Marathon is over now what?

4 months of training are now over and the marathon is in my rear view mirror now.
I allowed myself a day to dwell on that and now I'm focused on my next goal.
Today, at work, I spoke to many of clients about the importance of goal setting and trying to avoid the negative cycles that we are familiar with. It's easy to fall prey to feelings of sadness and this can lead to depression, isolation and apathy. I've seen this not only with the clients that I see at the gym but also within myself at times. I think that's why it's important to constantly have goals that you want to achieve and a plan to achieve them. They don't always have to be long-term goals.
I try to give my clients "homework" to do and this includes keeping a journal of their eating and exercise habits. When we review them together they can see the success they have had and I try to focus them on what they are doing right instead of dwelling on what they didnt' do.
Most of my own goals include running as I feel that this has a positive effect on my "cycle" of thinking. When I run I feel better about myself which in turn allows me to make healthier choices the majority of the time. I don't expect perfection from myself or my clients but if I can get them to make healthy choices the majority of the time then they will have success.
Developing a positive coping mechanism to deal with stress is something that I spend lots of time working with my clients on. Sometimes all they need is a "sounding board" and this can come from close friends or a family member. Other times it is important to do something to take your mind off the stress and that is where exercise can be beneficial. You have to find something that you are passionate about and something that you can channel your energy into. Hopefully it is something that involves some type of physical activity. This can be going for a brisk walk, a bike ride, a visit to the gym or a run (in my case).
I was disappointed, at first over my marathon performance but after doing some soul searching and talking with my friends I'm OK with it now. I will use this as a learning experience and it will only make me stronger as a result.
The key, for me, is to get right back to thing that I love so much and where I find my peace and inner strength and that is back on the road/trails.
Once my body has physically healed (probably tomorrow) I will be back running again. My next goal race is a 50K run in late June in Niagara Falls. I will use this as a training run for my marathon in the fall. I will experiment with different electrolyte supplements to find the right combination that will reduce or eliminate my cramping problems.
Even though my ultimate goal was not achieved on Sunday, I would not have traded all the training I did with Ken as it has made me a stronger and smarter runner as a result.
Whatever your goals are try to keep positive and realize that there will be roadblocks along the way which you will need to overcome. In addition, don't forget to give yourself credit for achieving the mini goals along the way.

3:42 and HAPPY with that

I did the best I could on THIS particular day (thanks for that line Theresa).
The race started out very well today and I was easily on pace for a sub or at least a 3:30 up until the 25-27K mark. At this point I started to get cramps in both of my calves. They were so painful that I times I was literally limping instead of running. At the 30K mark I knew that my goal of 3:30 was out of reach because by now I was about 1:30 off my target pace. For the next 12.2 it was all about just finishing the race.
It was one of the hardest things to accept mentally as I had put in so much training to get to this point and now by body had let me down at the worst possible moment.
With 7K left to go, each step became more and more painful and yet I had to keep going. Looking back on this now, I can give myself credit for not giving up and even though I'm disappointed with the outcome, I will learn from this and figure out what I need to do to avoid these cramping issues in future races.
Seeing the finish line today is something that I usually sprint to but yesterday it was more like a relief than anything else.
Immediately after the race I couldn't walk and had to be helped to the medical tent where one of my friends (thanks Jen) helped take care of me. My hands were freezing, not a good sign right after a race, so I was taken from the physio tent to the medical tent.
Throughout the next 30 or so minutes (it felt more like an hour) I was on the table and couldn't get warm. At times I was shaking so bad that the table was moving. Another good friend (Kristin) was able to keep warm and more importantly, calm.
Eventually I was able to get some electrolytes into my system, got some massage for my calves, quads and hip flexors and was able to walk or limp out of the tent.
There are so many stories within a marathon, both good and bad, so instead of looking negatively on this experience I will look at the positives instead.
I finished the race!
I finished the race over 20 minutes faster than my last Mississauga Marathon. I realized how great it is to have amazing friends. I know that physically, once I figure out the cramping issues, I can reach my goal. My love for running, even with this setback, has never been greater. And finally, I can return to running for fun......for a month until my next marathon training program starts up!
Thanks for all the support I received from those of you read my blog. It means so much to me.

It's the final countdown.

Rather than post something on the day before the race about how I'm feeling, I've decided to post the lyrics to one of the songs that I'll be listening to on my mp3 player tomorrow. It's called "Run" by Collective Soul.

Are these times contagious ?
I,ve never been this bored before,
Is this the prize I,ve waited for?
Now with the hours passing,
Theres nothing left here to mature,
I long to find a messenger.

Have I got a long way to run ?
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah ,I run......

Is there a cure among us,
From this processed sanity ?
I weaken with each voice that sings.
Now in this world of purchase,
I,m going to buy back memories,
To awaken some old qualities.

Have I got a long way to run ?
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah , (I run......)
Yeah , (I run......)

Have I got a long way ?
Have I got a long way ?
Have I got a long way to run ?
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah , (I run......)
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah , (I run......)
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah , (I run......)
Have I got a long way to run ?
Yeah , (I run......)
Have I got a long way to run ?

Amen Brother!
I'll post my pre and post race thoughts in the next few days, as soon as I'm able to walk......

Mississauga Running Expo report....

There really wasn't much to see and do at this running expo. Nancy and I went right as it opened at 10AM. After finding our race numbers we were able to get our racing bib and running chip as well as a few goodies all found in our racing package.
We met up with Nancys' sister, which was the best part of the day. I was able to find myself a new shirt which I will be wearing at the race on Sunday. When I look back at all of my races, I noticed that I wear pretty much the same outfit for each race, especially the ones over 30K. They have brought me good luck in the past but I wanted something "sporty" to wear for this race. With the help from Nancy and her sister, I think I found the right shirt.

On the way to and from the expo, Nancy and I were able to have a great talk about our running and how much it means to us. It was also a great opportunity to talk strategy for the race with regards to when to stop for water breaks, the mental barriers we will have to work through and the pain that will pop up unexpectedly that we'll have to deal with.

The plan was for me to go for a light run on Saturday but Nancy was able to convince me that this wasn't the smart thing to do. I'll probably meet up with a few friends and go for a little walk in the Rouge Valley instead.

The thin line between running happy and running mad

I'll never forget the feeling I had before, during and after my 1st Marathon in May of 2006. Before I started running in the fall of 2005, the thought of doing a marathon was something that was not only foreign to me, but something that I honestly had no desire to do.
I've always wanted to have a sense of "belonging" in my life. As the youngest of 5 children, I always seemed to be in the shadow of my other siblings. This was particularly true with regards to my brother who always seemed to do things better than I could. I found that I isolated myself for most of my life, especially in my marriage. This, I feel was one of the factors that led to my separation in the spring of 2005.

I was first introduced to the great sport of trail running by a woman who was and still is an amazing ultra distance runner. The very first time I ran with her in the trails I knew that this was where I needed to be. I'll never forget the feeling of euphoria I felt immediately after the run. Many runners call it the "runners high" but whatever is, I knew that I couldn't get enough of it.
I was more than happy running trail races and didn't even think about running a marathon. In fact, the first two races that I ever did were 25K trail races, both of them in the fall of 2005 without any training. I was able to complete them in respectable times but for me it was more important just to finish them.

My relationship ended with this woman, but my passion for running continued. I didn't have an outlet for my running and I was still very much a novice to this sport. One of my friends at the gym told me about a running clinic that was starting in the fall of 2005. I decided to sign up for the Hit the Road Running clinic. I went into that clinic not knowing more than a few people but by the end of the clinic I was actually doing a presentation on nutrition for the members. I met some amazing friends from that clinic and most of us ran not only the Boxing Day 10Mile race together but a few others including my first 1/2 marathon (Angus Glen).
That's right, I actually did my first 25K race before doing my first 1/2 marathon (LOL).

Most of the runners in this clinic had done at least one marathon and they would often talk about how amazing their experiences were. Some had even done or were trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon. At that time I didn't know how significant the Boston Marathon was. I was very much content in running trail races.

However, my feelings of wanting to "fit in" got the better of me and when I learned that most of them were going to do the Mississauga Marathon in 2006, I decided to enter it as well. I was doing mostly trail races though, and didn't have any type of plan to follow. My main objectives were just to run the race, finish it in one piece, and call myself a "Marathoner."

What made that day in May so special was the fact that a few of us were going to run our first marathon together. Luckily we had a very experienced marathon runner to show us the ropes. I couldn't have asked for a better group of runners to run with and, as it turned out, three of them have become my closest friends.

Even today I can still remember the sound of Theresa's voice telling us not to go out too fast and to pace properly. She has so much experience and wisdom that I hang on her every word. We all had an amazing time doing that race. The only bad thing about it was the cold temperatures and the heavy wind towards the end of the race. I completed my goal of finishing the marathon and I was able to celebrate with two of my friends (Ken and Miriam) who both qualified for the Boston Marathon on that day. They were so excited about their accomplishment but I still didn't understand the significance of their accomplishment.

Running as much trail races as I had done up to that point (well over 12) taught me that running slow and steady was the way to go. This seemed to fit me well as I didn't think that I was a very fast runner anyway.

After the Mississauga marathon was finished, I continued to do more trail races as I was entered into the Ontario Ultra Series running series.
In June of 2006 I attempted my first ultra marathon (50K) in Niagara Falls. Two weeks before the event, I asked Theresa if she would like to do the race with me. I was so happy when she agreed to come and we had an amazing time at the event. It was, though, my worst race as I felt like I had nothing left at about the 35K race. I still managed to finish, though and will never forget seeing her cheer me on as I finished that race. If she hadn't been there that day, I honestly don't know if I would have continued running. It was, up to that point, the only time I ever contemplated giving running up.

