Nightime Running

After I had competed my race, I hung around a bit, talked a bunch, had the most amazing shower, and made sure Ron was still running,

See he told me to focus on my race, but I was minory distracted by the fact that Ron was going to make an attempt at 100miles. Shhhhh don't tell him this but I was concerned, like REALLY concerned he would not make it. As I read like 1001 blogs I know the training that is required for a 100miler, and thanks to his blog I didn't know if he was there.
So my job was to run with him through the night and help him however I could. Problem is Ron is a giver- he has a really hard time taking. At times he was more concerned about me then his own incredible misery. He actually felt bad about his complaining!!! Good for him I don't empathise so I just reassured but really I found his moaning funny.  I think the man needs selfish training. I mean in the morning another pacer told me how her pacer duties went. She had to be at least 10 feet back so she wasn't breathing down her runners neck,  and was not allowed to say a word. If she was to talk about the the importance of staying on pace she got a hand in the face. Odd from a runner who asked for pacers.
Anyways I intended to run/walk stumble 60k with Ron but I didn't quite make it. I was just too done. I got the sudden irrational urge to JUST LEAVE so I did. Kinda like a paranoid convolution. I made it so far as the 401 and highway 6 and I had to sleep.

I woke up four hours later with the lights on and the ignition turned halfway on. Dead car. Got a boust from some big black dudes hanging out in the parking lot. Good times.

For me the pacing duties taught me a few lessons in preparation for my summer night ultra at dirty girls. Some are my own thoughts and some are taken from observation.
- Need a better head lamp. Thank goodness I was caring a cheapo hand held- I would have been totally stumbling around in the dark
- Prepare EVERYTHING well in advance at home. If there is a thought I might need it, bring it. Once I get to the race site I alwasys want to talk so that does not leave time to prepare there. BE ORGANIZED.
- New shoes, new shoes, new shoes.
-Bring many multiples of everything
- Do not pee in the woods in a hurry. Why?? Dribbles make shorts wet which in turn make skin wet which in turn cause some serious uncomfortableness.
- Several types of lube for different areas of the body
- Calories are everything
- Garbage bags have a million different uses. Bring many.
-Many food options are needed for fickle tummies.
- Take the pain medication

I am sure more will come to me and I will record them here.

As for trainning  my 12hour nighter, I am going to do some 6 hours runs... do I have any takers to join?? Even for an hour or four??

Shoes Post Sulpher

I should note that by the point I took this photo I had picked off haf of the mud from my legs.

Sulphur Mud Fest 2011

In my continued effort to suffer I completed Sulphur springs Trail Race- Version 25k .Walked away with a time of 2:16:20- 9th female overall, which seems consistent with the times of previous years.
I am moderately pleased with my result but of course I want to play the negatively blame game.So why didn't I do slightly better??

- Biggest reason- My ipod died about 8km into the race. RIP. I am a spoiled rotten little ADDer who NEEDS distraction. Screw that one with myself. I want my Lady Gaga!
- Felt heavy- like five pounds off my race weight, which I am.
- I need new trail shoes. I was wearing my asics so I could save my other trail shoes for night running as they are slightly more comfortable. Bottom line- nothing I have works right now.
- I had to pee, and try as I might to pee on myself it just was not happening.
- I didn't feel pretty. I was wearing my fluorescent orange shirt which I like but I need to redo the shoulders. Ones outfit is everything.

I should have done better- the conditions were overcast and MUDDY. I do better the worst it is. Just for the record. I didn't lose a shoe but I think I was the muddiest at the finish line. I have special skill in getting muddy. As I said previous I am rarely happy with myself post race- perhaps twice a year. I have already had a great time at ATB so the next ones coming sometime.

Umm nope

Got a flashy invite for a facebook for a group inviting me to pray for my husband for 31 days.

Really?? How many sarcastic comments can I come with?? Well lets start with:

Ok well I can't do that with out sounding completely x-rated, totally man hating, and mocking Christianity..... and Luke gets mad if I am too mean.

