Dogs and Racing

Last Monday I started my new job as a Walkabout Trainer with Clever Canines in Calgary, and so far I am absolutely loving the work despite the long hours that I am faced with whilst going through the learning process. Dog behaviour is so fascinating and in the short time I have been with the company, I have already learnt so much and have a far better understanding of dog signals and how they play and interact with each other - I am also far more observant of the less friendly signals that dogs send out just before they are about to kick off, which is critical to know about when you have the responsibility of walking and training up to 10 of them at a time.

Although the job involves a considerable amount of driving to collect the dogs from their homes each day, it is also physically demanding with two walks daily with up to 10 dogs of different sizes on each walk.  So far, I've managed 7 in one go - the smaller ones are barely noticeable, but 2 Alsations, a couple of Labradoodles, Spaniels and an Airedale have a fair amount of strength between them, and  it takes a lot of my own strength and effort when working with them during the on-leash portions of the walk.

Walkabout at Elbow Valley Dog Park - Yes, they really can be this well behaved :-)

As part of MY training, I also have to attend specific dog training sessions, and so Andy and I - along with Wilson and Brandy - have been attending the Jumpstart Training Program twice weekly where we have learnt training techniques for calming canine arousal and helping them to become the (almost) perfect dogs.  For Wilson and Brandy, it is already making a huge difference, and we are amazed with how much they have already improved after just one week - they are far better walking on the leash, are much calmer walking past other dogs, and are far more tolerant and better behaved when people approach us for a chat. Indeed, my most proudest moment came today when walking them at Edworthy Park just before the start of the cross country race - there's nothing like several people saying what lovely dogs you have and how well behaved they are when in a public place with tons of people and off-leash dogs running around!

Talking of the cross country, I had a great time racing again today. I say racing, but in all honesty it was far too icy to race properly and I think most of the more serious runners were probably thinking the same thing today. In true Calgary tradition, a Chinook had caused some of the recent snow to melt and refreeze, so the trails used for the Edworthy Park Cross Country race were pretty lethal for running on. Even with 12mm spikes, I could feel my feet sliding and I certainly wasn't prepared to risk falling and jeopardizing my  winter training leading up to the London Marathon next year.

There was a pretty good turnout and as ever, it was great to see so many familiar faces on the start line. I deliberately positioned myself towards the back as I knew that going any further forward would bring out the racing instinct in me, especially if I was close to too many of the ladies, and whilst I still wanted a decent run, I wasn't going to race it.

The route followed the usual narrow trails along the ridge that ran parallel to the off-leash dog park, before dropping down into the valley below and then climbing back up ready for a second loop. 

I started really comfortably and it was strange not being completely out of breath with lead weights for legs after the first couple of km. I really did take it easy on the icy sections, but when we reached the steep downhills, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting and so tried to push the pace and stride out a bit. I passed a few people, including a couple of ladies and was really pleased to find that I was feeling quite quick and strong. I even managed to run some of the steep, long uphills, and whilst not exactly quick on the ups, it was a far better effort than in recent races which helped me to run each of the 2 laps at a good consistent pace which I was really pleased about. 

Edworthy Park XC - Very icy conditions
(Thanks CRR for the photo)

In the closing stages, I heard a commotion in the off-leash dog area, and when glancing up, I spotted a dog harassing Wilson and Brandy whilst Andy was attempting to do some on-leash training with them. It was strange how my instincts kicked in almost immediately and I stopped dead in my tracks to yell a command to get them to stop. It kind of worked from a distance, but in the process, I got overtaken by another lady in the race which was a little frustrating but I wasn't really too concerned.

I had no idea where I had finished, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out later that I had actually won my age group. My goal with the cross country this year is to once again win my age group and I know for sure that if I can do that, I'll be very happy at the end of the season. We still have 6 races to go though and anything can happen, so I'm already getting psyched up for our next race on December 13th at Silver Springs. I'm hoping that by then, I will have settled more in to my new job and got used to the new routine - I'm also hoping that the resistance training I am getting from walking 20 dogs a day will bring benefits to my running, in which case look out Kim, I'm coming after you - hahahaha :-D

Downs and Ups :-)

Last weekend there was another cross country race, this time down in Okotoks, and whilst I had every intention of running hard, things didn't quite go to plan on the day. Sure, I was happy enough with 4th lady and being 1st in my age group category, but I personally didn't feel that the performance was a true reflection of how my training has been going in recent weeks and as a result, I felt like I'd let myself down.