The thought of doing another marathon didn't enter my mind again until I had the opportunity to go to Hawaii as part of a fund raiser for Arthritis. The idea was to go there and run the Hawaii marathon in December. Hawaii was a place that I have always wanted to go to and the thought of combining my passion with a great vacation was something that got me very excited. Still, the marathon would not be something that I would be "racing" but instead it was going to be more about enjoying the scenery and enjoying the vacation with a marathon thrown in for good measure. The person I was dating at the time was going to do her first marathon so I was more than happy to help her reach this milestone.

Unfortunately things didn't work out and I never got to go to Hawaii or run the marathon. I'd be lying if I said that this wasn't devastating. Much of my running after that was very emotional. I found out how truly therapeutic my running was for me. As it turned out, this turn of events kick started my running into high gear.

My two boys and I were going to Jacksonville, Florida to celebrate Christmas with family there in lieu of me not going to Hawaii in December. I felt that I was such an emotional wreck that some time away was necessary.
It turned out that there was a marathon in Jacksonville three days after we arrived. It was now late early November which only gave me about 5 weeks to train for the marathon. Most training programs call for 16 weeks or so. I figured that since I had done so many trail races (now up to 20+) I should be ok to run the marathon.
I discussed with my closest friends whether I should try and race the marathon or just run it for fun. I would be running this race alone in a strange city and the weather was going to be warmer than I had been training in. I'll never forget the conversation I had with Nancy where she told me that I was actually a fast runner. Those words literally changed how I saw myself and I decided that I would try to run that race as fast as I could.
As part of the training plan that Theresa had given me, I had to run a 10Mile (16K) race in Whitby.
Even though I had done many races up to this point, I was never more nervous than I was for this race. I wanted to run the race in 1:20 which was a 5 min/K pace. Nancy was volunteering that day and she could see how nervous I was. She was able to explain why I was feeling this way as I had never given myself a time goal before.
I had the race of my life that day and finished in 1:13 or a 4:35 min/K pace. I had never run that fast in my life for that long and it gave me so much confidence that I use that race now to keep me motivated.
The Jacksonville Marathon was now only a few weeks away and I wanted to do that marathon in 3:45 to 3:50. The one and only marathon that I had done was done in over 4 hours, so anything better than that and I would have been happy with.
During that race I became very emotional and angry about not being able to run in Hawaii. I remember having a very "angry" run and it was if I was trying to dump all my negative feelings on the road. I think that I ran with my fists clenched for most of the race. My closest friends know that I am a pretty upbeat and positive person so this was a side of me that I'm glad they didn't get to see. I'm also glad that it only lasted until after the race. When I finished the race, I felt emotionally drained as well as physically exhausted. I ran the race in 3:39 but it was more relief than joy that I felt. It wasn't until I got an email from Nancy and Theresa while I was in Florida that I realized that I had taken more than 20 minutes off of my last marathon.
When I came back to Toronto I wanted to train properly for the Mississauga Marathon for a full 4 months. Nancy trained so hard herself in the fall of 2006 and qualified for the Boston Marathon as a result. I was so impressed by this and it inspired me to want to do the same thing.
I knew that I had to alter my training schedule somewhat since I had to watch my 2 boys on alternate weekends as well as two days through the week. Some weeks I would have to run for 7 days in a row while other weeks I would run 4-5. Unfortunately Nancy and Theresa were not able to train with me as much as I would have liked because they were teaching a marathon clinic themselves. I did some tempo runs with Ken leading up to the Jacksonville marathon so I asked him if he would help me train for the Mississauga Marathon. He not only ran with me but also laid out a plan which I followed religiously. There were times when we were doing our tempo runs together that I came so close to quitting or throwing up (sometimes on the same day-lol) but he always kept me motivated. He taught me not only to run faster but also smarter which was something that took a long time to sink in. There will never be enough words to describe to him what his help has meant to me, so for now I'll just say THANKS KEN!

Along the way during my training, I rediscovered how much nicer it was to run “happy.” So much of my runs in my past were runs because of stress. Training for this marathon kept me so focused and I didn’t allow any outside distractions to deter me from my training. This wasn’t always easy and I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the help of my friends.

I’m looking forward to running this upcoming marathon on an emotional “high” and I can’t wait to see, and run with, many of my friends on Sunday. I seem to be so much happier with regards to my running now, and I’ve limited or eliminated the things that were causing me stress and disappointment and sadness in my life. I know that by the time Sunday comes around I’ll feel like a butterfly wanting to shed his cocoon and NEEDING to fly…. or in my case RUN!

I've got a peaceful easy feeling......

There are many people who have influenced me not only with regards to my running. Most, if not all, of them are in the picture that you see above this post.
That picture was taken from a trail race last year and I can't wait until I can return to the trails in a few weeks.
My running "twin" understands my passion for running more than anyone else so it was nice to run with her this morning. It's so funny to hear us talk so much about running as neither one of us seems to get bored of the other as we talk about our next running goals even when we haven't even finished the marathon yet.

Today's run was a good confidence booster for me and considering that it will be my last run until Sunday, it was something that I needed badly.

It was a good chance to me to reflect on how lucky I am to have amazing friends who have seen my ups and downs and who have stood by me when I needed them most.

Over the next few days I will talk more specifically about each of the last two marathons that I've competed in. The first marathon I did was all about just doing one to say that I did it. The 2nd was done more on angry emotion and little training. This upcoming marathon is the first actual marathon that I have trained properly for both emotionally and physically. I was joking today about how each marathon has been like a three part movie and the finale will be shown this Sunday in Mississauga.

For anyone interested in attending here is the information:
http://www.mississaugamarathon.com/

My last track workout this morning

This morning Ken and I headed over to the track for my last workout there for quite some time.

I did my first "ladder" workout which consisted of a set of 200M, 400M, 1000M, 400M and then a 200M (I think that was it-lol). I completed them all below race pace time so I felt very good about the workout.
Since Ken has seen me train closer than anyone since January I asked him what time he thought I could realistically run for Mississauga. I was encouraged by what he told me but I won't share that on my blog. I'm only telling a few of my closest friends what he feels I can do as I want to have some mystery for Sunday.
I have three goals for Sunday. One of them is to run the marathon in 3 hours and 30 minutes. The other two goals I will reveal after my race.

Tomorrow I will running for the last time until Wednesday. As tough as the tapering is for me mentally, my body will appreciate the rest I'm sure. I already have enough things to keep me distracted between now and Sunday and many of those involve my couch, the remote control and carbohydrates.

Waiting is the hardest part.....

To quote one of my favorite singers, Tom Petty, "The waiting is the hardest part" and this could never ring more true than right now for me.
After 4 long, hard months of hill training, tempo speed work, fartleks, track work, and long Sunday runs the only thing that I can do now is wait until Sunday.

I did a nice 9K run with one of my friends on Sunday and just finished doing some light cardio at the gym for just over an hour today. With the weather being so nice outside it is so hard not to lace up my running shoes and go out for a run.

Between now and Sunday morning I will be fighting my own personal demons. Not only will my training be close to non existent, I will also have to eat twice the amount of food that I'm used to.
When I was doing cardio today I was talking to one of my friends and she thought it was funny that I had to hold myself back from training this week so that I can be at my best for Sunday. For someone who rarely takes a day off from doing something physically active, it will be a real challenge for me not to do anything physically active from Thursday to Sunday. I often talk to my clients about scheduling in at least 1 hour of physical activity per day to help them reach their weight loss/maintenance goals. This week I will have to take the opposite approach and stay off my feet as much as possible.

I will be in touch with my close friends often this week as they do a great job of keeping me grounded and focused. Most of them are also running this marathon and it will be such a nice experience to have them there with me.
They also have all run fast marathons and know what I'll need to do on Sunday to reach my goal. I can't thank them enough for the support they have given to me (Nancy, Theresa, Miriam and Ken you are all amazing!)

This week I'm going to do my best to keep myself focused on the marathon and that will include staying away from negative thoughts and feelings. I will probably run the race in my mind about a dozen times between now and Sunday. I will also read some inspirational books on running and watch some "underdog" movies such as Rudy, Rocky and Remember the Titans.
I'll also put the final touches on my music for the race on Sunday.

I know that this is all part of the pre-race strategy that I have employed in the past and you would think that I would be used to it by now. However, I've never trained this hard for anything in my life and I'm looking forward to Sunday more than any race that I've ever done. Now I'll I can do is count down the days....and wait!

What an amazing day!

A group of dedicated runners did our 16K time trial today (1K warm up, 14K time trial, 1K cool down) at 7:30 this morning. We went down to the Ajax waterfront and it seemed like such a long time since I had run there that I had forgotten how truly beautiful that area is to run in. The weather was great, although a little cold to start, but otherwise no problems. There were so many people out today on their bicycles, running, rollerblading or walking along the waterfront trail.

I felt so fast today, so I guess taking the day off yesterday helped. I had to actually slow myself down a few times (thanks Ken). We ran for 10 minutes and walked for 30 seconds. This is the plan that I will use at my Marathon. There are water stations approximately every 2K so I will run to them, drink water, gatorade or take my gel for 30 seconds and then start running again. It should take me no more than 10 minutes to get to each station, so this plan should work well for me.
After completing my run today, it was off to the 2nd leg of my exercise adventure. I met up with another of my good friends for a bike ride. I hadn't biked in such a long time and we ended up doing about 25K all around Ajax and actually made it down to the waterfront again.

