Happy Thanksgiving!

It's the long weekend and am neither running nor stuffing my face with bird. Some big sections for my thesis are due on Thursday, which I am well behind on, so I'm spending this beautiful holiday chained to my desk. C'est la vie.

But I would like to spend a moment to give thanks, since this is what this weekend (in Canada) is about. Thanks to my husband, family and friends who have supported my crazy running habit since I really got into it four years ago, and to all of my readers! 

I'm also, of course, grateful for my health and for being able to run. That being said... it's flashback time! Three years ago during Thanksgiving weekend, I ran marathon #2: the BMO Okanagan Marathon. And this morning, runners in Kelowna are setting off on their own Okanagan journeys. Here's my Facebook note entry and images from my second full marathon. Enjoy!

--
Hello from Kelowna, and Happy Thanksgiving!

The results are in, and it's official... I'm under five hours!

Gun Time: 4 hours 56 minutes 40 seconds
Chip Time: 4 hours 55 minutes 27 seconds
Overall: 406 out of 471
F Group: 167 out of 204
F 30-39 Division: 60 out of 71

I've always said I was a slow runner, but this is still a big accomplishment for me. After last year's marathon in Victoria (read: 5 hours 27 minutes 54 seconds), I never thought I'd break the five-hour mark. Take that, marathon!

Overall, it was a nice race. The day started out a bit windy and soggy, but after about an hour in, the weather was perfect. There were sections in City Park that weren't blocked off so well, but the volunteers and traffic control on the course were great - and a deer even ran past at one point, less than 10 feet away, going in the opposite direction! 

Kudos to the husband for being so supportive in my running endeavours, and for being such a great spectator! Who else would be willing to get up at the crack of dawn to stand outside for five hours, just waiting for his wife to run by a few times?? Thank you, Matt ... I love you!

Screen shot of my Garmin data from the run on October 10, 2010.

Surrey is Done!

Marathon number 4: check! 

It's been more than a week since the Surrey International World Music Marathon (sorry for the delay, loyal blog followers) and I'm still pretty pumped for the finish. Here are the details from the weekend.

Spot the Five by 35-er!
© Surrey International World Music Marathon 2013

For those not from 'round these parts, Surrey is about an hour from where my husband and I live in Vancouver. We'd planned to stay in a hotel close to the start line, so we could sleep in a bit and save on travel time the morning of the race. But a friend from the area had offered up his place to my husband and I for the night before and as a base for race day, and we were more than happy to accept - particularly since the marathon was scheduled to start at 7:30 am and transit was not running early enough to get full marathoners to the Central City start line in time. 

© Global BC 2013

It wasn't a great day, weather-wise. The entire weekend saw wind and rainfall warnings for the entire lower mainland, which made me very nervous right up until I crossed the start line. Even though it was gusting and cold when everyone started to line up in the race corrals, it warmed up almost immediately, and it stayed that way except for the last hour or so when it started to come down in buckets. I mean, who doesn't love torrential rain?

Having been sick and out of commission for most of September, I'd decided to pace this race quite more conservatively than the other marathons. As a result, I ran a slow race - yes, even slower than usual! - but I finished smiling, so that decision couldn't have been all bad. In hindsight, I think I'd subconsciously set two goals for myself, based on last year's outing in Saint John:

1. Minimize the possibility of mental breakdowns on the marathon route; and 
2. No ugly crying after crossing the finish line.

And I managed to achieve both, so... well done, me! 

The race itself was two loops: an urban run winding through Central Surrey, which took runners through residential districts, as well as green and woodland areas such as Holland Park and Green Timbers Urban Forest. 

Thank you, Garmin data

It was organized well enough. Although, based on my personal experience and the comments I saw on Facebook and Twitter, it seems as though there's plenty of room for improvement - probably not a surprise, given this is only the second year for this fledging event. The best thing about the race, by far, were the cultural stations lining the course. This race is touted as the "International World Music Marathon," and it certainly lived up to that name. According to the event organizer's website, a total of 34 performance stations encompassing 18 distinct cultures lined the course. All of the entertainment was great! And the variety of music, dancing and cultural aspects was definitely something I've never before experienced in a marathon. Well done to all of the entertainers and volunteers at the music stations! (I think Korea was my favourite; their performance was great each time I ran by. The United Kingdom's highland dancers came in at a close second.)

