Smashin' good time in the Motor City!

What an amazing weekend in Detroit! My sister decided not to race the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon this year, so my Mum came with me on this trip. The reason for running this race again was solely to get the '53 Corvette medal...no other reason. Long Beach was only two weeks before, so I wasn't expecting any miracles on course. I just wanted to finish and collect my medal!

Our hotel, the Courtyard Marriott, was right at the entrance to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel and we had a room with a wicked view of the Detroit River. Talk about easy to get to!

 The GM building right across from our hotel.

Once we checked in, we took a quick walk over to the Cobo Centre to pick up my race kit. We were through the expo in under an hour after buying Sport Beans for 1$ a pack (compared to 3$ here!) and a set of compression sleeves. Then we wandered the streets of Detroit.

My favourite building in Detroit. The fire escape is insane!

Love it!

I insisted on going for supper at my favourite restaurant, Fishbones and, as is my pre-race ritual, I had a bowl of soup (Shrimp Gumbo) and a glass of wine. OK, maybe it was three glasses of wine - who's counting?! After supper, we hit up the Greektown Casino where I won 95$ playing the penny slots. That's got to be some kind of record!

Fishbones on Monroe Street.

With all the excitement, I decided to head back to the hotel early and try to get a good night's sleep. The night before race day is like Christmas Eve - I'm too excited to sleep!

The view from the 17th floor of the Courtyard Marriott.

Our 4:30am wake-up call came way too early. It was absolutely freezing, so choosing appropriate race gear was tough. We made our way over to a 24-hour restaurant on Monroe Street and swallowed up a huge bacon and egg breakfast. Gotta have carbs and vitamin Q (grease) before a race! Then we walked over to the start line to get into my corral. Strangely, I started to get dizzy waiting for the race to start. This had me worried, considering the problems I've been having with vertigo lately.

Fifteen minutes to go til race time!

I didn't have to wait long before the corrals started advancing towards the start line. I cued up my new playlist and tried to suck in all of the excitement and energy around me. There is something really inspiring about being surrounded by 20,000 other runners about to embark on the same journey as me.

The race headed West along Fort Street towards the Ambassador Bridge. There were spirit stations and huge crowds cheering us on pretty much the entire way. The wind wasn't too bad this year, so the bridge was a little easier to navigate. In 2011, the wind was so strong, people's hats were getting ripped off their heads.

Kilometer five at the middle of the Ambassador Bridge. 

Once I hit the downhill into Canada, I ate some Sport Beans and picked up the pace. I like to make good use of downhills. It's a great time to increase your leg turnover because there is less resistance. Perfect for gaining time while expending as little energy as possible.

I high-fived four Canadian Border Services Agents at the booths in Canada as I ran past. There was a radio DJ doing commentary as we passed. He assured us that the male strippers were at mile 5 - they weren't, but, it was hilarious to hear! The support in Canada was insane. Literally, every meter had spectators, children and spirit stations. We headed across the Windsor waterfront towards the tunnel. I hit a water station and grabbed a Gatorade. Thinking of the stuffy tunnel ahead, I also took my jacket off so I wouldn't overheat during the Underwater Mile.

We hit the tunnel in the Free P's usual manner - whoops and hollers echoing off the two-lane tunnel. People were singing songs, yelling out cheers and just having fun. My GPS gave out, of course, and I wasn't sure if the timer would continue to work correctly. When I emerged in Detroit, I was pretty certain I was on a fairly good pace that would bring me in under my goal time of 2:10.

My Mum was waiting for me as we rounded the corner at Jefferson and Washington, so I tossed her my jacket. She was grinning from ear-to-ear and trying to snap pictures at the same time. So cute!

At mile ten, I remember thinking I still had serious gas in the tank. Then the inspiration songs started on my iPod. I thought, "I will try to make it to 11 miles before I take a walk break." Then I hit 11 miles and thought, "OK, I'll try to make it to 12 miles before I take a walk break." It was a very strange feeling. I have never run more than 10 miles without stopping. 

We passed my second favourite building in Detroit - the old Engine #4 for the Detroit Fire Department. One day, I'm going to buy that building!

The last few miles literally flew by. I felt amazing! I was trying to do kilometer calculations in my head, still not sure if the timer on my GPS was correct. Could it really be that I was on pace to run sub 2:05?! That can't be right, I thought. I kept truckin' through the 13-mile mark knowing my Mum was waiting to cheer me on in the home stretch. As I passed her, I started yelling, "I'm at two hours! Two hours, Mum!" Her "inspirational" words of encouragement were hilarious: "Well, get going, then!" 

Finishing strong in my new compression pants and sleeves!

I crossed the finish line and looked down to switch off my GPS. 2:02:42?! "No way, that can't be right," I thought. But it was! Not only had I got my goal of running sub-2:10, I smashed my personal best by 10 minutes! And not only had I taken 10 minutes off my PB, I had taken 11 minutes off my time from the Long Beach Half that was only two weeks before!

Celebrating my new personal best time!

I love the city of Detroit and I absolutely love the Free Press Half Marathon. I just may do this race again next year...depends which car they put on the medal!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

Go Long, California!

I did it! After eight months of training and racing, I crossed the finish line at the Long Beach Half Marathon to claim my Beach Cities Challenge medal!

Let's recap this glorious occasion:

In keeping with my pre-race tradition, I ordered a bowl of tortilla soup and a glass of wine from room service. Usually, I have a bowl of chowder, but finding it in California is a little difficult.

After purchasing a lot of carb-friendly food at Starbucks earlier in the day, my sister and I enjoyed a lovely pre-race breakfast of bananas and granola bars. For some reason, I skipped the half a bagel I normally eat before a race. Big mistake, because I ended up starving halfway through the race.

