Monument Valley 50 Miler Race Recap

Alarms were set and I was ready to go! It was my first ultra marathon.  I had spent the last 4 months of the Canadian winter training and couldn't wait to get it done. I was nervous and excited at the same time. I felt comfortable knowing that I was in good hands. My two run buddies are both experienced ultra train runners and would be sticking with me to the finish. My buddy Laura had all things mapped out for our race from what goes into our drop bags, to our nutrition and well as a map of the routing, times and cut offs of our race.

It was a half hour drive in the dark into the start line in Monument Valley Park. We drove in the dark with anticipation for the sun to rise and to get going. There was a bit of a back log getting into the park as we could see a line up of tail lights from quite a distance. We parked the car with 5 minutes to the 7 am start. We quickly rushed to the port of potties and met back at the start line to realize that the 50 miler group had just started, my buddies and I looked at each other and took off to catch up with our fellow racers. The first section was 4 km to the East Mitten Aid Station. It was a great way to start surrounded by many runners like a beginning of any race, all trying to find our groves. The sun was just starting to come up.  I was lucky to have a photo taken of my buddy and I with some other runners at this section.

Photo Credit: Jack Jewell Photography

We ran into the first aid station, showed them our bib numbers and headed straight out to the next check point, the Three Sisters Aid Station about 7 kms away.  Most of what we had run was on a  single track hard dirt road. This section followed washes until we got onto the main road, Valley Drive which we stayed on, until we got to Three Sisters Aid Station.

It was a quick stop for us to take a quick pee and move onto the biggest climb of the course, up Mitchell Mesa. There had been a change to the course and we were going to be climbing the Mesa at the beginning section of the course which I was happy to get out of the way. Our legs were still fresh and spirits high.  

Navajo Guide on horseback guiding us up the Mesa

It was a 15.5 km climb to the top of the Mesa. The sun was starting to come out and as we were making our way up there were already people making their way down. We are also coming up on people running the 50km race as they were doing this loop in the reverse. It was a single track heading up so had to stop along the way to let the speedsters coming down pass. It was a nice and steady climb up with shear drops so I was cautious with my footing.  The views from the top of the Mesa were incredible. We stopped to take some photos, grab a quick drink and turned around to make our way back down to the Three Sisters Aid station.

   

Top of the Mesa    

It was unreal. I was trying to take it all in, but it seemed like it was going by so quickly in slow motion. I was feeling good as we were about 3 hours into the race. It was nice to go down the Mesa and see the amazing views of Monument Valley.

 

Running down the Mesa

We headed straight back to the 3 Sisters Aid Station to refuel.  In my head, I had thought that we would be resting at the aid stations, but that wasn't what my buddies had in mind. I came into this race with no expectations and was just following along with what I was told to do. We pretty much ran into the stations and the tasks were divided among the three of us. One was to refill bottles, the other was to grab our drop bag and take out our nutrition and whoever needed to use the potty or change went as quickly as they could. The aid station was fully loaded with volunteers cooking up all sorts of great food. There was bacon, eggs, pancakes, cooked potatoes, ham, veggies, and so much more. It was an amazing spread of food, but there was no time. I grabbed a few slices of bacon, chugged down some Tailwind and maybe some eggs. We changed our socks and used the poop/pee tents. Time was ticking and there were cut offs that we had to meet, so off we went onto our next loop.    

Perfect view of us coming into 3 Sisters Aid Station

Walking towards The Arches

Next was the Arches Loop which was about 9.5 miles.  This was another picturesque loop with a LOT of sand and view of the Totem Pole and other arches. There were other runners on course with us still, especially when we reached the Big Hogan.  We all seemed to stop here to take photos and empty our shoes. We could not escape the sand. It was like fine talc. The sand that was in between every crevasse of your feet.  We finished the loop and ended back at the Three Sisters Aid Station for the last time. We were about half way done at this point and I was still feeling alright. I think I had already taken 6 Advil's by this time along with a few caffeine pills and salt capsules. I had been carrying Hammer Perpetuem in my bottles and drinking them along the way, making sure they were empty by the time I reached every aid station. My friends were also carrying electrolytes and nutrition. We always made sure we were drinking and eating along the way checking up on each other.