As for downsides, I hate to say it, but there were plenty...

On the communications side of things for runners, the website was awful. I'd registered online months ago through the marathon's official Running Room registration portal, yet there was no way for me to confirm my registration using the Surrey Marathon's website. Each time I emailed about this, the replies I received did not fully answer my questions. Not being provided with a straight answer left me with some anxiety, since I was never assured whether I'd registered properly after I'd already been training for weeks. 

In terms of logistics and deciding on how to get to the start line, months ago - when I'd first registered - the website indicated that organizers had arranged for TransLink to run one train early enough to get runners to the area on time, which was great. But only days before the race, this changed completely; the website updated with an advisory indicating that no trains would be able to get runners to the start line in time. And while organizers announced that a shuttle service would be provided, shuttles ran only between another train station and the start line, which meant that, unless a runner could get to that particular train station, they were pretty much shit out of luck. So thankful that our friend offered to be our shuttle service! But it leaves me to wonder how and to what degree other runners were inconvenienced.

Then there was the course itself. The route was pretty great, I've gotta say. And there were plenty of very eager and wonderful volunteers, pointing runners in the right direction... except in Green Timbers, the second time around (the second of two loops). A few of us full marathon stragglers were left to fend for ourselves in the park, where we ended up off-route because there was no one stationed at key turn off points to say, "That way." Not that getting lost in the woods after running 36 km isn't exciting, but I can think of better ways to get my kicks, ya know? Thankfully, some kind locals noticed what had happened, pointed us in the right direction, and major crisis was averted. 

Because of the dreadful weather conditions, the marathon also decided last minute to move the recovery area, along with all of the water and food from the finish line, to an indoors area at the nearby SFU Surrey Campus. This would have been fine, except after running 42.2 km the last thing I was going to remember was, "Oh yes, that's right. The recovery area is now indoors!" As a result, I didn't get any food right after the race, and only managed to get a hold of some chocolate milk thanks to my husband and friends who took good care of me after I crossed the finish line. I realize this was an entirely situational decision on the part of race organizers, necessitated by Mother Nature, but it would have been nice to see some signage or a few volunteers at the finish line directing people towards the food.

Based on comments provided on the marathon's Facebook page and the Twitter feed for #WeRunSurrey, Surrey locals did not seem very happy about all of the traffic closures, with comments ranging from mildly annoyed to white-hot rage. Not that I necessarily agree with these unhappy people, but even my friend had trouble getting around - and he's a local who's lived in Surrey a long time who had all of the traffic advisory information. It would therefore appear that the road closures could have been made a lot clearer.

So... yeeahh. Despite the inadequate information, lack of transit service, disgusting weather, getting lost in the forest, and the no-food-at-the-end scenarios, it was a decent enough day, all things considered. Would I run it again? Probably not. But it was cool to have the opportunity to run Surrey and to finish another marathon.

But the volunteers were phenomenal - as always. The entertainment was extraordinary. I got a shout-out at the finish line by legendary race announcer and emcee Steve King. And one of my friends surprised me right at the end of the course, at the 41 km mark! Definitely some great things to be thankful for. 

Special thanks to my pit crew: my husband (of course!), and friend who put us up and kept my husband company while I took five and a half hours to finish. Speaking of which, here are my results...

Gun time: 5 hours 32 minutes 58 seconds
Chip time: 5 hours 32 minutes 33 seconds
Pace: 7.53 minutes per km

Race swag... and dinner plate-sized hardware!

I placed 7 out of 10 in the Female 30-34 category (not 35, yet!), 69 out of 91 females, and 170 out of the 180 who finished the full marathon. I certainly brought up the rear on this race, but hey - it's another one for the books, right? And I'm one more marathon closer to the goal. 

Only one more to go: BMO Vancouver Marathon, here I come!

Here We Go...

It's race weekend! And after a terrible September plagued with illness, I am happy to report that I've recovered well enough and will be at the marathon start line on Sunday.

I'm a bit under trained, given that I didn't complete nearly as much mileage as I would have liked these past few weeks. But I'm hoping that the big mileage I ran last month will serve me in good stead. 