Like good little runners, we scouted out free parking the night before the race that was less than a mile from the start line. By doing so, we avoided the congestion of the parking structures directly adjacent to the start line and also gave ourselves a cool-down walk post-race.

The temperature was comfortable, which was a little worrisome considering the sun was still coming up and it wasn't yet 7am. We headed for our corral and tried to find our pace bunny. The best we could do was to find the 4:20 full-marathon pacer, so we decided to stick with him. He attached red and white balloons to the top of his pace sign, which made it extremely easy to find him after a stop at a water station! Good job, pace bunny!

I have no idea who sang the Star-Spangled Banner, but she was out-of-this-world amazing. I get weepy every time I hear either the Canadian or American anthems, and this day proved to be no different. The third-wavers like me started at 7:10am. About a mile into the race, the Long Beach Fire Department had hung a massive American flag from their ladder truck. It was a very inspiring sight to see. I don't know what it is about the stars and stripes that I love so much, but I have to admit, I like it better than the maple leaf!

This flag makes me want to apply for American citizenship!

The first half of the course is fantastic. We paced out at a 5:45 pace, sometimes speeding up to 5:30s and slowing to 6:00. The first of two hills hit at the 3K mark. It wasn't actually too bad, just a bridge crossing the bay. The course headed towards the Queen Mary and then turned around and followed the waterfront. One more bridge had us back on the beach side of the bay. That was it for hills, which for me, was disappointing.

The course wound its way along the waterfront boardwalk, around the Aquarium of the Pacific and towards the beach. The sheer number of spectators cheering us on was amazing. One of the highlights of the Long Beach Half Marathon is the Coast Guard ship that sprays water cannons into the harbour. It was absolutely beautiful! The Queen Mary was in the background as we ran past the ship. Naturally, we stopped to take a photo!

This spectacle was much-appreciated! The Queen Mary is visible in the background.

At kilometer 10, the course headed onto the concrete pathway that runs the entire length of the beach. Surf City also has a section like this, but only in the full marathon. The first kilometer was fun and exciting. We were very pleased to get the opportunity to run on the beach. However, the novelty wore off after about 2km. The sun was bright and the sand was radiating heat back onto us. Also, the course is fairly narrow through this section, so there are lots of runners in a very compact space. I hate straight and I hate flat, and the 5km portion that ran along the beach was both.

By the time we hit the turnaround and headed towards the finish line, our goal time was still in play, although we had slowed a little. Then the wheels fell off.

The final 6km weren't good for either of us, so I'll skip over the crummy part. The only highlight of this section was the two women spraying some kind of liquid Lakota onto runners' legs. It was menthol-y, it was cooling and it was nice.

Other than being on a slight downhill, the finish line was a bit of a nightmare. It really bottle-necked as we crossed the timing mats which meant we had to slow down before the finish line (not that I was blazing along at that point). Also crummy, was the finish line photographers had zero visibility of runners actually finishing.

Tons of Jet Blue employees were there to hand us our finishers' medals along with the customary tin foil space blanket, which I tucked into my water belt. It was 80 degress but I knew I would start to get cold at some point! Each runner was also handed a bottle of water, coconut milk, and a bag full of yummy food and cookies! Bags are such a smart idea for post-race snacks as it means you don't have to juggle a bunch of items as you stumble around.

After heading to the Beach Cities Challenge tent, we claimed our medals - my favourite moment of the day! It weighs about 2lbs and could definitely be used as a weapon to commit a murder!

TW1 and TW2 with our well-earned finishers' medals.

After the race, we slowly made our way back to the car. Neither of us were feeling too great at this point. Regardless of our sore feet and tired legs (Leggies so tired!), we were both very proud to have completed the Beach Cities Challenge. Now I can start to focus on a state other than California!

So long, California. I think if I do any more races here, I might stay forever and make this state my permanent home!

The entire collection of Beach Cities finishers' medals:
(From left) Surf City, Orange County, Long Beach and the Challenge medal 

Happy trails, fellow runners!

It’s the final countdown!!!

October is a marathon month for me, literally – Long Beach Half Marathon this Sunday followed by the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon on October 21st. Have I trained enough? Hell no. Am I packed and ready to go? Nope. Have I at least got myself into the mental groove? No heck way, as my Grand-Daddy would say.

Usually, I hit race week with a sense of excitement, anticipation and energy. This time around, I can also add trepidation and nerves.

Every runner is guilty of self-doubt at some point in their training. While I have been racing a lot, I haven’t been as dedicated to my training as I have in the past. My last run was an 8K last Wednesday with my running buddy. I felt energetic and healthy, but, I’ve totally neglected the long-slow Sunday run. Traveling and racing has meant a lot of shorter, faster substitute runs.

In two days, I will board a plane to Toronto where I’ll rendezvous with my sister, TW2, and depart for Long Beach on Friday morning. We’ll have a day and a half to acclimatize, hit the race expo and hydrate. Topping my list of things to do is to find an awesome patio in front on the harbour and watch the yachts sail by – glass of water in one hand and a bottle of beer in the other.

But, in typical California fashion, race day comes early – 7am early. On one hand, I appreciate the chance to race during the cooler part of the day before the sun comes out to scorch us all, but, the ungodly start time means I am a) grumpy, b) not limber, and c) grumpy. Did I say grumpy? The only thing working in our favour is the 2 hours we gain going out to California.

As is usual, it’s all about the bling: and this race is, perhaps, the most important race to date. By finishing Long Beach Half Marathon, TW2 and I will have completed the final race in the Beach Cities Challenge (BCC), thereby earning ourselves a really awesome, really large blingy-blingy!

