Getting the Right Equipment

By

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March 1, 2009

Yesterday I went running for the first time since the Winterman half-marathon. It was sunny, -15, and there was a sharp wind. The wind was severe enough that, very shortly after my run, I went and bought myself a brand new neck-warmer.

My run yesterday made me think about all the gear I own as a runner. It is a ridiculous amount of equipment, and I never expected that I would be stocking up on so much stuff when I started this new hobby.

When I started running, I imagined that it would be an inexpensive hobby, a cheap way to pass the time and stay in shape! I started running with little more than a pair of shoes, shorts, and a T-shirt. What more could a runner possibly need? I was so naïve.

I did not just go buy equipment willy-nilly, however. Being a bit of a spendthrift (actually, I prefer the term ‘fiscal conservative’), I only bought equipment when I actually needed it. Like yesterday, I only bought my neck-warmer after a windy run that was particularly punishing on my exposed neck.

In fact, all the equipment, clothing, or gear I own represents some sort of painful experience that immediately preceded the purchasing of said equipment. Each piece of running gear that I put on my person represents a painful running episode that I would rather forget.

My neck-warmer represents my regret at having run head-first into -21 windchill.
My double-layered athletic socks represent a particularly nasty set of blisters.
My thermal toque represents a head cold that I would rather forget.
My jogging pants remind me of the time that my legs seized up most uncomfortably.
I wear gloves so that the time I was unable to hold a pen for a day and a half is never repeated.
My thermal shirt and wind-proof shell represent a state of being that, if it wasn’t hypothermia, was dastardly close.
My anti-chafing product is a direct legacy of some serious pain that I first experienced during the back half of the Festival City 10K.
And my thermal undershorts are a reminder of one winter run where the name “Crawford” almost disappeared from the face of the earth.

The point is, I have spent a lot of money on getting the appropriate running gear. I do not regret a single penny of it.

I’m Not Older Than Boston, Really

By

Terri McGillivray

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March 1, 2009

I’m not really sure if I want to wear a shirt that proudly proclaims “Older than Boston.” Will people get confused and think I am older than Boston? After all when my son was five years old, he once asked me if I had seen dinosaurs when I was a little girl.

But people in the running community in and around Hamilton know that “Older Than Boston” is a source of pride for us. The Around the Bay road race is officially older than Boston. And we even have our very own version of Heartbreak Hill.

I am really packing on training miles now. Trying to get ready for the Bay. It got me thinking about where it all began for me. The running that is.

The little bio at the start of my blog says I have been running two years. Unoffically, it has been almost three, but I was sidelined for seven months with an injury that even the most seasoned of runners cringe at. That is a whole blog in itself.

It started when I joined a running clinic at the Runners Den here in Hamilton. And met the most amazing lady ever. Her positivity is catchy if that is a word. And she lights a room when she walks into it. She has helped me and countless other runners to learn to run. And to believe that we can achive any goal we set our minds to. She will be there to watch “her” runners come in.

This will be the third Bay I’ve run in. The first two I ran a 5 k. This time around, the Gazelle and I will be running with another lady in the three person relay. We will get an Older Than Boston shirt.

And maybe I’ll even wear it. Just once. Only around my running friends.

what do you wear??

By

Jo Harding

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March 1, 2009

I have a running friend. No, I correct myself I have a ‘hard core’ running friend, she can run full marathons, and is usually training for something or another. We got talking about what we dressed in to go running. At the time it was about -23 with the wind chill. So my daughter and I said we had long underwear, track pants, under shirt, shirt, sweatshirt, jacket, scarf, hat, mittens. As our list of clothing grew, she laughed harder and louder and through the tears of laughter she said ‘but don’t you get too hot??’. We said ‘hell no it is -23 out there’. I got thinking afterwards how very beginnerish we were in our layers and how totally NOT streamlined. Not being one to worry too much about what others may think, we did not change how we dressed for the cold, but we have eased up on the layers as the weather has nudged its way up towards zero. Imagine how fast we will be running this summer and how much more professional we will look in just shorts and a tee!!!

Frosty Morning!

By

Karen Karnis

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March 1, 2009

This is a picture of my friend Tanya after our long run yesterday. As you can see, she is already starting to defrost in the sun. Most of our snow is gone because we were at +7C on Friday, and crashed down to -18C in time for our run. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the cold when I am dressed appropriately – it is the wind and dangerous surface conditions that make me cringe in winter.

So really, a big shout-out to my running friends in Winnipeg, and everyone else who has to deal with this sort of weather way more often than we do!

More Tantalizing Tidbits for Success…

By

Laurie Sorensen

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February 28, 2009

To take a clinic, or not to take a clinic… this is the question i asked myself… i have to say that i am not sure i could have done it any other way and stuck with it. Possibly if i ran with someone that was willing to take the time and motivate me through the process, but the camaraderie, the talks, the walks, the laughs, the struggles and the final run were worth every second of my time… I chose the clinic, but what ever you do, don’t do it alone because if the journey is worth doing it is worth sharing.