So lets just say I am not attending.

Last to know

Surfing the net and discovered Jennifer Knapp is gay. She came out last year. Ummm somebody could have told me.
Sorry Jennifer, just beacuse you are gay does not mean I will not steal your music. I kinda like you more now though.

Small Town

Felt slightly embarrassed today while garage saleing. Feels odd going through friends/ acquaintances cast offs,  looking for pants for the boy. Strangers good. People you know bad. Cause then they don't want you to pay anything and you kinda feel like you are accepting charity.

Insanity

We all have ideas of what qualifies as athletic craziness. I for one think walking 20k home after a night shift is nuts- running not crazy but walking is crazy.

This race is the bizarre-o I have heard of in awhile. Small loop, and 72 hours to do it over and over. Slightly hamster wheel.

iwin!!!

As mentioned previous I use social media as a method to enter contests. I enter a few here and there and basically win nothing. Well a couple of weeks ago I received a hand addressed note from Mizuno informing me that I had won a weekly draw for 'running accessorys' from irun magazine and Mizuno Canada running club..... and something actually came!!!

Not a big prise but a price none the less. I got:
-Arm warmers
-Gloves
-Hair bands
-Hat
- One of the necklace thing for keys or ID badges
-Towel
-Drawstring bag

There was the hope that a running accessory would be shoes- specifically Mizuno riders size seven...... but I am thank- full none the less.

Friends First MIssy HALF 2011

Pain first to get it over with.
Ran the Half- GUN- 1:42:52,  CHIP- 1:38:58.
What this means is the difference between a 7th place AG vs a podium 3rd place AG........and  follows is how could I allow this to happen.....

Today was the running of two of my good friends first marathon, as well three of my run clinic participants from the past were also attempting their first marathon thus,  I really wanted to be there to see it happen, so instead of following my 'do what I love plan' for the year I signed up for the half so I could be there for the excitement.

I thought I could do the half, take a kick at the can of my PB half time and take a stroll through the marathon course after and run in with them. In particular I was really eager to help run Dave finish. I was with  Dave for his first 5k, first half, first 30k, and it was only fitting I was with him for his marathon.

With all of the excitement of the marathon I wasn't really focusing on my race. I had thoughts of sub 1:35. ........but I really didn't think about how I would do that. Things like getting into a corral earlier than 2min before the gun, or maybe not be in the process of taking off my pants when the gun goes would have helped. Endless passing and severing in and out of people most likely added to my time. Slowing down to talk to people added some time. I could have peed myself instead of going to a port a Pottie, or tied my shoelaces better. ( Slightly shame faced)
BUT I wanted to be with my friends until we got to the start line and that's how it played out. I  am really happy with my time, and feel I worked for it as well.... and that's just how the dice rolled.

The highlights of my day included caring for a hypothermia woman in the massage tent, seeing familiar faces and not having to shower after due to the wonderful rain.

After a new friend lent me her warmest jacket I headed out backtracking the marathon course. Wonderful time cheering the half marathoners coming in, and the top marathoners. LOVED yelling to the woman they were in the top 10, and told them to catch number nine. Took my time snacking on a apple and a banana, chatting with the other spectators. Saw Ron of the Westgrey runner fame bringing in some tri club members and marveled at the extent of his smile. New depth today for sure. Caught up the my friends around the 35km mark and brought them in strong- ahead of their goal time.

All in all, would have not missed it, but really why do we run roads when we can run trails???

New Smile

Note the blood smeared around from the stuggle to wrestle tooth from its socket.

Thanks for the mail Meghan

A souvenir from PYP. Need narrow trail shoes. Note- I have not grown man hands- Luke is helping with the photo.

Funny, with alot of truths

http://charliebroadway.blogspot.com/2011/01/triathlon-is-stupid-sport.html


And for the record, I do know some (insert bad word here) triathletes. Slime balls really.

Lent

Luke gave up chips for lent.

I guess it is over cause I found a half full bag in his car.

Crunch.

