My Shoe History

Before you start reading, I’m going to ask for a comment – at the end, please tell me about your current running/sports shoe(s), and what you like/dislike about them. Alternately, what’s your favourite shoe? Thanks!

My Shoe History

Until I started writing this post, I couldn’t even remember what shoes I was wearing when I started running back in 2009. I had to dig up old photos and search through Facebook to jog my memory (see what I did there?). The best I could come up with was a picture from 2010, and I’m wearing what appear to be Asics. With no disrespect to the brand, I recall them being a bit chunky and cumbersome.

*Mileage: maybe 300km over the course of several years*

Nike LunarGlide+

I bought my first pair of Nikes at Kintec, a local footwear and orthotics store. My interest in running had started to take hold, and I thought it was time to make a commitment. I had bought a Nike+ sensor that synced with my iPod Nano, and until this time it had been attached to my mystery Asics via a Velcro-enabled sensor pocket (yes, I’m sure that’s what it said on the box).

At Kintec, they did a gait analysis on their in-house treadmill. It was noted that I had some pronation, and they suggested a shoe to remedy that. The recommended pair was on sale, and I took the plunge.

This early (first?) edition LunarGlide were lauded for their use of ‘Lunarlite foam’ – apparently something the astronauts use. But at the time, I had little awareness of (or, frankly, interest in) the construction of my shoes. All I knew was that there was a little Nike+ iPod sensor-shaped cutout in the sole of this amazing shoe, so I could continue tracking my runs!

I will take this opportunity to admit that the ability to track my runs via Nike+ was a huge motivation in my continuing to exercise.

I believe I bought these shoes sometime in 2010, and I have photographic evidence of them from my BMO Half in 2012. They served me well. I still have these shoes, and use them for my lunchtime runs.

*Mileage: Possibly well over 700km*

Nike LunarGlide+ 4 

When my training really miles started to increase – and when I decided that a full marathon was in the cards – it was time to get some new shoes. I purchased them on Boxing Day 2012.

Figuring it was best to stick with what I knew, I leaned on the experts at Forerunners and upgraded to the newest version of the Nike LunarGlide.

I loved these shoes instantly. First of all, the colours – black and neon green! How could you go wrong?

Secondly, they’ve got great reflectively qualities – particularly the ‘swoosh’, but also everything under the mesh is kind of shiny.

Finally, they are water resistant. The shiny bit under the mesh – apparently a ‘shield’ – has actually kept my toes dry on many occasions.

Yes – they have Lunarlon and Flywire technology, too. But I will leave these technical aspects to the experts (honestly, until I started writing this post, I had never ever heard of Lunarlon…) – I like this review.

These shoes carried me through training in 2013 and 2014…including my first marathon. And they matched my wardrobe (i.e. my neon green/yellow jacket) perfectly. They’re pretty worn out, with cracks in the sole – but they still make it into rotation from time to time.

*Mileage: Eek – might even have exceeded 1000km*

Nike Air Pegasus+ 30

Boxing Day 2013. I wanted to take advantage of the sales. They were out of size 9 1/2 but I convinced myself that a 9 was fine. I also convinced myself that I was fine with the colour – that panels of blue, red and pink ‘Gym Red, Armory Navy, Atomic Red’ suited me.  They didn’t. They went back to the store (mostly because they really didn’t fit well, but the colour might well have been a factor…)

…and I replaced them with a larger size of the same model, but this time in ‘Armory Blue’. These shoes carried me through a couple of races, but ultimately I decided the fit just wasn’t right. They were just too snug, and the toe box (is that the right phrase?) to narrow. They were subsequently ‘retired’.

This disappointed me, because the Pegasus has been around for about 30 years and is reported to be an incredibly reliable shoe. Not so in my case, unfortunately.

*Mileage: Probably not more than 100km*

Mizuno Wave Rider 17 

The Mizuno guy came to Forerunners one day, allowing us to try out a pair in a long training run.  After completing about 20km and feeling invincible, I bought a pair. The shoes were lightweight and comfortable. They could do no wrong. And I loved the colours: ‘Barbados Cherry/Silver/Green Flash’.

