Prepare for the Worst, Hope for the Best!



Limestone 5km 2010



I am running in the Limestone 5km this Sunday. I have no idea what to expect as I have had some injury issues of late which have just resolved themselves this past weekend. I had a great training season through the winter and a few good training runs this spring but not nearly enough of them for me to feel confident about racing this Sunday. I know my mind is strong but I am not so sure if my body is willing so I need to put aside my grandiose dislussions and accept the hand that reality has dealt me. What the F&%K does that mean? It means I can't bluff my way through this race and go out as though I am going to run a 20 minute 5km without some consequences. I have to go out as though I am going to run a 22:30 5km which is 34 seconds slower then last years time. If feeling good at 3 km then I will have a good 2ks remaining to pickup the pace and makeup lost time. The first 3km of this race will probably be and historically has been run into the wind. It will be during the last 2km that I will be able to test the legs and the heart to see what I have left inside.

It was two years ago during this race when I was challenged at the 3km mark by a fellow masters runner. As she passed my shoulder I had to decide to let her go or go with her. It took me a few strides but something inside me told me to catch her and I did. Since that race I have found myself at that very spot on that same road hoping that no one would challenge me the way Stacey did. I just hope I don't feel that way this year and if I can go out at my intended pace than I should be in a good place to answer any challengers. That is what I am calling the "Best Case Scenario".

I am however also preparing for the "Worst Case Scenario". That scenario would have me hitting 1 km at 4:15 or faster and feeling my legs get heavy along with my breaths and my heart. I will probably look to the side of the road for a place to quit without being too conspicuous about it. If I get thinking about quitting then I will immediately give myself  1 minute to recover by slowing down considerably. I will breathe through my nose and wait for the oxygenated blood to return to my brain. Then I will restart the race again in my mind and see if I can arrive at my magic 3km mark ready to race the unfortunate soul who attempts to pass me. OK that is not exactly the "Worst Case Scenario". The worst case would be arriving at the magic 3km point and still be looking to the sidelines for a place to stop and lie down, letting runners pass me by unchallenged and feeling really bad about it but not able to do anything to stop it. If that is the way it plays out then I will resort to thinking about my form. Taking my mind off of the race and just thinking about putting one foot in front of the other will be my fall back, "Worst Case Scenario" plan. If it all comes to that then the last 2 km will seem like an eternity and crossing the finish line looking at the timer will undoubtedly be a hard pill to swallow. Unfortunately it will be a bitter dose of necessary medicine because getting this race under my belt should have me in a better place to train hard for my goal race on June 25th.

I hope to avoid the "Worst Case Senerio" at all cost but I am none the less prepared for it. Let the games begin.

Mr. Disappointment and The Nugget of Wisdom

Last week I had a little setback. At the time it seemed like it might turn into something huge and I could feel the disappointment trying to encapsulate my entire being. It is hard to deal with disappointment especially when you have a plan set in motion only to see the whole thing go up in flames when the unexpected happens. Which is why my friend Mr. Disappointment came a calling when a whispering nagging hip thingy turned into an roaring exploding hip thingy in the middle of a tempo run last Friday. A part of me wanted to become desperate and panicy about having to deal with another injury however another part told me not to sweat it. But why? Why did I not get worried about this setback the way I usually do? "It's elimentary my Dear Watson", you see I have been there before, "Been there, done that". I have learned that disappointments and set backs are par for the course if you are going to be a serious runner. It happens to everyone, the disappointments, the setbacks, no one is immune but how you deal with it separates the new guy from the seasoned pro. Simply stated when you are starting out you just don't get it, there is no perspective, no past events to put things into their proper place. But the events of last Friday showed me that I do now "Get it", and that can only mean one thing, (dare I say) that somewhere along the line I had become a seasoned runner and not the way I ever expected to. The title wasn't handed to me as a medal around my neck on a podium but rather it was seared with pain into my burning hip unceremoniously so when I was forced to stop running last Friday. In the midst of the uncertainty I didn't panic, I didn't think my career was over, I didn't say, "Oh well maybe running isn't for me", I didn't worry that I was not going to be able to run for the next few days or even weeks because I knew that no matter what it was, I would wait it out. I would heal it, baby it, pamper it, strengthen it, massage it, roll it and stretch it as much as it needed and that I would be back to run another day. What set me apart from the newbie runner I had once been was that I now had the benefit of perspective, a coming together and understanding of my collective experiences, a "Nugget of Wisdom" found when I wasn't even looking for one.

