Winter hit Ottawa yet again yesterday in the form of a snowstorm.  At any other time I would have used the prediction of 15cm of snow as an excuse to stay in bed and delay my run for a day.  Instead though, I found myself up at 6:30 in an attempt to beat the incoming storm.  Unfortunately, for what I believe was the first time all winter, the weatherman was actually correct in predicting that the heavy snow would start falling in the early morning.  But this didn’t stop me because, quite frankly I wanted this run done so I could say I was officially into my taper.

I did a slow warm up down our long driveway, followed immediately by a complete wipeout on the snow covered ice at the road.  While laying on the ground I made a mental note to make sure I kept to a very slow pace and off I went.  It didn’t take me long to realize that I wasn’t going to have an option about my speed anyways.  When you are running in a snowstorm on an unplowed road it is safe to assume you will not be doing a speed workout.

In short, what should have been a miserable run really wasn’t all that bad.  When blocked from the horizontal snow and wind it was actually quite peaceful.  Running in ankle deep snow for 15.5km also provides one heck of a muscle workout with minimal joint stress – and you can actually have the centre of the road to yourself for the entire run (no one else, pedestrians or drivers, is stupid enough to be out there with you). The two wild turkeys I passed looked a little pissed off fighting through the snow and wind, but then again, wild turkeys just look pissed off at the best of times.  In the end it was a perfect final run to finish a week where I had done a little bit of everything: race last Saturday, speed work on Monday, yoga on Wednesday, steady 10k on Thursday, hills on Friday.  Why not finish it up with a workout in the snow?

So now my taper week begins.  Next Sunday is the Around the Bay 30k Road Race.  I am trying to tell myself that if I can run just over 15km in snow, I should be able to run 30km on dry roads…assuming the weather doesn’t throw yet another storm our way.  And hopefully when I finish the race it won’t look like this:

Snowstorm run done!

There are 12 days left until Around the Bay.  Since I haven’t really been following a schedule, other than getting ideas from the Running Room’s marathon training guide, I have no idea what I should be doing right now.  I have looked at the 30k training guide on the race’s website, but I am pretty sure that was created with really crazy runners in mind – honestly it looked tougher than marathon training.  So, do I start tapering?  I’m not sure, somehow I feel a little undeserving of a taper considering I started training a month later than I should have.  I swear if I had one more month I would be so ready for this race!

Instead, I am making it up day by day and it is rather liberating.  Other than knowing I will take the Friday and Saturday before race day as rest days, I am simply going to put on my shoes (or not) and see what I feel like doing (or not doing).  In other words, no pressure and whatever happens, happens.  Am I nervous about the race?  Absolutely.  Nervous enough to have to force myself to avoid thinking about it when I go to bed for fear of not falling asleep – or perhaps even worse, falling asleep and dreaming of never ending hills looming as far as the eye can see.  But ultimately I am glad I am getting the chance to try a race that everyone seems to love, despite the dreaded hills.

My somewhat fast time for the St. Patrick’s Day 10k seems to have given me a mental and physical boost.  I headed out today planning to do 10 – 14 steady km’s.   Within 2k, feeling good, I changed my plans and decided to push harder and complete a faster 5k then take a break, run another 5k but slower and then a slow run for however many km I could fit in before getting the kids.  The first 5k was done in just over 28 minutes.  The second “slower” 5k lasted for about 28 and a half minutes.  I was originally aiming for 30 minutes but halfway through I felt good and decided to go for a sub 29.  Then I finished it up with a relaxing 3k with some small hills.  It turned out to be a pure “run by feel” day and it was, dare I say it…FUN!  I love these days that remind you running is not a chore, or at least it does not have to be all the time.  Sometimes it is simply the  highlight of your day 🙂

Yesterday I ran the 10k St. Patrick’s Day Run on Colonel By Drive in Ottawa, completing race #4 in my 14 in ’14 challenge.  Two years ago this was the race that was going to be my first 10k race.  I remember being so excited, not to mention incredibly nervous, about it.  Then my first ITB injury occurred and I ended up dropping to the 5k and my introduction to the 10k had to wait for almost 2 months.  This time however, this little race was sort of the ignored event in my schedule.  With only two weeks until Around the Bay and with plans officially forming for a trip out west for the Vancouver Half, I spent little time even thinking about this race.  I had no plans for time or pace and was simply looking at it as a training run that would hopefully be a little faster than what I have been doing lately.

