Ottawa Marathon 2011

So you ask..... how was it?  Well I can honestly say it was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  It started off great.  I slept great the night before and the night before the night before.  I didn't sleep in, I was early, but not two early.  I wasn't nervous but I wasn't overly excited either.  The first 10k my pacing was spot on.  I was between the 3:50 and 4 hour pace bunnies. 

The factor out of my control... the weather.  It was humid and much warmer than the day before.   By the time I had ran 3k I was soaked with sweat.  And at 4k the negative self talk crept in.  I battled with those voices for another 8k.  Something else happened that had never happened to me while running - EVER!  My stomach betrayed me. I was concerned about becoming dehydrated, but decided to slow things down a bit and see how I felt.

Between 12 and 14k I wallowed in self pity and had talked myself out of the race.  Then I saw my husband.  I switched sides of the road and ran closer toward him.  Fighting back tears, I was preparing myself to tell him I was pulling out.  I couldn't do it anymore and was foolish to even consider trying.  But when he saw me he started cheering like crazy.  Yelling at me to go and telling me I looked great.  At that point I realized I couldn't quit.  I couldn't let him down and everyone else who had supported me throughout my training.

I thought of my parents and mother and father-in-law who had watched my kids on early Saturday mornings and left encouraging messages about the race.  I thought about my co-workers who wished me luck and would listen to me talk about the race and ooh and aah over my shiny medal.  I thought about the people I ran with and fought through training runs with in all kinds of horrible weather.  I thought about my husband who had woken up at 5 am that morning because I needed to eat and drink that early and a bazillion other things to support my running and then I thought about my kids and the kind of example I wanted to set for them.  And I continued on.

The 4 hour pace bunnies passed me and I let go of that goal.  I thought I would stay ahead of the 4:15 bunnies and maybe try to beat my time in Niagara Falls even if it was only by a few minutes.  Regardless of the time.. I was going to finish.  I owed it to all of the people who have supported me and most importantly I owed it to myself.

I settled into my run and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the course.  The bands were great and the crowds were better.  It started to rain about half way through the race, but people were still out there cheering for all of the runners.  Our names are on our bibs and the people in the crowd look for your name and say it to you.  I think at least 25 people said my name.  I thanked everyone of them and high fived all of the kids I could.

What I find inspiring about distance running is the comrade that happens between runners, how you move in and out of groups of people and how everyone on that course has a story as to how they got there.  You often catch a glimpse of the elite runners if the course has an out and back portion and they have incredible focus and movement but more inspiring to me are the "normal" people who are pushing themselves to overcome the pain they are feeling to complete the 42.2 distance.

I saw a man in a wheel chair - a normal wheel chair, not a racing chair at the 30k mark.  Each and every runner who paced him said "Good work" or something similar.  I watched a man watching the race offer a shoulder to a woman so she could stretch and then ran along side her yelling words of encouragement.   Someone at a water station said to me "Keep going little lady - you're going to finish this" when I was feeling down and out.  Her words moved me because at that moment being called a 'little lady' made me feel as light as a feather and my running became effortless. 

I learned from this marathon that yes - a marathon is about pushing yourself to your absolute limit to the point of mental and physical exhaustion and continuing even though you think you can't.  It is the individual running that has to put one foot in front of the other for all 42.2k.  But it is your loved ones who have supported you and are thinking of you during the race and the total strangers yelling for you to go that remind you that you can.  To all of those people I say "Thank you".

Tourists in Ottawa

We toured around in two of the places we haven't spent much time in during our previous visits to the Nation's capital. The Byward market and the Parliament buildings. In the afternoon we had a bit of a rest in the hotel and then we watched the 10k race before going out for dinner.

We were both quite the shutterbugs today.




The Byward market




Where I bought une banane actually trios




A funky little courtyard


I'm getting ready to run Parliament - hee




Some random ruining my shot




Inside Parliament








View from the Peace Tower





A few detailed shots of the building








Then we watched the race. I know it sounds hooky but I actually had chills when the runners went by.

On our way to dinner I found a lucky penny.


And at dinner I had my palms read




I'm an active person who has trouble sitting still..... she's good!

Actually she said a lot of interesting things I including that this year will bring a lot of change for me so we'll see. But for now it's time for bed - I have a very early start tomorrow.

Good luck wishes to Rick and Tracey in Buffalo.

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Welcome to Ottawa

We spent six hours driving in the rain but we're here!







We made it to the expo half an hour before it closed but I got my shirt in the size!!! Last year this was my number one complaint about this race.

We are staying at the Capital Hill - my parents stayed here when we came to Ottawa for Canada day. It's a good hotel in a great location.





Our room has a kitchenette which is great because I can bring my own snacks and keep my water cold.




For dinner we had planned to go to the parliament pub, but when we arrived we were told that their kitchen was closed so we ended up going here.






I had their only vegetarian option on the menu. A veggie burger - it was really good.


Now I'm hanging out and looking forward to heading to the Byward market and walking around the city to tomorrow.

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M-m-m-muffins

Aside from the pancakes I've also made these muffins a lot lately.  They are really quick to whip up.  I even have time to make them in the morning.  I mix the dry ingredients the night before so all I have to do in the morning is add the wet ingredients and pop in the oven.  Then by the time I'm finished getting ready from work I have freshly baked muffins for my family. Its a good thing they are so easy to make because they only last a day in my house.

Blueberry Muffins

Dry Ingredients

1 & 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup protein powder
1 tbs baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Whisk together in a bowl and set aside.

Wet Ingredients

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla

1 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

In another bowl, whisk oil and sugar together until smoothish.  Beat in egg.  Mix in milk and vanilla.  Pour into dry ingredients.  Stir until just moistened.  Fold blueberries into batter.