Runners emptying Sand out of their Shoes    

Stopping to Strike a Pose under the Big Hogan    

The next section was 7 miles from the Three Sisters Aid station to East Mitten Aid station.  This section had the least amount of sand, as in the dry talc sand that would seep into every inch of your shoe. We were running down Valley Drive which is a main road which cars drive down so the sand is hard and packed down towards the visitor centre. We make a sharp turn right before we even make it close to the visitor centre. This will take us towards the North Window overlook and then follows what's known as the "Marlboro Trail" around City Butte towards Artist Point then drops and follows a drainage that parallels Valley Drive to  the East Mitten Aid Station.  I was happy that my feet had a break from all the sand in my feet and my calves were happy that I was able to actually run on a firm surface. We changed socks again grabbed some warm food, refilled our bottles and off we went.  

Horse Trails

This second last section was 7 miles to Brigham's Tomb. We were all in good spirits as this section was fairly flat, but we could see some very dark threatening clouds overhead.  This section is down a dirt road and then follows horse trails to a junction we here there is a slight climb up to the aid station. At this point in the race, there were very few runners left on the course with us. There were monuments all around us as it was flat all around for parts of this section. I was in awe of how beautiful the land was around me and trying to take it all in while trying to keep moving.  I knew that it was unlikely that I would be back to this area again, so I was mentally taking photos and locking them away in my memory.  We kept joking to each other that we had to pick up the pace because the dark clouds were getting closer and the winds were picking up. We pulled up our buffs when the winds blew to help us from eating sand for dinner. I was sure that we were going to get caught in a horrible rain storm, but we lucked out and stayed dry.  With Brigham's Tomb in sight we made the climb up to the aid station. It was super windy as this aid station was exposed to all the elements. I remember trying to sit down on a chair to change my socks and the chair was blown over by the wind gusts. This was our last aid station.  We changed socks, put on an extra shirt and grabbed our head lamps.  I grabbed some turkey and make a sandwiched, wolfed down some pickles, took some more Advil and rolled out of the aid station to the final section of the course.  We only had 9.5 miles to go.  

Still Smiling

Dark Clouds Moving In

 

Trying to Outrun the Storm    

9.5 miles, which is about 15 kilometres was all that was left for my buddies and I to reach the finish line. We could normally run15 kms in our sleep, but we had already run 40.5 miles. I just wanted to be done at this point and this last section seemed to never end.  The course runs along horse trails and skirts around the stagecoach formation.  I felt like we were going in circles, my stomach was starting to feel funny. Thank goodness for the Pepto Bismol that my friend shoved into my mouth. The worse part was that we were back to running in sand..... lots of sand, including a 200 foot climb up a sand dune about half way to the finish line.  I was so done with sand. I never wanted to see sand again. We stopped a few times to empty sand from our shoes. I could see that the sun was starting to set and my buddy yelled for me to pick up the pace and that we were going to finish before dark.  As dusk was settling in, I was finally able to make out the main road and eventually saw the finish area.  We picked up the pace and forged ahead towards the finish line. We make it off the sandy trail and onto a gravel road past the back of The View campground where finishers were camped out cheering us in.  My buddies grabbed each of my hands as I could hear the cheers and our names being announced and we ran across the finish line.  

Finishers!! 

I had done it ! My first ultra. I was finally done. I just wanted to sit down. We got our finisher reward which was SAND....ahhhh. I grabbed a Navajo Taco and tried to eat it before jumping into the car to head back to the hotel.  No one had told me how awful you would feel after an ultra. My gut hated me. I had taken more Advil's and caffeine pills in that race than I had taken in a year. I had survived on gels, chews, and fluids for the past 13 hours and all I wanted to do was to throw up.  I don't think any of us got much sleep that night, but we were done. Until the next one :)

Some of the Sand I emptied from My shoes At the Hotel

 

Our Awards (I filled mine up with the Extra Sand From my Shoes)

Thank you for reading. Have you done any Ultra Marathons? Which one would you recommend we do next?

