Training began on January 6, 2011 and lasted 16 weeks. In that time, I completed countless sets of intervals at 200m-800m distances, did 75 hill repeats, trudged through 16 Saturday long runs ranging from 16-27km, leaked the toe jizz ending in two purple toes, nursed two injuries, braved the chilling cold, wind, and rain, swam like a fish, spinned my heart out, and lifted hundreds (thousands?) of pounds in weights. Combined, it proved to be completely worth it when I ran Around the Bay 2011.
The day was absolutely, undeniably, positively, no word of a lie PERFECT! Cloudless sunny skies, a beautiful -10 to start (warming to -5 by the time I was closing in on finishing), and BEST of all... limited wind! There could not have possibly been any better day to race.
I arrived at Copps fairly early for a 9:30 start... 7:45 to be sure, because Kimberly was working for the event, and I was her only way of getting there. It was a good move on my part, because it gave me plenty of time to just sit in the stadium to collect my thoughts, consider my race strategies, and calm myself down from inevitable race anxiety. I met with Julie, Kathi, Breeann, Louise, Laura, and some others at 8:30.
Originally Steve and myself were going to run together for this race. My own goal was a reattempt at the sub-3hrs goal of last year, which I had missed by a very large 17 minutes. Steve had success with this last year, but had been nursing some injuries of his own and though the pace and goal was more manageable than those goals and paces of other runners in the group. But it turned out that Steve would not run ATB at all this year, due to the injuries which had been plaguing him over the last couple weeks. I was disappointed... we always have a really fun time running together, and in a race fun is what you need to get through a distance like 30K. At the same time, I sort of looked forward to the challenge it left me with: I was going to have to push myself along for 30K without any accountability to anyone but myself. This intrigued me.
Anyway, I started out with Julie, Kathi, and Breeann. Their pace would be 5:30/km though, which was 20 seconds faster per kilometer than I needed to be to achieve my goal. I stayed with them for 8k, but decided to hold back at that point for fear of burning out and missing my re-attempt at being a fast runner in a race. In this race, it's not at all difficult to go full out on the first half, which is straight and flat, completely forgetting what lies ahead in the very hilly and curvy second half. Having done this twice prior to this race, I knew what was ahead, and I decided to take the smart path and stay realistic on my pace.
Usually I watch for each and every kilometer marker in a race, which is completely stupid and I'll never do it again. Not after the success I had at ATB this year. This year, I just put my head down and I ran. That's it. I had been thinking... my training runs do not have giant markers to tell me how far I've gone. I just go out and run, and it never seems to be a problem. I find that in a race, if I watch for each and every kilometer marker the race goes by so much more slowly, and it seems so much more torturous. This race, I put my head down and ran, and before I knew it I was on Northshore Blvd at the 18k marker with just 12k to go.
I plowed through the hills like it was nobody's business, never stopping for a single minute along the way. Not even to drink. Yes, I spilled many cups of water all over me, and ended up spitting part of one of my energy gels out in front of me (and subsequently spraying a fellow racer, although they didn't seem to notice, thank goodness!). In total there are 6 big hills on this course, including the infamous Valley Inn hill. In the Boston Marathon, there is a hill called "Heartbreak Hill". It is long and gradual, with a grade of 4.6. Valley Inn, a part of Around the Bay just before the 26k marker, is 600m long and has a grade of 7.3. It comes after 25k in the race, 7km of which were other hills, both long, gradual, and more steep. Valley Inn defeats experienced marathon runners, and makes your legs burn like a campfire. Most people walk up it. But not me. I ran every step of that hill with tremendous spirit, pride, and confidence. I never stopped once on this race, not for anything.
I have never felt that good at the top of Valley Inn as I made my way down York Blvd. to Copps Coliseum for the finish line. To be sure, the Grim Reaper (a man and his son dress up like the Grimm Reaper each year beside the cemetery on York Blvd... a perfect place for the race and the runners who actually feel like death at that point!) told me "You look way too happy right now". I was not at all ashamed to tell him I was feeling great, because I absolutely was. I made my way down York, now with some burning calves and sore hips (it's near impossible to not feel something racing at this distance).
When I made my way down the loading dock ramp at Copps, and turned the corner to the finish line, the first thing I did was look up at the clock. What I saw has kept me on a high ever since. The past two years, I have documented 30K times starting with the number 3. This year, my time begins with a 2! To be EXACT: 2hrs 55mins 23seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I WAS UNBELIEVABLY, UNCONTROLLABLY, UNCONTAINABLY HAPPY!!! I had not only made my goal of sub-3hrs, I BEAT it by 5 minutes!! I knocked TWENTY-TWO minutes off of my time from last year, as well. And I had done this all on my own, without running in a group. I pushed myself along, and up, and faster, and over the finish. I did it all on my own. You have no idea what this is.
