Well, it’s a bit more than two days to the start of my very first marathon!!!!

Right now, it’s Friday and I run at 07:00 AM on Sunday – that makes it about 60 hrs before the race!!! Can you tell that I am VERY excited?? Also, to confess, very terrified and nervous too!! I know what to expect during the race and I know that I am well prepared and I know that I can for sure finish it but what I doubt is my time (doesn’t everybody?).

I know that I will finish in a good time but the big question is : will I manage to qualify for Boston in 2012 ? That is the million dollar question.
I have been watching the weather forecast for Ottawa and it seems to be promising hot weather on race day – that’s not good BUT I have to say, the heat does not bother me nearly as much as other runners as I actually really love the heat.

What are my thoughts about this experience? First and foremost, I want to profusely thank iRun Magazine, Adidas Canada and Tania Jones of Goalspeed Coaching for the opportunity to be on this wonderful journey to my first marathon.

I COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU!!!

Adidas was very generous all throughout the process with my running gear and iRun Magazine has been very supportive with their suggestions of help and their advice.
However, the very best is Tania Jones ! What a dedicated, supportive, insightful, intelligent, warm, talented runner and woman!!!

I was very blessed to have her train me for the last four months. This woman knows her stuff – running is her passion and her obsession, I think. Even though I was difficult to train (by my own admission !) she persisted and found a way to effectively communicate with me to help me along during the training process. She probably thought “who is this woman ?!” LOL ….who doesn’t have a cell phone, who doesn’t have a computer at home, who can’t use the Adidas miCoach because her work computer cannot be used for non-work related uses….well, you get the idea …a definite challenge. But – this is the best part – I trained and I ran (a lot) and I got really strong and fast with Tania’s coaching and if I can do it, anybody can do it !! That is for sure !! There is only one aspect of the goal that is a non-negotiable and that is putting in the time. You gotta run and you gotta run a lot for many months to get to the point at which you can break some fitness boundaries.

I am no different from anyone else – I was reasonably fit to begin with (only about two years of running under my belt), I am 47 years old and I am a woman. How many other women are out there in the general population that fit into this statistical group? Hundreds of thousands …..and my message to them all would be that they can do it too!!!

IF you want something bad enough, you can get it if you work hard enough for it. I believe that and that is why I am going to run the race of my life on Sunday!!
Now is my time and your time could be next!
So, are you still sitting on the couch?? Are you going to bike/ swim/ run this weekend?
It’s up to you to do.

We leave tonight. Pile the kids into a plane and meet my mom and younger brother who are already in Ottawa.

Tomorrow is race kit pick up and buzz and excitement and probably some sightseeing (any suggestions for a group including two pre-schoolers?).

I’m excited and nervous and maybe even a little scared and doubtful about this whole thing. Trying to stay positive and drinking lots of water and eating my weight in veggies and fresh fruit.

I’ll be home Monday and will update then about my results. So, until Monday my friends. Have a happy weekend and wish me luck!

Can’t make it to Ottawa this weekend?  If you’re in the Guelph area, you might want to check out the Speed River Inferno at St. James High School.  That’s what Taylor Milne and Reid Coolsaet will be doing while teammate Eric Gillis is running the Ottawa 10K with fellow Canadians Simon Bairu and Dylan Wykes. The Inferno is the third meet in the 401 West Distance Series, designed to provide international level races in South Western Ontario.  According to the website:

The 401 Distance Series will enter its second year this spring with three meets once again being contested in Windsor, London and Guelph. The series will once again kick off at the Windsor Open, which this year will be hosted May 21st. The Windsor Open will feature men’s and women’s 800, 1500 and 3000 metre steeplechase races. The second meet of the series will be London Distance Classic which will be hosted Tuesday May 24th and will feature men’s and women’s 800 and 5000 metre races. The series will conclude with the Speed River Inferno which will feature a men’s 2000 as well as men’s and women’s 1500 and 800 metre races.

The headline events all take place in the span of 45 minutes, with a pre-program that includes several track and field events.  The final event, the men’s 2,000 metres, is scheduled for 7:35 pm and will include an attempt to break the current 2,000m Canadian record.

The best part? There is no charge to attend – it’s a great chance to just go out and watch some really fast running.

The following is a guest post by Erin Beaudin who paced with Chrystal in the Blue Nose GoodLife Fitness 10K on Sunday.

Sometimes when you are a runner, you lose sight of what drew you to running in the first place. You become so focused on time goals, getting that next PR, or building mileage that running can become somewhat like a chore. It can become just one more commitment to fit into an otherwise hectic schedule.  For me, after a long winter training cycle, I came back from Boston feeling mentally burned out. Each run post-Boston has been sluggish and I have felt like I am barely going through the motions.

