A New Lease of Life

I can't believe that we're coming to the end of February and already I've competed in 9 races! The good thing is that the majority of them have been 10k or less, and with being shorter races - most of them cross country - they've really helped to build a little strength, speed and stamina over the weeks. I'm starting to feel fitter and stronger and after what seems like a very long time, my confidence has finally started to return.

Of course the other thing that has given me a new lease of life was turning 40 last week. Looking back to when I first became a lady veteran 5 years ago - or "master" as they call us these days - I was running at my best, and moving in to another age category gave me the motivation to chase new records and set new goals. Now I've moved up into the LV40 category, that excitement and anticipation has returned, and I'm eager to get out on the trails and roads to see how I fair over the next 5 years.

My first test came on Monday - the same day as my birthday. I'd decided a couple of months ago to do the Frozen Ass 50km race - mainly because I'd missed out on it last year, but also in defiance of those people that frequently tell me that getting older means you can't do the things you used to do. I'm a stubborn old you-know-what, and when somebody says I can't do something, 90% of the time I'll do the complete opposite just to prove them wrong.

And so it was that I found myself at the Bow Waters Canoe Club with around 150 other runners on Family Day, waiting for the start of the Frozen Ass 50k. 

Trying to brighten things up a bit at the start of the
 Frozen Ass 50km

It was quite a dreary, overcast morning with temperatures hovering around -7, but it felt much colder with a brisk wind blowing. The course would follow an out and back route along the Bow River and Canal Pathways through the city of Calgary - not the most picturesque of courses with just substations, electricity pylons and the CPR railway line to look at. Thankfully, being an out and back did mean we passed others runners going in the opposite direction, giving rise to lost of smiles, words of encouragement, high fives, " good job!" and "way to go!" which made things less monotonous. 

Much of the recent snow had melted following unusually mild temperatures in Calgary (don't be fooled - "mild" is around 0-5 degrees!) but there were a few large patches of ice to negotiate at random points on the course. It was also surprisingly undulating with both the start and finish going uphill, and with the return leg on each lap going straight into a headwind, it was quite a tough run in the closing stages.

Realistically, I figured I could run around 4 hours to 4.15 and felt relatively confident that I could maintain 5 minute kilometres pace, but I exceeded even my own expectations by finishing first lady in 3.56.12. I was absolutely over the moon and really couldn't have asked for anything more.

Over the next few days, I was still on a high and was desperate to get back out running again, but I wanted to recover from the 50k as I had an 8k cross country race just 5 days later and wanted to perform as best I could. I managed a short run midweek and the legs seemed surprisingly OK, and so I was once again feeling relatively good about racing the Weaselhead cross country on Saturday lunch time.

Weaselhead is the only race so far where I've actually trained on part of the course. When I first arrived in Calgary almost 12 months ago, I met a new friend called Alan Lam who took me on a training run along the Jack Rabbit trail on the edge of Glenmore Reservoir. The cross country race followed some of the same trail, so I knew it wouldn't be flat and I knew that it would be a real test of how I was recovering from Monday's event - the race itself was also organised by Alan and it was once again an excellent, varied, challenging course and I loved it!

With just one more race remaining in the cross country series, things are really hotting up in the ladies field with the top 5 ladies also being in the same age group. I'm currently in line for a podium finish in both the open and age group categories, but with just one point separating 3rd, 4th and 5th, I really had everything to run for.

I actually felt pretty good in the race and even the hills weren't fazing me too much, but by the time I reached the 6k mark, I started to feel a little heavier in my legs. I was 2nd lady at that point, but was passed by another lady whilst on a climb up one of the hills. I was determined to stay with her for as long as possible, and if it came to a sprint finish, well, may the best lady win! Unfortunately, she took a wrong turn shortly afterwards that cost her the small gain she had made over me, and having shouted her back and waited to make sure she turned, I pushed on up the hill. I did feel bad that she'd gone off course but I'd done what I could to help get her back on track, and was now more determined than ever to ensure that I wasn't overtaken again.

It was hard work over the last 2km with lots of ups and downs on some very icy stretches, but I managed to stay ahead and finished 2nd lady, just 20 seconds or so ahead of 3rd and 4th place. Thankfully, we all chatted about it afterwards and there was no animosity, but I'm pretty sure they will both be gunning for me at the final race of the season in a fortnights time. 

Heading for 2nd place at Weaselhead XC

What was nice at Weaselhead was that some of the other runners and the spectators now know my name and it was nice to have those words of encouragement whilst out on the course which really helped. I'm also really pleased that I've now completed all 9 of the cross country races so far and  I'm sure that I will feel quite sad after the final race in 2 weeks time. The good thing about the last race is that it takes place at Fish Creek Park which is right on our doorstep and is my daily running route, so I'm really looking forward to that and hopefully I'll finish off the season on a high.

