Last Tuesday night, I met the group of women I’ve been coaching in a “Learn to Run” clinic for the last time.
Ten weeks ago, they sat on benches before me, faces flushed with disbelief and fear when I told them that the goal of our clinic was to run 5km.
Last Tuesday, I shouted and cheered for them, so very, very proud, as they crossed that barrier. They did it.
As in any journey, there were hard days. About halfway through was the toughest time. A few of the women had gone on vacation, the weather seemed to be constantly set to “cold drizzle” and 5k seemed very far away. There were hard runs, but I tried to stay positive for them. Be proud of yourself, give yourself the credit you deserve for doing this, I’d tell them. Be kind to yourself, don’t beat yourself up about the one run that didn’t happen, congratulate yourself for the three or four that did happen.
As we stretched afterwards, their faces sweaty and flushed and happy they exclaimed, Who would have thought?! Who knew we could do it? And I smiled and said, Me. I knew all along. And I did, I believed it from the beginning.
Coaching this clinic has been all I had hoped it would be. The discovery of strength is an experience so powerful that it transcends all aspects of your life. I know, because I’ve been there. To believe in yourself? Is unlike any other feeling in the world. When you push past your (physical, mental, emotional) limits, doors that you never knew existed are opened to you. Because of you.
It didn’t matter what I knew ten weeks ago; it matters that they know it now.
Each of us, we are strong and wonderful and beautiful. It’s looking in the mirror and believing it that can be the hardest part.
I wake early on Sundays, tip toe down the stairs and change into my running gear. I eat breakfast in silence, crunching quietly as possible, trying to let the two children upstairs sleep.
Brush teeth, lace up sneakers and I’m out the door just as the morning sun starts to glow warm yellow on the world. Key in ignition and the car rolls out of the driveway – I have a date with myself.
As I near downtown, the car veers left into the road that rolls high over the harbour then dips below the bridge. I turn up the music. Sometimes it’s Fleetwood Mac, sometimes it’s Pearl Jam, sometimes it’s something in between. Roll down the windows and let the spring air rush into my lungs. I breathe deep.
Downtown is abandoned this early on a Sunday and the parking spaces are easy to find. I am an hour early for the run clinic I coach, just enough time for my own run.
The route takes me down a main road, loops around the hospital and then up, up, up the largest hill. I stop at the top when it’s sunny and look out beyond the town clock and over the sparkling harbour. Inhale. Peace – I’ve found it. Down the hill and loop back to the store for a quick stretch before my group arrives and the day’s machinery begins to grind.
Afterwards, I head home to my husband and daughters, they have also been running this morning. The dog and kids run to greet me at the car while my husband waits on the front step, coffee in hand. There are small voices squealing at me and the dog is barking and above their heads, we lock eyes and smile at each other.
Our life six years ago was very different than our life now. Little by little, as the years have passed, we have lost much of our free time. There are rarely lazy mornings or late nights. Children and careers and university classes and a nasty habit of training for very long runs have snatched them away.
I sit beside my husband in the sunshine. Two girls scramble to get between us, the dog settles and lays down on the grass. I sip his coffee and smile because, oh, it’s all so very worth it.
GRANT: Oh, they were okay. The running scenes were well produced, but they are perfect examples of everything I hate about film.
VICKY: Not enough sex?
GRANT: Yes that, and they feel no obligation to the truth.
VICKY: Examples please! I know you haven’t read the book yet. I still have your copy.
GRANT: Well, I don’t know which one tells the truth or maybe neither but both tell different versions of key events of the story. Yes Prefontaine goes off to Oregon to run, runs in the Olympics and dies in a car accident, but how he gets recruited, how he meets his girlfriend, how he encounters Bill Bowerman; they are all told in completely different ways. Someone is not telling the truth.
VICKY: Relax, they are just movies.
GRANT: I know, but why do movies have a totally different standard towards the truth? Imagine if you read a biography, but the author changed around all the major events so that it was more dramatic.
VICKY: I guess you have a point. I hadn’t thought about that.
GRANT: It’s getting so that when I watch a movie, “based on a true story” I assume that 95% of it is fiction.
VICKY: Yeah, like Titanic, how much of that was true?
