The Awesome Mix of Anticipation and Dread

One week-ish and counting until my next 50km race. This one will be my first 50km race in another province, the small and relatively flat province of Prince Edward Island. Yes, yes, I know it has hills, but no one takes them seriously. In fact, most people don't know that PEI has a ski hill! But, I've done my homework (aka reading previous racer's blogs and race reports) and then immediately emailed the Race Director for a copy of the course elevation profile to confirm what I'd read. There WILL be hills, and lots of them. The big bonus for me though is the lack of any flat-face, rope-assisted rock climbing this time around (unlike the last 50k - right Josh? :-). I'm feeling confident about my food (which actually is really surprising given my lack of serious distance long runs), and I'm taking my Salomon hydration pack with me which can hold up to 2 liters plus two extra 500ml bottles-I can't say enough how much I love my pack! My biggest issue right now is holding myself back from doing too much cross training. I keep reminding myself that there's nothing I can do right now that will make a difference in a week so I'm better off not pushing myself to exhaustion prior to the race. But it's SOOO tempting. My runs haven't improved a lot over the past couple of weeks but my speed has improved by about a minute per mile, which has been nice to see. I think my legs needed this time to do these daily, hilly, shorter (2-5 miles) runs and although they don't help my endurance I know they will help with the hill climbing to come. I have managed a couple of 10 milers (nothing close to the distance I should be running for a long run) but they've been at least some form of long distance running. The muscle pain during the second lap of the course is the part that I'm dreading as a result of my lack of long distance-specific training. But I'll tackle that monster like I usually do, and solider on. Right now I'm keeping my mind busy with logistical details; who is taking care of our dog (THANKS MOM!!), where we'll camp, how far away the camp site is to the race site, stocking up on food and Powerade, debating which shirt to wear, what clothes to put in my drop bag, if I should ask for my birthday present early and break in a new pair of shoes before the race..you know..the usual stuff. It's keeping me from getting the taper-crazies, at least for now. Well I hope to see some familiar faces out there next week; maybe Jodi or Karine will run this one (Karine just finished a 100 miler last week so I doubt it, she's earned her rest!), Micheal (who was the first Canadian to run non-stop across PEI two years ago), or maybe my snot-rocket guru Gordon, or some folks from the Halifax Trail club, we will see. So far the 50km group has 18 runners registered, more than the other distances offered that day-Go Ultra Runners-they know where the fun is at! But no matter what distance you do this week or the next just get out there and have fun.

Shoe Review! Merrell's Mix Master

Okay, okay. I know I had said the NB Ionix shoes were "My" running shoes-they still are! I still have 2 identicial pairs I swear! However, during my family trip to Florida this spring I picked up a pair of Merrell Mix Master shoes because they have a bit more grip and cushion. In the past 3 months I've pretty much worn down the lugs to nothing and am now looking for a new shoe. Would I buy the Mix Master again? Yes..but as an all-around running shoe, not for the significant climbs and muddy terrain that the trail races around here consist of (right Jodi??). The Mix Master is for a minimalist runner looking for a bit more cushion and good grip on regular trails/fire roads. Alternately, they'd make a nice transition shoe for someone looking to go towards a more stripped down/miminalist shoe. Light and quick drying, they fit true to size and right away you'll notice more cushion in the forefoot if you've been running in other minimalist shoes until now. The toe box is roomy (as with most Merrell shoes) and the shoe fits well around the ankle so trail debris doesn't find its way inside very often (a problem with a lot of shoes). My biggest issue is how fast these shoes broke down. I have logged an average of around 25 miles per week (pretty low for me) these past couple of months and they broke down faster than shoes that have had twice the distance put on them. The wear pattern on the lugs is clearly visible now (most are worn down to the base) and I doubt they would offer much stability on a hilly trail in their current condition. So, all in all, I'd give these shoes a 4 out of 5. If they could have held up for another 200 miles I would have sent my Ionix shoes packing. Sadly, they didn't and I'm again searching for that perfectly lugged, minimalist trail shoe that won't beat up my feet on rocky terrain or over long distances. The search continues...:-)

Merrell's Mix Master (I have a blue/purple version)