It was great not only exercising with her but also getting caught up on some news. The friends that I have made from running, especially a group of 3 women I call my "running heir om" are people that I can lean on for guidance at a moments notice and I'm lucky to have so many of them.

Since she injured herself about 8 months ago, we haven't been able to run as much as we have in the past but she is slowly getting better so I'm hoping that we can resume our runs together soon.
Tomorrow we will be meeting up at the Pickering Running Room for a nice and easy 8-10K run. It will be more of a social thing for me as I haven't had a chance to run with many of my friends since my training started in January.
After spending the better part of 3 hours either biking or running, I then took my youngest son to see Spider man III. We had a blast at the movie and it was was the finishing touch on a truly great day.

Feeling satisfied!

After getting over my "mini-slump" from last week I am energized and ready to tackle the beast also known as the Marathon.
I did the smart thing today and took the day off from running, even though the weather is amazing, and rode my stationary bike for 1 hour instead.
It's funny how I used to feel so good about doing that kind of exercise, but since I started running, nothing satisfies me like a good run. I'd rather run for even 8K than do any other type of cardio workout.
I visited one of my best friends today and she gave me a few mementos from the Boston Marathon. One of them I'm displaying proudly in my office at home. It's a poster with different inspirational phrases about the Boston Marathon.
Some of my favorites are, "Resume says, I'm Goal Oriented", "Real superheroes wear shiny metal capes" and "The road is my therapist."
I feel so good right now that it's a shame that the marathon is still a week away. I'm going to bottle up this enthusiasm, though, and save it for race day.
Tomorrow a group of us will be running a 16K "time trial." I've done about 6 of these in my training and it's a great way to learn how to keep a pace for a certain length of time. The goal is to complete the 16K in exactly 1:20 or a 5 minute pace per kilometre. This will actually be slower than what I will be attempting to run at the Mississauga Marathon but the goal is not to run faster than that. I don't think I've quite mastered this technique yet so I'm looking forward to the run tomorrow at 7:30 AM. Who else but a bunch of dedicated runners would want to get up early on a Saturday?????
It's going to be a great weekend, so get off the couch and do something physically active, preferably outside!

The final countdown.....

I can now count the number of runs I have left on one hand and even though I love running, it will be nice to give my body a rest next week.
Instead of my usual fartlek run today (run a fast pace for 1 minutes, slow pace for 3) I decided to just do a 10K run at an easy pace. It was another great day and run and I now feel ready for the marathon.
I think that I will focus my attention now on my diet.
Next week I will be carb loading which is done about 3 days before the marathon. The purpose is to build up my energy bank (glycogen) so that on race day I will have enough energy to carry me through the race. This requires some precise calculations based on my body weight. I usually try to take in approximately 600 grams of carbohydrates each day starting on Thursday of next week. This is the equivalent of 10 bagels!

While most people find this appealing, it is actually harder than you think. The other thing that I will have to do is eat mostly "white" based carbohydrates (white bagels, pasta, potatoes) so that I can eat the required amount of carbohydrates.
Next week when I start my plan, I will detail what 600 grams of carbohydrates look like.

A "Zen" like moment today

After having a fairly good run this morning (6:15 AM) but still not feeling 100% mentally, I went against my better judgement and decided to go out for a "Me" run around 11:30 AM.
I've used these type of runs in the past whenever I needed to snap myself out of a funk which is something that I was definately in ever since last Friday.
I didn't want to go too far so I picked my usual 8K route that I do my speed runs on. The plan was to go nice and easy and just think about my marathon. I also wanted to rediscover the joy that seemed to have been missing since last week. Why have I been having self doubt lately? Was there something that I had done differently that has caused this?
I called one of my best friends who I have missed running with to see if she wanted to come with me today. Unfortunately she couldn't run but this actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I think that I needed to find the answers by myself this time. I have an amazing group of friends who provide me support anytime I need it but sometimes I need to look within myself instead of relying on others to find the answers for me.
I knew that I only had a few runs left to try and figure this out and with the weather being so nice today I hoped to find some of the answers today.
I left the house wearing only a shirt sleeve shirt and shorts. This is what I plan on wearing on the day of my marathon and I wanted to duplicate that today.
I had my music on, as usual and I started out rather slowly. As I ran, I could feel the warmth of the sun immediately and I began to smile as I started out. I must have passed over a dozen children as they headed to school and they all stopped to watch me run by them. I focused on my form and barely looked at my Garmin to see how fast I was going.
One of the things that I have been most concerned with has been questioning my speed. I have set my goals pretty high and I don't want to let myself down. Until recently I had no doubt that I could run fast but not having competed in a race since March, has left me wondering if I can sustain my speed for a full marathon (26.2 miles/42.2 Kilometres).
I have knocked off between 6-7 minutes in the two races that I've done since I started my marathon training in January (1/2 Marathon in February and 30K in March). I've noticed that the running has become a little easier for me but I also remember how grueling the marathon is.
When I did my first marathon a year ago the goal was simply to finish. This year my goals have changed and I find myself trying to run faster and faster each time.
My run today was meant to bring me back to WHY I run in the first place. I often talk about how running is my "passion" and how I never want to lose that feeling. As much as I have enjoyed the marathon training, I haven't been able to run some of the races that I usually run or run with the people who I love to run with.
As I began the homestretch of my run today, I glanced at my Garmin and noticed that I was doing a 4:30 to 4:45 pace. It felt like I was running about a 5:30 to 5:45 pace as it was effortless.
I took two things away from my run today. The first was that I was capable of running fast and more importantly I shouldn't WORRY about running fast. I also realized that I should just enjoy the run and the rest will follow.
The more I ran , the better I felt about not only my training and how far I had come, but also how important it is to just relax and have fun.
I needed this run to put my mind at ease and now I can enjoy these last few weeks more. I'm so happy that I made the decision to run again this afternoon.

Nice and easy

Today, I ran a nice easy 7.5K run and was able to talk about how I've been feeling with a close friend. This helped quite a bit and I realize that I've done everything I can for my marathon. Now it's all about taking it easy and just getting mentally and physically ready for May 13th.
Tomorrow I will run about 10K at a nice easy pace again.

I am not alone!

As my marathon quickly approaches (12 days from today) I've been mentally exhausted and physically beat up. I'll never forget the feeling that I had last friday during my 23K run where I stopped running with about 5K left and asked myself what I was doing this for.
After talking this over with a few of my closest friends, all of whom are amazing runners, I now realize that these feelings are common. I was reminded today that the kind of training that I've done is something that most runners don't do. When I told Ken about my run from last week it was funny to hear him say that he's gone through the same things at times. He also pointed out that now my body will be feeling different pains (knee, foot, ankle etc.) which is also something that I've started to experience lately. Being still very new to running, I need all the education I can get. The difference betweeen my running last year and this year is that I'm finally starting to run smarter than ever before. I almost feel like a kid who hangs on every word and I'm improving my running as a result. I still find it funny how some people look up to me as a runner since I am still so new to this sport and have so much to learn. I never want to lose my passion for running, though, and I feel that part of my responsibility is to let people know how great running is for the mind, body and soul. I know that I have convinced many of my clients to get into running and most of them have told me that they enjoy it as well.

Today I did my last track work (6 sets of 400M repeats) and I'm looking forward to running tomorrow with a good friend. I haven't run with her in months, it seems, and have missed her company.
As my mileage starts to decrease I will be challenged mentally to not push myself too much. I'm going to take the same strategy that worked for me during my last marathon in December. I was forced to do nothing for 3 days prior to that marathon and that's the tactic that I'm going to employ this time around. For someone who just has to exercise daily, this will be something that will be very hard for me to do but I know that I will benefit from the rest.

Being injured vs being hurt

There is a line in a football movie called "The Program" where the coach asks one of his players who is on the ground if he is hurt or injured. The player looks confused and asks for an explanation from the coach. The coach says that if you are hurt you can still play, if you are injured then you can't.
As a runner, there are parts of me that hurt on a daily basis. It's hard to not pound the pavement day after day and not feel some discomfort. Mostly, though, I've worked through these issues and have been able to stay injury free.
As my marathon approaches, I need to make sure not to do anything that may compromise this. As my running mileage decreases, it becomes more of a mental battle that I will be fighting.
Even though I've trained as hard as I ever have, there will be times when I will question myself. Have I trained hard enough? Can I complete the race in the time that I want to finish in?
I'm VERY lucky to have amazing friends who I can call upon for support during this time as they have experienced much of what I'm talking about.
I love the training that I've done for my marathon, but there are times when I wish I could just run for "fun." I know that once my marathon is over, I will be able to run with many of my friends again.

Getting my running "mojo" back!