I admit it was nice to start a race with no expectations.  When my Garmin somehow stopped during the first km, and I didn’t notice until it turned itself off, I just reset it and figured at least I could keep an eye on my pace for the rest of the run.  Unfortunately by the third km my head was full of negative talk (that came on quickly even for me) and once again I had to remind myself to just run in the moment.  My legs felt sluggish and I was reminded of the fact that in the previous 7 days I had done not one, but 2 long runs (24.5k and 27k) so I was already making excuses to myself as to why I would just take this slowly.  I was pretty convinced  that I just no longer had any speed in me and perhaps I should just learn to accept it.

Somewhere after the 3k mark though I started to feel good.  Even better, I was feeling comfortable.  After 5k I felt really comfortable at a steady average pace of 5:42.  I kept backing myself off a bit – or so I thought – in an attempt to save some energy.  What a pleasant surprise when each time I checked my watch thinking I was a little slower, I was always in fact at the same pace or faster!  And while I was definitely working, I did not feel I was working ridiculously hard.  That just doesn’t happen enough to this average runner.  When I hit an average pace of 5:39 I did force myself to avoid another increase of speed but when I had a couple of hundred metres left I let myself go.  Final 10k time – 56:30, only 16 seconds slower than my P.B. set at Ottawa Race Weekend almost two years ago.  I admit there is a little part of me thinking I should have pushed just a little harder and I would have beat that P.B. but in all honesty I couldn’t even remember for sure what my best time was.  I hadn’t looked at previous 10k race times prior to the race because I had intended to finish around 58 minutes.  This race did leave me knowing that I have a sub 56 minute 10k in me if I actually choose to work on the distance.  Generally speaking when I run a 10k it is as a part of a longer run.  As a result, it just isn’t a distance I focus on.  Now I am thinking maybe I should put a bit of work into this distance and give it some respect.  I also feel fairly confident I could have held on to that pace for a few more km’s, making me think a sub 2 hour half marathon is a little closer than I thought.

As for the race itself, the main appeal is probably the fact that it takes place in March.  Not that March is a particularly nice month in terms of weather, but it is lacking in organized races so a mid month race is a nice addition to the calendar.  As with my January and February races, I love the fact that the St. Patrick’s Day Run offers a large indoor space (Immaculata High School) so no need to hang around in cold weather before your run.  At this time of year that makes it so much easier to decide what to wear; if you get to wait inside you can dress for the run rather than for the long wait before the start gun.

There were 365 10k participants and 386 5k runners, making it a nice sized race without being overcrowded.  It was an out and back course along the canal, which always makes for a nice run.  I have to admit I never realized that there is some noticeable incline on that route at around the 4k mark.  I was cursing that a little, especially as there was also a headwind at that point.  Of course it being a winding route, the wind managed to hit you on both the “out” portion and the “back” portion of the run, though thankfully never for long. The 10k runners headed out about 15 minutes before the 5k race.  The only slightly awkward part about this is it leaves average 10k runners like myself having to pass 5k walkers (of which there seemed quite a few) during the last 2.5 km of the race.  These weren’t race walkers or Nordic walkers, so they were definitely not looking for speed.  I love seeing walkers out on a course and I love the fact that often those walkers are taking the first steps to a new life of fitness.  I just wouldn’t mind it if they were asked to stay to the right if runners are coming up behind them rather than spreading out in a group of 2 or 3 (often deep in conversation) forcing the runners to go around.

The race was well organized with no shortage of cheerful volunteers.  Parking, at least when we got there, was easy and I ended up parking only a couple of hundred metres from the doors.  I opted to not drive all the way downtown the day before to pick up Evan’s and my race kits, despite the fact I usually hate leaving it to the last minute on race day.  There were no line ups however an hour before the race so I am glad I saved myself a drive.

