Crazy Racing (Part 2)

5 races in one day – wow! With my incredible ability to waffle, this has the potential to be a long one, but for once I’ll try to keep things short so as not to prolong the boredom too much.

Looking back, last Saturday was superb - 5 crazy runners doing 5 races in one day – what better way to keep us out of mischief on a weekend?!

First up was the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) Hot Chocolate 10km race. My best time for a 10k since moving over here is just under 42 minutes – that was at the MEC 10k race last April when I first got here. It was much warmer back then with just a few remnants of  ice and snow on the river, and I actually raced in vest and shorts. On Saturday however, it was a nippy -5 but felt much chillier due to overcast skies, and it was so tempting to just hang around the fire pits and heaters that the organizers had kindly set up for us around the start area. The route was a flat out and back course alongside the river and whilst the City of Calgary had done a grand job in clearing snow off the pathways, the first and last 1km were ankle deep in snow and there were sporadic patches of ice still lying on the pathways at times.

The crazy 5 runners did pretty darn well – a win for yours truly in exactly 43 minutes, followed by Nicki in 3^rd   and Jen and Jo not much further back. Alan just missed out on a win in the men’s race by a mere 25 seconds. It was a lovely little race with a fairly good turnout considering the time of year, and at just $15 to enter, it was good value for money with a hot chocolate for everybody at the finish and pretty good prizes.

5 Runners doing what they love most - running!

Next stop was 12 Mile Coulee up in the north of the City, and within an hour or so of finishing our 10k, we were lining up on a sunny but snowy start line ready for an 8km cross country race. 

I’m really enjoying the cross country this year and I’ve actually been doing ok. However, I wasn’t expecting too much this time having already raced, so was very pleasantly surprised to finish 5^th lady again. I’d worn spikes for this one as the course is renowned for being particularly icy down in the coulees, and UK friends may be pleased to know that my spikes still had mud on them from Westwood Cross Country when I was running for Staffordshire Moorlands over a year ago. I’m not entirely sure how they got through customs but even so, there are now a couple of clumps of Staffordshire mud making their home on a hillside in Calgary.

Beautiful day for cross country - race 2 of the day

The 2 lap course was a lovely with plenty of ups and downs, and thanks to the variety and the gorgeous sunny weather, I’m inclined to say that it is perhaps one of my favourite courses so far.  The 5 of us did well again and still had a smile on our faces at the end so all was looking good for the next 3 races later that afternoon. We’d already done 18km and were half way through our race day mileage – the rest would be split across the 3 races in Cochrane – a 3km, a 5km and a 10km.

I have to be honest and say that I thought the turnout in Cochrane would have been higher, especially with it being a part of the town’s Winter Festival, but on arrival, it looked like there would be no more than 20 or so runners in all 3 races. It didn’t dampen spirits though, and as the 5 of us pinned our numbers to our shirts, we were still ready for the challenge. The organisers - Quick Silver Running Club - did a splendid job in making sure we were fed and watered throughout the event and offered lively encouragement and support on each lap.

Snowy field in Cochrane and still smiling,  ready for the final 18km

Deliberate diversion here…….in September 2011, I ran for England in the Commonwealth Trail Championships – a 55km trail race in Anglesey, North Wales. I finished next to last and was absolutely gutted having had the most awful race ever. At the time, my mind wasn't on the race as we were in the middle of planning for our move overseas, and I felt so awful that the lady that finished behind me in that race was Canadian – I felt like I’d let a fellow team mate down, even though I hadn’t even moved to Canada at that time.

Fast forward to Mad Race Saturday, and that same Canadian lady is standing in a snowy field in Cochrane some 5000 miles away from Anglesey, and some 18 months down the line, merrily chatting away to us and waiting to do a 3km race. Not only that, but she’s a very good friend of the runners I had spent part of the day with – go figure eh?!

