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.

I have been having some pain from tight muscles… some sciatic pain as a result…. so i have to stretch a lot and ice a lot and get active release to loosen up the muscles so i have less pain… so i have a question…

Is is too cold to run when you don’t have to ice your butt when you get home because it is already frozen during the run???

TOTB: wear more than you think you will need in the winter because you can always take layers off…

BOTB: if you don’t wear enough clothing and realize it is too cold for what you have on, use the newspaper you threw into the back seat for added protection… just make sure to tuck your clothes into your pants so you don’t lose your insulation along the trail…

it’s gorgeous out! sunny and warm! it got me thinking about warm weather running attire and I want to know: how do you feel about running skirts?? email me at hoodieruns@gmail.com with your comments.
check out the elites in skirts at the 2008 ING Ottawa Marathon 
(and the cutest running mantra ever: “I can do it!”)

by wednesday afternoon, this week, I was fighting the first cold I’ve had since November. this is a feat for me.  the last couple years  I’ve had multiple colds a year and this year, with regular running I’ve avoided colds for the most part.  over the last few weeks my running slumped a bit and my health has slumped too. it’s good motivation to get me back out there and the legs seem to have finally recovered from monday’s abusive workout. P90x – you’re a tough master. I’ve learned by lesson and I’m going to refocus on running, core strength and upper body strenght training but mostly running between now and the marathon.

I need a nice 5K to make me feel fleet of foot again > send me your race suggestions hoodieruns@gmail.com!

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the Great Tim Horton’s Roll Up The Rim Tally –  hoodie 5 : Tim Horton’s 7
(not too shabby! 5 wins in 12 cups!!)

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During the entire run tonight, my mind churned.  Hmm what to write about, what to write about?

Do I write about the Gazelle and how he ran another 10 km in preparation for Around the Bay in a few weeks in a lightening fast pace of 54 minutes?  Ok, 54 minutes and a few odd seconds.  Nah, I quickly threw that idea out.  It will only remind me that I need to go out on Sunday and run a 10 km myself.

I could write another blog about car part thingies and runner part thingies.  But I thought, nah, I’ll save that one for a time when I am really in a silly mood.

Well, what about …. but threw that one out before it even reached germination stage.

And then it hit me, the answer was so simple it was right in front of me the whole time.  And then at the half way point of the run it left me alone.  To finish my own race.

Meet a couple of my running friends from the Runners Den.  Jim and Dave.  Unlike me they are real runners.  They are getting ready to run the full Bay.  While I work my way up to a 10 km relay.  There’s nothing wrong with running a 10.  But there is nothing wrong with running a 30 either. 

It’s just that I need to run my own race. 

Jim and Dave are also really fast.  Well, compared to me they are fast.  I have tried to keep them in sight while I do longer runs with them.  I think they have taken me under their wing.  I am perhaps some experiment that might go horribly wrong.  Or it just might go horribly right.

They ran part of the way with me tonight.  And then at some point we lost each other. 

We all knew at some point we would all meet up again.  Because isn’t that what this running family is all about?  Coming together in the end?

Ok ok ok, over the last couple of days I have been reminded by a few people that I ‘missed’ some runs recently so I thought I would come clean.  Here’s the deal, a month ago I was in Mexico as part of a Reward and Recognition program through my work, pretty sweet deal I know!  One of my colleagues who was on the trip is an avid runner and when I say avid I mean she runs almost everyday and not short runs either.  She comes into work some Monday’s and if I ask her if she went running her response was usually something like ‘yeah, just 15k or so’.  Ho Hum no big deal, juts knocked off a 15k run like it was nothing!   Anyway, leading up to the trip she kept saying that we were going to be running every morning when we were in Mexico. At first I was kind of hesitant for a number of reasons. One, she is way faster than me, Two, this trip to me was all about Rest and Relaxation and NOT having to be up at 7:00am because that’s when the kids woke up.   I did end up taking my running gear as I eventually realized that I could not pass up an opportunity to run in great weather in the middle of winter! 

Her plan I believe was to run everyday and she did, my plan was to run a couple of times….and I didn’t.  Now don’t get me wrong I had great intentions. As a matter of fact right after I took the 2^nd tequila shot the first night I was still on board with running at 7:00am.  Problem was, the 2^nd turned into the 3^rd and so on.  Let’s just say that when she called my room the next day and said I was late, I quickly said I would be there, hung up the phone, jumped out of bed and realized……there was no way I was running that day.  I did find the energy to walk to the lobby to tell her that I was not able to physically go.  Once that was done it was back to my room for more sleep and a more reasonable wake up time of 11:30.  So I guess I can add another excuse to my list…’too hungover.’  Thankfully this is not one that gets used very often.

