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!

Leavin' on a jet plane...

My suitcase is packed, iPad and iPod are charged, and a rockin' playlist, specially formulated for this race, is loaded onto my iPod. I've got my Jerry-File (affectionately named for my Daddy, the most well-prepared person I know!) filled with all of the documentation I will need for the next few days - 4 flight confirmations, car reservation, hotel reservation, race info and maps. My running shoes are washed and lookin' all shiny and new again. In other words, I'm ready to go to Hollywood!

For me, my playlist is the key to a good race. I spend a lot of time choosing songs that fit one of the following criteria: pump me up songs, recovery/slow songs, inspirational songs and songs that remind me of the people who are most important to me. I have them arranged strategically so that I have the high tempo stuff at the beginning to get me pumped up and in the zone, the occasional slow song to remind me to slow down and breath properly, and then the inspirational/reminder songs for when I'm starting to fatigue and wish I had my loved ones with me.

Some people prefer to run headphone-free. I am one of the people who is lost without my music. But, I also like to hear the crowds cheering, so sometimes I take an earbud out and soak up all of their good energy.

I've kicked off the soundtrack for the Hollywood Half Marathon with Proud by Heather Small, the theme song for Biggest Loser. I mean, can you really go wrong with someone singing, "I'm on my way, can't stop me now, and you can do the same!"  Then it switches to some top 40 dance and R&B (Usher, Rihanna, Maroon 5 and David Guetta) with the odd slow jam (sometimes I need the slower beat to help me control my breathing) and country tune (Trace Adkins' Songs About Me - gotta get a good hick tune in there somewhere!)

The most important element to this playlist is the placement of inspirational songs for kilometers 17 through 19. These are during Hollywood's "Heartbreak Hill." Boston has it's Heartbreak, and now, so does Hollywood! Two and a half kilometers entirely uphill from Hollywood Boulevard back up into the Hollywood Hills. (Why did I sign up for this race again?!)

Hollywood's Heartbreak Hill needs some special musical attention. I put three songs at the time when I should be reaching the base of the hill. No Superstar by Remady, The Game of Love by Santana and Michelle Branch and The Weight by The Band. Three songs for two pretty special people in my life: my Daddy and the guy who's been there through all of my ups and downs over the last ten years. Hopefully, they will have the desired effect of propelling my butt up this hill. Who wants to take a walk break midway up a hill anyway?!

Sometime around 8:15am (11:15 EST) I will be crossing the finish line at Universal Studios Hollywood. And shortly after that, I will have that awesome Hollywood star medal hung around my neck! Because we all know why I ran 21.1K - for the race bling, of course!

Happy trails, my fellow runners!

One Final Run...

As of 11am this morning, my final run before Saturday's half marathon is in the books. Unfortunately, it was raining/snowing/sleeting (whatever the hell that weather was), which, as previously stated, I hate!

Thankfully, I had my standing Sunday morning run date with my training buddy. Otherwise, I would have either shortened the run considerably or not done it at all. We banged out an 8K in dreary conditions and had a negative split. We finished with a strong kick, uphill no less, and clocked in at 44:14. Not too shabby! Thank God for training buddies.

For me, it wasn't the greatest run and I had to take a walk break at 4K because my shin splints were bothering me (thanks to Bruce for putting up with the 1 minute walk break!). Which brings me to the topic for today: Injuries.

Some of the greatest frustrations about running are the injuries, aches and pains. Three months ago, my right lower leg was giving me considerable pain. It was even affecting my everyday walking. Off to physio I went. Acupuncture and Graston technique are my heroes, because after three treatments, everything was good to go. Amen!

Shortly thereafter, my left IT band became inflamed and was seriously compromising my ability to train. For those who have never suffered from this, the pain is like someone is stabbing you in the side of your knee with a screwdriver. I was worried about my next race (Surf City Half Marathon in sunny Huntington Beach, California) so I booked myself in for more physio. Again, after three painful Graston sessions and some acupuncture, I was good as new. My knee didn't bother me at all during the half and (touch wood) hasn't bothered me since.

Shin splints are an evil I deal with off and on throughout my training. I can't understand it. My training stays fairly consistent and I just hope for the best. Then, when they start acting up again, I slow it down, take time off and ice, ice, ice! One would think that after more than a year of committed running, this wouldn't affect me anymore. Such an annoyance!

So, with 5 days to go before the Hollywood Half Marathon, I will retire to my couch, elevate my legs and wrap some ice packs around my shins.

Happy trails, my fellow runners!