Nature Girl

82

2010-09-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's time to write about Haliburton 100. If you didn't hear by now I DNFd hard at 82 miles. There. Got that out of the way, now where do I start... it was a long weekend.

Ok, let's start at the start line. 6am, dark as night and coooold. I hadn't slept much the night before but it didn't take too long to wake up waiting for the 'start gun'. Started off nice and easy, and I should mention a great friend of mine, Scott Garrett had committed a while a go to running this thing with me... although we lost each other a bit at the start line, he kept me on track for most of the race. It's already 4 days later and the details are starting to fade.... especially the first 50-75 miles - the good part. Got to the halfway point in around 12:30 which blew my mind. I never could have done that if Scott wasn't with me. I would have walked way more. He really got me to push myself and it wasn't even that hard, I just get lazy when I run on my own I guess.

Like I said the details of the good parts aren't quite as sharp although I do recall Scott seeing a bear and not telling me about it and warning a friend of it's presence by saying there's a 'hot chick' on such and such trail. I also recall running with a lot of great people such as Maryka and JD, and others whom I can't recall their names. I can't quite get my head together enough to gather other parts into anything coherent. Oh, but I forgot to say that the trails were a fucking quagmire of shit and there was no way to avoid their relentless aqueous hell!

So moving on... going from AS#6 to AS#7 is where I started to tell that things were going wrong. In a last ditch effort to save my feet which had gone through a meat grinder, I changed my shoes and socks at AS5 in hopes of relief. Unfortunately it didn't help and the new shoes just added new pains to new parts of my feet. So that whole back stretch was pretty quiet and I started to turn inward. When we got to AS#7 I started to lose it emotionally. When I saw the food they had, chilli, I couldn't believe it. I had heartburn previously for 3 days non-stop, and it had gotten worse during the race. There was no way I could eat chili and it was heartbreaking to me. I was hoping for anything with sustenance other than the regular stuff. So I grabbed a piece of pb&j and went to complete the half a km and back in order to complete the 120km. I walked it with Scott just ahead of me. I had a bite of the pb&j and had to throw out the rest because it just burned going down my throat. I had a bit of coke, not sure what else, grabbed my pack and left. I was starting to realise I wasn't going to make it and that was hard. My feet were done, my quads were toast and time was running out to get to the finish line before the cut-off. It was a very somber 10k, barely a word was spoken and I was crying a lot. One thing I had been thinking about for a while was the conversation I would have to have with Scott to tell him to go on and get his buckle. I was having a hard time saying those words, let alone anything, without sobbing. But at some point he must have read my mind (or my feet that were barely moving) and somewhere during that 10k he went on ahead, and I'm glad of that. I'm not quite sure of the time that it took us (Tim, a friend of ours had come to run us in at the 120km mark) probably 2.5-3 hours to get back to AS#6. I was still crying when we stumbled in. I sat down and was trying to figure out how I was going to keep going when I had nothing left. I told Angela (my awesome crew girl) to get me my last pair of dry socks, I put them on, put my shoes back on and was hoping for something miraculous to happen. It didn't. As we went on, I stopped to go to the bathroom 3 or 4 times, my gels were increasing my nausea, and, well, I could barely move. I'm not sure how far we got down the trail, maybe 2k, and I realized I would not be able to make it through Black Creek trail, a very very wet section. I was scared something bad was going to happen and I could not imagine myself getting through that wet shit again. So I decided it would be safer to turn back.

I was so happy to see the glow lights that indicate the aid station is coming up. I can't even describe how disappointed I was in myself and how I felt I had disappointed others, even though I know it's not true. There was only 30k left and it just seems such a waste to have to stop when you're almost there. But I gave those trails everything I had. The wetness just ate up my feet and that was it. I have absolutely no regrets.

Gary Black, who was a volunteer at AS6 was to drive 2 other gentlemen who weren't able to make it back to the start so Tim and I hopped in with him to find Angela who would have been waiting for me at AS#5. When I got out of the car, I saw my coach Derrick Spafford, and the flood gates just opened up again (I think I may have gotten your jacket a bit wet there Derrick, sorry). I probably sniveled a bit and then we were off to find out where Scott was so that Tim could bring him to the finish as planned. So we dropped him at AS3.

Gary had told me that I should see the nurse about my feet. And so we drove to see her at AS#2 on our way back to base camp. Letting her touch my feet was probably worse than actually running on them. They were covered in blisters, fissures, my big toes were turning purple, and they were more swollen than when I was pregnant. After a bit of tears (or I don't think I ever stopped) be cleaned, medicated and bandaged me up. She was absolutely amazing. Did I say that she actually came to me? I could not get out of the car to walk to her tent so she actually came and treated me right out of the car. She was awesome. I heard later from Gary that she had said out of some 60 odd runners who came to her, my feet were the worse she had seen. He was probably just saying that to make me feel better ;)

Back at basecamp it was absolutely amazing to see Scott again, who had in the meantime, finished. I was very proud of him and so thankful to have him as a friend. He sacrificed a lot for me as he could have reached his goal to run a sub 24hr race. But he helped me achieve a lot of great things that weekend, even though I wasn't able to finish: I had a great 50 mile time, beating my Sulphur Springs time by over an hour and a half, I also ran 90k way faster than I had at Dirty Girls, and last but not least, I ran EIGHTY TWO FUCKING MILES!!! A distance far beyond anything I could have imagined this time last year. I'm still emotionally drained by the whole thing (crying for 10 hours or so will do that to ya!) and am having trouble thinking of everything that had happened but I wouldn't trade the experience for a million bucks. It was amazing.

