Finding a Benchmark :)

After what seems like forever, the frigid cold temperatures in Alberta finally lifted, and last weekend, I headed up to Edmonton for my run, where I was able to enjoy a 10 mile run in a balmy -18 degrees. It was actually quite nice to have that change of scenery, and I had a lovely run exploring a couple of new to me pathways and trails not too far from the downtown core. It was still quite snowy, but the pathways in the capital had much better footing than I'd been experiencing locally, and I was finally able to pick up the pace a little, although I was still feeling extremely slow.

YEG running :)

 

The slow paces in recent weeks have had me feeling somewhat concerned about my marathon goal in May, and I was starting to wonder whether I was perhaps getting a little ambitious in targeting that sub 3.15. My pace recently has been hovering around 9 minute miles which would give me a disappointing 4 hour marathon if I don't get some speed back in my legs. I am fully aware that a 4 hour marathon is still very respectable, but for me personally, I would not be happy with that kind of result.

Thankfully, coach Paul has started to introduce some faster paced runs into my schedule again, and Tuesday saw me taking on a 10km progression run for the first time in a while.

 I don't mind progression runs and they can sometimes be one of my favourite sessions - start slow, and gradually pickup the pace every kilometre or every 5 minutes or whatever, so that by the end, you are running at or quicker than your 5k race pace. It was still icy out on the pavements on Tuesday and I very nearly went to the local rec centre to do the session indoors, but the weather had gone much warmer - in fact, we were now above freezing - and having been running through the -30s and -40s for the past couple of weeks, I really couldn't see the point in heading indoors as soon as things warmed up.

I decided to run outside, and I tried to choose a route where I knew the pavements would have been cleared of snow and well salted, or at least consist of compact snow which would mean minimal ice and being able to pick things up. I chose well, and I was very happy to have hit my pacing almost spot on target, surprising myself and gaining a little bit of confidence when I saw that the last 3 miles had me running close to and under 7 minute miling pace. It still wasn't mega fast, and it was much harder than to run that kind of pace when compared to this time last year, but it was a start, and at least I knew that I had lots of work to do if I wanted to hit my marathon goal.

 Wednesday and Thursday were both 10 milers, and what a difference a day can make! I joined the local running group on Wednesday for part of my run, whilst the remaining solo miles were completed at a fairly decent 8.10 pace give or take. That felt comfortable and effortless and once again, I was starting to get a little bit of confidence that with almost four months before the marathon, I could get that pace down to the speed I wanted.

Evening run after work :)

 By Thursday though my legs had started to feel fatigued again, and with starting my period, I felt bloated and heavy and lacking in energy. The 10 miles felt more of a slog, it was another slower paced run despite trying to run a little quicker, and that sense of possible failure started to creep in again. I tried to put the thoughts to the back of my mind - after all, on Saturday I would be doing a half marathon at current marathon pace, and that would be the true indicator as to where I'm currently at.

After walking the pups at Terwillegar dog park on the Saturday morning, I made the decision to do the run on the treadmill. It was such a shame really as it was a gorgeous day for running outside, but the pavements were once again icy, some folks still hadn't shovelled the deep snow let alone tried to grit or put salt down, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to maintain a steady, continuous pace that I needed to practice doing.

Fun at Terwillegar dog park :)

 

Thankfully the LRC wasn't too busy, and I manged to get a hold of a treadmill for a couple of hours without any interruptions. That's the other thing at the local rec centre - the treadmills stop after just one hour, so you do lose some of that momentum whilst waiting for it to slow down and then restart again. I set the pace at 7.5 mph to start with - around 8 minute miles - and I felt sure that I could gradually increase the pace once I'd warmed up properly, with the goal of hitting around 1 hour 42 minutes - equivalent of around 3.25 for a full marathon, which is what I think I could do right now based on current fitness.

Things were going well and I was well pleased with how good the pace felt, so I picked things up even more, running at what looked to be around 7.45 - still well short of what I need to run in May, but still a good starting point for now, before the more structured marathon training kicked in. I was also quite surprised that I did not get bored whilst running on the treadmill, and it was only the last three miles where I was desperate to just get the run over and done with. I ended up finishing in just under 1 hour 45 minutes. I was happy enough with that, but also a little disappointed that I was so far off my target - but then I had to remind myself that my body is still used to the 9 minute plod of outdoor running in crazy cold temperatures and tons of layers, and not the 22 degrees of running indoors at a faster pace in a pair of road shoes! Besides, I would be doing a proper timed half marathon in a few weeks time, and I'm hoping that that will give a better indication of things.

