2 weeks to go and it's beginning to feel real...

...but not entirely. 

Two weeks today, I'll be running my third marathon. In fact, by this time of day in two weeks, I'll be sipping some cold refreshments somewhere, nursing my aching muscles, enjoying celebratory company with my teammates, taking in the feeling of my medal weighing heavy around my neck, and reflecting on the whole experience.

This marathon has been a long time coming. I thought up the idea of it last fall, with my 2nd marathon on the horizon. Since then, it's been an idea that transformed into a commitment, then a goal, a dream vacation, and now a very real reality on the horizon. I'm almost there.

I admit that most of my previous races have been mostly about me, my athletic goals, and little else. Yes, I do often race with friends, but it's still been about all of us going into those races with individual goals. I do indeed have an athletic goal attached to this race - I have worked real hard and expect a personal best. In fact, I expect to blow it out of the water. I know I can and will achieve this and make myself proud. But this one is so much more than just about athletic achievement. And I admit that I am very much looking forward to the vacation aspect of this trip. It's been a very long time since Cam and I got away anywhere, and this will be the furthest and longest we've ever traveled together. I am excited to share this time with him. Boy are we ever going to have fun! But yes, this is so much more than just a race and a vacation.

While many of the amazing people I have met through Team In Training (TNT) often join for their first or second race, I came in perhaps with different motivation having many races under my belt. Having worked with TNT for over a year and being someone who lives and breathes running, some find it surprising that this is my first ever event as an official member of the Team. I couldn't be prouder to wear my purple at this race. I wanted to do this with the Team because of our mission, because I want to make a contribution toward our fight for a cancer-free world. I have plenty of motivation to do just that. And I chose to do this because I wanted to have a team experience. I continue to meet incredible people and make close friends every day I am involved with TNT. And while I didn't train a whole lot with my teammates or follow our team's coach's schedule, I was somehow still very much part of the team because of our collective goal. We all have reasons why the LLSC mission means so much. Collectively, our reasons unite us. When our Team jerseys arrived in the office, I was so excited to crack open the box and claim one for myself.

I took my jersey home and wore it for Thursday's tempo run around the seawall so I could get a feel for the fabric and give it a good wash before race day. I was pleased with the attention wearing it that day got me - lots of smiles, nods, and respect. The purple jersey is earned for your hard work training for an endurance sports event and fundraising for an important cause. It was a reminder that race day is pending. It's almost here, but yet somehow doesn't feel entirely real. I talk about it every day, yet it feels so distant and not quite true. It probably won't clue in for real until our plane lands in San Diego and not a moment before.

I took some time to iron on some lettering and paint the back of my jersey today. I'll probably do a bit to the front too once the other side dries. This was a wonderful experience - reflecting on the people that this whole experience has been dedicated to and remembering why I have been doing all this to begin with. I was likely smiling like a young child version of me in her grade school art classes, while I worked on this project. My finishing touch today was me writing "cancer sucks" on the bottom of my jersey. I had much meaner things to say about cancer, but decided to keep it somewhat family-friendly. I wrote that very much for me.

Turning It Up To Eleven

One more long run this weekend, at the peak of my marathon training, and then I'll be officially 3 weeks from my race and at the start of the taper. I've spoken about the taper before and how its both something I look forward to and hate all at the same time. I look forward to getting rest and getting back some of my time as training volume will decrease. But decreasing the volume also messes with your mind. I admit I get a little addicted to my training at times. And when I am taking rest days (like today even), or running shorter distances, I feel like I need to do more or I question whether I'm slacking. That all being said, I know what I need to tell myself in those moments of doubt, those moments the taper gremlins try to mess with my head - I have worked harder than I ever have to train for this marathon so there is just no questioning my readiness allowed.

When I first set my schedule to train for this marathon, I set it up to be very much like what I did leading up to Victoria last year. I allowed for 4-5 days of running and 2 days of weight training each week. I felt quite prepared for Victoria, but of course, much went wrong on race day, most of that I am sure I can attribute to getting sick rather than being ill-prepared. But really, it's hard to know. I just know that neither marathon went well last year (in terms of finish time or pain experienced), and if I plan on doing another 2 this year, I have to do everything it takes to make sure I'm as prepared as I can for them to go better. If I can comfortably run a 2-hour half marathon, there's no reason I should need any more than 4:30 to complete a marathon. In fact, I should be able to do it in less. But I haven't yet proven that to myself. What I have learned in the few years I've become a runner is that I have to work a bit harder than the average bear to see results. I am not naturally fast. But I also know that I have above average endurance, patience, and drive. I'm literally willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my goals. Perhaps my history has a lot to do with that. Perhaps if I were always fit to begin with, I wouldn't be so determined to do this and to improve my performance. But since I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, I insist on myself that I continue to work hard. I want to see where I can get to tomorrow. I didn't run one marathon to scratch it off a bucket list. I plan to run several and see where it leads me.

