Well here we are, on the eve of my next half marathon. We are having some mighty hot weather right now, with humidity, so they have made some changes to the run starts for a few events. They pushed the 10K today (Saturday) back till 7pm to avoid some of the heat, and they have pulled in the start for my half tomorrow morning from 9am till 8:15am. They are also adding more water stations, some misting stations, some ice stations, and even a few air-conditioned buses at the first aid locations around the course for those that need to take a short respite during the race. The organizers are very concerned about people pushing too hard in the heat. The temperature high is still sitting at 31 Celcius, but will be higher with the humidex, Nothing like what some parts of the world get and folks run in, but here we had frost and 0 degrees just two weeks ago, so not much time for runners from around here to get accustomed to running in the heat yet. Plus the marathon event is also an official Boston qualifier (if I recall correctly- I am not up to marathon levels yet), so some are sure to be pushing even with the heat and the warnings to go easier.
For myself, I have done what I can, having done some runs during the week at noon to try to experience the heat and try to handle it. I will run with a wet sponge in my hat, and my wet cooling cloth across the back of my neck and over the tops of my shoulders, inelegantly tucked under my bra straps to keep it in place. I will take 2-3 cups of water at every water station- one for my mouth, one for my head, one for my neck and back. I will take my chews for electrolyte replacement. I am prepared to go slower, and even walk if needed. Yet, if I have to abort, I will do that too. I want to finish the race, not myself. :) I will try and enjoy the race; the scenery, the people, the cheer stations, the music, and yes, even the weather. I will smile despite now having to get up earlier in order to get in and park and get to the Team in Training meetup before heading to the start corrals.
I am once again the top individual fundraiser for Team in Training for this event. So a huge thank you to all my sponsors! I could not do it without you!
Ok. Time to finish eating, have some more water, and hit bed early. I will be up before 5am in order to do final preps, get my before race food ready, and then get into Ottawa.
So here we are with less than a month to go till race day on May 29! So little time left! That said, things are going well. My fundraising goal is within sight, and the training is progressing on track. With spring now here, the days are just packed, so I am actually looking forward to a bit of a rest after the race. Ok, maybe the week after the race as I am registered to do the 6K Mud Hero on June 4th. Then the Perth Kilt Run at end of June. Maybe that rest will be a bit further off than I might like. LOL Oh well.
The personal training sessions are continuing. We've moved into doing mostly strength training on Mondays, and some cardio kickboxing on Wednesdays. I still follow both workouts with some additional cardio. I mix it up with the rowing machine, the elliptical, and the bike. I go for ~3k walks on these days at lunch most weeks, and I have decided to run at lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Nothing far (~4-5K), but since my time has been not entirely my own these days, its about the only window I have found to fit in the running I need apart from Sunday mornings. Speaking of the Sunday morning long runs, I have now run 15k without walk breaks! I have also set personal best times for 10K for the last 3 weeks in a row! Fingers crossed that this holds through race day too! For last weeks 15K I did it in 2:03. Previously that had taken me at least 2:18 to do, so that's about 15 min better, or a minute less per km pace.
I have been running for 2 years now, and everyone has been telling me that if I keep at it I will get faster. I had been thinking they were nuts, as it was not happening for me. Till now. I am nowhere near fast. However I am visibly better this past month and I have been feeling so much stronger. I am actually excited for race day, and seeing what I can achieve. My goal is still finish injury free, but if I just run as I have been these last few weekends, I am optimistic that I will have a personal best finish for a half marathon.
Looking back on my two year journey so far, its been quite amazing what I have been able to accomplish. The journey is far from over, but sometimes its motivating to stop and look at how far one has come. From couch potato to run/walking half marathons, to running 15k without walking, and still going. If I can do this, what else can I do?
If I can do this, what can YOU do if you set your mind to it?
