Running as Therapy

So part of my blog is keeping it real life, this is a life post.  I had a crappy week at work, probably top five worst week in 29 years of work.  On Monday when it all went down, I went for a run. I was running away from my problems, running is my therapy and I now run instead of eating my feelings. As usual my run helped me clear my mind and start making plans and by Tuesday on the bus I was making lists of things I needed to do.  I had a list for work and a list for athletics and I was ready for my call with my business/life coach at 8am.  As usual she cut through the bullshit and helped me realize that while I was ready to settle, the Universe would not let me and this was my smack upside the head.

You have to love the Universe, as I always say it gives you what you need when you need it and as the week unfolded the I had a clear message and direction and running and triathlon where a leading the way.  A lot of people have asked me if I was going to start coaching since I have my Triathlon Ontario Community Coaching qualification but I know I am not ready for that yet.  I am ready to lead a few run clinics and I will be leading the 10K clinic to May race weekend and then the half marathon clinic to the Army run and I am thrilled to get the chance.  I have had so many great clinic leaders that I wanted to give back and now I get the chance.  I love inspiring and motivating others to follow their dreams, to dream big and to successful.  My coach had given me an assignment to find my life purpose and while I have not figured it out yet, I know this is part of it.

As much as I love helping others with their dreams, I need to have my own dreams as well and this week I set a few new ones.  I had been lost since Ironman, not sure where to focus my energies but now I have a few new things for 2016:
- break 2 hours for a half marathon (at the Army run hopefully),
- finish my Olympic triathlon with a new PR (hopefully by 15 mins or more),
- to start a book on my triathlon journey (I even have a title)

My long term my goal is to register for IMMT again in 2018 so in 2017 I will do 70.3 Tremblant and 70.3 Barrelman and I hope to do the Dopey in Jan 2017 as well.

I had a great run yesterday and as I ran, the stress of the week completely melted away, I felt re-energized and ready to take on my new goals.  As for my work, I have made plans there as well and as I work on them, athletics will help keep me balanced and happy.  One of my work goals for my Company ( not the one I co-own ) is to get my coaching certificate so I can add business coaching to my business and maybe this will help me decide if athletic coaching is something I want to do...who knows, I have learned to never say never.

Team Awesome

So I am excited to announce that I am part of Team Awesome for Ottawa Race weekend in May.  

What is Team Awesome?

Team Awesome is a group of enthusiastic runners (and social media fanatics) who are participating in the 2016 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (TORW) and want to share updates about their training and race weekend information, as well as support other runners along the way.

This year I am running the 10k for the first time and I am looking forward to it.  This is my 10th time participating in the Ottawa Race Weekend and the 7th consecutive time since 2010 when I walked my first half marathon.  Since then I have run 3-5k races and 2 half marathons so I thought I would try a new distance this time.  10k is a challenging distance for me, it is not a sprint and it's not a slow steady build like the half marathon is, this takes a lot of planning and work.  To run the perfect 10k you need to run fast enough at the beginning to get your legs warmed up and ready to sprint but no too fast that you run out of gas before the end, those last 2k can be terrible if you start out too fast.  

I have not done a lot of speed work in the last few years so I am adding it to my training plan now and adding race pace segments to some of my long runs to help with my ability to build the speed durnig the 55 mins I hope it takes me to run the 10K. My PB is 56:20 so I am aiming for sub 55 mins this May.

I look forward to keeping you up to date with my training for his race and my half marathon on May 1, we are headed back to Mississauga for the second year in a row as Neale really likes this course and hopes to get his BQ there this May.  

Winter running..or not

I'm back!  I did not blog last month for probably the same reason I only ran once, I needed a break.  I was tired and did not feel inspired to run or blog.  I was not sure the would happen to the blog but I found I missed it so I will keep on blogging and maybe it will help someone else start or stick with their fitness plan.

So I did not run in January but I did do a few new fun things, I went snowshoe running, which is really hard and I am learning too XC ski, again really hard.  I wanted to embrace winter but we are not really having much of a winter, We have had unusually warm temperatures and little to no snow, event the Winterlude Triathlon was turned into a duathlon as the canal was closed for skating.

