Sporting Life 10km, Collapsed Runner and Nipple Tape

Well Race #1 is officially under my belt.  I ran in the Sporting Life 10 km running race down Yonge Street on Sunday.  I had set a goal for myself of beating my previous 10 km personal best time of 53:15, which I believe I set in the same race about 12 years ago.  I fell a bit short of that goal with a time of 55:17.  I was right on track to be done in about 52 minutes at the half way point, but I found that I faded a fair bit around the 7 km mark.  I'm not too unhappy with my finish though, it puts me in the top 25% of all the female runners in that race and gives me some feedback about what I need to work on.  Now back to the training and find another 10 km race later in the season to see if I can improve on that time.  

As an aside, it was the first race ever where I've seen a runner collapsed on the course and being administered first aid.  The poor man was white as a ghost and gasping for air. I'm hoping it was nothing major, perhaps just pushed a bit too hard - kind of disconcerting to see though as you are running past.  And at the end my sympathies went out to another guy who's nipples were so badly chaffed from the run that he had 2 red streaks of blood streaming down his white race shirt - ouch!   

Inspiration

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go - T. S. Eliot

Running Hazards

Don't get me wrong, I love dogs, just not so much when they're off leash and I'm running.  Sunday morning I was out for my usual 10 km run along the Beltline.  If you're not familiar the Beltline it is a lovely wooded path that stretches from Mount Pleasant Cemetery and Yonge, across to the Allen Road.  It's an old railway line that the city filled in with dirt and turned into parkland.  It's great for running, shady, easy on the knees and away from traffic and pollution.  So I'm about midway through my run and these two dogs are off leash in an area that is NOT an off leash area.  Just as I run past them one decides to chase the other at top speed and both plow into my legs knocking them right out from under me and I land flat on my back and my left palm hits a sharp rock.  You know it looked bad when you can hear a gasp from the onlookers! One of the owners was kind enough to help me up and check that I was ok and I went on with my run.  It took another couple of kilometers for me to notice the blood dripping from my hand (endorphins are pretty amazing!).  Further along a smaller dog darted out in my path and I barely managed to avoid colliding with him.  If I had he would have been badly hurt.  Please dog owners for the safety of all concerned, keep them on a leash in areas heavily trafficked by runners or cyclists.

March Break - What Break?

Since Brandon's off school this week, I can organize childcare a bit around the pool schedule so I can get some much needed swimming in.  I haven't swum in about a year and a half, but it's just like riding a bike, it all comes right back to you.  Monday was a 1200 m swim, which I did in 300 m chunks since I'm a bit rusty.  It was surprisingly easy, but boy could I feel my deltoids, trapezoids and triceps muscles afterward.  I was back in the water again today and since Wednesday is one of my usual running days, I followed the 1200 m swim with a 5 km run, during which I'm thinking the triathlon is still almost 5 months away and I just did almost 2/3 of it - can you say over-prepared?   

Running

After some inspiration from a marathoner friend, I increased my Sunday morning runs from 6 km to 10 km a few weeks ago.  I was surprised how easy it was to just tack on the extra 4 km and while my legs were a bit sore the next couple of days, I'm pleased with the results.  Over the last 3 weeks I've been able to consistently shave 1 minute off my 10 km time which should put me in good shape for the Sporting Life 10 km run on Sunday May 2nd, not as fast as my personal best (PB) of 53 minutes, but under an hour and since that PB was about 15 years ago, not too shabby. 

Spring is on the Way...

and soon after begins the new race season.  I've been perusing and re-perusing race schedules and I think I've got my season all planned out:

• Sunday May 2nd - Sporting Life 10 km race for Kids with Cancer
• Saturday June 19th - Hoping to have a blast again at the Mitsubishi City Chase
• Sunday July 11th - Acura Toronto either 10 miler or 5 km, not decided yet
• Sunday August 8th - Grimsby Sprint distance triathlon - my shot at redemption on the swim and likely a new personal best time
• Sunday September 26th - Scotiabank 5 km, no marathons or half's for these knees

I would love some company on any or all of the above, or even for any of the training beforehand. 

Hope to see you at the races :)

Pamela

Run for the Cure

Well the Forces of Nature Wellness Team Ran for the Cure this morning.  Altogether I think we raised about $1600.  We had a wonderful time, the weather held so we didn't get rained on.  They are estimating 30 000 people were there and it sure seemed like it, the crowd was immense.  If you've never done a run like that before, it's a very worthwhile experience just to feel the energy from such a crowd of excited, positive people.  The organizers did a great job and the cheerleaders along the way made for lots of smiles and high fives. It took me 25 minutes to complete the 5 km run which I was pretty happy with, now I'm looking to run a more competitive 5 km race and see how I do. I'll keep you posted!

Well It's Not a Triathlon...

But it is a worthy cause. On Sunday October 4th, the Forces of Nature ladies will be Running for the Cure as a team. We're still looking for more team members if anyone is interested, call Maria and let her know before this Friday September 18th at 416.481.0222. We've already raised over $1000 and if you would like to contribute, visit our donation site here:

https://www.cibcrunforthecure.com/html/p.asp?t=3594712&l=1

Photographic evidence

Here I am at the end of the triathlon, thinking ahead to the next race.