I ran the 10K Winterman on Valentine's Day. They changed the start time to a later time due to the extreme cold forecast. So I think it might have been a degree or two warmer than last years, but still very, very cold. This year the sun was shining though, and there was very little snow across the road, so overall a better race. I was the last runner to cross the finish. One of the volunteers on bike kept me company for pretty much the entire last out and back 5K. I had to walk a lot as the cold triggered my cough. Still, I finished in faster time than last year, and I finished! So that's really all I ask for.
The pic to the left is me before the race, wearing three layers on my top, four on my bottom, with base layer on my head. There are two more top layers on the back of the chair (down filled running jacket and a windbreaker), and another hat, down-filled mittens, and face mask in the plastic bag. I was definitely prepared for the cold!
There are just 2 months left before my next half marathon, on May 29th. It seems like a lot, but I know that the training has to be in earnest now in order to be prepared. The time will go by very quickly.
I am still working with a personal trainer 2 days a week. We do strength training with some cardio. I always finish with at least another 15 min of cardio. I try to run 1-2 times during the week in addition to my long run. At least now the clocks have changed and I can run after work when I get home as its still light out most days. I feel overall much stronger and I believe its showing in my runs so far.
For the first time, on Easter weekend, I was able to run 10k without the need for a walk break! This is a huge milestone for me. Not only that, but I did the distance at a faster pace than I have in the past. I am going to keep pushing myself to run without walking as I go farther and farther. I am sure to walk during the race at the water stations, but hopefully not a lot or for all of them :)
I am excited that spring is finally here. Sure, the weather is being temperamental still, but the geese and the robins are back, snow is almost gone, and the days are getting longer! I always feel the most energized in the spring. I am hoping it serves me well with the training and the race. I can't wait to get out on my bicycle again too. I have plans to get up to 50K+ rides this year on my hybrid wheels. Maybe next year I will invest in a road bike too, but for now I will stay on the rural roads around my home and be thankful for the suspension and wider tires.
My fundraising is going much slower this time around than before. Truthfully, I have been so busy that I am not pushing it as hard as last time either. I will send out some more reminders, and a few tweets and posts on Facebook, and I know that I will make the goal. If you can spare even a few dollars to help the cause, it would be much appreciated!
So, I have not posted anything for over a year. Mainly because I am lazy, and busy with life. That's not to say I have not been out there, running! So let me catch you up on what I have been up to since my first half marathon and last post.
After the Toronto Waterfront half, I did my best to stay motivated and running throughout the winter. It was tough running in snowy cold Ottawa, but I managed to get out 1-2 times a week, and if the Sunday longrun was often more walk than run, well at least we (my running buddies and I) were out there and being active. To help motivate ourselves, we signed up for the Winterman 10K race, in February. This is traditionally held on the last weekend of Winterlude, and in 2015, this also happened to coincide with the coldest spell of the entire winter. The morning of the race, it was -29 celcius with a -40 windchill. The wind was whipping, and snow was blowing up the embankment to the road the race was held on, blasting our faces and covering the road in snow. I did the race wearing 4 layers on my legs, 5 layers on my top, down mittens, a thick fleece hat, and a fleece face mask that covered my nose, ears, and neck. My lashes were covered in ice when I got done, and many participants had to be checked for frost bite. However, I finished! Slow, but since a lot of registrants chickened out, I ended up fifth in my category. Made it seem like I was way more awesome than I am LOL.
Winterman Bling!
Those of you that have read my blogs so far know that I had signed up to do the Tinkerbell Half in Anaheim California in May of 2015. Well, I did it! It was a tough race, as I came down with a shin splint around kilometer 15 or so, and had to walk most of the rest of the race. That said, it was so much fun. So many participants were in costumes, and running through the Disney park, including some of the areas behind the scenes, was truly a treat. I finished the race only a few minutes slower than my first half, which I was pleased with given the walking.
Meeting Tinkerbell
Past the Disney Castle
Photo-op with some Fairies
Finished!
The Bling!!!
