Cold and windy run today… this is my last 34km long run, the next 5 weeks will be mostly long runs with tempo intervals… hhhhhmmmmm 34 km of a relaxed run seems so much nicer…

When you first decided to start running, you probably had a good reason, or a great goal… If you do this for you, then you owe it to yourself to keep going, don’t give up before you really see what you are made of… You will need to set goals along the way to keep you focused, and if you need to write yourself out a contract to stick to, then do it… Get out your calendar, get out your journal and log the mileage, the weather, the feelings, the thoughts, the jokes you heard along the way, do what it takes because YOU DESERVE what ever you choose to do for you!!  

If you are doing this strictly to lose weight, then you need to be sure you are in it for the long hall and you will need to add another reason for doing it because, although there is little else that can match the cardio work out of running, it is not easy and you are more likely to quit if it is strictly for weight loss. If your goal is to run 5km and then cross it off your list, be careful, this can be addicting… because once you have a time, YOU WILL WANT TO BEAT IT!

TOTB: Write out your goal (make sure there is a race at the end, or mid point at least) and break your goal down into monthly and weekly mini goals. Create a running log and document how far, how fast and how you feel; this is great to look for changes in your training and if you need to alter your program. A good friend of mine likes to jot down the weather and what he wore because we tend to forget year to year and as the weather changes we often can’t figure out what works best…

BOTB: A good reason to write down what you wore during what temperature would have worked wonders for one of our running buddies today… he had really nice gloves for, lets say, jogging on a mild, sunny winter day; but with the 50km per hour wind gusts, spitting snow pellets and a -28C wind chill… they caused a little chill in his hands… luckily one of our other buddies had a spare pair and he doubled up and got him through the run with only minor wind burn.

check out another video on Running etiquette….

There is something so cool about driving around the city this time of year.  Usually about January the number of runners out and about first thing Saturday morning swells.  While I haven’t done a scientific study I know that this is in direct proportion to the set date of a race.

It always makes me a little jealous when I see groups of runners who are out training for a race.  I usually watch them instead of driving and I envy the laughter and the comraderie that is evident from afar.  I want to run right then too, to enjoy the feeling of the wind in my face and the numbness in my toes.  My mind wanders and I think to myself, I wonder what their motivation is for starting to run.

Some of the motivation for me is a treasured family member also known as TFM who started running a number of years ago.  One, who like the Gazelle decided to start running one day and ran 10 km his first time out.

Soon after he decided he was going to run Around the Bay and he never looked back.  One year the  route took him right past the Gazelle’s apartment and out goes the Gazelle to cheer him on.  The Gazelle stands with a number of other proud supporters who yelled and cheered and rang cow bells.  That is a whole other post in itself.

So TFM  knows that the Gazelle will be looking for him.  But the Gazelle was a bit distracted and missed TFM until he ran behind the Gazelle  tapped him on the shoulder and said, “Are you looking for me?” 

“Opps, darn” said the Gazelle “I’ll do better next time.”

Sibling rivallry kicked in the next year and I decided I was going to do one better than the Gazelle.  I had a sign and a plan.

So I walk to the route with my sign in hand.  I won’t miss TFM.

And then the lady next to me started talking about her son.  He was in the race too and this was his first Bay and she was so proud.

I tried to talk to the nice lady and keep an eye out for TFM. 

And when TFM ran up to me and said, “What is it with your family?  Don’t you guys know how to look for runners in a group?”

“Opps, darn,” I said, “I’ll do better next time.”

So I joined a running group, and never looked back.  And never missed TFM at the finish line again.

Ok, so far in my blog I have been able avoid writing about actually running, a fact that my wife has been pointing out for the last couple of days. So I though I would change things up a bit and write about running and in particular today’s run.

The first thing I should tell you is that today’s run almost didn’t happen. You are probably wondering which one of my many excuses I was going to use for today. Well I will tell you it was ‘too sick’. There seems to be a nasty head cold running through our house and today it got me and my wife. After waking up with our head’s feeling like they were full of cotton balls, we got the kids fed, I then took my son to his skating lessons, then to the barber for a much needed haircut, then Tim Horton’s for his staple of ‘sprinkles with donut on it’ and finally home for lunch, the last thing I wanted to do was go for a run.

Some articles you read say to not run or exercise when you are sick and just rest, others say to go hard and sweat it out. I figured I would go somewhere in between, a nice leisurely short run of about 3-4 km just to get my legs moving a bit. Funny thing happened when I was out though. I got to point where I should have turned around and instead just kept going! Not sure why, maybe it’s because it was a nice day, or the fact that a good song came on the ipod at that moment or maybe it was because for the first time that day I could breath out my nose!!! What ever it was I felt good and kept going!!

