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?

Last-minute 5K race with a 15K chaser.

The Lifemark Esquimalt 5K was Saturday, March 10th. The final day of registration was open at the Rec centre from 7am to 7pm on the Friday. I debated it all day; back and forth, yes, no. And then I finally called them up, registered and picked up my race number after supper. Why not?

And then the fun began. I texted Christy at around 6.20pm and told her I was running the 5K on a whim. She texted back just over twenty minutes later, asking "Can you still register???" Long story short, I called Esquimalt Rec, registered Christy and we ran the race the next morning at 8.30am.

I had both my girls in the Chariot, so the undulating hills in Esquimalt and the steep, rocky climb through Macauley Point park were seriously tough, but we came in under 27 minutes; a PB for Christy!

There were four best parts of the experience:

1. Running this race with Christy. She kept saying she was just struggling to keep up with me, but I could see just how strong a runner she has become over the past year. She killed that hill in Macauley Point park. Killed.

2. Running Moms recognition! We wore our Running Moms shirts and we had several people ask us if we were the Running Moms; the ones that run out of Frontrunners. That was a very nice surprise and very satisfying.

3. Eunice, one of our Moms who runs with us Mondays, was running with her friend, who happened to be pushing two kids in a stroller. Christy and I waited at the finish line and cheered Eunice on as she pushed her friend's stroller across the finish line. Eunice looked strong!

4. Watching my little girls cheering all the runners in at the finish line. So cute.

This morning, we ran 15K in the sunshine. Cold to start, but a stellar morning to be sure. It was the first time I've ever taken this group over King George Terrace, one of the steeper hills in town. Malaika was the only one pushing a stroller and she and Waymouth did just great on the hills and along the Brighton Trail, where Waymouth had his Chariot hoisted up a flight of stairs. Like royalty. What a little cutie. 


Our pregnant Moms ran a shorter course, so there were actually two more runners with us this morning. Plus me; we took this photo in front of my picture in the Frontrunners window. Do you see me? 


Oh, and the dog? That's my dog, Jett. He stayed in the car while we ran because for the first time ever, I actually had a sitter for my kids! Normally my husband, Peter, will stay at home with the girls and when he's away I bring them along for the run. Not today. It was so worth it; they would much rather be playing at home than sitting in the stroller for an hour-and-a-half. Win-win.


Have a great week, everyone! This is a recovery week, so that means the workout will be shorter (but not easier) and the long run will be around 10K. See you all soon.

Twice around the lakes.

Last Sunday we ran approximately 18K through various parts of town. It was a lovely day. 

Christy, Lisa, Carey and Adrianne ran the alternate 10K route, Malaika had to duck out around 11K because her son needed to get out of the stroller and Renee, Michelle, Kristine and I pushed on to the finish. 

I had both my girls in the Chariot and they had a pretty good time watching movies on the DVD player that Christy lent us (thanks again!), but by the end they were definitely done. Another long run in the bag; phew.

Somewhere around kilometre eleven.

Today we had our first field trip of the clinic; Christy, Michelle, Christina, Lisa and I ran two laps of Elk and Beaver Lake for a total of roughly 21.5K! That's right: we ended up running a little over the half-marathon distance in approximately 2 hours and 5 minutes (give or take). Way to go, Ladies!

Christy talking with a dog-owner on the trail. His border collies were adorable.

Christy and I spent some time talking about the difference running on path versus pavement. You go into a run on path thinking that it will be so much easier on your body than the road, but I honestly think that your body just gets used to whatever surface you train on most often, so when you suddenly change that surface, your body notices.


So although we all enjoyed the run and had a great time out in the woods with the beauty of nature all around us, we all felt the run. Road is fairly even and predictable, path and trail is not. Pavement, though hard, is a very responsive and fast surface; dirt and gravel, though softer than pavement, is a less-responsive surface which can feel sluggish and can take more energy.


I used to run at the lakes on a very regular basis, so I never noticed this transition between surfaces, but now that I rarely make it out there, it's always noticeable. Funny that.