I ran into several friends when it was all said and done, among them a colleague from work. Robb was aiming for an in the area of 3hr finish too, and came extremely close with a 3hr7minute 3ok. I ran into Kate who had an amazing race as well. Julie, Kathi, and Breeann had a spectacular race, finishing in 2hrs 44mins, perhaps a goal for me for next year. For the first time in 15 years, a Canadian won the 30k race. He came in at 1hr 37mins (disgusting!). The first place female was also a Canadian, and she finished at 1hr 50minutes (and when the news interviewed her, she looked like she hadn't even broken a sweat, and her make up was perfect. I found this to be extremely unfair and offensive, considering the stench and sweat I endured during my own race).
Afterwards a large group of us from the Runner's Den gathered at the Vicar's Vice for terrible bar food and beer to share race stories over. I couldn't have wanted anything more than that in that moment. I am so very, very, very, lucky. I love these people.
My post-race body also been strangely wonderful. I didn't feel any pain whatsoever until later in the evening on Monday, when my quads reminded me that I didn't stretch as good as normal, and still are as I type. Other than that though, I am A-O-K! I ran this evening, just 8k, and it was a fantastic run. Ain't no rest for the determined! ;)
Around the Bay is all over for another year, but training continues on hard and strong in preparation for the Mississauga Marathon on May 15th. I am feeling very confident now that I will achieve my 4hr5min goal in Mississauga, based on my ATB performance, and the fact that I am going out and holding the same pace for Mississauga as I did this weekend. Yeah, bring it on!
New training goal: find fuel that is not a gel. They kill my stomach. Like really terribly kill me.
I still can't believe I did it!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
No Pain, No Gain. And Nail Polish is Cheap.
Yes, it can be unsightly. And at times painful, too. I remember the first time I took my sock off to examine my feet after a long run while training for my first marathon back in the summer of 2009, only to remark at what a lovely shade of purple my nail polish was. Wait.. why did I only put it on two toes?
Runner's bruises, as some call them, are, in my opinion, a rite of passage... a badge of honour. It means you're putting in some mean weekly mileage, and that's something to be proud of. Bruised toenails can be the result of a number of things, ranging from a significant increase in mileage, shoes that are too small, or socks that do not fit properly. My own badges of glory are the result of mileage.
The physiology behind this is simply friction. When you run, you are putting 3x's your body weight on your feet when you land. This, combined with an increase in distance, and persistent pounding on the pavement, or scrunching one's toes in their shoes as they land, all serve to cause "trauma" to those vulnerable digits which help to balance us as we trot along. After bruising, the typical result is that the toe nail will fall off.
Often, there is a build up of some sort of liquid under the toe nail/toe tip area. I like to call this "toe jizz" (clearly not the actual medical term, but effectively explains what I mean). The jizz is clear and easily released with the prick of a sterilized pin. I find the jizz to be painful, so the release with this pin prick brings nothing but relief, for after this I usually feel no other pain. Then comes the unsightliness of the bruise, which can take a loooooong time to disappear.
As you read in my opening paragraph, I've had this before. My first time was when I was training for my first marathon in 2009. In the days which followed my first 42.2km run, I lost two toe nails, after the jizz and bruise experience. That was on my right foot, which has since been "trauma" free. This time around my left foot gets the joy of displaying the proof of all my hard work (as pictured above).
Now, if I was a girl who cared about perfectly manicured feet, this would be a problem. But I'm not. My feet are working feet, and they take me a lot of places, and over a lot of finish lines. I like my bruises because they tell a story. And I'll never get to Boston with out it.
So since I am not planning on giving up running anytime within the next 60 years, I'll just have to keep covering my running bruises with nail polish. If I find a purple close enough to the bruises I currently have, I won't even need to put it on those affected toes ;).
11 days to the Bay.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
2 weeks and no new writings in here = embarrassing. My apologies, but life has truly been bananas for me lately! I've also been keeping a low "online presence" lately for the betterment of my own mental health... I'll discuss that later on though.