So yes, I've turned my training up to eleven. Why go to ten, when you can go to eleven! 

It all started a few months ago when I accidentally ran a mid-week long run. I didn't map out the route I wanted to do in advance and just thought one up in my head. I ran way longer than I had planned to and then worried I'd be too tired to do my workout the next day. I was a little tired, but nothing that alarmed me. I know my body and since I quite literally hate taking rest in my training, I always know when I need it. I didn't need it then. In fact, doing a longer run mid-week made it somehow easier to do my weekend long run. Perhaps I was onto something. I was starting to question my training schedule. It was based on what I'd done previously, based on beginner marathon training schedules I'd become familiar with through working with Running Room and with Team In Training - both that offer clinics for those with less experience who might be training for their first or second marathon. I hadn't taken into account that I'm not a beginner marathoner anymore. I've run 2 marathons now, so really, I am ready to take it up a notch. And since I have to work harder than the average bear to improve speed, I need to take it up that notch.

Things got a little clearer after talking running with some friends of mine who are much faster than me and well-experienced in marathoning too. I talked to my friend David about his training schedule and he offered me advice on what I could do better - I thought he was nuts with what he was suggesting and shrugged it off thinking, "easy for you to say, you're an elite runner who wins races". But really, what he was suggesting would work for me - I just go my own pace. I have the endurance to do it, so why not, really? He suggested doing less weight training (only 1 day a week) and incorporating 2 days of speedwork into my week instead of the 1 day I was previously doing. So yes my weekly mileage would also go up as a result. 

David explained how his coach, John Hill, has him and the rest of his VFAC club doing a long tempo run on Tuesdays and speed intervals on Thursdays. He suggested I try a session with John, since he has a second group he works with (not the elite VFAC crew) that I would fit in well with. I remembered what he said, but didn't think at the time it was for me. But then we went for a run together at a faster pace than I'm used to, and I felt great after. Going faster that day made going slower the next long run that much easier. A few days later, I ran with one of our TNT participants, Derek (an experienced 3:30'ish marathoner) and he told me a bit about what he does in his training. He too does a mid-week long run and takes the middle section of that long run at a faster tempo.

After meeting John at the April Fool's Run last month, and talking to him about his Tuesday interval group, he invited me to give it a try. I took him up on the offer but admit I was quite nervous and not sure what to expect when I arrived. How could I possibly be ready for something called "Advanced Road Running Performance Clinic", I thought, but really I wasn't giving myself enough credit. I knew that I wouldn't be anywhere close to being as fast as the others in the group, but that I am really strong and more than fit enough to try my darndest to keep up and run hard even when I'm tired. The rest of the group was incredibly welcoming and as we went for a warm-up spin around the trails of Stanley Park, they explained how the sessions work. Every week is a little different, and they suspected we'd be doing intervals on the seawall rather than work on the track. They also warned me that John would give me homework and it might scare me a little. I was excited for the challenge! 

So yes, I was one of the slowest in the group, but it didn't matter. Everyone was happy to have me and asked if I'd be back. The answer was a definite yes, because they are such a lovely group of runners to be with and I was so impressed with the experience on every level. John set it up so well so that no matter what ability you're at, you finish your run at the same time (using staggered start times). He's a whiz with numbers and knows every athlete individually - their abilities and their goal races, so he knows what pace and time he wants each runner to complete each interval. The time he suggests for you is slightly above your comfort level yet totally attainable, especially because you are chasing runners in the group who are faster than you. He also gives you feedback and shouts your pace at you partway through the interval so you know if you're on target or if you have to push harder/less. I felt really good achieving the targets he laid out and I appreciated the feedback. Other runners in the group told me how they felt when they first joined (also nervous and a bit intimidated) but how it's made such a difference to their training, their speed, and their race results. What was being offered in this group session is simply not possible to replicate by yourself.

I admit that when John gave me my "homework" after the first session, I did laugh a little to myself. It wasn't so much that it was too much, but it was more that it was so different from what I had been doing. It was going to be a new adventure and a drastic change to my current habits. The mid-week long tempos were quite significantly longer than what I thought I needed to do. The structure of the week was much different than I was used to - intervals on Tuesday and tempos on Thursday. But I've followed John's recommendations and seen the results already. My mileage has increased hugely, but it's been very manageable. I feel strong, confident, and not overly fatigued at all like I worried I would be. After doing two days of speedwork every week, the long runs on the weekend feel easy and much more manageable. My legs are ready for it.