Some of my best memories and experiences have been because I did it as a group and we all worked towards the goal helping to push and motivate each other to get there. Oh yah, and when you pay for it, you are more likely to go and get your money’s worth!!

Knowing someone else is there to meet you for your run, or giving a speech or taking roll call, or going to give you that extra tip… makes you more accountable and gets you out the door. When you finish your run, you will be so glad you did, and then of course the beer, i mean recovery drink, tastes sooooooo much better after a good run!! Change your socks, change your shirt and if need be, change your attitude: Life can be amazing if you want it to be. You are the only thing that is stopping you from reaching your goals so get out of your way and start moving!

TOTB: This tip will alleviate the challenges from the BOTB from the last entry, a group of my running buddies have started taking Imodium before our races to alleviate the need for a pit stop… for me, it works great but as with all new additions to your training, make sure you try it BEFORE the big race day to make sure your body adjusts accordingly…

BOTB: When you are out on your run, be aware of who is in the vicinity… never spit without first checking who might be behind you, beside your or coming your way… video to follow in next blog…

STAY TUNED: I was out in the river valley catching unsuspecting runners with POOR RUNNING ETIQUETTE… stay tuned for those videos in my next blog… still getting the waivers signed…

Confessions of a Fair Weather Runner..

By

Tyler Chase

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February 27, 2009

Ok, so here it goes. I was really hoping that I didn’t have to do this but I cannot see anyway out of it. Just give me a moment to stand up, clear my throat and utter these 12 painful words….”My name is Tyler Chase and I am a fair weather runner”

(I can here the smattering of applause now as I take the first step of many to beating this condition!)

I know what you are all thinking. ‘How did he get in this contest’ or ‘He’s not a real runner’ or even ‘Hmm figures, he is a banker after all’. Before you pass judgment please let me explain!! It wasn’t always this way; as a matter of fact one of my favorite runs ever was an 18km trek in the pouring rain!! (This was back before I had proper running clothes and my cotton shorts were so wet they were hanging down past my knees and had soap coming out of them!!!) I have also run in -25 before and in snow and in wind, so I am not a total wimp!

But things change, you get older, lazier, and heavier and then kids come along! You find that amount of free time you have drops faster than an American Bank stock!! Where before kids you had 128 hours a week of free time (168hrs in a week minus the 40 you are at work) you’re now lucky to have 3 minutes to yourself to go to the bathroom! And before you know it any excuse you can think of to not go out and run becomes very valid. Too windy, too cold, too wet, too late, too much snow, too slippery, too sick, too much to do around the house, not enough sleep, running clothes are dirty, and my personal favourite……..I’ll just go tomorrow, promise.

Yes I admit I have probably used all of these excuses in the last little while but that is not to say I have not been out running….just not as often as I should have. 🙂

But now that this contest has started it is very real, I have told many people about the blog and my goal of running a Marathon this year, so it’s time to take real action! No more excuses, no more putting it off to the next day or next week, just get out and do it!!!! Here I go!!!!!

Wow….it’s really raining here today…..maybe I’ll just start tomorrow….what’s one more day… 🙂

Kidding of course!!! I am off to run in the rain and believe it or not, I am really looking forward to it!

Friday Fun!

By

Karen Karnis

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February 27, 2009

It’s Friday!!! Looking for ways to procrastinate? Try this game!

I was introduced to Qwop by a posting on Running Mania, and the hilarity that ensued was…well…indescribable. While I never made it that far, I am told that the weird sound effects actually begin to sound like Chariots of Fire if you get going fast enough!

Enjoy!

Inspired by Sydney

By

Karen Karnis

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February 26, 2009

I completed my first marathon in 2008 – the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in September. It was a nightmare. A terrible experience. Don’t worry, this isn’t a race report – I did that already. In fact, I decompressed about it for weeks. No, today I just wanted to tell you about someone I met.

At the pasta dinner I sat at a table with a man in his 60s named Sydney, who, I was to learn, was running his 152nd marathon the next day. He had run his 151st only a week or two before. He used to be in the US military, and was clearly in wonderful shape – he apparently kept a race schedule like this a lot!

On Sunday morning I ran into Sydney again, at about, oh I don’t know, 32K maybe. He told me he had blown up and was just trying to muscle through to the end. My story was similar (well, actually it was that I tried to run after battling an injury for weeks, but that’s a story for another day). He and I leap-frogged by each other several times – the final time he passed me he grabbed my elbow on the way by and told me we could make it. And make it we did.

I learned a lot that day, not the least of which I learned from Sydney: you can be running your first marathon, or your 152nd, you can do all the preparation in the world and be so ready – and still have a bad day. Does that mean we shouldn’t bother to prepare, or maybe just shouldn’t bother at all? Of course not! We often have a bad habit of being very hard on ourselves, playing up our struggles and failures and beating ourselves up about them. Sometimes we even downplay our accomplishments, chalking them up to a good day, nice weather, perfectly mixed sports drink. But in the end, it is what we make it. I don’t know how Sydney looks back at that day. Luckily my struggle was a hundred life lessons, a huge accomplishment, and more goals for the future. What about yours?

