Boston Marathon 2013

I've been a fan of the Boston Marathon for years. No, I don't ever plan to attempt to qualify for the race or run it with a charity. The race looks hilly and frankly not that scenic. So why am I a fan? It's the vibe of the race, its runners striving for years to qualify for the race, the international elites that frequent the event and the amazing spectators who I'd love to bus up to the local marathon here to show our own crowds how marathon spectating is REALLY done. Add to that, that it falls on Patriots Day, celebrating the North American equivalent of Pheidippides mythic run to announce victory through local legend Paul Revere. Marathoning and Patriotism what a beautiful combination, right? Someone, or a group of someones didn't think so yesterday when they dropped at least three packages that lead to two explosions near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.
I make a point of watching the marathon every year. It's one of the best covered marathon events in North America, in my opinion. For an hour before the marathon viewers can watch interviews with not only the elites but the amazing charity runners and celebrated locals. This year a special moment of silence was held for those 26 victims of the Sandyhook Elementary shootings. They had a group of runners running the event, and a special banner set up at mile marker 26. There was the usual debate when the wheelchair division begins, the commentators argued safety concerns over patronizing the wheelchair athletes as they were led, NASCAR style down the first hill to avoid any potential collisions (this does not happen in any other wheelchair marathon by the way). It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining but the heat was dramatically cooler than last year's heat wave, leading most people to call it perfect running weather. I watched the women's race as this year it was more interesting than the men's race, cheering quietly for Shaylene to find an extra gear to make it to the podium. I was disappointed when the Canadian Josh Cassidy didn't medal this year, after winning the mens wheelchair division last year. It was clear those athletes that had been absent from last year's race due to the upcoming Olympic Games, had returned.
After the winners had finished I went about my day, coming back after an hour to watch the local tv station interview tired runners walking up Heartbreak hill. After a few minutes I turned off the coverage. Then my husband texted me and joked about me watching the marathon. I joked back, then he asked if I had watched the bombings. I joked back "haha" thinking it wasn't his usual humor to joke like that...but whatever, I brushed it off and frankly it didn't even occur to me to turn on the tv to check. I mean-who would really bomb a marathon? WHY? The thought lingered, but with supper to be made and some chores to be done I put in the back of my mind until my husband and daughter arrived home. Then my husband said he was not joking, this really happened. I was in shock and could only repeat what he said and ask why. We watched the tv coverage in shock and silence.
Today brings no better answer to my question, why? Amby Burfoot (past winner of the Boston Marathon and writer for Runner's World) says this was an attack on our democratic rights, a west-coast political analyst says he thinks the attackers are a domestically-based Islamic extremists based on the size of the bombs, the style they were deployed and the location of the attack. Whoever is responsible hasn't yet been named but I hope whoever is responsible is found quickly and brought to justice. I'm hopeful that with so many spectators around the finish line someone has video or pictures that can help lead to an arrest.
Does this change my mind about running a major city marathon? It certainly gives me something to consider going forward. Frankly I would have put security concerns at the bottom of my "things to worry about" list for a marathon, now it's right up there beside proper training. But this won't stop me from racing, and it shouldn't stop any other runner either. If it does, whoever did this will have had their desired effect on all of us, inspiring fear so great we don't participate in the things in life we love.
Running a marathon is a celebration. It's a celebration of months of training, focus and support by friends and family. As another runner once said, the race is your victory lap. Let us not forget those who were lost but remember the spirit of the marathon cannot be quashed by cowards.

Can Trail Running Develop into an Unhealthy Addiction?

This month's blog symposium topic from trailrunnermag.com is: Can Trail Running Develop into an Unhealthy Addiction?

I think its funny they chose to add "trail" to the question since I firmly believe that, yes, running can turn into an unhealthy addiction. Lots of runners have replaced other addictions, drugs, alcohol, etc. with running and call running their "healthy addiction." I think trail runners like to think of themselves as slightly different from your standard road runner, a bit more healthy perhaps because we run and train in the wilderness, not in smog infested streets. Trails give us a feeling of separating ourselves from society; no stop lights, cars beeping, fast food smells beside that chipmunk! How long that separation from society lasts, from family and friends, depends on the runner. I think that any activity that starts to negatively affect any other aspect of your life, be that your family, friendships, job or health can become unhealthy if the runner doesn't find that magical balance. It isn't easy, but if we nurture each aspect of our lives we can strive for that balance, as trail runner Scott Dunlap said: "Life has many facets, and each of them can be tapped into for positive energy... What's most important is to understand every part of your life where passion gives you energy and optimism, and make sure you get regular feedings." 