Once I finished Honolulu, however, I realized that the Wave lacked the support I needed. The outside edge of my foot started to hurt, and I ended up going to physio. After recovery, I tried the shoes on again and the pain returned (it was like someone had slipped a little dull blade into the side of the sole), I gave up. These shoes were retired.

*Mileage: Maybe around 250km*

Nike Linarglide+ 6

My current shoes will get a full review in a future post. Let’s see how they perform in my next few races…

How has your shoe history been? Do you stick to favourites or switch things up? What’s your number one shoe?

TravelRun Ontario – and the Trans Canada Trail

Much as I enjoy travelling, it often means I fall behind on other stuff, like updating my blog. With the preparation for going away, plus a couple of evening commitments, along with that full-time job…I’m way behind!

So I’ll get right to it!

Thursday night, we took the red-eye from Vancouver to Toronto. The flight only took about 4 hours, but because of the screaming toddler on board, it felt like a lot longer. Arrived in Ontario with actual red eyes, having not had a wink of sleep, and drove home to Barrie (about an hour due north of Toronto). Greeted my Dad warmly, and promptly took a 3-hour nap.

Hamilton

On Saturday, we drove 2+ hours to Hamilton, at the western end of Lake Ontario, where we attended my cousin’s wedding. It was a wonderful time, getting together with most of the extended family (including a couple of cousins I’d never met before!), dancing, and enjoying the open bar.

Yes, you read that right. Open bar.

Despite the open bar, I had mentally committed to running in Hamilton. I lived in the area during college – but as many of you know, I was not a runner then. As such, I was determined to make this a TravelRun. After breakfast and a few cups of coffee (but unfortunately not enough water), I headed out.

I had packed for Ontario with the assumption that it would be cold. It was not. I was dressed for cooler temperatures in a thermal long-sleeved top with a t-shirt over it, running tights & shorts, and my Icebreaker toque. I headed out from the hotel past Dundurn Castle and along Harvey Park, which overlooks Burlington Bay in Lake Ontario.

Burlington Skyway in the distance

About a kilometre in, I was already sweating.

I pulled up my sleeves.

My destination was Waterfront Trail, requiring me to clamber down a fairly imposing and twisty metal staircase.

I then headed back the way I had come, only now I was right on the lakeshore. The sun was beaming down, the geese were honking, and the fact that I hadn’t rehydrated properly to compensate for a couple of quite a few gin & tonics had set in.

I passed a dead racoon.

It then dawned on me that I was at the base of a small cliff, and that there were railway tracks in between me and said cliff. In order to get back to my destination, I had to do a full loop – which included a hill and a bridge. I briefly took off my toque to wipe my brow, but with the sun growing in intensity on my pale scalp I feared sunburn, and slapped that hat back on.

Now don’t get me wrong – the Waterfront Trail is beautiful.

But I was very happy when the hotel came back in sight. I freshened up, and we headed off for some waterfall sightseeing at the Spencer Gorge.

Followed by a lovely lunch with the family and the newlyweds. Then we headed back to Barrie.

Barrie

In order to ensure that the Ontario TravelRun was done right, I ventured out on Monday morning from my Dad’s place. I’ve run this route quite a few times. Most of it is pretty straightforward residential, all around the neighbourhood where I grew up: Letitia Street, Leacock Drive, Cundles Road, Livingstone Street, Lillian Crescent.

But then I get to run through Sunnidale Park. When I was a child, it seemed vast. Back in the 50s or 60s, it was a golf course. At one point, they wanted to pave it over, and my Mom fought tooth and nail to keep it as a park – and she succeeded. There’s a huge hill where I used to toboggan in the winter. But now I’m seeing it with fresh eyes (although it’s still a bit brown and bare).

One of the coolest things – the path through the park is part of the Trans Canada Trail – a network of trails stretching 17,000km across Canada.

As it turns out – the Waterfront Trail in Hamilton that I ran? It’s also part of the Trans Canada Trail!