In Running News:
Around the Bay/ Mississauga Marathon training is going really well now, post-ankle post-shin somethingorother injury. Back in January I was given some amazing trail running shoes (Brooks Cascadia) which are primo for running in the snow. Trail shoes are like snow tires for your feet in winter weather, the grip is 20x's better. The problem rests in the fact that trail shoes are not fit to a runner's pronation (i.e. does your foot roll in when you step, flex out, or stay neutral). I have an over pronated step, which requires that I wear a stability shoe. My first run in the Cascadia's was an 18km trek through a blustery, snowy January morning, which was too much mileage too soon in new shoes. The result was some muscle tears in my left inside ankle, and some shin splints on my right leg. They have FINALLY poofed into nothingness as of this past week, but only after hour upon hour of icing, a couple skipped speed work sessions, and one missed long run. I was good in time to race the Grimsby Half Marathon last Sunday. That race was absolutely STUPID! It had unexpectedly snowed the night before, dropping a decent 10ish centimeters. Many of the streets the course follows were not plowed or salted enough for stable footing, NOT TO MENTION the bit through the orchards along the lake through Grimsby. That portion of the race was like riding that gear on your bike where you pedal and pedal and pedal but don't move anywhere! I got so mad that I actually said "Fuck it!" out loud, and told Breeann to keep going without me, I had to walk. I wasted so much energy in that section, I lost a good couple minutes. But, as much as I struggled, the temperature was perfect, and my time ended up being 2hrs 2mins. Not my fastest half-marathon, but certainly not my slowest. And all things considered (my attitude mostly, and the footing), I was fairly pleased with the end results. This week's long run was a very rainy and very windy 25km to King Rd. from the Den and back. This coming Saturday we'll put in 28km, then taper. Around the Bay is in 3 weeks. I hope my body stays on the high roads until then.
In Contest News:
Back in February I received an email from Reach for the Rainbow telling me that I had won a contest they held. The contest was to submit a story or photograph of an experience you shared with a RFTR camper. I chose to submit a story I wrote about in this blog back in July 2010 ("This is what happened on the Baby Blackbirds Bus on the way home from camp today"). I have no idea as to how many submissions were received, but I do know that I was among 3 winners whose entries will be published in the RFTR spring magazine this year, in addition to 2 court side Raptors tickets (I think I was the only one to win the Raptors tickets). So, holler for being published! I took my dad to the Raptors vs. Phoenix Suns game last Friday, and we loved it. Steve Nash is my new favourite athlete to love and potentially online stalk. The man is basketball royalty, so quick, swift, skilled, handsome, and CANADIAN! It was my dad's first time in the ACC... he was beside himself. It was neat that I could be the one to bring him to a place he's always wanted to go, to watch a team he watches religiously. He got nachos, I got this to die for popcorn with M&M's and drizzled in chocolate (YUM MUCH?!) and we didn't get mixed up with the GO Train. A great success if there ever was one. Oh, and Vince Carter was like 2 feet away from us at the very end. Cool.
In School News:
I was at Parkview for the month of February filling in for Jag as he enjoyed his parental leave for the birth of his beautiful, handsome son, Navtaj. It makes me so happy working there. I really look forward to seeing the kids each and every day, hearing about what they did the night before (actually... sometimes I hear things I don't like too much at all), sharing things about my own life with them, and teaching them where I can, be it in school work, or just in life in general. I had grade 10 woodworking first period (turns out I can actually do some of that stuff!), senior auto (a class of ALL BOYS, and me not knowing a whole lot about the internal functions of cars. But it worked out extremely well... swearing decreased by 65% with me being in the room! [Since Jag's return, though, swearing has increased by 200%, as reported to me by Cody Bernard on Thursday. "Miss you gotta come back, it's filthy in there with out you"). 3rd period saw me in resource helping an amazing bunch of grade 12 students mostly, with stragglers here and there who'd come down to work there if they knew I was the EA in the room. I loved every kid who came in. Period 4 was woodworking again, this time for grade 9 shop rounds. It was by far the MOST challenging group on my schedule. Girl drama coming out of the wazoo (I can't take that!). But I developed such a fabulous rapport with several students, mainly Zack. He made me several wonderful gifts, among them a single drum stick, a block of wood painted red (he was practicing his jig saw skills), a lemon shaped and coloured smiley face (face chizzled in with a hammer and chizzle), and two rocks (actually, one limestone piece, and one clay piece he found on his way to school on Wednesday). The staff I worked with throughout the month were also amazing. I miss all of it already. SO much.
Still on the Parkview note, while talking with Dan Pauls at the Westdale Runner's Den Store about shoes and asking if it were possible that if he had extras from those donated by the runner's at his store, could Parkview be able to snatch a couple pairs? Well, he gave more than a couple... to be sure, an entire box and an enormous bag FULL of both mens and womens athletic shoes. I was floored. This meant that more than a couple students would have decent shoes on their feet. Everyone and Anyone looking for athletic shoes or clothing should absolutely go to the Runner's Den Hamilton! They support SO many in our community through the Road 2 Hope race, and donations such as this to Parkview. Let's keep them in business and show our support back.