I did manage to make it out one of the three mornings and four of us had a great run for one hour down the beach. It was awesome, to be on the beach that early in the morning when the only things you had to watch out for were the waves and large beach rakes being pulled by tractors!  We managed to avoid the tractors ok but the waves gave us each a fair number of soakers.  I am still finding sand in my shoes each time I put them on!  That’s one problem I can live with. 

I ran in the Hypo Half this weekend… i was very tired and my legs felt like lead, and i did not run a fast race… and that leads to the…

TOTB: when entering a race be sure to factor in taper time… rest, eat well and try not to run too muchin the weeks before hand; you want to feel like you are itching to race!

BOTB: So when i talk about tapering it would NOT mean running 103kms the week BEFORE the race, and perhaps NOT running 5km right before the actual race because you need to get training mileage in… it could cause your legs to feel like lead and you might be a little tired for the race… 

Now, in regards to running etiquette here is a little sample of What NOT to do when running… (this website will link to the video)

http://www.bestrong.ca/videos.htm

“Grumble, grumble, grumble, stupid car.” 

As I took the bus to work this morning, I was grumbling about my car.  I had to drop it off at the mechanics to get some expensive car part thingie fixed.  If you need to know the name of good mechanic, let me know, I can pass along the name of mine.

I have to admit I don’t know a lot about car part thingies.  I know that I get in the car, put the key in the ignition and if it starts, it works.  If it doesn’t, it’s broke.

Kind of like runners.  Except there is not really an ignition.  Or car part thingies.  We just have our legs and various other runner part thingies.  Our brain, which sometimes wants us to think the rest of us is broken.  And our lungs.  Which also want us to think the rest of us is broken.

Broken car part thingies got me thinking about broken runner part thingies.  And how sometimes finding a really good mechanic is the difference between running and not running.

My purple shoed friend is dealing with an ongoing thigh injury.  I am almost an expert at broken runner part thingies.

Not long after coming back from a traumatic injury, I started to notice a funky thing happening with my ankle.  I started to look like my own version of the Elephant Man.  The ankle started to swell up like a balloon and each time I ran, it hurt a little more.

My running friends told me to go visit a guy who had the hands of an angel.  Donnie is an Active Release Therapist.  They also warned me that ART hurts.  A lot.

In the interest of being able to continue running, I called my second best friend Teresa, also known as his assistant and booked an appointment with Donnie.

To this day, I don’t know what the problem with my ankle was.  I think I want to keep it that way.  Some things are best unsaid. 

But I have figured one thing out, runner part thingies are like car part thingies, you need to keep the maintenance up or you will end up with a huge bill.  Or even worse, having to sell the car for parts.

Cross Training 101

In the past I have trained for and ran five ½ marathons and each time I began the training for it I thought ‘This is the year I do some serious cross training and really kick butt’.  And each year the same thing happens.  I do the necessary training to complete the race and my cross training consists of playing hockey once a week and watching the NHL playoffs on the couch.  Not exactly what running experts have in mind I am sure!

This year is going to be different! After all I am going to run a full marathon this year (gulp!)
So what kind of cross training should I do?? Swimming? Cycling? Pilates?  Tough Call. 

Swimming seems like a good option, its low impact (good for someone my size), there is minimal equipment required (shorts not a speedo, trust me it’s better for everyone) and swimmers are typically very lean and muscular so it must be a great workout. (That being said the guys I see in the change room after my son’s swimming lesson look a lot less like Michael Phelps and more like Michael Moore!)

Ok, so maybe Cycling would be better. Again it’s low impact, I already have the bike and helmet so equipment is not the issue (no tight shorts for me thank you). Plus riding a bike makes you feel like a kid again, and like swimming cyclist tend to be very lean and muscular. (Blood doping is optional though right????)

Pilates?  My wife does Pilates once a week. Occasionally she comes home after a class and demonstrates some of the things they do during their workout. Let’s just say I haven’t been able to touch my toes since high school and my hamstrings are like guitar strings so Pilates is not going to happen.

What about walking???  That would work; I am doing a ton of it. How much you say??  Lots, remember my comment last time about my daughter being sick and helping me with time management?  Let’s just say she is now having a very hard time sleeping and we have been doing a lot of pacing at night lately. Let’s do some simple math to see if it qualifies as a workout.  My house from the back door to the front hall is approximately 20 feet or just over 6 meters.  Now, how many times would I have to walk from the back door to the front hall to have it equal a workout?  Let’s see if I wanted to walk 5km, that’s 5000 meters.   Divide that by 6, and you get 833. 833 divided by 2 equals 416. So that’s it, if I want to walk 5 km in my house I need to walk from the back door to the front hall, and back 416 times!  Sweet, based on the last two nights I can chalk up a total of about 10 km and two cross training workouts!!

