mickey mouse

mickey mouse

Monday 31 March 2014

I Don't Know, But it's Been Said, I Like Running Halfs With Friends





This was the most fun I've ever had at a race, and I've run Disney (including the Goofy Challenge)

Part of the reason (I think) is that the road trip there and back was a crazy few hours of trying and failing to purchase a Steak and Cheese Panini from Tim Hortons while singing along with every song on the radio, regardless of whether we knew the words or not. 


 I've had the Army Run on my bucket list for years. Each September I'd think about doing it, each September it would sell out, the drive to Ottawa was too far, stuff would get in the way.
 Finally the conditions were (almost) right. We managed to register in time, Em had a son with a place in Kanata and room for us, I was off that weekend, we'd actually sort of not really trained. I've never been to Ottawa when it wasn't snowing, so I was looking forward to it not being grey and blecky. For the record, these are 'official' race photos of the city, it WAS grey and blecky...rained for two days off and on.



The rain, however, was NOT going to stop me from attending the exhibit of awesome military gear (and soldiers) that was arrayed at the expo. It was only a matter of time before I found a flak jacket, helmet, belt, jeep and group of men who'd let me scramble up on top (of the vehicle) for a photo. There were tanks, trucks, netting and weaponry and wonderful members of the Canadian Military who were happy to answer questions and pose for photos.

We managed to break for lunch, walking a million miles through the rain (okay, just felt like it) to this adorable restaurant called the Scone Witch. I still drool when I remember the scones...darn glad I bought some jam to take home with me. 


The awesome people at Sparkle Skirts made us  amazing Go Canada skirts which we rocked with pride during the race along with our Robena yarms. Hats, bibs, shoes, skirts. Off to sleep to prep for a day of fun in the Nation's capital.





I didn't know what to expect, since I've only ever seen Ottawa covered in snow, but it is a really pretty town, with so many photo ops that we gladly hopped about snapping shots (some of which I can't post here, but the Ottawa City Police are very nice people).

I was amused as heck that we ran into Hull Quebec and I was pretty sure I could become bilingual before we got there. Lori seemed convinced that her background in University in Montreal wasn't going to help (and it was pretty amazing how many words she DIDN'T know). SO I enlisted the help of the wonderful Francophone runners and learned useful phrases like:


"Mes mamelons sont si froids qu'ils pouvaient couper le verre"

Of course,  yelling that loudly on a peaceful Sunday street in Hull shows you exactly how many of your fellow runners speak French ;-).  In my defence it was REALLY cold out and I needed a distraction (and apparently my accent is better than I thought it was).
This is us managing to escape from Hull without being arrested or fined for yelling indecent things in French. 


I may have mentioned we found lots of reasons to stop for photos, with the volunteers at the water stations (the awesome firefighters and mototcyclists),



sometimes we just switched it up each time we saw an official photgrapher:

The best part (and it's amazing when you consider how much fun this was) is that I got to see my friend Kaylee cross the finish line at her first half marathon. At just 13 she's twice the runner I'll ever be, and I think she's so cool (and fast) and it's been so awesome training with her. That's her in the middle in the blue skirt. (Oh, and check THIS, the photo above was featured in Women's Running Tutu's Rock online gallery)



After we finished the race, collected our (super freaking mega awesome) dog tag medals, and celebrated by jumping around a little bit more, we posed for a few more photos, because everone in matching outfits should pose together as much as possible.


As we were making our escape we discoverd one more place to pose, the back of the truck used to move the military vehicles from the expo area. Yep, up we went. Funny how my leg doesn't go up nearly as far today as it did yesterday BEFORE I ran 21.1k.

I wish we'd stayed longer, there's so much of Ottawa I'd love to see on the inside, and since we didnt get arrested, I bet they'd even have us back.

Thursday 27 March 2014

You Can Kiss My Tutu'd Ass


So if you know me, you know I'm not the 'live and let live' type.
I'm sort of the opposite, more of the 'attack first and ask questions later' type, the one you want in your corner when the rubber hits the road, or you want someone to be all indignant and stuff.

Then I read that Self Magazine's editor picked on this woman and her friend (Tara and Monica) who ran a marathon in tutus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/magazine-editor-apologizes-making-fun-cancer-survivor-tutu-article-1.1736812

I'm the first in a silly hat, a costume, earrings, makeup, whatever. Is there a theme? Can we MAKE it a theme? So I read some more and discovered that one of the women (Monika) was in chemo for BRAIN CANCER and they ran as superheroes in tutus. They ran a MARATHON, let's remember that.....42.2k while one of them was in CHEMO for BRAIN CANCER. Sit with that for a moment.

Now, for starters, I don't really care WHAT you wear when you race as long as you're not being a big, road hogging, dangerous, messy, sloppy disaster. I don't care if you wear the race shirt on the day of the race, I don't care if you wear a skirt, a skort, a miner's helmet, dress in drag and do the hula.

I hate those loud beeping pedometer things because unless you're keeping cadence for the ENTIRE group of us we don't need to hear the freaking thing for 21.1k. I hate groups who walk 6 abreast, chatting like they're in the mall, oblivious to the fact that someone might be RUNNING (or heaven forbid WALKING) faster behind them and perhaps passing them. I hate snot rockets when you don't look to see who's behind you, abrupt walk breaks without looking around, taking selfies on the course,  people who ghost races and brag about it.

Costumes don't bug me.........matter of fact.......
I've run Breast Cancer 5ks in my Cinderella dress (from when I used to work for Disney). Doesn't breathe well at all, let me tell you....don't run more than 5k in it :-)


Speaking of not breathing, a Santa suit? Yeah, the fluffy beard? Right up your nose, snotting white gunk for 5k with a few hundred of your identically dressed buddies....good times. I won't ever do it again, it was a neat 'once' thing...
 I ran the Niagara Falls Women's Half Marathon (which had wine in the swag bag, hence the 'drunk at the Start Wine' pose here) in one of my many Sparkle Skirts.   


Here's a disgusting photo of me before my first Marathon posing running from a bowl of pasta. In retrospect, I don't think it looks like pasta.....ewww
This is me at Disney World when

we ran the Goofy Challenge, a Half Marathon on Saturday and a Full Marathon on Sunday, or as I like to call it, TWO excuses to dress in funny outfits!

The first time I ran Disney I dressed as Sorcerer Mickey and did 21.1k in the Parks rocking ears, a hat, a robe AND white gloves.

We ran the Army Run (Half Marathon) in Ottawa Ontario in matching Canadian Sparkle Skirts, the Barrie Waterfront Half Marathon in THESE Sparkle Skirts and I look forward to many more chances to suit up and show off my flair.
So to Self Magazine, who said that tutus are lame, you can kiss my tutu'd (or in this case Sparkle Skirted ass). And to Monika and her friend Tara at Glam Runner, may you have many, many, many more miles of rocking tutus or whatever the heck you wanna wear!!

Be well, my friend in running.....

the most awesome P.S.  Women's Running featured one of our photos from the Army Run in our Sparkle Skirts in the Tutus Rock! Gallery
http://womensrunning.competitor.com/2014/03/photos/tutus-rock_22227