Vancouver

Back to Vancouver on Monday night. This was a whirlwind trip, but totally worth it to spend the time with my family, who I don’t get to see as often as I’d like.

On Tuesday, I ran the Seawall in Coal Harbour with three of my coworkers. The Seawall is part of the Trans Canada Trail, too. This fact makes me very happy.

Have you ever run the Trans Canada Trail? Any good TravelRuns in your future?

Have you ever over (or under) dressed for a run?

Long Weekend Recap

In addition to the obvious perk of having a day off work, one of my favourite things about a long weekend is that I have an extra day for a run! I don’t have to get up too early, or encourage myself at the end of a long day, or squeeze it in during my lunch break. I can just go for a run!

No races this weekend, nothing extra-special planned. So I thought I’d just do a recap of what got done!

Friday – Stanley Park

I made sure my Mon-Fri alarm was off, and got up when I woke up (around 7:45am). Then I took my sweet time – had my oatmeal, enjoyed a cup of coffee, scanned Twitter while the cat lazed on my lap. And then it was time to get moving!

Excited to try out my new Nikes, I slipped them on and headed out the door. On Wednesday, a few of us did a lunch run, and I led us through trails at the edge of Stanley Park. That whetted by appetite for more, so I had already selected my route.

Brand spankin’ new!

I ran English Bay to Second Beach, and then entered the park. I hadn’t done this route in months. It was dry and the trails were mostly empty. For company, I listened to a Miles Not Included podcast – not the one I was featured in, but an interview with Brandon from I Run Alaska. Inspiring story – he’s gone from “couch to ultra-marathoner” in just a few years. I really enjoyed hearing his story, and encourage you to listen – and also to visit his blog!

Rawlings Trail to Prospect Point.

From sea level to about 90 metres (300 feet) in under 2 km. Not the hardest climb ever, but a good workout. Prospect Point overlooks the Lion’s Gate Bridge toward West Vancouver.

I took the steeper/quicker route down via Bridle Path, and retraced my steps along English Bay.

Once I got home, I enjoyed a yummy green smoothie.

After buying a giant tub of protein powder last week, I realized the faux vanilla taste was just too strong and I needed a different solution. I bought some single-serving packs of Vega to try out, and I like them better already.

I had planned to go to Pilates, but the class was (understandably) cancelled due to the holiday. I took a nap instead.

Saturday – Strength

After postponing a few sessions due to scheduling challenges/health issues, I finally got to reconnect with Lisa, my awesome trainer at the YMCA. Still reeling from the aftermath of my traumatic Bodycomp scan (high fat percentage, hardly any muscle), I had emailed Lisa asking her to focus on some muscle-building exercises. And boy, did she give me some work to do.

We did a routine that involved:

• Kettlebell swings
• Snatches (also using kettlebells)
• Back squats
• Deadlifts
• Clean and jerks (cleans & jerks? – uncertain)
• Weighted lunges
• …plus some ab exercises

I’ve been instructed to do this workout 4 times per week.

So.

Yes.

OK well, we shall see how that goes. But I’m motivated and committed to self-improvement.

Lisa also complimented me on my new shoes.

Sunday – Yoga & Stanley Park 2.0

My sleep was restless on Saturday night because everything hurt. Especially the muscles in my back. NOTE: it was not your usual ‘lower back pain’ – it was the ‘I have never used those muscles before and now I want to die’ kind of pain. The ‘I will never go to the gym again’ kind of pain. I got up and took an Advil, and then slept for another hour.

Then we went to yoga. I’m so glad I did because while I didn’t think I’d make it through, with all the focus on balancing and breathing, I briefly forgot about the pain. Stretching out some of those sore spots certainly helped.

After brunch, and a beautiful walk home along English Bay, I took a nap.

Yes, another nap.

But the sun was beckoning, so I set my alarm and then got up for another run! I enjoyed the Friday visit to Stanley Park so much that I decided on a repeat.

