St Paddy's Day 10k

Training this past few weeks has been going extremely well which has been a great help in building confidence ready for the London Marathon in just under 6 weeks time. I've been doing plenty of faster paced runs and generally hitting my target time, and now that the longer runs of 30km + have started to kick in, I'm hoping that everything clicks when I toe that start line on Blackheath Common on April 26th.

Although I've been doing the cross country races all through the winter months, trying to find a road race at this time of year in Calgary or the surrounding areas is pretty hard, and when you do find one, you can rarely race "flat out" simply because it's really cold and you're weighted down by tons of layers, or you have to trudge through 3 ft of snow or if there's no snow, you'd be better off in ice skates rather than a pair of runners. It certainly makes things entertaining but it can also be extremely frustrating as you don't really get the opportunity to really test yourself in preparation for a major race like London.

Alot of my speed work in recent weeks has been done on the treadmill simply because it has been too icy outdoors but thankfully last week, it genuninely looked like spring had arrived. Birds started to arrive at the nearby wetlands reserve here in Mahogany, the sun was shining, the trees in our back garden were thinking about budding, and the temperatures were in double digits - very rare for Calgary in March and certainly something we haven't encountered since being here. The warm temperatures had melted all the snow, and although we had some pretty gusty, windy days,conditions have been almost perfect for running outdoors.

With there being no snow or ice, I was feeling really excited about doing the St Patrick's Day 10km race on Sunday, and although I knew my PB of 37.06 was beyond my reach these days, I was feeling optimistic and relatively confident of finally dipping under 40 minutes again for a 10k, particuarly with training having gone so well, Unfortunately come Sunday morning, the weather had turned much cooler again with quite a brisk, strong wind, and whilst I hate to use the weather as an excuse for not achieving a time I wanted, I knew that the conditions would likely hinder me and slow me down somewhat.

The  St Patricks Day 10k is now in its 28th year and it's no surprise it has kept going for so long as the party atmosphere is truly amazing with plenty of leprachauns and just a sea of green as folks head out on the course. It's organised by Calgary Road Runners and both times I have done the race, it has been extremely well supported.There is a draw to win your weight in beer, and post race food  is so tasty and includes irish strew, hot cross buns, fruit, tea, coffee and even beer!

Having done the race last year, I knew that the course wasn't flat, but then neither is it hilly although there are several inclines that can break your stride. 

Shortly after the start this year though, we headed right instead of left, and it was only then that I realised the course had been changed and was now an out and back route down to Glenmore Reservoir. The new course was still by no means a fast course, but it did feel that the first 5km was flat with a good 400m downhill section, although the return leg included an incline between 7-9km that seemed to drag on and on - not steep, but enough for you to notice. Up until that stage, I was pretty much on target with my pace and I was surprised to see some of the more speedier ladies in my sights that I know for certain have finished way ahead of me in previous races. This did give me some condidence and I tried to stay with them to help drag me along. Unfortunately my pace did slow on the "hill" and whilst the wind hadn't really had that much impact on my running up to that stage, it seemed to make itself known at this point and I lost almost a minute between kilometers 7 and 9 which I knew would mean that the sub 40 was now not possible.

I kept pushing hard though and with 1km to go and the finish line now within sight, I picked up the pace as best I could to see if I could dip under 41 minutes instead. Maybe the pace was a little too much as the lactic acid built up in the legs over the last few hundred metres and I started to tighten up a little, eventually crossing the line in 41.19 - 6th lady and 1st in my age category. There would have been a time when I would have been gutted not to have hit my goal, but I knew that I had done everything I could and was actually pretty happy with things.

finishing St Patrick's Day 10km

Although I had done a race, I still had a 36km run scheduled in for the day, so having grabbed some of the delicious Irish Stew and a drink, I headed back outside ready for the 26km run back towards home. I ran on my own at a nice easy pace, heading back towards Glenmore Reservoir before hitting the pathway that would take me through South Glenmore Park and Weaselhead Flats. From there I took the pathway towards Fish Creek Park, eventually finishing at the Ranche in Fish Creek, some 2 hours and 27km later. I'd had the most wonderful run back - yes it was cold and windy, but it was so peaceful with very few people around. I hit a few trails on the way back to mix things up and to make things interesting, and saw a couple of deer on the pathway and heard the woodpeckers up in the trees above.