That's about all I have energy for but perhaps as things pop into my head I will write about it.

Onwards and upwards. I still want to complete 100 miles and may have another stab at it November 27th in Creemore.

Thanks for reading.

Soul Meets Body

2010-06-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Perfect long run song.

I want to live where soul meets body
And let the sun wrap its arms around me
And bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing
And feel, feel what its like to be new

Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station
Where I send my thoughts to far off destinations
So they may have a chance of finding a place
where they’re far more suited than here

And I cannot guess what we'll discover
When we turn the dirt with our palms cupped like shovels
But I know our filthy hands can wash one another’s
And not one speck will remain

And I do believe it’s true
That there are roads left in both of our shoes
But if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
So brown eyes I hold you near
Cause you’re the only song I want to hear
A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

Where soul meets body

50 miles

2010-05-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

This is total cheese but I heard it on the way home and thought it was too funny and fitting for the events of the weekend (not to mention Solid Gold was the best show ever!). Since there weren't any songs in my head during the run, this is the song of the day:

So this is all still sinking in, but what an experience! Leading up to the Sulphur Springs 50 miler, I felt that my training was mediocre, not terribly consistent and definitely lacking time on my feet, my longest run this year being the 41k I had done after not finishing Pick Your Poison 50k. But I wasn't going to let that get me down. My head was in a 'let's just see what happens' mode. However I knew it would be tough and that in the 3rd loop (the race was 4 - 20k loops) I would be hitting new territory.

I got some great input regarding the course from Kinga Miklos, an absolutely amazing runner who finished the 100 miler under 24hrs. She ran her first 100 miler there last year (and has been going strong ever since). So that was a great help to know a little bit about an area I had never been before. I had also hooked up with someone who was looking to pace me for the last loop because I was anticipating the 3rd loop to be the most difficult and thought some company along the last one would bring me to the finish line. However, he unfortunately had to stay on the sidelines for medical reasons. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed, but it didn't last because my head was in a really good place.

So after packing really fast and tossing everything into the Subi, I hit the road and arrived in Ancaster in good time. I was in my sleeping bag in the back of the car by 11pm. But I forgot to bring an alarm and was waking up every hour or so to turn the key in the ignition to check the time. The race started at 6am and I wanted to wake up at 4am because I had nothing ready and had to get my hydration pack and drop bag set up. I ended up waking at around 4:30 and rushed to get everything ready. The anticipation I felt was making me go inward a bit but I quickly got into a good mood after seeing some friends at the start line.

The first loop went well. I ran with Scott Garrett for most of it, but even though he slowed down for me, his pace was too much for me to keep up with so I eventually dropped back and relaxed into a nice pace. It was hot and I often wondered if the bladder in my back had a leak because I was soaked, but no - it was those sudoriferous glands working overtime.

My left IT band, which
has been giving me problems on and off since Haliburton last year. I thought I had worked through it and it was better (or mostly better) but it started to ache a bit on this loop but it was, I thought, manageable although too soon.

This loop was a 'get to know you' kind of loop as I took note of the areas that I would become familiar with - notably the farmer's field (a relatively long section out of the cover of the trees and in the sun), the three sisters (three hills one after another), and the gulch (an airless, hot, steep, long hill shortly before the start/finish - I don't know who decided to put a trail in there, but they may need to take trail planning off of their resume(stupid gulch)). So this loop was done in 2:30 which was WAY to fast for me - live and learn.

The second loop was done in 3:19. This was the toughest loop, no doubt. I think it was after the third aid station (aka Turnbull) where my knee started to REALLY hurt. I couldn't run without limping. I would stretch it out but the relief wouldn't last and eventually it just hurt more after messing with it. At this point, and it was the only time during the race, that I contemplated ending early. I kept asking myself: 'What am I going to do, walk for 55k?'.

Then Helen Malmberg catches up to me and asks if I'm okay. I tell her what's going on and she tells me to walk it out. For some reason, hearing it from her made it sound like it was no big deal. She answered my question for me - and luckily walking didn't hurt nearly as much. Another woman passed me and offered Advil. I had initially turned it down because I was reluctant as to what it would do to my stomach but a few minutes later I changed my mind as I had nothing to lose at this point. But it didn't work and when I came into the start/finish I was in a lot of pain, and decided to take an Aleve, which I had in my drop bag. Even though I was hurting quite a bit, my head was totally fine. I just accepted my situation and made the best of it.

On loop three (3:50) the Naproxen eventually kicked in and I was able to run a little bit again. I mastered the art of the shuffle, figured out a way to get down the downhills (which were the most painful), and because I was switching back and forth from running to speedwalking so often, I had energy to go up the hills with some push. On the downs, I found it difficult to walk because you have to put the brakes on, which hurts, so I would slowly run down them leading with my strong right leg while babying the left.

I had also started to feel mildly nauseous because of the heat but luckily ran into Kinga again who gave me a piece of candied ginger and within twenty minutes I felt better.

