Oasis Zoo Run 10K Race Recap

I was asked to run this race for a friend who was not able to run and I gladly accepted the bib. The race take place at the Toronto Zoo which happens to be right around the corner from my home. This is a very popular race in Toronto as it has races for the whole family and at the end of the races, most family stay and enjoy a day out at the zoo.

We were having my son's birthday party the same day of the race, so I knew that it was going to be an in and out kind or race for me. It took me only 10 minutes to get to the zoo and I had loads to time to spare. It was an 8:15 start for the 10K runners. Parking was plentiful and race volunteers were eager to help guide us into the right spots. I prepared all my race essentials in the car and headed to the start line which I could see from my car.  It was a cool Saturday morning, so I had decided to run in a long sleeve, but in the end I realized that this was a big mistake.

I recognized a lot of runners from the local run clubs wearing their singlets. Two in particular were right by me when the gun went off. They joked about running and exchanged some very humorous banter once we were off. I was going to try to keep up with them as for as long as I could because I knew that they were speedy dudes. Between trying to not laugh and not tripping over my feet, I felt like I was starting off at a steady pace. The race starts inside the Zoo and takes you out off to some back roads and back into a scenic loop through the Zoo grounds.

This was my first time running this course and was told that the course would get slightly hilly as we entered the Zoo and they were right. I was keeping a steady pace and hoped to finish under 55 minutes. The two jokers that I was running with at the start had taken off after the 3 kilometre mark. I tried to catch them, but every time I got close they would dash off. Once in the Zoo property, we were greeted with the animals as well as the many friends and family that had come to cheer on the runners. At this point we were running on the Zoo paths, which didn't allow for more than 3 runners across, but was never crowded because of the corralled starts. I settled into a comfortable pace 5:30. I reached the 5km mark at 26 minutes. I was feeling pretty good and was looking forward to a decent finish.

I ended up chasing the same few runners. We would pass each other at different parts of the race as our paces were fairly close.

My running group 

I chased the girl beside me for the last 3 kilometres of the race. She motivated me to run faster and it was very healthy competition to get me over the hills. I looked down quickly at my watch at 8km and I was just under 42 minutes. I knew I would not get my sub 50 finish, but pushed onward. The finish line came quickly as it is around a quick turn and down the finishers chute. I was happy with my finish. I finished ahead of the girl that I had been running with in the photo and she came up to say hello afterwards and we congratulated each other on a great race. 

Overall, this is a wonderful race. It was a great course that attracts many runners. We were able to watch the elite runners including Canadian Olympian Eric Gillis loop us, but totally humbling to see them racing in the flesh. The post race party is well organized with many sponsors and volunteers out handing out goodies. If you have children, please bring them. It's a great day out for them. They had jumping castles among other activities to keep them busy. There are races for the little one as well dubbed the "Cub Run" and for parents that want to run with their babies, there is a stroller run option. After the race, you can spend the day checking out the Zoo.

Results 

 

Time -  52:51.4

Pace - 5:18

Category Place -  31/275

Gender Place - 163/1556

Midsummer Night's 30k Race Recap

This race was 2 weeks after the San Francisco Marathon so I didn't have much of a downtown to rest between races.

This was going to be the first year that would be runinng the 30km distance on the original course as it was moved last year due to construction in the area. 

I did not have the chance to run much as I was still recovering from the hills of San Francisco, so I decided just to take it easy and see what would happen 

The weather had been great right up until race day. This race is held at dusk. I has woken up to rain in the morning and was praying that it would let up for the race. 

The other issue for me was to figure out what to eat during the day so that i would not have any stomach upset during the race. I decided to have a bagel for breakfast and stuck with smoothies full of greens for the remainder of the day. 

The sky was overcast as I drove down with my run buddy. We had packed garbage bags just in case we would be running in the rain. It started to spit as I pulled into the parking lot. We climbed into the shuttle bus along with the rest of the runners and headed to the start area. 

It was around 10 degrees and gloomy which made it seem much closer especially for an August weekend. I made a raincoat for myself with my garbage bag and huddled under a tent and waited for the start.

Hiding out and staying dry

I hadn't given to much thought to a goal finish as I wasn't sure how my legs would hold up with the little running that I had done. I was hoping for a 3 hour finish and my run buddy reminded me that I had finished under 3 last year so I decided to follow the 2:45 pace bunny.  

It was still raining as the race was about to start. I posed for last minute photos with my run buddy, wished her a good race and off we went.

At the start line

I ran the first few kilometres with the garbage bag on me because I was frozen. The rain was starting to stop so I ended up taking it off around 3km. 

