Four Generations Across the Finish Line

Congratulations Bright runners and walkers! It was so great to be out there running and enjoying this day with so many of you. There were indeed some dedicated runners and walkers among us! Aunty Joe running with the stomach flu and Mom running the last 10 km with a wicked calf cramp - they both gave new meaning to the word "determination".  Mike, Kasey, Julia and I also ran the half and Mike beat us all  - rumor is that he did it with only one training run. However, I suspect that chasing down Mountain Goats qualifies as some pretty decent training. We finished in time to watch the 5km runners and walkers - Keely and Hazel, Margaret, Timber, Dawson, Uncle How, Rod and Michelle and Baba and Aunty Hazel (apologies if I've missed someone!). So many others including Aunty Dee and my sister (Ellie’s Aunty Dee) and her family and Jim were out there cheering with sincere Bright enthusiasm. Being a part of these races and even watching them inspires a well of emotion in me. In part, I’m grateful to be fit and healthy enough to do this but I also am so grateful that I have so many beautiful people in my life to share this with.

At the BBQ after the run, it was great to see how all the “little” ones have grown and how they are developing as their own individual beings. I was entranced watching Hazel blow bubbles - her concentration unbroken for what seemed like hours - blowing, mindfully sending her breath through the plastic wand to create the biggest and the greatest number of bubbles that she could. I was fascinated watching little Brayden practice his fierce leadership skills behind the camera. Surely, his photo captured the biggest smiles from the group. For a moment, I thought forward 20 or 30 years and saw him again behind a camera, perhaps a photo journalist ....then I returned back to the present to see Kimmy organizing her miniature water balloons, taking great care to protect and preserve them. I watched my own precious Ellie follow her Aunty Dee and her cousin Taylor around, shy yet curious towards most everyone else.  I felt like I spent most of that afternoon just watching - simply observing. Timber and Noah connected at the hip and then Dawson and Taylor also not leaving each other’s side. As I watched, I wondered if they will remember these moments.

I remember so clearly being one of the “little ones” (albeit always the oldest of all the kids) at these family gatherings. Cherished memories of me and my cousins at Baba and Grampa’s farm remain close to my heart - these times are long ago yet they don’t seem so. We spent many hours playing in the farm fields, picking berries, play acting and creating our own radio shows on tape. We wore gum boots and toques that Baba made us by hand. We ate sunflower seeds from the shells - seeds from great tall sunflowers that Baba had grown and then dried herself. When I remember back to those times spent with family and the farm, all my senses are stimulated: the smell of pastures and berry bushes and freshly shelled peas, the sound of Grandpa’s sneaky chuckle as he prepared to make his winning move in checkers or crib, the bitter crunchy taste of raw rhubarb (from our rhubarb eating contests), the brilliant diversity of color and species in the edible garden…the memories could fill a book. 

These family gatherings make me a little nostalgic. Maybe there’s a part of me that just wants to be a kid again with the freedom to play and create without time pressures and responsibilities. I feel immense gratitude that we, our family can get together and that all of you are healthy and well and truly making this world brighter. But on Sunday night, I found myself missing you all - sad that our visit was so brief.  All my little cousins are grown with their own lives and families - I see Timber and I remember when Mike was exactly that age impersonating Joan Jett into the cassette recorder. I can only imagine what it is like for Baba and Grandpa to see three generations grow before them. Time flies for sure but what a beautiful gift that we were all able to pause from our busy lives and enjoy a visit - to see the evolution of a beautiful family. Thank you all.

Stick to your plan man!

Just three weeks to go! Now is the time to stay focused and be smart. With only three weeks go to, stay committed to your plan and DO NOT try to make up missed workouts. Years back when I was fitness training, the most common mistake people would make leading up to a race was increasing mileage or intensity beyond the plan. Stick to your plan and if you are fighting illness or any sort of physical injury, scale it back. It's better to be slightly under trained as opposed to over trained, fatigued and at increased risk for injury. So if you'r doing the run/walk program, you should be gearing up to do a 16km this weekend, if you're doing the beginner run program - it's 18km and if you're doing the intermediate program, it will be 16km.