Mission Accomplished!

Yesterday was the big race. I woke up to rain here in Toronto and as I was leaving around 6:30 a.m. it got quite heavy and I was sorely tempted to turn around and crawl back into bed rather than brave the elements. But in the back of my mind I kept thinking, but what if in Grimsby this has all blown through already and the weather's fine? So I pushed on and sure enough by the time I got there the rain had stopped. The course site was a sloppy mess, the sun never did appear and there was a couple of short bouts of light rain during the race, but I'm glad I went. Here's the official breakdown:

1. The Swim - was relatively disastrous. I've been doing really well in the pool, my usual time to complete 750 meters is 16-17 minutes. Unfortunately swimming in an open lake is entirely different and as much as I had hoped to get at least one open water swim in before the race, my schedule didn't allow it. So cold lake water, waves and the restrictions of a wetsuit, made breathing difficult and I felt like I couldn't get enough air, which is a scary feeling when you're in deep lake water. Twice I had to stop and gasp for air while clinging to a rescue kayak and seriously thought I was going to have to abandon the swim. But thankfully, the kayakers were really great, calming and supportive and about half way through when my nerves settled and I got into my groove and swam quite well - if only I could have done that the whole way.
2. The Bike - went really well. I maintained an average speed of 26 km/hr throughout and so finished in under an hour which was my goal. As luck would have it, because of the rain they altered the bike course to remove the hill affectionately dubbed "The Beast", so the whole bike course was a nice flat stretch.
3. The Run - also went well. I managed to run at about the same pace as I had 8 years ago the last time I did a triathlon, so I was happy with that.

My goal had been to beat my time in my last triathlon which was 2 hours 27 minutes and 6 seconds. In public, I was aiming for 2 hours and 17 minutes, privately in my own mind I was hoping to finish in 2 hours and 5 minutes. My time (even with a horrible swim) was....drum roll please...2 hours and 7 minutes and 41 seconds. So all in all I'm pretty pleased and even after my near death experience in the swim, I'm trying to set my next race. There's a tri in Guelph lake at the end of August, but I'm not sure I want to do another that soon. I may aim for a duathlon in September. I'll keep you posted!

Some Thoughts the Day Before the Big Day - 1 day to go!

Since I haven't had time for blogging lately there have been random accumulated thoughts building up in my brain so here's the big brain dump:
1. As I previously mentionned, music like IPods etc are not allowed while racing a triathlon for safety reasons. So I've usually had a soundtrack for the race running in my brain. Those of you who know me well know that I love a band from Newfoundland called Great Big Sea. Previous races were run to the inspiration of lyrics like "and I say, way hey hey it's just an ordinary day, and it's all your state of mind" and "when I'm up I can't get down, can't get down can't get level, when I'm up I can't get down, get my feet back on the ground". This time around Great Big Sea has a new album out called Fortune's Favour that I absolutely love and so I think it will be lyrics from Walk on the Moon that inspire me - "this is my one small step, this is my walk on the moon". If you ever get a chance to see Great Big Sea live, it's the most fun you're likely to have at a concert and you'll pay for a seat, but not likely ever sit in it because they'll have you on your feet through the whole show.
2. I'm sad to report that my two friends that were going to race with me have had to pull out of the triathlon, so I'll be going solo - which is ok because I'm not sure I really want too many people I know to see me in full swim regalia with the goggles, swim cap and wetsuit - it's not really an attractive look.
3. On wetsuits - I tried mine on after 10 years of not wearing it and forgot just how tight these things are. I can get it up to my waist after considerable, sweat inducing effort, but I can't possibly zip the thing up myself. I went to Endurosport today to ask if that's how it should be and was assured that it was the right size for me and you do in fact have to be a contortionist to be able to zip it yourself.
4. This week - pre-race week has been ridiculously easy, I'm just worried that I've lost some of my endurance and I feel like I've gained 10 pounds from being (in relative terms) sedentary. Days that were consumed with a 600 m swim followed by an 80 minute bike ride are now just a 20 minute bike ride - it seems like way too little effort. My seasoned triathlon pals assure me that this is ok, but I'll actually be looking forward to picking up my activity level again next week - so I say now, perhaps I should reserve comment until after my 2 hour+ workout tomorrow.

Wish me luck!

Bring it on! - 13 days to race day!

This week is the last week of intensive training before the race. Next week is a pretty easy week to rest and gear up for the big day. I feel very ready to race, but there can always be some unknowns thrown in come race day - choppy water, a hundred other bodies kicking and flailing at the same time and currents to battle on the swim, a windy day for the bike ride, blisters and sunburn for the run. I'm on track for my goal to better my time in theory, but it'll all come down to the conditions on the actual day - bring it on!

Still Going Strong - Just 3 weeks to go!

