2015/2016 Race Schedule

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I'm still working on fully updating the blog but I thought I'd let you in on my race schedule as it's starting to come together. Many are still tentative until I make the leap and register (my credit card can only handle so much LOL).

September 26, 2015:
Mudderella Whistler (Registered)
I literally just found out about this earlier this week and I am so stoked to take part in this unique event. Stay tuned for more information tomorrow. I'll be joining a couple family members also taking part in the race.

October 24 - 25, 2015:
The Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver Cunningham Seawall 10k (Tentative)
The only reason this is tentative right now is because I don't have confirmed childcare on the Saturday but I got to do it right, I mean 3 medals...

The Rock 'n' Roll Vancouver Half Marathon (Registered)
All registered and ready to go! Can't wait :)

February 2, 2016
Vancouver First Half (if I can get in, registration opens early November)

May 1, 2016
BMO Vancouver Half or Full Marathon 
I am 95% sure I want to do the FULL, there I said it... Stay tuned.

June 28, 2016
Scotiabank Half Marathon OR Run for Water Half in May
I'd like to beat my current half PB from Run for Water in 2013. I'm leaning towards Scotia because of all the downhill but I can't decide.

August 13, 2016
Lululemon Seawheeze Half Marathon (Registered)
I registered today. I'm totally excited I got in but a little disappointed that my mother in law didn't get in. I was really looking forward to running it with her.

There may be a few more additions but we will see how things go. A while ago I said I was going to focus more and do less races but the truth is, I do better when I have more on the schedule, it keeps my motivation up.

Liebster Award

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Last week, Jessica @ Run Your Mutt Off nominated me for a Liebster Award! Thanks Jessica.

Here are the details: The Liebster is an award to help promote new bloggers. The rules are simple:

• Mention the person who nominated you with a link in their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers. (I was a little unclear how this is defined, so I’ve looked up each blog’s follower counts on bloglovin’. If I nominated you and you’re more popular than I realize, then I apologize)
• Create a new set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

Jessica's questions for me:

What is your favorite race you’ve run, and why? 
This one is a toughy... I'm going to say it's tie between Rock 'n' Roll Seattle last June and Run for Water last April. Rock 'n' Roll Seattle was really awesome race with my running BFF and I felt pretty good throughout. Run for Water is still my half marathon PR, I can't really explain why that happened because it defies all logic, but I loved that day and I felt so strong even in the pouring rain. My first half marathon and my first full marathon will also always hold a special place in my heart.

Who is your biggest supporter/fan?
My husband. He grumbles about going to races or how much I spend on race registrations, but there is absolutely no way I could do this without him.

What is your favorite piece of running gear?
Hmm, this is also a tough one. I have lots of great stuff now. Shoes are pretty much essential but maybe not my favorite. Again, I think it would be a tie between my injinji socks and my CWX Pro Compression 3/4 tights.

What is your tried-and-true pre-race meal?
Something plain. The night before, I'll have chicken and veggies usually maybe with potatoes or rice. I tried to avoid wheat as it can upset my tummy. The morning of, I don't normally eat very much, usually a CLIF bar.

Have you met any of your twitter/blogger friends in real life? If so, when & where?
Yes, I've met lots now. Mostly at races! It's kind of funny how you meet people these days. A few have become some pretty great friends :)

What is your favorite non-running workout or exercise?
I'm really enjoying p90x right now but if I could afford it and I wasn't a runner, I'd probably still be doing CrossFit. Before I became a runner, I did spinning and yoga for years and loved them both.

Tell me the most memorable thing about your wedding or someone’s wedding that you’ve attended.
The most memorable thing about my wedding was that my husband wrote "I DO" on his hand so he wouldn't forget... no joke.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what 3 things could you not live without?
Shoes. Water. Something to Read.

What is the last book you read?
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard (Review in progress). Before that, Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. 

What is your all time favorite book?
Gosh, Jessica, these are really tough questions! I can't pick just one, it's not fair to the other books. So I'll name by top 3:
1. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christy
2. Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk
3. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Pick one – pizza, beer and a movie OR pasta, wine and a good book. Why?
Pasta, wine, and a good book. Though I'll admit, I would also be satisfied by a movie. I crave pasta more than I do pizza and I would drink white wine over a beer any day as long as I got to choose the wine.

I nominate the following 11 blogs (most of these are not NEW bloggers, but neither am I...):

Slow is the New Fast
Fabulosi-T
Running for Cupcakes
Fine Fettle Frets
Strive to Stride
Running with Rhyno
Running with Needles
Cowgirl Runs
Runner Leana
All You Need is Love
Captured and Exposed
All Downhill from Here
Terry Runs

Yea there's 13 instead of 11, it's my lucky number, so you will just have to deal with that.