Shoe Review! Vibram Spyridon

I think I was probably being a bit naive when I thought that when I told my husband I was back to wearing my Vibram Sprints that he would remember they were skirting the edge of unwearable shoes, with me having worn them to the point certain areas in the outer sole had sizable holes starting. They had lasted at least 2500 kilometers-talk about getting your money's worth! A week passed, then two. I tried giving him a hint by hanging them-sole facing outward-to show the holes in the front foot area, but he walked past them for a few days and nothing was said. I then resorted to showing him how dirty my feet were the other day when I had finished a particularly muddy trail run. He immediately said I should probably get a new pair. YES!!
As I said in another post, I had done some checking and Vibram Spyridons were the next Vibram five finger shoe I wanted to try. It turns out the only store that had them in stock in at least 100 kilometers was at the Halifax Shopping Center Sport Chek.
I ended up trying on more than the Spyridons while we were there. The famous Bikila LS-named after the first barefoot marathon winner in 1962-fit too snug for my taste and I found the fabric at the heel went up too far. I guess wearing the Sprints, with their mary jane style upper, was going to take a little adjustment period.

Bikila LS

Then I tried on the Jayas and although they fit pretty close to the feel of the Sprints, my heel immediately slipped out the back.

Jaya

Onto the Komodos. I actually thought about asking for a wider version,  my foot felt like someone was squeezing the heck out of my foot no matter how much I adjusted the very cool laces. I couldn't imagine surviving 20 miles in those puppies.

Komodo LS

Lastly I tried the Seeya LS. They felt great everywhere except on the top of my foot. The whole laces thing turned me off-that's part of the reason I like wearing Vibrams, you don't have to mess with laces! Aside from that I found the tongue dug into my leg and I couldn't adjust the laces well enough to give my wider foot enough room. They were certainly a pair that looked like it could handle hot days and running through water really well though.


But I kept going back to the reason I was there, the Spyridons. They cover the whole foot, like a glove, with an adjustable velcro strap that pulls the strap around the foot. The upper is made of a water resistant but stretchy fabric but the best part of the shoe, and my reason for buying it was the sole. The traction on the bottom is better than any other Vibram shoe with its multidirectional traction, it also provides a bit of a lift off the ground, when compared to the Sprints.
My first run in the Spyridons was a street/trail combo. It takes about 2.5 kms to get to the start of the Shearwater trail from my house so I grabbed my dog and we headed out. The trail was really busy, which, given the gorgeous weather, made sense. Spencer got to smell tons of other dogs and the kilometers passed quickly. The Spyridons handled the shoulder of the street and the bigger rocks of the trail entranceway without a problem. In the Sprints I would already be actively searching out patches of grass to walk on! The added rubber in the 3.5mm sole really made a difference from the Sprints which have less rubber. The Spyridons handled the small crushed gravel really well. I think I got one or two tiny specks of gravel in my shoes during the whole 12 mile run.
When we got to the end of the Shearwater flyer trail we crossed the road and jumped onto the Salt Marsh trail. I found an old river bed, and since it looked alot like the terrain of one of Jodi and Karine's crazy ass trail races I decided to try it out. I am so glad I did. We jumped from boulder to boulder, slid on some muddy grass as the scenery changed every few meters. It was great. The Spyridons handled everything I could throw at them beautifully. After about a half kilometer we came upon this random grassy hillside with a single tree sitting to the right of the trail. It was straight out of a painting. Then we passed the hillside and went into the woods on the other side. The terrain got more hilly and I could start to see that we were running along the side of a growing hillside, overlooking the ocean below. We met a few other people with hiking poles and dogs, greeting everyone as we passed. It's funny that I can live around here for 8+ years and never know this trail existed until now! I need to get out more!
Eventually I checked my watch and realized we needed to turn back and head home. I also didn't want to push Spencer's limits. I already knew this was his longest run yet. So we turned around and doubled back.
When we got home I realized I had a few hot spots. One on each foot where the top strap connects to the side of the shoe, and two decent sized heel blisters. I think I'll try to wear my injiji toe socks on the next run-or until the blisters heel. I had a few blisters like this with the Sprints, eventually the material stretches a bit and it's not an issue.
My feet weren't tired at all from my 12 miler. Usually in the Sprints my forefoot would be a bit sensitive after a run like this, but nothing of the sort happened with the Spyridons.
I'll give the Spyridons a 4 out of 5 stars. I'm taking a point for the blisters, but otherwise they are an exceptional minimalist trail shoe and a decent road shoe. I'm sure if I wore them only on the roads they would last even longer than my Sprints, given the extra rubber, but to find the true impressive qualities of the Sypridons you need to get off the roads and onto the trails!