And so, a 1km loop around the Lion’s Rodeo Ground with ankle deep snow in parts, particularly on the sharp hill shortly after the start that zapped the energy on each of the 18 times we ran up that flaming hill – then a short stretch on the road, before turning back in to the grounds to negotiate an icy and snowy pathway back to the start of the next lap.

We all flew the first 3km – 3 laps? Pah! The 5km wasn’t too bad either although the efforts of the previous runs were starting to take their toll on the legs. We finished the day as we’d started – by running a 10k race. This was the most mentally challenging – tired legs and another 10 laps of that same field, with the sun starting to set over the mountains in the west as the temperature started to drop off – but we all kept going! For me, something clicked and with head down, I went into “ultra mode” – where the brain switches off and you just go through the motions of running, not really thinking about anything but acutely aware of how far you’ve ran and how many laps still to go. “This is ok” I thought – “I’ve done 25 laps at Herriot Watt Uni in Edinburgh, 7 laps at Boddington, and goodness knows how many on the track at Barry and up in Perth – 10 x 1km loops isn’t so bad!” Surprisingly, although my pace was slow it was actually consistent and coming in to finish, I felt  relieved and tired, but pretty good at the same time. Mission accomplished, and beer and pizza were certainly on the cards for me when I got home that night!

All in all, it was a fantastic day doing something that I love and in such excellent company. I got to meet even more running friends and I’m happy to say that my running family is slowly growing at last and I feel honoured to be meeting so many lovely and welcoming people. I also went home having made a profit that day too - $45 for 5 races, with a win of $75 and a hat, scarf and medal to boot, it can’t be bad at all.

Since Saturday, I feel that my bug for ultra running is seriously coming out of a long hibernation, and I have again revisited my race plans for the coming months. I have 3 more cross country races to do followed by a half marathon on the roads in March, but after that, it’s back to the trails and the long stuff which is where my love of the sport really lies. I have a 50km race in 2 weeks time – who knows what the weather will be so it could be on road, or it could be in deep snow – but  it’ll get me off on the right footing for the next few months. I am now committed to a 100km trail race in June followed by the K-100 relay with the awesome Snot Rockets, and then I have the Iron Legs 50 miles trail/mountain race in August. After that, I can’t decide – I may do a 12 hour or a 24 hour trail race up in Edmonton in September, or I may do another 100km race in October. It’s such a shame that the World Trail Running Championships are this summer and not next year  as I'm sure I will have plenty of performances to submit for consideration for selection. However, whilst I would love to have ran for GB again on the trails, no offence Anglesey, but with the Rocky Mountains and so much open trail in your back yard, I don’t think I’m going to miss Newborough Forest too much ;o)

                                                                                                                

Crazy Racing (Part 1)

I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, no matter how big or small, whether it be testing my own physical limits like when I did my first proper mountain marathon of over 50 miles in the Swiss Alps, or when testing mental strength like doing the Barry 40, going round and round and round in circles to complete 161 laps of an athletics track. Ok, they may be insignificant when compared to challenges undertaken by the likes of Jez Bragg and Lizzy Hawker (both of whom I’m honoured to have met whilst on the same GB team when competing in ultra distance races in the past), but we all have to start somewhere - even learning to ride a bike and staying on for more than a minute can be a challenge for some people!

But I digress, and I’m waffling again……

Since September last year, I’ve merrily been competing in the Calgary Road Runners Cross Country events. I haven’t been outstanding but I’ve done ok and I’ve enjoyed doing them. I was really looking forward to the next race this coming Saturday, and with feeling a bit fitter and stronger lately, I wanted to be fresh and was raring to go to give it my all and kick some ass so to speak.

Cue a little bird, whispering something about 5 races in one day being my kind of thing – I ought to consider it. A posse of folks had already signed up for the 5 and it would be cool if I gave it some thought. I’ve certainly done 2 races in a day in recent months, but 5 just sounded silly and reckless – I’m supposed to be an experienced athlete that should know better. Yet the seed was planted and whilst I battled my thoughts about wanting to concentrate on the cross country and perform well, the other part of me was thinking back to the 24 hour Thunder Run in the UK when I ran 5 x 10km loops in 24 hours as part of the Trentham RC relay team – how different would 5 races in a matter of 8 hours really be? A quick browse of the internet and a few calculations showed that running all 5 races was actually feasible.