How to Build a Grant-cicle

By

Vicky and Grant

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February 26, 2009

Grant:
I am WINTERMAN!
This weekend I was out at the Winterman Marathon in Ottawa. I did the 10K. What a great feeling to be out there with all the diehards. This is the first year I have run consistently through the winter. I’ve always been more of a fair weather runner and I always have to rebuild my fitness each spring.

This year was different. I got all decked out in my reflective gear. Toasty warm and I’m so bright that planes want to land on me.

You don’t want to hear a race report from the Winterman do you? Boring. So I’ll keep it short.
The night before I ate lasagne. I ate about 3 times as much as I should have. For dessert I ate about 100 jujubes. In the morning I woke up late and ate another 50 jujubes for breakfast. Parking was filled up. I had to park a few kilometres from the start line. By the time I had run to the start line I was bonking.

Look at how unhappy I look in this picture.

I have to keep my fitness up over the remaining winter months. It’s opening up other activities for me. I snow shoe, but my new big dream is “skijoring”. This is a Scandinavian sport in which you use cross country skiis and you have a dog or dogs attached in front with bunjee cords. So you ski and you have the dogs pull you in front.

It looks a bit like this…

I own a standard poodle. I am not ashamed. The standard poodle, contrary to popular belief, is a great outdoor hunting dog and they love the snow. So just imagine it… I will give my poodle one of those very funny hair cuts with poofy heads and feet and the tail. Then I will attach her to the bungee cord and I will fly around the Parc de la Gatineau in wild outfits. The pictures will be ridiculous.

This is Ébène. I am training her for both running and skijoring.

Vicky:
Wow! Really, I mean how am I supposed to follow THAT! My dog, Bambi, is a five pound Maltese…I’m pretty sure it would be considered animal cruelty if I tried that.

Actually, as it turns out, I barely ran this winter. I hate the cold. I’m one of those people who is ALWAYS cold. I am the total opposite of my friend and colleague Grant a.k.a. “Winterman”. Dude, you look totally hardcore…in fact, you look like you should be alongside the ice sculptures at Winterlude! Way to go Grant!

Personally, I’m afraid to freeze to death out there because I am new to this and I have absolutely no idea what to wear for running in this type of weather. I don’t know if I should layer some of the running clothes I already have or if I should buy super expensive winter running clothes with matching super toque and gloves.

So, I gave up trying to figure it out on my own and I decided to leave it to the experts. I went to the store where I buy my running gear and I simply told the sales representative: “I want to run in the winter. What do I need?” I trusted her judgement and voilà!

What matters the most to me is to get out there and run. I’ve already lost so much time worrying about silly stuff like what to wear but I guess that’s normal for a beginner like me!

The Runner’s feared acronym – ITBS

By

Dennis Crawford

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February 26, 2009

Lately, I have gone running and come back with a bit of a sore knee. I’ve also come back with chafed underarms, blisters on my feet, and numb legs, but it has been the sore knee that really grabbed my attention. I mean, that thing hurt.

Naturally, I did what any athlete in my situation would do: I ignored the pain. After all, the pain in my knee was just a badge of honour. It showed that I was tough. The stinging I felt when I walked down stairs was just proof that I was physically active. It was my initiation into the sport. The hobbling pain I felt while running was a test of my character. It was part of the experience. It was macho. It was a rite of passage. The pain was something to be carried with pride. The inflammation in my joints was proof of a better me.

The fact that my once confident stride had slowed to a mere shuffle was proof that I needed to start thinking differently about this injury.

I started describing my pain to fellow runners. I told them that there was a stinging senstation on the outside of my right knee. I thought that I would just get some info on how to make better use of stretching to avoid such a senstation in the future. I was in the market for nothing more than advice. Instead, I got something much worse: I got a diagnosis.

I have ILIOTIBIAL BAND SYNDROME! Last week, it was nothing more than a sore knee – now it’s a DISEASE! A disease with a complex name!!

In one fell swoop, I have gone from being a runner to being a patient. This is not a good situation. This is not what Plan A looked like! I am just going to have to make the best of it. Fortunately, there are some benefits to being stricken with Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS).

First, is the really cool name: Iliotibial. Iliotibial! ILIOTIBIAL! That is never going to get old! It’s like the verbal equivalent of popping bubble wrap. Iliotibial!

Second, it brings me another step closer to full initiation into the cult of running. I’ve already bought my running gear, run my first race, and used energy gels. Before I am a full fledged member of the informal–but very real–running cult, I still have to run a marathon, burn through a pair of shoes, and get an injury. I now have that last requirement taken care of, and my injury even has a convincing name. Before I got ITBS, I tried convincing other runners that I had survived the debilitating ravages of “Charley Horse”, and they just weren’t buying it.

Lastly, and most importantly, it forces me to learn a little more about taking proper care of a runner’s body. I am going to have to learn and practise some more and better stretches, and in the long run (no pun intended), that can only be good for me. And to be perfectly honest, the symptoms virtually always disappear within a day or two, so I should be able to overcome this little hurdle with no problems. And now I can brag about having overcome an injury, too!