Blog – Page 36 – RunningWell

The Phases of Running in My Life

April 14, 2013/5 Comments/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

I’m not generally the type of person who looks back sentimentally at old things, nor am I a pack rat so I tend to purge things from my past which I consider “clutter” fairly regularly. However, my parents are moving and doing the typical “take your stuff or it’s garbage” routine that goes along with that. To most things I said “dump it” including a pile of old trophies and medals. But my son wanted them so my dad dutifully dropped them off in a paper bag. After looking through a few I was reminded of how long I’ve been running and I started to think about the different phases it’s taken throughout my life.

I didn’t keep the “Participant” ribbons from elementary school, but that’s pretty much where the story began. Then in high school I became more serious in terms of training and racing, and received a few of these:

Most Valuable Player Girls Track and Field Team, Lawrence Park CI 1990/1991

Burlington Road Race Female Relay 14-17 1st 1990

Back then running was a passion, yes, but also a source of stress. Every effort was about a result and I worried about how I would be judged or evaluated by others. It would be fair to say it was a love/hate relationship.

Then came my university running years. Unlike some of my friends I did not go south on a track scholarship (to be honest I didn’t have many appealing offers) and so the track team became a great social circle and did not carry any high pressure stakes as no one knew me. I would say that in University I ran for fun and mixed it in with a number of other pastimes (ie. studying, partying and meeting my future husband). I ran well enough and was captain of the team and MVP in various years, but I’ve often looked back and wondered “what if” I had the drive and focus that I discovered later. My memories from university comprise about equally of this:

Lead pack of women at Naionals in Etobicoke

and this:

Kingston Classic Beer Mile 1997

Post university my running became a little more structured and serious. It was at this point that I realized I was doing it only for me and I was the only one who really cared about my results, and ironically this is when I became the most motivated to train hard. There was a 5-7 year period here where I trained pretty religiously and set all of my current standing PB’s including in the Ironman. I was working full time, but was married to a runner who understood and encouraged me, and basically running filled all of my spare time (that time which I wonder what people do with now that I am so busy with two kids!)

Finishing a race in Australia where I traveled (and ran) with my future husband for 6 mos

It wasn’t having kids which brought on my next phase in running. I would say it was the next phase which precipitated my having kids. I got a little bored and tired of the constant structure and chasing of times. I didn’t want to give up running, but I wanted to scale it back. My heart wasn’t into putting in great efforts anymore. “There must be something else to life” I thought. And so… we moved on to having kids. I ran throughout my pregnancies and resumed quickly after both births, but never with any more purpose than staying fit and enjoying my runs. That lack of focus was so freeing. I had a built-in excuse for not training seriously or racing fast – the fatigue and time constraints which come with having kids. The reality is that I’ve seen people get back to training hard and racing fast immediately after having babies, so really I just didn’t want to. I continued to enjoy running as much as I could whenever I could, sometimes hard, sometimes not, just in order to keep myself happy and healthy.

Here are some examples of activities which have been taking up my time where running (and recovering) used to fit:

Skating Swimming

Indoor games Playing at the park

I would say that this past year I’ve entered yet another phase in my running. I appreciate and love it more than ever as I no longer take the time I get to devote to it for granted. I make greater efforts to carve out time for it as I rely on it for so much. Running is my social time, my alone time, my stress release, my confidence builder, my time to focus on problems, my time to allow my mind to wander and dream, and my physical outlet. It truly is one of the only things I do only for me. I’ve stepped it up a notch this past year as the competitive desire to race has returned. Where it came from, I have no idea, and I’m not sure how long it will last, but I do know that there will be many more phases to come. More than 23 years of running and counting!

Race review – from a different perspective

April 8, 2013/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

It is not often that I go to races to cheer. Simply because often it is a bit of an effort and coordination to get to a race, and if I’m going to be at the location for the duration of the race, most of the time I just race it.

This time was different. I had no need or desire to race due to still recovering from Around The Bay and the Catalina Marathon, and my sister (and loyal 5 a.m. training partner) was racing – along with a number of other friends. The race was the Harry’s Spring Run Off 8 km. A great course around High Park, and viewing it as a spectator allowed me to appreciate many different experiences than usual. Here are a few things I noticed as a spectator which I don’t tend to as a racer:

The mellow vibe of those there to complete, not compete. As I finally found a parking spot a few miles away from the start with under half an hour to go, I was already getting slightly panicky about getting to the start in time to watch it. And I found myself walking towards the start along with quite a number of other people who were going to run it. Who are these laid back people who get to the start just in time to go??? I assume they have way less stress and adrenalin coursing through them on race day than I normally do. Very different and very cool.