I was able to keep with with the pace bunny for most of the race. There was still some construction to run around but the course was quite lovely. We ran out to the Leslie Split which has beautiful views of Lake Ontario and the skyline of Toronto.  We were a fairly small group, about 5 of us circling the pace bunny. Thank goodness for my music as we were all pretty quiet and just kept to ourselves. I guess you can say we were focused. I had decided to run this race with my Nathan Hydration belt which gave me the freedom to not have to stop at the water stations until the later part of the race. I only ended up taking one gel at the 18km mark. I was feeling good, but knew that I should probably take it so that I would not bonk.  The sky was quickly turning to dusk as I was nearing the 25k. It turned out to be a really nice night for a run. As I was nearing the 28km mark, my right side decided to cramp up. I'm no sure what happened. I was doing so well. Was it the gel or was I dehydrated? I slowed my pace down a bit and fell back from my "group". I was sad, but I knew I was going to do whatever it took to finish strong.

Coming into the finish line

I looked down at my watch and knew that if I pushed I would be able to finish under 2:50. I looked ahead to try to chase down whoever I could and thought about all the 400m tempo runs and gave it all I had. 

Showing off my medal

This is one of my favourite races to run as it's a nice small race. It is very well organized and the funds raised go towards a wonderful charity. The swag is also fantastic, a great shirt and a super cool medal.

So here are my final stats - 

Time - 2:49:12.8

Chip Time - 2:48:40.8

Pace - 5:38

21km Split - 1:56:2.8

Category Place - 32/108

Gender Place - 87/297

Road to Athens

I will be running the original marathon course in Athens, Greece in a few months. I have been looking forward to it as we will be celebrating my run buddy's 40th birthday with this race. After running the San Francisco marathon, I decided I wanted to find a new training plan.  I was disappointed with my race in SF and wanted to do better.  I'm not sure what I did wrong, but all I knew was that I wanted to train better and race better for any up coming races.

A friend of mine recommended a book, Advanced Marathoning by Peter Pfitzinger. She had said that the plans inside were good and that the book had helped her out. I quicker downloaded the e-book and started to find a plan that would work for me.

After flipping through the book, I decided on the lowest weekly mileage plan. I took a week off after San Fran.  My legs felt pretty good after a week of no running, so off I went. I was 13 weeks out when I finally nailed down the plan and tried to do what I could. I felt that I was doing alright as I had just completed a marathon.  The first thing I noticed right off the bat was that I would be doing higher mileage runs in the middle of the week and the long run was actually much longer than what I had been used to. The plan starts off at 53 km (33miles) a week and increased to a peak of 88km (55 miles) a week. 

I am challenged by this new plan, but finding it hard to fit in all the runs. Since I started the new plan, I have run a 30km race where I did have a new personal best. I am excited yet terrified by the new training plan. I am now going into week 6 of the training plan and wondering how I will fit in all the running. We were hit with a blast of summer last week, so many of my runs were cut short or done on the treadmill. I'm hoping I have better luck this week.

I am excited to say that a close friend of mine will be running her first race ever. I will be running the entire 5km with her and will make sure she crosses the finish line. She has been training for a few months now and I am full of anticipation for her. I can still remember the excitement and nervous butterflies from my first race. I look forward to an awesome race day tomorrow.

Happy Weekend!!

How is your training coming along?

Do you have a coach or use training plans suggested in books/online?

Any tips for my friend for her first race?

San Francisco Marathon - Race Recap

This post has taken me quite a long time to write. Sorry for the long delay. It was a tough race for me; mentally and physically.  It was written over the past few weeks as I was able to look back and try to remember the race.

The San Francisco Marathon was my second marathon. I'm not too sure what I was thinking when I registered for the race. I had talked it over with hubs and we were going to head down with the family for a holiday during the weekend of the race, but due to some unforeseen circumstances I ended up heading down to San Francisco on my own. I am very lucky to have a cousin who lives right in the heart of San Fran, which was super convenient for me.

I took the last flight out to SFO Friday night as I knew for certain I would get a seat. Working for an airline has great travel perks, but only when there are seats available for you. It was hard to leave the family behind, but I knew I had to run this race. After finding my way to my cousins cozy apartment, I crashed on her couch and tried to get some good rest. I had read somewhere that it was important to get lots of sleep 2 nights before the race. I knew this wasn't going to happen as it was already way past midnight and I was planning on waking at 7am to attend the SF Marathon Shake Out run hosted by Bart Yasso.

After a quick 6km loop with Bart

The Shake Out run was perfectly scheduled right before the expo. It varied in any distance that you felt like doing. I ended up doing a short loop towards the Golden Gate bridge and back. It was a nice and easy 6km. The run ended at the expo location which had just opened when I got back from my run.

