Following the Plan?

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!

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Now What?

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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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

Who’s Ready for Race Day?

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At last it’s race week! All that training is going to pay off and now you’re tapering, right? Ok, so maybe you didn’t train as much as you’d planned, maybe you got injured, or life got in the way. Maybe you’re starting to second guess yourself and doubt is creeping in. Can you really do it? YES! Yes. you can! Here are my top ten tips for race day:

1. Trust your training. You may not have done all the running you were scheduled to, but you have a good base. The adrenaline on race day will see you through a lot.

2. Now we are just a few days away, make sure you get enough sleep, eat healthily,hydrate and if you decide to run before the big day, make it easy and enjoyable.

3. Collect your race packet and visit the expo, it starts on Thursday at 4pm. http://www.calgarymarathon.com/expo.html?lang=EN Use this visit to figure out how you’ll get to the race and what time you want to be there. (Always allow more time than you think you’ll need and allow for transport delays as well as long lines for the porta potties!)

4. The night before, get everything ready. Clothes, race bib, drop bag, any drinks or gels you plan to use, cash for the c-train, phone for all those selfies and bring a large garbage bag to wrap yourself in while you wait at the start line. It may be a little cool early on and you can stay pretty warm inside a garbage sack!

5. Apart from the elites, everyone else seeds themselves. Think about where you should start. Look for the pace bunnies. They have signs stating their estimated finish time so look for the one nearest your pace and stand near them. If you are planning to walk, you need to be nearer the back of the pack. If you are planning to run fast,then you should be nearer the front.

6. The corral just before the start of a race is a truly exciting and inspirational place to be. Look around you at all the other racers, think about all the sweat and tears that have got everyone this far! Enjoy this special atmosphere. This is what you trained for.

7. There’s the gun, and you’re off! Take it smoothly for the first little while. Everyone is trying to find their pace and a clear space to run. After the first mile or so, things settle down and you’ll find your sweet spot. Enjoy it!

8. If things don’t go quite as planned during the race, don’t worry. Sometimes, no matter how well you’ve trained, your race might not be the one you wanted. This is ok. Enjoy the different experience and use it as a learning opportunity for the next one.

8. Race etiquette is important. Here are the biggies:
i. Don’t run side by side with a large group of friends. This prevents anyone being able to pass you and is annoying.
ii. If you need to slow to a walk or stop, raise your hand and move over to the right. It’s the same as when you’re driving and need to make a manoeuver, please look behind you before signalling and then make your move.
iii. Again, at water and aid stations, don’t just stop dead. Look around for other runners and allow them space.
iv. Don’t photo bomb other runners’ pictures! Of course you want to wave your arms and stick your tongue out for the photographers, but please don’t dive in front of other runners to do so.
v. Remember to thank our awesome volunteers. Without them, there wouldn’t be a race.

9. At last! The finish line! Collect your totally awesome race bling and celebrate your awesomeness! When you’ve done this, taken your photos and eaten something post race, come back and watch others finish. Even more than starting lines, finish lines are very emotional places with runners achieving goals that they never thought possible. You may even see a marriage proposal like last year!

10. Relax, rest, enjoy your achievement and begin to think about the next race!

Good luck everyone, and have the best race day ever!

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Exciting News!

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!

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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.

You can read more here: http://calgarymarathon.com/forerunners.html?action=1&pID=149

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.

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and my first ultra.

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

Alberta Floods

Apologies that this week’s blog isn’t about running but as you may or may not know, parts of Alberta have been hit by devastating flooding this past week.  A number of people lost their lives and thousands were evacuated from their homes and have still not been allowed back.

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In my little town, we escaped most of it. A number of homes and businesses were flooded and many residents were evacuated as a precaution, including my daughter and her family. Many of our pathways and bridges have been lost into the river and beautiful parks destroyed.  However, our losses are nothing compared to other towns. Many have been affected but I am just going to tell you about our neighbouring town of High River that sadly lived up to its name last week.

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Although we were aware that the rivers were high with rainfall and snow melt from the mountains, the first I knew of the severity of the situation was from a text message from my daughter. She had received a message from her husband who works for a utilities company and had been called out to High River. He told her that the town was flooding and the water was rising at a truly frightening rate. His crew were assisting the emergency services with evacuating residents and were waist deep in water. This picture shows how fast the water rose with a truck almost submerged, and the driver swimming to rescue his cat. Happily, Kevan was able to rescue Momo and both were safe.

in High River, Alta. on June 20, 2013 after the Highwood River overflowed its banks. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jordan Verlage

The 12,000 plus residents of High River are still under evacuation orders and officials do not know when they will be allowed to return home.  Some were able to stay with relatives, some are living in trailers parked at Walmart but many are living in evacuation centres with nothing but the clothes they were wearing at the time. People were ordered to evacuate immediately and had to leave pets behind as well as all their possessions. It is truly shocking and heart wrenching to see posts on social media asking for news of missing loved ones, pictures of rescued pets found exhausted in the flood waters as well as the requests for clothing and toiletries.

In times of disaster, it is truly amazing how people come together and support each other, not only the  emergency services and first responders, but utilities workers, town employees and many citizens of neighbouring towns.

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Here is ‘incredibly photogenic’ firefighter rescuing a lady from the floods. Apparently he is smiling because the lady in his arms had just told him the last time she was carried like that was on her wedding day.

Thank you everyone for your love and support towards all our flood victims, and I count myself very lucky that I live in such a caring part of the world.

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