Epiphany: being ill while training for this marathon has made me appreciate the ability to run all the more. Out there today, I realized that being healthy makes such a world of difference. When I can't run because I'm injured or sick, I'm miserable. I'm certainly grateful that I have the opportunity to run this weekend - and I won't take it for granted because, who knows? There may well come a day when I can no longer do so. 

I leave you with this quote from John Stanton: "No time to run? Your mental attitude can be practiced at any time." I will therefore stay positive between now and Sunday, and really focus only on the things I was able to control these past few months in training. 

If you find yourself in Surrey on Sunday morning, come see me along the course or at the finish line. I'll be one of the stragglers bringing up the rear (happily!).

Course map
© 2012 Surrey Marathon

Weekend Woes a.k.a. Stories from the Sick Bed

It's amazing. Not one day into the start of fall term, and I end up sick as a dog. 

Today is the first time in over four days that I've woken up not hacking my lungs out and instantly wanting my life to end. But this obviously has meant no running. I was supposed to do 32 km on Sunday... ha! As if that was going to happen. Not with my lungs on the floor and my apartment covered in snot-filled tissues. 

With only three weeks to go until marathon #4, this recent sickness has got me a little stressed out. But maybe it's better than I got sick now than closer to the end of the month. Right? Right??

A few observations. You know you haven't been running in awhile when...

• The battery in your Garmin has drained itself twice since you last wore it.
• You don't remember what distance you last ran.
• You don't remember what day you last ran.
• All of your running gear is clean at the same time.

Goodbye, Summer!

It is now September and with it comes the last few weeks of marathon training... but also another year of school! (Yay?) 

Running these past few weeks has been quite the challenge. I haven't felt as good out there as I did earlier in the training schedule; part of it might be the changing seasons (oh, the humidity!) but out there today, I couldn't help but wonder if my poor diet and lifestyle choices i.e. long weekend wine- and beering, are taking their toll. Note to self: try and stay a little "drier" and away from pizza and gravy the next few weeks.

Me for the next eight months!

I've also found it challenging to stay motivated, given that I've got an assignment for my thesis due next week already (insert whipping sound here, am I right?). It's a sure signal that I'll need to stay extra diligent in forcing myself out on days where all I can think about is the next readings or project or report coming due. 

Because of all this, I'm expecting - as with last year - that I may not be on the blog as often. For this month, I'll definitely have an update on #4 and how that all goes; I'm definitely getting a little nervous, but it's mainly because the running's been less than spectacular. Hoping that will take a turn for the better going into the final four weeks of training.

Today's run: 29 km. Weather: a little of everything. Light showers, cloud, variable sun, a little humidity. Feeling: very meh and worried about race day. If it's this hard now, how can I possibly finish 42.2 km in four weeks!? Trying to not panic.

Hope everyone had a fantastic summer! If you're back to school or work tomorrow, I wish you a productive and positive first day. And if you're sending kids back to the classroom, woot woot for you!

Running Round-Up: Where I Complain about the Weather Edition

We're definitely in between seasons right now on the west (read: wet) coast which has made for some less than inspirational running. Here's what's been happening this week.

As Alanis used to say, "Always too hot, never too cold"
After putting in 29 km-plus distances the past few weekends, I ran 23 km on Sunday. Training schedules typically back off on big mileage occasionally to give the body a little break but mentally, I've always found "shorter" long runs to be really tough. 

Take last weekend, for example. Because I was only supposed to run 23 km I decided to sleep in, leave a little later than usual and be back in time for lunch. Instead, the sunshine and humidity of the late morning combined like a mother f*cker to totally screw me and leave me exhausted. I was hot and absolutely pissed when I decided to literally walk the last three km because I just couldn't take it any more and, quite frankly, I did not care.

Over the years, I've found that marathon training is really just a series of good days and bad. It's meant to test a person mentally in order to find the will to finish. Was I tempted, at the end of that dreadful run, to hail a cab or jump on the next bus? Absolutely. Did I? Hell, no. I was finishing that run come hell or high water, either on my feet or crawling hand over foot. Stupid run broke me that day, but I still covered the distance. 