I couldn't go to the interval session the following week due to a meeting, but I came up with my own schedule for that week based on the schedule for the previous one. I had my second session with the group last week and we worked on the track that day. Again, I was blown away - a different type of workout, but equally challenging and empowering. I got two weeks worth of homework (there was no group session this week) catered toward my abilities and my upcoming goal race. I've followed it exactly and I'm thrilled with how I'm doing. My 35km run that I just completed on Monday was strong; the only hard part was stopping! Recovery has been not bad at all. I have a long tempo to do tomorrow (24km total, 21km at tempo pace) and I'm excited about it. And In previous marathon trainings I'd done, I would have never imagined doing a 38km training run, especially not 2 days after running 24km, but that's what I'm doing this weekend according to this schedule and I'm quite looking forward to it. I know I'm ready and I know it'll pay dividends on race day.

So yes, looks like I've found a new coach and a group to train with once a week. It's a huge confidence boost to see I'm ready to take on something with the word "Advanced" in its title. I may have signed up a little late for training for this current marathon, but better late than never! I know that this last month of hard work though will still make a difference. I can already feel it. And I'm excited to see how a full program of this work with John leading up to my fall marathon will impact my performance. Maybe a 4-hour marathon is in the cards!

Thanks for reading! Hope you've enjoyed my enthusiasm. I really couldn't be happier with how things are going!

Race Report: Kamloops Daily News Boogie the Bridge Half Marathon - April 28th, 2013

I'm a little late getting this race report out, and I apologize for that. It's been one heck of a week leading up to the BMO Vancouver Marathon (which took place today) where I was very involved in this year behind the scenes. I'll be writing up a blog post about my experience at the marathon this year, given it was my first marathon one year ago, and a great event to have been a part of today.

In the meantime, I'm behind in reporting on the race I completed last weekend, the Boogie the Bridge Half Marathon in Kamloops, BC. I went up to Kamloops for the event to promote Team In Training as Kamloops has a very strong running community and I have met some incredible people within that community that keep inviting me back there. Boogie is a community run like nothing I've ever experienced before. There's literally something for everyone, from a kids run, 5K, 10K, and half marathon all on the same day. It's all about movement, positive change, being healthy, and community togetherness. And it's become such a big event, one of Kamloops' biggest community events thanks to incredible people like Jo Berry. The expo was such a fun experience too. We all set up our tables and then it was a very social space after that. It wasn't so much about people visiting table displays one at a time like most race expos, but about everyone walking around chatting, exhibitors and runners, everyone hanging out, getting to know one another, and promoting our products and programs. Fun fun fun! I met so many wonderful people and everyone was so welcoming!

Knowing that I had to do a long run anyway, I signed up to run the half marathon. Now this race isn't officially called a half marathon, but is advertised as a 21K. Of course this confused me because I couldn't imagine them cutting a race course short by 100m and maps suggested it was 21.1K route. After talking to race director, Vince Cavaliere, my understanding is that the course had undergone significant changes recently, and it hasn't yet received it's certification to be called officially a half marathon. He asked me to let him know what it measured on my Garmin, and I clocked 21.12 that day. So without the certification this year, it's advertised as a 21K run, but it should meet the distance requirement. Small detail yes, but I wanted to be sure my finish time would compare accurately to other races.

My plan for the day was originally to run this race slow and easy, as I would for a training run for two reasons: I wanted to clock a second run that same day to get my long run mileage (I'm nearing the peak of my marathon training), and the fact that after the run, I'd have to get into my car and drive for close to 4 hours to get home. I didn't want to do anything in that run that would make that drive home challenging or make me stiff after the drive. But as I neared the start time of the race, I decided I wanted to push a bit harder. 

I decided not to try for a PB knowing how I was not well rested at all (I think I did about 70km in the week leading up to the race), and that my most recent run before was a long tempo run (which was almost a half marathon in its own right)...and I likely hadn't fully recovered from this. My thought was to take it like it was just another tempo run and see how it felt, then decide if I'd keep on that way knowing doing two back to back tempos of the same distance was a little silly.  And given it was a day I was allowed to go slow, I didn't allow myself to get caught in the idea that I needed to do that. My game plan meant running my first 3km nice and easy/slow then if I felt good, to pour on the heat for as close to a 5:30/km pace I could maintain for much of the way forward after that. 

