Oak Bay Half Marathon.

Sunday was the big day; the Oak Bay Half Marathon. I stayed on the sidelines for the race, deciding I'd rather film, take photos and otherwise document the day. And I'm so, so glad I did; it was an amazing day and a wonderful experience. We also had several runners in the 5K event; our pregnant Moms and a few of our She Runs runners. They all ran really well!

One of our Half-Marathon runners had been sick in the days leading up to the race. One ended up going out way too fast and even considered dropping out, but thankfully teamed up with another Running Mom and they finished together. There were some pretty awful blisters and sore toes in the group; it was a hot day. In the end, everyone looked out for each other and finished strong and I even had the pleasure of running a little ways with a few people, which was so nice. I'm extremely proud of all our Running Moms (and Dad) and I can't wait until the next clinic!


Speaking of clinics, the next Half Marathon clinic begins June 13th, training for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Half Marathon on October 7th. And we're so excited to announce our new 10K clinic! We're training for the Shawnigan Lake Kinsol Half-a-Half (10.5K) on October 28th and will also be ready for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria 8K Road Race on October 7th. All the info is on our Clinics Page. 


Thinking of joining us? Please contact me with any questions! runningmomsca@gmail.com

Proud.

I didn't post last week (did you notice?), so here is a nice photo of the group out on our one-hour long run. It was a gorgeous day. Check out those clouds! 

I was the only one with a stroller (with both my girls inside), so my work was definitely cut out for me; trying to keep up with the group to shoot all this video footage took serious effort!

Yesterday was the first big running event of the clinic: the TC 10K. We had several runners in the crowd and I was fortunate to line up with a few of them. I captured as many photos and as much video as I could. It was the best race-line-up experience I've ever had. 


And I'm not even kidding; I usually walk up the start line seconds before the gun because I hate standing around.

There were over 12,000 participants (including the 1.5K kids run) running through the streets of Victoria and although it was understandably crowded, it was a fantastic run. 


There were several personal bests set in the Running Moms group (including my own, thank you very much) and we had two SHE Runs members out running their first 10K! Yahoo! 


Everyone finished with a smile on their face; what else matters?

TC 10K: check. Oak Bay Half Marathon: two weeks (less than two weeks!) away on May 13th. 


The next time these lovely ladies don a race number, they'll be laying it all out for 21.1K and I will be cheering them on from the sidelines. ...and running all over the course to shoot video and take photos, of course. My husband will be looking after the kids and I am beyond excited!


I am so proud of all of you. I only hope you are just as proud of yourselves; it's one of the greatest gifts you will ever receive! 

Build strength, improve and gain confidence.

The weather was amazing Sunday morning for our 15K long run and I felt pretty lucky to be out enjoying it. It was a perfect day; the type of day where I swear I'm solar-powered.

We ran a 5K tempo in the middle of the run and everyone worked hard. We had to; a long portion of the 5K route was uphill and my brain stopped processing anything that didn't have to do with keeping my pace. It was the first time in a few weeks that I felt like I was running well and I was so relieved because it means I'm starting to come out the other side of the "mid-clinic slump". Thank goodness!

This week's workout is two-times the mile loop in Beacon Hill Park and two-times up the flagpole hill. We are meant to run the mile at half-marathon pace and the hill at a solid effort. 


Michelle, Christina and I ran the workout this morning and the first mile was only about twenty-seconds fast. Not bad at all. We ran the hill and then set out on the second mile. We were about halfway through the second mile and I was feeling pretty good, so I started to pick up the pace without saying anything. 


We kept running and talking and the pace slowly crept up. Nothing crazy, but we were moving. About two-hundred meters from the finish, Christina says, "This is way faster than last time." I chuckled and told her it was my fault; I had sped up - sorry. The funny thing was, they both stayed with me, even though we ended up finishing forty-seconds faster than the previous loop; a full minute faster than our goal pace.


OK, I know we were running together and talking, so it makes sense that they made the effort to stay with me, but I can't help thinking that it really speaks to how determined the runners in this group have become. These women don't think twice about pushing themselves, they just do. I'm like a proud Mama Bear. 


Fantastic work, Ladies.

Our SHE Runs program is really taking off! We've had several women join and although they mainly run Monday and Friday evenings at 8:30pm, a few of them have run with us from time to time during our 10am time slot. I've run with them a few times in the evenings, but it's always great to see people during the day, especially because I can take photos!

It's been a treat meeting everyone and seeing how willing people are to push themselves; I'm always amazed at the drive and dedication. I look forward to seeing everyone build strength, improve and gain confidence. Honestly, it's my favourite part of being a run leader. 