For now though, it's back to the grind stone and with a 25km run planned for tomorrow, I'd best get some kip. Good night all :o)

The Right Direction......Nose Hill Cross Country

Over the past few weeks, I've been feeling much more positive about my running - a combination of consistent training involving bouts of speed work and longer runs, as well as having a race plan for the next few months. Add to that the fact that 90% of my friends are runners, I guess that helps to motivate me somewhat!

In the week leading up to the Nose Hill Cross Country, even I was pleased with how training had gone, and I was starting to feel the benefits of a more structured and focused approach. As with the majority of my races though, race day arrived and I awoke feeling sluggish, lethargic and not really in the mood, wondering whether perhaps I had overdone things having been feeling so much more positive and therefore enthusiastic.

I didn't really know much about Nose Hill except that it was "up north" of Calgary again, and I figured that given the name, there would be some hill running  involved. Hills are not my strong point at the moment, so on arrival and seeing the flags marking the course, it was a case of "oh poo!" Ok, "the hill" wasn't exactly a mountain, but it certainly looked like a fair old trek to the top which was clearly where we would be headed given the stream of orange and blue marker flags heading off in to the distance.

Yep, we had to run up there to the ridge - yikes!
(Photo by Dawn Henry - thank you!)

In addition, whilst the past week had actually been quite mild by Calgary standards, there was still snow on the ground, much of it melted and refrozen and therefore making the vast part of the course treacherous even when wearing spikes.

Jogging up the path for 5 or 10 mins prior to the start, I actually didn't feel as bad as I expected and started to feel a little less concerned about a potentially hilly course. Having done all the cross country races so far, I was also getting to know some of the regulars, and chatting with them on the start line helped me to relax a little.

As soon as we started at 12 noon, the faster ladies went shooting off up the hill whilst I was a little more cautious, particularly with not really knowing the course. My Garmin beeped the first km split, and still we were climbing. Feeling pretty relaxed and surprisingly strong, I started to pass a few people including one of the faster ladies - a sheer rarity for me whilst going UP hill!

It was certainly a good 3/4 mile or more to the top, and when we hit the ridge, the strength of the wind just blew us all backwards. I could see that some of the other runners were struggling against it, but for me, it took me back to my junior running days where I'd been told not to resist the wind and just relax in to as this would help to conserve energy. It appeared to work, as once again I started to pass several people. 

Ahead of me was another lady who had finished top 3 in most of the previous races and I realised that I was actually gaining on her along with a couple of chaps. It was still particularly icy in parts so we were all slip sliding away, but I managed to overhaul the 2 chaps and as we headed down into the coulee, I was right behind the lady. She was going extremely well, but I was feeling pretty strong too, so when she let me pass her on an exceptionally narrow and icy section, I seized the opportunity and broke away.

I'll be honest and say that at this point, I thought I was leading the ladies race and figured there was no way I was going to relinquish the lead, so pushed on hard. I hadn't felt like this in a race for a very long time, and it was a great feeling having that competitiveness resurfacing. There was still approximately 3km to go but I had no idea what the remainder of the course had in store, which was probably a good thing as I was led into a false sense of security whilst following a twisty narrow undulating pathway before a steep long hill loomed ahead. 

I never look behind me in race - again, an old coach used to say it was a sign of weakness - so I kept focused on the hill ahead and started my ascent. I had no idea how close the next lady was and just tried to keep the momentum going. I managed probably about 100 metres or so before it became too steep to make any significant progress, and having noticed that everybody ahead had resorted to walking, I started to power walk up the hill which was much quicker. I figured that if I could keep this going to the top without letting anybody pass me, this race was for the taking.

A descent through deep snow in a small coppice followed, and once we hit the wider trail again, I was able to stride out for the final 1km down the hill to the finish - and boy did I push! Crossing the finish line, I'd actually ran my fastest paced cross country so far, and whilst initially I thought I was first lady, it turned out that there was a far superior lady runner ahead of me. I was still really chuffed with 2nd place - especially considering that back in October at the first race of the season, I had finished 12th lady - and I finished with a big smile on my face.

Heading to the finish line as 2nd lady (Photo by Dawn Henry - thank you!)

Nose Hill was probably the toughest of all the cross country races so far but whether that's because of the snow and ice, the strong headwind, the hills, or the fact that I had actually raced this one and ran hard, I really don't know, but I was certainly buzzing for the rest of the day and gained a lot of confidence.

Next on the cards is the Frozen Ass 50km a week on Monday - the same day as my 40th birthday. I certainly don't expect to win it as there are some fantastic lady runners over here that race on road, trail and mountain, but as things stand, I'm relatively optimistic that I'll hit my target time. I'm not going to disclose what my goal is as I don't want the pressure and expectation of others lying on my shoulders, but I'm certainly looking forward to giving it my best shot.

The good news is that I'm now on a mini taper for the race so will be having a nice relaxing week of easy running. I might even treat myself to some beer and wine and a wee bit of chocolate over the next few days - apparently it's classed as carbo loading and therefore acceptable - who am I to argue?