So now if anyone asked me for my advice about running and racing among other things I would have to tell them to be prepared to be disappointed. Disappointed in your body, disappointed in yourself, disappointed in your times, disappointed in the process. The sooner they realize that running and racing is fraught with disappointment the better. Learning to deal with those disappointments is fundamental and a much better plan then giving up because you think you just don't have what other runners have. How do you think the other guy/gal got so good to begin with? Once again, "It's elementary", for every win they lost a dozen and for every loss they came back more determined. You do the math, the answer is undeniable and irrefutable, it pays to lose, setbacks and disappointments make us stronger.

Let's break that all down then. If you want to win more you gotta fail more. With every failure comes disappointment but if you can find a means to deal with it, learn from it and carry on then you too can become like all of those runners you thought possessed some magic you did not. Don't let your next setback or disappointment make you fearful and lose hope and know that you are on a journey of learning no matter what your discipline may be, "Nuggets of Wisdom" are out there, in every experience and when you least expect it one will jump up and find you just like the one that found me.

And now for something completely different...
Imagine yourself at a race in the future(a small local race, a regional race, the Boston Marathon, Western State), the RD is getting ready to give the race instructions and you find yourself moving towards the front of the pack. You know where you need to line up and you aren't there yet so you inch your way up, saying, "Excuse me", "Pardon me", keeping your head down trying not to step on peoples feet or note the annoyed look of those who's position you have usurped. Then you finally find it, that just perfect spot and you look up only to be staring directly into the RD's eyes and do you know what???!!! You don't see him/her questioning why you have ponied yourself all the way up into the front of their race because both of you know that that is exactly where you are suppose to be, "Runners take your mark, BANG!!"

I also know that not everyone runs or races to win and that reading my little story about accepting disappointment might make my idea of racing seem like a dismal way to spend ones time. I realize that racing to win and racing for fun each has it's place which is why I came up with this little quote for myself.

There are only two ways to Race,
Racing for Fun and Racing to Win.
Know which one you are doing,
Then do it with No Apologies.(Then do it unapologetically)(Then do it without Apology) I'm working on it.

The Spiral Staircase

Once again I find myself in this very old house with a spiral staircase. I look up and cannot see where the staircase ends as it appears to go on and on so I begin to climb it. Looking up as I climb I do not notice the many people behind me who are now also climbing the staircase. After some time I become aware of the others and I wonder if they know where all this is leading to but I do not ask. We continue to climb looking up and no one speaks as the stairs begin to narrow, the turns of the spiral begin to tighten and I begin to get pushed from behind by the force of the others. The walls are closing in and I realize we are climbing some sort of tower and that we must be near the top now because the stairs are much too narrow and the walls are much too close but the others are still climbing and I begin to panic. My stomach sinks and the horrible truth becomes clear that I am trapped and being pushed up into a soon to end stairway. The tower is so tight now and there are no more stairs to climb. All that is infront of me is a long wooden tunnel and I don't want to go in but I cannot turn around so I crawl in. The tunnel is rectangular like a box and I can see it is narrowing and I feel it is narrowing and soon it is so narrow that I can barely crawl but I am being pushed further into the long narrow wooden box and I see the end is coming and I am afraid. I reach the end and I know there is no escape because the ones below are still pushing forward up the spiral staircase unaware of their destination. But I know where it all ends and it is too late for me, unless they stop, please stop I cry silently, please stop pushing. But I know they cannot hear me. Then I wake up.

