What's next?

That I’m not sure of, because after doing some trail marking for a 5 Peaks race at Rattlesnake Point in early June, I rolled my ankle pretty bad and needed to take a few weeks off for recovery.

The hardest part now is getting started again, and passing that fear of re-injury.  I am fearful that I am going to misstep and roll the ankle again, and then set myself back even further. I don’t have a goal race set yet, but still have at least 2 more 5 Peaks Ontario races (I will miss Albion Hills due to travel plans) but am looking for something in the fall to redeem this year plagued by injury.

The first step for recovery was taking 2 weeks off doing no running and forcing myself to take longer than I may have needed before lacing them up.

The second step was to slowly return to running, and right now that is where I’m at… This morning I went out and did a trail run at a moderate pace (around 5:40/km) and the ankle felt great – if anything I could tell I hadn’t run in a few weeks because the issues were more around my overall stamina, than anything with my ankle.

The last step will be to keep easing back into a routine, and gradually building back to where I was with 4-5 runs per week, and then setting some long-term goals.

I think I will register for the Oasis Canada Zoo Run in Toronto for late Sept, as this has become an annual run with my son, and now 2 more of my kids have expressed interest to run as well. The summer will be spent getting them ready to complete the 10k distance, and that should also keep me motivated to run and hold me back enough to ensure proper recovery.

I’ll let you know how it goes…

Motivation

Sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes life gets in the way, and sometimes once things get uncomfortable it just gets too easy to push.

This has been one of those times.

In March, I injured my knee somehow, and forced myself to dial it back and try to recover, to avoid a major setback and missing my goal race – the Ottawa Marathon. I thought I was being smart, and maybe I was but then the longer I went before returning to an consistent form of activity the harder it was to get going.

Where was my motivation?

I ran when I could find time – this was different than previous years, where I made time to run. My busy life was reducing the weekend run times as I was almost always travelling to coach a basketball tournament, or I was wiped out from said tournaments and settled into rest. I knew what I needed to do, but just couldn’t force myself to lace ‘em up and get out there. The cold and wet month of April didn’t help either.

But in reality, these are hollow excuses…

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I just figured that I would do it, and it never really clicked that I was just taking the easy way out, or then again was I?

I have run a few trails recently and felt great – I even managed to power through the first 5 Peaks Ontario race in Terra Cotta (doing the Enduro Course 10.8k) and had a blast not only running, but volunteering to help set up the morning of the event. I have even run a few decent distances on road, but again this week, at around the 18k mark that pain returned to my knee and I am very fearful of trying to complete a marathon knowing this could flare up again.

So here is the dilemma, do I try to tough it out and go to Ottawa and run the marathon, risking injury, but completing my goal, or do I look at this as a test, and realize that sometimes our goals need to be challenged and changed to reflect a new reality?

I’m not sure, but know that I will listen to my body, and if I can go, I will, and if I start the race, I will complete it, regardless of how long it takes BUT I will not risk the rest of my summer by injuring myself. My family needs me to be healthy, and I have many things that need to be done this summer, so again, I know I will do the right thing.

I just don’t know what that is, yet…

5 Peaks Ontario - Race 1 - Terra Cotta

The first event in the 2017 5 Peak Ontario Trail Series was held, April 22, in Terra Cotta and it was an amazing event, even though it was unseasonably cold that morning.

I was a volunteer that morning, so arrived at the park at 7:45am to assist with set up and to meet the race crew, as I had not been able to attend previous get-together runs for the Trail Crew team. When I got there, I immediately met up with Eric, the Series Director, and asked him what was needed, and went to work helping set up tables, and the inflatable Start/Finish line.

I’m glad that I was kept somewhat busy as it was very cold when the sun was behind the clouds and I was worried that my planned attire for the event was too light (shorts and long sleeve t-shirt). The 5 Peaks events are so well run, with tons of volunteers and helpers, and are great for runners of all ages and abilities. There are kids 1k fun runs, a youth 3k distance, as well as both a Sport (1 lap) and Enduro (2 laps) events so there is something for everyone.

The weather was sunny, and we had just come off a few days of rain, so the participants were all warned about safety as the first half of the course resembled a mud bog, which made for plenty of action, hilarity, and dirty runners. I decided to follow the mantra of enjoy the mud, and ran right through the middle of all the mud patches as we made our way through the first loop, and everyone was very careful to keep upright and also aware of the other runners to avoid slipping and taking out a whole bunch of people. It became very clear that the easiest path was the muddiest path and the sooner you came to terms with this, the better.

The trail was in good shape, and the terrain was challenging with elevation changes, bridges, and narrow paths but also had the wide areas to allow for runners to pass with ease. Having looked at the elevation map early, I was aware that there were some hills, and that meant both ups and downs, and remembered that keeping a consistent pace and muddy outlook would suit me well coming up on the second lap.

The crowd of runners thinned out for the second lap, which was good, because after 500 runners had passed though at least once, by the time I hit the mud the second time, it was even more glorious.

Again deciding to embrace the “get muddy” mentality meant straight into it, and through it, and I loved every second.

