I hadn't intended to do the Oliver 10k this year, but when our plans to go away for the weekend fell through, I decided that it was a good opportunity to support a local race and catch up with friends involved with the Interior Race Series. Knowing that the top three runners in each age group received a bottle of local wine had nothing to do with my decision to race...really...
Since the course included pavement, gravel and grass sections, I decided my new Hyper-Track Guides from The North Face would be a good choice, and they were. (My shoe review can be found here.) I was disappointed with my time as it was a lot slower than last year, but I still managed to finish as the top woman and took home a nice wine and cheese basket so I can't really complain. Results here.
I was also planning to run the Ratter trail half marathon down in WA, but I've been having some left hip/glute/hamstring issues so I decided to take the weekend off from racing and volunteered to sweep the course instead. (Dave ran the Rattler 9mi and finished first! Results here.) This is a fantastic, low-key event put on by my friends Alison and Sam Naney from Methow Endurance and I'd highly recommend checking it out.
I have a couple of races planned in the coming weeks: The North Face Dirty Feet 50k and Rainshadow Running's Sun Mountain 50k so May is going to be a fun - and busy - month with lots of time spent on the trails. (And the highway as we head out on our first road trip in our new VW van "Betty White".)
Happy spring running!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Diez Vista 50km Race Report
To run or to race; that's the question I've been asking myself since reading Ellie Greenwood's recent blog post about her experience at the Two Oceans marathon in South Africa. In it she says, "...I needed someone to help me 'race' rather than accidentally lull into just 'running'."
Her statement has made me consider my approach to racing (or is it running?) and it was on my mind at the Diez Vista 50km this past weekend in Port Moody. Leading up to this race, I wasn't very excited about it and I think it was mainly due to my uncertainty of the unknown, namely the technical sections of the course, which a number of people had warned me about.
I know I'm not a strong technical runner. It's something that I've been meaning to work on, but as often happens with things we don't like, it's just easier to avoid doing it, so I generally choose less technically challenging trails for training and racing because that's what I'm comfortable with and do better on.
Fortunately, the worst of the technical running made up less than 10% of the total course and there were plenty of long climbs, which I love. In fact, after the first ascent, I had a slight lead on the other top ladies but any time gained going up was quickly lost on the downhill that followed as they blew by me like I was deadfall.
As uncomfortable as I was through this rocky, rooty, slippery section, it was impressive to see how quickly - and agilely - other runners were tackling this treacherous terrain that was so much harder than anything I've ever run before. It was inspiring!
Once that bit was done, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and focus on making up some ground on the gently rolling, runnable terrain. The next 25k or so was quite enjoyable and I was able to cruise along comfortably and enjoy the scenery.
There is one substantial out-and-back section of the course that allows you to see where you are in relation to other runners. Dave (who was having a fantastic run and finished the day in third) passed me along here and told me the other women weren't that far ahead. Sure enough, I saw the top two women a few minutes later and then arrived at the turn-around point myself.
It was at this moment, I determined that I'm a runner, not a racer. Google's definition of "race" is: "to compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective." I have no desire to compete with anyone but myself. I was happily running my own race and wasn't interested in chasing anyone down.
I race because racing allows me to push myself harder than I can or will in training. And I like the people I meet. And the new places I discover. And the post-race snacks (and beer!). Those are the best parts of racing for me.
Before the race, I told Dave that my objective was to finish without spraining my ankle (again) and, miraculously, I didn't. To place third and crack the top ten overall was a nice surprise. Full results can be found at ultrasignup.com.
Her statement has made me consider my approach to racing (or is it running?) and it was on my mind at the Diez Vista 50km this past weekend in Port Moody. Leading up to this race, I wasn't very excited about it and I think it was mainly due to my uncertainty of the unknown, namely the technical sections of the course, which a number of people had warned me about.
I know I'm not a strong technical runner. It's something that I've been meaning to work on, but as often happens with things we don't like, it's just easier to avoid doing it, so I generally choose less technically challenging trails for training and racing because that's what I'm comfortable with and do better on.
Fortunately, the worst of the technical running made up less than 10% of the total course and there were plenty of long climbs, which I love. In fact, after the first ascent, I had a slight lead on the other top ladies but any time gained going up was quickly lost on the downhill that followed as they blew by me like I was deadfall.
As uncomfortable as I was through this rocky, rooty, slippery section, it was impressive to see how quickly - and agilely - other runners were tackling this treacherous terrain that was so much harder than anything I've ever run before. It was inspiring!
Once that bit was done, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief and focus on making up some ground on the gently rolling, runnable terrain. The next 25k or so was quite enjoyable and I was able to cruise along comfortably and enjoy the scenery.