My Confession

WARNING: BE PREPARED TO READ THIS POST TO THE BITTER END. ONCE YOU BEGIN THERE IS NO TURNING BACK!
I have a confession to make however I don't know if this it the proper place to make it. I do believe that we can all learn from the events that lead me to this point because everyone here may at sometime find themselves in the same situation. It all began innocently enough with me talking to a stranger on-line and then one thing lead to another and then...well listen to my confession and decided for yourself if you are destined to follow in the shoe prints of my Puma H-streets.

I feel as though I have been cheating with another man. It all began on a forum and then the e-mails progressed to phone calls and soon I found myself sitting alone in my office looking into his eyes and he into mine...we were Skyping each other. Now this wasn't the first time he had seen me. I had also been sending him videos of myself by means of my Dropbox for him to download and replay time and time again, over and over his eyes scanning every detail of my moving body. But how could I betray the one man who had stood behind me through thick and thin like this? How could I go behind his back that way with this other man? Well as I eluded to it just kinda happened, I had an itch that needed scratching and before I knew it I had another man in my life, another man I called "Coach". Well actually I call him "Coach Jeremy" and he is very much like my "Coach". He is concerned for my well being and asks about my health and injuries. He sends me weekly drills to do and and then e-mails, phones or Skypes me to talk about them. The only difference is the videos and now you may be wondering what is in these videos. I can't deny it but they are videos of my form or to be more specific my "Pose Form" as you see "Coach Jeremy" is a certified Pose Coach. I have been very honest with "Coach" about my participation in the Pose forum from day one and he is aware of my habit of uploading my Pose drills and running video for critique. However things have progressed beyond the Pose forum and I suddenly find myself feeling as though I am cheating.

So there it is, my confession. Do you see yourself in there? Can you learn from my mistakes? The truth is that "Coach" gives me 80% of everything I need to become the best runner I can become. However he can't be everything and even though he may not agree that I need the things I seek beyond what he offers I do feel the need at times to go outside of our relationship to satisfy my desires.

Well as you have probably figured out(I really hope you figured it out before now) I am poking a bit of fun at this situation and have embellished it with innuendos of infidelity and betrayal. However I do hope to return the loyalty I have received from those around me who are kind to me and seek to raise me up and not put me down so the entire situation really did have me regretting not telling "Coach"( Derrick) about "Coach Jeremy" before I found myself Skyping away in my office on that day. I hope you can forgive me "Coach". You are THE BEST and I hope you don't mind but I am changing your name to "#1 Coach"!!; )

A Confession

I have a confession to make and I don't know if this it the proper forum to make it in however I think we can all learn from the events that lead me to this point and time because everyone here may at sometime find themselves talking to a stranger on line and then one thing leads to another and then...Well listen to my confession and decided for yourself if you destine to follow in my path.

I have cheating with another man. It began on a forum and then the e-mails progressed to phone calls and now thehas

You CAN Teach an Old Dog NEW Tricks!

Jane & JT

Well it is a beautiful sunny day outside and time for me to brag about my Mom (Sherpa) Jane again. Recently with her goal to make the Canadian World Agility Team she decided to step up her game and began a core and walking/running routine with the help of Tammie Stanton .

My Mom has always been active however she has never ever followed any sort of exercise plan. When she was young(40) she played tennis, rode her bike around town and kept fit as a horse trainer switching from horses to dogs when she moved off the farm. So when she started her new training routine I was skeptical if she would in fact be willing and able to incorporate it into her daily/weekly life. Afterall learning new tricks at her age is a hard thing to do, isn't it? Well a few weeks into it the calls began. She was not calling to chat or to tell me about her wonderful dog JT but to report that she had completed her scheduled workout. It has now been 3 months and the calls have not stopped and continue on  twice weekly like clockwork. 



My Mom showing Striplight circa-1970ish???