Allow me to reminisce about the day all of this craziness started: TW2 and I travelled to Huntington Beach, California in February to race the Surf City Half Marathon. It was TW2’s race pick for the year (mine was the Baltimore Half Marathon on October 14). In other words, we agreed to run two half marathons in 2012. Count 'em - TWO. It started an avalanche of half marathons that would see us return to California three more times in 2012 and led to us signing up for the Louisiana Half Marathon and the A1A Fort Lauderdale Half Marathon. One little race, so many spin-offs!

It was at the race expo in Huntington Beach, that our eyes spied the Holy Grail that is the Beach Cities Challenge medal. It’s massive, it weighs a ton and it’s a huge badge of honour to earn at the end of the last race. Anyone running Surf City, OC or Long Beach knows what the BCC is and any runner with a competitive spirit wants the medal.

Bringing one of these bad boys home with me. Look out, aeroport security!

One conquers the Beach Cities Challenge by consecutively completing any combination of full or half marathons at the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon, Surf City Marathon, and the OC Marathon. After checking dates, I decided to forfeit Baltimore in October in order to allow us to run Long Beach. That way, we only needed to add one more half, Orange County, in May and we would earn our challenge medal.

We finished Surf City in 2:16.19 and Orange County in 2:11.25. One way or another, I'm getting my ass across that line under 2:10. Why not add a personal best to the mix?!

The anticipation of having that medal hung around my neck is insane! It’s been eight months of training and racing, but, that moment is literally days away!

And the best part? TW2 will be right there beside me to share the moment with!

Then, it's on to Detroit two weeks later...how could I resist the '53 Corvette medal?!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

War of 1812 Bicentennial Race

I committed the ultimate sin for someone who loves the military: I didn't run the Army Run.  I was originally signed up to run the 5K, but admittedly, I found a race with a medal I liked more. A lot more.

Enter the Run for Heroes - War of 1812 Bicentennial Race.

With this year's hype surrounding the commemoration of the War, I thought it would be a fitting race to do. And, how often does a bicentennial come around?! Off I flew to Toronto, where I rented yet another car and headed down the 401 to Amherstburg, Ontario.

"Where's Amherstburg?" you ask? About 15 miles south of Windsor. Very quaint, very historic and very War of 1812. Major General Isaac Brock took command of the town on August 13, 1812, and three days later captured Fort Detroit - the Battle of Detroit was won! Two months later, General Brock would be killed at Queenston Heights (Niagara).

The online registration process for this race was amusing: the question of whether I was a red coat or a blue coat made me laugh. Fun way to ask for your nationality. 

Race kit pick-up took place over two days; however, no race-day pick-up. As an out-of-towner, that's always a huge letdown because it means I need to book a hotel room and go a day early. Unfortunately, the women's small shirts looked more like men's sizes and there was a misprint. All the 10K shirts were printed with "volunteer" on the back. Lord knows I paid to run this race, so that was also a bit disappointing considering they were really nice shirts!

After the kit pick-up, I headed into downtown Amherstburg for a quick look-see and a stop at the tourist bureau. I made sure to grab a guide book for the town (so much history here!). My first stop brought me to the King's Navy Yard Waterfront Park. The Park is a footprint of the prior Navy Yard dating 1796. The site was responsible for the construction of several provincial warships that fought in the War of 1812. Next, I visited the International Peace Sculpture, a legacy project to commemorate the longest undefended border and lasting peace between the U.S. and Canada. 

International Peace Sculpture

I enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Lord Amherst Public House before retiring to Windsor for the evening. While it wasn't my usual pre-race supper of chowder and wine, I can't say I was far off with beer and cheddar soup and a pint of Innis & Gunn dark ale. 

On the morning of the race, I headed to Tim Horton's for my usual pre-race breakfast and then continued on to Amherstburg. The race website asked 10K runners to "park at the old arena 2km west of the start line"...wherever that was. A map, address or directions would have been really useful. How do I know where the "old arena" is?! Took some googling, but I found what I thought was the right place and drove there. Thankfully, I chose the right place! The bus shuttle worked perfectly and we were off to the start line in no time. 

The race started with the firing of a cannon. Ironically, that's the third race I've run this week that started by way of cannon!

The course was as advertised - flat. Halfway through, I realized I hate flat courses. I enjoy the challenge of an uphill and the reward of all the downhills. Aside from this fact, the course was great!

The route took us along Dalhousie Street where we passed the Amherstburg Legion. I almost cried - there was an honour guard with flags and veterans saluting us and cheering. They looked so proud to be there wearing all their medals! As I ran by, I slowed down to thank them all for their service. And with a "Good luck, dear!" from one of Canada's war heroes, I was back on my way towards Fort Malden. That was the best part of my whole race and it totally made my day! 

As we entered the grounds of the Fort, a solitary British soldier stood atop the grassy walls. His bright red coat stood out smartly against the green grass. I gave an excited wave and was happy when he waved back!

For me, the last 4K were uneventful. I wasn't feeling the greatest and all I could think about was that awesome medal waiting for me at the end! Two ladies were standing in front of the cemetery on Alma Street with a huge bowl of M&Ms. I wish I realized what they had earlier because I would have stopped for a handful!

I crossed the finish line in 56:11 and a big smile on my face. One of the volunteers thanked each and every runner as they walked through the finish corral. The bronze-coloured medal was the icing on the cake!

Such a fantastic way to participate in the War of 1812 commemoration events!

To be honest, I've got to do a little more research of the course before race day. That way, I'll know what it is I'm passing along the way! 

The drive back to Windsor was awesome. I followed the marathon course for 10K  and tooted by horn for almost every runner. The pace groups were the most enthusiastic with their waves. When I'm racing, I know I appreciate all the spectators' cheering!