Considering I had a race that day, I'd woken up feeling far too relaxed and even managed to eat breakfast without the normal pre-race jittery tummy. I was looking forward to racing, but I couldn't muster the usual excitement that I would normally feel. My usual pre-race routine wasn't there and I even had a large coffee and a donut an hour before the race which I wouldn't normally do - in all honesty, I don't think my heart and mind were really in the mood for racing.

I was rather hoping that the course would be the same as the previous year so that I could compare my times, but whilst last year it had snowed, on Saturday we faced a very dry course and warm temperatures of around 14 degrees. The course was also going to be different and although we still ran 2 loops up and down the escarpment and followed pretty much the same trails as last time, I guess I felt a little unprepared at not really knowing what to expect.

I started well enough with a split of bang on 4 minutes for the first km, but when we got onto the real cross country, I slowed a little and was able to settle more easily in to my pace and tackle the terrain.

I guess it was here that I lost my concentration. I was lying in 2nd place, but was extremely conscious of a lady behind me. I was really wishing she would go past - I couldn't speed up and she was literally right on my tail. Next thing I know, she takes a tumble and catches me as she went down, and although I managed to stay upright, it threw me off a little and I couldn't get back into my rhythm. We asked each other if we were ok - I was concerned that she'd been spiked as she fell, but it turned out that neither of us were any worse for wear. It was then that she revealed that she'd been told to stick with me today and try to keep up, and that's why she was right behind me. It wasn't the right thing to say in my frame of mind and I wanted to give up there and then. I acknowledge that everybody tackles things differently, but I have never understood why people "tag onto" other runners in a race. I've always been taught to run my own race, trust in my training, do my own thing and I actually think I have better runs as a result,

Needless to say, I encouraged her to go past as we started a short steep climb.I was having a poor run and actually believed that had she concentrated more on running her own race instead of sticking with me and letting me do the work, she may well have caught Kim and won the ladies race, I couldn't understand why she would want to follow me - I've never won the cross country and it certainly isn't one of my strengths, and I was even more baffled when I later found out that she had finished ahead of me at previous races in previous years! Thankfully she did go past and she opened a considerable gap over me - evidence that clearly she was a much stronger runner on the day.

From there onwards, I really was bored and wasn't really enjoying the run. The route was actually ok with lots of ups and downs, but I just couldn't get into the race, couldn't motivate myself. I was also feeling extremely hot and weary, absolutely dripping with sweat, couldn't muster any energy on the ups or downs, and just wanted the race to end. My lungs were burning and I couldn't breath properly, my legs were like 2 lead weights, and when another lady went past me, again I had nothing to fight back with.

Smiling and kind of having fun, but not really! Okotoks XC

I eventually finished 4th lady in a little over 40 minutes for 8km - not bad all things considered, but I was more relieved that it was over and done with rather than happy with the performance.

For the remainder of the day, I really couldn't put my finger on why I'd felt so grumpy and struggled during the race, but come Sunday, I felt more like my old self again. We'd had some heavy snow overnight, temperatures had plummeted to -20, the wind was howling outside, and yet I had a superb 15km run outdoors with deep snow underfoot. It was a relief to be feeling more like my old self, and although they say you're only as good as your last race, I'm looking for something more positive at the next cross country race at Edworthy Park on November 22nd.