The new ground I was hitting on this loop (as I've never run further than 50k) left me feeling excited and by this point I was determined to finish. I think it was this loop where I saw the person who was going to pace me and his partner. They asked me how I was doing and I told them I was doing great (after thinking about it this may have been the end of the 2nd loop) after that, the words I told them echoed in my head the following loop and kept me in a good place. My mantra was "good... I'm doing good...").

Only two days later and already the details are leaving me as I try to remember the 4th loop. When I came into the start/finish for the last loop, I took another Aleve as the previous one lost it's effectiveness some time ago. But this was the last loop and I knew I was going to make it... no matter how slow. As I mentioned earlier, the plan was to have a pacer but I was in such a good place mentally, despite my knee, there was no need. I was lucky. When I reached the aid station that was at the top of the hill, one of the volunteers said my name and asked how I was and said I was looking strong (it's funny because I got that comment a lot, despite my limping). Looking back, it's amazing how little things can make a difference. Hearing my name felt good, passing runners and trading encouraging words felt good, I even got a wink from a young cutie who blasted by me.

Once I got to one of the aid stations I asked how much further there was (I never kept track) and I was told 8km. Once I left, I had to hold back the tears a few times when I thought about the finish line. I was almost there. I started to move faster and once I was at the top of the gulch I knew I was home free. My bad habit of swearing started to come out (luckily only in my head) and my mantra for this loop became 'holy fuck' and 'I just ran 50 fucking miles'. Yes, even though I hadn't finished I was saying the words 'I just ran...'. Funny things, the brain does.

The cheers leading up to the mat were incredible. But it's weird... I felt almost embarrassed. Why were they cheering for me? Once I crossed that mat I was overwhelmed and couldn't quite believe I had done it. Once I started to open my mouth to talk, the flood gates opened and I just balled.

I JUST RAN 50 FUCKING MILES!

Luckily I had some great help to set up my tent as I jumped into the best shower of my life. It felt great, minus the burning from the chaffing. My feet turned out to be in pretty good shape. I had worn the LaSportiva Crosslites which i had just bought the weekend before and only ran in them twice. They were amazing. I do recal wondering though if my feet would explode once I took them off. After cleaning up I ate a bit of food (unfortunately, after coming in so late there was no pizza left and I was starting but didn't have the energy to cook anything. Luckily, the same friend who set up my tent somehow found a slice for me). After eating it bit, it was time to sit and relax to chat and to wait for the 100 milers to come in.

As I was watching them, I wondered what I would feel like as I crossed the line in Haliburton. Belt buckle, here I come.

Blood, Sweat and Root Beer

2010-05-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

First I want to start with what an awesome time I had at the Kingston 5 Peaks race last Saturday. It's been a while since I've signed up for a short race, and the Enduro course, which was just a little over 10K was a lot of fun. I haven't run 'fast' in a looong time and I wasn't quite sure how to go about this, other than to, well, run fast. I ended up finishing 1:06 and change which I am VERY happy with seeing as my 10k trail runs usually come up at around 1:15-1:30 or so. Some advice to me from a friend from Runningmania.com: "Head down, teeth gritted, arms pumping...GIVE 'ER!!!" and I did this but definitely ran out of steam with about 4k left. I knew this short race thing was tricky :).

My run today in Frontenac Park inspired this song:

There was blood...

...and not just my own. While crawling over a log, I didn't look where I put my hand and I totally squished a big millipede. Not long after, I inadvertently ran through some tent caterpillars, and I'm afraid some of them didn't make it either.

There's always sweat.

Luckily there were no tears, just root beer.

I ran out of water about 30-45 minutes before I was finished the run, and MAN was I thirsty. It was a hot one out there and I totally made a boo-boo by not bringing my handheld on top of my hydration pack. At the end of the run, I skipped the stretch, hopped into my car and drove to the Trail Centre and there was the most wonderful sight I have ever seen:

A vending machine.

With Root Beer.

The end.

Redemption Run... er, song...

2010-05-06T18:54:00.000-07:00

While I didn't quite hit the 50k mark, I feel like today's run redeemed, to an extent, my crap run at PYP last Saturday.

Thanks Mr. Marley.

Rusted from the Rain

2010-05-04T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wow. Do I ever stink at this blog thing. Well I figure 2.5 months is a good break in between posts... geez. I'm really not a very good writer and it takes me a long time to edit things, which I don't have time for but...

Well after reading some truly inspirational posts in the last couple of days here, here, and particularly here, I'm feeling the groove to write a little bit.

Before I get into it I think I'm going to do a few things to keep my own interest in this blog going (and I hope it keeps yours). I love listening to music, sometimes whilst running, and sometimes not. But I find that there's a song for every occasion, especially from Billy Talent :) . The above song, in a detached way, describes my day at Pick Your Poison last Saturday.

So here we go.

Saturday was the Pick Your Poison trail race which is located somewhere in between Orillia and Barrie. I was just there but if someone were to ask me where it was, I still wouldn't tell them anything other than somewhere in between Orillia and Barrie. But before I go there I'll briefly talk about the last couple of months.

