Mark it on your calendars folks, because I know I will. I lost a toenail today. I know, I know it sounds gross, yucky, and you have to wonder to yourselves why I would even want to share that information to the public-at-large.
But for me, the loss of this tiny toenail signifies a major milestone for me as a runner. First of all, it signifies that I have been running enough to actually cause significant impact to my feet. Secondly, I join a special class of runners who go through this on a regular basis.
Now keep in mind I have no desire to actually lose toenails. I love going for pedicures and having them look pretty with a funky, cool nail polish. I'm a girlie-girl at heart. And there is part of me that is wondering if I'm giving up part of myself for another. The answer to this is obviously yes and I'm very OK with that. I can still be a girlie-girl and have less than stellar looking feet. I'm comfortable with the person who is becoming more athletic and still retaining my need for high-fashion, high heels, and drooling over the latest edition of Vogue magazine.
Of course, this also brings me back to this time last year when I was thinking seriously about getting back into running. I swore up and down I would NEVER run longer than 10 km. That there was no way I would EVER enter more than a 10 km race. That even CONSIDERING a 30 km race was simply crazy-talk. Now one of my goals for 2012 is to complete a 50 km race in September.
The fact is, when you enjoy something and truly embrace it the more trivial consequences of your activity slide away. OK, so I have 9 out of 10 possible toenails. But I've still got 90% of them to cover in that funky purple nail polish that I love so much!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Summer 2011 - a Dicken's Novel
I think the summer of 2011, at least with respect to my running, can be summarized by the opening sentences of Dickens A Tale of Two Cities....It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness...
My last post was after my first race and before my second. I never made it to my second but I'm happy to report that I did make it through the six-hour run at Dirty Girls and I did complete the 26km race at Haliburton Forest Trails. I'm the very proud owner of two spectacular medals. I'm very proud of my accomplishments this year. I learned a lot, met an incredible group of people who have become good friends, and fallen-in-love with a sport that I can actually participate in.
I have experienced my first sports injuries EVER including IT Band Syndrome (which I'm still trying to deal with and is the bain of my existence), painful blisters, battered toe nails (easily covered up with deep purple nail polish), seed corns on the ball of one foot (don't bother to google, just know its painful and an annoyance), and severe muscle cramps.
I've gone through the mental frustration of my brain telling my body that its crazy and to stop and/or quit halfway through a race. Luckily a LOT of very LOUD Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, and Heart drowned out the discouraging demons! That and counting 1-2-3 over and over in my head and sometimes out loud when my legs were screaming and I needed a pace to concentrate on.
The last race, at Haliburton was by far the best. I was probably the least prepared for it but SG and my boys were there to support me and cheer me on. It was a weekend of firsts - I ran and SG didn't, my boys slept in a trailer and experienced a race first-hand, and I finished a race that I wanted to do beyond any of the others. I also saw good friends finish their 100-mile races and couldn't have been more proud of them.
But, while many of fellow runners will be winding their season down and start hibernating, mine is about to begin again. 2012 will be a training year for me. My partner is running 12 100-mile races (one per month) in 2012 and I want to be able to train with him, pace him, and make sure he's healthy which inevitably means me being healthy too. And I need to keep up 'cause he's much faster than me! I'm not sure how many races I will participate in during 2012 but I know my personal goal for 2012 is 50 km at Haliburton. That and making sure that my running ability improves enormously this year. No pressure!
My last post was after my first race and before my second. I never made it to my second but I'm happy to report that I did make it through the six-hour run at Dirty Girls and I did complete the 26km race at Haliburton Forest Trails. I'm the very proud owner of two spectacular medals. I'm very proud of my accomplishments this year. I learned a lot, met an incredible group of people who have become good friends, and fallen-in-love with a sport that I can actually participate in.
I have experienced my first sports injuries EVER including IT Band Syndrome (which I'm still trying to deal with and is the bain of my existence), painful blisters, battered toe nails (easily covered up with deep purple nail polish), seed corns on the ball of one foot (don't bother to google, just know its painful and an annoyance), and severe muscle cramps.
I've gone through the mental frustration of my brain telling my body that its crazy and to stop and/or quit halfway through a race. Luckily a LOT of very LOUD Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Guns n' Roses, Def Leppard, Bryan Adams, and Heart drowned out the discouraging demons! That and counting 1-2-3 over and over in my head and sometimes out loud when my legs were screaming and I needed a pace to concentrate on.
The last race, at Haliburton was by far the best. I was probably the least prepared for it but SG and my boys were there to support me and cheer me on. It was a weekend of firsts - I ran and SG didn't, my boys slept in a trailer and experienced a race first-hand, and I finished a race that I wanted to do beyond any of the others. I also saw good friends finish their 100-mile races and couldn't have been more proud of them.
But, while many of fellow runners will be winding their season down and start hibernating, mine is about to begin again. 2012 will be a training year for me. My partner is running 12 100-mile races (one per month) in 2012 and I want to be able to train with him, pace him, and make sure he's healthy which inevitably means me being healthy too. And I need to keep up 'cause he's much faster than me! I'm not sure how many races I will participate in during 2012 but I know my personal goal for 2012 is 50 km at Haliburton. That and making sure that my running ability improves enormously this year. No pressure!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
It was a Nice Hike....