Ok, a little less happy but not so terrible (let's say neutral) news now....
So it's no secret to anyone who might read this that I have an anxiety disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder to be exact, with one bit of panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. If you didn't know this, you would have in time, so no worries (ha, no pun intended ;). Within the last couple months, I've sought assistance from a counselor trained to help those with anxiety disorders to deal with their challenges (cognitive behaviour therapy [CBT]). Many of the BILLION things I worry about stem from things seen or read online, in particular Facebook. So in working with Gloria, I've come to work at not being online very much at all anymore. I'm rarely on msn these days, I limit my Facebook time to 25-30mins max (sadly it's still a great source of communication with those I can't talk to any other way), and mainly just check my e-mail. So far, it has been a positive thing for me, although it would be better if I was just completely off it altogether. I guess the main thing is I have someone trained in anxiety to help me now. This is too much for me to handle alone. The things I worry about you might say are absolutely ridiculous and, granted, some of them are. There just doesn't seem to be an end to the list of items I worry about (some including all of the above: time (i.e. being on time, how much time is left, etc), the health of our oceans and how it's connected to ALL other living things on Earth, my retirement, poverty in Hamilton, money and my financial viability, what I am going to eat, my students and how I can help them better, my death, my family's health (physically and dynamics), getting into school, once out of school having success finding a teaching job,.... just a glimpse for you). I hope that talking about these things with a 3rd party will help (sure is a lot better than any pill). A cure would still be better, though (and it would save my dental bill, considering all the teeth grinding/clutching my jaw, and ease my constantly active tummy).
Ok, I'm due for a shower. I've had an exhausting weekend, between that awful run, a crazy shift Saturday night, a boring shift today, and now the regular week is about to begin. I'm going to be at least 2 inches taller with all the directions I'm being pulled in lately. I better let my hem's down.
(Hi Jen! Thanks for reading! :)
In Running News:
Around the Bay/ Mississauga Marathon training is going really well now, post-ankle post-shin somethingorother injury. Back in January I was given some amazing trail running shoes (Brooks Cascadia) which are primo for running in the snow. Trail shoes are like snow tires for your feet in winter weather, the grip is 20x's better. The problem rests in the fact that trail shoes are not fit to a runner's pronation (i.e. does your foot roll in when you step, flex out, or stay neutral). I have an over pronated step, which requires that I wear a stability shoe. My first run in the Cascadia's was an 18km trek through a blustery, snowy January morning, which was too much mileage too soon in new shoes. The result was some muscle tears in my left inside ankle, and some shin splints on my right leg. They have FINALLY poofed into nothingness as of this past week, but only after hour upon hour of icing, a couple skipped speed work sessions, and one missed long run. I was good in time to race the Grimsby Half Marathon last Sunday. That race was absolutely STUPID! It had unexpectedly snowed the night before, dropping a decent 10ish centimeters. Many of the streets the course follows were not plowed or salted enough for stable footing, NOT TO MENTION the bit through the orchards along the lake through Grimsby. That portion of the race was like riding that gear on your bike where you pedal and pedal and pedal but don't move anywhere! I got so mad that I actually said "Fuck it!" out loud, and told Breeann to keep going without me, I had to walk. I wasted so much energy in that section, I lost a good couple minutes. But, as much as I struggled, the temperature was perfect, and my time ended up being 2hrs 2mins. Not my fastest half-marathon, but certainly not my slowest. And all things considered (my attitude mostly, and the footing), I was fairly pleased with the end results. This week's long run was a very rainy and very windy 25km to King Rd. from the Den and back. This coming Saturday we'll put in 28km, then taper. Around the Bay is in 3 weeks. I hope my body stays on the high roads until then.
In Contest News:
Back in February I received an email from Reach for the Rainbow telling me that I had won a contest they held. The contest was to submit a story or photograph of an experience you shared with a RFTR camper. I chose to submit a story I wrote about in this blog back in July 2010 ("This is what happened on the Baby Blackbirds Bus on the way home from camp today"). I have no idea as to how many submissions were received, but I do know that I was among 3 winners whose entries will be published in the RFTR spring magazine this year, in addition to 2 court side Raptors tickets (I think I was the only one to win the Raptors tickets). So, holler for being published! I took my dad to the Raptors vs. Phoenix Suns game last Friday, and we loved it. Steve Nash is my new favourite athlete to love and potentially online stalk. The man is basketball royalty, so quick, swift, skilled, handsome, and CANADIAN! It was my dad's first time in the ACC... he was beside himself. It was neat that I could be the one to bring him to a place he's always wanted to go, to watch a team he watches religiously. He got nachos, I got this to die for popcorn with M&M's and drizzled in chocolate (YUM MUCH?!) and we didn't get mixed up with the GO Train. A great success if there ever was one. Oh, and Vince Carter was like 2 feet away from us at the very end. Cool.