I went with feel and ignored my watch most of the way. When I did look down I was pleased with my pace. Somehow the faster pace is feeling much more natural and easy these days (more on that another blog post). There were some kms where I felt particularly good and pushed myself harder. And there were some where I just wanted to relax a bit and found a comfy groove from which to enjoy the experience and the surrounding scenery. It was somehow a race and a training run all mixed in one. While I wonder how I would have done had I pushed harder, I'm pleased with how I decided to run as I was able to drive home to Vancouver comfortably after and go for a second run as planned.

There were some real highlights to the run, and some real tough bits too. The highlights were for sure, all the community does to make it special. The first 5km was covered in sidewalk chalk, handwritten motivational sayings all over the place. There was also lots of folks out cheering and great musical entertainment. After the point where the 10km runners would turnaround, it got a little quieter for us half-marathoners. But it was such a beautiful course. I loved running along the river and taking in the gorgeous view! There were a lot of parts that were also covered in the Kamloops Marathon (I did the half there last July) so some familiarity I could predict. But while the part of the course that went out on a dyke was beautiful, I really didn't like the gravel. In fact, I heard that in the past there was an out and back on that gravel trail and runners complained how much they hated it as it's hard to keep pace there. Part of the course changes made for only one way on that trail on this current route. The gravel paired with the gusty wind in that area, made it tough to keep under a 5:45/km pace for those few km there. I got back some time with a long downhill section, but it got tough near the end again. 

The half marathon starts an hour before the other distances so by the time we got to where the 10km runners turn around (ie., with 5km remaining in the race), we had a lot more people on the course. I appreciate the reasoning behind this set up - so that every runner, no matter what distance they run, finishes near the same time. This way family, friends, corporate teams, etc., can all reunite at the finish easily and enjoy together their accomplishment. Most people run this race for fun, but I could tell a lot of the half marathoners, like myself, were at least somewhat concerned with time. Passing all the walkers and slower runners for 5km made it really challenging to finish the race like we would have wanted. That's a long way to go with a crowd. And it got really crowded near the end on this one section along the river where there was traffic going in both directions and very little room to pass... it wasn't ideal. I had to slow at times to avoid collisions and I wasn't excited about it as I was feeling good to run harder. But once I got over the bridge nearing the finish, I didn't care, I ran as hard as I could and parted the crowds with my speed (or so it felt like I did....). I finished in 2:02.15 which absolutely astonishes me. It's really not all that far off of my most recent finish time at April Fools (my PB of 2:00:48) when I really didn't try as hard as I could have at this race. Working on speed lately is working!

My weekly tempo runs are getting longer and the pacing is feeling much more natural (like I said before, more on this in a future post). So I think I'm clearly ready to rock a sub-2 half marathon. It's just a matter of picking a race and making it happen! First thing's first, a full marathon in San Diego in 4 weeks! Then I seriously need to find a half marathon to run. Any suggestions?

I'm awaiting photos from the race and will post them when I have them!

6 more weeks, and reflecting along the way

Two weeks ago, I ran my last race. It feels like forever ago now, given the very eventful past week with the Boston Marathon bombing occurring almost a week ago. Today was the Vancouver Sun Run, Canada's biggest 10K race, attracting about 50,000 runners and walkers every year. While it was the first race I ever ran (I can't even remember when this was, it was so long ago), it is one I typically miss every year in favor of smaller races, as I don't particularly like big crowds. But somehow today was very different. I woke up wishing I was running it today. I've always thought of the Sun Run as not the ideal racing condition for an athlete of my calibre. It's great if you're much faster and at the front of the crowd. And it's perfect if you're relatively new to the sport and finish time isn't the goal, as it's very much a large-scale community event and celebration of active living. Given the happenings in Boston, this last statement was so much truer this time around, and I was saddened by missing out: missing this massive movement of celebration of the sport of running and solidarity for Boston. I would have gotten myself a last minute entry when I was at the expo this weekend, but I had my last art market to attend today that I was committed to. I think I will have to give serious thought next year to registering for the Run. 

I am so proud of everyone I know who participated in the Sun Run today. For some, this was a first race experience. And I know how special that feeling is, finishing a first race! Congratulations to those who achieved a first today! Hope you feel inspired to keep going!! And then there are several others I know who achieved a personal best today! Big congratulations to you too! When I got home from my art market, I promptly logged into Facebook and Twitter to see what my friends were saying and I was so pleased with the number of happy posts and photos. 