I'm going to try my best not to sound like I'm whining or feeling sorry for myself but it was feeling like my training wasn't going anywhere. I have had good runs, but it seems more often than not, especially mentally on the long runs, they aren't so great. I have just come to the realization as to why this has been happening, but unfortunately there just isn't much I can do about it but be patient. It all just snuck up on me. I think it was his mention of being exhausted wjhere Gary Robbins post really struck a chord with me. And while I'm not running 100 mile weeks, lack of sleep was really taking its toll. The kids decided to wake up throughout the night again, leaving me with 4 and 5 hours of interrupted sleep most nights. I didn't even really notice that it was having an effect on me - only in retrospect. But last night I got some sleep and it was FANTASTIC!

So going into the PYP 50k, I had a couple of months of crappy sleep, coinciding with not the most consistent training (but what's new). I had also woken up at 3am and hit the road at 4am to drive the 3.5 hours in rain and a flurry of transports with their blaring headlights heading towards me.

I get there and while tired, I'm excited about the race and getting the distance under my belt - something that's been making me uneasy since I had to take time off in December. I'm still not at the same fitness level I was last October and I desperately want to be back in that place. But I need to remember to be patient. But I digress... so I'm nervous and excited but am happy to see a lot of familiar faces at the race and enjoy talking to everyone. Luckily, when I see Helen Malmberg (a woman whom I revere and idolize) I only say hi and save myself from saying something stupid, like I've done in the past - and seem to always do with the people I look up to.

So the the race starts, I'm feeling good, maybe starting a bit fast getting caught up with the racers but I slow down once it breaks up. I'm thinking about fuel and reminding myself to eat something every 20-30 minutes, which I do the first loop. So there's lots of ups and downs and then we come to a flat section, kinda country road-ish and some flat twisty trails and it feels like heaven, and I say to a dude that 'this isn't so bad'. I knew I would regret those words... So I continue, walking up the ups and bombing down the downs. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm surprised at how cautious people are going down the downhills... although I know it can be hard on the quads, but it's the only time I ever get to pass people even if it's only until we reach an uphill again. But the forst loop was a lot of fun, and I was ready for the second loop, even feeling excited about the prospect of rain from the loud thunder above head without realising the effect it would have on the course (the newbie reveals herself again). I finish the loop in just about 1.5 hrs. By that time the rain had started and I was feeling some hot spots on my feet and the ITB was feeling a bit tight but I was ready to go on. But not long after I started, I was feeling zonked and I started to get a headache. Not to mention that some parts of the trails had turned to mush and I couldn't gain time on the downs anymore. I took my hat off and my head felt better but I was still so very tired but my body wasn't hurting, just my mind. Thoughts of not finishing were in my head and I was going back and forth between a plan of changing my shoes and shirt and grabbing the ipod for some motivation, and thinking about my car and how nice it would be to go and sleep. The latter won. I got to the start/finish and I didn't even really think about it too hard, I just told them I was going to call it a day.

The next day was the Sudbury Rocks marathon and I actually woke up at 5am thinking I might go and run it to make up for the miles I missed the day before and to stay on track for training. But alas, they did not take race day entries. Probably a good thing for so many reasons.

Wow, did I ever blab on there for a while... perhaps I shall make an effort to post more regularly... who am I kidding ;)

Pints of Guiness Make You Strong

2010-02-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

A Runner's Best Friend

2010-02-16T11:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made the effort to check out some new trails outside of the city. Previously I pretty much stuck with the trails on the LU campus and the adjoining conservation area but had a run in with a XC skier who gave me shit for running on the ski trails. It was really a shame because it's quite beautiful out there and it doesn't seem right to me that one group can monopolize the trails. Well the confrontation encouraged me to check out some new trails around the city. I drove out to Lively, past the Vale Inco mines in Copper Cliff to the Hillfield trail which connects to Kelly Lake trail. I haven't gone to the end and hope to see if it goes closer into town, and if so, I cold run to the trailhead instead of driving once my runs get a bit longer. Today I drove out to Capreol, about 45 min. away where there is apparently a 10kish trail parallel to some ski trails. But I got lost a bit, and when I eventually found the trails they were totally un-runnable - too much snow with big holy footprints in them - a great place to twist an ankle. Total bummer. So I returned to Lively instead.

Regardless, yesterday and today were great runs. The sun was out and it was -5 or so, so not as hard to get out the door. And also a light dusting of fresh sparkly snow - beautiful. But the thing that has really made my runs great, especially today, is that my running partner has returned! My dog Clover had to stay in Kingston when we moved here last August. Luckily we had found a wonderful couple to take care of her (on Dog Lake no less) but I was missing her terribly. But we moved out of our apartment into a house so we were able to bring her up. So it's nice to have a companion again on the trails.

