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I have to say, it feels good to have my first race in my 14 in ’14 challenge completed.  Trying a new race was also fun, especially a race that has been around for 32 years.  The Richmond Road Race is a relatively small race (I think numbers are kept to around a total 500 for the two distances) but one that clearly has a loyal following.  From what I could tell, most of the runners there were not first timers like me.  There was even one participant who had been at every race since year one.

I know alot of people do not like winter races due to the weather.  But one thing I love about these cold weather events is they usually provide an big indoor space for pre-race and post-race events.  Combine that with the fact that they are usually small races and you have a race where there is no need to stand shivering forever at the start line.  Better yet, that start line is often located steps away from that lovely, warm indoor space.  This race provided all of the above plus a heck of alot of food.  Nice combination 🙂

This is a fairly simple race; no timing chips, no medals.  There was a cute long sleeve shirt (though not in the tech material I was hoping for) and great backpacks as prizes for age category winners.  This is my first race where in my kit I received information about the possibility of a train crossing our path during the race.  Apparently VIA Rail will not confirm when a train will pass at a specific crossing, so the race organizers tracked when the train came through the last few Sundays and felt pretty confident it would go through before the race.  They were right (and I am sure relieved) as I heard the train whistle as I pulled into the parking, long before the start time.  This is not the first race I have heard of having train problems.  Around the Bay in Hamilton has apparently changed their course this year since runners had to stop for a train last year.  That would have to be more than a little frustrating in the middle of a 30km course.

All in all, the Richmond Road Race seems like a very organized event, I’m guessing after 32 years they know what they are doing.  I have to give kudos for the food.  At the end of your run you went back into the warm high school cafeteria to pick up your bowl of hot soup and a plate loaded with a bun, a muffin, cubes of cheese, a banana, a juice box and a yogurt.  There had to be a good team of volunteers to organize and put out this amount of food.  Since I am avoiding large amounts of gluten, it was the soup that I really enjoyed.  Evan enjoyed everything on his plate plus all of the food I didn’t eat.  Having an almost 11 year old growing boy comes in handy when you have extra food around.

Neither Evan nor I are in race shape.  This was meant to be a training run for us so we set three goals.  We decided we would be happy with finishing the 5k under 31 minutes, and would be really happy if it was under 30 minutes.  Anything that started with 28 would be awesome.  We started out fast, too fast, so had to remind ourselves to slow down.  When we started to hit slippery pavement, and then icy areas on a gravel road we were careful not to push too much.  Evan seemed tired so I said to him we could take a break if he wanted.  His answer: “No, I don’t want to walk, actually I do really want to walk, but I don’t want to, you know what I mean?”  I think most of us can relate.  So we kept going and actually picked up the pace a bit on the way back.  As we got near the end I told him to sprint if he wanted and off he went.  I had zero interest in running any faster so I just coasted to the finish line where volunteers recorded your time.  Evan was thrilled with his 28:58 and I can live with my 29:08, though it is 3 minutes slower than my best.  These times put both of us in third place for our age groups so we came home with some pretty nice backpacks:

We match!

Running with Evan is always fun.  Except for one thing.  He talks… ALOT!  And half of what he says is in the form of a question, so he expects an answer.  Usually I have to answer at least three times because between his heavy breathing and the hat over his ears, he can never hear me.  I finally had to tell him to stop talking to conserve his energy.  The reality was I couldn’t talk anymore and maintain my breathing.  Maybe I will be able to talk and run again in a couple of months but not now as I try desperately to get back to running under a 6 min/km pace.  I was more than a little surprised actually that my 5:50 pace put me in 3rd place for the 40-49 group.  I admit I assumed there must have only been a handful in this age group, so I was even more surprised when I found out there were actually 23 of us.  I guess I am not the only one trying to slowly chip away at my pace.

The winners were anything but slow.  The top 4 runners in the 10k were in the 37 minute range, while the top 3 runners in the 5k were in the 17 minute range.  These are their times in the middle of winter on a slightly slippery course!

What I will remember the most though from this race is the number of “senior” runners.  I don’t even feel right using the word senior, these people were amazing.  In the 10k there were 2 men in the 80+ category (yes you read that right) who finished with times of 67 and 68 minutes!!!  In the 5k there was an 82 year old women who looked like she was still ready to run after the race was completed.  There was no shortage of participants in the 60-69 and 70-79 year old category either, and many of their times were simply amazing.  It made me think how as runners we spend a huge amount of time setting “number”goals.  We are always asking ourselves if we can reach a certain time, a certain distance, a certain number of races.  Perhaps an even better goal would be to strive to be running and feeling healthy in our seventies and even our eighties.  I can only hope!