Ahh. Such is the beauty and disaster of marathon training.

And then, it rained
In torrents. Buckets. Not as bad as other parts of Canada this summer, but it was still pretty wet, relatively speaking, when you look at this year's summer in Vancouver as a whole.

I guess it was bound to happen. But it's not the nice, cool and cloudy rain yet. It's still 24°C out there after factoring in humidity - which makes it kind of unbearable. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration... let me just say, the weather for running in such humid conditions is not comfortable, that's for sure.

It's official: I am looking forward to summer being really, truly, absolutely, totally over. No more of this muggy, seasonal transition crap. 

On the plus side, I've confirmed that my new shoes fit properly (yay!) and I got to break in my Blerch T-shirt, courtesy of Matthew Inman a.k.a. The Oatmeal. Or rather, courtesy his shop. Nothing's ever free these days, is it? Still - worth it! 

Today's run: 8 km, just shy of race pace. Weather: see blog post. Feeling: like I need summer to be over. Roll on, fall!

I do not believe in the wall. I believe in The Blerch!
© The Oatmeal

It's All About the Shoes...

Retired but just can't seem to part with them.

...running shoes, o'course!

Once or twice I've alluded to the importance of tracking how much mileage you're putting on your shoes so that you know about when you should be getting a new pair. Shoes are built to last only so long, depending on a bunch of factors: the type of shoe (e.g. cross trainer versus running shoe versus sport-specific shoe), how much you're using them, how much you weigh, the types of workouts you're doing. Most "experts" recommend that runners should retire their shoes at around 400 to 500 miles, or approximately every 640 to 800 km. 

I read somewhere awhile ago (sorry, can't remember where) that unexpected soreness in your ankles or legs after runs may be one early sign that your shoes are ready to give. As an example, I retired my last few pairs at around 760 km, although I probably should have let them go a little earlier than that.

New and shiny... and no
longer in my possession.

I've been tracking the wear on my current shoes and am currently at 595 km, so I decided to treat myself to a new pair now instead of waiting like I did the last few times. One problem with not having retired a pair in awhile (the last pair I gave up in August 2012 after marathon #3): I was in the store and couldn't remember my size... and I'm really little (smaller than size 6 women's), which compounds the shoe sizing problem. 

So I came home, unintentionally, with new runners a half-size larger than my last few pairs. But - and here's a shoe-buying tip for you - I decided to try them out on the treadmill (not outdoors) with my insoles and regular running socks to see if they'd work. Sadly, they did not. Back to the store I went, regrettably, to return my new and shiny purchase.

I called around, trying to find a size in my specific shoe (Asics Gel 1100-series, now the GT-1000s) but alas, no luck. One store had my exact size, but in a different Asics Gel series: the GT-2000s. I figured, why not? Might as well give it a go.

Please fit!

I've now got the second new pair in hand (foot?) but haven't yet run in them. However, I did put them on at home and, given a brief direct compare with my last pair of shoes (while wearing my insoles and socks, of course), I'm feeling pretty optimistic. Fingers crossed they'll work out.

Here are a few general tips for shoes and shoe buying in general:

• Running shoes are meant to feel great from the get-go. There should be no need for a "breaking in" period. If you feel like you're trying to "break in" your new pair of shoes, chances are, they're not the right shoes for you.
• Be sure to leave a little bit of toe space. Why? Well, if you've ever had a black toenail and/or had one fall clean off... that's why. (It's only ever happened to me once! Knock on wood it doesn't happen again.) One way to check if you have enough space for your toes is to run down a slight incline. If your toes are being smushed up against the front of the shoe, try the next half-size or size up and see if that pair is more comfortable. 
• Track your gear and pick up new shoes well before you need to retire your old ones. If you've been keeping up your running regimen but find that you're feeling more achy than usual after standard distance runs, you likely need a new pair.
• Don't take my word for it. If you're not sure whether you're buying shoes that are right for you, pop into a local running store and ask for help - that's what they're there for! 

P.S. I have a post that I've been meaning to write for months about "reading" the wear patterns on your shoes. Obviously, I haven't written that one yet. Hopefully now that I've mentioned it, I'll feel obliged to do it... soon.