There were plenty of volunteers, water stations and porta-potties. The post-race food station was well-stocked with water, apples, oranges, yogurt and bagels. The only race day let down? Having to wait 20 minutes for the shuttle to take us back to our cars. It wasn't very warm, so when you're sweaty and tired, it was a bit annoying. All in all, it was a well-organized race that I am glad I ran!

Blingy blingy!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

Aaaaaargh!!!! Maritime Race Weekend

Kim and I decided to head to Nova Scotia for a Canadian destination race series. Built into our first family vacation in 17 years, we toured about Nova Scotia for a few days before the race festival began. Friday night featured a 5K while Saturday morning saw the 10K, half and full marathons run.

With lobster hats to celebrate Maritime Race Weekend

We picked up our race kits Friday before the race - they were awesome! The theme of the race was pirates! A pirate eye-patch, gold hoop earrings, a Maritime Race Weekend mug, a T-shirt for each of the two races and a personalized bib indicating our participation in the Tartan Twosome (the 5K on Friday and one of the Saturday races).

Some of our fellow runners in awesome pirate-inspired costumes

The race was extremely well-organized, had a consistent, well-implemented theme and awesome swag and bling! Runners really got into the pirate spirit with elaborate costumes and wigs. The race organizers also had volunteers in spectacular pirate costumes circulating through the runners.

In the starting corral with some of our pirate friends! 
(I think he had just flogged me with his whip when this was taken)

The course was absolutely beautiful. Starting in Fisherman's Cove in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia, we wound our way along the seashore for an out-and-back 5K. The race started with the sound of a cannon firing, which somehow my Mum got a picture of (and it was in focus!).

And we're off!

Kim and I raced the first 1.5K together and then split off to run our own race. I was having a fairly solid race by the 4K mark. My shin splints weren't bothering me and I was managing to maintain a 5 min/km pace. Two women started to pass me going into the final kilometer, so I joked that it was a no-passing zone. The three of us ended up running the last leg together. As I rounded the corner for the finish line, I could see the official clock in the 24-minute range. I had a strong kick and wound up shattering my old PB by over a minute, coming in to clock a super-fantastic 24:53!  Kim wasn't far behind, killing her previous PB from two weeks ago in 26:11. We were so excited for each other's awesome races. I've been trying to run under 25 minutes since April. Best of all, my last kilometer was my fastest of the five!

With kick-ass medals to cap off totally awesome 5K races!

The 10K started at 7:30am, 12 hours after Friday's 5K. We weren't entirely sure how we'd feel given we'd just pumped out a strong race the night before. The fog started rolling in as the cannon went off. We paced out at a 5.5min/km pace. Again, we split off to run our own races somewhere around the 3K mark. I ran with two older guys who were ultra-marathoners. Those guys are really crazy! We joked and laughed as we ran and even broke into a horrible rendition of Beyonce's "Irreplaceable" as we passed signs urging half- and full-marathoners to merge "to the left."

We passed a pirate bunny pacing out a group of new runners. Seeing their enthusiasm and dedication was pretty cool. By the 5K mark, Kim had caught up to me and we ran a while together. I hit the turnaround at the 6K mark feeling remarkably good. Thankfully, the final 1.5K is downhill, so I started picking up my pace and choosing runners ahead of me to pick off. I managed to get past 4 runners to finish in a final time of 56:02. Not too bad for racing twice in 12 hours!

(From L to R) Medals for the 10K, 5K and the Tartan Twosome Challenge 

This is definitely a race I would recommend to other runners. Great post-race refreshments including chocolate milk, free ice cream cones, and vitamin water along with your usual post-race food. The larger medals are a whopping 4" in diameter and weigh a ton. Walking through the runners' village after the race hearing the Tartan Twosome finishers clanging around like oxen was hilarious!

 Good job, United By Running!

On the wharf at Halifax Harbour with my best haul of medals to date!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

So many races to recap!

What a summer it's been! I was incredibly busy with work, training and racing that I neglected my blog and haven't posted since May 12.

Since that time, I have done 11 races, so there is lots to catch up on and lots of pictures to post.

First up, was the Ottawa Race Weekend 10K. To be honest, I don't think I would run it again. The route along the Rideau Canal was gorgeous,  but there were far too many people running to make it enjoyable. The road was too narrow for the nearly 9,000 runners who were struggling to keep up with their pace bunny and trying not to trip on the runner in front of you.

Pretty decent medal for an hour's work!

Next up, Girls on the Run 5K. This race was adorable. The guiding principle is empowering young girls and helping to promote self-esteem and confidence. The race took place at Downsview Park in Toronto and included newly paved paths and some good hills. Parking was free, as well. The best part was receiving my race medal from a tiny little girl who couldn't have been older than 4. Her smile was huge as she held out her hand with my medal dangling from it. I crouched down so I could say thank you. She was so excited to be at the finish line handing out medals to everyone. So cute!

Chuggin' along to a 27:32 finish.

June's next race found me in Perth, Ontario for the Perth Kilt Run, the world's largest kilt run. Nearly 2,000 runners took to the streets in all varieties of kilt - though I must say, my Thompson tartan was the best! This event was quite a celebration, with Highland dancers, great Celtic music and various games and contests. The race began with the runners being paraded to the start line. It was an awesome sight to see 2,000 people in kilts! The fire department had a spray station that I was greatly appreciative of - who knew running in a wool skirt would get so warm?!  The race route saw us winding through the streets of Perth and continuing through the golf course. Bagpipers were even placed throughout the race, which was a real treat. In the end, a 47:19 finish for me and a kilt pin to hang on the wall 'o bling!