The biggest challenge was getting there. Once the sun is out, so are the Vancouverites. And tourists. Everyone and their dog – literally. So the ‘home to park’ route involved a lot of weaving  and dodging, and I nearly got hit by a bicycle.

Even the trails were busy. On Friday, I encountered almost no one. Today there were lots of cyclists, even on the steep climb up the Bridle Path. At Propect Point, there was a traffic jam getting into the parking lot, so I didn’t linger.

I also decided to finally listen to my own interview on Miles Not Included. And while I generally don’t like hearing my own voice, it actually wasn’t too bad. If you missed it, you can find it here or on iTunes (Episode 9).

The downhill trail was not as crowded.

And that is why I enjoy long weekends!

Gratuitous tulip photo

 

What did you do this weekend? Any exercise or races?

Any advice for a runner getting started with weights and strength training?

April Ambitions – No Joke!

My last post focused on stuff I got done in March. This time, I’ll talk a bit about what I want to do in April.

Playing

I’m spending a long weekend in Ontario to attend my cousin’s wedding. It will be amazing to reconnect with family, many of whom of haven’t seen in over three years. Having time with my dad is another bonus. Events like these can be a cause for over-indulgence, so I’ll do my best to keep myself in check – mostly!

Next week, I’m going to see the Book of Mormon. I’ve heard great things about this show – I’m very excited to see it!

Eating

After my Bodycomp scan results, I’m trying very hard to improve my diet. Today my coworker did a fantastic presentation on green smoothies – Nutrition Talks by Candace. She really took the mystery out of a healthy smoothie, and gave us a simple mix-and-match recipe guide (the Green Smoothie Formula!) to create our own!

According to Candace, it takes three weeks to start a habit – so my goal for April is to nail down my ideal healthy drink, and make it a daily (or almost daily) part of my routine.

You can visit Candace’s website at YUR Health.

Running

After three races in March, it’s kind of weird to have ‘just’ one race in April.

I had toyed with the idea of running the April Fool’s Half Marathon on the glorious Sunshine Coast. It’s a point-to-point race, quite hilly and I’ve heard it’s a rather challenging course. Unfortunately, the race happens to coincide with my visit to Ontario, so I’ll have to take a raincheque.

I hope to get in at least one TravelRun while I’m away – but it won’t be the most scenic time of year! Stay tuned for my report, whatever that may look like!

My only race this month is the Vancouver Sun Run. As some of you know, the 2009 Sun Run was my first race ever. I completed the 10k route with a time of 1:17:23. With close to 50,000 people participating, it’s the largest 10k event in Canada. Last year, I didn’t join in because it was held just one week before my first marathon – but I did commission a guest blog post. This year, I’m joining our company team. My lofty goal is to be one of the top ten runners on our team, but I’m up against some stiff competition.

 

What are your plans for April? Have you set any goals? Any races to run? Travel? 

Share in the Comments below!

 

 

Run to the Hills

Computer problems persist. Thankfully, that does not stop me from running! Or, for that matter, getting my thoughts down on paper tiny iPhone screen.

My running buddy Lana bailed on me today (claiming ‘tired legs’ from our authentic Fartlek workout on Tuesday). I debated going to the gym instead, but since the rain held off today, I thought I’d go ahead and run on my own.

Because my route is pretty coastal, there aren’t so many hills near the office. Consequently, my destination was Stanley Park – which is still 2km from work. Then I had to run into the trails until I reached the hilly spot I was looking for:

It doesn’t look like much, but once you get going, even the little hills can kick your butt.  I decided to take 5 runs at the hill, cuz I haven’t done any decent hill training since…um…OK I don’t remember.

I was feeling it after the 4th iteration:

But to prove it I set up the timer and took a running selfie for the fifth and final repeat (on a slant from being propped on a log):

Then I still had 2.5km to get back to the office! Ending up reaching over 7km at lunchtime!

How often do you do hill training? Are there hills nearby or do you have to seek them out?

To Fartlek or Not to Fartlek

Once or twice a week, I go running with a couple of my coworkers at lunchtime. We usually run along the Seawall in Coal Harbour – somewhere between 4 and 6km. On Monday, Lana and I were chatting about our plan for the following day (she had put it in the calendar!) and I said, “Wanna do a fartlek workout?”

