January Battle and parkrun

Every year in January, a battle takes place between running clubs around the globe, where the goal for each individual is to run 400km for the month of January. The top 5 men and top 5 women count towards the overall score, and should there be a tie, then it moves down to the 6th man and women, and so on until there is an overall winner. It's a team effort and purely just for fun, and it's a great way of getting people active in the new year and setting goals early on.

This is the third year that I have registered for the January Battle, flying the flag for Wild Rose Runners who meet weekly up in Edmonton, and they usually do pretty well as a team and always make the top 10.

Final run to hit 400km :)

For me personally, hitting 400km in a month isn't too much of a strain, especially if I include my lunch time wanderings and dog walks/jogs in addition to my scheduled daily runs. Indeed, today I hit the 402km which is 11 days ahead of the end date of the battle, and I have to say that I am feeling pretty good despite all those miles already being in my legs. I suppose one could ask why bother if I know I can do it, and the answer is simply because the mental aspect of the challenge drive me nuts!

I'm one of those runners that doesn't log those 2 or 3 mile runs every day - these are just part of my daily routine, and whilst they do contribute towards my fitness and overall general health in some way, they aren't a part of my structured training plan when preparing for races. Add to that that I really don't want people giving me kudos on Strava for a 3km dog jog, I don't tend to bother measuring time or distance. Yet for the January Battle, everything over 2km counts ..... needless to say, I find myself using my watch far more often, checking my mileage far more often, and whilst not obsessing over things, having to remember to record every single little run is both boring and frustrating to me. 

Does it really matter? No, not really, but it's good to put things into perspective and realise that the challenge isn't always necessarily physical :)

Another 3km run with my boy
to finish off the January Battle :)

Talking about all the dog jogs, these have become far more frequent this past few weeks, ever since Wilson went for his annual checkup just before Christmas. We already knew that he was turning in to a little chubby chubster and we were trying to control his food intake, but as an older dog, he isn't exercising as much, and he is definitely much slower and he inevitably started to put on the pounds.

Wilson has always been an active boy and he absolutely loves his runs, even when it's bitter cold outside. But when the girls come with us for a run or a walk, we tend to cut things short as they have far less tolerance for the extreme conditions, which of course means less exercise for Wilson. 

The visit to the vets confirmed what we had already guessed - he had put on another 2 lbs since his last visit - so action was needed to get him looking more like a Whippet again! I started running 2 miles or around 3km with him daily back in December, and he has been loving it! He had a minor blip when he tore his dewclaw for the umpteenth time and he was on forced rest for a few days, but when he could run, he was out there with me, clocking up those miles.

Wilson has certainly slowed down from his younger days - he can no longer run a 6 or 7 minute mile with me, and tends to average out closer to 9s these days, but given that he's now 12 years old, that is still impressive! He runs along with his tail held high, glancing at me every so often and smiling from ear to ear, and whilst he isn't exactly sprinting like he used to, he is still trying so hard to trot along at his own pace. I get emotional just thinking about how hard he tries to be the pup he used to be, but it really doesn't matter how slow he is when he runs with me - we just relish that time together, having fun and enjoying our running. Sometimes April will join us and she too is turning out to be an awesome running buddy, and the other day, even Tillie joined us for a little 4km dog jog. Watching all three pups run alongside eachother, shoulder to shoulder and looking so happy made me so proud of them all, and it was so clear to see how they look out for and support each other as a little pack/

The best dog team ever! All three pups on a 4km run :)

Of course, none of them join me on my longer runs, so I tend to do these solo, and I've had some pretty good sessions this past few weeks since recovering from Covid. A couple of weeks ago, it was really foggy and I had to do a speed session consisting of 8 x 400m repeats. I couldn't see a thing in the fog, and it was still quite slippery and icy underfoot due to being so cold, yet I somehow managed to hit my goal pace of around 6.40 miling. Last week, I did my first progression run in a while, and once again I managed a few sub 7s towards the end.

Extreme cold warnings and fog results in beautiful
hoar frost on the trees :)

Just another gorgeous but rather chilly winter's eve run!

Yesterday was another long run day with 30km on my schedule, which included the option of doing the River Valley parkrun. I hadn't done parkrun since just before Christmas when I ran with Wilson on Christmas Eve, so I was curious to see how I would get on if I ran comfortably hard. Much of course would come down the weather and conditions underfoot - we tend to have sub zero temperatures and an icy or snow covered route to contend with - but yesterday, the weather was around freezing and the pavements weren't too bad at all. I ran the 5km course as planned, not looking at my watch until the very end, and was pleasantly surprised to see 22.17 as my finishing time - just 30 seconds off my course PB that I set during the summer months last year. Given the mileage this month, given the lack of speedwork, I was very happy with that, and it certainly gives me some confidence moving forwards as I start to build things up in preparation for my forthcoming races in the next few months.