I would like to say I enjoyed not getting nervous (most spectators probably would), but for some reason the sights and sounds still brought forth my physical gut response of fight-or-flight. Luckily I was able to channel my adrenalin and had one of my best runs in a while later that afternoon.

I got to enjoy the crowds, booths, announcing and ceremonies which are there to make the runners feel welcome. Normally all of this is just background noise as I find my space to warm-up and get into my “racing zone”. This was the first time I’ve ever followed the piper to the start.

Piper leading the runners to the start

I saw many familiar faces before the race, and was able to wish them a heartfelt “good luck” and cheer them on throughout (instead of being focused on me, me, me).

Friend and running mate Ali Drynan pre-race

I was able to watch the actual race play out as the winners flew by (the course was a great spectator’s course as we could watch the races pass by four times)

Lead woman and eventual winner Krista DuChene

Lead man and eventual winner Sami Jibril staying ahead of second place finisher Josephat Ongeri

I could pour all of my energy and emotions into cheering as loudly as I could to try to help runners find a little extra strength and speed which might net them a couple of extra seconds in time. I really do think cheering makes a difference in this. It better – I sure felt exhausted enough afterwards!!

My hero of the day Tanis Feasby as she crested the brutal hill at the finish for a PB time (I screamed very loudly here)

The final thing I was really able to observe differently and more completely was the coordination and efforts of all of the volunteers. Standing near them at a table for minutes allowed me to appreciate their duties a lot better than when I just run by over the course of a couple of seconds. They are amazing, spend a lot of time and effort, and probably don’t get nearly enough thanks. My next resolution is to volunteer at a race sometime in the coming season to get an even better perspective and appreciation for their roles (and to give back of course!)

Congratulations to all runners, racers and volunteers who took part in this event – it was by far my favourite sporting entertainment event of the year so far.

Running With Kids

March 30, 2013/in Blog Posts/by RWadmin

There are a few different angles the title to this post could take. The first one (and one which I’ve addressed a few times in my posts) is “how on earth do you get out for your runs and train for races when you have kids??” A big topic with no one simple solution.

But in this one I’m talking about how to get your kids running too.

I’m a firm believer that (like adults) kids need to run (or do other exercise) regularly in order to be healthy. In truth, I think kids intuitively know this too. They are inclined to run. It’s natural for them and it makes them feel good. However, it’s not as simple as it may sound to just “let them run”. What does this mean, really? If kids are not in a specific time and place where running is encouraged then they are generally being told for most of their days “Don’t Run!” Don’t run in the school, don’t run away from us in the playground, don’t run in the house, don’t run in most public spaces where adults are, etc…

Of course the easiest solution for allowing or getting your kids to run is to sign them up for programs which they enjoy which include running. For example, soccer, basketball, tennis, sports play, etc… There are a host of these types of programs for pre-school and school aged children and they work wonderfully in incorporating fun into running.

There are also some kids who just love challenges and if you say something like “I bet you can’t run around the playground 3 times” they’ll be off before you’ve finished the sentence.

My son H doesn’t take to either of the above scenarios. Not a team sports guy and not a “pleaser” by nature. (I swear he does have his redeeming qualities!)

So how does running fit into H’s life? Basically it has to occur on his terms. This is tricky for a busy, scheduled, time-conscious, task oriented parent, but I know this is one area where I have to be patient. So if I pick him up from school in a rush to get us home and get dinner on and H is running in the playground having fun in his own game, I try to let it play out for as long as I can.

Today was another good example. We were at the park where I had planned to watch my kids in the playground while catching up with my sisters.

Here is where I envisioned spending my morning:

But that was MY idea. (Silly me – why would I think my plan would be followed?) Instead, H took off on an “adventure” through the woods. I followed as well as I could along with his cousin. This “run” took us through muddy trails, up slippery slopes, down ravines and through brambly trees. My footwear was not appropriate and I wasn’t really in the mood for a mucky adventure. But I could see the exhilaration on his face and I recognized that it would be hypocritical of me to tell him not to run on his terms when that’s pretty much all I ask for in life!

In the end, we had a fun adventure, and the kids got a lot more exercise than I had planned. This was the post-run walk back to the car:

The afternoon consisted of a hot bath and indoor play time. They are so much calmer once their bodies have had the exercise they crave and everyone ends up happier.

Check out this article on other tips by me on running with kids by The Heart and Stroke Foundation.