I'm sensing a theme here

So I'm feeling like perhaps the gods have provided me with a message, and that if I'm only open to the delivery all will be explained.

iRun Magazine featured me in their February issue, reviewing the fears I had prior to my first Marathon.

STOKE A NEW PASSION

Carolyn Pleasance, of Hamilton, ON is another of iRun's “So you want to run a marathon, eh?” participants. The 43-year-old mother and avid runner for years also made the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon her first. “I figured, even if I have to speed walk, I can cross this craziness off my bucket list,” she says. 

Pleasance had a list of pre-marathon concerns: “Not being able to finish. Hitting that mythical wall and bonking and failing at it. Or not getting in the long training runs. Or being injured. Or letting my training partner down and having her run off without me.” The fact that Pleasance just ran her second marathon, Disney World's Goofy Challenge in January, speaks volumes about her newfound passion. TOP TIP: Stay positive. Ditch negative self-talk.

Then the awesome ladies at Another Mother Runner, SBS and Dimity, aired their latest podcast.  It was a Q&A with runners, and they picked my question to answer. My question was how to come to terms with the fact that I'm a bit heavy and surrounded by gazelles. Dimity and Sarah said that I should run for me, not for others. I should focus on my race, my pace, my accomplishments, not how fast/far/fit my runner friends are.

Now that's three people who've suggested that I should not be so hard on myself. I'm always harder on myself than I'd be on anyone else, I'd NEVER talk to a fellow runner that way, I'd never let a friend slag on themselves like that. Why do I do it to myself?

I'm going to work on this....keep my head up, my thoughts positive and try to make myself think of my abilites the same way my friends do.

On a totally unrelated note:

I work for a bus company, and we get lost and found from the busses to our office. The other day a black plastic garbage bag arrived. My coworker opened it, and let out this horrid noise and bolted across the office onto a counter.

Turns out someone had left Rocky the Raccoon on the bus. I can't wait 'till someone comes to claim it. How do you leave your home taxidermy project on a bus?

Tune Up Runs and TaTas

So, we had our first official Tune Up Run for the Toronto Yonge Street 10k. I haven't had my shoes on since the Goofy in January, and it was a very cold, (like -20) windchilly blustery day. Em and I made the trek in to Toronto, leaving in the dark dark cold.

Found the Running Room (win), found free street parking (win win), got my awesome 'in Training' shirt (win win win)!

wish I could have got one for Em, must try harder next run!

The group of runners, both Digital Champions like myself and the other folks who registered for the race were huddled indoors waiting for the start of our 7-ish K run.

Allan Brookes and his team from CRS gave a rousing welcome, and introduced us to the celebs that would be sharing the street with us. There were three, I wish I could remember their names....a steeplechaser from the Olympics, a super speedy (and wonderful) young lady who just moved to Guelph, and one other speedy guy. 

We headed out into the chill....onto unfamiliar streets. Luckily the leader of the TYS10K training clinic for the Running Room was with us, and she navigated us safely back to the store. 

Speaking of the store, Em sort of pointed out that this RR had these Soldier On shirts. I've wanted one since I saw them online. Turns out two stores in Ontario carry them, the store we were in, and Barrie. Needless to say I snapped this up to wear to the Army Run in Ottawa, hopefully with my custom Canadian Sparkle Skirt. (hint, hint).

Ta Ta Time

About a million years ago a good friend gave me a kit to make a plaster cast of my chest. It was part of a breast cancer fundraiser, and 4 of us crazies got together for a day of gloopy silly laughing to immortalize and immobilize ourselves. Flash forward a few years, and I've got this blank canvas lying around my craft room. Combine that with a few dozen race bibs, and you've got art! The bibs were part of a bag I'd sewn, following these awesome instructions from blogger Melissa Schewisguth. Due to my lousy sewing skills, the bag was falling apart, so I ripped out some stitches and stuck the bibs to my bust. I thought it was fitting since I run for my heart, I normally wear the race bib on my chest, and it's all about supportive 'friend's.'

Those of you who know him may recognize John Stanton's autograph, front and centre. He was kind enough to sign my Around the Bay bib while it was part of the bag, NOT after I made this project :-).

   

Speaking of immortal, the folks at iRun Magazine featured me AGAIN this month! I'm so cool I can't stand myself. 