I was watching footage of a recent Agility trial and where I would usually concentrate on JT and his speedy maneuvers I instead could not take my eyes off of my 72 year old Mom as she ran effortlessly around the ring leading her very fast Border Collie through the course. I could readily see where her hard work from the past 3 months has really paid off in endurance and speed. I am very happy that my skepticism was proven wrong as the video evidence is undeniable and certain proof that you can teach an "Old Dog" NEW Tricks (and thank goodness because I still have many to learn)!
Keep up the good work Mom, Love Eliza
Note to veiwer- not that my Mom is vain about her appearance however she did point out to me that she is wearing 3 layers of clothes because the barn was like a freezer; )



Quietly Waiting Ramble



Doing the Scorpion

 I have been quietly waiting. Waiting for something to happen. Something worth writing about. Some monumental accomplishment that will have you all dropping your jaws to the ground and gasping in awe as you read my account of my superhuman feats of glory. But Spring is threatning upon us, Winter's cold is lifting from my bones and the quiet has become deafening as I wait so I have decide to break the silence and speak to you of my not so superhuman accomplishments.

I was fortunate to compete and place 2nd in my now annual running of the Frontenac Dion Snowshoe Race and I also managed 3rd in the Switzerville RedBarn snowshoe race. I then made a dismal attempt at a 5km race when I was sick as a dog and wishing I was home on the couch. I just hate running a race you know you never should have lined up for. It's not just the discomfort of trying to hold your aching body together through the distance but seeing the timer as you approach the finish and the time you knew was coming but did not want to see. Knowing it does not represent anything about who you are or how hard you train doesn't help when you think back to all the times you ran hills in the icy, dark, freezing night just so you could look up at the end of that very race to see all that hard work had paid off in at least shaving a few seconds off of last years time. Instead what I saw was a time which I had seen 2 years before. I couldn't help but feel I had lost 2 years of training in one single race. No matter how I tried to console myself seeing the time was devestating, overwhelming, dumbfounding. I was sick yes, but I should have been faster and I wasn't. Then reality hits me a few days later, I was slower because I was sick and I didn't feel like running fast. Could I have run faster? Yes. Did I want to? No! I didn't feel like it, and that is that. Sometimes you just don't feel like it, or you just don't have it. The perfect race is a lottery. So many numbers have to come up for you to be a winner. I had perhaps 3 of 6 numbers I needed for a perfect race that day with a good race needing 5 numbers, an OK race 4, an "at least I finished" race  3, a bad race 2, a terrible race 1 and a devestatingly horrible race 0. So on that scale I guess it wasn't so bad, things could have been worse.

Once again this year will be another chance for me to work on my running form and to study the art of  the 5km race. Emilie's Run is my goal race in June and is the one that I missed last year and I also plan to run the Limestone Mile again.



Doing one legged jump squats



I have been building strength all winter running hills and doing strength and core. Hills were hell. They are done with. I learned a lot about myself but I am glad to move on. Derrick(my running coach) now has me running hilly tempos which are much more fun as long as my Achilles and twitchy hip decide to co-operate. I also have a new strength routine I am progressing through adding reps weekly to strengthen my weak parts. Squats are not my friend. I hate them. They hurt me. But I do them because they are written on the paper my strength trainer gave me. Doing my strength routine with Tammie(my trainer) is OK. I can usually get through them because having her there is motivation for me to do well, and not slack. Doing them at home for my 2nd time of the week is another story. I tell myself I will skip reps. or skip complete exercises just to get my lazy butt down to the basement to get at it. Today I decided I needed some extra motivation because I really didn't want to get all sweaty and start lifting and pushing heavy things(my butt) around. So I decided to film me doing my entire routine in real time with no breaks so I kept it moving along and did not cheat. The camera did switch off at one point but this was purely accidental and I swear I did do the missing set of squats.  After a few minutes of watching it becomes as much fun as watching paint dry. Enjoy. Unfortunately youtube rejected my video...too graphic...no too long; ) so I put it in my Dropbox which is not working but I think it is busy uploading. I did say it was long(40min).