I started running again this week, the week started out great but than I got a cold and it has really knocked me back.  I have done nothing since Wednesday and am just starting to fell better, still tired but better. I hope to make it to swim practice tomorrow and then I fly to Edmonton for work. The forecast calls for +8C on Tuesday so I have packed my outdoor running gear in hopes of heading out before my afternoon of site visits starts.  I am on the go all day Wednesday and fly home Thursday so I am really hoping I get out on Tuesday.

The one run I did get out for this week was great, an 8k tempo run and I was happy to see I had not lost any of my speed :-)

Anyway, I will keep moving forward, one step at a time as I have set some nice goals for 2016 and a few opportunities have been presented to me and I can't wait to share them with you...just as soon as I can.

Year End Wrap Up

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

It's time again for the year end wrap up post, one word sums up my year and it is IRONMAN!

I wanted to do something epic for my 50th birthday and in 2012 I decided it would be Ironman Mont Tremblant, it did not matter that I had never completed a triathlon or run more than 10k, that was the dream.  I have worked since that time to be ready and I was ready with lots of experience in the bank on race day...and I needed it all and then some to finish the race.  I still can't believe I finished it, it was so close to being a DNF but with the help of my friends and determination and strength I did not know I had, I did it.

Also during the year I ran 2 marathons, a few half marathons, a 10k, a 30k and a few other fun runs, I also did a 70.3 triathlon in NY state with my friend Michelle and Neale. 

I think a highlight (other than Ironman) was starting the year running the Miami half marathon and hopping on a cruise ship with my friend Debbie for a vacation, a perfect vacation that combined all my favorite things, running, cruising and Debbie. Another was finishing the year running the Space Coast Marathon with Kate as her first marathon. She did great and I so enjoyed the weekend with her in Cocoa and can't wait to go back soon.

A few of my medals from this year, I am missing at least 3

So what does 2016 have in store, I am not really sure yet.  I have registered for the ATB relay on April 3 with my friend Anita. we are each running 15k, I am doing the Mississauga half marathon on May 1 and the 10k in Ottawa on May 28th and a 5.5km open water swim on July 2nd but I have not planned much else.  I am torn as to what I want to do this summer for my triathlons and don't really have a plan yet.  We are going to Peru for 2 weeks in June but will be back to watch our friends do the 70.3 in Tremblant.  Eventually I will make a plan but for now I am focusing on strength training and speed work and having fun.  I want to learn to cross country ski and to go mountain biking and kayaking, I want to try snowboarding and skate on the canal this winter...all the stuff I did not have time for while I was on the Ironman journey.  The last few years have been great, I really enjoyed the journey and I know I will keep on running and doing triathlons but I am eager to try new things and return to some familiar things I put aside. Who knows what adventures await but what I do know is I can can do whatever I set my mind too and I have a never ending bucket list of things to do.  I look forward to the challenges ahead including the 2017 challenge of running the Dopey one weekend and the Rebel Challenge the next, coast to coast, 109.4km, 10 medals, that will be a great way to start 2017! 

Running and a Business

For a long time I wanted to write a blog post about how running and triathlon helped me become a better business person but did not think anyone would want to read it. My business coach gave me this for my homework so I have to do it before our call on Tuesday, she knew without a deadline I would probable be too scared to write it so thank you for the push coach.

In 2005 I started my own business, it was a risk but one I needed to take for myself and my family. Having a business is scary, your financial success or failure is down to you and sometimes you lose sight of the big picture because you are so busy surviving.  For four years, my business survived, slowly growing but along the way I had lost my passion, my reason why, my drive.  I gave everything I had to my clients, my business, my family and other outside commitments and I forgot to keep something for me, I was miserable.  In May 2009 I decided it had to change…just like that, I made a decision and I did it.  That decision lead me to athletics, first walking, then running and than triathlon. Along the way the lessons I learned through training made their way into my business life as well.  This happened slowly, I really did not even notice it happening, it just evolved but over time my athletics and my business lives supported each other and lessons learned in one area were carried into the other, seamlessly.