As I was running with her today I had thought back to the first time I brought her camping with me at Frontenac Provincial Park. I was going on a solo backcountry trip for a week just her and I. I had bought her a little doggy backpack. She was only about a year or two of age (she's 8 or 9 now) and not fully trained off leash but I thought in the middle of nowhere would be okay to take her off leash and see how it goes (bad move). Well every time she heard a squirrel (which was every 2 minutes) she would bolt into the woods and chase after it. Once she went deep into the woods for what seemed like forever and eventually came back, but her backpack was gone. It's still out there somewhere with a deck of cards and Bryce Courtnay's The Potato Factory (let me know of you find it). Well she took off again chasing after some wild animal and we thought we had lost her for good. We waited and called her for over an hour but she never came back. I didn't know what to do. My husband had hiked in with me but was going to head back while I set out on my trip. So he went back and I headed to the campsite totally worrying about her, thinking I had lost her. The next day I hiked back to the trail centre and called my husband who tells me she was waiting by the car for him! I was so happy that she found her way back but also bummed that she wasn't going to be on this camping trip with me.
Well she's gotten much better off leash now, which is good because apparently if a dog goes and chases something in the woods and comes across a bear that decides to go after it, the dog will bring the bear right back to the owner. And that's not good. Not good at all. Regardless, I know some people get upset over dogs off leash but I just don;t think it's right to have them tied up all the time. Maybe I shouldn't 'go there'.

So anyway, it's nice to have a training partner again and while she won't be running 100 miles, it'll be nice to have company on the shorter runs.

So here's a few pictures from our run today:

At the trailhead:

Nice flat section:

Can't go far in Sudbury without seeing some of these:

A lovely birch grove:

Ran along this creek:

She was getting impatient with me here - she just wanted to run, not sight see:

That's it for now!

See you in the forest!

2010 revamp

2010-02-13T18:14:00.000-08:00

Okay. So when I first made my race list I pretty much just listed all the races I wanted to do without actually thinking if it made sense (re: timing between races, recovery time, location, blah blah blah). I was gently reminded about my intention of doing the Hypothermic Half this coming weekend and I very quickly realized I'm not quite ready to race yet and could pull off 21k at a slogs pace... maybe. SO I need to look at my list and think realistically what I want to race and what I want as a training run/race.

I've just learned that the Dirty Girls is now awarding BELT BUCKLES (ooh! aah!) to the 24hr racers who reach 120K. I like this. I like this a lot. But can I do 120k on Aug. 7th then 100 miles on Sept. 11th? Do I want to risk injuring myself before Haliburton? I had originally thought about doing the 24 hr event just to run at night but now I want that buckle! Can I have it all?

Also, there's been a new addition to the OUSer: The Limberlost Challenge 50K. Definitely going on the list since it's in Huntsville, which is a bit closer to my neck of the woods.

Something else I'm having a hard time deciding on is whether to do the Sudbury Rocks Marathon or Pick Your Poison 50K in Orillia. Obviously PYP would be preferred but it's another weekend out of town. The fact that road races are harder on the body than trails doesn't appeal to me but my marathon (my first and only) last year in Ottawa sucked bad... really bad, and I want to see if I can do better (I know I can).

Sulphur Springs 50 mile is a keeper.

The Kingston 6 hr I just wanted to do because it's an excuse for me to go back to my hometown, but the race itself doesn't really appeal to me. It's a 1k (approx.) loop (and the approx. part makes it even more annoying as you need some awesome math skills if you want to calculate how far you've gone as your'e running). Slightly nightmarish. And uhm a week after Sulphur? Clearly I didn't think this one through.

I think I'm also going to take Creemore off the list... just cause I'm wussing out.

Okay, so there it is. Still a couple more decisions to make but the goals are getting a little clearer.

Now I may be going to Banff in October. Maybe I should see what's going on there...

So it turns out...

2010-02-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

I'm not very good at this blog thing. I had every intention of keeping it up... but life happens and it's hard to find time to write about it (I wasn't even able to find time to run, let alone write about the lack of running!). I had started a couple of entries but they all pretty much said the same thing: Too much stuff going on to run. Life was insane. But things are finally settling and I've starting running again mid Jan. and started officially training Feb. 1.

I've hooked up with Derrick Spafford to coach me for the momentous task of the Haliburton 100 miler. Hardly seems real right now as I'm not running more than 1.5 hrs which is a little frustrating. Its amazing how much fitness you lose after 6ish weeks of being off. But looking back it was probably good for my body to heal all those little aches and pains. Runners rarely take off-seasons like other sports, but this time I did and am now just trying to catch up.

The trouble now is finding some trails to run on that aren't too far away(I got yelled at by a XC skier on my usual trail), and also not letting the cold (with windchill it's always between -20 and -30) keep me indoors.

107 days until Sulphur Springs 50 miler
212 days to go 'til Hali 100 miler

but who's counting?

Well, I've got lots of work to do. Better get out there for a run!

See ya!

Ultrasong

2010-01-19T06:40:00.000-08:00

If my ultra were to have a theme song, I think this would be it:

I may revisit this in, say, 7 or so months...

Well, this should be interesting

2009-12-27T16:32:00.000-08:00

...and possibly a little stupid as I'm having to resort to saying that running is going to be my New Year's Resolution. I haven't run AT ALL in December, and November was pitiful (hence my lack of blog entries). I have lots of excuses which I think are quite valid ywet at the same time I feel guilty and think that maybe I could have squeezed in a run or two in between exams, moving, and a plethera of distractions.

But in January, somehow, I will begin again - hopefully with a bit of help from Derek Spafford to get ready for a crazy year of running.

What Happened to November?

2009-11-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

Looking back on the month, I ran a bit over 50 kilometres. What happened?

Last week, all of a sudden it hit me that I hadn't run in 17 days in a row. Luckily I haven't lost too much fitness but the 22k I did today (in a beautiful snowfall) definitely wore me out and I'll be feeling it for a couple of days.