Of course another advantage of races with an indoor venue is the indoor bathrooms … no porta potties 🙂  As always though, the ratio of women’s bathrooms to men’s wasn’t working (as in one set of bathrooms each).  Realistically if a race is going to provide marked men’s and women’s washrooms there needs to be a 2 to 1 ratio.  At the best of times at any event you need more bathrooms for women; let’s face it, we take longer.  Throw in the fact that many races, including this one, have more female participants than male, it is a given that there will be long lineups for women right until the starting gun and this race was no different.

No medals are offered at this race but there were lots of draw prizes plus prizes for the winners of each age group.  When Evan, who was I believe one of only a handful of kids running the 5k, finished his race a very kind volunteer just handed him a prize – a $25 gift certificate for the Royal Oak Pub.  Needless to say as his driver I get to share the prize.  This is actually the second time Evan has been handed a prize at a race, proving that if you are young and cute running races can pay off!  As Evan pointed out, people always seem really excited to see kids or grandmothers running a race, the rest of us just aren’t as exciting.

A tech shirt came with this race too, I’ll definitely put it to use but can’t say it is one of my favourites.  It kind of looks like they forgot to put the name of the race on the shirt since the entire black shirt is blank on the front with all the sponsors on the back along with a small race logo.  It seems kind of odd to not have the race name emblazoned on the front of a tech shirt.

Evan, as always, appreciated the food: bagels, bananas, oranges, granola bars, water and my personal favourite – chocolate milk.  For me, any race that provides chocolate milk gets bonus points!

So, for $35 is this a race I would do again?  Why not?  It is good timing for kicking your race season into gear, particularly if you aren’t into doing races in January and February.  With only 11 weeks to Ottawa Race weekend it is a perfect training run no matter what distance you plan to to in May.  My guess is I will be there next year, particularly since I do not plan on running Around the Bay again next March, or at least that is what I said to myself over and over again when doing my last long run!

I ran 27km yesterday.  27km is a really long run.  Really, really long.  Kind of stupid long.  I know there is a lot of research out there that says humans are made to run.  But it still begs the question, are we made to run 27km???  I remain unconvinced.

When I managed to stagger up my driveway, stumble through the door and quickly lay on the ground with my legs up the wall, I had time to plan for Around the Bay.  Let’s just say I am changing my approach.

I will instead be running the lesser known Around the Bay 20km race.  I hear it is pretty flat and there will be lots of people with me on the course.  My goal will be to run a steady but somewhat slow race.  When I am done I will congratulate myself on a good 20k training run.  Then I will head for my car.  Of course my car will be 10km away, apparently over a bunch of hills.  But that is o.k. because I won’t really be in a rush.  In fact, I may even throw my Garmin in my pocket.  After all, if I go somewhere, I don’t time myself to see how long it takes me to get to my car in the parking lot, why should this be different?

When I have finished my 10k path back to my car some very nice strangers will give me a medal and some food just for – you guessed it – making it back to the general vicinity of my car.  At that point I might find a place to simply lay down and contemplate the final steps to the parking lot.  There will probably be some cursing that the parking lot isn’t closer to where I am laying down.  There is a chance I will keep laying there until someone – a cranky janitor or understanding security guard perhaps – tells me to get off the floor and go home.  I will then make my final victory lap to the car, head back to Ottawa and congratulate myself for not only running 20km, but successfully making it back to my car…however long that takes!

For the first time ever I just ordered shoes online and had them delivered to my door – less than two working days since I ordered them.  I was more than a little excited to sign for the shoe box just now, but there is a story behind my excitement.

Last fall I bought my favourite shoes ever, my happy shoes I liked to call them.

My happy shoes 🙂

They were bright, they were colourful and the first day I used them I ran 32km without a problem.  I knew then that Asic’s Gel Nimbus 14’s were for me.  Thinking ahead, I bought another pair for the winter.  As posted before, that plan didn’t work since only after losing a toenail did I discover that the left shoe of the second pair was mislabelled and was in fact a half size smaller than the right shoe.  Who checks to see if the shoes are mismatched?  Well, I do now.  Running Room refunded the money but of course we are now in a new year and the Gel Nimbus 14 has morphed into the Nimbus 15.