This is the first lesson in everything we do, there is no place for doubt, we can feel the fear but we must believe we can do what we set out to do. When I stand at the start line of a race, or start training for a new big goal I need to be able to visualize myself at the finish, successful and happy or what is the point.  If we let doubt creep it in erodes our resolve, like water on rock, ever so slowly it creates cracks that break us down. Be clear on what you want to do, be confident you can do it (or fake it until you are confident) and don't let anyone stop you from your goal.

Not everything in business goes the way you plan it, you need to be resilient or persistent, know when to dig in for the long haul or when to pivot and change direction. Nothing I have ever done has gone they way I thought it would. I encountered setbacks along the way but it is how I deal with them that affects the outcome.  We can give up the first time we fall or we can pick ourselves up, brush ourselves off and  carry on, stronger, more determined and more focused.  The ability to shake off bad training days, injuries and even failures in athletics has helped me become more resilient in my business life.  There are so many cliches that work here, find one that speaks to you and use it. You are stronger than the force that is trying to defeat you so view it as a learning opportunity, there is usually something you need to learn, learn it and move on, just never stop moving.

One of the biggest gifts we give others and ourselves is to support and encourage each other in life.  Every race I am surrounded by runners who support me, they support my successes and encourage me to keep going when its a bad race. I have slowed down to support a runner who is struggling and I have been a cheerleader for those passing me, usually on the bike at a triathlon.  In fact when I get too self centered and focus just on my results, the experience is usually a lot less fun. This is the same in business, we do not have competitors, we have colleagues and I firmly believe we can support their business as well as making ours exceptional. It is not a I win/they lose, because if they lose and I did nothing about it I have lost as well.  Share your passion, help others and encourage them to be successful in their business, there is room for everyone. 

Five years ago if someone told me I would be a marathoner runner, an Ironman and have two successful businesses I would have said they are crazy but here I am. Life, business and athletics is not always easy, thing happen, some we can plan for and some we cannot.  I have learned that anything worth having has to be worked for, it is never just given. We have to work hard, we have to be willing to do the work others do not want to do, we must be willing to give it everything we have and if we do this, we have a better chance of being successful.  It might be uncomfortable, it might hurt but in this pain, we grow, we change and we become the person who can accomplish our goal and even become an Ironman. 

Blast off to Space

Well it is done, marathon #5 is in the books, Space Coast Marathon.  I found the race really nice and it was nice running in flat Florida, the heat was something else.

I arrived in Florida last Sunday, I spend some time visiting my Mom and running in the Florida heat.  It was about 15C warmer than I was use too and I am not a big heat fan anyway, flash backs to IMMT and all that.  I managed a few runs for my taper week and the running was pretty good.  On Friday we drove to Cocoa to stay with Kate.  We did our 5k shake out run of Friday at 1pm so we were running in the heat, it was then I knew the heat would be my biggest problem on Sunday. On Saturday we went to the race expo and picked up my race bib.  At first they could not find it which was a concern but it all got sorted out and we took some photos and walked around a bit.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing, binge watching Call the Midwife and the Food Network. We did go for a short walk to grocery store, Kate could not relax well.  After dinner we got organized and had an early night, blast off was 6:30 so we had to be up at 4am.

Sunday morning went fast, eat, get dressed, get to the Cocoa library to met Kate's friends and then bag drop.  It was already warm at 6:30am, yikes but it was fun waiting for the space shuttle to blast off to signal our start.  This is a small race, only 3600 for the marathon and the same number for the half marathon and we hit the start line 3 mins after the official start. The marathon started north and there were some small uphills to wake the legs up but as the sun rose it was mostly overcast and not too bad.  Kate was doing great as we hit the half way point and turned back to the village.  This race is 2 out and backs, the north loop and the south loop so it was nice seeing the other racers as we ran.  We slowed our pace a bit on the second part of this loop but Kate finished right where I wanted her too, a 2:20 half marathon.

We then moved onto the south loop and by then the sun was out and it was HOT. I had trained in Ottawa's colder temps and I found the heat hard.  Around mile 18 I had to walk for the first time and it was hard to get going again.  I told Kate to go ahead, I would catch up and I was only minutes behind her at the south loop turnaround but I never did catch her.  By mile 20 the heat got to me and I started to walk more, I kept telling myself to keep  moving forward and I alternated running and walking for a bit.  Eventually the 5:15 Galloway pace group caught me and I thought I would run with them, there were doing 1 min run/1 min walk.  I did this for a mile or so and then the pacer had to stop, he was suffering from the heat as well.  He passed the sign to someone else who was obviously fresher and he took off running at a fast pace and slowly the group fell apart and I was on my own again.  I walked mile 24 and 25 and then I I started to run, I could do anything for 1.2 miles and I wanted to salvage some pride and finish under 5:30.