River Valley parkrun
PC: River Valley parkrun volunteer :)

So with just over a week of January remaining, I'm certainly happy with how things are going running wise. I was really hoping to get some camping trips in and get some videos posted to my YouTube channel, but we had a stretch of extreme cold a few weeks ago, and there is another one on its way for next weekend. We do have woodstoves and we do have a hot tent, but the tent isn't quite big enough for us and the three dogs, so we are on the lookout for something bigger that will provide us with space and comfort for the winter camping we love to do. I'm sure there will be something posted soon, so if you follow my YouTube channel, please stay tuned!

For now though, I'm looking forward to more runs and more fun with the pups over the coming week, making the most of the mild conditions whilst we can. Hopefully you can get outside and have some fun too, and I'll catch up with you all again soon!

First Event of the Year - Fat Ass 50k

On the first Saturday of the new year, the organisers of the Blackfoot Ultra put on a casual, social run in the Edmonton river valley called the Fat Ass 50k. For those that perhaps aren't up to that kind of distance, there is the option to do the Half Ass which is 25km, and both distances follow the pathways and trails alongside the river - one loop makes you a "half ass", two loops makes you a "fat ass". The donation is just $4, and this goes towards stocking the aid station which is located under the Quesnel Bridge at around 13k.

A couple of years ago, I completed the Half Ass with a few friends, but this year, I really wanted to do the 50k just to see how my body felt running that kind of distance this early in the year. I'd certainly indulged in lots of chocolates and cakes during the festive period, and the scales were happy to confirm this when I weighed myself at the end of the year. I also hadn't really done any proper long runs since the backyard ultra way back in October - the maximum I had done was 25km or around 16 miles in training, which I had done on the trails out in Devon -so I wanted to test my fitness to see what time of time I could finish in.

Even though the Fat Ass is not a race, I still wanted to run around 5 hours or less. I planned to run it solo so that I could do my own thing and not get caught up with other people's pacing - running with others would not give a true indication of what my own abilities are right now, and I wanted an honest result that I could use to gauge my own fitness levels. I did have a couple of folks that asked if they could run with me on the day which of course I would have done, but I was kind of hoping that I could stick to my own plan and not have those distractions.

I woke up on the Saturday morning at 6.30am and grudgingly got out of my warm bed to get myself ready. The weather was calling for around -8 degrees, so I dressed relatively lightly as I knew I'd get far too warm if wearing too many layers and I didn't want to have carry a ton of stuff if that happened. I ate my porridge for breakfast and then made the drive to Edmonton, arriving at the Kinsman Centre shortly after 7.30am. I'm definitely not an early morning runner unless I'm racing, so I was pretty impressed with myself when I was already into my run by 7.45am!

My plan was to try and run 9 minute miles if conditions and trails allowed. It was still dark at that time and there was still some lying snow around, so I wasn't sure whether this would slow me down. The first few miles were actually quite well lit by the street lights as I made my way along the pathways, and there was no need to use my headtorch whatsoever. It was so quiet with barely anybody around, so much so that at one point, a huge coyote wandered across the pathway about 20 yards ahead of me, stopped to take a look, and then made his way in the bushes alongside the river. I know that the coyotes in the City are getting far more brazen these days and losing their fear of people, but his dude just went about his business and I didn't feel threatened by him in any way.

Over in the east, the sun was starting to rise, and once again I was feeling pretty chuffed with myself that I had beaten the sunrise today. The colours were gorgeous when it finally popped up its head, shrouding everything in a golden glow right across the valley. Meanwhile, the full moon added a silvery glow, and the contrast between the two was truly beautiful.

I kind of remembered the route from last time I did it, but there was a section where I hesitated and had to dig out the directions. This cost me a couple of minutes, but in all fairness it really didn't matter, and I preferred stopping to check where I was meant to be going, rather than going off course for a mile or two and then having to retrace my tracks.

At around 6km, it was time to join the trails, and I made my way down a snowy hill into the trees. It still wasn't quite light, but I could see where I was going without any problems. I was feeling pretty good, but I had noticed that my nose and cheeks were absolutely freezing, and that things were actually much cooler than expected. I was wearing a buff but it wasn't thermal, so it wasn't really keeping my face as warm as it should have been doing. My hair was frosty, my gloves had frozen, I was getting concerned that I would get frostbite, and when it came to trying to take on board a drink and some food, it was frozen solid. It wasn't the end of the world, but it was a little frustrating as I really needed to take in some calories, but I knew that within the next couple of miles, I would arrive at the aid station and they would for sure have some nibbles for me.

