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?

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!