…how many weeks ’til the Around the Bay?!?

This weekend is my first “race” of 2014.  That word “race” is in quotations because there will be no racing involved in my 5k run.  I feel like it is taking me forever to get back into running shape and at the moment finishing a 5k somewhere around 30 minutes is probably the most I can hope for.  But I am looking forward to hanging out at a race again and getting to run with Evan.  At this time of year I am not sure which of us will find it more difficult to complete the run but I am guessing his youth will give him an advantage.

I am also looking forward to trying a new race.  It is pretty easy to just keep signing up for races you have done in the past.  I hope though that this year I will get to at least a couple of “new” runs, starting with this one.  Of course the Richmond Road Race is only new to me.  It has in fact been around for 32 years, so I have to assume this is a run worth trying.  I also admit I like the shirt that will be coming in my race kit:

According to the December edition of The Pulse, “the race’s new coat of arms features a fox, representing the Town of Richmond’s unique history with that animal (a rabid fox ended the life of the Town’s namesake, the Duke of Richmond) and the motto: ‘Run Fast or Freeze.'”

While running a semi-decent 5k right now is cause for a little concern, it is nothing like the panic I felt when I looked at the calendar and realized that I have 11 weeks to be ready for a 30k run.  If it were a half marathon race I know it would all come together.  But one thing I learned while training for my fall marathon; there is a BIG difference between 21 and 30km.  So I can’t naively tell myself, “Hey, it’s only another 9km, how hard can it be?”  It is a good thing I have decided that it will be a fun run and a chance to try a new race rather than a major goal race.  The Around the Bay Race has an impressive history and does seem to be one of those runs that every runner wants to participate in at some point in their running careers.  So for now I just keep telling myself it will be a fun race to try, and who doesn’t want to meet the infamous Grim Reaper at the top of the last hill, beside a cemetery no less?

My son Evan has added a new challenge to the new year.  At his suggestion, he and I are now going to aim to do a race every month of 2014.  In this amazing city of running, there is no shortage of choices, even in the cold winter months.  Within minutes we had a plan for the year.  If only the rest of life was so easy to organize!  Luke has also made a goal of running at least one 5k and several 3k races.

This once again made me think about how good running is for kids.  How many kids make New Year’s goals?  So I thought I would share a post I wrote last year for the blog RunRodRun called “Why Kids Should Run”. Enjoy!

Why Kids Should Run

My day to day life is full of kids. I am a parent of two boys and I teach elementary school. And while there are lots of great things happening with our kids these days, there are also things that worry me. I think we are all aware that many children today are not as active as they should be. For many kids “screen time” is their hobby, be it in the form of television, computers or video games. The statistics regarding screen time for children is astounding and yes, frightening.
Thankfully many of today’s children have access to, and take part in, a large variety of activities ranging from soccer, to dance, to the arts. And to my relief, free play is also making a comeback as parents slowly realize that children do not need every moment of their existence scheduled for them.

But what about running for kids? What are the benefits? The most obvious of course is fitness. Be it running during free play, sport, or a running club, the health benefits for children cannot be denied.

I think, however, that the benefit of running for kids is even greater than fitness. I think it goes beyond building muscle and strengthening small hearts and lungs. I believe running makes our kids better people and prepares them for adult life.

Both my 10 year old, Evan, and my 8 year old, Luke, are involved in running. Evan was 6 when he first ran a local 1k race, Luke was not quite 4. If you have never had the opportunity to watch a children’s 1k race, treat yourself because you will be guaranteed to smile! There is nothing cuter, or more inspiring, than a group of kids, many in race t-shirts that come to their knees, running, walking or toddling to a finish line. They have no idea that they are already taking their first steps to a healthy lifestyle, they simply enjoy the excitement of race day. And without realizing it they become immersed in a sport that attracts everyone from elite athletes to average people who have realized it is time to get off the couch and make fitness a priority. Kids learn through example and what better example can there be than an event with hundreds, even thousands of people of all abilities making the effort to improve themselves through running?

My boys have since run countless races, ranging from 1k to 5k. I admit I have not had to buy a new t-shirt for either of them for years now; their drawers are overflowing with race shirts. They are also lucky enough to attend a school that believes kids who run do better in school. Because of that philosophy all of the students, regardless of ability, take part in running club several times a week.