After suffering through a bad run on Friday and taking Saturday off, I decided to test out my new running shoes by going on a light run this morning.
I didn't want to tempt the "running Gods" by going either too far or too fast as I'm sure there was a reason for the poor run on Friday. I decided to just do a nice 8K run. The route I picked was flat and fast as I needed to build some confidence back.
Armed with a few new songs on my mp3 player and a little self doubt, I went out this morning at 8:00 AM.
The weather was amazing and this was the first time in a LONG time that I was able to run in just running shorts and a technical t-shirt.
Running in new shoes is something that I'm not crazy about but I want to be able to wear these for my marathon so I need to break them in slowly. With exactly 2 weeks to go, there won't be many runs left between now and the marathon (probably 6-7) so I was happy to go out today.
The run started out a little rough as it felt like I was trying too hard to fight the memory of my last run. Eventually, though, I was able to find my stride and the rest of the run was great.
Looking back on that last poor run, I really feel that I was mentally fatigued more than anything else. The training that I've been doing has been grueling and I can't wait for the race to start. The main thing I need to do between now and then is not to think about it too much. I know that I've trained as hard as I could and now it's out of my hands.
I will have to see how I feel both mentally and physically on that day as that will determine how well I do. There are factors that I have no control over and I just have to accept that. The one thing that I am looking forward to is resting during my taper week.
Over the next 10 days my training will start to slow down and I'll use the down time to rest up and get ready mentally for the marathon. Unlike other races that I've done, the marathon is something that will inflict pain on my body. It's not a matter of "if" it's more a matter of "when."

"It" finally happened today!

After a series of great runs I finally had a "clunker" today. I'm not sure if it was the weather, the time of day, my body just being worn down or a combination of all of these, but my run today was terrible.

Because I'm watching my two boys this weekend, I had to do my LSD (long slow distance) run this afternoon. My goal was to do 25K and I wanted to time it so I could pick up my son from his school at 2:30. Initially, I thought I was going to have to leave my house around 12:00 which would have given me plenty of time to do my 25K and then pick up my son.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to start my run until just after 12:30, so finishing 25K in 2 hours (which I could do if it was a race) was not going to happen.
I decided to just run for 2 hours at a comfortable pace and see how many K's I could bang out.
For most of the run things were going well although I think I was going a little too fast at times. I also decided not to do too many stops along the way so instead of 20 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking I simple paused for a few seconds here and there with no set schedule to follow. Usually I would walk through intersections, drink my water or e-load for a few seconds and then keep on going.
This turned out to be a big mistake as I paid for this later on in the run.
I also decided midway through my run, to change my running route. I wanted to do 2, 12K loops but knowing that I wouldn't be able to time this right, I decided to just stretch out my route a little longer.
I don't think the fatigue set in until the last 5K of my run when all I could think about was getting home. I had to stop about 3 times during this process to collect myself but managed to keep going. I found this to be more mentally draining than anything else and I found it very tough to keep focused.
When my run was over and I looked to see how far I went (22.5K) I thought to myself that this was the hardest 2HR run I've had in a long time.
I think it's important to listen to your body and mine was obviously saying that I need to take a few days off. When I looked to see my mileage for the week (over 100) it was clear to me that time off is what I need right now.
With my marathon only a few weeks away, now is not the time to become mentally drained.
As poor as this run was, I'm glad that I finished it and will use this as an example of how to work through tough runs when I run my marathon in May!

Staying motivated while running.

I'm often asked how I stay or keep myself motivated while running. This is something that I'm lucky to say I have little trouble with. I'm not exactly sure why that is, but I can honestly say that I've never woken up and said that I don't feel like going for a run today (unless it's a scheduled day off of course).
I've run in all kinds of weather, from snow, rain, hail, heavy winds and even lightning storms and nothing seems to keep me from running.
I think part of why that is is that when I'm running I don't usually "think" about running. If I did I'd probably ask myself what the heck I'm doing out there in the first place. When I run, especially when I run alone, I have to have music with me. I get so into my music that many times I've gotten lost on my runs as I just want to run and not worry sometimes where I'm even going (until it's too late). The songs that I pick all have special meaning to me for different reasons. Some songs remind me of different people I've known. Some songs are motivating as they have a running theme to them and some I just like because they are fun. I spend hours setting up particular songs on my MP3 player and I think that's what helps me get through my runs.
Some of my friends even asked me if I'm singing along to the songs or talking to myself as they know that once I have my headphones on, it's very hard, if not impossible, for them to talk to me.
The one thing that I tell people who want to get into running is not to think to much about the running while they are running. I see many new runners worry to much about their running "form" or breathing that it becomes to mechanical and they forget to just enjoy the run.
If you are new to running I think the best thing to do is just go slow and eventually you will find your own running form. Running has without a doubt changed my life and I know that it has done the same for many of my friends. I hope that you get the same enjoyment from running that I've gotten from it.

Back to work

After taking a day off to rest, I went back to work today with a great track workout.
The original plan was to do between 6-7 800M repeats but after doing the first 800M, Ken told me to do 2 sets of 1600M with the goal of doing the 1600M in 7 minutes.
I actually didn't mind this as mentally I could focus on just doing 2 "sets" of this instead of 6-7 sets.
I managed to do the first 1600M in about 6:45 and then the next 1600M in just over 7 minutes. I finished the workout by doing one more 800M in 3:10.
I can't believe how much energy I had today and I'm sure taking the day off yesterday had plenty to do with that. It's also nice not having to wear a ton of clothes as the weather starts to warm up.
Tomorrow I will be doing between 12-15K.
I feel that I'm ready for the Marathon and now it's all about staying healthy between now and the 13th of May.

It's almost taper time now.....

Today was my last "long" run as a group of us die-hards left the Pickering area to run 36K in Mississauga. We covered the majority of the route that we will be running in 3 weeks. After running from Monday to Friday on my own, it was nice to have some company today. Running is so much more than just a pysical activity as I've become very close with several runners and during our 3+ hour run it's great to get caught up on each others lives. I call it "therapy on the roads." I've been dubbed, and righfully so, as being the one most likely to get lost on a run and it almost happened again today....

What truly makes our runs special, however, is the moment that the run is finished. We all congratulated each other and joked around like a bunch of school kids. What's even better is when we can get together over lunch which is what happened today. As tired and sore as we all are it's amazing how much energy we can call upon to sit outside and share a cocktail or two.....
I still have a few more tough runs left but I feel now that the marathon distance is something that mentally every runner needs to get past.

There WILL come a time in the race when pain, fatigue and mental exhaustion will come into play and it's how much we let it bother us which truly is the difference on race day.

At "home" in the trails.

I volunteered my time as a course marshall yesterday at the Seaton Trail race and it turned out to be one of the better days I've had in a LONG time.

For those who don't know, it is trails that I first fell in love with as a runner when I first started running 1.5 years ago. My first running race was a 25K trail race called "Run for the Toad" and I followed this up with another 25K trail race two weeks later called "Vuluture Bait." After these two trail races I realized that I had indeed found my passion and that was trail running.

I found that trail running was an amazing "zen like" experience where you are surrounded by nature. This type of running forced me to not worrying so much about time and allowed me to relax as the terrain ranged from rugged rocks, mud and hills not to mention low branches and the occasional water crossing just for fun.

Beyond even the course itself, I also noticed that the people running these trail races seemed to be at peace with their running and were quick to offer a positive word of encouragement and overall just seemed to have fun out on the course. This is something that, to be honest, is missing at most of the road races that I've done. I'm sure that this has plenty to do with the fact that road races, are more about speed and wanting to finish the race as fast as possible.
I have to admit that I've been caught up in this as well as I try to qualify for Boston.

Yesterday, while volunteering, I was able to talk to so many experienced runners who were training for some upcoming Ultra Marathons (100 mile races). Just listening to them talk about their training energized me and they offered so many words of encouragement for what I'm trying to do. I've been "adopted" by many of them and I know that they could tell how much I love trail running and that I would be back running on them after my marathon in May.

Throughout the day, as I saw runner after runner pass my station one thought kept going through my mind and that was that I wish I could have been out there. Each and ever runner who came by took the time to say thanks for being there and all left the station with a very happy look on their face. I can't wait to join them on the trails in a few weeks.

What a difference the sun can make!

Finally! After running in snow, wind, rain, thunderstorms and everything in between, I finally had back to back good running weather.

On Thursday morning I did my 16K time trial. I was supposed to do this run on Saturday but I will be volunteering at the Seaton Trail Race on that day. Today I did my floating fartlek run and once again the weather was fantastic.

I can't believe what a difference not having to wear heavy clothes can make as I felt so much faster these last few days. I just hope that the weather is like this on the day of my Marathon in May as I look forward to running in shorts and a short sleeve shirt.

On Sunday many of my friends and I will be running 36K in Mississauga. After running the last 5 dayson my own, it will be nice to run with my friends.

For those of you who have promised yourself that once the weather got nice you would take up running I urge you to get outside and go for a run/walk this weekend as the weather will be great.

Are we there yet?

As a parent, this is a question I get asked by my kids quite often.
However, in my case I'm referring to my Marathon.

I've been training hard since January and now the race can't get here soon enough. When people talk about the Marathon you hear plenty about how it's mostly mental and I would agree. I also think that this applies to the training as well. Even though I enjoy the training, at times it is overwhelming.

With less than 1 month to go, I know that this is the time that I will be tested emotionally and mentally. Physically, for the most part, I feel that I am ready to run the race today. Waiting until May 13th, will provide the biggest test for me though.

In addition, this weekend I will not be running in one of my favorite races, the Seaton Trail, because it conflicts with my training. I will be volunteering there, and it will be nice to see many of my friends again. There are a few trail runners who I've become close with and who always inspire me so I'm hoping that just being around them will give me the final push that I need before my race in May. If anyone can understand what I'm going through it is these trail runners. Most of them have already run the Boston Marathon years ago and now they have switched their focus to running longer distances. Many have competed in races as long as 100 miles.
I hope to someday follow in their footsteps.