When Chrystal told me that she was running the Bluenose Marathon 10 km with a goal of breaking an hour, I eagerly offered to pace her. Relieved to be able to focus on someone else’s goals, I looked forward to getting a chance to spend the race together and watch her relish in the payoff of the hard work she has been putting in for the past few months. For me, it has been amazing to watch on the sidelines as Chrystal has transformed into someone who months ago would not have considered herself a “real runner”. Detracted by her self-perceived lack of speed, Chrystal has been self conscious about her running since the beginning, a weakness that has been difficult for her to mentally overcome. Since winning the iRun makeover, and receiving support from Tania, her coach, Chrystal has tackled tough workouts, watched her speed and endurance grow, and is more confident in her running abilities than I have ever seen her. I couldn’t wait to share in her makeover finale and watch her do her victory lap 10 km.

Chrystal has had a very tough year personally and I know that running has been her outlet. It has seen her though the loss of a close friend and transformations in her career. Running has provided a place for quiet solitude and reflection, where Chrystal can just get away from any stresses she is facing in her life.

After the tough year that I know she has had, I was heartbroken when I got a message from Chrystal last week telling me her beloved mother was very ill and not expected to make it through the week. I was expecting Chrystal to tell me that she was not going to be able to run, but was amazed when she declared with incredible strength and resolve that she still wanted to run the race. It was what she had worked so hard for, and her mother would have expected no less than for her to go out there and achieve her goals. So we tentatively made plans to meet Sunday morning before the race. On Saturday, the day before the race, I got the dreaded news – her mother had passed away. Coupled with this news was the confirmation that although she had barely slept and not run in a week, Chrystal was going to run the race. In that moment, I couldn’t have been more proud of my incredible friend.

Race day was chilly and slightly windy. I met up with Chrystal and her husband about an hour before the race. Her confidence was shaken but she was determined to get out there and give it her best shot. The plan was to go out at an even 5:55 pace and then push in the last kilometre for a strong finish. With minutes to go before the start, we (unwisely) lined up mid-pack between the 3000 plus runners in the 10 km event. I had thought that we had placed ourselves well – out of the way of faster runners to avoid getting trampled but well in front of more casual runners and walkers. When the gun went off, I realized that we had made a tactical error. We were so boxed in by slower runners that we could not get up to our race pace and we kept getting stuck. Adding to that, Chrystal had two mini shoelace emergencies in the first km, resulting in a 6:27 first km split. It is so tough to make up 30 seconds of lost time in a 10 km race, and knowing the challenging hills that laid ahead, I make the decision to push Chrystal over the next few kilometres to try and get back on track (thinking all the while, Tania is going to KILL me, this is so not a wise plan!!). Our next three splits were 5:59, 5:43 and 5:48. We took advantage of the flat stretches and the road opening up to make up all of the time lost in the first kilometre. Heading into the bridge going from Halifax to Dartmouth at the 4 km mark we were back on track and ready to hold steady for the remaining 6 km.

The Bluenose is notorious for being a tough and hilly marathon, and the 10 km event is no exception. There are four significant hills in the course (going onto the bridge in each direction, one long gradual incline in between and a cruel incline at the end going into the finishers chute. Kilometre 5 saw us still on pace (5:56) and then we hit the first hill. Opting to try and take it more by effort than by pace, the two first hills slowed us slightly and we hit another 6:33 km. We were back in the position of trying to make up for the lost time with still two hills to go. Still we powered on. Kilometre 7 saw us back on pace at a 6:03 as we took advantage of some of the downhill stretch. Kilometre 8, however, was 6:28 as we hit another uphill going back onto the bridge. Knowing we had a full minute to make up, I started pushing Chrystal to just give it everything she had for the last 2 km. If we were going to blow up, we might as well know that we tried everything we could to get our goal and put it all out there on the course.

This is the part of the race that the finishing time alone could never tell. Chrystal focused in on her final goal with such determination. Kilometre 9 was a 5:36; an amazing split this far into the race! I knew at this point that the goal of breaking 60 minutes would probably not happen but that Chrystal was still running towards a huge PR! Still she pushed on, finishing the last kilometre, including the uphill finish, in 5:44.

Our final time was a 1:02, but the average pace on my Garmin showed a 6:02 average pace. According to my Garmin, we ended up running slightly more than 10 km, which is more than likely related to the weaving in and out of runners we had to do in the first kilometre. In that finishing moment, looking at the clock, I know Chrystal felt an overwhelming disappointment, but the achievement was an incredible one! In the face of a tragic and exhausting week, Chrystal ran a 4 minute plus PR on a tough course. I have no doubt in my mind that with less challenging course circumstances (crowds and crazy hills), under different emotional circumstances, Chrystal will crush the 60 minute barrier. There is nothing about the race she just ran that she can be disappointed about. It was truly a testament and celebration of how far Chrystal has come with her running and I am so proud and honoured to have been a part of it.