This is not what I had wanted to see

It was a pretty large expo with many retailers. I was able to pick up a few things that I needed and was able to head out and enjoy the afternoon if beautiful San Francisco.

I decided to take it easy and not kill my legs trying to explore the hills of the city and try to relax and calm my nerves. I knew that I was going to  be facing some challenging  hills in the morning. I took it easy, had a nice clean supper and passed out for the night.

It's a good thing that I was still on Eastern standard time as it made the wake up for the race very easy for me. My coral was set to start at 6:02 am, which gave me plenty of time to prep for the race.  I had my standard race breakfast of oatmeal and warm water and headed out to the start line. It was going to be a perfect day for a run. 

Ready to Go

Cupid's Span in the background

I was quite nervous about the race as I was going to be running it by myself and couldn't quite find a pacer in my coral.  As a runner, you always want to do better than your previous race, but I knew that there was no way I would be able to better my marathon time this hilly course as the only other marathon I had done was flat. With this in mind, I decided to try as hard as I could to stick with my slower than marathon race pace for the majority of the race. I would try my best at the hills and walk the moment I started losing my cadence and hope to make up for the speed on the downhills.

The marathon is a loop that starts out on the Embarcardero and brings you past the 'sights' of San Francisco finishing back along the water where you started.

The Race

Miles 1-5 The Embarcardero, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli and Fort Mason.

First of many hills

I had run this first part on a layover I had in June, so I knew what to expect. I started out as slow as I could trying not to get caught up with the crowds and knowing that I had to pace myself for the next 26 miles ahead of me.

It was nice to take in all the tourist sights even though I wasn't going to stop and take any selfies... this is race after all :)

Mile 1= 9.08, Mile 2 = 9.01, Mile 3= 9.18 Mile 4 = 10.37
Mile 5 = 9.59

The sun was just peaking out but definitely still overcast. I could see the fog just over the Golden Gate bridge as we were running towards it.

Miles 5-10 The Golden Gate Bridge

I was running up to the highlight of this race, the Golden Gate Bridge. There were great crowds cheering us on as we were about to run onto the bridge. This was the first time I had ever been on the bridge. I have visited San Francisco many times on layovers, but never had the chance to get to the bridge and now I was about to run over it. I pulled out my first GU around the 6 mile mark. The bridge was packed with runners and many were stopping mid pace to take photos. It was super frustrating trying to dodge these runners that were like pylons in the middle of the road. The views were stunning, but as you can see from my photo, it was still rather overcast.

Mile 6 = 9.28, Mile 7 = 8.45, Mile 8 = 9.43, Mile 9 = 8.32
Mile 10 = 8.47

The crowds on the bridge

Coming off the bridge

Miles 11-15 Presidio into Golden Gate Park

The crowds freed up after we got off the bridge, but the hills were just about to start. There was a rather huge descent, which were followed with what seemed like endless hills.

Mile 11 = 8.34 Mile 12 = 10.07 Mile 13.1= 9.44 (2:07.41) Mile 14 = 9.30 Mile 15 = 8.57

One of many ascents after leaving the GGB

Mile 16-19 Golden Gate Park

In GG Park with the Second Half Runners
on my tail

This is probably one of the favourite parts of the course as the crowds and runners thinned out. This is where the First Half Marathon ends and the Second Half Marathon runners start. There was a section of this race where it was only the marathoners running and I was running all by myself with the fresh air and tall trees an my back drop. I could hear the Second Half Marathon runners getting ready to start as I ran by their start area and shortly after I was overtaken by fresh legs that were starting their race. 

Mile 16 = 10.24, Mile 17= 9.42,  Mile 18 = 9.19,  Mile 19 = 9.40,

Heading out to GG Park running by
the Conservatory of Flowers

I was trying really hard to stay focused as I could see new group of runners blasting by me. It was really tough as my legs were getting really tired and the hills were really starting to get to me. I was really no prepared for all the ups and especially the downs.





Mile 20-26.2 Haight Ashbury, Mission, Potrero, and Mission Bay

Mile 20 = 9.42, Mile 21 = 10.40, Mile 22 = 9.40,  Mile 23 = 14.49, Mile 24 = 9.54, Mile 25 = 9.49, Mile 26 = 9.25

Coming in for the finish with Cupid's
Bow in the back

This final stretch was a killer. The sun had finally burnt through the clouds and it was starting to get warm. The Second Half Marathon runners were fast and plentiful which really was a downer as I was starting to lose steam. Did I mention there were more hills? It was great to run through this area as there were lots of people out on the sidewalks cheering us on. I probably needed this as I was starting to run out of steam and I knew that I was not going to be able to finish under 4:15. My knees were starting to hurt from all the hills, my glutes starting to burn, and my stomach was starting to dislike the GU I had taken. I knew that the rest of this race was going to be all mental and I would have to push through the pain. My knees finally decided to give up on me around Mile 23. I couldn't run anymore as my legs locked up. I couldn't even walk. I was 3 miles away from the finish and there was no way I was not going to cross the finish line. I hobbled over to the side and tried my best to stretch it out.