Isn’t it amazing how you can feel like garbage before you run but 99% of the time you feel awesome when you are done!! I managed to pound out 7k today, not bad for a day I thought I would pass on. After a quick shower, it was outside for the afternoon, took down the Christmas lights (brutal I know, but I am not the last on my street) played a rousing game of road hockey with my son (only hit me once in the sweet spot, if you know what I mean!) and then inside to continue packing (did I mention we are moving in a few weeks, just something else to add to my excuse list, ‘I need to pack’).

So who is right? The people that say you should exercise when you are sick or those who say you shouldn’t??? I’m not sure yet, I’ll let you know tomorrow. 🙂

Looking back, and if there were time in my life to plan anything, we should have begun running in the Spring or Summer. As it was a fairly spontaneous thing, which I honestly didn’t think would last, it turned out we began in the Fall. As winter progressed we had to run on bigger and busier roads as the ice took hold of the smaller ones. We had to pick our times to run avoiding, snowstorms and the very coldest days. That being said having run through a variety of winter weather, I came to enjoy and appreciate different scenery. One day we were out on a run, we were running on the bigger roads. We were having to run on the edge of the road due to the quantity of snow on the bit at the side. It was freezing. We were running later than planned so it was getting dark and dreary. I looked around and India was running ahead of me, which is her favourite position, I had my music on, the cars were zipping by, the scenery was gloomy at best, and the snow was really ice and it was dirty and very very ugly. People driving past were giving us the ‘You really are crazy look‘. It was then that I thought to myself, ‘I love this’. I yelled to India ‘I love this’!. She laughed at me and said ‘Mom!“ I couldn’t believe that despite the ugliness, slippery wet roads, cars passing far too close, and achy legs, I was actually enjoying myself. How bizarre, at what point did I get hooked I wonder????

I haven’t taken the calendar out yet to count the number of sleeps until the big race.  Big for me anyway.  This is my first 10 km relay.

I signed up to do a relay last year with a couple friends.  We didn’t even have a name for our team before I had to drop out.  There had been a warm spell during the month and Mother Nature had provided us with rain instead of snow.  Which was good, until the temperature dropped and the rain on the ground froze.

But that isn’t what this post is about.  This one is about getting ready to run Around the Bay.  Which the Gazelle lovingly reminded me is the oldest “Road Race” in North America not the oldest marathon.  There were some panicked moments as I went back to double check I had, in fact,  written road race and not marathon.

So what am I doing to prepare for the race?  I’m making sure I don’t go to the hair stylist before the big day.

My friends know that I love to change up the colour and style of my hair.  To the point that some of my running friends refer to races by the colour of my hair at the time.  Maybe I am a bit obsessive about the colour changes, I know I like variety in my hair colour.

So picture this, I am sporting this glorious mane, ok not mane more like skull cap, of wonderful violet black hair with a couple of blue streaks.  I hadn’t checked my calendar and didn’t realise I had a race the day after.  The Ancaster Old Mill race will never be the same, horribly  I remember the makeup aftermath.

I don’t know about you, but when I run, it is officially declared a make up disaster zone.  My mascara gets caught in the sweat running down my face giving me really cool looking black lines to my chin.  It gloops onto my glasses.

Let’s not forget the foundation that suddenly shifts down my face too.  Thank goodness I don’t wear blush.  But the liquid eyeliner?  Don’t even get me started on that one.

But picture hair dye thrown into the equation.  Violet black running down my forehead and back of my neck.

My poor Mom panicked and thought I had gone through some sort of chemical storm.

No Mom, just poor hair styling planning.

Inspiration comes from many places and the thought of searching out new sources of it can be a daunting and trying task. The inspiration for say, making a delicious chocolate cake is of course, the delectable moment when you can take that first moist bite – better yet, when you get to watch someone you love take that first grateful bite. Just ask my husband about this as he has a lovely habit of baking the most wonderful smelling banana bread and then promptly delivering it to his most favourite running buddy. (This leaves my house wafting of its untouchable taste!) Running has given me back as much inspiration to continue as I have greedily taken from it. There are many relationships in this lifetime that are, by their very nature, a give and take. However, running appears to be one which offers itself up as a selfless sacrifice. To take part you just need to let go and run.