Today my run was very good (14K) and I even ran past one of my best friends who is recovering from an injury. It was great to see her out running today. As the weather improves, hopefully that is, I'm sure I will see more runners out and about.

Congratulations "Bostonites"

Several of my friends ran the Boston Marathon yesterday and I was tracking their progress for most of the morning. It's amazing to see some the times that were run given the weather conditions. I can't wait to celebrate with you all when I see you this weekend!
Way to go!
Nancy, Theresa, Ken, Jen, Gale, you all did a phenomenal job in Boston.

120K in 7 days = BREAK!

Today was the last of my 7 consecutive days of running and with the total at 120K I'm taking the next few days off to rest. I'll probably do some light biking just to keep the blood flowing but nothing too strenuous.

Today's run of 32K was tougher than I thought as I think the cumulative effect of the consecutive days of running caught up to me. Thankfully the rain held up although it was pretty windy at times. I tried a new supplement called "Sharkies" for the first time during my run. These fruit chews contain electrolytes as well as some sugar and I used them in between my gels and e-load breaks. I didn't find them to be much better than e-load so I probably won't use them again. On long runs like these, it's a good time to experiment with different supplements and find the right combination before race day.

I needed to do quite a bit of stretching today after the run as my oblique muscles, hip flexors and quads were all pretty stiff. The pain that I felt reminded me of how sore I was after my marathon in December.

Next weekend I will be doing my last long run (36K) and a group of us will be running most of the route of the Mississauga Marathon. That will be a good test to see how mentaly sharp we all are.

Until Monday, though, I don't want to see my running shoes....

Why Boston?

This weekend some of my closest friends will be leaving for Boston. They will be running the Boston Marathon on Monday (Patriots Day in the U.S.)
Most people are satisfied with just being able to complete any marathon as that alone is a daunting task. The training required to complete a marathon is intense, long and at anytime you could be hit with a roadblock that sets your training backwards. The one thing that you can guarantee with any marathon is that it will challenge you physically and mentally.

When I first started running I fell in love with running trails and I never gave the Boston Marathon much of a thought. I think partly for me it was because at that time I had no desire to even run a marathon. I was happy running trail races as this required more endurance than speed. I didn't think I was a fast runner so why attempt to do something that I knew I couldn't do? Why set myself up for a big disappointment right?

Well, as I began to run more and more I was encouraged by the fact the my speed was increasing. However, I still had no idea what I was doing with regards to a training program. I would go out for 10-15K runs with no idea about how I should run them. I would often run 6 days a week with no plan in sight.

In 2005 I did my first 1/2 Marathon, the Angus Glen in a time of 1:50. I had NO idea what I was doing but I'll never forget the feeling I had of trying to run as fast as I could. Even after that race, though, I went back to doing more trails and didn't do another road race for months after that. I got into running towards the end of the 2005 racing season but I was still able to do 2 Duathlons (run, bike, run), 2 Trail races (25K each with just two weeks rest in between) as well as a few 10K races and one 10 Mile race.

In 2006 I decided to enter the Ontario Ultra Trail Racing series which was a series of 10 trail races, 25 to 26K in length. Points were awarded based on the order of finish. At the end of the season, as long as I completed 7 of these racews, the points were added up and the top 3 were given prizes. I wanted to focus my attention on trying to get into the top 3 for my age category (35 to 39). This required more training on trails than on roads. The series was grueling and forced me to run sometimes two races a month. This barely gave me time to rest.

During this series I also decided, since many of my friends were running the Mississauga marathon, that I should try and run this one as well. My goal was just to finish ONE to say that I did it and could call myself a marathon runner. I didn't do any speed work or tempo runs throughout this process as I was still running trail races at the same time. I'll never forget running and winning a 30K trail race 7 days before before my first marathon. Usually the last 7 days before a marathon is a time to rest but I guess I forgot to read about that part (LOL).

The Mississauga Marathon wasn't a great experience for me other than the fact that I got to run it with some truly amazing friends. The weather was bad, I had no idea if I could even do the race and I didn't really have a plan ahead of time. I finished the race in 4:03 and vowed never to do another one.

In June there was a 50K trail race that I wanted to do as part of the my trail series and I convinced one of my friends to do it with me. To date, this was the one race where self-doubt came into play. After the 35K mark I had nothing left and told Theresa to go on without me. I completed the last 15K on my own and it was a huge struggle. I actually contemplated never running again after that race.

Thankfully I didn't let this setback bother me too much and I ended up finishing not only that race but several others and finished in 3rd place in my age category.

In November one of my closest friends was running the Toronto Marathon and she was hoping to qualify for Boston. I'll never forget the amount of time and effort she put into her training and I wanted to be there to cheer her on. I completed my last trail race on the Saturday in London and then headed back home to Toronto so I could watch her race.

Another friend of mine and I were watching together as she finished the race and the excitement of that day will never be forgotten. It was amazing to see her achieve something that she had worked so hard for. I was both inspired and motivated at the same time.

She encouraged me to try and run a "fast" race as I had never ran a road race with any kind of plan. I decided to run a marathon in Florida and my goal was just to try and beat my last marathon time.

As part of my training, I entered a 10 Mile race in Whitby. My goal was to run at least a 1:20. I was only training for about 6 weeks for the Marathon but again this person encouraged me to run and run fast. Even though I had run over 25+ races at this point, I was more nervous about this run than any of those.
I was so happy that she was one of the first people I saw on race day as she was volunteering there. I started out with a mindset of going as fast as I could for as long as I could and seeing where that got me. I ended up passing her along the route as she cheered others on. When I finished the race and looked at my time (1:13) I surprised myself but not this person. She kept saying that I was a fast runner and that I could do even better with more time and proper training.

I've never forgotten those words and that helped me when I ran the Jacksonville Marathon in 3:39 and then my last two races which both were about 6-7 mintues faster than my previous best times.

As she leaves for Boston this weekend I can only hope that she soaks up all of the atmosphere that Boston has to offer. This race is for those who have worked hard and trained properly and this is their reward.

Nancy, I hope you have an amazing experience because you truly deserve it!

So why Boston? Boston is a more than a marathon it's an event and a celebration of a huge achievement. You cannot just enter the Boston Marathon, you need to qualify for it. In order to qualify you must run a marathon in a certain time based on your age. For me, that translates into running a 3:20 marathon. Some people train for years trying to qualify. It may take me a few years myself to get there but get there I will!
Boston, to me, has become my quest for the Holy Grail of running. It is a target that at one time I thought was unattainable and now I at least can talk about. I have many friends who feel that I will get there someday and that to me is all the motivation I need.
http://www.bostonmarathon.org/

Running with a purpose

It seems that most of my runs have so much to do with my training for my marathon that I forget sometimes how much I truly enjoy just running. Today when I went out for my 15K run I repeated to myself how happy I was to be running so early in the morning.

As I passed the 5K mark the Sun was just beginning to rise and it was an amazing site to see. I instantly became more energized and the rest of my run was a breeze.

I tried out a new fuel belt that Ken had leant me and it was amazing. I'll definately have to get one of these.

Tonight at the Pickering Running Room there will be a mini sendoff party for those who are going to run the Boston Marathon on Monday. I'll be bringing my kids by as I wouldn't miss this for anything.

My energy and spirit have returned!

I'm not sure what got me down this past weekend but whatever it is has passed and I just finished an amazing track workout with my coach.

I did 4 sets of 800M repeats in 2:20 with 2 minutes of rest in between. I seemed to get stronger towards the end, probably, as Ken said because I wanted it to be over.

On Friday he leaves for Boston with the Marathon on Monday. He and some of my friends will be going there as well. Just the thought of some day running in that Marathon brought my energy up.
In addition, on our way from the track, Ken said to me as he looked at the Sun rising, "That is why I run!"

We talked about how some people are just now hitting the snooze button or reaching for their 2nd or 3rd cup of coffee. It's amazing how great you feel after completing a run first thing in the morning and what a great start to the day it is.

I need to remember, sometimes, that first and foremost the running has got to be FUN or nothing else will matter. In my quest for qualifying for Boston, it is something that I need to keep reminding myself about.

The key ingredient to doing Long Slow Runs

I just completed my 30K long slow run today. That is now three consecutive weeks of doing at least 30K (one of which was at race pace). I feel that I have built a very good base and that is so important as my Marathon is now 5 weeks from today.

The thought of doing a training run of 3hours can be somewhat intimidating but having a great group of friends to run with can make all the difference in the world. It's amazing how much we talked about during this 3 hour run. When one of us is feeling sore all it takes is a sarcastic joke or two to get that person to stop "thinking" about the pain or the run.

Today's run started at 7:30 with some of us doing 30K and others doing 20+. It was a little cold and windy for the first 17K but as soon as we made the turn back home the wind was at our backs and the sun started to slowly come out.

I ran mostly without my music until the last 8-9K when I was feeling a little sore and just had to hear some music to get me through. For me, that was all it took as I ended up leaving the pack and doing the final 8K in about 42 minutes.

As I made my way back home along Concession 3 a large Deer ran across the road about 20M in front of me. It was amazing to see this huge animal and how graceful it was. I kept watching it and at one point the animal just turned and watched me. I'm sure he was wondering why I was running on such a cold day (LOL).

We all met up at the local coffee shop but I forgot to tell my friends about the Deer that crossed my path. Maybe that will be my good luck charm during my next Marathon.

Making sacrifices to achieve a goal

Yes, I enjoy running more than anything.
Yes, I've seen some great improvements in my race times as a result.
NO, this has not been easy.