Current state

I thougt i was done with blogging. I had started blogging when I decided to train for my first marathon. I was super keen on sharing my thoughts and feelings about my love of running as i had been inspired by many fellow bloggers.  But over, I got lazy and also because I felt like I was wasting my time since no one was reading.  So where am I now,  I currently have my Monument Valley 50 miler race recap sitting on the side waiting for me to finish. It may take a while. I have run quite a few races that I have not witten recaps for and feel like i have so catch up on, but will get to them eventually..... maybe never, but I am ok with that.   If any of you have been following my blog, thank you.  I would also suggest you check out my Instagram page where I am quite active and post quite often.  I wanted fo write this post to say that i haven't thrown the towel in yet, and hope to get writing soon. I have lots to say, but just lazy and not quite sure on how to put it all down on paper.  To be honest, I am currently quite tired of road running. I had a blast running my first ultra, Monument Valley was incredible. But, the training was hard. I was very fortunafe ro have some amazing friends who trained with me through the harsh Canadian winter. A month after I raced in a local marathon.  A friend of mine was hoping to qualify for Boston, but missed her time.  On our drive home, I suggested she run a fall marathon to try ro qualify again and that I would train with her. I think I was probably still delerious and dehydrated from finishing the race. 

So here I am, 4 weeks out from another marathon and already dreading the long run waiting for me at the end of the week. I will be away for work this week, which means I will be missing a few of my runs due to the time change and jet lag. 

To say that I am unmotivated could be one thing but I think I'm just tired. Tired of running, tiried of training,

I am hoping this is just phase and will pass. Until then, I will finish this training cycle. I promised a friend that I would train with her and run the marathon with her. Countdown is on...

Monument Valley Race Weekend Part 1

It has taken me some time to get off the high of completing my first ultra race.  It had been months of training through the awful Canadian winter. Long runs back to back in snow storms and ridiculously cold temperatures.

I was fortunate enough to have two awesome ladies train with me and guide me through the entire process. They are both experienced ultra runners who kept me going, even on days that I just didn't want to make another step.

We flew into Las Vegas and picked up our rental car and drove 7 hours to Kayenta. Monument Valley sits between the Utah and Arizona border. During the drive, our clocks kept switching back and forth from the time zones, which I found amusing. The drive the breathtaking and the pictures do not do justice to how magnificent the view were.

Driving Hwy 59, Hurricane Utah

My buddies had done some ultras in this region, so they were able to explain to me what I was seeing and also take photos for me while I was driving. We made a quick stop in Glen Canyon to take some photos as the sun was setting and I also had never seen a real dam this big before.

Glen Canyon

Glen Canyon Dam

We made it into Kayenta in pitch darkness and passed out from our LONG day of travelling.  We got to get a real sense of the area once we woke up and looked out our windows. We were in Navajo Nation and in a very small town. There were only a few hotels, 1 grocery store and a number of restaurants. The views were none that I had seen before.  We were in the dessert surrounded by many random monuments. It was as if I was in a movie.

We were able to get a sense of our race setting as we headed to Monument Valley for bib pickup. 

Bib pickup was inside Monument Valley National Park and was quick and simple. After dropping off our bags and picking up our bibs, we took a look around the visitor centre. We bought some race swag and took in the incredible views and snapped some great shots before heading back to the hotel to rest up.

A tradition Navajo Hogan for the Ceremony

We decided to go back to a local restaurant in town to rest and  grab some food.  I had heard a lot about the Navajo Fry bread and was dying to try some.  We went to Amigo Cafe, a spot that we had gone to for breakfast but had a limited menu at the time, so we went back in search for Navajo fry bread. The photo below shows our pre race feast.  Our waiter, Chandler turned out to be a runner and running the 50K race with us the next day.  He was working hard serving all the runners that had come in for supper and giving us tips of the area.  If you're ever in that neck of the woods, I highly recommend the restaurant and calling up Crawley's Monument Valley Tours. You will not be disappointed

Mmmm, Fry Bread Taco

With our bellies full, we headed back to our hotel for some sleep.....