.

Cookie Diet; )

Mmmmm, I love cookies and I can't stop eating them lately. I told myself that I had eaten my last one. Well maybe one more then no more after that one and definitely no cookies tomorrow. That is what I said last night. Then I woke up this morning, poured my morning coffee and decided one more cookie couldn't hurt but it was the last one and then after eating 3 more I said enough is enough. Then it was time for my long run. I wondered how much energy my cookies would provide me. They are 65 calories each so that was a good 260 calories or pure sugar carbs. The run was only a little 75 min. today and I figured I could start eating healthy again starting at lunch time. Well I made it through the run, 65 minutes of it and after having my protein shake(which I never miss after a run and has 130 calories) I poured myself another coffee and well those cookies looked so good and hey just one or two or 3 turned into 4 then 5 then 6. It was afterall coming onto lunch time so lets see 6x65=390 calories. Not so so bad for lunch. I do afterall need 2500 calories to maintain my 140lbs. although I am weighing in 5lbs heavier then that these days. Soon it was time for my strength workout and again I wondered how my cookies would do energizing me through my squats and pushups and what not. I was feeling a bit dizzy after one set so I made a protein shake quickly, had a few sips and got back to it. As I was pushing out my second set of decline pushups I started to feel my cookies in my tummy coming up and thought how I really never wanted to eat another one. But then again I say that all the time and thought that perhaps I should just force myself to continue to eat nothing but cookies all day(plus my shakes) and perhaps that will cure me of my cookie habit. Thing is I don't think I can do it. I am feeling sick just thinking about it. To pull this off I will need to eat another 1500 calories of  cookies and shakes. I have 14 cookies (about 800 calories) left and I could have 2 more shakes using milk this time to increase the calories and perhaps add in a banana to round out the day. OMG I am feeling so sick at the thought of eating another cookie. This cookie diet just might work afterall.

Snowshoeing in Frontenac Park

A gif of me during the Dion Frontenac Snowshoe race in January.

Good Luck to Sara tomorrow at the the Batawa Frozen Ass Snowshoe race.

Confidence?

No workout is a complete waste of time. We learn something from each one of them be it run perfectly, too hard or not hard enough. I myself have a knack of mixing the latter two and this is usually how my races play out also. So while I was cooling down after my most recent workout where I not surprisingly went out too fast, conked in the middle and then redeemed myself briefly at the end, I began to wonder: Do we as runners perform a certain way because of our underlying personalities? Do I need to become another person in order to change the way I perform athletically? As I pondered those thoughts I uneasily came to the realization that I probably do need to change as much emotionally as I do physically to improve as a runner. There just seems to be so much to learn about ourselves every time we tie up our laces and dare to push ourselves into new unconquered territory. This new territory is uncomfortable and many times when I find myself there I just want to leave.

I am sure the reason I go out too fast is because deep down inside I am not satisfied with my current level of fitness, don't think it is something to be proud of and feel a need to be better then I currently am. To put it bluntly, I have a hard time accepting myself as I now am . The result of that mind set is: I go out fast, can't live up to the pace, have to take a break to regain my composure; then, I finish the workout/race unsatisfied. Going out slow may be an indicator that the runner has running confidence. Their restraint in turn says that they are happy with who and where they are today here in the middle of a race. That sort of thinking I am sure probably carries over into their everyday lives as well. Being happy with where you are means you are satisfied with yourself as a person and confident that you are good enough just the way you are today. That doesn't mean that you don't want to get better. In fact being confident seems like a nice stable platform from which one can build upon as in: I am good enough today, now let us see what I can become tomorrow. Which is so much better then: I am not good enough today and if I don't get better I will not be good enough tomorrow.

I am beginning to think that this is the lesson I am needing to learn so that I can build my life upon a stable foundation of confidence rather then continue to wobble atop the unstable rubble of self doubt. But how? How do I build that stable platform? Where does confidence come from? Can running help me find it or will running just be an indicator that I now possess this thing called "confidence"?