There is one substantial out-and-back section of the course that allows you to see where you are in relation to other runners. Dave (who was having a fantastic run and finished the day in third) passed me along here and told me the other women weren't that far ahead. Sure enough, I saw the top two women a few minutes later and then arrived at the turn-around point myself.
It was at this moment, I determined that I'm a runner, not a racer. Google's definition of "race" is: "to compete with another or others to see who is fastest at covering a set course or achieving an objective." I have no desire to compete with anyone but myself. I was happily running my own race and wasn't interested in chasing anyone down.
I race because racing allows me to push myself harder than I can or will in training. And I like the people I meet. And the new places I discover. And the post-race snacks (and beer!). Those are the best parts of racing for me.
Before the race, I told Dave that my objective was to finish without spraining my ankle (again) and, miraculously, I didn't. To place third and crack the top ten overall was a nice surprise. Full results can be found at ultrasignup.com.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Kamloops Dirty Feet Race Report
My race report from the Kamloops Dirty Feet trail half marathon has been posted on the TrailRunner.ca website. Click here to read it.
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| And they're off! Photo credit: Phil Hiom (Dirty Feet) |
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
New Shoe Reviews
I've just posted reviews of two new shoes: The North Face Single-Track Hayasa and The North Face Hyper-Track Guide. Go to the Reviews page or click here to read them. Happy Spring running!
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| Where's Waldo...I mean Stacey? |
Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Phoenix Marathon
Phoenix marks my tenth - and fastest! - marathon. I've come a long way since my first one way back in 1998 when I struggled along the Vancouver course for 42.2 very painful kilometers. At the time, I was out-of-shape, under-trained and overwhelmed. I was miserable for most of the nearly five hours that I was out there, but once I crossed that finish line I felt like a rock star - a tired, aging rock star, but still a rock star. A lot has changed since then, but my love/hate relationship with the marathon remains.
The Phoenix Marathon was my first road marathon in awhile. Having convinced myself that road running leads to injury, I've avoided it like the plague and embraced the trails, which seem to agree with my lopsided body much better. But always in the back of my mind I knew that I would end up at the starting line of another marathon hoping to have that perfect race when everything just falls into place and running feels effortless.
I came close to achieving that this weekend. There was a brief stretch mid-race when I felt pretty crappy and had to slow my pace a bit but I quickly recovered by taking some salt and fluids and then was able to push hard to the finish. Other than that little blip, everything went smoothly. (Instead of a detailed race report, I've decided just to throw together a few thoughts that came to me while running the Phoenix Marathon.)
In the past, I have had both public and private race goals - the former more modest than the latter. Now, I am more honest with my goals and don't mind sharing them. My goal for this race was a sub-3 hour marathon. And while I missed it by 6 minutes and some odd seconds, it was still a successful race. I was 13 minutes faster than my previous best marathon time (which shouldn't even count because it was run way back in 2005 when I was just a kid!).
I know some people think I'm disappointed at having "failed", but I'm not. I've decided that if you meet every goal you set, then you're probably not aiming high enough. To be achievable, goals should probably fall somewhere between realistic expectations and dreams.
I do believe that I'll run a sub-3 marathon one day, but I'm in no hurry to sign up for another road race. As far as marathons go, this one was fast, well organized and relatively scenic, and I may do it again next year. (Boston 2014 is another one I'm considering.) But even with all it had going for it, it didn't inspire and excite me the way so many of my trail runs do.
It's almost with a sense of relief that I'm exchanging my pretty, white road shoes for their rugged, mud-covered trail equivalent and going to find some dirt to play on...
.jpg)
The Phoenix Marathon was my first road marathon in awhile. Having convinced myself that road running leads to injury, I've avoided it like the plague and embraced the trails, which seem to agree with my lopsided body much better. But always in the back of my mind I knew that I would end up at the starting line of another marathon hoping to have that perfect race when everything just falls into place and running feels effortless.
I came close to achieving that this weekend. There was a brief stretch mid-race when I felt pretty crappy and had to slow my pace a bit but I quickly recovered by taking some salt and fluids and then was able to push hard to the finish. Other than that little blip, everything went smoothly. (Instead of a detailed race report, I've decided just to throw together a few thoughts that came to me while running the Phoenix Marathon.)
In the past, I have had both public and private race goals - the former more modest than the latter. Now, I am more honest with my goals and don't mind sharing them. My goal for this race was a sub-3 hour marathon. And while I missed it by 6 minutes and some odd seconds, it was still a successful race. I was 13 minutes faster than my previous best marathon time (which shouldn't even count because it was run way back in 2005 when I was just a kid!).