The other thing that has given me some determination to train hard over the coming months is that yesterday, I finally had confirmation that I have a Championship entry to the London Marathon next April. I'm so excited to be going back to London again as it's one of my all time favourite marathons, I know the course extremely well, and every year I've done it, I've absolutely loved the event and had great runs. It's also the place where I set my 2 hours 47 minute PB back in 2006, so I'm hoping that I'll dip under 3 hours again assuming my training over the coming months goes to plan. I've done the London Marathon several times now, running for the Blue Cross animal charity, the RSPCA and the Dogs Trust. I've also ran "unattached" in the earlier years, and as a member of both Trentham RC and Newcastle AC in more recent years, and have very fond memories of winning the national Marathon Team Championship with Newcastle the same year that I ran my PB - what a super ladies team we had! 2015 will see me running the colours of Midland Masters AC and I'm really hoping to do the club proud on the day, but more importantly I'm hoping I get to see many of my old friends that live across the whole of the UK and not just Stoke - it's going to be a fantastic day and I'm already looking forward to it.

HAPPY MEMORIES OF THE LONDON MARATHON :-)

Championship Start with good friend and fellow GB Ultra distance athlete
EMMA GOODERHAM :-D

On my way to a 2.47.41 PB running for Newcastle in 2006 :-D

Good friends from Trentham Running Club at the finish on The Mall / Horse Guards Parade
Ryan, Jill, Del and Chris :-D

Busy October

Yesterday I had yet another fabulous run. It was chilly,  snowy, wet and muddy, but  it was  a wonderful  90 minutes  or so spent on the trails around Banff  with my best  running partner . I was initially  hoping to try somewhere new but with bad weather moving in along with low cloud, I wasn’t prepared to risk the safety of Wilson let alone myself, by wandering around on unfamiliar mountain trails at high altitude, especially considering how quickly the weather was deteriorating.

We ended up starting on Tunnel Mountain – only a baby in Rocky Mountain terms with a height of around 5,500 ft and a relatively easy climb on a well marked trail. We then joined the trails and pathways alongside the river which led us to the Cave and Basin where we joined the Marshlands loop before heading back towards town and finishing at Bow Falls. Both Wilson and I enjoyed the entire run and it gave some me some quality time with my best buddy as well as allowing time to think about and reflect on how the past few weeks have gone.

Me and my favourite boy on Tunnel Mountain

 I seem to say this a lot lately, but once again, October has been an extremely busy month which is why it’s taken until now to actually find a spare couple of hours to get things down on paper.

A couple of weeks ago it was Thanksgiving weekend, and with having an extra day off work, Andy and I decided to volunteer at the Grizzly 50km trail race in Canmore. Several of our friends were racing it this year so we wanted to be there to offer some support and encouragement, particularly Glady and Michelle who were both competing in their first ever ultra.

6am at Canmore Nordic Centre and Race Registration

We stayed overnight just outside town as we were on race package pickup at 6am the following  morning at the Nordic Centre, the plan being to cover registration until around 9 and then head back to our room for a couple of hours kip before our next volunteer shift that commenced at noon.  That didn’t happen, and instead we found ourselves helping out for pretty much 12 solid hours on what turned out to be a marvelous day supporting and cheering on the runners. 

Managing the Aid Station at Grizzly 50km

For me personally, the best part was seeing both Glady and Michelle finish their race after several hours of running – I was so proud and happy for them, and it got pretty emotional when they crossed the line and I presented them with their medals and finisher’s beer stein along with a big hug.

Proud moment with Glady and Michelle :-)

I love the Grizzly 50km and would like to have done it again myself this year but I already had plans for October, and the following weekend, I flew out to Toronto with another 2 very good friends where we would all be taking part in the marathon.

My last road race was back at the beginning of June, and whilst I had done plenty of long runs during the summer months, I hadn’t done any significant speed work and the only races I’d been doing were trail races. I had no idea how I would fair in Toronto and whilst initially aiming for a sub 3 when entering earlier in the year, I knew this was not a possibility given my distraction with the trails in recent months. I decided that a sub 3.15 would be enough to make me happy, but as race day drew closer, I finally decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for 3 hours to see where it got me.