I was most curious about my friend Kristy, who a number of months ago contacted me for advice in training for the Sun Run. Somehow I convinced her she was ready for more (but I suspect she already knew that for herself) and signed her up to run a half marathon this summer with Team In Training. Sounds like she and her husband, Marty had a great race today! I also saw a post from Zahra, who I bumped into at the race expo, so excited to run this race again. The last time I saw her, she had just crossed the finish line at the Coho Run last Sept, biggest smile I had ever seen on her face. So seeing her finish time today, I sure hope she's pleased as she did awesome.  Then moments later I saw a post from girl I went to high school with and haven't seen since, Michele. She's on her own health journey and doing amazing with it:  absolutely amazing! She kicked butt today and when I commented on this, she told me she was inspired by this blog. I was floored! Humbled. Grateful. I had no idea she was one of my readers. In fact I know I have hundreds of readers, but most don't tell me they read. So when one reveals to me what reading my blog has done for them, it really feels good. I'm loving watching people become running converts. Reminds me of when I turned onto the true joy of this sport for myself. Remembering that never gets old.

I started this blog in hopes those who need inspiration might find something here they can relate to. I hoped me expressing myself as an ordinary woman with all the insecurities that come with that, attempting to turn her life around and accomplish extraordinary things would offer readers something uplifting. I worried I would seem self-centred and it would appear I was blogging to brag about my success. But I believe I've made my intentions clear. I'm so pleased every time I see evidence that I have done what I hoped to do with this blog: that it has in fact been something that not only gives me a place to share my story, but that in doing so publicly through a blog, people who may not have tried running before are falling in love with the sport themselves. It feels good to be part of someone else's journey. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your inspiration. To Kristy, Zahra, and Michele, you are three amazing women - be proud of what you've accomplished through your own determination and strength. Keep it up!!!

I find myself now 6 weeks away from my next race, my third full marathon on June 2nd in San Diego. It almost feels somehow untrue that this is in fact my next race! But flights are booked, race entry is in, itinerary is getting planned, and training is going strong. I'm just a few short weeks away from my taper. I am feeling really good about where I am at with my training. I am very confident about finishing that race stronger than the last 2 marathons. My weekly mileage is higher than it ever has been in my life, and I haven't even reached the peak of my training yet. The best part is that I have been recovering so nicely from these runs, and not slogging through them at all. The higher mileage hasn't been a stretch of the imagination or my body at all. It's all been attainable, just enough of a challenge to stretch myself to new heights. The results have all been very positive and I continue to surprise myself. And unlike during the previous marathons I've trained for, I find myself energized every day (not tired) and craving my next run. 

I have been working on speed, perfecting my fueling strategy, and analyzing previous races to sort out what I can do better this time around. While I am not running this race for time, per se, I am still confident I can achieve a personal best. I just want to finish strong, confident, and with less pain than the last two marathon races where my finish time did not reflect my capability. And then leading up to the Victoria marathon in October, I can really work harder on the speedwork and try to see what time I am truly capable of at the marathon distance and see what I've got. 

More on that speed work in a future post! Stay tuned!

And speaking of other things to stay tuned for, I have recently applied for a health and fitness success story contest. Here's hoping I get selected as a finalist. If I do, it will be very much to do with my supportive readers. I will let you know how I do, and hopefully the time will come where you can support me with votes! 

<3 Zahida

Running For Boston

Today is a day the running community will never forget. I started my day excited: reaching my fundraising goal for Team In Training, excited about building up my mileage again in preparation for my upcoming marathon, pleased with how my training run went on the weekend, and excited to read up on the coverage of today's Boston Marathon, a race I'd never been as excited for in my life. This time last year, I was not yet a marathoner myself, and did not understand fully what it meant. Today, it was a much bigger deal. I packed my duffel bag this morning with plans to run after work, exhausted after a busy weekend and unable to get up early to go in the morning. I threw in my gear, and when it came to shoes, there was no question about it: I was choosing my Adidas Bostons. This is the race every runner dreams about, and it was happening today. And because I do have a few pairs of running shoes to my name, I hadn't worn these shoes since my race last weekend. They still had the timing chip attached and a memory of a finish line shining on them.