I had to rest a bit after this race, but I still felt up for doing the Perth Kilt Run, in Perth, Ontario in June. This is an 8 km race, and all participants must wear a proper kilt. It holds the Guinness record for most kilt wearing runners in a race. I walked a lot of it, as did not want to overdo my leg while it was healing, and also it was dang hot running in a kilt! I still finished looking strong and fast :) For finishing, I got a spurtle, some shortbread cookies, and beer. What a race!
Historic Perth, Ontario
Looking fast, but not really.
Finishing!
Since many of my friends and supporters had commented that I should run a local half marathon, I signed up for the Army Run half in September 2015. Training went very well, and I was optimistic that I might finally finish a half in under 3 hours. However, I put my back out a week before the race. It felt fine after a few days, so I opted to run. I set a PB for 10K and was pacing with the 2:45 race bunny. But my back was not happy and by just after half way, I was forced to start walking. I walked dang fast, and kept pushing. I finished in a lot of pain, but set a new PB for a half marathon, despite the walking! Needless to say, I holed up and did nothing for several weeks after the race, to allow time for things to heal.
Coming back from the QC side
Heading to the finish, despite the pain
Finishing!
Next up will be the Winterman 10K again next month (Feb 14). I am hoping for better weather than last year heheh. I will not be fast, as I have been fighting some virus thing since before Christmas, but I will get out there anyways and do my best.
Then I AM BACK FOR MY SECOND TNT RACE!!!! That's right! I have registered with Team in Training again, and this time will be doing another local Ottawa race, the Tamarack Ottawa Half Marathon!. End of May is the time frame. So here I go again, raising funds, and getting myself in shape in order to support the cause that got me started with running.
As I write this, its coming up on two years since Kerry passed away. I am sure many of you want to know how that part of my life is going as well. It's going okay. Actually, some might say better than okay. I am getting out there and doing things I have always wanted to do, and living life. Kerry wanted me to keep going, wanted me to enjoy myself. Knowing that, how could I do anything else without disrespecting his memory? I did the Tinkerbell race, and went to California by myself. Yes, I went to Disney by myself too and had a blast on the rides! I took a three day performance driving course, and drove cars at speeds in excess of 200kph!!! I am doing another course this summer, and likely will hit the local track in my own car for some fun too. I am headed to Italy for three weeks this coming fall. I am dating again. I am singing with a choir group and will perform again this year at Bluesfest (yup, I sang at Ottawa Bluesfest last summer. How many of you can say that? :) ) I smile often, and laugh lots.
Does the above mean I have forgotten Kerry? No. Not even close. I miss him every day. The hole is still present in my heart. I believe it always will be. However, I am finding that I am dealing with the pain better and better every passing day. The hole is there, but I am building up some amazing things around it. Do I still cry sometimes? You bet I do. Particularly right now, as the memories of our last days together rear up vivid and urgent. Yet I feel that I have to live, and live well, or else all that he and I had together would be for naught. Moving on without him is not something I ever thought I would be doing, or anything I wanted to do, however, that's precisely what I have to do in order to give meaning to our love. Its like I have to live for two now, and most of the time, I am living fully, joyfully, and for every moment.
For myself, I have done what I can, having done some runs during the week at noon to try to experience the heat and try to handle it. I will run with a wet sponge in my hat, and my wet cooling cloth across the back of my neck and over the tops of my shoulders, inelegantly tucked under my bra straps to keep it in place. I will take 2-3 cups of water at every water station- one for my mouth, one for my head, one for my neck and back. I will take my chews for electrolyte replacement. I am prepared to go slower, and even walk if needed. Yet, if I have to abort, I will do that too. I want to finish the race, not myself. :) I will try and enjoy the race; the scenery, the people, the cheer stations, the music, and yes, even the weather. I will smile despite now having to get up earlier in order to get in and park and get to the Team in Training meetup before heading to the start corrals.