We arrived on the Saturday afternoon which meant we still benefited a little from living at the higher altitude in Calgary compared to racing at sea level in Toronto. I’d not raced at sea level since moving to Calgary, so I was intrigued to see whether it really did make a difference and if I would find things easier. As it happened, I WAS comfortably running around 4.15 km pace which put me well on course for close to 3 hours – indeed, by my own watch, I went through half way in a little over 90 minutes although the official split put me at 1.32, but the cool temperatures and the brisk wind took the wind out of my sails after half way, and I found myself slowing whilst trying to do battle with a wind that seemed to appear no matter which direction we ran. The course was also much more undulating in the second half compared to previous years – or so I was informed – and whilst it was nothing compared to the hills around Calgary, there were some inclines in the latter stages of the race that were certainly cruel on the legs.

The event was fantastic with tons of support, and with our names on our bibs, everybody was getting plenty of individual encouragement from the crowds lining the streets. I finally crossed the finish line in downtown Toronto in 3.06.04 and I was really pleased with my run, especially when I found out that I had finished 3^rd lady in the Masters Category and had somehow come away with a $200 prize – in a race as big as Toronto, that’s something that I certainly wasn’t expecting! I was also buzzing from the fact that my friend Dawn had smashed her marathon PR and had won her age category, whilst both Don and Dawn’s mum had both had strong runs.

Very happy with a 3.06 finish in Toronto

The next couple of days were spent with Don, Dawn and Dawn’s family in a beautiful country home, surrounded by tree covered rolling hills that looked spectacular with the colours of fall, and I would love to have been able to go out on the nearby trails to explore. Sadly the weather was wet and dreary, so instead we enjoyed the magnificent hospitality of the Ladds family, something for which I am most grateful and hopefully will one day be able to repay.

We were only in Toronto for a few days, certainly not enough time to explore and do the touristy things, but I’m pretty certain that one day, I will return with Andy in tow, and we can get to really appreciate what Ontario has to offer visitors.

With a 3.06 marathon behind me, I was wondering how long it would take to recover and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the marathon hadn’t really taken that much out of me and that I was running normally by the time I got home on Tuesday afternoon.  It was so tempting to go out and just run, run, run, but this week was meant to be a recovery week and I was adamant that I would stick to what was planned.

The following Sunday, it was the Calgary Road Runners annual cross country relay at Confederation Park, and we had entered a team of 3 that included myself, Glady and Michelle called Mahogany Whippets. Our lucky mascot was Wilson, and it was great to do a team event again after such a long time.

2nd stream crossing at the xc relays

The actual course was quite hilly and included 2 stream crossings where the water was about knee deep, but unlike previous years when I’ve done the event, there was no snow and it was pretty dry. Being on leg 1, I started the charge and completed the 3.5km course in around 14 minutes. I had no idea where that placed us as a team, but with solid runs from both Glady and Michelle on the remaining 2 legs, we were really pleased to discover that we had finished 13^th in the open mixed category out of around 40 teams – certainly something to build on ready for next year!

Mahogany Whippets - and what a fantastic team :-)

Talking of next year, I have some big racing goals that I am determined to work hard for. I’ve recently rejoined a UK athletics club and will hopefully gain a Championship entry to the London Marathon in April, and then come August, I’m hoping to have a good race at theTransRockies 6 day stage race. There will of course be other races in between and I’m currently looking at Blackfoot Ultra, River Valley Revenge, Rundles Revenge and a return to the Kananaskis Triple.

There are also going to be some changes in my day to day life too. Last week, following a 4 hour interview that had followed an extremely rigorous recruitment process, I was absolutely delighted to be offered a job as a Walkabout Trainer with Clever Canines in Calgary. Those that know me well will know that I have another passion in life besides my running, and the fact that I am due to start my absolute dream job working with dogs in a little under 2 weeks is very exciting. It will mean working outdoors with around 20 dogs per day, training them and taking them for off-leash walks at some of the wonderful dog parks here in Calgary. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to enjoy the work even with the harsh winters we have here in Canada,  and I can’t wait to start my training so that I have the confidence and competence to get out there and do the great job that I’m sure I can do. My only guilt about taking the role is that I will be having fun with other people’s dogs during the week whilst Wilson and Brandy are at home, but I know that I love my dogs more than anything else in the world, and the time we DO spend together will be even more precious from here onwards.

Special Moments with my furry babies :-)