Hard at work at the office, I got an email notification of receiving a donation that put me over the top of my fundraising goal. I put work aside for a moment, and literally minutes after posting on Facebook excitedly about the fundraising success, I started to get a whole pile of messages: texts, tweets, Facebook messages, and emails. Messages of shock, pain, links to photos, articles - more than I could keep up with. The news was out about the tragedy at today's Boston Marathon, and everyone knew to tell me. It doesn't matter if you are a fast runner, a slow runner, a marathoner or a short distance runner, the Boston Marathon is the race that captures our imagination and our respect. For many, me included, having the privilege to run this race may take a number of years to accomplish. I dream of the day that achieving my BQ (Boston Qualification) is realistic to attain. And I dream of the day I enter the race, and get to run it myself. Regardless of how far away that dream is from achieving for oneself as a runner, it's a dream we all hold in some way. And being a member of the running community means that undoubtedly you are going to know at least one person who traveled to Boston looking to realize that dream today. Months, possibly years or even a lifetime of hard work culminating in today's race, a race meant to be a celebration of the sport of running and the community it brings together.

As I read the first article I was sent by a friend on my computer screen, I noticed I was holding my phone and in the process of texting a friend, a fellow marathoner. I realized I needed to share the news with him. Meanwhile I continued to receive more messages, this time from family who had just learned the news and wanted to make sure I was aware and I was OK. While everyone knew I wasn't in Boston, they knew that as a runner, as a marathoner, this news is going to hit home even harder. Cam called me to ask me if I had people around me I could talk to. I explained I was going to run after work and figure out some way to process what happened.

I'm not suggesting that this tragedy is in any way more tragic or senseless than those not happening at running races. It's simply that it happening at a race, something that is such a huge part of who I am, and at the race that has captured my imagination and dreams, this tragedy hits too close to home for comfort. It was a week ago that I crossed a finish line. In about 6 weeks or so, I will be racing in a large scale marathon myself. A tragedy at an event like this simply doesn't make sense. How can we ever process something that makes no sense at all? I scrolled through the news in a trance, very much like I have done so in the past when senseless tragedies like Sept 11th, Sandy Hook, the movie theatre massacre, and so on, have occurred. I don't know why I act in this way - perhaps its fueled by the desire to read something that suggests it's somehow not true, that tragedy didn't happen. Yet in the back of my mind there's fear of seeing the numbers of fatalities and injuries increase, so I want to look away. Yet I worry that if I don't know the accurate numbers, I'm somehow not honouring everyone I should as I hold them in my heart and pray for healing.

I looked over at my duffel bag sitting next to my desk, peeled open the zipper, pulled out my shoes and examined them closely; the word "Boston" is written on the back of each shoe. I knew exactly what I needed to do. I needed to dedicate my run today to the runners and spectators involved in today's race and run with them on my heart.  I went onto Twitter and typed in a search "#runforboston" to see what others were saying about the idea, and as predicted, there was more than a lot being said on the Twittersphere about it. I decided then, today's run would be my #RunForBoston. That to me didn't mean running sad, but to reflect on the sport and the community it brings and then it hit me. If it's about running community, I absolutely shouldn't be doing this run alone. And so it began - I started contacting every runner I knew who was in the Vancouver area: those I've run with before, those I never have, even those I'd never met before in person. It didn't take long before the idea and the meeting place I suggested started to get pasted all over Twitter and Facebook. People loved the idea.

I wasn't sure what I had started and started to wonder (with nervous excitement) if just maybe a very large group would form to run together. My phone was flooded with messages, people asking me about distance, planned route, people telling me they loved the idea but didn't have gear with them, or had other commitments. But everyone was pleased to share the idea, everyone considered whether they could in fact make it, and most suggested they'd do their own #RunForBoston in their own way if they couldn't join me in person. I turned up to the meeting spot early, so I could take some time alone with my thoughts, and some silence to attempt to calm my heart. 

As meeting time approached, I didn't see herds of people gathering around me, but I took pleasure in soaking in the sunshine and seeing many runners out along the beach, most of them not alone. Regardless if they were running by my side, they were still running with me. They were still part of my community as runners in Vancouver together. Soon later, my 3 running partners for the evening arrived to join me: Joe who is a good friend of mine, Jeff who I'd met only once briefly but never ran with before, and Kirill who I'd never met before except via Twitter. It was a wonderful run and great conversation the whole way. We ran just over 10km and it was a great reminder of the beauty of the running community: 4 practical strangers able to enjoy an hour of conversation because of a sport, a passion, a lifestyle, we all hold in common. We discussed our running goals and they were all quite different from one another's. Yet we were very much a community held together by running and by a desire to unite for the city of Boston today.

In times of tragedy, we must unite as a community and act in strength. Acts of love and solidarity are far more powerful than any act of horror or violence. While my heart aches for everyone involved, the athletes, supporters, families, race crew, the lives lost, the injuries suffered, the dreams crushed, I am proud to be part of he running community. We're all in it because we love the sport, we love how it brings us together, and we celebrate successes together. And so in times of tragedy, we must come together in solidarity, in friendship, in community. We must unite.

