Following the Plan?

Posted on March 8, 2016 by racrocker

As spring is in the air, thoughts turn to the racing season and my on going struggle of whether to follow a training plan or not. I have run a lot of races and I confess that I have only followed a training plan for one of them. I know many people follow a plan and I have friends who stick rigidly to their plan, no matter what. I found that having a strict schedule did not work for me. I started well and knew what I had to do each day, but half way in, I started to lose motivation. It became a case of having to run a certain distance at a particular pace. Race day was fine but such a relief that it was over. Afterwards, I completely lost my interest in running. I did not want to run and couldn’t understand what had happened to me. I thought about what it was I loved about running; how I love to explore different routes, how I love being outside, how it makes me feel happy and free and realised that for me, following the training plan had taken away the joy of running and turned it into a chore. It took a few months, but by running when and how I felt like it, without any agenda, I eventually began to look forward to running again.

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Now here we are again at the start of another race season, friends are again following strict plans and I am again wondering if I should too. They tell me their pace and ask me mine. I have no idea how fast (or slow) I run. Yes, I would like to be faster and I am sure if I trained hard, I could be, but will I lose motivation again? It is often difficult not to compare yourself with others but my advice is to do what works for you. You may be like my friends, and do well with a strict schedule, or you may be like me and find that demotivating.

I have a 50K race towards the end of summer and although I have run that distance before, this will be on challenging terrain. My goal is to finish this race upright and within the cut off time and so yes, I will train, but without following a strict plan. My training will be long runs/hikes in the mountains with friends, lots of climbing up and running down hills, core strengthening exercises and maybe a bit of yoga added in. I will let you know in September if this strategy worked!

rathon plan

No Excuses!

Posted on November 25, 2015 by racrocker

Too cold, too dark, too icy… Does this sound familiar?

If you are finding it difficult to find the motivation to run in the winter, you are not alone! The colder mornings, darker evenings and icy conditions can often leave us wishing for the summer again. But wait! remember when you moaned about the heat? Oh yes, apparently it was too hot to run outside not that long ago and so you opted for the treadmill and the nice air conditioned gym instead. Or even better, decided to forgo any exertion and just sit on the deck with an ice cold beer!

Everyone makes excuses at times but it is often too easy to listen to that little voice that can talk you out of anything! With the winter almost upon us, its important to stay active for many reasons. We’ve all heard about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and know that dark, grey, cloudy weather can sometimes make us feel a little down but here in sunny Alberta, we are lucky enough to have around 333 days of sunshine a year.(www.currentresultss.com/weather/canada/Alberta/sunshine-annual)

So here are my top tips to get you outside in the winter months:

Set a goal. Find a race to sign up for. There are still lots of races held throughout the winter, as well as registrations opening for many next season. Calgary marathon has a distance for anyone ranging from 5k to 50K

(Register here http://calgarymarathon.com/register.html) Now is a great time to set yourself a goal as you have the winter months to work towards it.

Join a running group. Having a commitment to meet other people and run is a great way of ensuring you turn up, and at least there will always be someone to take great action photos of you running in the snow! Calgary marathon society has started a weekly running group (Details are on their website)… or if there isn’t a group near you, do as I did and start your own. Copy of IMG_5795

Go shopping! Who doesn’t love new running gear! Seriously though, it is important to have winter weather specific fabrics and clothing so that as long as you have the appropriate clothing, you’ll be warm and toasty.

no more gear

Stop complaining! Yes, you can find an excuse for anything if you try hard enough, but how about channelling those thoughts into positive ones? You are lucky that you get to run. Many people can’t, so be grateful.

Finally, my favourite. Be a badass! Running in the snow is even more hardcore than running in the rain (which, as we all know, is pretty darned impressive anyway.) Running outside in weather that sends most people inside, puts you totally off the badassery scale. Try it and see!

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Now What?

Posted on June 4, 2015 by racrocker

After the highs of the weekend, is anyone else feeling a little deflated? What a weekend though! For me, it started on Friday with a trip to the expo to collect my race packets, listen to speakers, speak with some of the other forerunners, work at the 5Peaks booth, hang out with friends and make some great new contacts. Then, a quick change in the washroom, and off to party!

Race day came around fast (4.30 a.m alarm) but the sunrise on the drive in to Calgary made the early start worth it!

Happily, I had my VIP status printed on my race bib so was able to get coffee and breakfast in the VIP area which was great. Then it was time to head to the corrals for the start. My goal was to run the half without any pain and to have fun, which I did. I had originally signed up for the 50k again but changed a couple of weeks before the race due to ongoing injuries. Initially, I was very disappointed to do this, mainly because I wanted that huge, shiny medal so much! but it was the right decision. I finished the half marathon feeling great and met up with some of the other forerunners to hang out in the VIP area.