Ultra Training.. the good, bad and ugly

My running lately seems be feel Groundhog Day. I feel like I've been running everyday and for endless miles. This is most likely because I've been immersed in training for my first ultra in March. My family has had to endure me waking up a ridiculous hours on weekends to get my long runs in. I've spent my layovers sleeping, eating, and running.

I have tried to incorporate more strength training to build strength to help me be a stronger runner/athlete overall.  But there never seems enough time in the day to fit it all in.

If it's one thing I learned so far in my 2 months of training for an ultra is that you really need to organize your time well. I am a working mom with 2 young kids and a job that requires me to travel.  I have had to squeeze in as much of the training in when I can along with keeping up with all the other responsibilities I have.  

The training has taken over all my free time. I am dressed to go for a run as I take my kids to school,  then off to run errands in my running clothes.  I have cooked dinner in my running gear and many times not gotten to the shower until the end of day.  I have gone through many pairs of socks. I can barely recognize my feet and I think I will be losing a few more toenails along the way. I am constantly doing laundry. 

I started training in December with my buddies and I finished the month with 317 km.  We just finished month 2 (January) with 330 km. I am pretty sure that I have never ran this much in all my years of training for my races.  As of today, I have run over 560 km. I am happy to say that I am still able to walk and not hobbling around my house.  The foam roller is my best friend as well as my cabinet full of oils and elixers.

One of the best things that has gotten me through all this training so far are the strong ladies that I am training with. No matter what the weather is, we run OUTSIDE!!! I have run in snow storms, wind storms, my feet and shoes have been soaked through, splashed by buses, and yelled at by drivers.  I relish in any day where the temperature has been about -10. I however have been able to get in a few runs while I am away at work. Although I am jet lagged, I try to get out and squeeze in a run just because I do not have to wear 3 layers, gloves, and wool socks.

So far I have learned to try to stick with the training plan and if things don't work out, relax and let it go. I have had to get used to running back to back long runs. It doesn't always work out for me as my work gets in the way. I used to think having to get one long run a week was tough, trying getting in two. I had my first 100km+ week which has NEVER happened. I haven't gotten any faster by any means, but I think I am getting stronger. I still battle with negative thoughts before many of my runs and contemplate giving up most days. But having to be accountable to my pals has gotten me to pull myself together and forge on.

Thanks for reading... have a great week.

Any tips for getting through those dark moments when you just want to give up? 

Ultra , Why Not?

I had met a wonderful group of running moms a few years ago and started running with them on and off early last year. At first, I was afraid to run with them as most of them are experienced runners, Boston qualifiers with tons of races under their belts.  I had a lot of self doubt and didn't want to be "that" slow one, or the one that they had to wait for.   But we all had a few things in common, the love of running and love for our family.  When I first met them, we were all training for a range of distances from half marathons to ultra marathons. I was inspired by their many stories and found myself wanting to run with them.

I spent this past year training with alongside them. I was training for my full and they were training for 100 miler and 100 km races. We spent many runs together chatting and getting to know each other. It had become my therapy to meet with these women from all walks of life and just run and forget about all that was going on in our busy lives for that couple of hours we were out for our long runs.

My 2016 racing season did not go as planned. I spent many days after my fall marathon thinking about all that went wrong and how to do it better for 2017. After a few weeks of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to try something new.  They were nothing but supportive when I asked if they would be interested in running my first ultra marathon with me. I had heard all about their previous races and was just dying to try something new. They were both experienced trail runners and had done a few ultras in the past, so I knew that I would be in good hands.

My buddies had given me a criteria for me when I was looking up races. They did not want to train in the Canadian summer which meant I had to find a Spring race, no races that are just in the forest,  they wanted something with breath taking views and nothing in Utah. We decided on the Monument Valley 50 Mile Race for 2017. I have days where I'm super excited, but most days I try not to think about it, because I am freaking out.