With just over 1 month before my biggest race (Mississauga Marathon) I can almost see the finish line. This has been a grueling 4 months of training since my last Marathon in December. Even though I would not trade any of the training I've done since then, it hasn't been easy at times. I think that's why I'm looking forward to this race more than any other race that I can remember. I know that once this race is finished I'll be able to look back on these last four months with pride.

I took up running in the fall of 2005 I can honestly say that I've never trained this hard at anything in my life. Part of what makes running so difficult is that there are so many factors that will come into play on race day that I have no control over such as my health and the weather.

As I completed my 16K time trial today I thought long and hard about what some of the sacrifices I've made. I don't go out too often because I want to get enough rest for the next days' run, I'm trying to lose a few more pounds between now and my race in May but the training I'm doing has caused my appetite to swell (luckily my wasteline hasn't followed suit). I feel that I have set up my days to put my training at or near the top of my priority list each day. I'm not unique to this as many of my friends do this as well but until now I've never experienced this type of dedication myself.

Tomorrow I will be running 30K with most of my friends and that will be a great way to celebrate Easter.

A runner for all seasons!

What a change in weather we have seen these past two days.

It started on Wednesday morning when I did a 15K run in the rain and finished today with an 8K interval workout in the snow/cold. Just when I thought I'd be looking at running in warmer temperatures we get hit by this bizarre weather.

I've yet to stop running because of the weather outside but that doesn't mean that it's fun either. However, just knowing that I CAN run in any type of weather gives me the confidence to keep going. There are days when I ask myself "why am I doing this again?" However, as soon as I take my first few steps I realize that it's because I love it and need it to make my day complete. A part of me enjoys battling the elements and knowing that there aren't too many runners who would brave the elements like I and most of my running friends do.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest followed by a 16K time trial (1:20 minutes) and then a 25K slow run on Easter Sunday.

Track work......I think I love it!

After taking a day off from running on Monday, I got up early this morning to meet Ken for our usual Tuesday morning run. Normally we do tempo work but we are starting a new program for me on the track.
It's hard to believe but I've never done any kind of track work to increase my speed. We warmed up by doing a 2.5K run to Pineridge HS and then did 5 sets of 400M repeats (1 lap around the track) with about 1.5 minutes of recovery in between.
I was very nervous because I wanted to do my best today but was worried that I might go out too fast for the early sets and have nothing left by the end. What I found very encouraging though was that I seemed to get stronger as the sets increased. I actually was able to focus more on my running technique as I raced around the track. After our run I checked out my garmin to see what pace I was doing and I was very pleased to see that my time kept pretty much the same from the first set to the fifth (all under 4:00M/K).
Since this was my first attempt at doing track work Ken didn't want to push me too hard but next week I will be doing 800M repeats (or 2 times around the track).
I can't believe how great I felt afterwards and this will be yet another piece to my training puzzle that I can upon when I run my next race.
Thanks Ken!

From 18 to 31?

What an interesting day of running today turned out to be.

I met up with some friends at the Pickering Running Room at 8:30. I had thought about doing 29K today but was talked out of it by runners who had also done the Around the Bay race the week before and who were also training for the Mississauga Marathon in May. We decided to do between 16 and 18K which I was kind of happy about.

As we started off I ran with a friend who I normally don't run with and we had a great conversation (Thanks Neil). On the way back I had to take a "bathroom break" so I told my friend to go on ahead and I would catch up to him. He asked me if I knew the route back to the Running Room and I confidently said "oh yeah I'll find it."
That was the probably the worst mistake I've made this season (LOL).

For whatever reason, I kept making one wrong turn after the other and before I knew it I was nowhere close to the Running Room and had clocked over 24K.
When I finally found my way back towards Hwy 2, it was at Whites Road. By this time the rain had started to really come down hard and I was still about 6 to 7K away.

Luckily I decided to bring along my MP3 player so the running wasn't the problem today just my sense of direction. By the time I made it back to the Running Room I had run just under 31K.

I met up with my running coach and other friends and we had a good laugh about the whole thing. They know how bad my sense of direction is so I don't think too many were overly surprised to hear about my adventure.

I will be taking a running day off tomorrow but will do about 1 hour of bike work and then rest up for Tuesday.
I will be doing my first ever tack work track on Tuesday morning to increase my speed.

Cramping

The Around the Bay race last Sunday was the first time that I've ever experienced such severe cramping. At one point, going downhill before the final hill of the race, the cramps were so severe that I actually didn't think that I would be able to finish the race.
It was amazing to me that as I climbed the uphill the pain went away and luckily I was able to make up the lost time and finish ahead of my goal time.

I've talked to several runners about this problem and one runner in particular experienced the same problem at Around the Bay. When I told her about the problem it was exactly the pain she felt and her cramps also went away going up the hill. The pain can best be described as having a "charlie horse" on the front part of the quad, down the side and also in the calf.

After doing some research on the subject I thankfully can rule out the new CWX tights as a reason for this. It has more to do with hydration. Although the research I've seen hasn't been conclusive, one of the common factors is dehydration or even over hydration. One of the supplements that I will be experimenting with over the next few weeks is a salt pill. I'll also make sure that I run with some kind of electrolyte replacement drink when I do my long slow runs. Now is the best time to experiment with different supplements as my marathon is 6 weeks away.

Some of the cures that I've seen for cramping has ranged from biting your upper lip (yes you read that correctly) to stretching, drinking an electrolyte supplement and simply running through it. On Sunday I chose to simply run through the pain and hoped that it would go away, luckily it did just that.


With regards to my diet, I'm going to reduce my protein a little bit and concentrate more on eating roughly 250 grams of carbohydrates per day. This works out to 50 grams per meal if eating 5 X per day. I'm going to keep my calories at approximately 2000 with carbohydrates, protein and fat representing 50%, 30% and 20% of my diet respectively.

Today I ran 12K and I'll take tomorrow off from running to do 90 minutes on my stationary bike. Then I will end the week by doing a 29K slow run on Sunday.

A nice relaxing week of running

Yesterday I had my first run since my 30K race and today I ran with one of my best friends for a nice 8.5K run. As much as I like to run on my own and listen to my music, there are certain people that I feel like I "need" to run with on a regular basis. Even though I'm lucky to have several great friends who share my passion for running, one of them truly understands me better than anyone when it comes to WHY I run.

This person keeps me grounded, gives me inspiration and I generally feel so much better after our runs whether it is a 8K or 32K run. I think she knows how hard I work because she's done the same thing last year and qualified for Boston. If we trained together I'm sure we would finish a race at about the same time. It's nice having someone to run with who is of equal ability and passion as they know what it feels like to push it to the limit and come back wanting more.

We talked today about how much we both love the training and how the races are secondary to the amount of work we put into whatever race we are training for. She talked about Boston and I just kept thinking about how amazing that experience is going to be for her and how I can't wait until I qualify myself.
Thanks Nancy!

This week will be more about "fun running" than training as I'll start that process again next week. From now until then I'm going to savor every step as I know that the training is going to intensify even more in the next 6 weeks. Tomorrow I will do another light 12K, take Saturday off and then run a 21K slow run on Sunday.

Doing what I LOVE!

Today I couldn't take it any more! I hadn't run since my race on Sunday and the roads were calling me so I had to oblige.

I was supposed to run with a friend this morning but I had a personal emergency I had to attend to so I went out on my own. My goal was jus to do a 10-11K run nice easy run to get my legs back into circulation again.

My calf was a little sore but once I hit the road it was like I was "home" again. I started out with the intention of going nice and slow but by the time I finished I realized that I had done 11K in 56 minutes or just over a 5 minute Kilometre. This was not what I had in mind but I felt energized as soon as I came home.

My running coach asked me if I wanted to step up the training for the next 6 weeks and of course I said YES! So he will be hard at working plotting my next 6 weeks of training which I'm actually looking forward to.

Today, during my run, I did some reflecting on what I have been able to accomplish and the goals that I still have. I kept repeating to myself 3:20, 3:20, 3:20 (my Boston qualifying time). I also was thinking about how hard my last race was because of my cramping issues but that I was proud of myself for not letting it interfere with my goal time. This will once again prove invaluable for me during my subsequent races.

ATB Race Report

After not getting much sleep on Friday night, I got up early Saturday and drove to Hamilton to pick up my race kit. The EXPO was uneventful although I did run into several people that I've run with.

Saturday was a rest day so I just took it easy, watched some movies and went to bed fairly early.

Sunday I met a few friends and we drove up together. This was a good chance to talk about the race and what our goals were. We arrived in Hamilton about 90 minutes before the race start. The weather was cooler than expected so I decided to run in my new CWX 3/4 tights, light turtleneck and jacket.

I did a little warm-up run right before the race just to limber up.
Once the race started I felt a slight pull or cramp along the outside of my right leg and quad muscle. This happened about 1 or 2K into the race and I was worried that it would linger throughout. Immediately I began to try and figure out why this was happening as I never have experienced this before. Thankfully the pain went away after a few K's.

I managed to keep my pace at between a 4:30 to 4:40 pace throughout the next 10 or 15K's and was about 1 minute ahead of my goal time of 2:25. However, at about the 25K mark the cramping returned and it came at one of the weirdest parts of the race. There was a long downhill which preceded on the final hills and that's where it tightened up. I had to literally limp down the hill as the pain was severe but as I started to climb the uphill it slowly went away.

Even with this setback, I was still a little ahead of my goal time but had now lost much of that 1 minute advantage I had built up earlier in the race. I was able to make up some more time during the last 2K and finished in 2:24:44 which was over 7 minutes better than last year's time.