Wouldn't it be nice and I wish it were so-
That, if I was to start my race out running slow
And if I held it steady to keep good time;
Than, I'd win my confidence at the finish line!


I know the whole thing brings to mind "The Wizard of OZ" and the Lion needing courage, the Tin Man needing a heart and the Scarecrow a brain. But alas, I don't think the Wizard has anything in his bag for me. Instead I suppose he'd tell me that all I have to do is click my heels together 3 times and say, "I am good enough, I am good enough, I am good enough".

BTW, I am running in the Twosome 5 km on the 13th on a team with Steve Maybury. Age group is determined by the sum of our ages so we are in the 110+ group. I think we can do well in this category. I am confident of it; )

Again this year I will be concentrating on running 5 kms with Emile's Run in June being my GOAL race. I have already raced a few times only a month into the year. Below are my race reports and pics.

Resolution Run

The stats- 4:27, 4:33, 5:10, 4:36, 4:45, 5:08, 4:40, 4:44. Official time 38:19, I think. First in age. The first part of the race I really had to use any positive talk I could muster to keep going. I had passed Stacey(orange coat in picture) at 1 km so I was a bit concerned about having to race her the whole way which probably triggered a bit of anxiety. Shirley passed me on the "HILL" at 2.5 km and I caught up to her at about half way but after the turn around at 4.5 km the gap opened and she finished in 37:48, I think; ) The wind was relentless and coming back it felt like I was standing still at times when I'd get hit with a big gust of it. I felt better emotionally wise coming back and just worked hard to the finish.

Note: I didn't know it at the time however in the picture above, which was taken at the start, the girl in the green coat who is in my age group was only 4 seconds behind me at the finish.

Dion Frontenac Snowshoe Race

Really, a beautiful day for the race. I wore a light shell over a long and short sleeve top, tights and wind pants. Figuring out what to wear was big on everyone's mind before heading out for a warm-up as no one wanted to be too cold or too hot. It all was so low key that it didn't really sink in that I was about to race until we started. I may have been trying to block it from my mind. The amount of snow may have been the most I had ever run in. I started out on the main track but quickly realized that I was boxed in so I made an early break for it outside to the left and passed a bunch of people and then settled in behind a young fast looking girl. About 1 km going up hill I realized I needed to work a bit harder so passed her. I could just barely see the back of Shauna and another runner for a few minutes and then they were gone and I ran alone for the remainder of the race. The trail was really well marked and the footing was really good considering the amount of snow that fell yesterday. I had decided to run all the hills this year and only walked a few steps at approx. 3.5 km as I was slowly picking away at the longest hill on the course. I was tired but not like in a road race. I could still be much more efficient on my snowshoes so keeping up the concentration form wise was very important if I didn't want to slip. I did attack a few hills but kind of bounced down the really steep ones not really sure of the best way to take them. Since there was no one behind me I was chasing Shauna's imaginary back just to keep me pushing forward. Wow it felt long. I thought maybe the RD was playing a joke on me and just sending us in circles around the park. It was nice when I got close to the end and could see the finish marker through the trees. I think my time was pretty close to last year's which was 47:30 'ish.


I cooled down for 10 minutes waiting for Maryanne then got cold standing around at the finish. It was nice to see Karen and Evelyn and of course Derrick and Sara. I saw Sara for all of perhaps 10 secs. as she rushed out on to the course and snapped pics of me approaching her station. I also had a nice talk with Kendra in the ladies room. I am stiffening up quite nicely. The bottom of my left foot feels a bit stretched out and my knee needs icing...such is the life of this runner.

To MESS with your Stride or Not to MESS with your Stride- That is the Question!

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW!