The plan would be to drive from Chaparral to Edworthy Park (distance 30km) for a 10am start in the MEC Hot Chocolate 10km. Once finished, drive a further 15km north to Tuscany for a 12 noon start at the 7^th race in the CRR XC Grand Prix – race distance approximately 8km. Once finished, grab some lunch, a donut and a coffee (NOTE: ensure location of nearest Tim Hortons is known, otherwise give up now!), and drive 20km north (ish) to arrive in Cochrane for the Winter Fest Carnival. Here there would be a series of family fun runs as part of the festivities ,with the option of running a 3km at 3.30pm, a 5km at 4pm, or a 10km at 5pm – alternatively, there was the opportunity to do all 3, covering the 18km in one go. Total running distance throughout the day would be around 36km, finished off by pony rides, fun in the pacman maze, log sawing and snow art, hot dogs and drinks. It seemed like the perfect day and with my support crew of Andy and Wilson, and assuming no traffic holdups, how could I resist?

I blame hitting the “register” button on a nervous twitch that I have in my right hand that gets progressively worse when scouring the internet for races and obscure challenges – something that apparently is common amongst runners no matter what their country of origin! Another side effect is impulses to the brain, where even though common sense is saying don’t be stupid, the brain is sending out a different signal causing silly grins and an uncontrollable nod of the head, and an almost obsessive need to do crazy things. I’m sure I’m not alone in my suffering…….

And so it is that this Saturday, I will be “racing” the cross country after all except I will also be doing another 4 races, totaling 36km all together. I’d feel quite relaxed if I was just doing a marathon, knocking out consistent steady miles - that really wouldn’t bother me - but anything 10k or less really isn’t my thing and usually means picking up the pace, running a bit more quickly and enduring lots of pain – essentially a speed session that hurts. I know I’m going to be knackered, but I also know that it’s going to be lots of fun, and for some crazy reason, I’m actually looking forward to it :o)

Sniffles and Colds

My first race of 2013 actually went pretty well – certainly better than I’d imagined it would. During the preceding week, I’d been suffering from intense headaches, a bunged up nose and a chest infection, probably not helped by the small matter of a 37km training run on the previous Sunday as preparation for next month’s ultra! But as those of you that are runners will know, we’re a hardy bunch and we seldom let the “sniffles” get the better of us - neither do we let trivial things such as sub zero temperatures and heavy snow stop us from doing our regular runs, which is probably a good thing as that’s exactly what Calgary encountered prior to race day, making any running exceptionally difficult in the deep snow. 

Needless to say, turning up to race at a cold, snowy and barren Nose Creek on a Saturday lunch time probably isn't the most intelligent thing I've ever done.

It was race 6 in the Calgary Road Runners Cross Country Grand Prix and whilst I've never actually placed any higher than 3rd lady in the individual races, had Saturday been the final race, I would actually have won overall. However, I knew that with the start of a new year, the stronger ladies would be back out in force and so long as they still managed to get in their 6 races, they would easily push me out of the prizes.

Nose Creek is located in the north of the City and really does look like a barren wasteland, made even more desolate due to the blanket of snow. It covers a large area but lacks the picturesque appeal of the other cross country races I’d done so far. Saying that though, it was still a good 2 lap course that included a couple of small sharp hills that added a bit of variety. It was also quite a cold day again too with temperatures around -10 degrees even at midday, and along with the wind chill and lack of sun shine, it really was on the nippy side.

Nose Creek and a cold -10 degrees just before start of race

Having felt pretty rough for the best part of the week, I started the race cautiously as I didn't know how a faster paced run would affect me. For the the first km or so, I was about 6th lady but I could see a couple of ladies just ahead. I didn't want to get  too close  to them and end up getting dragged into a proper race this early on as I knew I would likely burn up, so I just tried to keep them in sights and run my own race.