I know, right?
Let's cut to the chase. Lessons learned from the training run at Limberlost yesterday:
a) I cannot NOT run for a month and expect to push my body 14 km without pain. I love my Advil.
b) Limberlost is a TRAIL. Makes Sulphur Springs seem like a nice paved walkway. Never mind that crazy hill at Sulphur Springs - when you have to climb and hike rock and roots in order to stay on the trail...'nuff said.
c) My MM and our running friend are both awesome supporters and were very kind to hike with me along the 14km. Read: I had to stop to walk A LOT and instead of leaving me behind, they kindly kept me company.
d) HEED is the best darn electrolyte sports drink in existence! Seriously.
Honestly, it wasn't the most encouraging run yesterday. My MM had told me Limberlost is considered a very "technical" trail. "Come on," I had thought "What the heck is a technical trail? How complicated could following a path be??" Let's see....besides the aforementioned rock and root hills, we crossed small, slippery wooden foot bridges, slugged through bogs, went right into a small (and luckily shallow) creek, and our running friend went nearly knee deep into mud which was akin to quick sand. Geez, did I mention the mosquitoes??
But did I enjoy it? Well, oddly yes. And for lots of reasons. First, Limberlost is an incredible place. The 14km trail took us past 5 different small lakes, each with a distinct piece of scenery. I want to go back in the fall with my boys (when there are few buzzing insects) and do a day hike. I highly recommend it. Second, Limberlost is a true trail run. Now I really feel like I've really completed one (even if was just a fast hike as it was yesterday!). Third, this was the first time I actually "scouted" out a trail before a race. Yes, I realize I've only participated in one race so far but work with me here. The fact is, I wouldn't have known that between 1 and 2 km is a fairly steep hill, made up mainly of rock and roots that one needs to traverse up. Now I know and thus I also know not to sprint out of the gate too fast 'cause that hill is killer! And lastly, I still managed to finish 14 km - my time was embarrassing but I did finish it and never gave up.
So the next three weeks are crucial for me. Train, train and train some more. So long chocolate chip muffins at Tim Horton's in the morning. Adios chocolate almond bars in the afternoons when I really needed them (once per week, I swear!). I may even say au revoir to my Heineken (note I didn't say bye to this but see you again!). Again, my goal isn't to race exactly but to finish. Yesterday proved that I can do 14 km but there is NO way I'm walking the majority of it on race day. I'm out there to run and run I will!
Let's cut to the chase. Lessons learned from the training run at Limberlost yesterday:
a) I cannot NOT run for a month and expect to push my body 14 km without pain. I love my Advil.
b) Limberlost is a TRAIL. Makes Sulphur Springs seem like a nice paved walkway. Never mind that crazy hill at Sulphur Springs - when you have to climb and hike rock and roots in order to stay on the trail...'nuff said.
c) My MM and our running friend are both awesome supporters and were very kind to hike with me along the 14km. Read: I had to stop to walk A LOT and instead of leaving me behind, they kindly kept me company.
d) HEED is the best darn electrolyte sports drink in existence! Seriously.
Honestly, it wasn't the most encouraging run yesterday. My MM had told me Limberlost is considered a very "technical" trail. "Come on," I had thought "What the heck is a technical trail? How complicated could following a path be??" Let's see....besides the aforementioned rock and root hills, we crossed small, slippery wooden foot bridges, slugged through bogs, went right into a small (and luckily shallow) creek, and our running friend went nearly knee deep into mud which was akin to quick sand. Geez, did I mention the mosquitoes??
But did I enjoy it? Well, oddly yes. And for lots of reasons. First, Limberlost is an incredible place. The 14km trail took us past 5 different small lakes, each with a distinct piece of scenery. I want to go back in the fall with my boys (when there are few buzzing insects) and do a day hike. I highly recommend it. Second, Limberlost is a true trail run. Now I really feel like I've really completed one (even if was just a fast hike as it was yesterday!). Third, this was the first time I actually "scouted" out a trail before a race. Yes, I realize I've only participated in one race so far but work with me here. The fact is, I wouldn't have known that between 1 and 2 km is a fairly steep hill, made up mainly of rock and roots that one needs to traverse up. Now I know and thus I also know not to sprint out of the gate too fast 'cause that hill is killer! And lastly, I still managed to finish 14 km - my time was embarrassing but I did finish it and never gave up.
So the next three weeks are crucial for me. Train, train and train some more. So long chocolate chip muffins at Tim Horton's in the morning. Adios chocolate almond bars in the afternoons when I really needed them (once per week, I swear!). I may even say au revoir to my Heineken (note I didn't say bye to this but see you again!). Again, my goal isn't to race exactly but to finish. Yesterday proved that I can do 14 km but there is NO way I'm walking the majority of it on race day. I'm out there to run and run I will!
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