I will try to keep the following rant brief.  Why do shoe companies insist on changing something every year???  If they had thousands of people buy a specific shoe, do they really need to screw around with the product?  If I buy Ketchup in 2013 and like it, I want the same product in 2014.  Go ahead, change the colour of the bottle if you want, but don’t give me some supposedly new and improved Ketchup that tastes nothing like the condiment I happily used until the bottle was empty.  I can’t begin to describe how ticked off I was when I tried the Nimbus 15’s only to discover it was like putting on a completely different shoe – and  a shoe that didn’t fit me properly at that.  It ends up the sizing isn’t even the same, many runners are finding they have to go up a half or whole size to get them to fit.  I have heard that fans of Nimbus 13 though are happy since 15 is similar and of course 14 wasn’t.  You almost need a degree in shoe research to be able to keep track of what is going on with your favourite shoes.

When I realized the 15 wasn’t going to work, I switched to the Brooks Ghost.  They are perfectly good shoes BUT….they are not my happy shoes!  They have done the job on several runs, definitely good enough for short runs, but I wasn’t convinced I was going to love them doing 30km in Hamilton in 3 weeks.  So it came time to search the web.  Runner’s Mark and Running Room had no Nimbus 14’s left and while I found a few pairs in my size (even in my favourite happy colour seen above) in the States I didn’t want to deal with the exchange rate and shipping charges.  Finally I found them on a site called 33-off.com.  I went a little more subdued – actually a lot more subdued since that was what was available – but I was prepared to have any colour just to be able to say I love my shoes again.

New Shoes!

So when I realized that the knock on my door today that I was ignoring was not in fact my children trying to be irritating, but instead Canada Post, I raced to the door just in time before he pulled away.  Did I care that it was 2:30 in the afternoon and I was still unshowered and in my pyjamas?  Hell no, my shoes had arrived !  And hey, it is March Break…I’m on holidays!  Once I have tested these ones out on a run (memories of the last ones that didn’t work out) I will probably order another pair (or 2) so that I don’t have to endure the craziness of shoe shopping for some time to come.

I have had a good couple of weeks of running.  Nothing spectacular, nothing that leads me to think I am on my way to some PB’s this year, just a series of nice runs.  As a teacher, I am often telling kids to use adjectives other than “nice” and “good”, after all the English language offers a rich and varied vocabulary for all of us to use.  But sometimes “nice” kind of covers it.  My two long runs of 19k and 22k were comfortable, my 10k runs felt strong and my shorter runs were just plain enjoyable.  In short I was blessed to have a couple of weeks of simply enjoying running.

You know where this is going now, right?

When I headed out for a 25k run I had my usual pre-long run jitters, but I was also looking forward to the day.  It was bright and sunny out and the temperature had actually risen to just over 0 degrees.  I had a hilly course set out to help me prepare for Around the Bay, so I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy run, but for the most part it would be the same route as I ran last week for the 22k run.  Really, what is another 3km???

Let’s start by saying warming temperatures don’t necessarily make for a better run.  The fact is I am now very, very used to running in temperatures between -15C and -20C.  So as much as 1 or 2 degrees may not be hot, it is significantly warmer than what I am currently accustomed to.  Another downfall of warmer temperatures – the melting snow.  This would  not be a big deal if sidewalks were graded in a way to deal with the run off.  Unfortunately most sidewalks have an endless number of dips and valleys, all of which allow for pools of icy cold water.  My first soaker came at the 3k mark and the water was cold enough to send a few stabbing pains up my leg.  If I wasn’t landing in water, I was precariously balancing on icy snow on the banks of the sidewalk, often having to walk my way to dry land.