Heading Home through Fish Creek and a wee bit of trail running

It had been a fantastic day of running and although I was flagging towards the end due to being so hungry and desperately needing a drink, with another 5 weeks of good quality training, I'm still feeling confident about London. 

In the absence of a nearby A&W, I decided to celebrate with a Big Mac and a chocolate milkshake and you know what? When you're as hungry as I was, it's surprising how tasty some things can actually be :-)

Happy Days :-)

It has once again been pretty amazing this past couple of weeks, and I have never been happier.

For starters, Andy and I finally became husband and wife after 18 years of being together. I've already written a short post about the day, and we had the most wonderful, magical but quiet wedding on the shores of Lake Minnewanka in Banff with just Wilson and Brandy and some very special, close friends there to celebrate with us. It was just the way we wanted it - private, intimate and away from the public glare, with the peace and solitude of the Rocky Mountains around us. Having spent that night in Banff, the following morning we were greeted by bright sunshine and gorgeous blue skies so we decided on a trip up Sulphur Mountain for one final time before we leave Canada for Arizona.

After the ceremony - Mr and Mrs Smith :-)

The Salt-Smith Family 

Talking of our move to Phoenix, things are finally starting to gain momentum and whilst things are a couple of weeks behind schedule due to technical problems (and some incompentency on the part of the recruitment agency!), we anticipate meeting with the US Consulate within the next week or two where we will hopefully be granted a visa that will enable us to put the wheels in motion for packing up and putting our house on the market.

Knowing that our move is finally progressing, yesterday was quite an emotional day as I competed in the last cross country race of the season, and quite possibly the last one I will ever compete in here in Calgary. For the past 3 years, I have loved doing the Road Runners cross country series every winter and I always feel sad as the season comes to a close each March, but this year, the feeling was even more intense. It's a little strange really as although I don't know everybody by name, there are so many familiar faces that I have come to recognise in the past couple of years, and these wonderful people have certainly become my new running family since living here, even if they don't realise it.

The final race was at Fish Creek - my favourite park in all of Calgary - and I went in to the race under no pressure whatsoever, knowing that I had already won my age group for the series. I still wanted a good run though, and I had every intention of running hard.

The weather was absolutely beautiful - time for shorts and a t-shirt again - but it also meant a change to the usual course which was apparently far too icy and treacherous to race on.

This year, the race was only 7km although we were told prior to the start that it could turn out to be 9-10km depending on whether the ice bridge had melted since flagging the course the previous evening. We were also informed that we would encounter a mix of hills, mud, slushy snow, ice, long grass and bracken which scratched at the arms and legs as we charged through. A couple of people unfortunately took some nasty tumbles and indeed, whilst I was lucky not to fall or trip, I did end up with some bloody scratches and grazes on my arms and legs. At one point we lost the trail as somebody had removed the flags and we ended up with around 100 runners huddled on a trail trying to decide which way we needed to go, until the one of the organisers caught up and led the way for us. We had no idea what postion we had been in, and so the race started again once we were back on track. Despite the mishap, there was no animosity, no bitterness or anger - just a cheery bunch of runners that reorganised themselves and got going again, jostling for position as the race continued.

Start of Fish Creek Cross Country Race

I had a pretty good run again and finished quite strongly, taking out a few of the chaps in the final couple of km and finishing 3rd lady to seal victory overall in the LV 40-49 age group. I was also extremely happy to have now completed all 10 races this season which meant I had earned the Iron Person Award and I can't wait to see what unique award we Iron Persons will receive at the awards evening and banquet in a couple of weeks.

Post Race with support crew!