I took in the beauty of nature, listened to the sound of the trails, and lost myself in the joy of trail running and couldn’t wait to cross the finish line tired but feeling accomplished. The festive nature of this event series is amazing – from the lively crowds, playful volunteers and crew, and just the relaxed atmosphere of the trail community, it is something to be witnessed.

If you have never run a trail race, try a 5 Peaks event, they are not intimidating, and the experience is different at each location as each park offers different terrain and scenery.

Try it, you’ll love it - especially if you don’t mind getting a little dirty.

DNF - Around the Bay 30k March 26, 2017

This year I have been a part of the Around The Bay Buzz Crew, a group of participants whose task was to promote the event on social media and encourage everyone to participate and generate “buzz” around this race, which started in 1894 which makes it the oldest road race in North America.

I logged most of my training runs and tried to promote as often as possible as this is an event I look forward to every year – I have run it 6 of the last 8 years and it has become a staple event to help in the spring marathon training program.

The weather this year was inconsistent between freezing cold days, rain and then warm spells it became difficult to figure out what to wear and I decided today to run in shorts, a long sleeve t and then my running shell jacket to keep off the potential rain.  As it turns out, the rain held off and it was windy but I never really felt underdressed.

I was so excited to get the run underway, and settled into Corral C with a plan to finish somewhere between 2:45-2:50 if possible, but was always looking at this as a training run for the Ottawa Marathon more than trying to hit a PB (2:49) for the race.

Once underway, things felt good as we headed through downtown and towards the harbour, and even once we hit the overpasses things were good as we hit the 10k mark and headed along the lake. I was keeping pace with the 2:45 bunny and eased into a comfortable pace coming up to the halfway mark and then it all went wrong in a hurry.

I don’t even know exactly when but somewhere after crossing the rail bridge I started to feel pain in my right knee and by 17k I had to stop and reassess the situation. After waiting a few minutes and realizing that I would try to carry on, I headed into Burlington knowing that this was not going to end well, and decided that I would slow down and switch to more of a shuffle run style to minimize the stress on the knee and grit it out to the 20k relay transfer location where I pulled out and headed to the shuttle busses for a ride back to the start.

I was very disappointed that I could not carry on, but I did not want to risk major injury by pushing harder than I needed, and feel that pulling out was the best decision. My goal is to complete the Ottawa Marathon in May and to run the 5 Peaks trail series so saving myself for the rest of the “season” was a no-brainer.

I will find time this spring to finish the last 10k on my own but unfortunately won’t be able to high five the Grim Reaper, a local fixture of the race who taunts runners in the home stretch, after climbing the hill at 26k and passing by the Hamilton Cemetery at 28k, with the downtown finish in sight.

For anyone looking for a challenge, this race has it, from the early spring unpredictable weather, the unique distance, and the rolling hills this race will test your physical and mental limits, and will likely become a favourite. There are races for kids, a 5k, and 3 versions of the 30k (full 30k, 2x15k relay, or 3x10k relay) so there are options for everyone. Check out their website www.bayrace.com for more information.

NEWS - 5 Peaks Trail Crew

I am excited to have been chosen as a member of the 2017 5 Peaks Ontario Trail Crew, which means I will be promoting the events, providing updates, race discounts and attending all of the various trail race events in the region.

 

I am super excited, because it was this series that I was introduced to in the winter of 2014 by one of the local co-ordinators and friend Rob Scheifley, and I have fallen in love with trail running. Running trails is so much more rewarding than running on the roads, with nature, challenging terrain, beautiful views and lack of motor vehicle traffic. I often lose track of time on the trails, and find longer runs so much more relaxing and enjoyable, and even when doing loops I don’t mind seeing the same spots more than once (try saying that about running on the road).

With running trails, sometimes the wetter (muddier) the better, and taking a spill can be dangerous with roots, rocks, and branches, but again the trail is more forgiving than concrete or asphalt, and the bumps, scratches, cuts and bruises are often worn as badges of honour, more than scars of shame.

I encourage everyone to try running a local trail, and you will find them of varying skills level almost everywhere, and please check out www.5peaks.com for events in your area and stay tuned for discount codes where you can save 10% on future races.

I look forward to seeing you #runwild and challenge you to #getofftheroad.

2017 - time to kick things off

I can’t believe I stopped writing this blog 2 and half years ago – right after finishing the Chicago Marathon. It’s not that I stopped running, it is that I got lazy and busy, but mainly lazy…

But, it’s a new year, and I am making some major changes in my life, which I will share in good time. 

So, because of this, I have decided that I will get back on the blogging and post weekly my musings – not just about running, but about life.

Here's to new beginnings and continued relationships, let’s kick off this year with some updates for the next 12 months: 

-a career change

- a renewed focus on things that make a difference

- registered for Around The Bay 30k and 2017 Ottawa Marathon 

- signed up for the complete 5 Peaks Ontario trail race series

Feel free to read along and share with me your thoughts comments, successes and struggles and together, as I chronicle what I hope will be an amazing year…