So tomorrow we start our training. ....




Thanks for reading...

Have you ever run and Ultra Marathon?

If so where?

Any Tips for this Newbie??

A Slow Comeback

It has been a few months since I have written on my blog.  So, what's new? Things are coming along slowly. I had decided early this year that I was going to run less races this year and focus on my training. I would work on my mental game plan along with the physical part of racing.

My first race of 2016 was the 30K Around the Bay Road Race. I have run this race a few times as it is a very popular race in the run community. I went into the race rather nervous as I wanted to do well, but the weather changed right before the race. It snowed. I had been training through the winter with my little guy in the stroller through some pretty wicked weather.  I was disappointed with the race as I did not do as well has I had last year. I guess there will always be next year.

So Much Fun with Buddies

Have Stroller will Run

In April, we went down to Rochester, New York to celebrate a good girlfriend's birthday as well as run a half marathon together. It was a full family weekend as the kids also were able to participate in their own races. I love running in Rochester. The city is quaint and full of runners. Streets are not crowded and the course is always rolling.... as in hilly. I had run the half a few years ago with the birthday girl for her first half marathon experience but this time I wanted to see if I could do better on the hilly course. I kept a good pace for the first 10km but slowed down quite a bit as this is when the hills started. I was pleased with the race and now looking forward to my next half marathon in August.

I am now training for the Seawheeze Half Marathon in Vancouver with my cousin.  It will be her first ever half marathon. I am super excited for her and also for our getaway weekend. I ran this race 3 years ago when I was on maternity leave and took her out there with my kids. This race is hosted by Lululemon, so needless to say, it's an amazing event. It was one of my most memorable races ever. The course and vibe is like no other. I had told my cousin three years ago that if she was to ever run a half marathon, this one should be it and I promised I would take her and run with her. 

After talking with the coach earlier in the year,  I decided to only run 1 marathon this year and focus on my pacing.  I signed up to run the Wineglass Marathon in the fall. As always, I am going to try to PB. Here's hoping that all goes well.

I have found a great group of ladies that are as excited about running as I am and we get together every Saturday morning at 5:30 for our long runs.  Most of them are experienced runners and training for all sorts of distances from half marathons to ultra marathons. I have learned that I enjoy running in a group setting. The time definitely passes much quicker when there are people to chat with and keep the pace going.  It is always tough when the alarm goes off at 4:30, but I wouldn't miss it at all. It has been a good boost for me to have these strong runners push me when I want to turn around and give up. 

Have a great weekend ! 

What races to you have planned?

What keeps you motivated to keep on training? 

Hong Kong or Bust !

Hubby and I had decided in early 2015 that we would end our year partying it up in Hong Kong. My parents decided to join as well as a few of our close friends. Our last family trip out that way was Christmas of 2013.  It was a rough trip as hubby and the kids all got sick.  I spent most of the holiday nursing them all back to health. Hubby was very nervous before heading out, but was excited as now our kids were 2 years older and our friends were going to be joining us there.

Mom and My Princess

It's always a surprise when travelling standby, but were were all lucky to get on the first flight we tried. The route to Hong Kong is one that I am familiar with as I work it all year round. I am used to the long flight, but not as a passenger. I'm usually asking if you want the chicken or the beef :)

15 hours to go

My post 2 years ago has a few suggestions for travelling with kids.  My kids have been very fortunate to have started travelling at a very early age. My hubby and I love to travel and always take our kids with us. With that being said, I still suggest bringing lots of bribes and goodies to keep the kids entertained for hours. Bring comfort items as well and always keep in mind all the things you take out during your flight at the beginning because it will be a frantic end of the flight searching for all the stuff you took out at the beginning.

After 20 hours of travelling we made it to our final destination.  Hong Kong is one of my favourite cities.  It should be on everyone's top 10 places to visit. Here are some of the many highlights of our trip.

Posing in Front of Bruce Lee's home

Hubby is a huge Bruce Lee fan and found out that we could actually see it. It was sold after his death and turned into a 'love hotel'. It now stands empty, but was still cool to see.