Website Plug!

I found this gem of a website through irunfar.com (I guess that makes two website plugs in case you're keeping track!): http://www.trailporn.com/

This has become my go-to website to find new gorgeous trail-related background images for my computer (sorry Runner's World!). All of the photos are super high quality/resolution images sent in by my fellow trail runners around the world. It certainly gives a runner a good place to start making their trail running bucket list! The only suggestion I would make to the website would be to include a bit more of a back story to each picture, even simple details on how far the route is or when the best time of year to run it would be really appreciated. Ah well, for now I'll just enjoy the pics! Here's a sample:

Squamish 50

Shoe Review! Skechers GOwalk...Rock!

I love my puppy, Spence, really I do. But he's gotten the cold shoulder from me these past few days for chewing my beloved Merrell Glove shoes (mary jane style). Gosh I loved those shoes, they went everywhere with me, I even ran a few times in them since Merrell posted that as a feature of the shoes. So when my husband held up a chewed Merrell on Saturday morning from the floor by our bed all I could do was wail "NOoooo!" and insist that I would now need new "everyday" shoes.

The search was on. We went to Walmart to start (I know, I know, but I was trying to be agreeable to a cheaper alternative than my $125 Merrells) and had no luck, although I was impressed by how many of their shoes had a nice comfortable sole, however the uppers on all of their casual shoes were rigid and I could picture pretty impressive blisters forming from each one that I tried on. So, our next stop was Globo Shoes. I usually don't have much luck with this store, simply because I find their shoes tend to run pretty narrow and they never seem to have any other width options available. This time however I was in luck. They had a big display of the whole Skechers Line, and although I was wary of trying on shoes from them based on my GOrunII experience I tried on a pair of their GOwalk shoes.

Skechers GOwalk - Tech

Wow! First of all they were just as light as the GOrunII shoes (only 4.5 oz per shoe) and even feature a very similar tread pattern. These were easy to slip on and the stretchy upper gave my toes tons of room to breathe and move. The upper is made of a soft chenille fabric that understands alot of us want to wear these barefoot. They are super comfortable. After four days of wear I don't have any blisters or hot spots. I can feel the ground beneath my feet but Skechers designed these so that even though you can still feel the ground it feels like you've got a ton of cushion underfoot. One neat feature of the GOwalk is a heel loop that allows you to grab this small hole and quickly pull the shoes on-great if you're a busy mom trying to keep up with her busy family!

Skechers-you've redeemed yourself in my eyes. The GOwalk -Tech shoes get a 5 out of 5 from me. I know I'll be wearing these shoes to death...oh and they have a nice home in our front closet so Spencer can't sample them. I think I'll GOwalk!

Back to Vibrams?

How I can go for a year without worrying so much about my running shoes only to be stuck in this predicament I don't know. Okay, I'll lay out the issue: I was loving my NB 1010s then they started falling apart. I thought they were the answer to my trail running (with a lug-based minimalist sole) but  prior to falling apart my NB 1010s had been giving me a significant amount of calf pain which I was trying to figure out but never quite got to the bottom of. So NB1010s back in the box and in with the Asic Kahanas. Nice, grippy shoe that seems like it would be the ultimate winter running shoe (and I'll keep them for next winter's training for sure). The problem? They gave me pretty nasty blisters on each arch which have led to two weeks of hobbling around. I hate blisters and open blisters are the worst (one runner calls them "Pure hell," I agree). At one point the foot with the open arch blister got so swollen I had to adjust my regular minimalist everyday shoes to accommodate my new cankle. Ugh. Even expensive blister patches only went so far in mitigating the foot pain in my Asics. I ran anyway-I know, stupid-but ask any runner in training for an ultra if they would just take off two weeks to recover from blisters, I'm betting most would laugh at the suggestion. So I ran, I even raced, but yesterday the prospect of running another 10k in the Asics seemed like en experiment in running torture.
I looked at my options. I had to run on my treadmill (snowstorm) so I knew I could go completely barefoot, wear toe socks or run in my old Vibram Sprints. I decided to try on my VFFs to see how they felt and if they would rub up against my sore arch. I was happy to find they didn't bother my arch at all. So I started my run, walking really for the first mile, no major pain, so I turned it into a run and was happy to see my speed was better than it had been in the past few runs. I finished my 10k happy and surprisingly not sore at all. I expected at least a bit of calf pain because I hadn't been running in VFFs in a few months but there was none. Maybe the NB 1010s were minimal enough that my calves could handle the 10k. Sweet.
I felt so good I even considered another 10k run later in the day, but due to family activities it wasn't really possible unless I wanted to sit through a gymnastics class a sweaty mess. I erred on the conservative side and didn't run again.
Today though I packed my VFFs for my indoor track run (also a 10k, but at a faster pace). My dilemma is though that I still have a trail ultra to run in 1.5 months and I know the VFF sprints just don't have enough grip for the terrain I'll be running. So I've started looking at Vibram.com to see what new models have come out. To my surprise they've made a trail VFF called the Spiridon LS (named after the first marathon winner in the Olympics). These VFFs certainly look like they've got enough sole to handle what I'll throw at them...now how do I convince my husband I should buy a pair of these after just spending $100 on the Asics?