Looking back at the race I really feel that the CWX tights may have played a part in my muscles tightening up. This was the first race that I've had that I can remember having this much pain and it was the first race that I had used these tights. Another possible explanation could be overhydration. I had drank my normal 4Ltr's of water the day before and supplemented that with pretzels (salted) to ensure that my sodium level was high enough. As soon as the cramping occurred I made sure that I took in a drink of gatoraide from the water stations to help with the cramping. Usually, though, once the cramping starts it's too late for the gatorade. I'm just thankful that the cramping went away long enough for me to finish the race.

As I write this today (Monday) my calves and quads are still very sore but I know that by taking the next few days to rest, my legs will be as good as new. I start the next phase of my marathon training next week and I'm looking forward to seeing how well I can do at my next race.

The Peterborough 1/2 Marathon (1:40) and now the Around the Bay race (2:24) have given me the confidence to know that I can run a 3:30 marathon.
There are so many people who have helped me with my training and I just wanted to personally thank Ken, Nancy, Theresa, Rob, John, Edgar, Steve, Jen, Sally, and Neil.

Mission Accomplished!

I'll have more to report tomorrow but I finished the Around the Bay race in 2:24:46 which was 7 minutes faster than my race last year.
Greg

Getting ready for tomorrow

There really isn't much to say except that tomorrow at this time I will know if all my training paid off.

I was at the race site this morning to pick up my race kit and ran into so many friends that I have done races with. You could feel the "buzz" in the arena and it was nice getting to talk to some friends who I hadn't seen in quite some time.

I kept thinking about how better prepared I am this year as compared to last year. The experience of having run this race and several others of long distance will surely pay off tomorrow. I'm sure I won't get much sleep tonight.

The last thing I will do before turning in will be to go over my race bag to make sure I have everything I need. I've already created my race pace band and my mp3 player is fully charged.

Expect a full race report tomorrow.

Already missing my running.....

It's only been 1 day of not running and I'm already feeling the "not running blues."
Yesterday I ran 12K at a slow pace. Knowing that I wouldn't be running again until Sunday, I savored every last step and hated to stop. Even though I know it's in my best interest to rest, it still makes it difficult to stop doing something you love even if it's only for a few days.

I was unable to run with one of my best friends yesterday as I had to go into work early. The Wednesday before a race I have traditionally run with someone who has helped me tremendously with my running. It has been somewhat of a good luck charm and also a chance to go over my race plan with her. While we were unable to run together, we are meeting for lunch with 2 other of my best friends today. We haven't gotten together in a long time so this will be a great time to catch up on what has been happening in their lives. All 3 of these women have qualified for Boston but unfortunately one of them is injured and will be unable to make the trip. They all have inspired me to reach for this goal myself and they have noticed the amount of hard work I've put into my training these past few months.

With running NOT an option today, I decided to use my stationary bike for 90 Minutes of low to medium intensity biking. It doesn't come close to the feeling that I have on the open roads, but at least I can say that I did something.

The next few days, however, I will resist the urge to do any type of physical activity. This plan worked well for me during my last Marathon in December so I'm going to follow that same plan again.

I'll have to make a trip to Hamilton on Saturday to pick up my race kit. I'm not looking forward to going up on Saturday and then again on Sunday but since there is no race day pick up I have no choice. I'll probably get there early on Saturday so I can return home to rest. On Saturday I plan on watching a marathon of movies (pardon the pun), eat some pasta and prepare for my race.

What does Taper mean to me?

T: Training is finished. You have worked hard and it’s time to get focused on the race at hand.

A: Aim high for whatever goal you have for this race and don’t let anything get in the way.

P: Practice mental imagery. Go over the race in your mind as you rest this week and imagine what it will feel like when you cross the finish line (don’t forget to smile for the camera)

E: Eat lots of carbohydrates as this will fuel your body for the race on Sunday. Increase your water intake to at least 3 Ltrs. per day.

R: Rest, rest and more rest. Now is not the time to do anything other than give your body a much needed break. I like to watch inspirational movies the night before. Some good ones include Rudy, Remember the Titans and Forrest Gump.

Training update/ CWX clothing review

Today was my last hard run before my race on Saturday. I did a series of interval runs at 4:30, 5:00 and 5:30 minK paces for about 4K. I was a little nervous doing them but they didn't turn out to be as bad as I thought. It gave me a good time to discuss with my coach my training strategy for this weekend. I went over everything from bio mechanics to motivation to hydration and I'll use all of this come Sunday.
What I love about races is that I can put all my training into one event and give it everything I have. While I know that some people will be running this race as a fun event, I honestly don't think I could do that. I love the fact that I have a certain time goal and that will force me to remain focused throughout. Most of my friends will be taking the bus up to Hamilton but I have decided to drive up with a few friends instead. I need that drive up to prepare for the race and I want to be as mentally sharp and focused as I can.

During the race I will be listening to a play list that I have created on my MP3 specifically designed for this race. I have put certain songs in places where I will need the most motivation. There will be about 3 or 4 of my friends who will be running at my pace or better but I honestly won't see them as I'll be too focused on my own race.

Yesterday I made my usual trip to Running Free to talk with the staff and do some last minute shopping. I decided to purchase a pair of running tights made by CWX. These tights are designed to provide more stability around the lower back, hips, glutes, knees and calves. I went with the 3/4 length to give me the best support. This morning I tried them out on my run and I LOVED them. They really kept everything aligned and I did feel like I felt better support than my usual running tights. I'm looking forward to trying them out on the race this Sunday.

Tomorrow I will be running a nice easy 10K and I'm sure I will savor every last step as it will be my last run before Sunday. Starting on Thursday I will begin to carbo load and will post what that looks like in terms of eating. I've given a few of my friends a plan for this week so I wish you well in your eating.....just one bit of advice though....stay far away from the scale!

Race week preparations

With my next race just one week away I completed my last long run today of 15K. A group of us went out from the Running Room in Pickering and decided that this distance was enough. it was interesting to see how others decided to use this last long run to prepare for this same race. Some were doing 6K, some were doing 20 and there were even a few who did 26. I'm usually the one who goes out longer than I need to so holding back today was something of an accomplishment for myself.

Tomorrow I will do my "ME" run of about 10K and this will be followed by a new type of interval run on Tuesday which I'm nervous about. I have to run 1 minute intervals of 4:30, 5:00 and then 5:30 for approximately 4K. I've never done this before so my coach will run with me to make sure I do it right.

On Wednesday it will be my last run before the race and it will be a 10K time trial doing a 5:30 pace. This will mean running the 10K in 55 minutes. It will be another case of having to slow down to meet this time goal.

The weather for the weekend looks to be amazing so I'm going to treat myself to some new running gear for the race. I've been looking into getting some CWX tights and a new racing shirt. Besides the Running Room, I like to visit a store called "Running Free" which is in Markham. The staff there are very knowledgeable and I find the selection of clothes to be amazing.

Where there's a will there's a WAY!

After having a great weather week for running, we were hit hard by a few inches of snow which made today's 16K time trial an adventure to say the least.

I had my route all picked out. I was going to do 2, 8K loops near my house which were flat and which was sure to give me the best chance to do my 16K in exactly 1:20 minutes.

After leaving my house at 8AM this morning I soon found out that the roads and sidewalks were covered in snow/ice. This made the footing terrible as I ran from the roads to the sidewalks every 100 M or so it seemed. After completing the first 8K I knew that I could not do that same loop again. I was approximately 300M behind my pace and trying to make that time up by running that same route just wasn't going to cut it.

I had two choices, one would be to cut the run short and try again tomorrow or find some alternative routes that were less snow covered. I hated the fact that I was even thinking about stopping so I quickly crossed that option off. I kept thinking about how NOT to use the elements as an excuse. What if on race day I'm confounded with this same problem? I kept saying to myself that you can't always have the elements on your side and sometmes you just have to push on through.

I ran loops around my neighborhood trying desperately to find any good footing and eventually I was able to make up the 300+ M. I finished the time trial with a few metres to spare. This was a great opportunity for me to run at a specific pace, no more no less. It was a good lesson in discipline as I found myself having to slow down at various parts of the run so I wouldn't finish ahead of my time.

After the run I was so happy that I didn't back down from the elements and pushed myself through and I feel that this is the type of run that I can look back on and draw upon during a race when I feel low on energy.

Tomorrow will be another 16K run but at a slower pace (5:20 to 5:40 pace) and then I begin to taper for Around the Bay.

Preparing for my first "Time Trial"

Today's run was an interval run which worked on my speed. I warmed up for 2K and then spent the next 5K alternating between 1 minute of sprinting (3-4min/K) and 3 minutes of recovering (5:30K). I'm really starting to enjoy these as I figured out that I should be able to run approximately 300M in 1 minute. I also realized that each light post is 50M apart so when I run these intervals, I try to run past between 5 and 6 light posts.
The rest of the run was a cool down for a total distance of 1.5K

Tomorrow I will be taking a rest day from running and will ride the stationary bike for about 1hour at a low intensity. After tomorrow things start to get real interesting with my training.

On Saturday I will be running my first ever "time trial." I will have to run 16K in exactly 1:20 minutes or a 5min K. I've run faster than that in a race but I have to hit this mark exactly so if I'm going too fast I'll have to slow it down. This will be a great test to see if I can hold an exact pace for 16K.