Disneyland

One of the best things about Hong Kong is their public transit system called the MTR. It can get you to pretty much anywhere in and out of the city. It even brings you to the boarder crossing at Shenzhen.  There is even an app that you can load to help you with schedules of the trains and busses. We took it it everywhere even to Disneyland to surprise the kids for Christmas day.

Mom and Dad with the Kids

Running with Hubs

My parents joined us on this trip which allowed us to squeeze in a few quick runs. Hong Kong is not just big city, but has many gorgeous nature reserves and hiking trails. We stayed at an apartment nestled in the many hills of HK and was schooled by these hills.

Views from The Peak

We also did many touristy things as it had been a few years since our friends had visited HK. The Peak is a must do for any visitor. It has the most spectacular views of the city. There are also hiking trails nearby with the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir right there.

Cable Car ride at Ocean Park

We love HK

Ocean Park is part aquarium, part theme park nestled into one of the many mountains.  It was one of my fondest memories of HK. My parents had taken me there on my first visit to HK in 1983. I am told that much of it has changed, but their signature cable car still remains the same. It spans 1.5 km one way and offers AMAZING views of the surrounding area, the park and the sea. It connects you to the other part of the park where most of the new rides and shows are. 

HK Railway Museum

My son is currently a huge train enthusiast and when I found out that there was a Railway Museum, I knew I had to take him there. Both the kids had a blast seeing old engines and trains from the past.

Frozen Beer

Here's to an amazing finish to 2015 for me. We survived the trip and no one got sick this time. I was able to squeeze in a few runs and saw new places that I had never seen. As, I mentioned earlier Hong Kong is a fantastic city. It is busy and crowded yet peaceful and free. There are many things to do and sites to see. The food is incredible. Many of the restaurant chains in North America can be found there. All signs are in both English and Chinese and their transportation system is top notch.

We are looking forward to visiting again on day.... after we recover from the crazy jet lag.

Thanks for reading.

Where are you top places to visit in the world?

Have you been to Hong Kong? What are your favourite memories?

Happy New Year. Looking Ahead to 2016

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year Holiday. I was very fortunate to have spent the last few weeks of 2015 in Hong Kong with my family and friends. I was also forced to take a break from my training due to our busy schedule and to be honest, it was supposed to be a vacation.

Hong Kong Skyline

I know that I have been very absent from my blog and I can't really  nail down the reason. I guess it was part laziness, but I have a feeling the main reason was that 2015 was a tough year with my running life. I had no PB's (personal bests) and was pretty down on myself.

I still have a bunch of race reports to write up from 2015 and promised myself that I will get to it.  There are many days where I just want to shut down and completely stop writing.  I'm not much of a writer and there are many blogs out there that are way better than mine. I know because I follow many of them.

I started my blog as a way for me to talk about my passion for running and hope to inspire people. It has been therapeutic for me and also emotional for me.   It was an outlet for me as many people around me were sick and tired from listening to me talk about running, training, racing and all things related to the sport. 

Looking back at my New Year's post 2015, I had set out goals which I can sadly say I didn't accomplish. I feel like I completely let myself and any readers out there down. I obsessed over social media following fellow bloggers and runners and saw all their successes which made it even harder for me. Many were inspiring, but at the same time can be a huge downer when I was not where I wanted to be with my journey.  I found myself comparing myself to them. 

As I am still getting over the jet lag from my fabulous holiday and typing away at 4am, I look forward to 2016.  I am not going to set lofty goals for myself. I AM going to stop being so hard on myself and enjoy the training this year. Of course I will be aiming for PB's and always chasing down the unicorn. I will continue to train as hard as I can and run each race with all I have. I want to start the year with a clean slate and a clear mind.  If 2015 taught me anything, it's that running is 95 % mental and the rest is physical.

Happy Hump Day and Thanks for Reading

What did 2015 teach you?

Do you have goals for 2016? What are they?