I'm going to end my post today with a quote that was shared with me a few times today, by George Takei who we all love from Star Trek, and his amusing Facebook posts in present day. Today he nailed it right on the head. I didn't know until today that he too used to run marathons, and so he gets it on that other level too:

"When tragedies strike, heroes rise to meet the challenge: the first responders seen sprinting toward the blast site, the runners who changed course to run to local hospitals to donate blood, and the fine citizens of Boston who at once opened their homes to marathoners in need of a place to stay. When we come together, we cannot be brought down."  - George Takei

Race Report: BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run Half Marathon - April 7, 2013

What a great day it was today! Still living off the high, I thought it just makes sense to write my race report this evening. It was a dry and cool morning, perfect temperature for racing, but definitely lots of wind on the course. While I didn't get the sub-2 result I was looking for, I am incredibly proud of how I finished, and my new personal best time achieved. 

Today I ran my 2nd half marathon of the year, the BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run. And yes, my best finish of all the half marathons I've run yet. I headed over to Gibsons yesterday afternoon with Cam and a couple friends, instead of the morning of the race like Cam and I did last year, and it was a nice treat. I got a good 10 hours of much needed sleep and it was wonderful to be able to walk to the start line after a leisurely breakfast in our suite. My TNT teammates Joe and Chrystal joined me at the race after I talked up how much fun I had there last year. We had a great time, and I'm thrilled we all ran so well today!

Leaving the hotel with my teammates

I felt really good and strong coming into this race, being more intentional about my speed work and tempo work leading up to the race. I knew to get my goal time today, I wanted to average about an 5:35/km and that it was a pace well within my reach to maintain for the distance. I believe I made the common mistake many runners make, taking the first few kms too fast out of excitement, adrenaline, the energy of the crowd, and feeling well rested. I tried to hold back, but it was really hard to with the course being rather downhill to start. I was on pace for a 1:55 finish for most of the race, when I was aiming for a 1:58. Bit too ambitious a pace and I learned my lesson.

After the 5km mark, I slowed myself down finally and maintained a much more sustainable pace, but perhaps those first 5km were simply too much and I paid the price later. By the time I got to those hard inclines between the 14-17km mark, I was feeling very fatigued. Soon after the 17km mark, I got my second wind and knew it was downhill essentially all the way to the finish. My right quad and my left calf started to seize. I told them to shut up. The quad behaved, but the calf cramped up on me bad - it was not my best friend in that moment.

Thank you, David!

I kept going as best I could and sometime around the 20km marker, I spotted my friend David running toward me. A very welcomed sight for sore legs and discouraged heart for sure. He offered me the encouragement and the coaching I needed to cross the finish line strong. I could have still achieved the sub-2 time I was looking for at the pace I was going when he arrived by my side, but the cramps would not relent. With focusing on breathing, David's helpful shouts of encouragement, and my own stubborn self not wanting to relent either, I kept running as hard as I could, in amongst a few slow hobbles and yelps of pain when it would flare up to its worst. Then I took the turn on the finish and crossed the finish line as strong as I could. 

Here's my pacing for the race. Not even close to as consistent as I would have liked!

Finishing strong at 2:00:48, a new personal best!

1km - 5:14 - too fast to start      
 2km - 5:00 - seriously way too fast
3km - 5:07 - too fast
4km - 5:25 - better!
5km - 5:43 - calmed down :)
6km - 5:50
7km - 5:33
8km - 5:30
9km - 5:17
10km - 5:58 - Hilly section...
11km - 5:41
12km - 5:32
13km - 5:32
14km - 5:42 - 14-17km were hilly!
15km - 6:17 - yup, hilly
16km - 6:47 - hilly!
17km - 6:12 - end of hilliness
18km - 6:01 - first signs of cramp
19km - 5:30 - still convinced I could get sub-2 and trying to ignore pain
20km - 6:06 - trying hard to continue strong!
21km - 5:44
last 100m  - 5:40 pace   

 So no, not the outcome I hoped for, but still something to be proud of. Knocking off 50 seconds from my previous best on a difficult course, on a windy day, with cramping in my legs, all in all, not a bad outcome. It was another learning experience, and reason to race another half soon and get my goal! 

I'm also very proud of my friends who raced with me today. David was looking to defend his 1st place finish from last year. I hope he realizes his 2nd place finish today is still something to be incredibly proud of. It wasn't the outcome you looked for either, but who could not be inspired by such a speedy performance! I certainly am inspired to keep learning and improving and grateful for your help today.