After a quick stretch I joined the rest of the runners and ran as fast as my legs could take me to the finish line. I had gone over the course map with my cousin the night before, so I knew as soon as I saw AT&T park, I was almost there. I saw some of the other runners that I had been running with and felt good that I had caught up to some of them. When I saw the finish line, I charged with all I had.  I was hoping to get some photos crossing the finish line, but some guy decided to cut right in front of me and totally photo bombed my crossing.

All Done!!

I crossed the finish line in 4:23:40 Pace 10.03

Overall Place - 2607 out of 6625

Women -  621 out of 2311

Age Category - 95 out of 352

Post-race thoughts

I'm thrilled that I was able to finish the course considering all the hills. I would definitely incorporate more hill training and not just the baby hills here, but I would look for some bigger ones and train my body for the ups and especially the downs.

The City of San Francisco put on an amazing race. It is one of my most favourite cities in the world. I was able to run through and by some of the highlights of the city. The volunteers were amazing. There were many volunteers from the Harley Davidson clubs. Many were dressed in their full leather attire and wore bright fluorescent orange hats to indicate they were volunteers. They were placed throughout the course from the start to the finish. They were always there to give us high-fives and at all the turning points.

The free race photos were a huge bonus. The race and expo were very well organized. The course covers a lot of the city and is a great destination race, but is quite challenging with all the hills.  I was quite beaten up by the hills. Looking back now, I wonder if I could have done better. This was only my second marathon and I still have to learn how to pace myself better as well as when to take my gels. I had a blast visiting the city and hope to maybe run it again one day.

Happy Friday!!

Are you racing this weekend?

What are your most memorable races?

Are you training for any up coming races?

Training update - San Francisco Marathon

I had to admit that I have been pretty lazy lately with my blogging. I seemed to have had more time when I was on maternity leave. But now, with work and taking care of the kids full time when I'm at home leaves me very little time to blog.

I have been plugging away at training for marathon #2 San Francisco Marathon for the past few months. It has been a tough go with training this time around as I will be running with marathon on my own. It was supposed to be a family vacation but plans were changed and I will now be heading down to San Francisco on my own just to run the race.

Checking out the SF Course 

I pulled out the training plan I had used for my first marathon and have been trying my best to follow along. I have tried to keep up with running while away on my layovers. I usually loose a day or two with all the flying, but thank goodness for hotel gyms and the nice summer weather. I have been able to get out in some fantastic cities and pound the pavement.

Running along the Hudson River, NYC

I have had a hard time with the mental aspect of training this time around. I am finding it very difficult to get out there of my long runs and I am always doubting myself with every step I take. I am very fortunate to have friends understand me and have helped me along the way. 

My last 2 long runs were over 30km's. I had one girlfriend ride her bike with me on one of the runs and another friend ran 20 km. I am certain that I would have not been able to do it without them. I was hoping that I would be faster this year as I am not nursing my baby and carrying a little less weight, but my legs just seem to not work when I want them to. My pace has been quite a bit slower than last year as I have been  comparing most of my long runs, but I have been getting all new personal bests with each race that I have ran this year. 

I truly understand what people mean now when they say that it's all in your head......

I think part of the reason is that I know that I will not have a personal best on this course as it is hilly. I am quite terrified of hills and would do tempo and speed workouts until I throw up than run hills. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I signed up, but I guess it's too late now. I just want to finish to cross the finish line with a smile on my face and upright.

I began to taper after my last LONG run this past Monday and will have one last longish run this Sunday. I am happy that the training plan only calls for 15km. I am looking forward to tapering and getting ready for race weekend.

Have a GREAT weekend..

Are you training for any races right now?

How do you deal with the mental part of running when your brain tells you that you can't do it?

Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon - Race Recap

Sorry for the late race report. I've gotten super lazy and busy, so here goes....

I signed up for the Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon during their early bird registration last year with a number of my girlfriends who had been wanting to run a "destination" race. Some of the ladies that signed up had been running for years, others were new runners and for one lady, it was going to be her first.

I had read another review from a fellow runner who's wife had run it the previous year and it sounded like a fantastic race. Katherine Switzer was going to be there for the weekend and the swag included a bottle of wine.... what more could I ask for???

