May 2007 Archives

I couldn't get asleep last night until after 2.30am, so when the alarm went off 4 hours later, I couldn't get up. I bargained with myself to get extra snoozes. Quick shower, I'll buy both breakfast and lunch, anything for another 9 minutes.

Finally I made it out of bed, into the shower, got dressed and into the car on time. The only thing motivating me was COFFEE. I got an XL at the drive thru, then headed downtown. As I got out of my car, my XL cup of joe went flying. Across the carpark. There was coffee everywhere. I wanted to cry. I want to go back to bed and start again.

Running tonight with P and D. Only 3 sleeps till The PT and the Ya Yas hit the relay road!

We just received the official Minutes of our meeting from Saturday ... thought I'd share them with you ... oh and I'm Ali

This is my version of what happened at the picnic table on Saturday! Any errors or omissions are due to the fact that I [Colleen] wasn't always paying attention and couldn't hear what was being said as everyone was really rowdy during the meeting.....plus, Ali was being needy!

Colleen (don't forget to stretch between your runs)!!!!

“Minutes”
Shore to Shore Meeting
held May 19, 2007
at the Market picnic table!

It was decided that Colleen, Janice, Patty and Bill would each drive up to the cottage at Grand Bend on Thursday, May 31st. If anyone from the PT and the Ya Yas team wishes to have “stuff” transported up to the cottage, like change of clothing, sleeping bags, lawn chairs etc then arrange with any of the drivers to bring it up Thursday evening. “Brilliant” Terry suggested that runners from Van 1 and 2 could bring their “stuff” to Janice’s on the bridal shower evening (Friday, May 25th) and store it in her garage!

Runners in Van 1 have agreed to the following schedule to get to Port Stanley to start the race: Stacey will meet Janice at her home at 5:30 a.m.
Terry, Ali, Bill, Colleen and Larry will meet Janice at Hooters by 6 a.m.
This will allow the team to arrive at Port Stanley in plenty of time for the Captain’s meeting at 7 a.m. and to start the race at 8 a.m.

Runners in Van 2 discussed and organized their pick-up and meeting schedule. If you are in Van 2 and have any questions, ask Dale!

There will be a case of water in each van provided by Janice (who is very organized and runs a hell of a meeting). It was decided that each individual runner will be responsible for bringing their own supply of snacks.

“Needy” Ali expressed her fear of dogs and desire to be constantly monitored by the Van when she is running…..and, she has graciously offered to provide clear garbage bags for runners to wear in case of rain (which isn’t as bad as being attacked by some farm dog, probably a huge German shepherd!).

Colleen (who was obsessed with reminding everyone to stretch after running their leg) and Dave (who was driving organized Janice crazy) will supply a First Aid Kit for each van.

Cheryl is looking into getting the group another headlamp.

Patty is looking into getting us another reflective vest.

Everyone was reminded to bring their cell phones and chargers for the phone so that communication will be assured. Also bring batteries for flashlights and headlamps.

The meeting ended with a prayer that we can pull this off!!!!!

THE END

Our local running store held a bra clinic for women only tonight. They recently got in a selection on support sports bra, so this was an opportunity to see how measure up ... try and test.

Having spent millions on shoes, performance gear and massages, it only seems fair that the girls should get something just for them. In most other situations, having a set of D cups can work in your favour. In running however they are not so favourable. My idea of extra support is wearing two sports tanks. I might as well use duck tape. Trying to find a bra that supports, doesn't make people wonder why I am sweating and appear to be cold and of course doesn't look like a piece of industrial bondage equipment is virtually impossible. Until tonight

I tried racerbacks, pull over your head, zipper in the front, clasps in the back and underwire. Then I found the perfect support for my prized possesions.

The Fiona bra by Motion Comfort will now be holding my assets high and bounce free.

With no work on this beautiful holiday Monday, what better way to spend it than to do a trail run.

I am not what you would call a trail runner, in fact I've only done a couple short ... like under 8k runs on said trails. But when T suggested doing a trail run instead of a long run, I thought maybe I should give it a try. Plus I could have Sunday off to enjoy what Sunday's were truly designed for sleeping in and drinking copius amounts of coffee.

T and J were definites, both of them having completed the marathon last week I figured I would benefit from their sore tired legs and be able to keep up.

We met at the entrance to trail at 7am, D and J who were planning on doing 10k, and T, J and moi who were doing the full loop of the lake, for 21k. T led us out. After about 10 minutes, our guide pointed out how spectacular the view was. I can't argue or agree, the only thing I was looking since the start was the ground and the back of J's shoes. We explained to T that if he would like us to appreciate the view then he would have to stop. He promised a stop at a lookout rest point at 5k.

He was right the view was simply breathtaking ...

We continued on til the end of the lake, where D and J were planning to turn around. With a little gentle arm twisting D who hasn't run more than 10k this year agreed to continued on. T's love for the trails is contagious. As we headed around the other side of the lake, the trail was flatter and wider allowing me to occasionally move my eyes from the ground. This combined with my growing confidence as a professional trail runner and a conversation about the Desperate Housewives weddings caused me to lose concentration for a mere second and perform a Nancy.