And then my teammates, Joe and Chrystal, who I traveled with yesterday.... You did great! So proud of you both! Joe keeps getting faster and faster, taking another 2 minutes off his best time that he achieved only a month ago. Holy quick improvements, Batman! And Chrystal, came into the race with a pulled quad muscle and a forgotten set of water bottles (oops), but managed to keep such a positive attitude about the race and had a strong finish and a giant smile the rest of the afternoon. Congratulations everyone!!!! I am so proud to have awesome running friends! :)

After the race, we hung out at the finish area for a while enjoying the festivities, the great food, the awards ceremony, and great company. After we headed off to Molly's Reach to join the VFAC crew for some food and drink before a fun ferry ride home. Overall, a great day spent with my sweetie, my friends, and a fun race where my performance is one I am proud of. I think I discovered my potential here, and now it's just a matter of realizing it after more hard work, training, and learning from lessons today. And when I got a text from my friend, Patti, telling me I got 10th place in my age category, I smiled to myself. I've come a long way! I'm a good 43 min faster than the first half marathon I ever ran. Today was very much a victory for me. 

Thank you to the race directors Teresa and Larry for another great race! I'll be back next year!

Quick Links:

• Official race report from the BMO Sunshine Coast April Fool's Run
• Finish line video part 1, first finishers up until 2:00 gun time, care of Keith Dunn
• Finish line video part 2, gun times 2:00 and beyond, also care of Keith Dunn
• Note the clock on the screen, as it is synced with the race's gun time. You will see me near the start of this video, crossing the finish at 2:00:48 with help from David running me in on the sideline.
• David Palermo's blog post about his experience with the race, placing 2nd overall

  

Race day in 12 days!

I am quite excited about the April Fool's Run race now when before it was simply my race before my big race, or my "B race", per se. I registered for this year's race soon after completing the race last year because of a really good discount, not knowing what this year held for racing plans. And now suddenly over the last couple weeks, I am actually focusing on it with the mentality of "let's see what I got!" And through talking up the race, I also recruited 2 of my TNT teammates to join me at the race. It's going to be a fun weekend.

I was quite pleased yesterday when I contacted the Fool's Run race director, Teresa, about having Team In Training brochures available at package pickup for the race, throwing in there that I'm excited about the race. She responded by asking if she could quote me in an upcoming media release. So my excitement is noticeable, I suppose. :) Check out the media release here.

And over the last couple weeks since I convinced myself to run this one for speed, I've given training for speed a bit more effort and ensuring I don't skimp, skip, or replace those workouts I need to do. I have been doing my workouts religiously as designed by my friends at the Peak Centre and in fact, tomorrow I'm doing a full 40min of my lactate threshold running drills. But in addition, I've been incorporating tempo-like work into my week and trying to throw faster stuff into the heart of my long runs. Last week I ran with David (the winner of the Fool's Run last year) for a shorter distance (somewhere around 11 or 12km) and in order to not make him have to go too slow, I ran quite a bit faster than I would for a training run normally. The cost of trying to find a compromise speed with an elite runner! I didn't wear a Garmin so not sure how fast it was, but it was definitely faster than I first planned to ran that day. And he gave me a lot of feedback on how to improve my running form which I'm making conscious effort to incorporate into my running. And since then, I also did my long run with my TNT teammate Derek who is also quite a bit faster than me naturally (an experienced 3:30 marathoner) and he paced me to a much faster than usual pace over a long run and it felt comfortable too, except for the fact that I was lacking sleep. He too gave me great advice to consider and I tried something new today as a result. But I thought those two runs last week with these friends were kind of exceptions and easy running after then when I run solo again would be back to normal.

But then this week happened...Yesterday and today I went out for easy runs, and tried not to look at my Garmin until the end of the run, and just go for feel. Keep it easy, focus on breathing, focus on good form. Again, when I looked at my stats after, I was pleased with my pacing as it was close to what I need to pace myself at for the half marathon to achieve my goal, yet felt easier than what it would have used to feel like. In fact, Alison joined me for the first 4km of the run today and she commented that we must have been going faster than usual which I didn't realize until I looked down at my watch and saw we were going a good 40sec/km faster than we usually would when we run together. Wow oops! I guess the work I've been doing is starting to pay dividends. Of course on race day, it will be a longer distance and there are hills to contend with, oh yes, and my own mental race-day demons to battle as they try to convince me I need to slow down. But I'm getting well used to this pace over longer distances, so it should feel more natural on race day. Only time will tell if I achieve it on race day, but I have the confidence that a sub-2 half marathon really is attainable!

See you at the finish line in 1:58.