GRANT: That’s funny, but seriously, why is film held to a completely different journalistic standard then books are. Currently I’m reading Bowerman and the Men of Oregon, by Kenny Moore. This is a very well researched book which stretches from Bowerman’s childhood, through his service in World War 2 in Italy, through his years coaching at the University of Oregon and at the Olympics. Is there any way that Moore is going to change details around in this story to make it cooler or more entertaining. Hell no. He assumes that his audience is intelligent enough to be interested more in the truth than in cheap thrills. Ironically Moore co-wrote Without Limits. Go figure.
VICKY: Nice rant.
GRANT: Thank you. And now I’ll encourage all of you to watch Saint Ralph, a Canadian made movie which takes place in Hamilton and shows the Around the Bay race and the Boston Marathon. It is definitely and delightfully fiction.
VICKY: Good one. Let’s find out from the readers what their favorite running movie is? And the worst movie they’ve ever watched?
Back in the November 2009 issue of iRun, Dr. Bruce Minnes shared what a “typical” day in the med tent of a major marathon event looked like. While I really enjoyed the article, I have to say, I didn’t really “get” it. And I didn’t even know that I didn’t get it until I spent a few hours in the finish chute at the Ottawa Marathon.
In the article, Dr. Minnes says: “Our crew “cruises the chute,” wheel-chairs ready, keeping keen eyes out for those runners demonstrating symptoms that make them medical-tent material.” With all due respect, I don’t think this description really does the job justice.
The volunteers were in the chute just sort of cheering with the rest of us. One or two went forward to check on the early finishers with routine barfing and wobbling issues. Then the pack started coming in. Think back to a recent race you’ve done, and remember what it was like – you crossed the finish line, you were elbow to elbow as everyone came to a relative halt, dozens of people in every direction. Remember that?
Okay, now picture this: amidst all of that chaos, there are red shirts darting in and out of the crowd, somehow managing not to impede the flow through the chute. Like hawks spotting mice in tall grass from 100 metres in the air, these people picked out the runners-in-trouble with superhuman accuracy.
Despite all of the noise and traffic, I think I only saw two “wobblers” actually hit the ground – everyone else was either caught by hand, or plopped in a wheelchair before they went down. I was amazed by these folks and their preternatural ability to tell the difference between people who were hurting and people who were in trouble; people who’d be able to walk it off, and people who’d need a little help – because frankly, every person they approached would try to wave them off, saying “I’m okay! I’m fine!”
I doubt I am even doing them justice now, but I am telling you, it was like nothing I’ve ever seen. Well done, medical team! I am in awe.
Anyone else experience a flurry of emotions this passed weekend?
What a weekend, I am blown away by the fantastic job that the Race Weekend organizers and volunteers did.
I experienced Joy and Happiness for such a smooth weekend with exciting races from 2k to 42.2 k!
I would love to tell you about my race and describe some of the emotions! I ran the 10km on Saturday night and I was lucky to have the opportunity to suit up next to some of the world’s best in the elite section! Sure I may be almost a foot taller than Mr Merga but boy is he intimidating. I was grateful to have one of Canada’s best distance men there beside me (Reid Coolsaet) he is always smiling and wow what a pace bunny! Reid was using the race as a training run so he was running at his marathon pace and he is something of a metronome.
The plan was to go out and run 3:10 min/km, simple enough right? Well let’s look at kms 1 and 2…Over excited and slight downhill so 3:oo and 3:02 respectively…opps. Somehow missed the 3km split but then it was bang on 3:10 until km 7 when things got rough! Kms 7 and 8 are a little up hill and I started really noticing the heat, I was ready to shut (pain) it down by the time we got to Pretoria bridge during the 8th km and Reid obviously knowing this says “Hey dude this is where you make yourself a man”. Right I’m suppose to give up after that (pride)?! So after a dismal 3:25km in that portion of the race I fired up the last km and let loose any and everything I had left and ended up 31:48! A personal best! 16th Overall.
It was a great race and I was in awe, there wasn’t a 5m stretch without a screaming fan. I was really excited to see how popular running truly is in this city!
The next morning I went out to cheer on friends and family in the marathon. Flashback to Saturday post race I was in rough shape, I didn’t sleep and spent a lot of time in and around the bathroom. The combination of going all the way to the well in my race and lack of sleep put me in one hell of a mood Sunday. I kid you not I road my bike up along side the marathon saw a woman crying and hugging someone on the side of the road and shed a couple of tears myself right then and there. There was just something overwhelming about that sight, I couldn’t for the life of my figure out why the hell any one would do that to themselves. Luckily, Chef and I got a lot of “I Run” statements at the Expo so I do know why people do it but I’m still baffled at why we put ourselves through that pain. For me I think it’s just all I know at this point, pain and perseverance. I’d love it if any readers post below and tell me why they do it.