My Mizuno Wave Riders are definitely goners and since I was on the roads today I reluctantly put on the Elixirs which always stay in the back of the closet. They've caused me so many problems and today was no exception. Tight left IT band and the outside of my left foot is sore - almost always happens with these dang shoes. MUST GET RID OF THESE SHOES! But now I know what I want for Christmas: New Wave Riders! (and maybe some new NB 840s from Santa - if he can find them since they're discontinued).

With exams coming up, and moving to a new place over the Christmas holidays, I can see the chaos creeping in on my 'free' time to run. I'll have to make an extra effort to get out there, even if it's just 5 and 10k runs. The long runs may have to wait until January.

Speaking of January, I was hoping to make it to a little fun run organized in Creemore at the end of January: a 7.5k loop on trail at the same location that the Creemore Ultra is held every year. Would be a great opportunity to check out the trail and see if I want to add it to my 2010 plan. Hopefully I can get my mileage somewhat up there so I can keep up with the others. Who am I kidding. I can't keep up but like Ron said, let them pack down the snow and then it's smooth sailing for Nature Girl.

See you in the forest!

Birth and Running One Hundred Miles

2009-11-09T13:35:00.000-08:00

Last week, the focus of one of my midwifery classes was risk. One of the readings I found very interesting. It compared the challenges in sport to labour and birth. The following are excerpts from one of the readings:

“I’m feeling so bad, I’m wanting to vomit, I’m so cold. I was struggling. I can’t stand it anymore and I’m crying and I just want to get out, and I’ll look at them (her support team) and I’ll say ‘I want to get out!... My mum and dad never come on the support boat because my Mum says that if she saw me suffering she’d have me pulled out of the water. She can’t stand to see me in pain, so I know she’d be useless. You do need that person, that team, who are going to be able to say the right things at the right time – somebody who can put your focus back into your intention – be your strength when you need it!”

-Tammy, marathon swimmer

In this birth story, the woman’s supporters played a vital role in her birth, similar to Tammy:

“My contractions were much stronger and I was very proud of how I was handling the pain. Several hours later, I had forgotten my romantic images and was kneeling in the tub howling and screaming from the depths of my soul, convinced that the pain was too much to bear. Not that I got any sympathy – instead I was showered with reassurance, love and incredible strength from the energy and wise words of those who were present to witness and support ... they showed me strengths I never realised I possessed.

The pain was becoming unbearable, or at least I had decided I wasn’t strong enough to do it this time. I looked around at my three carers searching their eyes for any hint of sympathy – an admission that what I was attempting was impossible and I could therefore give up now. But no, their eyes betrayed no doubts but gazed back steadfast and confident.”

(Reiger K, Dempsey R. Performing birth in a culture of fear: an embodied crisis of late modernity.)

As a midwife, I can only hope that I will be able to say the right things to women to remind them how strong they are and that they can continue through the pain, as was done with me when I had my kids.

I am expecting the Haliburton 100miler to be very similar to birth in a way. There will be pain, I will be tired, and I will most likely entertain thoughts of giving up (and will probably be fantasizing about an epidural too!). I just need to remember what I’ve done and I’ll be able to finish (barring any unforeseen circumstances).

I am going to have an awesome support team. Kelly will be with me. I can’t imagine anyone better than her. She’s one of the strongest, most positive women I know. And she knows her stuff being one of those athletic types (and smarty pants teacher). She won`t feel sorry for me.

So I`m not too sure where I`m going with this, but having those kids of mine was the beginning of a new life for me. Not just in being a mom, but their births was proof that I can do anything I put my mind to. I`m looking forward to the journey ahead.

Hundered Miler in 2010. Sounds like a plan Stan!

Runs since VB

2009-11-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

It's been a slow two weeks recovery from Vulture Bait. This bug doesn't want to let go and I keep getting swollen glands. Makes running kinda tiring. I took the week off and my first run was 4k the following Sunday around campus. This run felt pretty good and I figured that since I was just going for a little one, I would put in some effort. Then I remembered how after Haliburton, the following weeks' running felt great but I pushed it too hard (ran 5k in 26 minutes - a pb,which I'm still trying to get my head around) and injured myself. So I slowed down and took it easy the rest of the week, which was just as well as that energy rush didn't last.

Here's the weeks breakdown:

Oct 25 - 4k
Oct 27 - 4k
Oct 29 - 7k
Nov 1 - 18k

Pretty low on the mileage, but I think that's okay.

I'm starting to become familiar with the local trails although there are still a lot of little off shoots that I need to remember. Once the snow begins to fall and many of the little trails disappear, I'll be sticking to the main trails unless I can stay on top of things to keep the paths clear.

I was pretty excited about my run on Thursday. Since we moved here and I started running on these trails I wondered if I'd be able to get to the conservation area down the road, well, without running on the road. I knew the connecting trail must be there but there are so many unmarked trails around here I just couldn't find the right one. So I decided to try from the conservation area end and sure enough I came out on a familiar part of one of the Laurentian trails. I was pretty stoked. I ran it again today to the end of the conservation area and also checked out a new trail - Perch Lake trail which is only about 2.5k but more fun than that end of the conservation area which isn't single track. Today's long run brought out a couple of small aches: my right arch and knee, left ITB was tight, and the hips feel a bit week and are feeling the impact. Nothing serious but I'll take them as signs to take this week easy too.

