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!

I’ve been training for the Ottawa Marathon for six months. I’ve been more focused on pace and number of runs than ever before. I barely even skipped any runs. Through the winter, I ran hill repeats, I met with a personal trainer every week, I even ran the Hypothermic Half as a part of my training plan. Honestly? I’ve rocked it.

I’m down about seven pounds since the fall, my legs are lean and strong, even my arms are starting to get some definition. I feel confident in my clothes, I feel strong mentally.

There’s a ton of thank you cards I’m going to be writing next week, to all the people who donated to Team Diabetes for me. I’m waiting until after the race so that I can happily tell them that I reached my fundraising and my race goal. I am so ready for this race, it’s all I’ve been thinking about.

I owe it to my personal trainer who kicked my ass in a wonderfully positive way. I owe it to my husband, who tolerated my months of mumbling under my breath and counting on my fingers trying to figure out an optimal pace, I owe it to my parents who are flying to Ottawa to be there at the finish line to cheer for me. I owe it to myself because I’m the one who slogged those miles and miles on the road. I’m refusing to think about not reaching my goal (4:15) because I’ve done so much and focused so completely and I feel so positive and excited about this whole experience to not reach it. (But I will say this – no matter what happens on race day, I have given it my all this winter. I’m not saying I won’t be disappointed if I come in later than 4:15, but I know in my heart that I’ve really kicked my own ass the past six months.)

I have a secret though, one that I haven’t talked about much. She’s the one who often drags me out the door, she keeps my legs moving when I’m tired. She never even complains about the weather – in fact, the messier, the better as far as she’s concerned. And after my long runs, she always greets me at the door with a smile and sits by the bathroom door waiting for me to get out of the tub, then lays beside me on the bed while I rest afterwards.

That’s Milo. Isn’t she a sweetie? Nine years old and still rocking long runs (she ran 14k last weekend with my husband).

Milo’s my Ace in the Hole. There’s no weather bad enough for her to not want to run. We crash through trails together, she zooms through the puddles that I try to avoid. And then, when we’re done running and I brush her, she loves all over me with her kisses.

She’s the best running partner ever – I only wish she’d be with me on that last 10k next weekend.

In this blog I’m going to explain how Chi Running eliminates the use the muscles in you lower legs and feet to push you forward when you run. This significantly reduces the amount of running effort required, and also significantly reduces the chance of lower leg injuries. In a separate blog I’ll explain how Chi Running also eliminates the use of the muscles in the upper leg.

In Chi Running your momentum is created by falling forward rather than by using the muscles in your lower legs and feet to push you forward.

Whenever your feet contact the ground during running, the muscles in the lower legs and feet are first used to support your body weight. Then they are used to push your whole body weight forward from the ball of the foot. The amount of muscle effort required to just support your body weight is quite small to that required to push your body weight forward.

If you want to feel the difference just relax all the muscles in the lower legs from the knees down and simply pick up your lower legs and feet from the knees. Now run in place and notice how much more effort is required. This is the extra effort that is eliminated in Chi Running.

To fall forward you first align your posture so you can draw a straight line through the center of your shoulders, hips and ankles. Then you lean your whole posture forward from the ankles with completely relaxed lower legs.

The ankles form a hinge between your aligned posture and your feet. If the muscles in the lower legs and feet are not completely relaxed they tighten this hinge and resist the forward fall.

The concept can be demonstrated using a broomstick. The straight shape of the broomstick represents your aligned posture. The hinge point between the base of the broomstick and the ground represents your ankle. If you can balance the broomstick perfectly vertical it will not move. However, if you lean it slightly it will begin to move by falling.

Now imagine we add a foot to the broomstick. If there is any tension in the lower legs or foot this tension locks the hinge point at the base of the broomstick and the ground (your ankle) and resists the forward fall.

The muscles in your lower legs have to be completely relaxed throughout your whole stride. Any tension in your lower legs or feet resists the forward fall.

Running across sand can be used to visually demonstrate whether or not you use the muscles in your legs and feet to push you forward. If you only support your body weight without pushing forward you create footprints with even depression that result from even pressure throughout the bottom of the foot. If you push forward you’ll see the footprint deepen under the front of the foot resulting from pushing forward from the ball of the foot.

When Chi Running you concentrate on continuously recreating the conditions for the forward fall and forward movement happens as a result. Your concentration is on maintaining aligned posture, relaxed lower legs and feet and leaning your posture in front of your ankles.

Eliminating the use the muscles in you lower legs and feet to push you forward significantly reduces the amount of effort required to run, and significantly reduces the chance of lower leg injuries.