number each year, it means we are making progress, slowly but moving forward just the same.

I feel that way about my running as well, I move forward, slowly but making progress along the way.  This week I am making progress on my new training program and staying within my Weight Watcher points, making small steps to the bigger goal....one step at a time.

Army Run

So if you have followed my blog you know how I got to this point, me and my big mouth.  I 'suggested' to a friend who was in a running rut that we set a big goal... Why don't we set a big goal, I said, lets run a half marathon in the fall of 2012, we don't have to run all of it, maybe half and we can walk the rest. My friend had to stop training due to injury which I was totally cool with and here I was, running with an old friend, Jane, who I have known since we moved back to Ottawa and a new friend Barbara.  All week I was worried about two things, would I be able to run and the weather.  On our 20K run, I was injured and the two week taper turned into a 2 run/11 day rest taper but I got the all clear to run so then it was all about the weather.  It rained cats and dogs Friday, I was helping with kit pickup and was soaked after my 4 week shift.  Saturday was iffy but Sunday was a sunny cool day, a bit on the windy side but much better then rain.

We trained to run a 2:30 pace and for race day we started at a 2:20 pace and by the 8K mark, I knew that was too fast for me and the girls ran on without me.  I had some muscle tightness in my hip flexor at the start but by that point it had worked itself out, now it was lack of conditioning that was my downfall.  The lack of running in the last 2 weeks was not my friend, I was not rested, I was rusty.  I kept going....and going and then I heard the cadets in front of me.  I had helped my sons' cadet squadron get a cheer station at the race, they were outside the Governor Generals residence so I got to pass them twice, just knowing they were there made me keep moving.  I had dropped from a 6:40 pace to a 7:00 per k pace at this point but felt reasonably good.  After I passed them the second time, I hit the wall and was suffering.

I had 5k left to go, not so bad you would think, yeah right.  Kiza told us this would be the hard part of the race so be ready for it, she was right. This is where the mental games start and the devil on your shoulder can't keep its mouth shout....why are you here...your to old to be doing this....your too fat to be doing this...there is no way you can finish...and so on.  At this point the iPod got turned on louder to drown out the voice and I focused on staying upright, not slouching and to take small steps.  I had Stephanie in my head again, "shorten your stride" and my mantra became 'short, short short' and as in the past, it helped.  By the time I got to Pretoria Bridge I was really sore and tired.  My pace had dropped to 8:00 mpk but I was too tired to care at  this point.  Suddenly I saw my Mom there with her camera, ready to cheer me on.  I was  so happy to see her, I gave her a quick hug and left to do the last few km.  At this point my mantra become 'just keep moving forward'.  Suddenly the iPod started to play one of the songs I had added at the last moment, Journey's-Don't Stop Believing.  It was just what I needed to bring me home, don't stop believing...ever ...because you are stronger then you think and you can achieve more then you ever imagine if you are willing to try.

So the official time was 2:34:07, a bit slower then I had hoped for but it does not matter, I had done it and no one could take it away from me.  This summer I had many highs, the Bluenose, my first completed triathlon and this half marathon and some lows, my DNF but all in all it was a great summer of training and racing.  I learned a lot about myself, what I am capable of and what I need to work on.  I learned I LOVE doing triathlons, I love being a cheer leader for others and I hate letting myself down.

I had planned on taking the photo of Fat Ally with me to throw into the canal on my race, a symbolic way of saying she was never coming back this new Ally was here to stay but I forgot it.  When I got home I took that photo off the fridge and tore it into tiny pieces and threw it in the garbage, not quite as dramatic but equally as satisfying.  So now I get a week off and then it is on to the next race and this one is all about the FUN, the Disney Wine and Dine.

The New Normal

nor·mal/ˈnôrməl/

Adjective:	Conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected.
Noun:	The usual, average, or typical state or condition.

This is the dictionary definition of normal but to me normal is a range not a static place, it is fluid and moves, it evolves and adapts.  NBC has a new show this fall called “The New Normal” about a single Mom who becomes a surrogate for married gay couple.  Now I am not sure that fit the standard definition of normal, it is probably on the far extreme of the normal continuum but it shows how much our normal can change.  20 years ago, a married gay couple was definitely not the norm but it is now standard place in society.  Society continues to evolve, to accept changes and redefine normal and I am glad that is the case.

Three years ago my normal was being inactive, over weight and unhappy.  This summer my new normal was working out 6 days a week, 9 workouts a week.  In three years I went from one end of the normal continuum to the other and evolved as a person and an athlete.  I do not think either extreme is healthy, too little or too much, finding the balance is that hard part.  We can push our normal and make it grow but if you push it too far it will snap back to a more comfortable place…whether you are ready for it or not.  Sunday my body decided enough was enough; it did not like this new normal and told me so in no uncertain terms. 

I was smart enough to listen and spent the week trying to define my new normal, a more balanced normal.  Yes I still have goals and will push for more challenges but I will do it in a more balanced fashion. Normal continues to evolve…for society and for me.

10 questions

So this has been going around the running blog sites and I thought it would be fun to do, 10 questions about me and running so here goes

1. Best run ever – first time I ran 16K, actually 16.5.  I felt great, the nutrition was right, the weather was  great, the people were perfect and it was a day I felt like a runner.

2. Three words that describe my running – slow, awkward, work in progress

3. My go-to running outfit is – Capri’s and a t-shirt, sunglasses and iPod

4. Quirky habit while running  - eating a CLIF bar on long runs

5. Morning, midday, evening – morning, get it done and out of the way

6. I won’t run outside when it’s – snow or ice, basically January to March

7.  Worst injury—and how I got over it: collapse metatarsal arch, one year of pain and treatment.  I was having IT band problems and I changed my running style from heel striking to mid foot overnight and my foot was not strong enough.

8. I felt most like a badass mother runner when – I reach a new longest distance done

9. Next race is -  Sept 23rd, Army Run

10. Potential running goal for 2013 – Half Marathon May 2013, Boilermaker Run July 2013