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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Proud moment with Glady and Michelle :-) |
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 3rd 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.
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| 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.
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 13th in the open mixed category out of around 40 teams – certainly something to build on ready for next year!
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.
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| 2nd stream crossing at the xc relays |
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| Mahogany Whippets - and what a fantastic team :-) |
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.
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| Special Moments with my furry babies :-) |
Thank you so much for coming to my home town with me. I loved having you around. My parents just think the world of you too...like the rest of us, I guess. Wishing you all the best in the new job!
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