Then there was the wind, which I ran into for most of my first 12km.  If you managed to turn out of the wind it was warm enough to be in a t-shirt, but once that wind hit you, layers were required.  I made several stops to remove, then replace layers of clothes.  And of course the one time I dropped a glove had to be while working my way through yet another puddle.  My first four hills all managed to be positioned perfectly to ensure I had to run into a strong headwind while working my way up to the crests.  I can’t say I was having fun, but I was managing.

Then something ugly reared up in front of me.  Chances are you have met it too.  The Wall.  I wasn’t hurting, I wasn’t out of breath, I had no stomach issues (amazing for me on a long run), but I just had nothing left.  And this was at the 12.5 km mark.  I took a walk, had a snack, started again…and The Wall was still there.  Plan B was put in place.  I was still going to finish my run (besides, it was going to be a long, long walk back to the car if I didn’t) but I decided I would instead run two separate runs.  So I went for a 20 minute walk, ate all of my salted raisins and almonds (too late to save the run, but they were very tasty!) and headed into the nearby recreation centre to warm up, take a bathroom break and dry out that glove I dropped.  I even had the chance to say hi to my kids and husband as they had just arrived there to go for a swim.  I joked that they would probably be home before me.  Ends up it wasn’t a joke, they managed to swim and get home long before I arrived.

Finally, and with little enthusiasm, I headed out again.  I am just going to say it was a very, very long 11k.  I had done 12k a couple of days before this long run, and the time flew by.  This time it dragged by so slowly I was honestly starting to believe my Garmin was malfunctioning.  Despite all of this I threw in some more hill work – three 300m hill repeats and one long gradual hill before finishing for the day.

I’m not really sure what to call this run.  Is it still a long slow run when you take a giant break in the middle?  Or was it merely two shorter runs that happened to fall on the same day?  I do know that I at least achieved the “S” in my LSD – keeping it slow was not an issue!  In fact it was the slowest pace I have run since the marathon in October.  As to how I feel about the run…hmmm.  I should probably be upset by it, the run certainly didn’t even come close to my expectations.  But at the same time, I did manage to run about 24.5 km, no matter how ugly they may have been, and I did a total of 9 good size hills.  I wish it had been better, but I was still out there running, so that has to be worth something.

Why did the run go so wrong?  Honestly, there are too many factors to begin to guess.  I don’t think I ate enough before the run, in fact I was hungry at the start.  I probably should have refueled before the 12km mark.  Now that the temperatures are warmer I need more water with me.  The days of water bottles freezing within 10 minutes are over (I think?) and the two bottles I had in my belt did not last the entire run.  This was also my heaviest week of running in months, so good old fatigue may have played a major role.  Finally, to be honest, the wind killed me.  That is a concern since I have a feeling wind could be a big factor at Around the Bay.

In my attempt to see the glass half full, I have decided to look at yesterday’s run as something I survived and something that will make me stronger.  O.K., not as strong as if I flew through an uninterrupted 25km, but with only three weeks to Around the Bay, I’ll take what I can get.

…DON’T GIVE UP!!!

This is an old video clip on youtube, but new to me when I watched it today.  It’s a perfect reminder of why you should never give up, no matter what happens in a run (or in life).

When I watch it I can’t help thinking of my favorite running song, “Try” by P!nk :

“Just because you’re hurt doesn’t mean you’re going to die,

You gotta get up and try and try and try.”

Fourteen and a half years ago my husband (of two days) and I headed to Chateau Montebello for our honeymoon.  This past weekend we returned for some rest, relaxation and of course a little running.  I hope that another fourteen years will not have to go by before we return – it is simply a wonderful place to spend a winter weekend.

A lobby like no other.

The Chateau, located on the Ottawa River between Ottawa and Montreal, is billed as the world’s largest log cabin.  Built in only 4 months in 1930, it is a stunning piece of architecture anchored by its beautiful hexagonal stone fireplace.  The moment you walk in you feel like you have stepped back in time.  The dim but cozy lighting, the scent of 85 year old wood, the sloping floors and the crackling fire leads to an instantaneous sense of relaxation.

Even the ceiling is beautiful!