A Nancy - is a trail term used to describe gracefully doing a face plant whilst running.

Actually it was only a half Nancy, both hands and knees came in contact with the ground. I didn't get the black eye, so I won't get the curious are you abused looks from work colleagues. There was no blood that I could milk for sympathy, although I think I might have a half descent bruise to show off as a great conversation starter.

The trail run was awesome, way more fun than I could of expected, and something totally different than what we normally do. I enjoyed every moment of it .. up until the dam ... about 17k in, when we left the trail and hit the road. My hamstrings were screaming. I started calculating trail miles, if we did 13 miles on trails that has to be equivalent to 54 real road miles ... at least that was what my hams were thinking.

With a little motivation and a slower pace by T and J we finished the run in just over 2 and a half hours ... very impressed if I do say so myself.

A big shout out to Yukon Dave, who came in just after us ... smiling ... very happy he decided to do the full loop

I did my first post-dnf-marathon run on Saturday morning. It was a good short run and I didn't throw up ... awesome result.

After the run we had our final Shore to Shore relay team meeting. It's less than two weeks away. Our team of 12 plus 2 drivers will run from Port Stanley to Grand Bend, taking the scenic long route. After 5 stages and 36 legs we will have covered 305 km.

I've never done a relay before, I am totally excited. However, at the meeting I learned something about our team ... we have ADHD. The meeting started with the captain talking about some of us taking post-relay gear to the cottage we have rented near the finish.

It went something like this ....

Captain ... "We are going up to the cottage on Thursday ni"

Interuption then occurs, questions flying from all direction at the same time.

"What colour are the shirts?"

"Where's the cottage?"

"Who's going?"

"How much beer will the cooler hold?"

We continued on the same theme for the entire meeting ... we definitely need ritalin by the bucket load!

Marathon number 4 is officially still to be done. My attempt on Sunday ended at 26k.

It all started out perfectly, I woke up on time, completely refreshed and ready to run after a great nights sleep. The best pre-marathon sleep. The weather gods were smiling, it was cool and sunny. Everything was looking promising.

I got ready, ate my normal bagel and waited for nature to kick in. It did. Very quickly. Not to worry, it is just pre-race nerves. I grabbed my bag and headed out. Just as I got to the elevator, I realised I didn't have my watch on. Back inside, I searched high and low of it. No where to be found.

Okay, I'm not going to panick. I have an old crappy watch that has a basic stop watch, it will do the job. It took me about 10 minutes to find it. I headed out again, now a little stressed since I was running about 15 minutes late. Not to worry, we had planned to meet 45 minutes before race time, so I still had plenty of time.

I arrived and met up with the group. With about 10 minutes to go, I decided to visit the washrooms one more time, apparantely, I was still suffering from pre-race nerves. Strange since I didn't feel nervous or anxious at all! I found K, my BFFs daughter she was running the half, it was her first ever race so I told her I would run the first part of the race with her. We headed to the start. Due to my last minute trip to the toilet I lost P who I was planning on running with. The gun went off and we started walking to the start.

Slight stomach issues, a misplaced watch and a lost running buddy, looks like I got rid of all my mishaps before the race started ... phew.

We stepped on the mat and started to run. I pressed the start button on my old watch. The screen went blank. Nothing. I pressed the button again again and again. It was dead. For the first time today I start to panick. I need a watch. I am watch obsessed during a race. What would I do for 4.30 hours with no watch to check every 30 seconds, how would I know my pace?

Calm down ... breath .... inhale ... exhale.

There are hundreds of people around I'll just use one of there watches. I ask K if she started her watch? I'm not wearing one ... WHAT?

Who doesn't wear a watch?

Okay it's her first race, she doesn't understand. I see the first K marker up ahead ... already? Damn it. I look frantically around, I see a familar blonde ponytail ... it's J ... she'll have a watch. I manouver us over to them and as we pass the K marker, I scream to J my watch just died, what time do you have?

... Oh I didn't set my watch.

The crowd of runners around us found this incredibly funny, I'm guessing I didn't hide the panick in my voice or the shock on my face. Then the guy behind me pulls and and says 4.45.

Ah .. relief ... okay 4.45

What ... 4.45 ... I'm aiming for 6.20!

I don't even think it is possible for me to run a 4.45 km. I can't even begin to describe the anxiety I was feeling at this point. Was I really running that fast, I knew I wasn't but I had NO F*&@ING WATCH to tell.

Then K, the watchless newbie, noticed another 1k marker. A different colour. There were 4 races so each had a different colour. When we passed our colour, someone shouted 6.18. Thank you. Okay I was on pace, I began to settle down.

This lasted all of 30 seconds. I knew most of these runners were doing the half. I'd be without watch or people with watches for the entire second half.