A few tips for your last long run and the next three weeks:

1. Run as though it was race day. The Scotia Bank 1/2 starts at 7:00am. My body is stiff as a board at this hour so this weekend, I'm going to make every effort to start my run this early. This is not an easy feat with the little amount of sleep I get. I'll be thinking of all of you out there with me!

2. Eat like it was race day. Eat what you would normally eat before a long run and give yourself enough time to digest. Carbohydrates (skip the bran buds for your pre-race meal though) and small serving of protein will do. During the run, use the fuel that you plan to use during the race.

3. Get your nutrition sorted. If what you ate for breakfast (above) did not sit well with you, practise eating different things for your remaining training runs. Same goes for fuel you plan on using during the run.

4. Check your shoes. Are your shoes on their last treads? Buy new ones now not the day before the race. Buy the brand you're wearing now if you've had success with them.

5. Get some rest. As you lead up to race day, make sure your easy days are easy and your rest days are truly rest days. A four hour hike plus 4 hours of yard work does not constitute a rest day.

And most of all, enjoy your runs. Celebrate that you are healthy enough to run. One year ago, I could barely hike 30 minutes without pain. Yesterday, I did a 21km trail run. It was awesome. My legs feel a bit toasted today but I am loving the fact that I am able to explore my neighbourhood - places that I could never travel by car - by foot.  When I'm running, it's a time where I feel like I can be fully present. I can absorb and observe what's around me or just listen to the rhythm of my breath.  I celebrate that my health allows me to move my body in this way and do something I love - to run.

I hope you are loving it too!

Race Caps

For those of you that haven't yet registered, there are now race caps for the 1/2 marathon and the 5km event. Go to www.canadarunningseries.com to register for your event.

Rapid Recovery

Most of you training for the 1/2 will have completed between 9 - 11 miles by now. First off, congratulations on your consistency and for getting in the miles.

I'm finding it tough to get out on the road these days when the trails are literally a hop and a skip from my door step. Though most of my runs are on the trails, I try to get out for at least one run a week on the roads just so my body won't be shocked by pounding the pavement for 13.1 km on June 26th. For me, running on roads requires longer recovery. So, for this post I have a few tips to help us all recover a little faster and feel good for the next workout.

1. Replace Fuel - get in a small meal of carbohydrates and some protein ideally 15 - 30 minutes of finishing your long run. Nut butter on whole grain bread is good snack that you can make quickly. Add a banana if you're really hungry.

2. Elevate your legs - After a run, keep moving your legs around for 10 minutes or so and then lie down and elevate them for a 10 minutes.

3. Keep your legs cool - Some recommend soaking the legs for 5 - 10 minutes in cool water. If you don't have that kind of time or tolerance for cold water, try turning on the cold water in the shower for 30 seconds and alternate it with the warm.   Do that a couple of times. If you own a hot tub, remember that a hot water soak immediately following your run will actually slow down recovery.

4. Move your legs again. Go for a walk later in the day to keep the circulation going. It doesn't have to be long. Even 15 - 30 minutes will do. You're also better off to walk the next day instead of taking the day off completely.

5. Massage your muscles. Know someone with good hands? Get them to give your legs a rub down. Tell them, it's all part of your training plan. Alternatively, just book an appointment with an RMT.

I just came back from a 2.5 hour trail run. I don't know if I covered the mileage I had set out to do (no GPS) but I think I made up for any difference with the climbing.  Going to sneak in a little stretch and elevate my legs before Ellie wakes up.  Happy running.......

Marks of Progress

Every long run I do is a milestone. Having not trained for any type of endurance event since well before Ellie was born, every long run I do is the longest run I have done in a couple of years. Cool.  After knee surgery, running five consecutive minutes was an achievement. Today, I ran two hours.  I feel great. Though distance covered is an obvious mark of progress, there are other signs that I’m returning to the runner that I once was:

1. Life is beautiful especially when I’m running. I can be grumpy and stressed an hour before I start my run. Yes, hard to believe but it's true. In the middle of running up the mountain, my mindset changes as the sweat emerges from my pores. It's like I rid myself of an unwanted layer of myself. Life seems perfect. I appreciate the moment and the beauty of my surroundings. I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my health and my ability to run and everything amazing in my life.