I said this because I had been browsing through my Twitter feed, and one of the running magazines had a ‘Fartlek‘ headline. I hadn’t even read the article. So it kind of just came out of my mouth. I wanted to sound cool and #hardcore. Lana just kind of looked at me funny and said something to the effect of ‘Sure, whatever Bradley’.

“Great!” said I. “I’ll plan something for tomorrow!”

OK. Now I have to figure out what a fartlek actually is!

As I’ve alluded to before, I’m not consistent with my I hardly ever do speed work. Now, I’ve certainly heard of fartlek workouts before, and I knew they had something to do with speed training, but I couldn’t quite remember.

As usual, Google came in handy:

Fartlek, which means “speed play” in Swedish, is a training method that blends continuous training with interval training…Fartlek training “is simply defined as periods of fast running intermixed with periods of slower running.”  — Wikipedia

So what do I do with that? Evidently, there are lots of variation, including the “mailbox version”, the “dog park version” and the “Mona Fartlek”. But I should have read more.

What Actually Happened

I planned our run and set up a workout on my Garmin. In the end, we did a warmup, followed by 10 x 1 minute intervals of hard running, followed by 1 minute slow jogs (i.e. walking by the 6th iteration).

This is what it looked like:

One of the little glitches in the plan – around the 4th repeat – was a lady walking three dogs shouting, “Hey, you two, can you help me!” One of the dogs had slipped his harness, and she just couldn’t get it back on. So I held the other two while she and Lana figured out the harness/leash situation. Then we started up again.

Not to Fartlek, Apparently

Any of you runners out there who know what they’re talking about (= NOT ME), may take this opportunity to point out that what we did was definitely NOT a fartlek workout. It was very simple interval training. Equal time on/time off repeats. Effective, to be sure (if done consistently) – and boy, did I feel it the next day.

But, if I had actually done good research and read this Runner’s World article:

What’s the Difference Between Fartlek, Tempo, and Interval Runs?

I would have learned that I am not a child anymore, and evidently have no sense of ‘play’. The fast bits are supposed to be ‘unstructured’.

It should have been like this:

ME: “Let’s run fast to that tree!”

*Runs fast to the tree. Then jogs a bit.*

Lana: “Oooh, let’s sprint until we pass that lady with the three dogs!”

*Runs fast past the lady…* Well, you get the idea.

I ended up being ‘tethered to my watch’, which is a fartlek no-no.

Speed Work 2.0

I’m proud of us for doing the speed work, ever if it was completely mislabeled. I know it’s something I should be doing to make myself a faster runner. And I give credit to Lana for letting me tell her what to do, and trusting me to lead her in the right direction! Next time, we’ll allow ourselves a little bit more freedom with our fartleks!!

 

Do you fartlek? Or do any speed work, for that matter? How about hill training? Seriously – I want to know what you do!

5 Reasons Why Vancouver is the Best Running City

 

Vancouver is ‘the best place on earth’. Or so the propaganda goes. A fixer-upper here is more expensive than a mansion in other parts of the country. Regular folk can barely afford to live here. But there’s a reason people come to Vancouver – and why we stay (even if we have to survive on Mr Noodle and live in a shoebox). And that reason? Wait for it…

While on a training run today, I said to my buddy that I probably wouldn’t have become a runner if it weren’t for the fact that I live here. Never been to Vancouver? Or need a reminder of how awesome it is? Well – I’m here to give you 5 Reasons Why Vancouver is the Best Running City!

1. The Scenery

Canada’s northern coast is…the Arctic. It’s frozen most of the year. The East Coast is rocky and windswept. Wild beauty, battered by hurricanes and blizzards.

In contrast – the West Coast. Vancouver sits smugly between the mountains and the ocean. On a good day, you can go skiing in the morning, play beach volleyball in the afternoon, and go kayaking in the evening. (NOTE: It’s not me who would be doing these things, but this is what I’m told people do.) And whatever outdoor activity you happen to be doing – in my case, running – it’s beautiful! Mountains! Trees! Water!