Who needs the pool, bike or Pilates class.  There is obviously no need for me to share a pool with Michael Moore, squeeze myself into a pair of bike shorts or snap my hamstring trying to do some crazy Pilates move. I have my own gym at home and the only equipment I need for it is patience, infant Advil and diapers!  

Friday, February 27, 2009

Yesterday the Vikes team flew into the coldest place in Canada, I swear! Regina had a high of -35C that day. Our team from the island in the Pacific ocean were in shock as we walked out on the frozen tundra  (which was the airport parking lot) to the rental vans.  I have decided I am not a true Canadian. Just 10 minutes of standing in the cold, shivering while waiting for the vans had me feeling grumpy and cursing like a truck-driver. I can’t believe I am the same person that lived for years in Northern-Ontario.

We drove over to the indoor track shortly after we arrived to do an easy warm-up and some strides. I felt fine during the run but shortly afterwards felt tired so I told Brent I would have to skip the dinner with the girls team and needed to hang low in my room for a few hours. One of the Vikes’ parents live very close to the track and offered to make the girls team a pre-race dinner at their home which was incredibly sweet of them. Feelings of guilt overtook my  better judgement and  I sucked it up and went over and enjoyed an wonderful home-cooked meal of roast beef, mashed potatoes, spaghetti squash and Saskatoon Berry crumble with ice cream.

I had a decent sleep last night although my nose was  stuffed and yet really dr when I woke up. Nothing like a hot and stuffy hotel room to make you feel like you have swallowed a cupful of saw dust and shoved cotton balls as far as you can up your nose. After a lazy morning listening (an humming along) to music I need to learn (sorry to my roomies!!) we got to the track in time to watch some of the middle-distance girls run before we had to do our warm-up.

My warm-up felt normal, strides felt good…nothing out of the ordinary. I was feeling confident that I could hold a good pace today and was looking forward to having Paula to gage a clippy pace off of since I knew she would be up for a good battle. I decided to wear flats again today since I have to run NACAC next weekend and didn’t want to be dealing with sore calves. The race started exactly as I predicted with Paula pulling up a lead right off the top with me about 3″ behind. The track was 200m so I got my 400m split and was pretty well on pace in 75″…problem was it felt like I had just run 68…uh, oh. I told myself not to change anything, that maybe I would find that relaxed feeling in another lap or so. I kept my focus on Paula just a few seconds ahead and was still feeling confident that I would be able to close in at the right time further into the race. Unfortunately, 1km into it  and I was feeling very flat. I came so very close to pulling off several times but still had a glimmer of hope that I would feel better if I just hung in there. So, I hung in there…out of sheer will-power. I was running slower on every lap but my stubborn personality willed every step and I finished. I came in 5th in 10:13…that would be 34″ slower than in Seattle! haha! It wasn’t funny when I finished to be honest since I couldn’t believe I had run so poorly but once I caught my breath (it felt like I had run 9:05!) and got a few hugs from the girls on the team who had also run I just laughed and shrugged my shoulders….what can you do?! One of my team mates Deirdre who caught me at the line ran a PB today which was exciting…yay D!!!!

Kerry who also got sick last week had a very similar race finnished her last km in a stunning 3:47…haha! I didn’t dare ask what my last km was in.

Anyway, the other girls had good races and I was relieved to find out that our men’s 4 x 800m team broke the meet record and grabbed the top three spots as individuals in the 1500m as well. I should have gone to watch the other events later that night after dinner but I was exhausted afterwards and ignored the feeling of guilt this time and stayed in my room and rested.

I woke up the next morning with no voice. Julia and Laura who I was sharing the room with thought it was pretty funny hearing me try to croak out a good morning! Thanksfully, my voice gradually came back…just needed to clear the gobs of flem that was sitting on my vocal chords…sorry for the graphic details!!

I had asked Brent to fly me home the day after I raced even though the team was staying on for one more day of racing and the banquet and he was able to get me on an earlier flight. I have a lot of travelling to do in the next few weeks so I thought an extra day home in my own bed would be a good thing. Kerry managed to get on the same flight, bailing on running the 1500m which was a wise move.

I spoke with Coach Jon the next day as our group was running on the trails at Thetis lake. He agreed that there was something wrong with me on Friday and it was likely from having been sick. He has revised my training schedule again to provide me with more recovery saying that it’s more important than training this week and I completely agreed. I haven’t had much experience with training while sick since I have been training hard. I have been very lucky. So I look at this as a valuable learning experience, although I suppose every flu-bug or cold one gets affects one differently. I felt good on the run today but was pretty tired in the afternoon so I gave myself some lie-down time in the afternoon. I am pretty sure I will perk up by the end of the week. We leave on Thursday for the NACAC Cross Country Championships in Orlando, Florida.