Yes, I'm still training, just not blogging much these days. Last week the city of Toronto threw me off and closed all the pools for the week, so I didn't get any swimming in, but I'll be back in the pool today (and feeling it tomorrow I'm sure). Yesterday I had a great run down Yonge street from Forces of Nature to the beltline and across to Bathurst and back. I used to live closer to the beltline and really miss those runs across the beltline with all the other runners. If you've never been there, the beltline runs east and west from Mount Pleasant Cemetary to Eglinton and the Allen Road. It used to be railroad tracks, but was filled in and now it's a lovely tree lined park. When you get to the end, if you're really ambitious you can run south across Eglinton and into another big park there and come out at St. Clair and Bathurst. Until the next time I get a chance to blog - Happy Canada Day!!!

Where Have I Been? - 56 Days Left

As the training picks up, the time for blogging about it goes down. Last week's recovery week was a welcome break, but things have picked up again since this past Wednesday. This week and next week are the toughest of the whole training schedule and given that I've gotten through most of this week, I'm encouraged about the triathlon to come. Yesterday was a 500 m swim and a 30 minute run, just insert an hour plus bike ride in the middle and you've got yourself a triathlon. Today is a rest day which is great because bless his little heart, Brandon has given me his cold. With lots of echinacea, vitamin C, astragalus, colostrum and rest today I'm hoping to be fit to tackle the 500 m swim and 80 minute bike ride tomorrow. I'm getting hungry just thinking of all the calories I'm going to burn.

Recovery Week Here I Come! - 65 Days to go

The last two days have been pretty intense with an 80 minute bike ride at the end of the day yesterday and a 55 minute run this morning. I'm looking forward to the upcoming rest week that starts tomorrow with a day off training. There's been a low grade tightness in my left calf muscle that I'm hoping will go away with the rest day. I just took 500 mg of dimagnesium malate and 1 packet of Magnelevures to see if that helps loosen it up as well.

Triathlon Training Side Effects - 66 days remaining

1. I've lost about 5 pounds in the last month
2. I need to shop for new clothes, all my clothes from last summer are too big and baggy now
3. More energy - believe it or not, I have more energy than ever even with the demands of the workouts
4. I can eat whatever I want and as much as I want - not that I'm going crazy and eating unhealthy foods, but it's nice to be able to eat as often or as much as I would like and not worry about it
5. Nicer skin - all the exercise and sweating is flushing out toxins and bringing more blood flow to my skin, it's got a nice healthy glow

Running Inspires - 67 Days Left

One thing you have to get used to if you are competing in a triathlon is that that you are not allowed to use music during the race. I love to move to music and always found it put a little more bounce in my step when I was running. I've been trying to get used to running without it and I find the lack of distraction leads to inspiration. With no music to otherwise occupy my thoughts the creative juices start to flow and all kinds of ideas pop into my head while I pound out a half hour run.

Life Gets in the Way - 68 Days to Triathlon

I had a run in the afternoon sunshine planned for today that I was so looking forward to, but as it turns out there's been a bit of a family emergency, so no workout today for me. I'll have to try to make up the run tomorrow. Brandon and I did have a lot of fun at the Mooredale Mayfair this morning though. It's an annual spring fair held just east of Summerhill and Yonge with rides and games for the kiddies. Brandon loved the bouncy castles, the train ride, the elephant ride and the fun house.

Just Keep Going - 69 Days and Counting

I had to jockey the training schedule around this week to make it to the pool, so this morning was a 600 meter swim. One of the things I've found with any of the triathlon activities, is that once I get going, it's not that hard to just keep going. The toughest part is usually in the first 5-10 minutes when the body hasn't yet kicked into aerobic mode from anaerobic mode. Once that transition is made, it's just a matter of continuing to put one foot in front of the other, keeping your legs going round or swimming so many more lengths. It becomes quite automatic and in a way like meditation, freeing your mind to think deep thoughts or nothing at all.

Scheduling and Knees - 70 days to go

Today was supposed to be a swim day, but my schedule didn't mesh with the pool schedule, so I ended up switching workouts to a 30 minute bike ride and I'll swim tomorrow instead. One of my weaker areas, second only to my Achilles tendon mentionned earlier, is my knees. Too much running or cycling in the past has lead to Patello Femoral Syndrome (PFS). When it first happened 15 or so years ago I did the round of Sports Medicine doctors and physiotherapists. Physio gave me temporary relief, but it kept re-occuring and the doctors' advice was "well, you'll just have to give up running". I'm sure most avid runners have been given such advice at one time or another and for me, giving it up just wasn't an option. Fast forward to naturopathic college where I started training for triathlons and the trusty knee problems flared up again. I went to the naturopathic clinic and had a series of acupuncture treatments done and - voila! No more knee problems! Acupuncture is perfect for this type of problem, it helps reduce the inflammation, improve circulation to the area and stimulates the immune system to repair whatever damage has been done. I've not had a knee problem since, but if it crops up again I can just stick a few needles in my own knee and keep on running! My daily glucosamine sulfate probably helps too.