Master the Long Run. They're right, I DO need to banish the negative self-talk. The tribe has spoken!

I'm happily back in the running groove and can't wait 'till the Goofy Girls get back in  their Brooks this weekend. And I'm craving breakfast.

Tune up (and oil change)

Well, if you've been keeping track at home, I haven't run a step since the Marathon at WDW on January 13th. For about two weeks I could not even look at Gatorade without feeling slightly ill.

So, my first race of the post-Disney 2013 season is the Toronto Yonge Street 10K on Sunday April 21st.

Being selected to be a Digital Champion for this race was super cool, and from the looks of the others in this group I'm in pretty awesome company! Part of the deal is that I get to beat the drum for this race, and have people come out and run and have fun on the longest street in Canada. 

Of course it also means that I need to lace up and get moving, since I'd like to actually run the 10k in a time that justifies my participation and helps me earn my spot. 

We have what they are calling a 'Tune Up Run' this Sunday. 6K in Toronto earlyish in the morning. Luckily my partner in crime, Em, is always game to push, pull and prod me along, and is going to run with me. I'd drag Limpy but she's in an air boot thingy and can't even lace a shoe on that foot, let alone run.

I'm looking forward to the kick in the butt that will get me back in the game. I realize how much I dislike running in the winter, in Canada at least.

Will I still enjoy running...was a break of a month a good idea?

5 things I Love about running

So the challenge today was to come up with Five things I love about running. We are in the middle of a winter storm here, most things are closed including all the schools, most city services and everything nobody needs. Seems like a funny day to talk about running.

However, I still feel the love.....

1) I love running because I get to see my friends come rain or sleet or dark of night
2) I love running because I have the perfect excuse to go places just so I can run (Disney, Ottawa)
3) I love running because I've seen more of my city from the ground than I ever would have if I'd not run
4) I love running because people don't expect me to be a runner, I love messing with preconceptions
5) I love running because I love the bling I get when I cross the finish line.

Snowed in and amused.

Oh the Races You'll Go!

So it would appear that, yet again, I say one thing and do another. In this particular case I recall saying that I would not do a lot of races in 2013, to make up for the crazy training that went into the stuff I ran last year.

Whoops.

It would seem that I've already registered for the following races this year:

 Imagine my surprise when I got picked to be a Digital Champion for this race! I've never run the Toronto Yonge Street 10K before, but I'm totally looking forward to being part of this event. It seems like it's a party even before race day, with tune up runs and all kinds of fun both virtual and live leading up to the big day.


This one is an oldie but a goodie. It was my first Half Marathon, way back in 2011. I went from running 5k for fun to training at the Running Room for a Half Marathon, with this as my goal race. It was a great day, a lovely course and it culminated with me getting a tattoo of the running dude to celebrate my accomplishment. And to make it even cooler, I got sponsored for this race this year!! The Toronto Goodlife Half Marathon, don't let them lie to you though, it's NOT all downhill :-)

A bunch of my fellow crazy running buddies thought that getting pelted with dye while running 5k would be fun, so we signed up to run the Color (hard to NOT type the 'u') Run in Michigan Color Run is a crazy race where the runners wear all white and have people on the sidelines spray food-safe colouring at you as you run the course. Seemed like a good reason to drive 4 hours.

Erica's Wish is a race that a few of my friends have done year after year. It's a great cause, a lovely course (except apparently a horrible hill on the 10k course). So this year we're doing the 5k. They say everyone cries at least once that day.

To temper the charity crying, I've also chosen to drown my sorrows in wine. Hence we signed up to run the Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon. Never done this one before, but it seemed a perfect opportunity to wear our sparkle skirts and get our girlie on.

On my bucket list since I started running is the Army Run in Ottawa Ontario. I've wanted to do it for a couple reasons...I love the medals, and my best friend's husband is in the Army, so this is my way of supporting our troops, since there's no way the army would ever let ME in.

So that means I'm running at least 3 half marathons, a 10k and 2 5ks this year alone. Can anyone suggest any other runs I should add to my list? I think BMO would be happy to increase my credit card limit.

Maybe I can talk Brooks into sending me one of those new nifty pairs of Ravenna 4s so I can Run Happy.