 Sunday was once again a 10 mile easy run, and having not been out to Devon to run on the trails for a few weeks, I made the decision to head out there for some hills and another change of scenery. I was so glad that I did as the trails were in great condition - no ice, compact snow for the most part, and I had so much fun being out there where it was so peaceful and barely a soul around. The other thing I'm not used to right now is hills, and the hills out in Devon sure made the legs tired towards the end of the run. But if nothing else, I finished happy and smiling, feeling rejuvenated yet tired, and I knew that it had done me the world of good both physically and mentally being out there.

We were hoping to start filming my next video whilst out in Devon too. We've recently purchased a drone so that we can obtain some better footage for the videos, but we're still getting used to using it, and given that our location is on the flight path for the local airport, we haven't been able to practice as much as we wanted to. I was hoping to do a headtorch review ready for release later this week, but that will now be delayed along with the hot tent video. The good news is that next weekend looks promising weather wise, so we are hoping to go away for an overnight trip somewhere, and get some of the filming complete.

Devon trails fun :)

 For now though, tomorrow is the start of a new week and I'm looking forward to another speed session on Tuesday, and the parkrun next weekend, followed by a good sports massage. My legs are still quite tight and sore and in desperate need of some TLC, and massage therapy is usually a huge help and may improve my paces moving forwards. We also need to find somewhere to film our next video, so no doubt the next few days will be spent planning all that so that we can make the most of things next weekend and get something posted very soon.

 It isn't easy trying to find the time to run the miles I do, whilst owning a house, working full time, and having three little pups to look after each day, and on top of that, making videos and editing them. But we always make time to do the things we enjoy, and that's why we always find a way through. It's challenging, but it's fun :)

 Have a great week folks and I shall catch you all again soon!

Brief Reflections and Looking Forward :)

I'm a little late in posting this - it's January 9th, but I've been so busy with so many other things, and now is the only time I've really had to finally sit down and think about what I actually achieved in 2021, and what my goals are for 2022.

Last year wasn't actually so bad, despite not hitting my A goals in a couple of races. I had a few race victories albeit in virtual events, finishing first lady in the Beat Sinister 100k, the Run for Support Dogs 50k, and more recently, I received an unexpected prize for finishing Runukah with quickest cumulative time in the ladies category, and a further prize for covering the most distance in the Advent Run Streak, where I finished with just under 400km in the 24 days.

The latter event was bitter sweet for me in all honesty. There is no denying that I am a hugely competitive runner, and if I can smell victory, I will go for it. For the Advent Run Streak however, my main opponent was a "friend", who was ahead of me by just 11km on the Monday evening. Part of me wanted to let them win, but another part of me - the competitor in me - wanted to finish the year on a high, and so I found myself chasing down this so called friend. Unfortunately, I don't think they could handle the competition, and by the middle of the week, I had been blocked from following them on Strava, and by new year, I was blocked by them on all other social media platforms. Having considered this person a good friend for the past couple of years, we hadn't actually spoken  properly in person for quite a while,  as they'd moved across the country earlier in the year. The only conclusion I could come to was they didn't appreciate the competition and had therefore felt compelled to remove me as a friend. I'm not about to lay into this person as they aren't here to defend their actions, but their behaviour is extremely disappointing although not unexpected. I have discovered things about them over the past 12 months that have made me question their integrity, but I had continued to give them the benefit of the doubt - more fool me eh?!

But I digress .....

I finished the Advent Streak by running 45km on a very chilly Christmas Eve as I completed the "Beauty and the Beast" Marathon/Ultra. It was close to -30 and I spent a good four and a half hours running around one of the local lakes, but I was happy to finish with a huge smile on my face, and hopefully having done enough to give me that overall victory :) My husband was there supporting me for the most part, making sure there were warm drinks and food as I battled through the cold, dark evening, when everybody else was likely spending it with family and friends.

Christmas Eve "Beauty and the Beast" Ultra 45km

Christmas was a quiet affair for us, with just myself and the hubby and our three pups. We didn't really do anything like in previous years as I was expected back in work between Christmas and New Year, and the time off went very quickly. Although the Advent Streak had now finished, my coach had set me the challenge of running every day right through into the new year, so I ran everyday although the distances reduced dramatically and I didn't run any further than 10k that particular week.