My questions for these wonderful bloggers:

1. What is the best running costume you have worn or seen?

2. What is your favorite thing to do right after a run?

3. What is your favorite baked good?

4. Does all your running gear have to match?

5. What is your most anticipated race of 2014?

6. Do you have a bucket list?

7. What is your favorite recovery item? Socks, food, or other?

8. If you had to describe today in one word, what word would you use?

9. What is your favorite place to run? (Pick a location whether it be a country, city, inside or outside, trails, or roads)

10. Do you think you'd love running in the same way if it was your full time job?

11. What is the biggest thing that blogging has taught you?

And go!

Thanks again to Jessica, and I look forward to reading the rest of the responses!

If you were not nominated and you'd like to answer any of the above questions or comment on mine please feel free to share below!

Race Review: Run for Water Half Marathon

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2:08:50

On my 10th half marathon for 2013 I went sub 2:10! That's a 5 and a half minute PR! 

How did I do it? After 16 half marathons you'd think I'd have the answer to that but I honestly don't know what happened.

I didn't have high hopes for this race after a week with the stomach flu and hardly any running I was sure I'd fall apart on this run. I got up not feeling sure about whether I should even run the race after such a bad week but hesitantly decided what's the worst that could happen?

Because it was a local race and I wasn't feeling super motivated I didn't have any crazy costume picked out so I just picked out some basic gear that I thought would fare well in the pouring rain. I headed out the door about 1 hour and 15 minutes prior to race start. It took me a little longer to get there than I had anticipated because I hadn't accounted for the road closures for the marathon which had started an hour earlier. When I got to the designated parking it was still pouring and I had about a 3km walk to the start line -- you might say I was less than thrilled. 

After a dreary and very wet walk I arrived with about 10 minutes to spare. I probably should have brought a change of clothes for after and checked a bag but I hadn't thought of that the night before, so I stood there at the start line worrying about how cold I was going to be after the race. 

Since I had arrived much later than expected I didn't have to wait very long, it was a good thing too because I would have gotten pretty cold... Even with the poncho I was drenched before I even started.

So as the rain poured down in sheets, the race began and we were off headed towards some nice flat farm roads. To get to those roads we had to go downhill all the well knowing we had to come right back up those hills at the finish. Around kilometer 2 I ran into a friend who was running her first half marathon! It's always funny when you're running a race and all of the sudden you glance to the side and there's someone you know. It happens to me a lot at local races especially now that I've run so many and made friends within the running community. 

I sort of lost track of the person I had run into around kilometer 4 and tried to settle into a comfortable pace that I could maintain for the rest of the race. Once I did that it was the weirdest thing -- the race totally flew by. I've never felt like that before during a whole half marathon, I wasn't struggling in the least, I felt great, even in the pouring rain. I've always joked about how I actually enjoy running in the rain so maybe it helped me in some way, I certainly enjoy it more than running in the heat.

As I came up on kilometer 16 I texted my friend, Nikki, who had run the ultra marathon yesterday and was volunteering handing out medals for the half today! I wanted to let her know that I was going to hit the finish line earlier than I thought, I was hoping she could hand me my medal!

Nikki and I at her Ultra Marathon (55km) Finish Line

I wasn't too sure what would happen when I hit that hill to the finish especially after the race going so well up until this point, I think I was waiting to hit the wall... But it just never happened. I powered up that same hill that I had found so horrible in the 10k the year prior like it was nothing. And in a way I suppose that hill was nothing compared to some of the elevations in my runs this year (Nevada, Sunshine Coast, Fort Langley, even Portland last week).

As I came up on the last kilometer it was more difficult to push past the comfortable pace I had found and sprint to the finish but I did it anyway knowing that I was going to come in under 2:10, I had nothing to lose.

Unfortunately in my post-race haze I managed to completely miss Nikki, but of course I got my medal anyway. I was so cold that I didn't hang around long very aware that I still had to walk all the way back to the car before I could put on a sweater.

So there you have it, a new PR after a week with the stomach flu... I guess sometimes the stars align for a perfect run, today was that day for me.

An anniversary of sorts...

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Tomorrow will mark one year since my first race after having a baby! On May 27 of 2012 I ran the Run for Water 10k. So much has changed since that race:

- I've run 14 more Half Marathons (+ my first in 2010)

- I've lost 25 lbs

- I started this blog

- I decided that I'm going to run a full marathon

- I've run more miles/hours in the past year than I probably have in my entire life combined

When I ran the Run for Water 10k I was overwhelmed with how difficult it felt... before I had my child I had trained and run my very first Half Marathon in October of 2010, I didn't realize how much pregnancy would change things.

Despite how horrible I felt during that 10k I didn't stop and I ran my second half marathon that August (SeaWheeze 2012) and guess what? That one didn't feel great either, it was fun but it was SO hot and I struggled a lot. I'm now at the point where I can walk out my door and run 21.1k with a lot less difficulty and a whole lot more focus and training under my belt. I feel like a completely different person, a year ago  there's no way I would have referred to myself as a "runner", today there is no question - it's part of who I am.

Tomorrow I will run my 16th Half Marathon - the Run for Water Half!

Abbotsford Run for Water 10k May 2012

A whole lot can change in one year. Where will I be this time next year? How about you, how much have you changed/grown in the past year?