Saturday was lots of fun and that fun rolled over in to Sunday, making it another excellent weekend. The weather forecast for Sunday was double digit temperatures and cloudless blue skies so along with our most excellent friends Glady and Michelle, we made arrangements to tackle Moose Mountain Road with the aim of heading to the trail head for Moose Packers if conditions underfoot allowed.

The Moose Mountain road is closed in the winter months due to adverse wintery driving conditions but this winter we have seen far less snow than normal, and it was almost perfect for running. We parked at the lower parking lot and made our way up the 8km ish 2000 ft climb to the upper parking area, encountering some amazing views as we ascended. We couldn't have asked for a better day, and as the sun got higher, so did the temperatures and it was truly starting to feel like a spring day. We never saw a soul on the way up and it really felt like the mountains were our own apart from a few birds chirping in the trees. It was so still, so quiet, so peaceful.

Fabulous day on Moose

Being sheltered by the giant fir trees, Moose Packers was still largely covered in snow which made some sections a little harder going and whilst I would love to have gone to the summit of Moose Mountain, sadly we didn't have enough time due to other commitments. We still had a fantastic morning, and having managed yet another 34km run with just 7 weeks to go until the London Marathon, the confidence continues to grow along with the nervous excitement of racing in the capital again. 

Glady and Michelle heading for Moose Packers

Next weekend I am racing the St Patrick's Day 10k and it will be my first real road race of the year to test how training is going. The weather looks favourable at present, unlike last year when we had ice on the course. But then this is Calgary, and whilst the week ahead looks like spring has finally arrived, things can and do change very quickhly, so I guess I'll just wake up next Sunday morning and see what good old mother nature has to throw at us.

I Do!

Everybody has them - you know, those perfect days where you're so happy and nothing else really matters - last Friday was one of those days, and I feel blessed to have been able to share it with the people I love and care about more than anything.

At the beginning of February, I received the most unexpected text: "I suppose we'd better get married then!" Yes, despite the jokes over the past 18 years of being together, Andy had finally popped the question in the most unromantic style possible, and yet I love him even more for the way he did it! Just 3 weeks later, we eloped to the mountains and were exchanging our wedding vows on the shores of Lake Minnewanka in the Canadian Rockies.

The day really couldn't have been any better - it was a chilly -8 with light snow falling, and the surrounding mountains were shrouded in low cloud and mist, adding an eerie yet mystical beauty to the location. Everything was silent and still as the snow fell softly to the ground, and there was a sense of peace and tranquility as we stood beside the lake, a sense of solitude and being at one with nature which in turn brought a more intense and spiritual meaning to the occasion as we stood facing each other, hand in hand, beneath the mountains towering over the lake. 

We didn't need to be surrounded by all of our friends and family - having each other and having Wilson and Brandy there with us, along with our very special friends Michelle and Glady, sister Nennette and their children Allen and Abby was all that we needed. It made things more intimate, more private, more personal, more special. We were in a public place that has thousands of visitors throughout the year, and yet the few passersby on the day respected our privacy, keeping their distance and observing things from several hundred yards away, whilst we were oblivious to their presence and were entranced by our surroundings, conscious only of our dear friends standing alongside us and witnessing our marriage.

It was a beautiful ceremony - short and basic yet full of meaning, and I know that I will remember the day forever.

I could say more, but to do so would make things too public. I want to cherish the memories of the day and keep them private for the select few to talk about and reflect on in years to come. All that needs to be said is that I love Andrew Smith with all my heart and I'm honoured to be his wife, Wilson and Brandy were absolute diamonds on the day, and real, true, genuine friends like the Malvars and their family are very difficult to find and both Andy and I feel extremely blessed to have them in our lives .

Friday 27th February 2015 was a truly magical and meaningful day and one that I will cherish forever.

Celebrating at Earls - our wedding party :-)

Mr & Mrs Smith :-)

Master Wilson - Page Boy ;-)

Brandy Brampster - maid of honour :-)