I pushed onwards, holding the pace as best as I could but definitely slowing when hitting the hillier stretches. I was feeling good though and not too tired, and I was having a great time and actually enjoying my own company. 

Arriving at the aid station, I spotted quite a few familiar faces who were out there volunteering in the cold, making sure that us runners were getting fed and watered. I sneaked a couple of cookies as my food was like blocks of ice, but the best thing was the hot chocolate which certainly hit the spot and seemed to give me an energy boost. It was around about 13km to the end of the first loop, so I said a cheery bye bye to the volunteers and continued onwards.

I didn't really see many other people on the first loop, maybe because it was still quite early. I caught a couple of others who were doing the Half Ass, but otherwise, the trails were really quiet with no dog walkers or cyclists, and I was thoroughly enjoying having what seemed like the entire place to myself. My legs were starting to tighten a little, probably from the cold and also because I still hadn't really drank enough, but in general, I was still on track to hit my 5 hour goal, finishing my first lap in a little over 2 hours 30 minutes.

At the end of that first lap, I stopped at the car to swap out my bottles, and took a huge drink of water as I knew that even with the fresh drinks, they too would be frozen within the next hour and I likely wouldn't get another drink until hitting the aid station again. I also knew that this second loop would likely be a little slower, not only due to me slowing down a bit but because other users would now be out on the trails, and I would need to make room for all of those people. Sure enough, after the initial 6k on pavement before heading down to the woodland trails again, I ran into about 5 or 6 dog walkers with their dogs off-leash, and when I arrived at the dog park, I was having to dodge lots of walkers, dogs and even strollers to make my way through.

I was still holding around 9 to 9.30 miling, but I had now given up on chasing the sub 5 hours. It really didn't matter, and I didn't want to finish the run feeling disappointed. I now just wanted to finish strong and with a smile on my face.

I grabbed another hot chocolate at the aid station and downed a couple of cookies and an energy gel which was frozen solid. A couple of folks had offered to refill my water bottle, but now the top had frozen onto the bottle, so we spent about 5 minutes trying to melt it over the gas firepit. It took a few minutes, but eventually we were able to fill it up and I continued on my way.\

I was still running solo, I really hadn't seen anybody else that I knew except for Heidi and Brett at the end of the first lap, but I was making good progress and the finish was getting ever closer. I spotted a few squirrels scurrying for food, there were more dog walkers and a few skiers out on the trails, and a family were having a winter barbeque in one of the parks, but other than that, I was genuinely surprised at how quiet things had been. 

I was also starting to feel a little more tired now, and I was starting to walk or rather shuffle up some of the steeper hills, but in the main, I was still feeling ok without too many problems. I passed through Emily Murphy Park and up ahead, I could the Walterdale Bridge, so I knew that I was now in to the final kilometres. It looked like I would finish in around 5 hours 10 minutes which I was absolutely fine about, especially given the cooler conditions and the faffing around with maps and frozen bottle earlier in the day.

I picked up the pace over that last half mile or so, finally stopping my watch on 5.08.12. I was happy with that as it now gives me a good indication as to where my fitness is at, and what I need to work on over the coming weeks in preparation for my races.

I was expecting to be a little achy and maybe sore today after the run yesterday, but I was pleasantly surprised to wake up feeling pretty good. I had an easy recovery run to do so I headed out onto the range roads and ended up with another 13km. It was much warmer today and another beautiful morning for running, and I really did enjoy being outside again in the fresh air to finish off a great weekend. I'm hoping to sneak in a little run with the pups later too, and then it will be time to just relax and enjoy what's left of our weekend, before heading back into work tomorrow.

Plans for the New Year 2023

As 2023 commences, I'm excited to see what this year will bring. I've got some really good races planned that scare and excite me at the same time, and I know for sure that all of them will test me both physically and mentally, with some - if not all - pushing me beyond what I thought I’m capable of.

This year, I will be celebrating my 50th trip around the sun, and it's crazy to think that I've been a competitive runner for over 40 years! Over those 40+ years, I've had some fantastic results, and just looking back at the archives in this blog alone brings back so many fond memories of the different events I've done - I just wish I'd started this blog earlier than 2011, as I'm sure there are lots of things I've since forgotten.

