On route to the Marathon .....

Now is the time of year where runners have usually completed weeks of training through long dark nights and wintry weather, and they are buzzing with anticipation at running a spring marathon. And yet, following events in Boston earlier this week, a dark cloud lingers over things, and what happened on Monday will be in people's memories for a very long time.

Plenty has been said in the aftermath of the atrocities that hit the Boston Marathon, but if there is one good thing that can be taken from it all, it is that the running community across the world is strong, with runners standing united against this act of violence and refusing to let it impact on the enjoyment and freedom given through their chosen sport.

The London Marathon takes place this Sunday, and for the past 15 years or so, I've been looking forward to running there every April. I have some very fond memories of the event, nothing more so than when running my 2.47 PB back in 2006, when I was a member of Newcastle (Staffs) AC and we came away with team gold in the national marathon championships. It was an awesome day and I will never forget it - a day of happiness and celebration.

London Marathon Expo 2006 - Del with Steve Cram

London Marathon 2006, 16th lady, 10th Brit - 2.47.41 PB

The person that inspired me to run - even when
things get tough! (The photo was a bit blurred :o( )

This year, there may be some people who are concerned about the event, but I'm hoping that everybody - spectators and runners alike - will put their fears behind them and show resilience to terrorism.

Meanwhile, for me, my "spring" marathon takes place in May, when for the second consecutive year, I will toe the line as an elite athlete in the Calgary Marathon. I will run that race on May 25th and I will think of those that were affected by things in Boston.

In preparation for my marathon, I've been trying to do a few shorter races to get back some leg speed. The Run for L'Arche Half Marathon seems like weeks ago now and yet it's only been 3 weeks since I did the race. There have been a couple of changes since then though, what with moving house and having a new addition to the family, but things are finally settling down and my running is starting to get back to some sort of normality.

The new house is fantastic although due to the wintry weather and permafrost, the rendering, stucco and driveway still need to be completed, along with the grading for the garden. We are living on a building site with new houses being built around us, so with all the mud and puddles, every run starts off with memories of cross country races gone by!

Moving house has meant having to find new running routes, and I've really enjoyed studying the maps of the Calgary Pathway system to find places to go. There's nothing more exciting than literally not knowing what's around the next corner until you run it, and thankfully, I'm still able to run through Fish Creek Park despite it being about 5km further to get to.

The other major change of course is Brandy joining the family. She's a 5 month old labrador x collie and already stands 2 inches taller than Wilson. She's got huge paws and pretty sure there is still plenty of growing to be done! Wilson and Brandy have bonded so well though and it's great to watch them playing and wrestling together. I have been conscious not to make Wilson feel pushed out so have managed a couple of runs with him alone as Brandy is too young at the moment. Hopefully though, she will be joining us before too long, and we'll have some great runs together as a pack during the summer months.

For now though, my focus is on the marathon which I only decided to do after my sub 90 minute half a couple of weeks ago. It's in 5 weeks time and I already have a good base of training behind me, so I'm hoping I can improve on my time from last year, especially with doing the shorter races.

Last Saturday, I did Race 2 of the Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) Series. The MEC 10k was the first race I did on arrival here last year - then it was a cold but sunny day and took place at Edworthy Park and I won the race in 41.55 on a flat course following the Bow River pathway. This year, the venue changed to Sue Higgins Park and again followed the river path, but this time it was a much hillier route.

I'd woken up feeling a little less enthused about the event and although I'd not told anybody I was racing, I still felt under pressure from myself to run well. Thankfully, once I got there, the atmosphere was enough to get my adrenalin pumping and come the start of the race, I was feeling a little more energized. It was great to see friends Joanna ford and Jen Silverthorn there too although they are both fantastic runners and I figured I'd have my work cut out today!

Pre-Race MEC 10k - Calgary

The great thing about the MEC races is that they are only $15 to enter - extremely cheap when compared to some of the others in the area. There is chip timing and munchies at the finish, and the prizes for the top 3 are pretty good considering the entry fee, but other than that, they are a no frills type of race that are pretty low key.

Saying that though, Saturday morning saw over 200 runners hit the pathways in below zero temperatures. Although I didn't know the route, I had done the first couple of km in the past when doing a speed session there with my friend Alan Lam last year. It was pretty flat to start with, but at about 3-4km, there was a climb that took us to a higher point above the river. Another 1km along there, and we dropped back down to the valley bottom and being an out and back course, it mean that the steep descent would shortly become a steep ascent and my lack of hill running in recent weeks became apparent!

I'd got no plans for the race other than run hard. My first km split was 3.56 and I also sneaked in a 3.53 km split (probably on the downhill!!) but in general, I was knocking out around 4.08km pace on the flatter sections which I was really surprised with.

I was leading the ladies race from the very start, although I sensed that Joanna wouldn't be far behind and at the turnaround point, she was indeed only about 400m adrift, along with another lady. Both were looking strong and with the steep ascent looming, I knew I couldn't afford to ease off too much as I was convinced they would come flying past me. To be fair, I wasn't really interested in winning the race - I just wanted a decent time - but with just 3km to go, I didn't want to relinquish my lead and so pushed hard to the finish.

I crossed the line 1st lady in 41.54 - over a minute faster than my 10k a few weeks ago - and 7th overall. A $50 gift voucher for MEC certainly wasn't to be sniffed at and will help towards purchasing some new trail shoes for the ultras I have planned in the summer months.

First 3 ladies MEC 10km, Calgary

 All in all, another fantastic event and with several MEC races throughout the year, I fully intend to do as many as possible within the series as I can. The next one is on 4th May and I've already entered the 10k to use as a good speed session and race sharpener ready for the marathon in May.

Back home by 11am thanks to a 9am race start meant there was still a full day to do other things. With a Bear Awareness Day taking place up in Canmore, it was the perfect excuse to head off to the mountains for a couple of hours to give the dogs a bit of walk as well as find out about the wildlife here in Alberta and to grab some freebies. Later in the evening, a work's social had been organised which resulted in being at the Saddledome in downtown Calgary watching the Roughnecks playing Lacrosse - now there's a sport i wouldn'd mind trying!

What with bears, mountains, hockey games and lacrosse, I think I'm getting quite used to this Canadian way of life :o)