With all of this running I have had the pleasure of seeing what the sport does for my kids. It has without a doubt played a very important part in both their lives. But for now, I am going to use Evan’s experiences to explain why I think running goes beyond fitness.

Evan is one of those lucky kids for whom academics have always come easily – very easily. As a parent that certainly comes as a relief. But strange as it may seem, problems can arise when everything you do comes easily. For example, how do you learn to do something that is hard? How do you learn perseverance? How do you learn to struggle and perhaps even fail? And how do you learn you can survive failure? As parents we don’t always want to see our children struggle, but I believe we are doing them a disservice when we make sure they avoid anything challenging.

So here is where running comes in. For a small percentage of kids, running quickly and running for a specified amount of time is easy. But most of them are just like us. In order to run they have to work, and that work is not always as easy as they would like. Running was very hard for Evan. To be blunt, he hated it to begin with. While he may be a natural academic, and he has creative skills I truly envy, athletics simply were not his thing. So what was his reaction to having to run? He wanted to quit. There was moaning and groaning and questioning of running’s purpose. This, I think, is not exclusive to children. Let’s be honest, we have all questioned at times why on earth we would put ourselves through the hardships of running.

But here is the great thing about running: with work anyone can improve. Put one foot in front of the other, do it on a regular basis and you will become a better runner. In fact, you can even become a good runner. And that is where Evan is now. He has learned that if you put in the effort, you get results. He has discovered perseverance is almost a magical characteristic. He has found out, like all of us, bad runs happen. They may frustrate us but we all survive and move on. Perhaps best of all, he has learned to be proud of himself. In a time when many kids look for external praise, he has learned that true pride comes from within. The night he completely surpassed his goal when running hills (and left me in the dust) he described the feeling as all the happy words he knows rolled into one. What a perfect description of the runner’s high!

So when I look at all the things Evan has learned, I see skills that will last him his entire life. Whenever he tackles something difficult he will simply have to look at running as an example of how hard work and perseverance pay off. After one of his races this year a friend of mine told him he was a natural. Later I said to him that I didn’t really agree with that statement. He right away said he didn’t either. He said he wasn’t a natural, he just worked really hard to get to where he is now. As a mother, I can’t be happier with these lessons learned at such an early age, through such a simple sport. And when I see all of those kids out at races, I can’t help but be thankful that they too are learning through each step to be stronger, better people.

While the title above may imply three different runs, it is in fact only one and it was completed by my family yesterday. A couple of weeks ago I posted that one of the writers over at Salty Running took pity on my medal envy and offered to send me her medal from Cleveland’s “A Christmas Story” race. I love this movie so couldn’t help wanting to get this “major award” to hang on our tree. The deal offered by Pepper was if I made a donation to a charity of my choice, ran 10k and posted about the run on Salty Running, I would receive this awesome medal:

As I posted earlier, the kids and I completed the first part of the deal before Christmas when we went shopping to donate toys to Toy Mountain. Yesterday it was time for part two of the deal, running 10k. When I first started planning this run I asked the kids if they wanted to be part of it so the medal would become a family prize. They enthusiastically agreed and then kindly volunteered my husband to take part as well. Safe to say he did not have quite the same enthusiasm as the rest of us did but without complaining (much) he joined us. He did however note that maybe his resolution could be to NOT run in 2014. Not much chance of that though in this house of runners!

At 3:00 yesterday afternoon I told everyone to start getting ready for a 3:30 run. Evan quickly argued that it doesn’t take half an hour to get dressed for a run. He was right…an HOUR later we managed to head out the door. I’m heading into my third winter of running. I have all the needed layers to stay warm while still being able to actually move. Trying to get the kids ready for a run in -16C (3F) proved to be a bit more interesting. The challenge was to find enough layers to keep them warm without making them look like Ralphie’s little brother in A Christmas Story (picture a kid so bundled up he can’t make his arms go down). I did make a mental note to plan any future family fun runs in warm weather – shirts, shorts, shoes and out the door!

Finally ready!

The run itself was great. Even one of our dogs joined in the fun. It didn’t take long to warm up and despite the cold temperature it was a beautiful winter’s day. Luke and my husband each completed 3k, Evan completed 5.1k and I, for the first time since November, made it into double digits by completing 10k. And when you add these distances up, that’s right, you get a family half marathon. I believe a new family tradition has begun!