2. Two consecutive days without sweat leaves me cranky. Okay, maybe this isn't a a sign of progress because I’ve always been cranky if I don’t exercise. Sweating is essential to my physical and mental health. As I get a little fitter, I miss the sweat even more when I’m unable to fit it in. I had to travel to Banff for a conference recently and though I got in a 45 minute run on the treadmill on one day, the conference and the travel left me so bagged that I was too tired to run for the next two days. I was tired AND cranky.

3. Weather is no barrier. This winter, we’ve run in a whole lot of rain and a whole lot of snow. It’s the beginning of April and even today, I hit snow heading out towards Norvan Falls. Otis loved it! I was inspired watching him leap through the snow banks as I squished through the slushy trails. We were soaked and cold…we plodded on.

4. I have a favourite flavor of Cliff Shot Bloks. I believe in eating whole foods as much as possible. But a banana stuffed in my camel back is not a tasty treat after 90 minutes of running. So, I’ve been experimenting with the candy flavored cliff blocks. So far, my favourite is Margarita...

5. I can do a long run after a hike with my 35 lb child on my back. Yesterday afternoon, we hiked up the trail near the back of our house. I wanted to see if I could still carry Ellie on my back now that she is toddler size. The hike normally takes 35 minutes. It took about an hour with Ellie on my back but we did it (Dora the Explorer theme song goes here)!

6. I can run home. Last weekend, I had to catch up on some work at the office. The only way of fitting in a run was to use my body to transport me home. I looked out my downtown office building window and considered the distance. I could see upper Lynn Valley but it looked a long way away! I looked out west to see the Lions Gate Bridge – even that looked far away. I laced up my shoes and headed out anyway. I ran through the park, over the bridge and past Lonsdale. I made it back to my hood feeling spent but not run over. For me, that was a mark of progress.

I hope you are all enjoying this training journey and making your own discoveries as you explore the world through running. What are your signs of progress?

Finally!

Hello friends and family! Well it's been exactly 2 months since Pat and Pam's surprise 60th birthday party! It was the night before the party that I injured my knee! Although I have maintained my schedule at the gym, I haven't been able to run since last week, which was the first week of the beginner training schedule! Lucky me! I am on target with that schedule and still pain free! Pam and I did our 7 km run on Monday morning on the beautiful Mission Creek Trail. She very politely matched my slow pace! Must admit to walkiing several times during the run but I made it. We had a guest runner named "Molly", a beautiful golden lab that Pam is taking care of. So.... the three of us enjoyed the beauty of nature, the creek, ducks, birds and the early signs of spring! I've had a few emails regarding the "reunion" part of this event, with hotel suggestions and dinner/brunch venue ideas. I think the priority now is to find out how many of us require a hotel reservation. Is your preference to have the dinner/brunch the day prior to the event or the day of the event? It would be special if we could all participate! Please post your comments and preferences or send me an email and I will continue with Pam to research our options. On a personal note, I have sold my business (Deeco Spa) and will be finished at the end of April. This is exciting for me as I will have so much more time to train for the half marathon, travel, and enjoy my friends and family! A special thanks to Corri for organizing the communication and training schedules. Now, I'm offically a "blogger"!! Happy training everyone! Dee

Guest Post by Julia

I just looked through the training programs. Is it bad that the beginner one looks really hard to me? I'm using the schedule Dad made for me when I ran my first half marathon. I asked him to design it for a couch potato who wanted to go from no fitness to finishing a half marathon in about 5 months. I run 3 times a week. 2 short and one long. At the beginning, one of my short runs includes hills. Towards the end, one of my short runs is done at a slightly faster pace.

I think the key for me is consistency. I have a problem with rationalizing run avoidance. This time, I am proud to say, I haven't missed one yet. It's really been helping me with stress management. I have also learned a new technique to improve pace....go to the gym just before closing so that you have to push yourself to finish the distance in time. Okay, it might be a good way to get an injury, so follow my advice at your own risk, but take it from me....it can really inspire some fast running :)

In closing....here are my current top 3 running music picks. I have no shame:
1. Baby by Justin Bieber
2. I'm Running by Mistress Barbara
3. Fire Burning by Sean Kingston

One more thing I found amusing about the training programs on the half marathon website....they all included runs after the race. I don't know about you, but I usually take at least a one month hiatus from all things gym related after I finish one of these things :)