Just before Christmas, we did have a considerable dump of snow, and then temperatures dropped off and the whole of Alberta was under an extreme cold warning. Temperature during the day were getting no higher than -28 degrees celsius but with the windchill, things were dipping down in to the minus fourties. I was still running outside, making sure that I was well layered and protected from the chill and frostbite, but I will admit that it was getting somewhat tedious trudging through deep snow and experiencing such extreme temperatures.

 

Deep freeze in Alberta

Christmas Day fun with the pups

Running with the pups but so so cold!

running is meant to be fun :)

I was of course missing running with the pups immensely, and they weren't even going out for proper walks which I'm sure they were missing. The girls Tillie and April were taking one sniff at the door and scarpering back to bed, but Wilson seemed better able to cope with the chill, and he was quite happy to do a quick 10 minute walk in the mornings, and again later on in the day.

One evening as I was preparing to head out for a run, Wilson was sticking to me like glue, and when I started to put on my running shoes, he started yapping and getting very excited It was still bitter cold outside, but I knew he wasn't going to take no for an answer, so I put his winter jacket and his booties on him, and he joined me for a most enjoyable 7km run. He did absolutely awesome on that run, although he was clearly ready to finish when we got back home, and he spent the rest of the evening snuggled up next to me on the couch, snoring away in a blissful sleep.

 

An evening run with my favourite boy :)

With Christmas whizzing by so quickly, it really didn't feel like I'd even had chance to relax, so we decided to spend new year away, and rented a cabin in nearby Ponoka, about an hour's drive away.

The cabin was really cute and we had the whole place plus an annexed kitchen and sitting room all to ourselves. The weather was still bitter cold, but with a wood stove to keep us warm, the cabin was really cozy, and we were loving it. It was just what I needed, and after celebrating the new year on our own with the pups, and having been away for a couple of nights and had a change of scenery, I was definitely feeling much more rested and much happier about starting the new year.

 

Puppy New Year's Eve party

Just enjoying the cabin life and the great outdoors :)

 

Of course, we were hoping to do some more filming for my youtube channel, but the weather had been so  cold and it really wasn't suitable for doing anything outside for any length of time. We did however make an "End of Year" video where I chatted about my favourite videos, and on Boxing Day, we headed over to Elk Island to film some winter experiments. You can find both videos on my YouTube Channel which can be found by clicking here.

 

 

Moving forwards, I am really hoping to build the channel up further. I now have 51 videos on there, and I hope to do at least two or three a month moving forwards. Sure, I get some internet trolls making some pretty nasty comments occasionally, but I know I am stronger and better than those kind of people, and I have hardened up to those kind of personal comments and am thankfully able to brush them aside and ignore them.

From a running perspective, I do have some goals for this year, although I don't really have many races planned. I do have a marathon in May where I hope to dip under 3 hours 15 minutes, and leading up to that, I will be doing some shorter races on both road and trail, to hopefully get some leg speed back. I then have the Doggy Ultra as part of the Blackfoot event in May, followed by Rundles Revenge in June and another Backyard Ultra in July.

The July BYU will be a biggie for me as I am hoping to run close to 40 hours and hopefully make the cut for the Canadian Team that will take part in the satellite event for Big's Backyard ultra in October. I would love to do this again, but I know the competition will be fierce, so I really will be focused on getting to be the fittest and strongest I can, both physically and mentally, ready for that July 31st race.

Depending on how that race goes, October will hopefully see me doing another BYU, but if not, then I want to do either a multiday event later in the year, or another 100 miler. I'm not going to make any decisions about that just yet, and will be unlikely to do so until August time once I know how my year is panning out.

I am also extremely delighted to have been invited back to the Team HoldtheCarbs for a second year, this time as a member of the elite athlete team, Headed by Canadian Record holder Viktoria Brown, and joined by the like of Stephanie Simpson and Carla Rodriguez Dimitrescu, I know I am in great company and will no doubt be inspired and encouraged to work even harder on my goals, with being surrounded by such quality athletes.

So that's it in a nutshell as I end 2021 and move in to 2022. I don;t know what this coming year holds, and just like everybody else, all I can control is how I approach it. I am a positive person and try to remain upbeat with things in life, and that's the way I intend to continue, with the love and support from my little family along and good friends along the way.

A happy belated new year to you, and happy running to you all :)