So it was a week of discovery - which was a good distraction from how tired I felt. Is this still recovery from 50K or am I just getting over this lingering virus... or both? Tomorrow's a new day, perhaps I'll discover another new trail!

Vulture Bait 50K - Oct. 17, 2009

2009-10-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

So this was 50k number 2 for me and I really wanted to get this in since it was the last race in the OUSer. From the get-go (get-go, as in weeks ago when I registered) I had a feeling this was going to be a horrible race. I had such a high from Haliburton, it's going to be a tough race to beat (not time wise, obviously :).

So I wanted to run it bad. I tried to ignore my cold, my groin, and the midwifery paper due the following Monday, and the bio mid-term on Tuesday. I also wasn't keen on leaving the family again for another weekend, but I've learned. Instead of just talking my partner into the idea of me going to do this, I need to take it up a notch and bring them along for the ride (6 hour car ride with the kids will be FUN! I promise!).

Being a student, and with the man not working his usual teaching job, our budget is a bit tight so I had found a couple of kids to carpool with from the University to save on gas money. So here I am with two 19 year olds in the car, trying to be cool and make them think I’m hip to their jive... I let the dude plug in his tunes and suffer the consequences. Actually it wasn't that bad and found a couple of songs I liked: from MGMT.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIEOZCcaXzE, and LMFAO http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXPT8sw_FjU (not normally my bag, I assure you.)

So arriving in London I eventually I arrive at my campsite. I was the only one in the area reserved for tenters. I started to set up my tent and all of a sudden I start to hear this loud, thunderous noise. I look up, and there’s a jumbo jet about 3 feet above my head. Okay. So I guess there’s an airport around here. Nice. Anyhoo, I set up camp, take a stroll over to pick up my loot, knock over poor Turnip the dog's water as I stagger into the building. Then I head back, make dinner, take lots of drugs and go to bed. Despite the planes, I slept pretty well.

Race day: I set my watch (or so I thought) for 6:30am which would give me lots of time for oatmeal, coffee, shower, etc. Well, I wake up to the sun at 7:30, drive fast to the ‘comfort’ station for an ice cold shower. Go back to camp, walk with banana and muffin in hand to the start/finish. I was just wearing my race clothes (t-shirt, long sleeve, gloves, shorts, knee-high woollies, buff, and tuque). I was cold. Once I got to the building, I found some coffee. Chatted with some familiar faces. Headed down to the start and we move. After 10k I was ready to bail. Feeling like absolute poop. Having some ridiculous feet problems. I just got a pair of lovely lime green Cascadia’s which I’ve worn a handful of times, and while they weren’t perfect, I thought I’d be fine. Well, by 5k I had some hot spots and was begging the first aid people for moleskin. For the first 25k, I was at each aid station between 5-10 minutes trying to deal with my feet. Finally at the halfway point a lovely, angelic woman had some for me, but lo and behold it wouldn’t stick to my dirty sweaty feet. So I just went with medical tape, which was put on the other foot at the 2nd aid station. During these stops, I’d see the people I’d pass, get ahead and I’d eventually catch up and pass them again. There was this one dude who was having a rough time, cramping ect. – at the 25k I was just getting up to leave the station and I see him come in. I’m at the bridge, there’s no one to be seen ahead or behind me. Then I get to the loop and I see him coming out of it. Huh? So for the next 10k I’m stewing about this guy cheating. I catch up to another runner and ask him if anyone passed him – no. I run with this gentleman for a bit for the company, then I’m off on my way and here is the dude hobbling up ahead. I don’t say anything to him (regarding cheating) because I’m feeling pretty vindicated after passing him. I wish him well. He’s only cheating himself. So on I go just wanting to end my misery. I catch up to these 2 young guys with less than 2k left. They’re walking up the hills so I think maybe I can get away with passing them. I don't. The finish line is in sight and I can hear them catching up to me. I try to pick it up, then sprint and the little buggers beat me by 3 seconds. Bastards! :) It’s done. I wasn’t last. I beat a cheater. And I had some lovely bags under my eyes the next morning to show for it.

Post race: Good food (actually great food! I was STARVING!), good chats, and then a heavenly evening at camp watching a huge seagull migration (trying not to get pooped on), enjoying a Strongbow ,Vit. C, coldFX, Tylenol, and chips with the company of the campfire.

Here are some photos:

Huge seagull migration taking a rest on the Thames River

Camp

Race day menu

Race day

Seagull migration (picture doesn't do it justice).

Post race relaxation

Last Week's Running and the Journey Ahead

2009-10-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

After attempting 2 useless weeks off to give my groin injury a chance to heal, I got back at it (slowly) taking into account Vulture Bait 50K this Saturday.

So in 5 days I ran 50K in about 5.5 hours. Some really nice runs in there, Frontenac Park 11K Tetsmine loop in particular. After being away from Kingston for two months, it was really nice to get back to the park and enjoy the beauty and solitude.