Race Report! Moose 25 km Race

If I had to choose a favorite annual race it would be the Moose Run. It has scenic ocean views for most of the out and back course, challenging terrain, donation-based entry, vegetarian food at the finish and great volunteers. I've run it 5 times, and managed to come in next-to-last at least 3 of those 5 times. It doesn't matter though since most of the runners who run this are the hardest core road runners in the area. Even repeat Boston Marathoners Remi and Denise run this one. Every year Remi wins. I gauge my performance by when he passes me on his way back to the finish. This year I managed to meet up with him on Bissett road, the furthest I've been able to get before meeting him. It's at this race where those elite runners are at their most down to earth, encouraging those of us slow pokes just as much as we cheer them on to another victory.

The Route

Yesterday, being St. Patrick's Day, everyone was encouraged to wear green. Green tutus, top hats, ties and even shamrock high socks were everywhere. We started off strong, the group stayed together longer than normal. I reminded myself to run my own race over and over. It's easy to get swept up in the pace of these awesome runners, an issue I've paid for before. This was the last 25 kms of my 65 km training week. The day before I had run 16 km so my legs were not very fresh. Still I held a good 12 minute pace average throughout the whole race. We sped downhill for the first 3 km, then a steep small hill before the rolling road of Cow Bay before we reached the 12 foot tall Moose statue.

The Cow Bay Moose

It was there that the two runners in front of me walked up to the first aid station and handed in their bibs. They were done after 4 kms. Usually people wait until the 8 km mark before they quit this race. I sped past, not needing water as I had my handheld. After the Moose is a sharp downhill then a winding road ("the causeway") alongside a massive wall of boulders design to act as a wave breaker for the ocean on the other side. After that is another steep short hill followed by another sharp downhill. Then more winding road and another, more gradual hill, another downhill then the epic hill after the church which is followed by an equally epic downhill. After that it's mostly rolling roads until the turnaround point. Typically though those first hilly 8 km freak alot of people out so they quit (or modify their distance) before running the out and back section of Bissett road.My husband and I refer to the out and back section of Bissett road as a 'time warp'. It's a rolling, winding road where every turns looks like the last and you end up feeling like you've been running on the road forever, even though it totals only 4 miles. Once I got back out of Bissett road I hit a sharp hill before a wonderful downhill slope. Half way down the slope I met up with my husband, daughter and our dog. I hadn't asked Richard to bring anything (I didn't think I'd need any extra supplies) but, being the ever supportive runner himself he thoughtfully brought me a much needed banana which I gobbled up in three bites before running off, estimating I'd be finished in 45 minutes if my 12 minute pace held. I soon regretted how quickly I had eaten the banana, my stomach cramped and rolled but I ate a couple of old jelly beans at the bottom of the handheld pouch (don't judge!) and pushed on, power-walking up the epic hill. By then I'd been out on the course for 2.5 hours and the pretty sunny day had clouded over and the ocean wind picked up dramatically. By the time I hit the breakers again the wind was doing a good job of pushing me backwards. I kept my pace steady and powered through to a turn which forced the wind to be at my back. Thank the gods!! With a mile and a bit left to go my phone, which I had been using to coordinate with my husband, sputtered and died. I shoved in my pocket and pushed on, loving the last downhill and gutting out the last straight section before the finish "line" (a guy with a clip board who yells "You're Done!"). No matter how poorly the race goes, and trust me, this was not my best performance, I still finish this race with a satisfied smile on my face. Because this race is hard, really hard, and just finishing it is an accomplishment in my eyes.

I met up with my husband and daughter at the finish (they had watched me finish as they pulled into the Buffalo club/aka Finish line) and we enjoyed some beans and tea while watching the prize giveaway by the race organizers. My daughter was kind enough to let her Mommy eat some food before she declared the place stunk and asked if we could go. I can't really blame her, stick 200 runners into a small hall after a 25 km run and it smells pretty ripe. I was happy to be driven the 1 km back to our house where I promptly showered and took a nap watching Sea Quest re-runs. Another Moose Race finished...until next year!