Approximately fifteen kilometres.

Hmm. Maybe my all-out attack on the Seven Hills of Rockland Thursday night had something to do with feeling sluggish this morning. ...or all the dark chocolate and almonds I ate last night. ...or the sub-par hydration. 


Oh, take your pick.

Finished and happy! 

Hard work and camaraderie.

Recovery week! Over the last three weeks, our long runs increased to an hour and forty-five minutes and this week we dropped back to one hour. It was a reminder (for me at least) of how comfortable a relatively easy-paced 10K can feel. It's always nice to get out for a run that you know won't be pushing you to (or past) the edges of your "happy place". ...we'll save that for the next three weeks. Kidding. Sort of.

The coming week will see a shift in our workout focus from hills to speed. This is the week that I become ever grateful for the group; I find speed work extremely hard without their support and encouragement. Not to mention how a little suffering can make friendships even tighter. This is usually the point in a clinic when people begin to build lasting friendships. A huge fringe benefit of blending hard work and camaraderie.


Thanks for the run, you guys.

Long runs, pregnancies and pace.

Well, the rain held off and the wind was almost non-existant, so we lucked out big time for this morning's 18K run. We had a solid group of eleven runners, three strollers and three kids, although two Moms, one stroller and one little one ran a shorter course (10K), because those Moms are pregnant!

Yes, three of our original six Moms from the last half-marathon clinic are expecting babies in September and October and we are so excited for them and their families. And I'm also really pleased to see these Moms still out running; as long as everyone stays healthy and happy, I expect we'll have some beautiful baby bumps running with us very soon. Can't wait!

Click to see the 18K route.

Click to see the 10K route.

This will be the norm throughout the remainder of this clinic (or as long as our pregnant Moms continue to run with us): while the main group's distance continues to lengthen, we will always offer a 10K route for our expecting Moms. Long runs during the recovery weeks are usually around 10K, so we'll all be able to run the same route, which is nice. 


Which brings me to pace. Christy and I have been noticing a natural division in the group based on pace; there are a few runners who tend to be out in the lead during our long runs and the group can get a bit spread out. This isn't a problem at all, but it can be hard for the people at the back because they may feel as though they are "slowing down the group". This is untrue; if anything, the faster runners are likely causing people to push harder than they normally would or should. 


The solution? Let the group spread out naturally, but strategically place run leaders at the front and back of the group. By doing this, those who feel more comfortable with a faster pace can base their speed on that of the run leader at the front of the group and those who feel more comfortable at a slower pace will also have a run leader on which to base their pace. The key is to make this known at the outset of the run; no one is "pulling" the group forward and no one is "dragging" the group back because as long as you stay within reach of one of the run leaders, you know you're on pace.


And of course, the group up ahead will always turn around periodically to regroup with those behind. :)


Regardless of where people end up in the group, I know everyone is dedicated and working hard. Every week I'm blown away at the effort displayed by this amazing group. Thanks, you guys and see you this week for the workout. Recovery week!

Serious distance.

So far this clinic we've run 1hour (10K) and 1hour 15minutes (12.5K), but today was the day that the long runs start to officially feel long. Maybe it's just me, but once we hit 1hour 30 minutes (15K), I always feel like we've crossed the threshold into "serious distance." 

Although I mapped this morning's run at slightly over 15K, Christy's GPS app said it was a hair under 16K. I believe it; anytime we leave the roads and get on paths and trails, I always think the actual distance ends up being longer.


So if the run was around 16K, then we're only a little over 5K off the half-marathon distance..! And when you put it that way, the whole notion of "serious distance" really rings true. 

Next Sunday we will run 1hour 45minutes and I expect we'll cover around 18K. After that we'll have a recovery week and our long run will reduce to 1hour (10K). I just love it when we go back to running 10K and all of a sudden people realize that 10K used to be their long run!

Great run today and great job; getting out for 8am on a Sunday (some of you with kids!) is no easy feat. Believe me when I say that I am so honoured every time we run together. 


See you (or Christy will see you) this week for the workout!