While we were waiting for the 5k to start, we sat and watched some of the other finishers coming in, which was very inspirational. The 5k was a fun run and a good way for me to loosen up after the half marathon. There were so many people, runners, walkers, kids, strollers so it was very crowded, especially at the start but we had great fun chatting to people and spotting other friends along the way. Finish line, and another medal!What a fun day! The weather was beautiful, the course was great as usual, the spectators were totally awesome and everything about the race organization was spot on, from the packet pick up, to the post race food and not to mention the totally awesome medals!

So… Now what? well registration is open for next year!
http://calgarymarathon.com/register.html

Be the Inspiration

Posted on March 4, 2015 by racrocker

One of the things I love about the running community is that everyone has their own story of why they started running and what it means to them. Everyone started somewhere and has overcome some kind of struggle to get there. It may have been a lack of self – confidence, a health or weight issue, a lack of support, as a relief from a stressful situation. This list goes on and on but whatever the reason, I gain a great deal of motivation from hearing these stories.

Recently, I was at an event where Adam Campbell was speaking. Adam is a former member of the Canadian National triathlon team who now likes to compete in very long runs! Last summer, he was competing in the Hardrock 100 (yes, that’s 100 miles of running!) and was just over halfway into the race, held in the San Juan mountains, when a thunderstorm rolled in! Now that would have totally freaked me out, but according to Adam, there was nowhere to shelter so they made the decision to get up and over the mountain as fast as possible. As they were almost at the peak, Adam and his running partner were struck by lightning which knocked them both off their feet. Now, if this was me, I think I would have curled up in a little ball, sobbing loudly and waited for someone to rescue me. (There is a long standing joke in my family that when I was young, I was so scared of thunderstorms that I would go to bed with rain boots on as I had read that if you were struck by lightning, a rubber soled shoe could protect you somewhat!)

Anyway, luckily for everyone, Adam is much braver than me so he swore (I’m guessing here, but I bet he did!) got up off the ground and not only continued the race, but came in third place! Now that’s inspiring!

Another runner who inspires me daily is Darrell Henry. I have not yet been fortunate enough to meet Darrell in person but I have been following his journey closely. Darrell has a rare disease called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) which is an inherited colorectal cancer syndrome. After being diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, Darrell underwent 6 months of chemotherapy and removal of his colon in early 2014. Although it was known that Darrell’s cancer would return at some stage, this happened far sooner than anyone expected and he is now undergoing more chemotherapy. However, in spite of this, Darrel, a self-confessed “obsessed’ runner, is attacking ‘The Beast’ and continuing to run, often logging the miles before he heads off for his chemo! I often think of Darrell when I’m running and when that sneaky voice creeps in to my head telling me to cut the run short because I’m tired, or I want to go home and eat cupcakes, I remember Darrell and think WWDD (What Would Darrell Do?)

Follow Darrell’s story here: https://www.facebook.com/DarrellHenrysSufferfest

So the next time you’re having a moment of self-doubt, remember that it’s also the ‘ordinary’ people who inspire. Someone is likely looking at you right now and thinking, “If he/she can do it….’

Be the inspiration!

Exciting News!

Posted on January 14, 2015 by racrocker

Here we are, a whole new year and a whole lot of races to sign up for! I know I said ‘never again’ but it appears I signed myself up for the 50k again at Calgary marathon. This is how it happened.. not being huge party animals, husband and I were sitting at home on New Year’s Eve, discussing which races we wanted to do in 2015. He decided to do the half marathon this year and I was toying between the half and the full. Then he whispered those special words in my ear, ‘You do know there’s a medal for the 50k this year?’ That was it.. click, click, enter.. Yes, I am that shallow, I have a very strong attraction to shiny things!

A few days later, I had the exciting news that I had been selected to be a Forerunner, one of the ambassadors for the 2015 Scotiabank Calgary marathon. I had followed the Forerunners last year, and found their stories very motivating and inspiring and hope that I can encourage others this coming year.

Growing up and well into my adult life, I never had a single positive thought about exercise and would avoid it wherever possible! The reasons why I decided to run are another story, but the feeling of crossing that finish line after completing something you never thought possible, is truly empowering.

I have a real love of running Calgary. Not only is it a beautiful course around my home city, it was my first marathon.

and my first ultra.

I’m so excited and honoured to be able to encourage other runners this year and look forward to meeting everyone.

truenorthrunner

Thoughts of a Canadian runner

Category Archives: races