Fill greased muffin tray 3/4 full.  Bake at 375 until your hair and make up are done for about 20 minutes. Let sit in tray for 5 minutes then let cool on a rack.

Bon Appetit!

Countdown to Ottawa

This time next week I will hopefully be finished my marathon in Ottawa.  I've been reflecting quite a bit on my training over the past few days.  I'm in my last week of my taper and not feeling quite as rested as I'd like to be, but I still have the next week to take it easy and hydrate.

I've told everyone who cares to listen that I'm not really concerned about my time.  I'm hoping to run it around the time that I finished Niagara Falls.  I do have more conditioning now compared to last fall so I should be able to run better, but the weather has recently improved.  The warmer weather is generally a good thing, but I'm used to running in weather that has been no warmer than 14 degrees with no humidity. 

The Ottawa Race weekend is a huge event.  Every hotel has sold out down town.  I love the city of Ottawa and am looking forward to visiting it.  Running around it for four hours?? Maybe not.  I have found in the past I don't spend much time looking at the scenery during races.  I'm usually focused on the runners around me or the road.  Maybe this time, I'll check out what's around me.  Don't expect pictures of the course, I won't be running with a camera or my phone.  I am not that coordinated.

I'm not experiencing my normal jumble of pre-race nerves - yet.  In the past, I would be dreading next Sunday.  In truth I really just want the whole thing to be over with.  Its an odd way to feel given the fact that I have basically been training for this race since the middle of December.  I think I'm just feeling tired from the training.  When I took my 10k clinic, Matt told our class my week 7 or 8 of the training you should feel as if you really can't do anymore.  I certainly felt that way at the end of this training.  Perhaps its because of my work requirements that I'm not feeling as well rested as normal.  Who knows.  There are so many factors that can effect your outcome when it comes to running.  But this race training program was the first time I actually had to have running be my third priority rather than my second.  Family - work - running not family - running - work.

I've been lucky as well to have some great running friends to do my training runs with.  Tracey and I had some soggy and beautiful early Saturday morning runs together.  I've had a few week day runs with Katherine and yesterday Rick and I ran the last few k of our Saturday morning run together and reflected a bit on our training.  That one of the greatest things about running with others, is the friendships you form while sweating profusely and breathing hard.  Sometimes things about yourself you didn't even realize about yourself come out in conversations.  These social runs are what I am looking forward to the most at the end this training.  That being said, I'm sure within a few weeks I'll be planning my next race, but then again the people I run with probably already know that.

Race Number 3 - Guelph Lake 5k 2009

After recovering from what felt like a complete failure at the time, but in retrospect really wasn't.  I picked myself up and moved on.  I knew I was going to keep running and I was planning on taking the 10k clinic.  I also knew I wanted to run faster and push myself without being a sucky baby if a race didn't go my way.  

A few things changed at that time.  A new guy named Rick started running at the open groups and I joined him. He ran at a faster pace than I was used to, but it was a good push for me.  As it turns out - Rick has been one of the biggest running influences I've met.  

I also started to get a lot of racing advice. Apparently some people can flip a switch easily which takes them from their normal selves to a savage warrior who can ignore all of the pain in their bodies and focus on winning.  Me... not so much.  In a flight or fight situation, I'm a chickadee.


Getting to the point, I started to focus differently on this race.  I began running with someone once in a while that would push me to run faster.  I also tried visualizing the race and prepared a manta. "I am fast, I am strong"  This is much better than Kara Goucher's "Fighter".


The Guelph Lake race was another small race - even smaller than Mount Forest, but I was a bit more prepared for it.  In the start line I was still a bundle of nerves, but I felt a bit better prepared.  The gun went off and I had a few fleeting thoughts about running back to the car or how I'd rather be a volunteer than racing.  But every time I had a negative thought, I used my mantra.


It actually worked.  I felt pretty good in the race, not like I was doing an easy run, but not like I wanted to die either.  I finished this race in 26:30.  A full two minutes better than my time in Mount Forest three weeks earlier.  I missed placing in my age group by 6 seconds.  (I know a small race) but  I was thrilled with my effort.  I don't have any pictures from this race because something happened to my husband's camera but the finish line shot wouldn't look that great anyway. After this race I began my 10k clinic... would the mantra hold up??? We'll see.

Pancakes

Today's run was cold, wet and windy.  I had planned on running an out and back but bailed a few kilometres short because I was tired of running into the wind.  I added two kilometres onto my run once I got back into town.  The entire run I was dreaming about pancakes or as they are called in my house pampapes.

I've decided that pancakes covered in butter and real maple syrup is this training schedule's craving.  I can relate each long distance race I've trained for with a craving.  Some are normal cravings like bagels and cream cheese to truly bizarre - dulse and cappuccinos.  Pancakes are normal as well, not exactly healthy and could explain why I feel like I've gained weight while logging 70+ km a week.

In all fairness to myself I have tried to make these healthier by adding protein powder to the mix, but the butter and maple syrup cancel any benefits - I'm sure. 

Pancakes



Yes - I am a pig with butter.... what!!?? No weight loss - hmmmm I'm beginning to see why.

 Dry Ingredients

1/2 cup protein powder (I use progressive vegan vanilla powder)
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Whisk together in a bowl.

Wet Ingredients

2 cups milk or diary substitute (I use Vanilla Almond milk)
2 eggs
2 tbs oil
1 tsp vanilla

Whisk wet ingredients together and add to dry mixture. Until just moistened - mixture will be lumpy.

Ladle into a hot oiled pan.  Flip when bubbles appear on the top of the pancake.

Serve with your choice of toppings.
Bon appetit!