I know everyone is fed up with this winter, but this season that doesn’t want to end served up a perfect weekend, so perfect I found it hard to wish for spring.  A light snow fell most of the day on Saturday while today offered slightly colder temperatures but clear and sunny skies.  Yes, winter can beat us down and wear us out, but it can also be stunning in its beauty and sense of calm.

A peaceful Sunday run.

Of course runners have had their own complaints with this winter.  Bad footing, freezing temperatures and bone chilling winds don’t always mix well with our sport.  Many runners this season have simply resigned themselves to a treadmill, which while I understand is sometimes necessary, I still consider to be a bit of a shame.  Even with access to treadmills at the resort, I chose to run outside and I am so glad I did.  I think in order to do so though, you have to be prepared to dismiss what your training program tells you and simply do what Old Man Winter allows.

I ran up this hill both days, it may not look like much but there was a sign noting it was a 13% grade!

I ran 7km of cross country ski trails on Saturday (5k with my husband, something we never get to do) and ran another 4k today.  Not exactly long runs, but what amazing workouts!  To explain just how challenging running in the snow is, I just have to look at my average pace times.  Last Saturday I ran a comfortable 19k  at an average pace of 6:10 min/km.  This past Thursday I did 22km, with more hills than I can count, with a pace of 6:24 min/km.  Saturday’s Montebello 7k run in the snow finished at a 7:10 pace, and I was working hard to get that.  Today’s 4k run, with even more fresh snow, was slower!  If I were just to look at the stats on paper, I would think I had done little training this weekend,  In fact, I feel I did just the opposite.   There was no speed, there was little distance covered, but I know every step I took helped get me a little closer to being ready for Around the Bay.

                                 Running…and relaxing!

It has been a year now since I started this blog.  In my first post I wrote about how the big year ahead prompted me to write about my running experiences.  I was a few weeks away from running the New York City Half Marathon, my first destination race and only my third half marathon.  I had also taken a giant leap of faith and registered for the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, my first full marathon. Those races are now done and dusted.  They were amazing experiences, as were all of the other races I took part in, including 5 other half marathons.  I still consider myself an average runner and let’s just say if I ever make it to Boston it will be because I have aged into the “slower” categories.  But this average runner is having a blast, challenging myself to new things, meeting other runners and taking part in lots of local races.

So what events will I be writing about this year?  There is no marathon planned for 2014 but there are still exciting things to take place.  Very soon I will be taking part in my first Around the Bay 30k Race.  I’m hoping to do the Vancouver Half Marathon in June as a destination race.  I have also set a goal of completing 14 races this year.  In the world of running there is always a new challenge just around the corner.  So join me this year for another running journey and if you can, take a moment to “chat” in the comment section.

Here’s to another year of fun running 🙂

Who needs glass slippers????

I still have a bit of a smile on my face after participating in yesterday’s Winterman Race. A winter race is always just such a different experience from warm weather races, and yes, just seems so Canadian. Old Man Winter offered up a classic Ottawa winter day; sunny and clear skies combined with a chilly wind and cold temperatures. You know it is cold when the water stations volunteers are shouting, “Get your water before it freezes!” If you are brave enough to deal with the cold, this is an awesome race. From the unique medals to the slightly challenging course, to the incredible downtown view during the run, this is a race to try.

I love these medals!

I always suffer a little bit of nerves before a race, but for some reason this one really made me nervous, starting the evening before. I think the main reason was because for the first time I was taking part in a team event that would follow my solo 5k run. I have never been much of a team sport person, one of the reasons probably being the fact that I am always nervous I will let someone down. I only knew one person on the team, but had been assured that no one was going to be particularly fast, but of course speed is all relative. I know lots of runners whose “slow” speeds are still times I dream of. Combine this with the fact that I was going to be doing the team event after my 5k race, I really wasn’t sure how my effort for the team was going to go.

In the end, there was no reason to worry. Let’s face it, you can almost always count on runners to be a great group of people and this team was no different. Everyone was going out for a good time, many to kickstart their spring training. I thoroughly enjoyed the chance to meet other runners and share stories and of course everyone was very supportive of each other’s efforts.