By the time race weekend came, there were only 4 of us that raced. We decided to get a room in Niagara Falls the day before the race so that we could have a girl's weekend.

View from Our Room

We checked into our fabulous hotel with the fantastic view and headed straight out for packet pickup. Packet pickup was located at a local mall and we got there close to the end of the day and the lineup was RIDICULOUS!!!

Runners waiting for bib pickup, it looped around the mall

I have been to many packet pickups and this was by far the worst. There wasn't really an expo, just a few vendors and the stores that were located in the mall. We waited for over a hour to get our bibs. Thank goodness for the good company of good friends and fellow runners. When it was finally our turn, I figured out why it had taken us so long.  Each runner had to give a their bib number to a volunteer to get their bib and continue to move around the room to each station to pick up the swag each item individually.

The swag was pretty good. The wine was the best part. There are 9 items in my photo plus the shirt, which meant I had to go to 10 different people plus the first person gave me my bib, so total 11 people. It seemed very disorganized to me and sloppy. At the end of all the swag item pick up, Katherine Switzer was there with her books. All the ladies ahead of us had stopped to take photos with her which was the main reason to why the line was so long and not moving. By the time we got to her, she was instructed that no photos were allowed and that if we were to purchase her book, she would sign it. BOO!!

When we finally got our goodies, we hightailed out of there for some retail therapy. After spending some quality time at some of our favourite stores, we headed to stuff our faces and celebrate with a pre race beverage. 

Group shot before the race

We got a good night's rest and was excited to get racing the next morning. We decided to take a cab to the start, but was dropped off about 2km from the start because the traffic into the start area was back up and the cab driver told us it would be faster if we walked. The start and finish line was in a really nice park, but only had one lane going into the parking lot, which made the wait even longer. We saw a lot of runners doing the same thing as we were.

We made it to the start line with 2 minutes to spare, the announcer told us that they were going to delay the start due to the back up of cars trying to get into the parking lot. 

Flowers in the port-o-potty

Funny Sign by the start/finish line

I wished my girlfriends a great race and placed myself with the 1:50 pacer. I know it was a bit ambitious of me, but I wanted to push myself and see how I would do. I had taken a look at the course map and it seemed fairly flat with water stations spread out quite evenly. I decided to not carry water and relay on the water stations. 

I tried to keep up with the pacer but she was going much faster than I had anticipated. She had said that she was taking advantage of the slight downhill at the beginning of the race and was going to eventually slow down the pace. I kept up with her for the first 5 km at a 5:13 pace, then gave up and decided to keep on my comfortable race pace. The course was right along Niagara Falls. The views were beautiful. The mist off the falls was very refreshing as the sun was starting to get pretty intense. The course took you past the falls twice as you had to go out and back to pass the start/finish line. I was able to position myself in a pretty good corral, so there were not many runners crowding the roads. There were only a total of 1995 runners that took part in the race. There were a few of us that stayed together for a good part of the race trying to keep a good pace. I was able to see my friends at the turnaround points. After the 7 km mark, it got a bit lonely as the course took you right along the Niagara River. There was no shade and the sun just beat down on us. I grabbed water at every water station as I had decided to not carry water this race. The water stations were plentiful and always had great volunteers cheering us on.

Still smiling

I was running alone for most of the race and ended up running a few kilometres with a fellow runner at my pace. It was nice to chat with someone to kill some time. I had run my first few half marathons with my best friend and we would always chat. But, for the past few races, I've raced alone and it's been lonely to say the least. We chatted about where we were from and kept each other going. I eventually looked down at my Garmin and knew that I needed to pick up my pace. I bid her a good race and ran on.

The second turnaround point was around the 14km mark. I was so relived to be finally turning back and heading back to the finish line. I knew that I still have a lot more distance to cover, but at least I was close to finishing. I knew at this point, I was not going to get my 1:50 finish. I had slowed down to a 5:30 pace.  It's true when they say running is a mental sport, because all I could think about was how in the world was I going run the San Francisco marathon in a month. I was starting to doubt myself, but when I saw my friends again, I knew that I could do it.  I was headed to San Francisco the next day for a layover and was going to try to run part of the marathon course. I knew that I needed to shake off the negative thoughts and plod on.

As I came down the final stretch I saw the finish line in sight. It seemed like the longest 500 metres I had ever seen. The crowds were cheering and I knew that I was almost there. I tried to pick up my feet and chased down whoever was running  in front of me. I closed my eyes and ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I crossed with Katherine Switzer giving me a high five and got my one of a kind medal. There was a nice snack from from Tim Hortons with cookies and fruit as I was exiting the finish corral. I was able to get a nice massage. There were tables were set up with table cloths and bowls of candies for runners and friends to sit and enjoy some food and water.