Messing with ones natural stride is a taboo in some running circles. There is a train of thought that if you let an athlete run enough miles that he/she will find their natural stride. Problem is that many find injury before they find the perfect efficient way to get themselves from point A to point B. Yes the saying, "If it ain't broke then don't fix it", makes perfect sense for those runners who don't have injury issues, however check out this article  from The New Yorker and you may change your mind when Alberto Salazar blames his poor form for ending his career early at the age of 26. Read on and you may then change your mind again after learning about Alberto's disastrous attempts to change the form of his running protege, Dathan Ritzenhein.

I read the acticle with interest because I chose to mess with my stride about 3 years ago. I didn't do it because I was prone to injury or anything like that. Besides I hadn't run enough to qualify for a case of runners knee or Achilles tendinitis at that point. I chose to mess with my stride because I was literally all over the place form wise and didn't know what the heck I was doing. Everytime I ran I felt like I was showing up at a dance recital not knowing the moves and having to fake it. Having a clear defined way to get my body from point A to point B simply took the mystery out of the running equation for me and gave me a clear vision of what I was trying to accomplish. I have had more injuries since I began messing with my form and believe the majority of my problems stem from my inability to master the simple act of running using the most efficient running form possible. Poor running form forces the body to over use some muscles and at the same time under develope others causing muscular imbalances which can lead to injury. Hence my long term problems with a stiff Achilles tendon, tight calf muscle, a 6 month bout of runners knee and a torn calf muscle which put me out of commission for almost 2 months this July and August.

But despite these injuries I have never thought about quitting. Why? Because I know that with each set back I am that much closer to figuring this running thing out. I have learned alot about what I need to do  by recognizing what I have be doing...WRONG!! It's as simple as recognizing my mistakes and learning from them.



Recently one of the most effective tools I have used to help me recognize those mistakes and to perfect my stride has been a video camera. Sometimes what we perceive we are doing while running is not what we are infact doing and seeing it play out on a computer screen has given me a really good insight into what I still have to work on. The main points I am trying to work on are-

 1) running upright with a slight forward lean while not bending at the waist.

2) landing with my foot under my body and not out in front.

3) retracting the trailing leg quickly with the hamstring and not leaving it behind.

4) leading with my pelvis(to keep me upright) and not my shoulders(makes me bend).

5) keeping my arms swinging straight and not across my body.

6) doing all of the above while not thinking about doing all of the above.

If you missed it then check out this video which accompanied the article I spoke of above. Plus a recent running video of me and my training partner Maryanne Takala who has a natural efficient running stride. I try not to talk to her about running form for fear that I will mess her up.





Jane & JT

Here is a video of my Mom(71) and JT at the Ontario Championships winning the Steeplechase event. For me this is one of the most exciting things I have ever seen. I am just so proud of  both of them.

You may notice that my Mom does not run beside JT through the course like many dog handlers do. Since JT is so fast she does not want to slow him down to her pace(which is slower then her younger competitors) so she has trained JT to take his commands from a distance using hand, body and voice signals...kinda like the way Derrick trains me in Sydenham all the way from Yarker using nothing but smoke signals; )
Btw,
My Mom is wearing LaSportiva Crosslites. Sara gave them to me because they were too big for her and my Mom tried them out and I have not seen them since.

Dear Coach...

Dear Coach Derrick,


Thank you so much for another GREAT year of training. I still can't believe that the girl who met you for coffee to discuss training 2 years ago was me. She had many dreams and I'm the one who gets to live them.

You took a "middle of the packer" and moved me that much closer to the front, but more then that your positive approach to running and life has also been a great inspiration to me. I am just discovering that running is a sport that bestows upon its participants so many gifts beyond winning and medals. There is the discipline and satisfaction one gains from putting in the training, the never ending journey of self awareness every race reveals and the amazing camaraderie of other runners as an omnipresent force making this whole experience a safe place to explore and challenge our limits without the fear of failure or judgement pushing us forward towards our greatest potential.

I am so appreciative to have had the opportunity to share my journey with you and Sara and the group of runners who have also found refuge here in the SHA family.