Finishing strong in my awesome kilt. 

Canada Day in Ottawa brought me to a 5K race with one of my friends from work, Kate. It was great to run with someone for a change! Kate and I set a goal of 27:30. I was still recovering from vertigo so the run didn't go as smoothly as planned. But, Kate was an awesome running buddy and didn't mind the two walk breaks I had to take. We ended up finishing in 26:37, nearly a minute faster than our goal, so ultimately, both of us were pretty happy with the time!

It's tough keeping up with someone with much longer legs than mine!

July 29, 2012 found me driving to Gananoque to run the I Ran Gan 5K. For a small race, it was well organized. The race ran through downtown Gananoque and a mostly flat terrain. Nothing too remarkable for this race, except for the laser-engraved wood medals. Cool concept and a new take on the finishers' medal!

My super-cool laser-engraved wood medal.

August brought a flurry of races beginning with Canada Running Series' Toronto Ten-Miler and 5K. My Mum came down to Toronto with me to cheer me on. The race started and ended in the Distillery District, a place I have never been to. I was hoping for a good time, so I lined up relatively close to the front. Though not a super hot day, parts of the race were along roadway beneath the Gardiner Expressway and in the shade! My only complaint is there were some really shitty parts with tons of potholes and tar snakes. For a runner like me who routinely rolls an ankle mid-race, this was a bit scary. I spent more time getting dizzy looking down to pick "safe" spots to step than I would have liked. Ultimately, I paced myself to a 26:24.6 and was happy with the result!

Another piece of hardware for the medal rack!

Two weeks later, after a week-long business trip to the Arctic, I drove to Toronto in the middle of the night. I arrived in Toronto at 6:30am, picked up my race kit and T-shirt and then went to take a power nap in my car. The Toronto Women's Run is fun because the course is in Leslie Park, a treed park with serene pathways and lots of shade. Firefighters man the water stations and you get chocolate at the end of the race. You don't have to ask me twice if this is a race worth doing. Firefighters, chocolate, medal. Enough said. Regardless of the 20 minutes of sleep I got before the race, I clocked in with a respectable 55:03. 

Definitely worth the 4.5 hour drive and 20 minutes of sleep.

I made good use of my trip to Toronto by signing up for a 5K in Owen Sound the next morning. The Bayshore Race is an awesome small-town race with a good race kit and nice course. The only problem is they only give medals to top-3 finishers in each age category. I knew I'd have to be fast, but based on the results from previous years, I was convinced I could run top-3. I ran the 5K in 26:03 - the fastest time of the summer, and only a few seconds slower than my PB of 25:57 in -10 degree weather (I'm not exactly a warm-weather runner). While enjoying a free, post-race massage, my Mum broke the news that I came 4th. No medal for me :(  My age category was extremely competitive...and I was far off the 3rd place time. Back to the track for some 400m repeats!

Grinding through my fastest 5K of the summer to a disappointing 4th-place finish.

My sister and I decided to race the Yorkville B&O 5K run. Great course, fantastic medal and nice race kit. My biggest pet peeve at races is walkers and new runners lining up at the front of the pack. What the hell are you thinking?! When the race caters to elite runners like Wesley and Tarah Korir (they finished the race in 14:05 and 16:56 respectively), you know you're in for a fast race. When the gun went off, the real runners were mired in slow newbies and a bunch of soccer moms out for a Sunday stroll with their girlfriends. Good on them for getting out there, but do they really need to line up at the front?! A word of advice to new runners: if you know you're going to run-walk the 5K and intend to finish over 30 minutes, save everyone the hassle of weaving around you and head to the back. 

Kim and I finally shook loose of the walkers at the 300m mark and paced out the first 2K at a 4:45 pace. Kim had an awesome race and came in with her fastest-ever 5K time - 27 minutes flat! I ran a 26:03, identical to my time in Owen Sound a few weeks before. Overall, it was a great race and the blingy-blingy at the end was well worth it!

TWs with our awesome race bling after two solid finishes!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

Where's Franktown?

I finally decided to run a local race, the Where's Franktown? 5K. To be honest, it was nice not to have to fly or drive for hours to get to a race!

My running buddy, Frogger, is heavily involved with organizing this event and the race doubles as a fundraiser for a local school (Calvary Christian Academy). Admittedly, it was more the handmade medals than anything else that convinced me to sign up. 

The whole Where's Franktown? event is awesome. There are four races (1K, 5K, 10K, and 15K), so anyone can find a distance that fits their skill level. The race kit pick up on the morning of the race was very well organized - in and out in less than 5 minutes! And, since the event takes place at a school in a rural community, parking was a breeze - and free!

After a short walk to the start line, I watched the 10K runners line up and head out. I was aiming for a quick time, so I lined up towards the front. Stupid move. Five hundred yards into the race I realized I was still recovering from the Orange County Half from 6 days ago.

I'll skip over my ghastly performance, filled with walk breaks, cursing and praying I'd make it to the finish line alive, and just get right to all of the great aspects of the day:

1. Free parking
2. Washroom facilities (that weren't port-a-potties)
3. Easy race kit pick up
4. A well-marked, flat course
5. Watching tons of children getting active and having fun with their friends
6. Multiple water stations!!! (seeing as how it was 24 degrees when we set off, this was a godsend)
7. A huge handmade start/finish banner hanging across the roadway (I love small towns!)
8. Handmade finishers' medals made by the children of Calvary Christian Academy in Franktown for all participants. 
9. A massive BBQ complete with home-made baked goodies for dessert (too bad I didn't get to stay!)
10. The fantastic volunteers who made this event a great success.
11. Being part of an awesome community event, raising money for a local school.