Finding my Happy Place

Vermont 100/200 Race Course

This week I'm trying to find my "Happy Place" with my running. I am enviously watching a fellow local runner run the Vermont 100 this weekend-thanks to a live feed-GO KARINE!!-from my in-laws' place. Sadly I feel like my own possibilities of ever doing a 100 is a thousand miles away right now, so I'm trying really hard to find peace in what I can (and have time to) do right now. My daily 3-4 milers are nice. I'm never exhausted but while I feel like my speed and that weird ankle numbness have improved with the shorter distance part of me is panicked at the loss of my endurance. Last weekend I went out for a 10 miler and although it was brutally hot, it was also a slog-fest. The first hour was fine but the second was a fartlek of street posts, struggling to get to one and then another. So a few days ago I decided to try and fit in any extra fitness that I could to try and combat my less than awesome endurance feats of late. My first step was a yoga class offered just down the street from where I live. When they said I cold also bring my daughter I was sold. We spent an hour of stretching and meditiating, very relaxing at the time, but the next day I was sore in spots that haven't been sore in a while. That was a nice feeling to have. Yesterday I added a little leg strengthening routine after my 4 miler which really helped me focus on my hamstring muscles (an area of weakness in my legs). So, while I might not be scampering up to some amazing vistas in Vermont, I'm trying to keep it interesting back here at home. Tomorrow I'm set to do my first 10 mile run commute TO work (its always been from work until now), so I'm looking forward to that and am very thankful I now work at a place that has amazing facilities (shower, free body cleansing products, lockers, hairdryers, curling irons, and a kick ass cafeteria). All in all, I'm doing what I can with what I've got. My diet has been pretty good...I'd give it a 90% out of 100, given my late-night sugar cravings and a steady supply of Oreos in the cupboard...who keeps buying those anyhow?! Lol. What are YOU doing to stay active and healthy?

Just Say NO...

New job and old goals

After 7 years of working for the same company-although I have to admit-the company I started with looked nothing like what it did when I originally joined, five executive teams later-it was time for me to change and move. I thankfully found a position in a competing company that has saved me about 3 hours a day in commuting time, now that's progress! With my newfound time I get to sleep in and plan actual runs, as opposed to stumbling along like a zombie and trying to squeeze in a 30 minute scramble to the bus every day. Now that I've had regular sleep again and feel human I have tried to have a good look at my overall running plan for this year, what my goals are and what I can do to achieve them. I had my big race a couple of months ago. I had packed on a few extra pounds and hadn't gotten the runs in that I should have. It wasn't a huge surprise (or let down) to find myself checking out at the 33km mark. The next week I ran a short 10k with my husband and I saw two weeks of race pictures-yikes! Clearly I had gotten off track. The hecticness of the company being bought out, the uncertainy of the transition (who would be laid off, who would be kept on and for how long) loomed over everyone I worked with for 6 months. When I heard nothing was going to change, even though promises had been made early on that things would change for the better, I had to get out of there. Clearly the extra pounds had to go as well as my old job. I've always responded really well to a high protein and fat diet, very low on the carbs, so I decided to dust that off again. So far, 6 weeks or so has passed and I've lost about 10lbs. My running though has taken much longer than I expected to get back on track. At the moment I have a solid, consistent 3ish mile run going on every day after work, but I need to go longer if I want to step up to the 50km plate again in early August at the Brookvale trail ultra in PEI. My weekends have been less than productive on the running side. Last weekend I managed a measley 10 miles over 2 days. Seriously! Me! Ugh. So, this past Sunday I thought I had a plan. From my home to my new workplace is about 10 miles. If I did that every morning (yes, my work has a gym and a shower-AWESOMENESS is that right there!!) I could get in my whole weekly mileage in 5 days. Yeeahh. That didn't work out so well yesterday...or today. God, once you get used to NOT waking up at 4:30am it's really hard to get up at 5. So, this week I'm trying to stretch out the end of my day a bit by coming into work early. If I can get in a solid hour after work before picking up my daughter at summer day camp I might have a chance to pull this race out of somewhere (use your imagination). I want to apologize to you guys though. I haven't been posting regularly as I used to, that's something else I want to change as well. I think I was in some kind of survival mode these past 6 months, worrying I wouldn't have a job, worrying about the effect my job's commute (It changed when the company was bought-we relocated to the other side of the city) was having on my family life, I just let a lot of things go by the wayside..not good. I'm very happy at my new workplace, people are generally happy here, everyone seems to work really hard and I've even spied a few race bibs posted in some of the cubes- hey, fellow runners! On top of that they have an excellent benefits plan, tons of training to take, a GYM on site, and a great cafeteria that will make just about anything you want at a subsidized price. Sweet. Now if I can just figure out my running schedule I'll be all set...famous last words lol.