Surprisingly, thanks to a flatter course, I was feeling OK for the most part although as  I started to ascend the first of the small hills, reality hit home and I realised how bad my chest really was. I wouldn't have minded, but it wasn't even a proper hill, yet I gasped and wheezed my way up, unable to get enough oxygen in my lungs to power the legs and struggling to gain any momentum thanks to several centimeters of snow. The rest of the lap was pretty much the same - a couple of ups and downs with relatively deep snow, and it was just a case of hanging in there, keeping it going and trying to control the breathing.

Gasping for air and grateful for a bit of downhill!

The benefits of a two lap course is that you know what to expect next time round, so as I started lap 2, I tried to speed up and started to pass a few people, eventually catching and overtaking a couple of ladies. I was to pay the price for the sudden burst of speed though and as we hit the inclines for a second time, one of the ladies passed me again. I had absolutely nothing to respond with and could only watch her gradually pulling away from me. Shortly afterwards, and with about 1km remaining, another lady went past and I noticed that it was Kim who's a friend of a friend. Kim had been running exceptionally well in the cross country and was usually a good minute or two ahead of me, and having spotted her at the start, I’d just assumed that she was already a good way ahead of me in this race. I was very surprised that she had actually been behind me up until that point, but she soon started to open up a gap and made it look effortless. 

About 5 minutes later, I crossed the finish line. I'd completed the 7km course in around about 33 minutes and had once again 5th lady although I was only 20 seconds off 3rd and just 7 seconds behind 4th. I was really pleased with the result all things considered, but the exertion had done me no favours as I had a coughing fit and ended up with a very dry and sore throat. The deep snow had also taken its toll – my legs had gone, and I was well and truly shattered!

A snowy run with Wilson around Fish Creek

The following day, I was meant to have been meeting up with the "Dawn and Don Gang",  but for once common sense prevailed and I gave it a miss. I'm sure another long run would have put my plans to run an ultra next month in jeopardy, so I ended up doing a short half hour run with Wilson around a snowy Fish Creek Park instead. He loved it, I loved his company, but I really wasn’t in the mood for going too much further or too much quicker.

Lovely views at Fish Creek
 but in not really feeling the love!

I’m still struggling with a chesty cough but with 4 weeks to go until the Frozen Ass 50km, I’m hoping that things will clear up and I’ll be feeling a lot stronger and ready for a good race. I still have time to get a couple more long runs under my belt before then, and I already have a good base of mileage in my legs from recent weeks, so fingers crossed, all will come good. Before that though, I do have another cross country race in a fortnight and this time I’m taking no prisoners ;o)

A New Year and (Even More) New Beginnings

It's funny how things pan out - how one thing can cause a chain reaction and lead into something else.

During the holidays I was busy looking around for races in 2013, but it wasn't an easy task. One of the problems here in Calgary is that races during the winter months are few and far between, but as with the flowers in the spring, there is an abundance of races as soon as the weather starts to warm up and the days become longer, making it very difficult to make a shortlist of "must do's" throughout the year!

I'm also one of those runners that likes a bit of variety to keep me interested and avoid complacency - a mixed bag of long races and short races, flat runs and hilly runs, fast paced and slow paced, on road and  on the trails. It's small wonder that I've never really excelled at anything in particular but have tended to be mediocre at most race distances.

Anyhow,  I was looking for a road 10k or half marathon sometime in March/April to help me gauge how winter training had gone, when I came across Run for L'Arche Half Marathon - a local race that starts downtown at 10am so no need to get up at some un-godly hour, and with following the Bow River pathway, I would be familiar with small sections of the course. It hit all the right buttons, and so it was that I ended up registering for the race.

The following day, I received an email from the race director. Normally I wouldn't read these emails straight away as I'm likely to forget about them by the time race day comes around, so I tend to leave them unread until a later date. However, for some reason, I felt compelled to read this one, and boy am I glad I did!