How awesome are these?! The amount of work that went into making each one is amazing.

Despite my shitty finish time and the reappearance of old injuries, I had an awesome time. The crowd support at the finish line was much appreciated. Kudos to all the many volunteers who made today's event great!

One more super-special medal to add to the race shrine!

My 1st age group award!

After a horrible week at work that seemed to go on forever, I got home to find a package in my mailbox. I find getting mail exciting! Hell, I don't even care if it's a bill, I just like the fact that there is something/anything in my mailbox. Imagine my extreme happiness when I reached into the box and pulled out a package! (Getting a package instead of a letter is like a double bonus!)

The return label read The Chocolate Race so I knew it was probably my award for taking 2nd place in my age group in Port Dalhousie two weeks ago. To help the anticipation build, I set the unopened package on my desk and forced myself to do 15 minutes of clean-up and tidying.

Boy, was the build up worth it! I ripped into that package like a kid on Christmas and pulled out the most awesome piece of hardware!

This is definitely incentive to train hard, run fast and kick some ass! Now I just have to build and install a shelf beside the race shrine to display this beauty!

I love my first age group award!

Orange you glad you ran Orange County?

Another great race went into the Tee-Dubs' history books. The course was absolutely amazing! It had the right mix of hills, twists and turns, beautiful coastline and stunning residential sections. It never got boring and there were people sitting out in lawnchairs almost the whole way.

Our shuttle left the hotel at 5:05am and drove us 6 miles away to the start line. We spent most of the pre-race time chatting with a Calgarian who had relocated to Orange County. Leave it to a bunch of Canadians to find each other in a sea of 10,000 people! We made our way to B-Corral around 6am and lined up with the other runners hoping to finish in 2:00-2:20. We decided to run 6 min/km with hopes of finishing under 2:10.

Tee-dubs getting ready to whoop some ass!

There's something really powerful about standing shoulder to shoulder with 10,000 other runners while listening to someone sing the Star Spangled Banner. The cheering that followed was inspiring and motivating. We started to shuffle towards the start line, and with a blast of the horn, we were off.

Corral B as it approaches the start line. Loved the arch of ballons!

The first few kilometers were fairly crowded and slow. There were lots of first-timers who had directionality issues and were weaving all over the place. A litte frustrating when you're in a crowd that big.  We hit the first downhill portion and headed towards the coastline. There were thousands of spectators cheering us on as we made our way along the Pacific Coast Highway. I remember being utterly amazed by the massive caterpillar of runners spread out ahead of us on course.

We turned onto a residential street that took us down towards the waterfront. The houses were spectacular and the landscaping was amazing. Definitely lots to look at and keep us preoccupied! We hit the coast to find people on their decks, porches and balconies dressed in their PJs and holding cups of coffee while offering cheers, applause and words of encouragement. Many runners shouted their appreciation and gave a wave. The coastal section took us along the beach and past marinas with some pretty awesome yachts. Honestly, the views and the roadways made this course immensly enjoyable!

We crossed a bridge and began the first of two large hills. We slowed our pace to 6.5min/km and powered up an almost mile-long hill. We were greeted by an entire football team (the Lancers) cheering us on and handing out water. It was really nice to see some high school kids taking pride in their volunteer work and making a difference. And, they had the best hand-offs out of any of the water stations, too!

At the top of the hill, we rounded a bend and found ourselves running along the bluffs. The view was spectacular! We passed a flag pole with a huge American flag flying proudly over a monument to American soldiers. That was probably my favourite part of the race.

Both Kim and I felt strong, despite some nagging injuries and my shin splint had stopped hurting altogether by the 10K mark. I somehow managed to run 16K before I needed my first walk break, a new high for me! After a short minute, we were right back to pounding the pavement and even took a small detour to run across someone's lawn and through their sprinklers!

Then we hit the next big hill and rocked it. Someone had a sign that read "Make this mile your bitch!" and another that said "The surgeon general didn't warn about smoking the competition!". It's signs like these that get you through the pain and hurt!

With 12 miles down and 1 more to go, we realized we may actually be on pace to run sub 2:10. And had it not been for the fact that the course was actually 21.35km (instead of 21.1) we would have done it. Some poor bloke hit the wall about 50 yards from the finish line and fell flat on his face. He was being tended to as we crossed the line...in 2:11.25. A wee bit shy of the goal, but another personal best for me!

Finishing the Orange County Half Marathon brought us one race away from completing our Beach Cities Challenge! But for now, another awesome medal gets added to my wall and tons more memories of running with my sister.

TW2 and TW1 after completing the Orange County Half Marathon.

Happy trails, fellow runners!

Orange County, how I've missed you!

I am strongly considering relocating to California, given the fact that I'm on my third trip here in as many months. The races are abundant, courses are fantastic and every race seems to have a kick-ass medal! I'm currently waiting at the OC aeroport for my sister, Kim, to arrive from Vancouver. My flight was 45 minutes early, so the 2 hour wait grew to almost 3! What airline boasts this impressive feat? United! And their in-flight snack selection was amazing too! With this kind of time on my hands, I've been reading, stretching and researching. We may have to rent a car after all. The Toronto Blue Jays are in town playing the Angels! Too bad I left all my Jays gear at home. It may not be the best idea considering our race starts at 6am tomorrow and our shuttle leaves before 5am :( But who can say no to a night at the ballpark?! Two nights at the Hilton Orange County - Costa Mesa, two days in another great coastal town and the second race in a three-race series to complete the Beach Cities Challenge. By this time tomorrow, the Tee-Dubs will be one race away from our biggest, most fantastic medal yet! (Just so everyone is following along, Tee-Dubs is how Kim and I refer to ourselves as a package. The name comes from nicknames we got in high school, TW-1 and TW-2 - twin 1 and twin 2) One more hour to go before we're on our way to the Hilton to spend the afternoon lounging by the pool!