Taper Week

So this is taper week. It's not the first time I've been here, and definitely not my last.  This training cycle for marathon #5 has been a tough go for me. I'm not sure why I've had such a tough go, but I am not going to dwell on it.

I have been following a customized training plan and completed almost all the training plan that was given to me. However, as my training progressed, I realized that I wasn't getting any faster.  It had seemed as if I had hit a plateau. My plan had me running less mileage, but more frequently.

I ran some races during this training cycle and all of them I crashed. I couldn't seem to pick it up. With each race, I started to doubt myself and my abilities. I felt beaten before every run.

Other than running with my little guy in the stroller, it has been a lonely training cycle.  I don't really talk to people about my running anymore other than posting on Instagram and blogging.  I am always inspired and motivated when seeing other runners post about their successes, but I wonder if it's making me feel worse about myself.  I was able to get out on a few runs with a friend and was able to push myself to run harder than I had in any previous runs. These runs boosted my confidence a bit, but also helped me understand that I may perform better if I had other runners to help push me.

My running buddy and I

I am looking forward to the upcoming marathon just so that I can get it over with and start over again with the next marathon.  I know it sounds crazy, but I am actually looking for another marathon to run next year.  I am almost certain that I will not run a personal best, but I will finish. Finishing is an accomplishment on its own, but I am not going to give up my dreams. I will continue to train and chase down a BQ (Boston Qualifier).

One Step at a Time

Do you have a race coming up?

Have you ever had to deal with self doubts ? If so, how did you deal with it?

Thank you for reading

29 Days to Go to Marathon #5

I cannot believe that it is already October.  I feel as if I was just doing back to school shopping the other day for my kid and now I'm already looking out for Halloween costumes.

It seems like things are falling back to place with my princess back in school, I only have my crazy toddler son at home with me. We are back to running in the stroller and looking forward to my fall marathon. I had hoped that I would do well and PR on this upcoming marathon, but as I do not think it is going to happen.

I started a new training plan which has been more time based than distance. I do like knowing how long I will be out on the road, but at the same time it has been challenging planning the routes. I know that running is a process and there are highs and lows. This training cycle has proven to really challenge me. I have been battling self doubt as my training has not seemed to have paid off. I have been sluggish and running slower than before.

I don't want to be one of those people that blame it on age, but heck I was hoping 40 would be my new 30. A friend sent over some articles about overtraining. I didn't think it really applied to me as I am training rather conservatively, with reasonable mileage. I think it maybe the fact that I'm over thinking now.

I have not run a personal best this year which has been very deflating. I think part of the reason is that I keep beating myself down with every run and also I miss my running buddy terribly. I always thought that I could do it on my own, but running with another person just makes it so much more enjoyable.  My run buddy (my son)  is great company on the short runs, but he's getting big now. I'm pushing 29lbs of toddler plus the stroller and all the bribes I carry to keep him from jumping out.

Fall is my favourite season.  I love the crisp weather and watching the leaves change on each run. This will be the last fall that I will be pushing my little guy with me as he will be starting school next year. I was reflecting on all of this while pushing him today and part of me was sad. I know that I will miss having him tag along on my runs. Until then, I will enjoy every mile that I have with him.

My First Run with the Little Guy - April 18, 2013

I finished September with 166 kms/103 miles. It was a nice easy month.  The mileage will pick up this month as I am now 29 days out from my fall marathon.

Today 

I have decided to not freak out and trust in my training. I have accepted the fact that my upcoming marathon may not be my best, but I will still try my best to to better my previous times.  I often think back to my first marathon and wonder why it was my fastest one to date.  It may have been because I didn't know what I was in for. I was a complete rookie with no previous times to beat. I had no expectations except to finish.  I will look ahead to my last month of training up to the marathon and hope for the best.

Happy October!

How was your September?

Any Fall Races planned?

Toronto Zoo Run and Yorkville 5K Recap Karen's Comeback Run

Training for the upcoming marathon has been a tough go for me. I'm not sure if it is because I turned 40 or if it's all in my head. My legs don't seem to want to move when I lace up and try to go out for a run.