Anyway I’ll say it again what a great weekend and congrats to anyone who was out there I hope the weekend was an emotional roller-coaster for all of you as well. I know some of the above aren’t all emotions per se but you get the idea!
Keep doing what you do,
Josh
P.s stay tuned I may have video of the finish! Chef?
So, there I was at the iRun booth at the Ottawa Race Weekend expo. And this group of runners comes up to the booth. I offer them their free copies of iRun and one of them says, “Oh, I have to show you something.” And he opens the magazine to the article about Malcolm Gladwell, points to the part that says Malcolm’s big goal in high school was to beat Dave Reid, and they all have a laugh.
Did you run? Were you lucky enough to post a PB? Leave a comment on your impression of Ottawa Race Weekend.
I had a blast. It was my first half marathon, and I ran it as if it were my first too. I had a really great weekend. The race was really just the icing on the cake. I was fortunate enough to be at the Expo with iRun speed freak, Josh (not really a freak, but anyone who can run that fast has some freak in them). We had a ton of fun collecting iRun statements and video. The following morning we packed the family up for the 2km family run. My two older boys did fantastic finishing in roughly 15minutes. Then came the media pass and video of the top 10km runners. What a treat to be behind the finish banner for the first runners coming in. I hope to post the video of Josh here in the coming days. He ran a blistering fast race, and came in 16th to boot. I won’t spoil his fun in letting you know his time. Make sure you check his blog for the details in his words. At home after all the fun, I had a simple pasta dinner and relaxed as best I could, for the race to come.
The following morning I biked down to the course and started my warm up. Getting into the coral was a nightmare. And finding the 1:45 pace bunny was not so easy either. I probably should have just lined up and raced my own race. The pace bunnie’s pace out of the gun was a little more than I should have been doing. It was shoulder to shoulder for the first couple of km. I think we were running harder to break free of the log jam. At the first water station I realized I need to practice drinking from a cup. I was really just throwing at my mouth and hoping to get some in. The same could be said for the gels. I dropped 3 in my race. So much for fueling on the run. IN the end my salvation was the sponges. GOD love the sponges. they saved me for sure. Our running group seemed pretty well on pace. We even had some time in the bank. I felt strong, but we still needed to cross the bridge back into Ottawa. At the end of the bridge I realized I was starting to hurt.
By the 14km mark I was toast. I had nothing left to give and had to let go of the pace bunny. We had a minute or two in the bank, but they were still going hard. I was hardly going. After passing people for 1:20 I was relegated to watching everyone pass me. Totally infuriating. I had made the rookie mistake of going out too hard. Oh well, at least I was still in front of the 1:50 bunny. Not for long though, by 1:40 that bunny had come right up on my heels. I now had to dig deep into some place I didn’t know existed. I could pick up the pace for about 20 sec. then back down to shuffling speed. All I could do was hope my repeated bursts were enough to stay ahead.
With 1km to go the crowds were all the endorphins I required. I must make a heartfelt huge thank you to all the amazing spectators lining the streets. And to all of you who read my bib and encouraged me by name…..I owe you huge! That is an amazing feeling. At 750m I started to sprint. I couldn’t believe it. Where did this energy come from? I crossed the line just in front of the 1:50 pace bunny. Agony and extacy at the same time. Another race in the books, and one I will not forget anytime soon. Especially now that I have a PB to beat in the next half.
Again congrats to all finishers. Leave me a post on your feelings. It might just get you some iRun swag.
And to keep it somewhat about the food. Was there something you ate after your race that rewarded you for your effort? Even if you were taken out for dinner (especially in Ottawa) let me know where and how it went. I would love to hear from you.
This Sunday (May 30th), the Ottawa race weekend had a great day for a race! The half and full marathon runners experienced relatively cool temperatures (< 16 C) – taking some pressure away from worrying about huge sweat losses and during run hydration to help minimize these losses to ensure peak performance. A number of runners have already emailed me to say that they achieved personal bests! But even though the temperature was relatively cool and there was a nice breeze to help cool runners’ bodies down, a hydration strategy was still important! The distance that you run, the pace/speed/intensity of your run, your fitness level, and the environmental conditions all contribute to what you should drink and when you should drink it.
Why are fluids important for distance runners?
Drinking prior to and during a distance run can help with temperature regulation by preventing heat illness and dehydration.