Now the motivation to run is sometimes a different story. My eagerness to start running didn’t spark with the joy of watching my husband become so animated over something I could not understand. It didn’t strike up when I realised I had just celebrated the first (of many) anniversary of my 29^th birthday. It was, for me, more about time and space. With the birth of our third child, I felt the miracle of life once more and in the same moment, the briefness of it. Our blessing came hardwired to live life in the fast lane…. In overdrive no less. Finding time to simply catch my breath has been a challenge and I wouldn’t change a thing. Having to work for space and time has made me appreciate it all the more.

I often joke that in my grand attempts to gain some perspective, that I end up running myself ragged trying to find the right vantage point from which to get it. While I’m busy running up and down the mountain looking for the perfect place to watch the sunset – I am missing it. Once you give up and let go – you find it. Usually that’s the moment when I slip in the mud and end up flat on my back staring up at the most beautiful sunset I’ve ever seen. The one that I was missing. Sometimes it takes a good fall to figure out how to pick yourself back up. And I have fallen…. Fallen in love with running.

I love that between 5:00am and 6:30am, I can learn to relax and smile and enjoy the ride that my body can give me. I love that I shed my exhaustion and frustration with each tentative step; that with each successive footfall on the path I hear my stress releasing itself into the ground. Lately I’ve been pondering even the way my laces flirt with the pavement as I run and it makes me think the even my shoes are enjoying themselves. And most especially I love that I can love the space and time without a fret or regret.

People have asked me if I’m a gadget runner or a high tech runner. Here I have a good laugh. I pride myself on the fact that running is supposed to be a free sport. And further on the fact that I haven’t been many purchases outside of the thrift store for the sake of my new habit. This is the juncture where my husband would love to point out that is because I’m always borrowing his gadgets and thingamajigs. Since we run on opposite schedules to avoid day care costs, it works out okay. But for the most part, an mp3 or other techy distraction ranks very low in comparison to shear good company. I have to say – good company makes the effort well worth it.

My guides have been coined the Floating White Torso’s. (Except when we run in the park and then one of them graciously becomes bear-bate!) This is something that I feel the need to explain as for me, having a running team is akin to having a punk garage band that plays loudly and proudly from your mom’s place, just to broadcast its existence. It’s hard to explain to people how I see, or what I don’t see, as to do so would involve an understanding of how you see. When I tell people I can’t see colors, at all, the first question becomes “well do you mean to say that you see in black and white?” How would I know? Honestly? What’s black and white? My best response is; “shades…. I see in shades, degrees of darkness and light.” What that means, I have no clue.

When I first started running with my guides, they asked all the right questions about what they should wear for contrast and visibility. White is always best for the non-winter weather. It stands out with a bang against almost anything. (Including bears) That is, of course, unless you wash it one too many times with the rest of your dark running clothes. (I’ve never been very good at sorting laundry or matching socks for that matter) Everyone on the team found a white shirt. It was great. None of us have invested in white pants or shorts as of yet. One day we were discussing peripheral vision and the fact that I have none. They asked me what I saw of them as we ran. In my struggles to explain in terms they would understand I suggested it was like watching floating white torso’s bob up and down the trail. Instantly the Floating White Torso’s were born.

Of course in the winter we have changed it up a bit and it’s more complicated. But when the headlights of oncoming cars are ripping out my retinas from within, I love that my guides always remember their white socks!

After going for my run last night I put some new music on my MP3 player.  I had the new CD from Mobile.  I almost showed my age by calling it an album.

I really like the new CD and wanted to be able to enjoy it while I run.  I listen to my MP3 player while I run.  Refusing to run when I accidentally forgot it one time when I was supposed to go for a run with the Gazelle. I do listen safely when I run. I am aware of what is going on around me.  Make a wide berth around trees and bushes and other places that a non-runner could hide.  I let people know where I am running and when they can expect me back.  I make sure the volume isn’t so loud I won’t be able to hear someone coming up behind me.  Besides the pounding of my feet on the pavement would be a deterrent.  The heavy laboured breathing would be a cause for outright panic on the part of the criminal.

I can tell you what I was doing by the song that is playing.  It is a rather eclectic selection of music.  One minute I can be listening to Alice in Chains, the next Sarah McLaughlin.  I love music as much as I love running and writing.  I have even been know to get up on stage and belt out a tune or two.  Without alcohol shoring up my confidence either.

When I listen to Queens of the Stoneage I am reminded of the Mohawk running trail.  It was at a time when I was just starting to train seriously for the Ancaster Old Mill race.  And got a really cool finishing medal at the end.

The Cult remind me of getting ready to do the Road2Hope – the second time around.  When Hamilton was voted the most scenic marathon.  And finished in a great time.  Which allowed me to watch my parents walk across the finish line in the walkers category. 

I have added a new band to the list of bands who will provide me with the most amazing Around the Bay post race memories.