Running in Stanley Park

English Bay – February 21, 2015

2. The Climate

There’s the old joke that Canada has two seasons:  Winter. And July. Well, Vancouver is red-headed stepchild of Canada (which is meant to be a compliment to all gingers in mixed families!) – we arguably have two seasons, as well:  Summer. And Wet.

I’ve written about Running the Rain before – and, to be sure, if you want to run in Vancouver, you’ve got to accept that you’re going to get wet. Heck, I’ve probably run more rainy days than not. But except when it’s a sleety kind of rain, it’s more often just drizzly. Relentless, never-ending showers. So yes, people get gloomy during the short, damp winter days – heck, they should probably get out for a run!

But when the seasons change, it’s glorious. Everyone is out and about! Take today as an example. It’s late February, and this is the weather:

The blossoms are out:

Plum Blossoms

Daffodils

And when summer arrives, it’s warm and dry, the days are long, and there’s nothing to complain about.

For a runner, being able to train outdoors year-round, without risking an icy tumble or frostbite, is a true blessing.

3. The Seawall

The Vancouver Seawall is 22km of sheer brilliance. Given the scenery (see #1 above!), it really doesn’t get much better than this. I’ve done both training runs and races on the Seawall – it’s steps from my home and from my workplace, which are on opposite sides of Downtown. It’s a runner’s dream.

Sure, the Seawall has its shortcomings. On sunny days it’s crowded with locals and tourists out for a stroll. Runners weave in and out between pedestrians and dogs. I call the Yaletown stretch of the Seawall the #dogstaclecourse. And occasionally, when walkers and cyclists are forced to share the path – well, it doesn’t always end with smiles. There’s a lot of animosity there. Seriously.

But on the whole, it can’t be beat!

My nemesis, as I’ve mentioned before, is the Seawall the encircles Stanley Park. I’m getting over it. And it’s still one of the best views in town.

 

English Bay & Burrard Bridge

4. Races Every Weekend

All of these factors combine to make Vancouver a great place to race – and this is evidenced by the sheer number of race opportunities in town (or very nearby). Put in just a wee bit of effort, and you could literally register for a race every weekend. Although Vancouver proper has just one marathon (the BMO Vancouver Marathon), there are countless half marathons, 10ks, 5ks, and a variety of other distances. For example, in March, I have three races scheduled:

• West Van Van 10K (March 1) – read my 2014 Race Report
• Shamrock’n 7 Miler (March 15) – first time running!
• Modo Spring Run-Off 8K (March 22) – read my 2014 Race Report

If I wanted to, I could add races the other two weekends with ease. Don’t believe me? Here’s a taste: http://runguides.com/vancouver/runs (OK, I’ll admit things are a bit light in December and January, but you get the idea.)

5. The Running Community

I love Forerunners. Coach Carey is the bomb. The people I run with are amazing. Remember when I first went to Forerunners in 2010? I didn’t know what I was doing. And if it hadn’t been for the people who welcomed me in that day, maybe I would have given up on running.  But I’ve made some amazing friends, met so many talented, motivating and dedicated people.

There are other running groups and clinics. Other neighbourhoods, training for people at all levels and all ages. I’ve found the community that takes care of me. I’m sure it’s not unique to Vancouver – but I’ll give the city credit because it’s a place that inspires athleticism in so many forms. And while I still hesitate to call myself an athlete, I’ll accept that I’m a runner because this is my home.

Some of my Forerunners peeps:

 

What makes your home an awesome place to live? What (or who) motivates you to get out and do what you do each day?

Weather? What weather?

I have blogged about rain before. Running in the rain. I live in Vancouver, and that’s the reality of living in this fair city!

RAIN

Rain was also a bit of a theme last year. In 2014, I ran my first marathon…followed up later in the year by my second! When I ran the BMO Vancouver Marathon in May, it rained. It was a cold, insistent rain – but I made it through to the finish. My second marathon – my #42for42 – was the Honolulu Marathon. It rained there, too, but it was a warm, tropical rain (although still just as wet!).