This race has a mass start, with marathoners, half marathoners, relays, 10k and 5k runners all starting at once. Only the 3k race had its own start time. At the start line the announcer gave several warnings to be prepared for the starting “gun” which was actually a howitzer, no small piece of artillery! The start was a little congested but certainly no more than you would find in a larger race. And while congested, the start pace was pretty quick and certainly did not slow my pace down at all. In fact the crowd helped give a little shelter from the winter headwinds coming off the river.

This was not a flat course, making it a nice challenge for the 5k distance. In particular it made me feel like I was getting a quality training run done for Around the Bay. There certainly were no huge hills, but the changes in grade could be felt. As I approached the longest grade change at around the 3.5k mark, I remembered that when I did this race 2 years ago I had to walk for a second after reaching the crest in order to catch my breath. This time I managed to complete it without serious difficulty. After that final hill it was a run to the finish on the flat and I was happy to find I still had enough in me for a sprint to the end where my ever patient husband and my kids were waiting for me. Evan had just completed his 3k run and while he wasn’t thrilled with his pace, he was pretty happy to find out he was in second place for his age group, and overall managed a 12th place finish.

This was my first race in my new age category of 45 – 49. While I am not quite 45 yet, Somersault bases your age category on how old you are at the end of the year. It ends up getting older has its advantages. My 27:47 was enough to place me at the top of my group. I find whenever I place in an age category I always come up with excuses – there weren’t many people, it is the beginning of the season so people are just getting started, etc. But I have decided to instead appreciate this win for what it is. I have been doing some quality runs for the last 6 or 7 weeks despite weather conditions that have been sending people into hibernation, or at the very least onto a treadmill. And the fact that overall I was 14th out of 100 women shows me that hard work does pay off. And as mentioned in the previous post I am kind of loving that fact that most of the women who place above me were younger. I in no way ever think of myself as old, but I admit that during a couple of bad runs recently I started thinking about the fact that my age and my late start to this sport (I started a 42) aren’t exactly helping me. So I do take a little pride in being an “older” runner and still getting reasonable times after a harsh winter.

Gold and silver winners – and a great spectator!

I will admit that when I was finishing the 5k run, the first thought that went through my head was I must have been crazy to agree to doing it all again (plus an additional 274m) for the relay. But once I caught my breath I was kind of excited to be heading into another race.

The event was well set up for a relay in winter. The start was at the Canadian War Museum, so all runners had access to the huge lobby, bathrooms and cafeteria (or mess, as it is called at the museum). When it was time for you to head out and wait for the runner before you to complete a lap, you had access to a large tent with propane heaters, quite cozy considering the temperatures. Being at a museum came in very handy for us, since my husband took the kids through the museum while I waited the 2 hours until my next run. An added bonus was the fact that as a retired member of the Canadian Military, my husband was able to see the museum with two guests for free – and received a voucher for food!

By the time I ran my lap the winds had picked up a little more and I saw more than a few guys whose beards had become icy. Heading out into the wind was tough, but the moment you did the turn around the tail wind gave you a boost and the temperature seemed to warm about 10 degrees. For about the first km I questioned why on earth I was out there again. I also wondered why I had never sat down in the two hour break. My legs felt like jelly and I questioned if I would even be able to do a 6 minute pace. But then a funny thing happened and I just started to feel better and better. In fact, I found the final hill easier than in my first race. Once again I still had enough for a sprint to the end where I passed the chip to our final runner. I was a little slower than my first run, but I felt good.

In the end, our team “Cucking Fold”, (didn’t even try to explain that name to my kids), finished the marathon in 4:01. Thanks to all the people on the team for a great time and I hope to see you at future races! A thank you also to all the volunteers who must have been absolutely freezing out there but who were smiling and giving words of encouragement throughout the day.

A final thank you to Jen, whose spot I took on the team. Even though she couldn’t run she spent a few hours at the side of the road holding up signs for all runners. She quite literally almost froze her toes off in order to cheer everyone on. And to top it off, she brought a series of great signs – take a look…

As a winter runner, I like this one!

…just like an Olympics commercial 🙂