Katherine Switzer is on my medal

It was a great weekend with my girlfriends. There were some very nice touches to this race. If you're looking for a fun and nice small race, this one is for you.

Fun Group shot

Results

Time 1:54:42 (PB)

Pace 5:27

Category Place 28/372

Gender Place 138/1979 (yes, men are allowed to run)

Where have you raced lately?

How do you deal with the mental part of running? 

Sporting Life 10K for Mother's Day

The Sporting Life 10k has become a yearly tradition for my friends and I. It is one of the largest 10k races in the city and sold out this year at 27,000 participants. The race is presented by Nike which provides are pretty nice tech shirt and the race raises money for Camp Oochigeas, a camp for kids affected by childhood cancer.

Many people were disappointed after last year's race as there were a number of things that went wrong. They appointed a new race director, Cory Freeman and under her leadership, the race went off seamlessly this year. The biggest blunder last year for me was the bottle neck at the finish. I was unable to cross the finish line last year because people had stopped just as the finished and stood around waiting for their friends.

My hubby and I along with our friends were signed up as a team under my running buddy's Chiropractic Clinic - Team Active Body Chiropractic. We were all provided with lovely tech shirts and wore them proudly on race day. 

Group Shot

This race is known to many runners as the fastest 10k you will ever run as it is completely downhill. I had raced a 10k the week before and was hoping to finish this race in the 50 minutes give or take. 

I had a terrible experience with the bag check last year as it was located pretty far up from the start line and was completely unorganized. People were throwing their bags at the volunteers because the lines were so long and the race was about to start. 

This year, the baggage check was organized into your bib numbers/corral colours. Each truck was clearly marked and volunteers were plenty. It took barely a minute for me to drop off my bag. 

The weather was perfect this year, the sun was shining, there wasn't a lot of wind and we were not freezing like the previous year. It was going to be a great day for racing.

Good luck kiss

I kissed hubby as the start time was quickly approaching. With 27,000 runners, you have to make sure you're in the corrals in time for your start. I got into my corral with two others from our group and wished them all well.

Look at all those people in my coral 

It's overwhelming to see so many runners in front and behind you. I gave my buddies a high five and away we went. I tried to keep up with my speedy friend, but lost him about 1km into the race. People were flying by. I just tried to stick with a nice steady pace.

LOTS of water 

The sun was shining, the runners were speedy and the water stations were plentiful. Each water station I passed was well equipped with water and volunteers. I was trying to hold onto my pace of 5:00 minutes per kilometre but was quickly losing steam. I still have a lot more to learn about pacing for a 10 km race. I checked my watch at the 5km mark and I was at 25:27. I knew I would have to pick it up if I wanted to finish in 50 minutes. I really tried, but my legs just didn't have it.

Just after crossing the finish

I finally came to the last kilometre and saw the finish line ahead. There was no crowd except for the friends and family cheering along with barricades. No bottleneck like the year before. I ran across the finish line and looked at my watch - 51:59.7. I know I should be happy as I did get a personal best, but deep down, I wanted a sub 50 finish. I will keep plugging away with my speed work and try again next year.

The finish area is quite large for this race. As you cross the finish line, you continue walking across a large intersection to get to the finishers area where you are given your medal and family and friends can congratulate you. There was a lot more water,  eLoad samples, food and tons of porta potties. 

Overall, I think the race was much better organized this year. There were a lot more volunteers and they were all very cheery and helpful whenever  I asked any of them a question. The lineup for the shuttle buses to take us to public transit was fairly long, but moved quickly. Hubby and I were rushing to meet up with my parents to pick up the kids and then meeting up with my in laws for Mother's Day lunch. I highly recommend buying shuttle tickets when you register so that you will have your car waiting for you at the finish line. It would have saved us quite a bit of time. Register early for this race as there is a gift certificate incentive depending on when you register. 

Race Swag

Results 

Time - 51:59:7

Pace - 5:12

First 5km - 25:27

Second 5km - 26:34

Fuel Your Better - Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator Review

I seem to be constantly on the go. With two young kids and trying to train for a marathon with my crazy flying schedule, I am always trying to stay healthy and strong for my family. I was thrilled when I was selected to review Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator through my ambassadorship with Sweat Pink for the Fuel Your Better Campaign.

I have been running races every weekend since the end of April and maintaining my marathon training schedule along with the races. I received the Vega Recovery Accelerator right as I was going into the thick of racing. Last year, when I was training for my marathon, I was a on maternity leave so I had all the time I wanted to slot in my training. Now, I am back to a full flying schedule and still watching the kiddos when I'm not flying. I have to train smarter and maximize my recovery so that I can get back into training.