Drinking post-run is essential to optimize your fluid balance and ensure that you have enough circulating fluid to maintain blood volume, rehydrate intracellular water and maintain overall water balance.
Drinking sufficient fluids throughout the day ensures that your kidneys have enough fluid to flush out all the waste products of your metabolism.
Before your run:
While water will help to ensure adequate hydration before your run, sport drinks not only help to rehydrate, but also ensure that your first source of energy, your blood sugar, is topped-up and ready to race.
Whether during training or competition, being adequately hydrated is a huge advantage. The following chart can be used as a guideline to ensure you are drinking enough before you run.
How long before a run? How much?
4 hrs BEFORE….drink 5-7 mL/kg body weight
2 hrs BEFORE….drink 3-5 mL/kg body weight
During your run
Sweat rates can range from 0.4 Litres up to 1.8 litres per hour in a heavily sweating, big bodied person. Sweat rates also depend upon on the weather, the duration of your training session, and your training level. With this in mind, some runners find it difficult to consume enough fluid while running to replace the amount lost in sweat and prevent dehydration.
As a general guideline, drink 0.5 to 1 cup (0.4-0.8L) of fluid per hour.
Endurance formula sport drinks contain the same amount of carbohydrate as regular sport drinks, but almost twice the amount of electrolytes.
Although beverages such as enhanced water or low calorie sport drinks help to ward off dehydration, they do not contain carbohydrates, and therefore do not provide adequate fuel during a run.
Ideally, 15-20 g of carbohydrate per 250 ml is sufficient, with the type of sugar being glucose, sucrose, or maltodextrin with some fructose.
Too much fructose, such as that found in fruit juice, has been associated with symptoms of upset stomach, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea in some athletes.
125-175 mg of sodium, and 20- 50 mg of potassium per 250 ml is ideal.
After your run
Replacing fluid and electrolyte loses is not only necessary for rehydrating post-run, but essential for athletes in training who may be running again the next day. Sport drinks help you to refuel and rehydrate at the same time.
Runners should get in the practice of weighing themselves before and after a training session, and monitoring the conditions of their run in order to recognize and replace fluid loss, and ultimately maximize performance.
Aim to drink 1 – 1.5 L of fluid/kg of body weight lost during exercise.
Powerfuel™ Hydration Tip #1
Ice may improve your hot weather running performance.
Maintaining your running performance in hot weather may be as simple as drinking a slushy drink (ice-slurry) pre-run. Australian research suggests that a slushy drink could give you pretty significant performance benefits due to its effective cooling action compared to water. Runners drinking ice slurries pre-run were able to run for longer than when cold water was taken – likely because the runners were able to absorb more of the heat produced during their run then when cold water was consumed. So……load up on ice chips for your pre-race water bottle when running in the heat.
Powerfuel™ Hydration Tip #2
While water is often adequate, sport drinks are often more effective and provide additional energy and electrolytes to improve performance. Sport drinks are a great way to maximize fluid intake for athletes who do not enjoy drinking water, and therefore ingest inadequate amounts. The electrolytes in sport drinks also help to lock the fluid into the body.
Powerfuel™ Hydration Tip #3 – Train your gut (not just your legs) to run fast!
Training in an environment similar to where you will be competing is critical. Plan to acclimatize yourself to the weather conditions, the time of day, and the sport drink or gel used at that race. Surprises are part of the challenge (and the fun!) but training to your race will ensure that there you can handle anything that comes your way without jeopardizing your performance. Lastly, if you do not know which sport drink will be provided at the race, or if there will be any left when you get to the next station, BYOB (bring your own beverage)! This will ensure that your competition closely mimics your training and you will be prepared for anything. Remember, this is what you’ve trained for (and paid for), so enjoy it!
2:02:04, the best 45 seconds of which involved stopping to plant a kiss on my girl.
Yep, this means I beat my (admittedly totally arbitrary) time goal of 2:04:25 by more than 2 minutes. If we’re going to operate in the spirit of full disclosure, however, I must confess that I’d really hoped to bring it home under 2 hours. And in the spirit of full-full disclosure, I must confess that I might have gone out a little fast and found myself chasing a 1:55 until about the halfway mark. Ah, newfound wisdom I’ve supposedly gained since becoming a mom – where were you this morning?!