Getting back to my earlier thoughts about my own running….Chrystal gave me a true gift with that race. She made me remember why it is that I fell in love with running in the first place. She reminded me about the courage and perseverance that it takes to achieve running goals.  She embodied, in that finishing moment, everything that defines what it means to truly be a runner. She inspired me to stop wallowing in my post-Boston slump and to get out there and run for the joy and release of it again.

Chrystal, in summarizing your race, you are a true inspiration, to me and to the many others following your story. I am so proud to consider you a friend and feel so blessed to have been a small part of your journey. You my dear friend have truly arrived. You are a “real runner” now; there is no doubt about that. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in your running journey brings!

About Erin:

After having 3 children, Erin found herself missing her previously-active lifestyle and carrying an extra 45 pounds.  In July of 2008 she decided to rectify both and took up running, tackling her first half marathon that October; she has since run 4 marathons of her own, including a personal best of 3:31:02 at Boston 2011, and was the 4-hour pace bunny at the Fredericton Marathon this May.  She also dabbles in triathlons in the summer for a much-needed mental break from marathon training, allowing her to get into the fall training season fresh and well cross-trained.

Last fall, I was looking through my running book, musing. I do most of my musing when I’m alone in the evening and I have a tendency to get caught up in my own grand plans.

Anyway, I was bored, and goal-less and so I figured I may as well train for a marathon because why not, right? I didn’t want to do a fall marathon because that involves long runs in August and I hate running in the heat. So, spring it was. I thought about Bluenose, but decided against it (as an aside – a LOT of people have asked me why Ottawa and why not Bluenose – I mean, I *live* in Halifax and here is the honest to goodness answer and please be gentle in your judgement. Ottawa is flat. Halifax is not. I wanted to blow my old time out of the water and I just didn’t know if that would be possible on an extremely hilly and hard and COLD run). Ottawa it was.

I thought for a long time about what my goal would be. I was pretty sure I’d be able to break 4:30, and I didn’t think I’d be able to break 4:00, so I settled on 4:15. Ambitious, but with lots of training, realistic (plus, with my first marathon time of over 5:30, I was set to blow my old PB out of the water).

Then sometime through the winter, I decided to run with Team Diabetes. The race minimum for Ottawa is $500, but I knew I could raise that in a day, so I wanted to do more. in 2009, I raised $3000 for The Children’s Wish Foundation. I thought long and hard about setting a $10,000 goal, but wasn’t sure I’d make it. I settled on $7,000. Ambitious, but with lots of fundraising, realistic (plus, I was set to blow my old fundraising max out of the water) (see a pattern here?).

And then the winter rolled by and the cold and dreary spring has also mostly passed and here I am, six days before the marathon, dreaming about it every night, and this morning something wonderful happened. Two final donations came in that put me over $7000.

I’m so proud of all the people who donated $20 or $1000 and everything in between. I’m proud because they gave for me and I’m proud because they gave for my best friend and I’m proud that I’ve been able to do this.

 Every runner reaches this decision point in their career. The entry is paid for, the flights booked, and you have told everyone about your goal. Unfortunately, your body, mind or life has challenged you to the point where you may not be able to run on race day.

iRun Makeover runner extraordinaire, Chrystal, is dealing with this situation right now. Chrystal has been a tower of strength and maintained focus over the entire Makeover despite the declining health of one of her family members and biggest supporter. Now, in the week prior to Chrystal’s goal race, her loved one is failing. Chrystal is under immense emotional pressure.

Our life goals may be put in jeopardized in three different ways:
Physical – injury and medical conditions
Confidence – the belief that you can execute your goal
Emotional – life challenges which overwhelm us on occasion exact a heavy emotional toll

In the case of physical issues, if you chose to go race, there is concern that the extreme stress of a race effort may exacerbate an ongoing injury or medical condition. It is critical to pull in as much advice from trusted medical advisors to determine the right course of action.

Confidence in your ability to finish or to hold a target pace is built by following structured training program and completing targets as required over a 3-4 month period. Each runner has an intuitive sense of whether their goals are appropriate. Reviewing logs and diaries or consulting with coaches will help you determine if you are ready to go and attack the original goal.

When life throws you a tragedy or a high-stress situation, it often has physical manifestations. There are times when you just can’t run or run fast. Each person is unique and responds to such challenges in different ways. Some may want to keep life trucking along and maintain normality and chase goals regardless of peripheral issues. Others will have to focus on the life-event at hand and let the goals go.

There is always another race out there. If you just aren’t ready to go, you can come back and run another day.

Another approach to consider is goal modification. In Chrystal’s case, it is difficult to determine how her emotional roller coaster ride has impacted her ability to deliver on race day. Despite being unable to run in the past week, her fitness has not diminished. She is feeling exhausted. The connection between emotional well being and physical performance cannot be denied. She could consider changing the goal right from the gun to one of completing an important journey and finishing the race with friends and family in support. Of course, knowing the passion and strength Chrystal has shown over 12 weeks, I put my money on a hard run from the start and a ‘let’s see what happens’ approach. Go for it Chrystal!