Vega Sport products are plant-based, dairy, gluten and soy free and contain no artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners. It was specifically developed to help athletes perform at their best-before, during and after training and competition. The ingredients are specifically selected to "replenish energy and electrolytes, reduce inflammation, muscle and joint pain, support immune system and protein synthesis and reduce recovery time between training". It could not have arrived at  a better time for me.

The box comes with 12 single packet servings which are super convenient if you are on the go and want to used them after a workout at the gym. For me, I pack them into my suitcase for me to consume after workouts on layovers. As per the packet, you add 1.5 cups of cold water to on packet of Recovery Accelerator and drink immediately after exercise. 

It comes in two flavours - Tropical and AppleBerry. I was sent Tropical to test and was eager to try it out immediately. I mixed it up as per the instructions after a long run and chugged it down. It tasted great. Recovery is an important part to training. If you cannot recover, you cannot train. They go hand in hand. I am not one for gimmicks or quick fixes. I still believe that rest and listening to your body is key, but after trying out this product, I will be adding it to my bag of goodies I incorporate into my training and recovery. 

I have taken the Recovery Accelerator after all my hard workouts. I have had them pre-made in my water bottle and packed it into my race bag so that I can consume it right after all my races.  I raced two half marathons and two 10km races for four consecutive weekends and continued training in between all those races. I do think the Recovery Accelerator helped with getting me recovered faster. I was able to train injury and pain free. 

Are you ready to #FuelYourBetter ? Head on over to the Vega Sport website and see their great selection of products. You can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Have you tried any of the Vega Sport products? 

Do you take anything to aid in your recovery? What was your experience?

How do you Fuel Your Better?

Disclosure : I received Vega Sport Recovery Accelerator in exchange for my honest opinion as part of the Fuel Your Better Campaign by Vega Sport and Sweat Pink. All opinions are my own

Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon

My husband and his buddies started running a few years ago. They had registered to run this race as their first half marathon. I was super excited for all three of them. Fast forward to the night before the race. The kids had been sick for weeks and now hubby had caught whatever they had. He had picked up their race kits and was going to try to run, walk or crawl to the finish. I kindly asked him if that what how he wanted to remember his "first" half marathon.  He took a nap and when he woke up, decided that there was no way he was going to be able to run. He was hacking up a lung and dizzy from being so congested. It was too late for a bib transfer and I didn't want the bib to go to waste, so I decided to run for him.

I ran this race last year so I knew what to expect for the course. I decided that I was going for a sub 2:00 time and hoped to PB. 

My splits taped to my Garmin

I packed up quickly the night before and set up my gear. I had eaten terribly that day and for most of the week as I had not planned on racing a half marathon. I got up nice and early before the kids and headed out to meet up with hubby's friends and aim for a PB. It was going to be the guy's FIRST half marathon. I was super excited of them and wished them a great race.

I'm just one of the guys

The course is know to be fast and downhill, but they don't mention on pretty big hill you need to tackle at the 3km mark heading up to 4km. I walked it last year, but decided early on that I would try my best to stay on pace and run up the hill. Once I reached the top, my legs felt O.K, but not great. I continued on. I was glad that I taped my pace on to my watch because it really helped me stay on track. I can't say the rest of the course was downhill, but it was definitely scenic. I was trying to stay on pace, so I couldn't really grab my phone out for any selfies during this race. 

Coming into the finish line

It was another great day for a race. I stayed on mark with my splits and squeaked in right under 2 hours. It's a course PB for me, but not a half marathon PB. This is a great spring race with all different distances. I would like the run the full marathon one day as the medals are HUGE. As one of the guys put it, our half marathon medal is a coaster, the full one is a side plate.

Results 

5K - 28:36

10K - 56:60

15K - 1:25

FINISH -1:59:46.5

Pace - 5:41

The 'after' shot with our medals

Training for Marathon #2 - San Francisco Marathon

After finishing my first marathon last fall, I was already looking for another one to run. Yes, call me crazy, but I would rather use the word "passionate". I knew that I would be running another marathon in 2014 as my best bud and running buddy is turning the big 4-0 this year. We had decided on Athens, Greece which is in November.

My parents told me that they were planning a trip down to San Francisco to visit some old friends in the summer. I decided to look up races and it turns out that they were going to be there during the weekend of the San Francisco Marathon.  It didn't take me long to convince them that I would love tag along with my youngest and say hello to their friends. It was a win-win situation. They will be able to show off their grandchild and I would be able to run an awesome race along with free childcare.