This is a picture from Easter. Maya was playing photographer, She would set everything up then race to be in the photo as somebody else took it.....but this post isn't about a career choice I don't support.

Luke has left me to go to Calgary for a church thing until Wednesday. I have never been alone that long with the children. I have already made them clean the house for an hour cheerfully so they could get desert, and put Ever to sleep in less than 5minites. I win!!!

Arm Warmers

I bought some arm warmers at ATB race expo and Maya was insanely jealous sooo I went to the used clothing shore and bought a voloumpsious bathing suit and VOILA arm warmers for Maya.

Should have done that for myself and saved $25. Would have had to be a really voloumptious bathing suit though.

Pick Your Poison

First official OUSER race of the year, PYP located at Horseshoe Valleys. I had run a 5Peaks half Marathon there in 2009 so I had a mental image of what the course would entail...and what I thought was wrong.Seems that I remember a flatter race at ski resort... slightly delusional. So either the 5peaks course avoided hills or PYP took advantage of all the hills. Either way today was rather uphill. I honestly do not recall a race where I walked so many uphills.

Coming into the race I was going on little sleep for several days, plus I actually sprained my ankle 10 days ago and it is still rather swollen. So my expectations were minimal. My race plan which I developed as I was running the first few kilometres was to run hard the first loop and try not to die the second. This required all my double caffeine gels. I am still feeling jumpy and irritable. I didn't want to do it but I kept on thinking about how nice the ground looked for a nap. Despite the endless uphills and a tad less single track than I like, I did like the course.

There was some upsetedness I heard about people getting lost, but honestly I had no trouble. I was upset that the race director felt it was not important to wear a helmet  while ridding a MTN bike around the course...and my other major beef is kinda self centred. There were no awards/door prises.  I like awards/ door prises. Admittedly the race swag for everybody was a jar of honey, a shirt and a pair of socks which is one of the most impressive handouts I have gotten, but even if I am not an award winner I like feeling the joy with the winner.

Today I was not a award winner.  I think I was fifth female, and tenth overall with a time of around 2:35ish. . I also got a new blister on my left foot.

WWII Inspired Readings

On the advice of Lois Plowright I read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Pie Society. I didn't really expect to like the book despite the raving review, but it was wonderful. Flowing and the amount of detail given will forever change my internal images of WWII.

On the advice of an ad in the Toronto Star I read The Postmistress. Nothing new here. The writing was not particularly catching,  and there was little 'not done before'.  My advice, go with the former.

What I don't get...

So I am kinda feeling the Face book burn out. I get it now. A few of my friends quit FB, and at the time I just didn't understand but now I am seeing the light.

Basically there are two major issues that drive me insane.

The first being I just can't stand when people give a 'shout out' to people who are not on FB ie. "Happy birthday Jessie" Jessie happens to be six and does not have an account. Or "I'm so proud of you Missy for getting straight A's" Again Missy isn't on FB. Or my personal favorite, "Missing you tons today Grandpa". Grandpa is dead. What's the purpose? Perhaps it is the phrasing of it all that drives me nuts. Why not? " I am sad that my grandfather died. Or " I am and excellent  Chinese mother cause Missy got straight A's" Make the updates about YOU not the supporting cast.

Secondly, People are too darn happy. Really, it is great to hear about how darn cute your kids are, how super funny they can be and how you are the luckiest mother EVER, once and awhile. But daily??? Come on I don't buy it. Lets hear about real life. It makes the rest of us feel better about our patheticness.

Sure I am not the most emotional person out there, Ok so I have none and am a stone,  so i am sure everybody will forgive me for offending you. Or maybe I will be just unfriended.

OK winter, here's the thing.

I can not take all the boots, coats, mitts, hats and other related winter paraphernalia  anymore. I am sick to death of my snow scraper. Thus, like it or not everything is going away this weekend. Your part of this entire operation is agreeing to put a hilt to all the snow- like winter related activities OK?

I know you are upset with me for taking off my snow tires already, but can't we just be friends.....from a distance?