Still, I have no regrets about chasing an aggressive goal – except maybe for that brief, totally delusional period where I ran the first 3k in about 15 minutes (!) – since it means I know I left everything out there, and am still the same Beastie Boys-loving, pace-bunny-hunting, racing fool I used to be. And, for all I like to believe in race-day miracles, where the speed fairies descend from the heavens to plant kisses on my shoes that make me capable of running about a minute faster per kilometer than I did in training, in reality, you get the race you train for, and today was no exception. I raced as hard as I could on the training I’d done, and when I started to bleed time in the second half, rather than becoming discouraged or panicked about my tiring legs, I turned my thoughts to seeing my husband, my baby girl and my best friend waiting for me at the 20k mark. I actually felt a weird relief when the 2 hour bunny finally passed me, since it meant I wouldn’t feel rushed stopping to hug and smooch them. After all, no time goal can trump seeing little Alex beaming at me from her Baby Bjorn, with an expression that clearly meant, “I have no idea where you came from or what you’re doing, but I sure am glad to see you, Mom! Hey, what do you MEAN you’re not stopping to feed me? You better run, woman!”
Bears…cougars…wolves…These are the ‘scary’ ones I always get asked about: “Aren’t you scared of bears?”
“No, not really.”
I’ve been trail running in the Rockies for the better part of the last 15 years and have limited my bear sightings (not including in-car sightings) to 1 in every 3 years – on average – and most of the time, the bear in question, doesn’t even get a chance to take a look at me before I disappear around the corner…Truth is, I’ve been lucky…NOT! On the contrary, I’d like to think that I’m very ‘bear aware’(knock on wood!).
The reality of the situation is that they are out there. I know they are because I see their tracks and marks, their scat and even smell them sometimes…Am I scared to run into them? Sure I am. But it doesn’t prevent me from doing the sport I love.
Bears, like cougars, big horn sheep, elk, coyotes, wolves, moose and all the other critters that live in my backyard are part of what I love about running. Exploring, adventure, nature…wildlife – Don’t worry, I’m not going to start singing Kumbaya just yet – But, in a weird kind of way, I do wish I could see more of those damned elusive furballs. Seriously. I call it my backyard…but it’s actually their home, and for the amount of time I’ve spent outdoors, why haven’t I run into (or sighted) more of them?
The answer (for me) is simple. I respect them.
A few days ago, I took off from home on a 50km loop of Mt Rundle, which spans from Canmore to Banff. It’s a loop I’ve done many times, and I’m quite familiar with the terrain. Although it’s not so far from home, it’s still considered bear country – That said, not much land around hear isn’t considered ‘bear country’…
I wish I had this kind of spring-loaded power in my legs!
With my can of bear spray fastened on my chest pocket, I took off up Spray Rd, choosing to run clockwise around Rundle. On the way up, I spotted a few sheep chillin’ on the side of the road – they spotted me, jumped the fence (see photo above) and climbed the cliff to get out of ‘danger’. I snapped a few shots and continued along…
I was 10km from home and cruising…I turned East onto the Goat Creek trail towards Banff – a fast 15km of fireroad running lay ahead. Once in Banff, I would cross the Banff Springs golf course, and return via Banff Trail (Rundle riverside) for another 15km of technical forest trail back home via the Canmore Nordic Centre. It was a cool, wet day in the mountains – no tourists or hikers out today – just me. I normally try to recruit a partner for my long runs as it makes for good company – easier to make noise too – but no such luck this time. Despite the fast pace, I kept an active eye out for wildlife activity…no (fresh) poop mounds, no big paw prints (other than dog that is)…nothing. All clear!
After all these years of trail running out here, I think that my subconscious is always in wildlife-scan-mode. If I jump over a mud puddle, I look for paw prints. If I see scat on the trail, I assess which animal it’s from, and how fresh it is. As I approach a corner or a stream, I hear myself yell: “Hey Bear, Heeeeyyyyyy Beeeaaaarrrr, Hey Bear!” I ease up on the pace…peak around the corner…coast is clear! Every once in a while I’ll get spooked a bit, and look around, behind, or up high towards a cliff…I’ll yell over and over again…just to make sure…Besides, it’s always a good opportunity to practice drawing my bear spray – In fact, I bet I could challenge Clint on a few bear spray duels. “Come on Clint…Don’t make me peppa yo a$$ sucka!”
OK, so it may not be a bombproof system – but it’s worked for me so far…
…Knock on wood!
What’s your secret to dodging wildlife when you’re out on the trails? Do you run with a ‘bear’ bell (or as I call them…dinner bells 😉 )? Do you sing or talk out loud? Clap your hands? Share your stories…
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