Remember: if you or someone you know would like to start running, but would benefit from a fun and supportive group, please contact me any time at runningmomsca@gmail.com!

Trust me. Trust yourself.

Another week, another long run through the streets of beautiful Victoria. Oh, and another Running Moms video! 

We're also another week closer to race day and it's the point in the clinic when people tend to feel a bit (or maybe more than a bit) tired. It's totally normal and nothing to be worried about unless there's a physical injury involved. And even the fatigue or the feelings of "blah" will turn back into a pepped-up step once the tapering begins.


Trust me. Trust yourself. Once we get into tapering it begins to feel like we should be running more, because we've become accustomed to longer mileage and harder workouts. It's all about building and storing strength and being able to access it when it counts: race day. The key is to step up to the start line feeling rested and ready. 


The other news for Running Moms is that our SHE Runs group is growing steadily and we now have a great new group of fantastic women! I've always been so inspired by people who take that first step to start running or get back into it after having their kids. It is not an easy thing to do; it takes a whole lot of courage. Thanks to our new runners. It's been such a pleasure to meet all of you. Here's to new beginnings and new friends!

Well worth it.

Beach drive in the cold, rain and wind.

My only thought when I got out of the car this morning was, "The jacket stays on." 


Running Moms ran their longest run of the clinic this morning; the race course of the Oak Bay Half. I won't lie: I was hoping the weather would be nicer. But in true Victoria fashion, we went from cold and blustery, to rainy and blustery, to sunny and blustery, to sunny. 


My only thought when we finished the second pickup was, "The jacket's gotta go." But I wore it for around 16K, so it was well worth it to finish the run with a jacket tied around my waist.

Our pregnant moms, Carey and Adrianne, left us early and ran 10K. After they veered off (and after a much-appreciated washroom pitstop), we ran two 15-minute pickups with a 5-minute jog between sets. As usual, I was beyond impressed with the effort put into the run; finding your race pace takes time and is not easy, but everyone seems up to this ongoing challenge.

Christy left us after the pickups and headed back early. She has been a busy, busy Running Mom; she has led all of our SHE Runs this week, as well as coaching the Thursday-night workout, so it's no surprise that she was tired today!

On the return trip; Beach Drive in the sun.

Run's done. ...where's the coffee shop around here?

Hmm. My only thought as we finished our run was, "Bring on the coffee, already." I sometimes think I run solely for the soy-latte reward and the conversation around the table. It really is a highlight. 


Thanks, Ladies; a pleasure as always. See you at the workout!

Happy family.

Big week for Running Moms! 


During the week, we ran a butt-kicking workout (3 x 10 minutes at 10K pace). Sunday, we ran a solid 2-hour run in the sunshine on Lochside trail. We slowed our overall pace during the long run and included 2 x 10 minutes at half-marathon pace.  

And then to top things off, we launched an entirely new program for beginner/"just-getting-back" runners called SHE Runs! This was Christy's brainchild and it's times like these when I thank my lucky stars that we met. Great person, great mom, great runner, great ideas.

Christy led our first SHE Runs group Monday night and it went really well. We're just so excited to welcome new runners to our happy family!

This Sunday will be our longest run of the clinic; we will run the entire Oak-Bay-Half race course. We will include more race-pace pickups during the run and I'm looking forward to covering the distance as a group.


Is it just me, or does a little dose of sunshine just make everything amazing? Here's to Spring!

Videos, pace and stride.

Yesterday morning we ran 10K and took in the sights at Craigdarroch castle; one of my favourite spots in Victoria. Everyone was nice enough to let me shoot video all throughout the run and I put a short video together; our first promo video. I had a great time doing it and look forward to filming more. Thanks, you guys! You are too much fun and such great sports!

Note to self: next time don't move around so much while filming. 

We have pick-ups to look forward to in the coming weeks! Starting this Sunday (March 25th), we will be adding periods of tempo (race pace) into our long runs. This usually means that we start recognizing our "usual" pace during long runs and have to adjust it (i.e. slow down) in order to have room to speed up for the pick-ups. 


From now until the end of this clinic we will talk almost exclusively about pace and stride. The goal is to analyze the efficiency (or lack thereof) of our stride and to start "feeling" our pace. By doing this, we get an idea of how long we can maintain a certain speed and whether we have reserves to draw on if and when the going gets tough (and it usually gets tough). 

All this knowledge is directly tied to knowing your ability and capacity to suffer. And while that may sound awful, it's a place and state that you need to know if you want to push yourself, improve and/or achieve your race goals. 

But the biggest payoff? Suffering is a huge well of empowerment; once you know you are willing to suffer, you refill your reserves with the priceless currency of accomplishment. The true runner's high.

So the only thing I want to know is: are you ready?