For anyone who would also like their own A Christmas Story medal, next year’s race in Cleveland will be on December 6th. But if you don’t want to travel, you can take part in their virtual race. Just register and run the distance and you will receive your medal in the mail. And I’ve already checked with the organizers – Canadian virtual runners are welcome 🙂

Like last year, my new running season starts right after Christmas Day, rather than January 1st. I have realized that for me, most of December is just not a running month. Sure, I can make all kinds of promises to myself that I will maintain my mileage throughout December. I made those promises this year and it just didn’t happen. I did at least do more running this December compared to last. A quick check of my running log showed that I in fact only managed to do 18km last December, making this month’s 38km (with a couple of days to go) seem a little more impressive. O.K. not by much, but you know what I mean. But both years once Christmas Day was done I felt that my running season was ready to start again, although I admit I have approached these new beginnings with trepidation, knowing how hard it is to start again after a break. But I am encouraged in knowing that last year January and February saw me return to high mileage and good focus. I hope the same will happen this year.

A quiet Boxing Day run on my road.

Of course it is also time to start planning the season and setting goals. My very peaceful (and very, very slow) 7k run on Boxing Day gave me time to think through what I want to accomplish this year. What I realized was that I had to pick one main goal. Should it be a fast 30k at Around the Bay? A 55 minute 10k? A second marathon? Multiple half marathons? In the end I settled on a sub 2 hour half marathon as my ultimate goal. I’m not picky, I’ll be happy with a 1:59:59. I just want to see that “1”.   If all goes to plan I should have four or five opportunities to try to achieve this goal.

As for races this year, I am already registered for the following:
Around the Bay 30k (March) I’ve already decided that this will be a “fun” run, no major goals other than to enjoy the ride.
Manotick 10 Miler (April) thanks to a Christmas gift from my boys and husband.
Ottawa Race Weekend Half (May)

Other races I plan on doing:
Winterman 5k or 10k (February)
Ottawa Race Weekend 5k with Luke (Evan will be somewhere up ahead of us)
Either the Canadian Half (August) or Fall Colours Half (October) thanks to a Somersault gift certificate from my parents.
Army Half (September)
Mission Possible Half (November)

The destination race I really hope to do:
Vancouver Half (June)

This should be a big year of running for my kids, particularly Evan as he is keen on doing several 3k and some 5k races. Luke is also wants to try a number of 3k races. And for all of us we will be doing our “A Christmas Story/Resolution Run/Family Half Marathon Run” (see last post for explanation)in the next couple of days. Let the new season begin!

On Thursday the boys and I made a second shopping trip to buy toys for Toy Mountain.  Our first trip was done a few weeks ago and was part of our annual tradition.  Each year I take the boys to choose toys for charity in lieu of gifts for their teachers.  They then make homemade cards for the teachers and we include a note to let them know about the toys bought.  As a teacher myself, I know teachers get a lot in the way of gifts, everything from gift cards, to chocolate, to candles and soap.  This is just our way of doing something a little different that will benefit those in need.

So what does this all have to do with Cleveland?  Well, in my last post I explained how I had found my dream medal which runners in Cleveland’s recent ‘A Christmas Story 5 and 10k” received.  I learned about the race on a blog I follow, Salty Running, a blog with a number of contributors, all women. When I left a comment on “Pepper’s” post about the race, noting I had medal envy, she very kindly offered a trade. She and her husband both ran the race so are in possession of two medals. She offered to send a medal to me if I ran a 10k and made a donation to a charity of my choice. Needless to say I couldn’t turn down that amazing offer!

So that is why Evan, Luke and I headed out for some more fun toy shopping. The next step is to run that 10k. I wanted to do something special for the run, so my first thought was to aim for a P.B. I quickly realized that just completing the distance is going to be difficult enough with my lack of running these days, much less trying to run it in 56 minutes or less. Then it occurred to me this really should be a family event. Luke quickly agreed to join me for 3k, and Evan offered to do 5. Then Evan volunteered my husband to join in for 3 as well, to give us a total of 21km. We are now referring to the run as the “A Christmas Story Family Half Marathon” and we will be running it sometime around January 1st.