True to form, I went out for a run on Monday afternoon, in the rain. Here in BC, it was Family Day so I had a whole day to enjoy! I went for a run along the Seawall to Stanley Park and back, with some fantastic ocean views. Yes, it was wet – and it was beautiful!

FOG

Fog is not exactly a challenge – but it makes for good photos! Over the past couple of weeks, Vancouver (and the Pacific Northwest as a whole) has been hit by a ‘Pineapple Express’ – warm tropical air that brings a lot of rain, and fog!

Last week, I ran the 4km to Forerunners to join my running group for our Saturday run. It was about 7:30am, and these are the photos I snapped along the way!

Foot of Burrard Bridge

Burrard Bridge mid-span

Kits Beach

SNOW

If I had been blogging in January 2014, I would have proudly shared my experience of running in my Ontario hometown in minus 18 degree weather. The only way I could convince myself to get out was to join the local Running Room on their Sunday morning jaunt. Since their group is a bit smaller, they hand out maps of the route. At the top it said: LSD (long slow distance). Later that day I showed the map to one of my friends. He said, “You’d have to be on LSD to run in this cold!”

Last spring, I had a business trip to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and went for a bit of a run. Currently, as I write this, it’s minus 29 degrees in Yellowknife, but with the windchill it feels like minus 41. (For my American readers, that’s minus 20 Fahrenheit but feels like minus 42 Fahrenheit – yep, it’s when Fahrenheit goes below Celsius! It’s that cold!) To be fair, I visited when it was just slightly below zero!

And, of course, if you’ve visited my blog lately, you’ll have read about my TravelRun in Kamloops, BC. If you haven’t seen the lovely photos of that trip, here’s a teaser:

Kamloops – fresh snow

A few people have told me that I’m #hardcore for running in the rain. I hardly think so. The people who train in true weather extremes – whether hot or cold – they are the true #hardcore runners! However, I have to admit that somewhere along the way the weather has become less of a factor in my getting out for a run.

I just have to decide what to wear!

What are the most extreme weather conditions you’ve run in? Is there any weather that truly keeps you indoors? Share your stories!

 

Travel. Run.

When I was a kid, my parents used to take me to ‘travelogues’ at the local high school auditorium. These generally involved a couple (or, occasionally, a single guy) presenting home videos of their travels, and providing live commentary. Basically, you were paying to see what people normally used to show in their living rooms to unsuspecting dinner guests. Yet, my parents loved these shows, and I either got caught up in the story of whatever country we were visiting…or I sat on the steps and read a book.

Most of the time, my runs are predictable – they start and finish at home, at Forerunners, or at the office. The sights and routes are familiar. But once in awhile, when I’m out of town, I kind of what to make a ‘travelogue’ of my own – a TravelRun! It’s a great way to explore a new city, and I kind of enjoy having maps on my Garmin from faraway places.  It’s nice to mix things up once in a while!

This past weekend, four of us took a drive to Kamloops, a small-ish city about 4 hours from Vancouver. We were there to see a play written by a good friend of ours, and then we stayed the night. I had brought along my running gear with the intention of doing a run in a town I’d never visited before. I set my alarm and woke up before everyone else, stepped outside, and discovered this:

There was no snow last night! It wasn’t even that cold! But it was 7am on a Sunday, the snow was still gently falling, and I felt like a kid at Christmastime.

My run took me through the quiet downtown streets (with a friendly “Mornin'” from a guy on his front porch having a smoke), to this curious bridge over the railway tracks:

Evidently, the bridge was built to encourage exercise, since it’s easy enough to cross at ground level. But I crossed the bridge, reached the riverside park, and ran the path alongside the Thompson River.

 

Once I reached the Overlander Bridge, I took a few more photos…

 

Then I turned around and headed back to the hotel. As I retraced my route, I reached a point where my footprints were still the only ones…

Just short of 5km, but I felt that I had gained some appreciation for this town. As you can tell from all the photos, it wasn’t much of a run in terms of exercise…but I had a good time.