My running influences

There are many amazing runners that I've met since I started but some stand out more than others. This afternoon I ran into one of those runners at the grocery store. He had heard about my 1/2 Marathon time in Peterborough and made a point of congratulating me on this. I can't explain what that meant to me but I'm sure he knew as he could see the smile on my face broaden.
This runner is truly a remarkable man having completed several ultra distance events (100 mile races). I met him about 2 years ago when I started running trail races myself and he always would take the time to say hello and ask how I was doing.
I told him that I wanted to focus on trying to increase my speed while I attempt to qualify for the Boston Marathon and he wished me well. He also knows my love of trail running and he is one of the organizers for an upcoming trail race in April (Seaton Trail).
I told him that as much as I would love to run that race I can't because of the Marathon in May. I told him that I would love to volunteer and we started having preliminary discussions of what I can do at the race.
I can onlyhope to achieve some of the many milestones this man has ahcieved in his running career and I thank him for inspring me to continue.
Thanks Gavin!

Making sacrfices to achieve a bigger goal!

I just finished a great tempo run this morning. After the run I had a good chat with my coach who has really helped me improve my running. We talked about pacing, what races I should or shouldn't do in order to keep my focus on the bigger prize (Mississauga Marathon).
After the Around The Bay race the temptation for me to run a race in April will be great. I like to run at least 1 race per month as it keeps me focused on my running. The trail running series that I competed in last year (Ontario Ultra Series) starts up in April with one of my favorite races, Seaton Trail 25K. This is a route that I have done many times and I love running with the people there as I feel very much part of their "family."

However, the race is only a few weeks before the Mississauga Marathon and Ken pointed out to me that I should maintain my focus on that race. In addition, there is the very real possibility of getting injured on the trails as the terrain is much different than on the road.

There are other smaller races in April which I also would like to do including the 5-Peaks races and some 5K and 10K races but I have decided to use the month of April to improve upon my speed so that when I run in May I can give it everything I have.

What I may do is volunteer at some of these races instead. This way I can still enjoy the atmosphere and watch my friends compete at the same time.

I seem to be running so much better now than I was even 1 month ago and it has plenty to do with my confidence being better, reducing some stress in my personal life and sticking to a great running plan.

While I can't wait until Around the Bay gets here, part of me will be a little sad knowing that I won't be racing again for another 6 weeks. As I'm learning though, it's all about running and training smarter.

Running with a purpose

One of my clients asked me last week what my motivation was for running. For a minute I was actually stumped and couldn't come up with an answer. She wanted to know why I run and what keeps me going during my run. She seemed to be impressed with the fact that I run so much while she is having a hard time getting started.

This is something that I have a hard time explaining to people. I run for so many different reasons. Unlike many of my friends who have said that they like the run better when it's over, I actually enjoy the running more than anything else.
There are times, like yesterday, when I completed my 31K and I felt like I could have kept running for hours.

When I'm out on the road I can reflect on so many things and I can have quiet conversations with myself. I think about some of the struggles I've had in my life and try to put a positive spin on each of these. Along the way I feel like I can "dump" so many negative thoughts on the road as I'm running. Music has really made a difference for me during my running so I pick songs that have personal meaning to me. When I run and listen to a particular song it brings me back to a time and place in my life, both good and bad, and let's me reflect on that moment. I think about how I would have done things differently. Why some people have more of an influence on me than others. How do I improve my own sel-esteem etc.

Very little of my time spent running is actually thinking about the running itself. It's something that just comes naturally to me (or so I've been told). I'm not the fastest runner around but I feel like I'm one of the most motivated and that gets me through the tough times.

When I see my client later this week I'll make sure I relay some of this to her.

A great day for a run!

Can you feel it? Spring is right around the corner and about 7 of my friends and I went out this morning to do our long slow run in preparation for the Around the Bay race which is just two weeks away.

We ventured out at 7:30 this morning, many of us still smarting from the fact that we lost an hour of sleep. The weather was a bit chilly to start and it wasn't until the last 3/4 of the run that the sun came out and we could feel the warmth. We all got a big boost of energy not having to deal with the stiff wind which was pretty strong for the first half.

I managed to run the 31K in just under a 6 min K/pace (5:53) which was my goal. As we met up for our usual coffee/tea and "social" you could tell that we were all tired. The long runs are important but as the distance increases so too does the amount of time spent running. Today's run took just over 3 hours.

Tomorrow I will probably either do a light run, ride the bike or do some weight training. After that it's back to one more week of training before I start to taper for the Around the Bay race.

I hadn't run past 25K since my last marathon in December so getting to 31 today was an important milestone. I'm confident that I will be able to run my predicted goal of 2:25 as I got a good feel for how running 30K's feels again.

Carbohydrate loading for ultra trail runners.

Those who know me best understand my passion for trail running. This season as a I try to qualify for Boston, I won't be running as many trail races as I would like.

I was asked by one of the trail runners to write an article on sports nutrition for the OUS (Ontario Ultra Series) newsletter. This month I talked about the importance of carbohydrates:

http://ouser.org/nutso/nutso0307.pdf

Thanks Diane for asking me to write for this newsletter. I also want to thank Angie for inspiring me to run trails and for helping me to discover this great sport of running.

Training Update

I seemed to have a better training week this week as I felt that I pushed a little too much after running the Peterborough 1/2 marathon.
I can always tell when I start to overtrain as I lose that love for running that I have so much and it starts to become more work than enjoyment.
A friend of mine and I were talking about that during our run on Wednesday. We both have different goals that we are trying to achieve but still realize that running must be FUN first which thankfully it is.
I did some speed work on Thursday which consisted of running my 5K race pace (between a 3:45 and 4:30) for 1 minute followed by 3 minutes at a comfortable pace (5:30 to 5:45). I managed to get in 8 sets of this over 5K and practiced increasing my stride length with each sprint. Usually during a race I will use short choppy strides and this works well for me but increasing the stride length will also help work different muscles in my leg.
I did some weight training this week but have decided that I will only do 1-2 days a week of this and only use high repetitions (15-20) as I do not want to increase my body weight above 155 pounds.
Ideally, I would like to enter the Mississauga Marathon at 145 pounds so that is my goal right now. With a little over 2 months to go, I should be able to hit that mark.
This weekend the temperatures are supposed to be above freezing which will make for an enjoyable 30K run on Sunday. This will be my last major run before the Around the Bay race on March 25th.
I only hope that the weather on the 25th is the same as it's going to be this weekend. I'm tired of wearing layer after layer of clothing so it will be nice to wear shorts and a shirt at that race!

My best Tempo run to date!

How crazy is this? I started out this morning by checking the weather network. It was -34C with the wind chill. I layered up and set my Garmin to training assistant. This function allows me to set particular variables and then I race against a virtual "buddy" to see if I can match or beat him. I set this to pace and distance. Today was a 10K tempo run and I wanted to see if I could beat my best pace time which was a 4:51. I last did this time about a month ago with Ken but since then I hadn't beaten that time.
When I left the house this morning I could instantly feel the chill but I was properly layered so it actually wasn't that bad.
I picked my normal route as it was relatively flat and fast.
From time to time I looked down at my garmin to see where I was and for the first 3K or so he was ahead as I had to warm up to a faster pace. After that though, my speed kicked in and before I knew it I was ahead by about 100 Meters. When I finished the run I noticed that my pace was actually 4:49 so I bettered my last tempo by a full two seconds per K.
These tempo runs are going to help give me the confindence for my upcoming races.
Now it's time to thaw........

2:25 I'm gunning for YOU!

My next race is Around the Bay in Hamilton on March 25th and I've set a goal of 2:25 for the race. I'm energized after my 1/2 Marathon race from February 25th and I took 3 days off last week from running to rest. I incorporated some weight training and a new eating plan and I'm happy with the results so far.

This week I will be focusing heavily on trying to increase my speed and that means a tempo run on Tuesday and more speed work on Thursday. Sandwiched between those two runs will be a 12-15K run on Wednesday. Tomorrow I will be running a 10K "ME" run at whatever speed I can muster.

Today I spent the majority of the morning cheering on friends who were running in the Chilly 1/2 Marathon race in Burlington. It inspired me to see all the runners today. All my friends did a great job and I can't wait to run with them in a few weeks in Hamilton.

The Around the Bay race is one of the oldest races in North America and features some steep hills towards the end of the race. Having finished the race last year in 2:31 I feel that with the training I've done and just the experience I have gained, I should be able to hit the 2:25 mark.

A new blog about Eating Disorders

For those of you who want a little bit of an insight into the world of eating disorders, I've created a new blog about this disorder.
www.livingwithaneatingdisorder.blogspot.com

I'm hoping that by talking about it more openly that it will help others to realize that they are not alone.
Greg

Say it with me...resting is good!!!!

This week I've been recovering from my 1/2 marathon race from Sunday. Even though the distance for me is something that I routinely do the speed at which I did it was NOT! Tearing down the muscles from running fast requires not only physical rest but also mental rest as well.
This week I've found that I have been mentally spent and combined with a lingering cold it hasn't been the best of weeks for me. I still managed to get out for a run on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week and will run one more day before taking the weekend off.
I decided not to do any speed work this week as I wasn't feeling great and I want to make sure that I don't hurt myself before my next race at the end of March.

I actually did some weight training this week and will try to incorporate that into my training program once or twice per week.

Finally, there are a few of my clients who are running in the Chilly 1/2 Marathon in Burlington on Sunday. I wanted to wish them the very best. You both have trained hard and will reap the benefits of that training come Sunday. Good luck Phil and Kim!