I run for chocolate!

The race slogan says it all: Because life is short, running is hard and chocolate tastes good! You don't have to twist my arm to convince me to run a 10K for chocolate!

Lining up to start the Chocolate Race 10K

After last weekend's personal best at the Toronto Yonge Street 10K, I felt like I could push a bit harder and beat that time. Even though the course at Port Dalhousie was more difficult, I had a new-found confidence to push even harder.

Somehow, I ended up in the first row of the race. I really didn't want to be there, but they kept getting us to move up closer to the start line. I usually force myself to start farther back so I don't go out too fast. When the gun went off, I found myself holding tight in good position. I ran the first 2K in 9 minutes, which was 2 minutes faster than I was aiming for. Ooops.

Busting out a solid 4 1/2 minute kilometer somewhere along Lake Ontario

I had to remind myself to slow down and settle in to my 5 1/2 minute pace. I decided to skip the chocolate station at the 2.5K mark. Last year, I made the mistake of grabbing a shish-kabob and nearly choked on the chocolate-covered marshmallow. Who knew chocolate could be such a hazard?!

The race cruises through some residential streets of Port Dalhousie and merges onto the waterfront trail that follows the shoreline of Lake Ontario. It is quite beautiful, and because it's an out-and-back, you can get pumped up by the faster runners passing you on their way back.

It was somewhere around the 4.5K mark when I realized there were only about 15 runners ahead of me. I felt pretty good hitting the turnaround, but I made a deal with myself to kill the hill right before the water station at the 5.5K mark and take a 30 second walk break to down a cup of gatorade.

I kept reminding myself that I had already run further than what was left in the race and it would all be over soon enough. I got myself into a good rhythm and really linked in to my music. And then disaster struck...

With just over 2K left to go, some twit clipped me from behind and sent me flying. It is pertinent to point out that this race isn't very big and that particular section of the course had plenty of room for passing. By the time I realized I was falling, I had to expend a huge amount of energy to prevent myself from face-planting on the blacktop. All this idiot could offer was a "Sorry!" as she kept bombing along. I must have yelled an expletive (who me?!) because she turned around again to yell sorry. I was pissed and devastated. I was on track for a sub-53 minute race!!! I tried to get myself focused again and took some deep breaths to reset my breathing pattern, but everything had been thrown off. I had to take a short walk to get my legs to loosen up and get my breathing back.

Getting back in the zone was a lot tougher than I thought. Seeing the sign for 1K to go was a good kick in the ass. I knew my Mum would be waiting for me somewhere near the finish, so I reminded myself that I had less than 5 minutes to go and I turned up the tempo.

Screw the clumsy twit who tripped me and the chocolate-covered pretzels I passed up along the course, I was gunning to beat my Yonge Street time!

As I entered the final stretch I started picking off people to chase down, and then I envisioned Reid Coolsaet finishing strong at the 2012 Yonge Street 10K and told myself there was only a minute of pain left to go! And then I channeled an old 100m track buddy of mine and took off. Was I moving particularly fast? Probably not. But did I chase down a whole bunch of runners? Hell yeah!!

The official chip time said 54:46, which is unfortunately 4 seconds slower than the downhill Yonge Street course. My Garmin told me it was closer to 54:40.

When I got the race results, I was stunned. I got my first top ten finish!!! 23rd overall, 10th woman to cross the tape and 2nd in my age group. It was definitely an awesome race. And to think I don't really see myself as a "runner". I'm starting to see the light...

Not too shabby and a good confidence booster for next weekend's Orange County Half Marathon.

And most importantly, one more medal to add to the wall!

With my medal and Kim's (I wore both bibs because she decided not run)

Yonge Street 10K brings a PB!

Another awesome medal for the wall!

What a race!

Canada's largest city was divided in two for the better part of Sunday morning while 5,186 runners took to the world's longest street. It was bitterly cold and windy - far below the average temperature for this time of year. Thankfully, my Mum came out to support me, so I was able to stay warm in the car until the race started.

I made my way to the "Blue" corral where the other sub-55 minute runners had lined up. If I could actually stick with the pace, I would hit a new milestone in my short running career. By some miracle, the 55-minute pace bunny lined up right beside me. That was perfect as I was hoping to run a 55min race.

The 25km/hr gusting winds were at our back and we were about to embark on a fast, downhill run along Yonge Street. The gun went off to great cheers and encouragement from the crowd. For a brief minute, I thought I was going to lose the pacer, but he slowed down a bit as the 55ers pulled ahead of the slower runners. I kept reminding myself to keep breathing through my nose so I wouldn't lose my breath. After 2K, I felt pretty good and I seemed to be handling the 5.5 minute pace OK. As we hit the first of two short uphills, some runners started to drop off and slow a bit. I tucked in right behind the pace bunny and refused to let myself slow down.

After we crested the hill and started the decent, I remember thinking, "I feel fast today!" This could have been for all the downhills I was running, but why try to justify the awesome feeling?! All I could envision was hitting the 6K mark at Yonge & Dundas Square. It is my favourite intersection in the city of Toronto - always full of thousands of people and alive with energy. But, this time, I wouldn't be walking crossways through the intersection! I ran just off the pacer's right shoulder and sent silent messages to him: "I'm counting on you to pace me to a PB!" and "Just get me to the finish line in 55 minutes!"