Looking back and comparing my former self to the runner I am today, I’m very happy to report that the passion and competitiveness I have for running and racing is still there. Yet I have to admit to getting a little frustrated sometimes, simply because I know I'm nowhere near as fast as I used to be, and I’m unable to compete at the same level nowadays. Not only has my pace slowed, I also don't recover as quickly as I used to from those harder sessions, and it's a fine line between training hard to enable me to continue competing the way I do, whilst avoiding injury or overtraining at the same time. I know that PRs are a thing of the past, but that doesn't mean I have to give up trying to be the best I can, and I’m still willing to put in the hard work that’s needed to hit the results I am looking for.

The other thing that's challenging at this point in my life is of course the menopause. I've already noticed some of the symptoms in my daily life which can and sometimes does affect my running as my body changes. Being able to recognise those changes and adapt to them is half the battle, and thankfully, I’m willing to approach my training with some degree of flexibility, and I try not to be too hard on myself when sessions don't quite go as planned!

As I do approach my 50th birthday next month, I don’t feel intimidated by the aging process, and my plan for 2023 is to train hard and to be as competitive as I can in all the races I've registered for. This will mean continuing to work with my coach Paul, who has been there supporting me for the past four years, and no doubt we'll be incorporating more strength work and stretching/mobility to keep this body strong. Whilst I already eat a healthy diet, there is always room for improvement, and there are some changes that I can make to provide me with more energy when running, and to help me recover from those harder sessions more quickly.

From a personal petspective, 2023 will be a year where I hope to demonstrate that age is no barrier if we truly believe in ourselves and want to fulfill goals and dreams. As we get older, age is often used as an excuse for so many things in life, and certainly for me, i started to lose condidence in myself and my ability as a runner when I could no longer hit the times I wanted. I came up with so many reasons, but the one that kept rearing its head was, "I'm older now - I just can't do it anymore." It took a while to swallow my pride and just accept things, but now when those feelings of self-doubt start to enter my mind, I shall try my hardest to stick to my mantra  "I can, and I will".

In terms of my race plans, things are a little different from last year with my focus shifting once again to the longer distances. I don't mind saying that my aim is to be as competitive as possible in every event, and I’m intrigued to see how I get on.

First up will be Hill of a Race which involves running a 2.5km loop up a ski hill for 6 hours. I used to be a much better hill runner back in the day, but more recently, I’ve got lazy on hills. Entering this race means I will have to do more hill work if I want to put in a strong performance. Last year, the winner did around 14 loops – can I go further? I won’t know unless I try.

In May, I will be competing in my fourth backyard ultra, this time Lakou BYU which is pretty local to home. My ultimate goal still remains 40+ hours, but I know I need somebody else that is willing and able to go the distance too – without them, I will be unable to achieve this goal.

Having done several Sinister Sports events both virtual and in-person in recent years, I finally managed to plan my races so I can do Sinister 50 miler. Whilst we have passed through the Crowsnest Pass area of Alberta, we’ve never really explored the area, and doing this mountain trail 50 miler in July is something that I am really looking forward to.

But the ultimate goal for 2023 is the Divide 200 in September, a 200 mile race that incorporates parts of the Great Divide Trail, and will be organised by Sinister Sports. I’ve already mentioned that I’m not great on hills at the minute, although there are plans to change that, and with something like 35,000 ft of climbing, it is going to be tough just dealing with the elevation. Then there’s the terrain which will be steep and technical in places, and which will no doubt slow me down. I aim to get out to the mountains a lot over the coming months, to familiarise the body and mind with the movement of running in the mountains. Then of course there is the distance. The furthest I have ever run is 150 miles which took 36 hours during a backyard ultra - a very different kind of event that tests both mental and physical strength. Although I would love to be competitive at the Divide 200, my main goal for this particular race is to finish within the time limit, and to finish safely and in one piece.

The good news is that training has already started, albeit at a low level for now as I start to pick up momentum again. Last week, I did a run up Sulphur Mountain with my little pup April, and then yesterday, I completed another hilly, snowy trail run on the local trails in Devon. 

Sulphur Mountain run with my girl April

Snowy trail run in Devon

I can tell that I've allowed myself to indulge in the Christmas festivities this past couple of weeks, and these runs certainly highlighted where improvements need to be made and what I need to focus on. It'll be good to build things up again over the coming weeks and see the changes taking effect, although I know things wont happen overnight, and I need to be patient and trust in my training, knowing that every session means progress. I hope to be doing more regular updates on here and also via my YouTube channel, and I hope that you find the time to dip in occasionally, just to check how things are going.

For now though, all that remains is to wish you all a very happy new year, and I hope you too have your own goals or challenges to persue. No matter what these are, let's do this, and let’s make 2023 a great one!