I know some people think I'm disappointed at having "failed", but I'm not. I've decided that if you meet every goal you set, then you're probably not aiming high enough. To be achievable, goals should probably fall somewhere between realistic expectations and dreams.
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| That's me on the right, beside the BMO bear. |
I do believe that I'll run a sub-3 marathon one day, but I'm in no hurry to sign up for another road race. As far as marathons go, this one was fast, well organized and relatively scenic, and I may do it again next year. (Boston 2014 is another one I'm considering.) But even with all it had going for it, it didn't inspire and excite me the way so many of my trail runs do.
It's almost with a sense of relief that I'm exchanging my pretty, white road shoes for their rugged, mud-covered trail equivalent and going to find some dirt to play on...
.jpg)
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Christmas in February
A large box from The North Face arrived today full of gear for me to try out and review (part of being a TNF ambassador - tough job, I know!). The package contained: two pairs of shoes (the single-track hayasas and the hyper-track guide), a Torpedo jacket, a GTD long-sleeve shirt, and a jacket, short sleeve shirt and singlet from the Better Than Naked line.
I excitedly threw on the first things I grabbed and had an impromptu photo shoot in the backyard...
Now I have to decide what I'm taking to Arizona for my race next week. Or I could just take it all.
It's been ages since I updated my Reviews page but I plan to fix that by becoming a review writing machine in the near future. Stay tuned!
I excitedly threw on the first things I grabbed and had an impromptu photo shoot in the backyard...
Now I have to decide what I'm taking to Arizona for my race next week. Or I could just take it all.
It's been ages since I updated my Reviews page but I plan to fix that by becoming a review writing machine in the near future. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Colds, training and race plans
My last post was about running in the cold; this one concerns running with a cold. I'm at the end of a week long battle with a winter bug that, while never terrible, has been inconvenient. So I've been wondering: If you're sick, is it better to allow the body to rest or to try and "sweat it out"?
A quick Google search directed to me Marc Bloom's Runner's World article "Should You Run When You're Sick?" which had some good advice and tips.
With the Phoenix Marathon just a few weeks away, I decided to sweat it out because my training has been going really well and I didn't want to lose any momentum. It wasn't easy to get going (the couch, my comfies and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina were calling), but I managed to make it through all but one of my workouts, which was a punishing 5k time trial that I decided to skip because I knew it wouldn't go well the way I was feeling.
I didn't feel any worse during or after my runs than I did before I started so I figured I wasn't doing any harm. (Obviously, if I started feeling worse, I would have stopped. I hate missing a run, but I'm not an idiot!)
Now I'm feeling healthy again and ready for a good, hard week of training before I start tapering for the marathon. With how my runs have been going lately, I am cautiously optimistic that my sub-3 hour goal is doable - even if the per km pace for that duration still freaks me out a bit.
In other news, my race plans for the year are falling into place. Here's what I've come up with so far...
A quick Google search directed to me Marc Bloom's Runner's World article "Should You Run When You're Sick?" which had some good advice and tips.
With the Phoenix Marathon just a few weeks away, I decided to sweat it out because my training has been going really well and I didn't want to lose any momentum. It wasn't easy to get going (the couch, my comfies and Tolstoy's Anna Karenina were calling), but I managed to make it through all but one of my workouts, which was a punishing 5k time trial that I decided to skip because I knew it wouldn't go well the way I was feeling.
I didn't feel any worse during or after my runs than I did before I started so I figured I wasn't doing any harm. (Obviously, if I started feeling worse, I would have stopped. I hate missing a run, but I'm not an idiot!)
Now I'm feeling healthy again and ready for a good, hard week of training before I start tapering for the marathon. With how my runs have been going lately, I am cautiously optimistic that my sub-3 hour goal is doable - even if the per km pace for that duration still freaks me out a bit.
In other news, my race plans for the year are falling into place. Here's what I've come up with so far...
- March 2: Phoenix Marathon - road
- March 23: The Elevator Race (support for Dave) - multi sport
- March 24: The North Face Dirty Feet Kamloops Half Marathon - trail
- April 6: Diez Vista 50k - trail
- April 20: The Rattler Half Marathon - trail
- May 5: The North Face Dirty Feet Vernon 50k - trail
- May 12: ? Blossom 10-Miler - road
- May 19: Sun Mountain 50k - trail
- June 2: ? The North Face Dirty Feet Kelowna Half Marathon - trail
- June 29: ? Scorched Sole 50k - trail
- July: World Trail Championships (Wales)
- August 13-18: TransRockies 6-day stage race (Colorado)
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