As we rounded the corner at Richmond, everyone squeezed over to the inside of the turn. It seems Toronto doesn't pay enough taxes, because the ruts, cracks and potholes were brutal at that intersection!  There was a massive cheering section with at least 40 people holding signs and cheering thunderously. It was incredibly encouraging and invigorating. At that point I realized we were 7K in with only 3K left to go.

Negotiating the streetcar tracks on Richmond was a challenge: I was trying to stick with the pacer, avoid other runners and watch out for the tracks. And since a race wouldn't be a race for me if I didn't roll my ankle somewhere, this was as good a place as any!

We made the next turn onto Peter and kept motoring towards Front Street and Old Fort York. Our pacer gave an encouraging call to all of us following behind him. I knew my Mum was going to be waiting for me at the 9K point at Front and Bathurst. I checked my watch and wondered if she had made it through traffic and got to the intersection in time - I was, afterall, feeling very fast! LOL

 At the 8.75K mark, I realized I still had enough energy to kick it up a notch and hopefully finish faster than I intended and as I rounded the corner onto Bathurst, I saw my Mum waiting for me, camera in hand. I have no idea what she yelled, but I could hear her cheering as I took off for the last 300 yards to the finish. Then I went into attack mode. I started targeting runners ahead of me and picking them off. First Lulu-girl in purple, then the guy in Vibrams. I knew I would be close to running sub-55, but I didn't want to check my watch for fear of slowing myself down.

As I crossed the finish line and hit the stop button on my watch, I looked down and saw 54:45 staring back at me! A sub-55 and a huge personal best! Officially, my chip time was 54:42.2. Definitely a great race and an awesome course for a PB.

I may have to run this again next year so TW2 can run with me!

Happy trails, fellow runners!

I killed the hill!

The inaugural Hollywood Half Marathon has come and gone - and what a race it was!

The race started off at the main gate of Universal Studios with 6100 of my closest running buddies. It was 5:45am, a little chilly and still dark. My sister Kim and I made our way through the crowds to the 9 minute/mile corral and started to soak in the excitement of the morning. Thankfully, the race organizers did a fantastic job of staggering the start times to avoid congestion at the start line.

Passing beneath the immense Universal Studios globe, we started our watches and set off for the neon glow and curving, narrow cobblestones of City Walk. The sound of thousands of sneakers filled the air and everyone was running along with excited smiles and whoops of joy. It was the most fantastic start to a race I have ever experienced!

Once through the cobbles, we headed South down the steep hills of Hollywood toward the infamous intersection at Hollywood & Highland. Knowing the first 4K were downhill, we picked up the pace and let our legs fly. Originally, we thought the uphill on the return was "only" 2.5K, but it turned out to be 3K! So, with the final few kilometers of the race back up this killer hill, we tried to gain as much time as possible on this section.

As we made the turn from Highland onto Hollywood Boulevard, the crowds cheered us on and we started the flat, middle section along the Walk of Fame. By now, the sun was up and the sky was clear. We passed a guy running along balancing a watermelon on his head. It was the most hilarious thing to see! How he managed to finish the race, I'll never know, but the message boards say he did! Possibly due to this distraction, we accidentally missed the first water station at the 5K point, so we had to change our hydration tactics a bit.

By the time we hit the turnaround on Sunset Boulevard, 57 minutes had passed and our legs were still feeling strong. But, just before the 15K mark, my quads started to tighten up and I knew I'd need a quick walk break. Within a minute, we were off again. We hit the Clif Shot station and grabbed two packs each. I'm not sure whether it was that the Gu was warm or the fact that I'd never taken one before, but I was gagging and sputtering within seconds of sucking this thing back! Lesson learned? Don't try new shit during a race!

We arrived, once again, at Hollywood & Highland and started the 3K climb up "The Hill". To top it off, we got hit with an insane head wind. By this point, the water stations had run out of cups - the only shitty part about the race. Luckily, we had our Batman belts to refill at each station.

The inspiration songs I had added to my race soundtrack kicked in and onward we plodded. There was no way to run up this thing quickly. The hill went on forever! By now, the theme song for Baywatch was blasting in my ears. Don't judge me: I figured I'd need a fun song to keep me smiling. This was a 3K hill after all! This is when I started belting out "I'll Be There" at the top of my lungs. I can't sing on a good day, so you can imagine how shrill it was on a steep incline after 20K!

When I realized the top of this monster was steps away, I felt like I'd just climbed Everest. We had killed the hill! The rush was amazing and I admit, I got a bit weepy when I saw the red carpet finish line 700 yards away at the bottom of a fast hill.

We kicked it up a notch and started passing other runners on the way to the awesome finisher's medal. After 2 hours, 16 minutes and 3 seconds, Kim and I crossed the finish line on the red carpet holding hands - just like we did at Surf City. Only this time, we were 13 seconds faster!

What a fantastic race! At some point, I will be doing this race again, just to see if I can gain some more time on that killer hill. I encourage all my fellow runners to run Hollywood and Kill the Hill!

Promenading down City Walk after the race!

The most amazing post-race portrait ever!

Wouldn't you run 21.1K for this awesome race bling?!

And we're off!

In the words of Darrell Waltrip, "Boogity, boogity, boogity! Let's go racing, boys!"

The first two corrals have already started. We're slowing moving up to the line. Woohooo! It's race day!

Tee-dubs are gonna rock Hollywood!

'Twas the night before race day...

Here we are, seven hours til gun time. My race gear is all laid out. Breakfast plans have been set (Mel's Diner on Highland) and we are ready to run.

After a fun day driving through the Hollywood hills (a house up there is only a few million!), we double-checked our plan for tomorrow morning, re-read the maps, and went back over our gear. From what I can tell, we haven't missed anything!

As with children the night before Christmas, I don't expect to get much sleep!

Happy trails, my fellow runners!