San Francisco is one of my favourite cities in the USA. I had tried a few years with friends to get into the Nike SF race, but never got in, so I just figured I would run the actual San Francisco Marathon and get it out of my system. It looks like a gorgeous course that will take me through all of San Francisco and I will also get to run over the Golden Gate Bridge.

So, here I am sitting at my desk with my marathon plan. I will be using the plan that I used for my last marathon and hoping to improve. The SF race will be hilly, so I don't think I will be making a personal best on this course. I train on very flat suburban sidewalks. I will try to find some hills in my area to help me prepare for what is ahead of me. I am now 12 weeks away from race day and into week 3 of my training schedule. I am excited to train again. It has been a tough winter for training and I've already completed a few races up to now. I am curious to find out if having run these races will help me with the training or will tire me out as I am suppose to recover, but instead I am continuing on with the training plan.  It is one of the many things I am still learning on my running journey.

How do you decide on the races that you will participate in?

Do course elevations effect your decisions?

What is your dream race to run?

Mercedes-Benz Oakville 10km

This race was one of the many races that I had heard about through the running community. It takes place in the lovely Town of Oakville and is known for the one of a kind Mercedes-Benz medal and a chance to win a Mercedes-Benz.

It didn't take much for me to convince my hubby and fellow running friends to register for this race after I told them about the swag that they would receive for completing the race.  It also had races for children and a "Family Fun Zone" which would keep the kids busy while waiting for the parents to finish their races. I got a group of 6 runners and 3 kids (2 of them were mine) signed up for the early bird registration. I was going to sit this one out so that I could cheer on hubby and watch the kids while he ran. I was thrilled when I was contacted by the race organization and was generously given a bib. Racing gets expensive, especially when the whole family runs. I was so excited because I had always wanted all four of us to participate in a race as a family.

Group shot before the race

This was my first race with the whole family participating. I had to start planning a few days earlier as my kids are still little, my little guy is just 18 months and still a bit wobbly. The race was a bit of a trek for us, so kids meals and snacks were packed the night before and loaded into the car. I got up at 4 am to make some warm meals for the car ride and breakfast for hubby and I and do a last check on all the gear that was needed for the day. Thank goodness, grandma and grandpa agreed  to come watch the kids while hubby and I ran. We woke up the kiddies, threw them in the car half asleep and went to pick up the grandparents.

We parked in the designated lots and were shuttled into the race area. The race was starting and ending on the beautiful campus of Appleby College right along Lake Ontario. Our friend who owns a Mercedes-Benz got to park in the VIP lot and received extra goodie bag. There was race day pick up, which was a bonus as all of us live quite a distance away. The sun was shining and not a rain cloud in the sky. The kids were finally awake and ready to attack the "Family Fun Zone" which was hosted by the Appleby College Camp staff. I kissed the kids goodbye and hubby and I were off to run our 10K.

The happy couple

The emcee had a great sense of humour and got the crowd organized into our corrals. The gun went off and we were off. I tried to keep up with a speedy friend who was right in front of me but eventually lost him in the crowds. The 10K course was and out and back course which took us into some beautiful neighbourhoods with stunning views of Lake Ontario and through downtown Oakville. There were a number of people cheering along the way which helped motivate the runners. Some of the homes that I ran by were incredible and the view of the Lake was to die for.

Some fun selfies and seeing hubby on a turnaround

There are a few small hills which were reasonable to tackle and running into the college was a great way to finish. I collected my beautiful medal and went on to find my kids and get them ready for the Toddler Trot. The kids were excited to see us, but more excited to run their race. Their race was on a nice grassy field lined with loads of cheering family members and friends. Moms and dads lined up with their little ones to give them a little boost and get them to the finish line. They were greeted with mascots at the finish lines with their slap-on bracelet medals and fun loot bags.

It was the first time for my group to take part in the race and they all had a great time.  Thank you to all the volunteers and the great Appleby College Camp staff that kept the kids busy with fun activities.  We all plan on doing it again.  My daughter had a blast and shows off her "medal" to everyone she sees and is looking forward to another race. My little 18-month old was just happy to have had a chance to run with a crowd of other kids.  A special thanks for my in-laws for coming out to help watch the kids. We could not have run this race without their help. 

Race swag for Big and Little kids

Results

Category Place - 28/147

Gender Place - 74/437

Overall Place - 274/841

Gun time - 54:27.3

Chip time  - 53:50.2 a new PB

My Running Family Portrait

Have a Great Weekend ! 

Are you running any races this weekend? 

Do your kids run? Do you enter them into races?

How do you manage race day with the whole family?