A couple of days later, I found myself running around Sikome Lake parking lot in Fish Creek Park, trying to find Dawn (Race Director) and her coach and friend Don (Co- Race Director) ready to meet up for a couple of hours running. It was early at 7am, it was still dark, and it was about -10 degrees. I was also aware that coyotes wander around the park even in broad daylight, and whilst they generally run away whenever I've seen them on previous occasions, I didn't particularly fancy a confrontation with one today with being on my own in the dark. Thankfully, a full moon shed a beautiful silvery light on the lying snow so it was lighter than normal, and although the dark shadows in the trees would normally have made me a little jumpy, I wasn't really too concerned.

We had a fantastic run - Dawn, Don and I - when I eventually found them, running for around 90 minutes or so in the moonlight before catching the first light of day. I really enjoyed their company and their relaxed manner, their enthusiasm for running, their sense of humour, and the way they made me feel welcome. I'm really hoping that we will be spending plenty of time running together from here onwards, and I'm looking forward to meeting the folks that belong to their regular weekend running group, as well as being a member of the team for a 100 mile relay event to be held in June that I've volunteered for, assuming there's a place for me, 

Since doing the run with Dawn and Don, I've gone back to planning out my intended races for 2013, and have provisionally decided on the following:

January - Nose Creek XC Race and Twelve Mile Coulee XC Race

February - Nose Hill XC Race and Weaselhead XC Race, Frozen Ass 50km

March - Fish Creek XC Race and Run for L'Arche Half Marathon

April - Spring Trio 15km

May - Calgary Marathon

June - K-100 mile Relay and possibly Banff Trail Marathon

July - Stampede Half Marathon

August - Iron Legs 50 mile Trail Race

September - Grizzly Panorama 36km Trail Race

October - Grizzly 50km Trail Race

November/December - cross country starts again!

It will mean getting the miles in, it will mean teaching the old legs to run up hills and mountains, and it'll mean doing some speed sessions to get a bit of pace back in those same old legs. The main thing though is having a focus to give me the motivation to get out running, even when the weather is freezing cold and snowy.

Talking of the weather, the week leading up to Christmas was particularly cold with day time temperatures no higher than -18 but feeling more like -28 with the wind chill. It would have been so easy to stay huddled up indoors but I forced myself to run home from work and I have to say that it has been wonderful running through Fish Creek Park and seeing all the animal tracks in the snow and the mountains in the distance. When I haven't ran home, I've done runs with my little dog Wilson who has been more than happy to trot alongside me in his posh new booties and brand new coat.

Things have warmed up this past couple of days and we are now around freezing point which oddly feels really warm, so today I set off on my first run of the new year. A group set up on Facebook by UK friends has encouraged members of the group to set goals for the coming months to help them stay motivated to run throughout the year. With turning 40 this year, I've set myself a goal of running 4000km which may sound simple for somebody that used to run around 150km per week. However, those days are long gone and I tend to run more for enjoyment now - covering 80km a week will actually be quite a challenge for me these days.

Today's run was lovely and I covered just over 14km on snowy terrain in gorgeous sunshine. It was a really positive run - I felt really good, the sun was shining and the skies were blue, and I felt very happy as I ran past the birds on the Bow River enjoying some reprieve from the icy temperatures. I spotted a couple of coyotes out on the golf course playing in the snow, and even they looked happy, and I saw a small herd of deer in the woodland area scouting for food. It was one of those days where all is good with the world and I felt content as I looked forward to 2013 with excitement and happiness. It's a year ago tomorrow that Andy flew out to start his new life here, and I followed a couple of months later - what a difference a year can make! So much has happened in that 12 months, but now, instead of feeling like visitors in a foreign country, we feel  at home, and with new friends in the making, a new house on the horizon, and new adventures planned once again, I have a good feeling that 2013 is going to be a good year for us here in Calgary :o)