In School News:
I was at Parkview for the month of February filling in for Jag as he enjoyed his parental leave for the birth of his beautiful, handsome son, Navtaj. It makes me so happy working there. I really look forward to seeing the kids each and every day, hearing about what they did the night before (actually... sometimes I hear things I don't like too much at all), sharing things about my own life with them, and teaching them where I can, be it in school work, or just in life in general. I had grade 10 woodworking first period (turns out I can actually do some of that stuff!), senior auto (a class of ALL BOYS, and me not knowing a whole lot about the internal functions of cars. But it worked out extremely well... swearing decreased by 65% with me being in the room! [Since Jag's return, though, swearing has increased by 200%, as reported to me by Cody Bernard on Thursday. "Miss you gotta come back, it's filthy in there with out you"). 3rd period saw me in resource helping an amazing bunch of grade 12 students mostly, with stragglers here and there who'd come down to work there if they knew I was the EA in the room. I loved every kid who came in. Period 4 was woodworking again, this time for grade 9 shop rounds. It was by far the MOST challenging group on my schedule. Girl drama coming out of the wazoo (I can't take that!). But I developed such a fabulous rapport with several students, mainly Zack. He made me several wonderful gifts, among them a single drum stick, a block of wood painted red (he was practicing his jig saw skills), a lemon shaped and coloured smiley face (face chizzled in with a hammer and chizzle), and two rocks (actually, one limestone piece, and one clay piece he found on his way to school on Wednesday). The staff I worked with throughout the month were also amazing. I miss all of it already. SO much.
Still on the Parkview note, while talking with Dan Pauls at the Westdale Runner's Den Store about shoes and asking if it were possible that if he had extras from those donated by the runner's at his store, could Parkview be able to snatch a couple pairs? Well, he gave more than a couple... to be sure, an entire box and an enormous bag FULL of both mens and womens athletic shoes. I was floored. This meant that more than a couple students would have decent shoes on their feet. Everyone and Anyone looking for athletic shoes or clothing should absolutely go to the Runner's Den Hamilton! They support SO many in our community through the Road 2 Hope race, and donations such as this to Parkview. Let's keep them in business and show our support back.
Ok, a little less happy but not so terrible (let's say neutral) news now....
So it's no secret to anyone who might read this that I have an anxiety disorder. Generalized Anxiety Disorder to be exact, with one bit of panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies. If you didn't know this, you would have in time, so no worries (ha, no pun intended ;). Within the last couple months, I've sought assistance from a counselor trained to help those with anxiety disorders to deal with their challenges (cognitive behaviour therapy [CBT]). Many of the BILLION things I worry about stem from things seen or read online, in particular Facebook. So in working with Gloria, I've come to work at not being online very much at all anymore. I'm rarely on msn these days, I limit my Facebook time to 25-30mins max (sadly it's still a great source of communication with those I can't talk to any other way), and mainly just check my e-mail. So far, it has been a positive thing for me, although it would be better if I was just completely off it altogether. I guess the main thing is I have someone trained in anxiety to help me now. This is too much for me to handle alone. The things I worry about you might say are absolutely ridiculous and, granted, some of them are. There just doesn't seem to be an end to the list of items I worry about (some including all of the above: time (i.e. being on time, how much time is left, etc), the health of our oceans and how it's connected to ALL other living things on Earth, my retirement, poverty in Hamilton, money and my financial viability, what I am going to eat, my students and how I can help them better, my death, my family's health (physically and dynamics), getting into school, once out of school having success finding a teaching job,.... just a glimpse for you). I hope that talking about these things with a 3rd party will help (sure is a lot better than any pill). A cure would still be better, though (and it would save my dental bill, considering all the teeth grinding/clutching my jaw, and ease my constantly active tummy).
Ok, I'm due for a shower. I've had an exhausting weekend, between that awful run, a crazy shift Saturday night, a boring shift today, and now the regular week is about to begin. I'm going to be at least 2 inches taller with all the directions I'm being pulled in lately. I better let my hem's down.
(Hi Jen! Thanks for reading! :)
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