I decided last minute to pick up a bib for the Oasis Toronto Zoo Run. I ran it for the first time last year and had a blast. It is a challenging course through the Toronto Zoo with many undulating hills. A one hour aerobic run was scheduled for the Saturday, so I could use the race a training run.

It was pouring rain Saturday morning and I prayed that it would stop by the time the race was to start. I am fortunate to live fairly close to the zoo, so I was able to stay warm at home until heading out to the race. I arrived a little later than last year, so I was directed to park off site and walk over with my garbage bag rain coat to the event site.  Bag drop off was quick and efficient but had a time cut off as they bags had to be driven to the finish line area.

I got into my coral  and the gun went off shortly after. I had decided to run conservatively and use it as a training run since I was going to be racing again the next day. I was pretty miserable standing in the rain. My cousins wife was a course marshal and it was one of the few things that was motivating me get moving. The course is hilly and challenging, but running through the zoo and seeing the animals is definitely a bonus.

It was another tough race for me as I started to doubt myself. I was hitting the wall and hard. I have run many races, but this feeling of self doubt was really crazy. I had never felt this way ever and I was only 3km into the race. I kept telling myself that it was only 10km, but then I would think about the upcoming marathon and freak out. I started thinking about downgrading to the half marathon. I could barely run this 10km race, how in the world would I run 42.2 km? I battled these demons for almost the entirety of the race. As each person passed me, I would feel worse about myself. It was insane. I had never experience these thoughts before.

I trudged along and finally saw my cousin's wife at one a the last uphills. It was nice to see a familiar face, but I knew I still had about 2 km to go. I had never been so happy to see a finish line. There was no course PB for me today as I did worse than last year. I guess there will always be next year.

Posing with the Giraffes 

After the race, I headed back to the kids and headed out to pick up my buddy Gen who was flying in from Montreal to run the Yorkville 5K. She had run this race last year as her first ever road race with my run buddy.  My run buddy Karen had also registered for this race as her comeback race after her stroke last year. I had been anxiously nervous about this race for many reasons. I knew that Karen would do great as her recovery has been remarkable, but still weary and terrified that something would happen.

We got there early to see the elites run and was once again amazed by their athleticism. The first runner came through in 14:16 (Male), 15:57 (Female).  I ran a few kilometres to warm up and then bid adieu to my buddies to run the race. My buddies had made me promise them that I would race the race and I didn't want to let them down. I told myself that I would run as hard as I could but at the same time once I started running I was cautious and I don't know why. I don't know if it's because I'm afraid I won't have enough fuel to get me through the 5K. It's crazy as I write about it now and thinking back to the race. I always have regrets that I should have pushed harder. I knew the first few kilometres was a nice net downhill and the last few would be a slight uphill. Once I started the uphill, the winds also picked up. I kept thinking positive thoughts to get me to the finish. I finished 27:43. I am happy with the time considering I raced a 10k the day before.

I quickly collected my medal and ran back for my buddies. I'm not sure what I was expecting when I ran back. In my head, I was thinking that I would come up to Gen first or Gen and Karen together, but  I was pleasantly surprised that I found Karen running up to me. I ran up beside her and checked in with her. She said that she was doing good and for me to go back and find Gen. It is so Karen, to ask me to go back for others. She is so selfless. I ran with her for a little bit and went to find Gen who was not far behind. They had just over a kilometre left to run. I pushed Gen to keep on running and to catch up with Karen. We got into view of her and cheered her onto the finish. I ran Gen into the finish area and let her finish on her own. I am so proud of both my friends.

I'm totally losing it after Karen crossed the Finish

She did it!!!

Do you believe in miracles? I thank God everyday for my health and the ability to do what I love. Karen is a true testament to miracles. She had a stroke 9 months ago and was completely immobilized. I was afraid that she would never walk again, let alone run. But with her determination and a lot or prayers she has made and amazing recovery. I am so happy to have my run buddy back and looking forward to running some more races with this amazing woman.

Showing off our Medals

Do you have an amazing story to share?

How do you get yourself through the mental part of training ?