I've been thinking a lot about the 100miler next year and the planning that it involves (and yes, I got the approval from my better half). So far I've had wonderful support from friends new and old. The offers to crew have been unbelievable. I'm blown away by the generosity of these people. I'm very excited that a great friend - Kelly, has agreed to pace and crew for me. I give her the credit for getting me into long distance running as she was the one that convinced me to run my first marathon this year. Other offers from some great girls from runningmania.com are greatly appreciated and I look forward to 'working' with these women (a fellow northern ontarian too!). Figuring out what I'm going to need along the way is going to be tricky. I think the trick is to be open to anything, especially food wise.

Over the next week I will try to develop a training plan which I hope to start shortly after Vulture Bait. I would like to get most of my runs done in the very early morning, which will allow me some training in the dark (must get over fear of bears... they're hibernating soon right?), and will minimally interfere with family time and morning routines.

There's so much more to think about. I'm really pumped about this journey to Haliburton next year and the experiences it will bring. I just hope this weekends' 50k goes well. I think I'll just run enough this week to keep the blood flowing and the limbs loose. Gotta take this thing one run at a time.

See you in the forest!

Going All The Way

2009-10-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

When I started this running thing I had a plan: marathons one year, 50k the next, 50 miles after that and so on... If I followed this plan I would get to the distance of all distances, the 100 miler in 4 years or so, probably well prepared and well trained. One thing I forgot about when I thought about this plan was that I usually don't follow plans.

I've been thinking about my life and health alot this last week as my mom was having some heart problems and had triple bypass surgery yesterday morning. She has diabetes, is overweight, and has heart disease. It was the same with her mom. So the events of the past week got me thinking about my health, how much I love running and how it's changed my life. It's been a pretty stressful week leading up to the surgery and getting out there in the forest, and running with a friend was a saviour. I want to stop this cycle for myself but mostly for my daughter. I plan on doing this by staying active, not smoking, and running. A lot.

Which brings me back to the plan. Now that this years' season is coming to an end I'm starting to think about next year... which actually got me thinking about the year after that... In the Midwifery program I am actually only in classes for the first year and a half. The final two and a half years (including the summer of 2014) I will be in clinical placements, where I will be on call, well, all the time. So training for ultras could get to be a bit complicated when you have to go to a birth and your 30k deep in the forest. So I'm thinking my plan is going to have to get fast tracked. It just makes sense training wise as I'll have more time (never enough time) to get the miles in. In the spring and summer I can get a 50K and a 50 miler in there, then go all the way at the end of the summer, or fall as I would love Haliburton to be the one, but I'm going to have to think about that one since Hali is a bit of a tough course.
So there. I've said it. I want to do 100 miles in 2010. I still can't believe I'm saying this out loud. I guess I should tell my husband.

At the Start Line

2009-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well I suppose I should begin at the beginning. I started running in 2005 when I needed an outlet for stress (and excess calories!). Shortly after I started running I took a road trip to the East Coast and went on my first trail run somewhere in a Nova Scotia forest. It was a lot of fun and such a different experience than road running, I loved it! But I was pretty sore after and realised that switching from road to trail would be a transition I'd need to pay attention to. Four years, 2 kids, and one horrible marathon later I decided it was time for something different. So I decided I'd train for my first 50K ultra marathon. I knew I wasn't built for speed but I loved the challenge of pushing myself and felt a huge sense of accomplishment after covering more and more distance.

In June I started to hit the trails around Kingston; Frontenac Park, Little Cataraqui Conservation Area, the Rideau Trail and a few other local spots. At the same time I started to experiment with minimalist running after hearing a news spot on CBC about Christopher McDougall's new book Born to Run. It was a real eye opener and got me to think outside the box when it came to running gear, injuries, and running philosophies.

I got myself a pair of Vibram Five Finger KSOs and would integrate wearing those in with my regular training. While I love the protection that the VFFs offer, I must say I prefer going completely barefoot, mainly for conveniences' sake. With the thought of the ultra in my mind however, I knew I wouldn't be ready to dive right into 50k without shoes so I did most of my road training in old Mizuno Wave Riders, (which I trained for the '09 Ottawa Marathon, Dirty Girls, Haliburton and am still running in now!). On the trails I like to wear my New Balance - the one with the clock - trail shoes, and I just recently purchased a pair of lime green Brooks Cascadias (not ready to give up the shoe fetish completely!).

Come August I thought I'd want to try my legs in a shorter trail race and found out about the Dirty Girls race in Mansfield, Ontario. So I signed up and had a great time. Finished 30K in 4 hours right on the nose.

Race report: http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34616

Photos: me at the finish line (the 30kers started a half hour after the clock started, hence the 4:30); Name in print - official Dirty Girl!

After Dirty Girls I felt a little more prepared for Haliburton and the training went relatively well, but got a little interrupted in August when we moved to Sudbury from Kingston, where I started my first year in the Midwifery Education Program. Come race day, I was excited, feeling good and ended up having the best race experience of my life.

Another race blurb on Running Mania:http://runningmania.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=35232&p=915738#p915738

Photo: At the Haliburton starting line - 6am.

So that's it in a nutshell. Next on the list is the Vulture Bait 50K in London, ON. Trying my best to get some time on my feet to train while going to school full time, taking care of a 3 and 1.5 year old, and nursing a sore groin. As long as I get there, that's all that matters.

See ya in the forest!