I was so happy to make that final turn into the park and finished in 5:24. Other than Disney and Ironman, this is my worst marathon time but on this given day, it was the best I could do.  Kate finished in 5:13 and kept going even though she was suffering from leg cramps for the last 6 miles.  I am so happy and proud for her, she joined the marathon club and she tells me I kept her going in the middle portion when she was really struggling.  I did not accomplish my goal of getting her to the finish line but I was glad I helped and glad we did this together.

I found out they have a Milky Way Challenge for those that do the race three years in a row so I am planning on coming back next year, this time to run the half but the marathon might be on the cards for 2017, I have unfinished business on this course and next time I will be better prepared for the heat.

Running Friends

Hello again

I am just back from a week in Winterpeg...sorry Winnipeg for work and am quickly re-packing my bags fro my trip to Florida and my last race on 2015.  It was a tough week to get any running in but I managed 2 short runs on the treadmill at the hotel and I had 3 days on my feet on a stone floor that was way tougher than any marathon. Today I went out for my last long run, 16k at race pace and it went well. 

My race in Florida is not about me, it is a race for others and I am delighted to share the story of how it happened with you. In Dec 2013 Neale and I were training for the Goofy and were taking a cruise out of Cocoa Beach Florida. I posted in a FaceBook group looking or running routes and Kate answered.  By the end she agreed to run with me on Sunday for half of my 21k run.  What a brave thing to do, agreeing to meet and run with a stranger  early on a Sunday morning.  I was a little worried she would not show up but she did and I had a great time running with her, the distance seemed short as we ran together.  Kate had run the Space Coast half marathon that  year but was not ready to move up to the marathon distance yet but by the end of the run she had declared that one day she would and I had decided I would come back and pace her for it.  After running together for 10k, a little over an hour our lives became intertwined and one day we would meet up again to run together. Fast forward and now is that time, next weekend we meet again to run 42.2k/26.2 miles, my 5th marathon and Kate's first.  

We will also be doing our 5k shake out run for another, Andrea Peet, a triathlete who was diagnosed with ALS.  A group Kate and I belong to are doing a virtual run to raise funds for ALS research. Next weekend I am running not for myself but with and for Kate and for Andrea and I am so happy to be doing so. 

I mentioned I was in Winnipeg last week and so was a new friend Marcie.  Marcie is a single Mom to 2 boys, she works full time and is doing her Masters in Accounting as well.   Marcie is like most women, trying to do it all and finding it hard to find time for herself.  I know a lot of Marcies, woman who do for others, everyday and forget the first rule about doing something for themselves.  I use to be like this and one of my first blog posts was about this. For some reason it was coming up a lot in my life and I went back in the archives to send it to a few people and along the way, by re-reading it I found a new/renewed purpose for my life. I need to help others keep bits of themselves through whatever speaks to them so they be there for others and themselves. I think I have convinced Marcie to train to run a half marathon in Disney with me and my friends in January 2017 but either way I will continue to be there to encourage her to make time for herself.  This is my blog post from 2012, it still rings true today.   Things I wish I knew 20 years ago

Marcie and I also made a new friend in Winnipeg, we were leaving the conference and decided to share a taxi with a gentleman who noticed my Ironman tag on my bag. He was a runner and triathlete and the trip to the airport was filled with his stories, his 20+ marathons that included 3 trips to Boston and saving his friends life when he had a heart attack on the Boston course (in 2004 I think he said). He and his wife are moving to Ottawa in Jan when he starts a new job and we have made plans to meet up and run the Parliament 5k route, I may have to have Neale come as well since I think he is more Neale's speed then mine. 

I have been blessed to meet many people through running, it is a common bond that ties us, a community of like-mindedness, we immediately understand the drive, the commitment and the passion, we are friends from that first greeting and I glad I belong.