We drove home after breakfast.

The very next day, I was off to Edmonton on business. It was a full day of conducting interviews, and after dinner and drinks with a coworker, bedtime sans exercise.

I woke up to this:

That’s -17 degrees Fahrenheit!

And immediately decided that a run was not in the cards.

That night, as chance would have it, work took me back to Kamloops. But after a delayed flight…well, suffice it to say that my running shoes spent the entire trip in my suitcase.

Back in the office on Thursday, despite torrential rain in the morning, I steeled myself to finally get another run in. And at lunchtime – no rain! So I took advantage of the reprieve, did my seawall run, and felt happy to be home again.

A few of my favourite TravelRuns:

• Hawaii – Honolulu Marathon (of course!)
• Kyoto – Running Japan
  
• Yellowknife – Running North of 60

Do you pack your running shoes when you travel? What about business trips – do you keep running? What’s your favourite TravelRun?

The Countdown is On – 1 week to Hawaii

The Honolulu Marathon has been updating their Facebook page daily with the ongoing countdown: 2 weeks…10 days…and now just one week!! How did this happen? This showed up on my Twitter feed this morning:

When I signed for for my #42for42 race back in January, I was wide-eyed and innocent in the ways of the full marathon. It was a spur of the moment decision, combined with an earlybird special that made it cheap enough to allow me to bail if things didn’t go my way. Plus, I’ve never been to Hawaii before!

I thought about doing a post today on lessons learned – but with only one marathon under my belt (and a previous post of a similar ilk), that didn’t seem very honest. Rather, I’ll just talk about my thoughts – and, most assuredly, my fears about this race!

The Climate
I’ve done most of my training in mild weather, with the occasional dabble in miserable and/or below zero. Due to my post-BMO injury, I did very little training during the warmer summer months. And even if I had – the warm, dry summers in Vancouver hardly compare. As such, I’m completely unprepared for a tropical run. Heat? Humidity? No idea how to deal with those, or how my body will respond.

The Time
5:00am start. That means I’ll need to be up and ready before 4:00am. What? Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a morning person. Never have been. My two saving graces are: we got a hotel just 15 minutes’ walk from the Start, so less anxiety about getting there; and due to the time difference (Vancouver is 2 hours ahead of Hawaii), it won’t feel as early. Right?

The Training
I kept to a pretty consistent training schedule before my first marathon in the spring. This time around, life has thrown a few wrenches into the works. In particular, work has been manic since Labour Day, limiting my ability to train at lunchtime like I did in the spring. I’ve been taking a college course as well, which forced me to prioritize study over sport a few times. And, due to an unexpected trip to Ontario for family matters, I might have peaked earlier than intended and started tapering before I ought to have. So while I’m pretty confident I can do the distance, how well I can do it is in question.

The Diet
I have the best intentions for cutting out certain things, for eating more of other things. But with the holiday season in full swing, and my chip addiction somewhat unabated, I fear I haven’t been adhering to the ideal marathon training diet. OK, I did have a kale salad last night, but then we went for dim sum this morning. I really lack the discipline of a true athlete. Thankfully, the race is at the beginning of our holidays, so if I can just hold off on the indulgences for another week…

The Expectations
This race has been on the calendar for nearly a year. A lot of people know I’m running. It’s a hashtag goal! So although I’m trying to be realistic in what I hope to achieve (given the factors above), I have set certain expectations for myself. I won’t reveal them until I either meet them or fail to do so, and tell you all about it in my race report. So stay tuned!

Am I overthinking things? Probably. I tend to do that. In fact, this pretty much sums up my general state of being:

I’ve signed up for several half marathons in 2015. No matter what happens in Hawaii, I’m going to keep running, and blogging about it! Whether or not I do another full marathon depends somewhat on how this race goes, how my body responds, and how the new year plays out. Regardless, I hope that by this time next week I will have completed my second full marathon, and made #42for42 a reality!

See you in Hawaii!