Did I mention I'm obsessed about my watch.

I looked at J. If she hadn't set her watch she probably wasn't going to use it. I ran up beside her and asked if I could have her watch. Looking back down, it was probably more like demanded. She was watch-jacked at 1.5K.

I was so happy, I couldn't wait to get to 2k to set it and start obsessing!

By 3k, we were perfectly on pace, K was feeling great and loving the race experience. Then up ahead I see P. By 4k we had caught up and passed them. We were right on pace. I took off my long sleeve shirt and started to feel settled and comfortable. Once I relaxed I notice my stomach was still cramping. I figured it would work itself out.

Things started to go really wrong at 10k, when I took my first gel. It didn't seem to want to go down. I grabbed more water at the next waterstop. It didn't help. My stomach was cramping more. I found a toilet at 14k. The gel was rejected, along with my bagel and pasta dinner. I felt better when I started running again. I saw K up ahead and focused on catching her. I had caught up by the next waterstop.

I felt good, great infact. My legs felt strong. My stomach seemed okay now. I see P up ahead, and catch up by 19k. We cross the half way in 2.16 just 1 minute behind my target. I start to feel really positive, half way there, feeling good. I grab a gel and take it. By 22k I am regretting the gel. It doesn't want to go down. For the next 2 k I focus on putting one foot in front of the other. P is pulling ahead. I feel like I am using every ounce of energy to run and I'm not going anywhere. I am getting slower and slower.

It is like someone flicked a switch and turnoff my power. I realise I don't have anything in my system except the last gel which is trying to leave. I have run out of fuel.

I know my parent are at 26k, they have my bag. Packed with things I might need including snacks. The thought of food makes me sick. For the next 5 minutes I battle with the thought of continuing on or stopping. I can't believe how hard it is to stop. To give up. When you have put so much into one day.

I pulled off at 26k. I didn't have the energy to argue or battle with myself, I just wanted to stop.

So marathon number 4 is still on the To Do List. But for all the things that went wrong for me, it went right for everyone else, P had a 23 minute PB, the Strickler PB'd in marathon number 2 and L and T completed their first marathon with smiles on their faces!

I feel a strange calm preparing for tomorrow. I think it is because this is the first local marathon I have run. The past three, I have been in a different city, sleeping in a hotel, already packed so the only choices I have are what I brought or bought. I don't have any of that this time, with 16.5 hours to go it feels like any other Saturday, with a normal run of the mill long run tomorrow.

We did a short run this morning followed by the ritual coffee session, then a mass invasion of the expo. We picked up our race kits ... my bib number is 2! After my initial shock and a bit of performance anxiety, I realised they were issued alphabetically! Phew!

Then I began sampling all the protein drinks, protein bars and whatever else they can make out of protein powder. By the time we left I felt totally ill.

Just finished all my laundry, so I have every piece of running apparel I own to choose from. Being the most indecisive person on the plant, this should take until 4am tomorrow morning.

I'm off to get ready for the pasta dinner.

We had our final group run last night. It was pretty warm and humid when we headed out. I ran with V, we were talking about Sunday and what races we were doing. The route wasn't that difficuilt, but my legs weren't moving well and I was panting

... I glanced at my watch

... 16 mins 14 secs

... hmmm

... I am sucking air at 16 minutes, how am I going to run on a marathon on Sunday?

I think the taper is supposed to revitalise you, I'm not feeling revitalised today at all. It's probably lack of sleep. I didn't get to bed til after 1am this morning.

I need more than 5 hours sleep.
I need to be drinking more water, it's going to be hotter than hell out there on Sunday.
I need to go shopping and buy something totally cute to wear on Sunday

We did our last official long run on Sunday before marathon number 4. Turned out to be a really good run, the weather was perfect and I felt way better than last week when I struggled to do 13 miles.

Sunday evening met up with the Stricker, the hot massage guru and some of his friends and family. We had a big fat greek dinner. Seriously you should of seen all the food. There was so much it wasn't even served on plates, but platters! It was delicious.

Then we all headed off to see Billy Joel!

Totally awesome show. It was just like being back in the vegas piano bar ... well except an extra 9000 people.

I think there is a secret underground Piano man fan club. The members appear to be straight men anywhere from 20 - 35. They know all the words to Billy's songs and sign them enthusiastically ... then without warning they get up and dance. They are alone, dancing unaided by girlfriends or alcohol. It is the strangest thing ever.

T-minus 5 days til number four!

Mile repeats tonight at marathon pace!

Bon Jovi is on AI tonight and they are singing only Bon Jovi songs. It's like I'm 16 and all my dreams have come true!

Not sure which is sadder, admitting the above or knowing every word to every song sung tonight. Don't judge, it's not like I was singing at the top of my lungs in my living room ... totally was.

In non rockstar news, marathon number 4 is a mere 10 days away. Sundays run was tough, I got just over 13 miles in, but it was not enjoyable. If I remember my previous taper runs, that first shorter run always seems harder than the longest run.