As I have been telling this fun story to friends I have been quite surprised as to how many people have never seen the movie. I guess in a way it is a bit of “cult” Christmas favourite and it was in fact a movie that wasn’t particularly well-received when it was first released. And yet now it often makes it onto many top 10 Christmas movie lists. There was an article about it in today’s paper that noted it was a little ahead of its time in terms of humour but it is that humour that has made me a fan for more than two decades. When I think of this movie I immediately think of leg lamps, Chinese for Christmas dinner, puffy one-piece snowsuits, belching furnaces, flagpoles, pink bunny suits, fudge and soap connoisseurs. If you have seen the movie, you are giggling right now, if you haven’t, check it out on CBC this Monday night at 8:00p.m. Maybe you will end up with medal envy too!

I always like a nice race medal but I have never decided to do a race specifically for the bling.  I admit I have never really understood the fuss about Disney medals and how, shall we say obsessed, some runners are with getting them (obsession in this sport, never!).  But I get it now, though the medal I would love to lay my hands on has nothing to do with Disney.

Apparently a few weeks ago Cleveland celebrated the 30th anniversary of the movie “A Christmas Story” by running a 5 and 10k race.  And get this, there was a Leg Lamp Fun Run for the kids 🙂  Runners were also able to visit Ralphie’s house in all of its original glory.  I have to admit I always assumed that house was in Toronto, or somewhere in Ontario since much of the movie was filmed in this province. But it is, in fact located in Cleveland and is now a museum filled with memories of the movie.

But here is the best part of the race…check out the medal:

This is a medal I could get obsessed about!  Hands down, the best medal I have seen 🙂  If I had this “major award” it would get a prime spot in my living room, just like the old man’s leg lamp!

So after yesterday’s whiny post I figured it was time to get my butt in gear and run – any distance, any time – today.  There was the minor factor of a temperature of -18 degrees Celsius ( -0.4F), -28C ( -18F) with the windchill.  But I decided I was not going to let that stop me…though I would let it keep my run short!  I headed out in more layers than any person should ever have to run in with a plan of doing 1k.  Instead I stuck it out for 4k, even having to unzip and remove some layers.  The roads were slippery, the air bitterly cold but I ran with one main purpose, to prove to myself I am not entirely prepared to hibernate until the New Year.  It wasn’t a fast run (24 minutes) but it did feel good to get myself out there, and when else can you feel proud that people are probably looking at you like you are an idiot.  I felt like the poster child for Canadian fortitude.

Of course then I passed the high school school bus making a stop to drop off students.  Not one teenager got off that bus with a hat on – except the kid with the ball cap, though he hadn’t bothered with a coat.  Most of the kids hadn’t bothered with mitts either.  So my fortitude is not quite on level with the average Ottawa teenager but since I long ago gave up on any kind of cool factor (don’t tell my kids, they are still young enough to think I am cool) I guess it doesn’t matter!

As I peruse various blogs I find post after post about Santa Shuffles, Holiday Streaks, treadmill tips and cold weather running advice.  I have even read about an “Ugly Holiday Sweater Run”.

And then there is me.  Am I the only one with absolutely no motivation?  Am I the only one who has traded in running shoes for a couch and who is finding the idea of hibernating in flannel a very attractive idea?  I’ve tried to be a runner these past few weeks, really I have.  Each week I try to get out and do at least 2 runs…o.k. maybe one run.  I just seem to be struggling to get out there and once I am out there I am struggling to complete a half decent run.  And for a half decent run I would be happy accepting a pace faster than my marathon pace, OR a distance that moves me into double digits, OR just a run that was fun.  I am not being picky, I swear!  I could blame the weather, the pre-Christmas rush, work, a stiff knee, but the fact is these are nothing more than excuses.  If the weather was perfect, the gifts all bought and the Christmas baking done and in the freezer, I still would be struggling.  The most running I have done in one week for the past month was 13k.  And it took me four runs to make it to that total.  All of my distances have been in the single digits and let’s just say the numbers 8 or 9 have not come up at all.  Sure, I could do some cross training, give myself a new challenge for a while.  But I don’t even feel like doing that.  I know, I know, I can tell myself that this is my body and mind saying they need a break.  Rest is a good thing, right?  Last year I took most of December off, by January I was back at it ready to go.  So why is this stressing me out?  Why do I no longer feel like a runner? I feel like a bit of a fraud when I read all of those happy blog posts from runners who actually, well, RUN!  I’m sure part of it is because I told myself I would be sure to maintain a certain level of running fitness through December.  I promised myself I would be ready to jump right into Around the Bay training on the 15th.  The 15th of course would be today.  I feel a little like I have given up and while I hate feeling like that I don’t seem to hate it enough to change anything about it.  So what do I want for Christmas?  How about a little motivation stuffed onto my stocking…