Thank you again and I am looking forward to another year of training and self discovery for myself and everyone here.

Sincerely yours,

Eliza Murphy

...I can WIN any race I enter...

Like I always say, I can WIN any race I enter...as long as no one FASTER shows up; ) Well usually that never happens, in fact it has NEVER happened until TODAY!!: )

The second annual running of the Somersault Triathlons, Duathlon, Canoe Tri, Kayak Tri, Swim, Swim-Cycle, 10KM, 5KM, 2KM, etc. etc. etc. took place today in my home town of Sydenham, Ontario. Everyone in the village came out to support the event either by volunteering or participating. I almost ran The Wolfe Island 5km instead but am glad I decided to join in the fun and take home my first ever overall Gold medal in the Women's 5km and winning a running skirt and a nice tech shirt to boot. I must say it was fun to hear my name announced over the loud speaker as I crossed the finish line as first women and 3rd overall behind two 13 year old boys. Now I can tell everyone that I am almost as fit as a 13 yr old boy and really how much fitter can I get then that?

The race itself was a hard one for me. It was hot and I was tired and had a bad stitch at 2.5km.  I decided not to worry about it and took it as an opportunity to just try and hold it all together when the body just wanted to stop. I did not use my Garmin and ran the whole way "time blind" and loving it. All that mattered was that I kept pushing forward trying to catch that 13 yr. old kid in the red shirt. I never quite caught him but it was fun trying. Funny thing but I was so taken up in racing that when I crossed the finish line I really was not that interested in what my time was. Imagine that, sounds impossible even to me.

My time was 21:46, a new course record; )
Just a little video of the proceedings. Please note that the 5km and 10km were ran together.

A GOOD TRY: )

I am not going to bore you with all the details of my 1 mile race. I'd like to cut to the part about my goal for the race which was to "TRY". I would also just like to make it clear that my goal was to "TRY" not to "DIE" or "DIE TRYING". Yes finishing a race so tired that you can't hold yourself up is certainly one for sure sign that you "TRIED" but unfortunately my race didn't play itself out quite that way. Defining how I tried my best may leave some of you asking yourself if I did indeed "TRY" hard enough but in my heart I know I did my best on that day with what experience and racing knowledge I had to work with.

In the days leading up to the race I had become almost paralyzed with fear of  failing so really getting to the start line was my first step in trying. Running the race based on my Garmin readings instead of my body's feedback was a choice I made because I did not trust that my body knew how to run this race. I let 2 readings from the Garmin rule this race for me. The first time was rounding the first bend and I noted I was out fast and I decided to base my next move on the number I saw and that move was to slow down. Rather then listen to my body's perceived effort I decided to ease off and cruise midway into the first lap of the 2 lap race. The next time I read my Garmin was at the halfway point, or should I say miss read it. I thought it said I was right on target(wrong) and what I did next based on that number was to hold steady where I was. I was working but I was not hurting but then again I still had another half of the race to go(1 more loop) so I saved my push for the last 400 metres and I ran it as strong as I could to the finish, not dying(probably because I did not push as hard in the middle) but trying and looked at the Garmin across the finish line and WHAAAAT??? The time was not what I expected. The feeling I had at that moment was that I had tried my best and that I had never quit. I had tried to outsmart the race and failed but I had not failed to "TRY". I was only disappointed in the time, not in myself. Infact I was quite ecstatic that I had just finished a race that had scared me so much just a few days before.

 In the end my mistake was trying to "THINK" the race instead of "FEEL" the race and that's OK, it was a learning experience and a lesson I never would have learned had I not "TRIED".

On a side note I looked at the video my Mom (Sherpa) Jane had taken of the race and I did not look as graceful or as smooth as I thought I would. To tell you the truth I was a bit embarrassed looking at myself. But I've had some time to think about it and I guess it really doesn't matter how I look to the rest of the world because I don't have to see myself when I run, I only have to feel how it feels and it feels great inside and that is all that should matter to me.