Serendipity

It’s a fabulous word. It sounds like it’s dancing. When it happens, “a fortuitous happenstance” or “pleasant surprise” such as it is, we often find ourselves questioning the happenstance. This past Sunday February 9, I was questioning a lot of things. As my two über fit sisters lined up beside me to run the 16th annual Palm Springs 1/2 marathon I first questioned my sanity, then my attire. I followed the questions up with a liberal dose of self doubt and the infamous “will I make it to the next porta potty” question. Then the countdown began, and we were off. I run with music and as I wished my sister luck and set my nike run app to 1/2 marathon shuffle a big smile spread across my face. I had to holler at my sister Rachel to have a listen to the fortuitous happenstance. Serendipity!
The song playing was a song I had put on my iTunes for my mom last year when she was bedridden with cancer. She would sing it all the time when offered a cup of tea. My siblings all listened to it with her, sang it with her, whistled it with her and all know it well. My brother-in-law used it as the background music for the pictorial of her life that was played at her funeral. It certainly isn’t a song you would find on a playlist of “songs to run to”, or ” great playlists for marathons”, but at that moment I couldn’t have asked for a better motivator. I went on to run the entire half, side by side with my sister Rachel. We watched our sister Hilary kick some serious butt with a solid 5th place finish in her age category and cheered her on at the out and back portion of the run. I enjoyed everything about the run; the weather, the flat course that meandered through beautiful neighbourhoods, the incredible volunteers, the support of my sister Rachel as we crossed the finish line together, and celebrating my sister Hilary’s performance. The big take away for me, medal around my neck aside, was the reminder that my mom is always with me and all of her family; in spirit, in our hearts and even in song.

The long run..

I have to admit that my running has taken the back burner to the demands of a new job and the juggling of a "flex" schedule.  My long run was the first victim of the increased demands on my schedule, and I have not been able to reclaim that precious commodity of time set aside for running from home.  You see, as the name of the blog suggests, I like to run - but I love to run from home.  I take off in the opposite direction of chores, children, clutter and chaos at least one day of the weekend for a minimum of an hour and a half, to rewind, regroup, refresh and run.  I have managed to maintain my morning week day short runs, but the long run has become  an anomaly.  I laid down my weight training as my schedule changed and now with the lost long runs the weight is starting to stick.  My winter wardrobe selection shrunk  as my waist increased in size.  This morning, when I got a glimpse of my belly in the bathroom mirror, I knew it was time to commit to be fit.  There is no better time to start than now and you will see I am tenacious when I make a commitment to something.  I'm off to the gym now but stay tuned.

Time to run

The title suggests I might have stopped running during my time away from blogger... actually the running continues, I just haven't taken the time to jot down my trials and tribulations. I missed sharing my journey as well as the feedback from other runners so I am back. Time to run my mouth I guess you could say.

I recently took part in a trail running clinic put on by North Shore Athletic that culminated in a 24km race called the Phantom Run. The clinic was fantastic and I discovered a love of and appreciation for the challenges of trail running. Race day, however, showed me no love or mercy for that matter, serving up a torrential downpour with a side of horrible run for me. Since that run I have stuck to smaller distances and safer less challenging terrain. .

While I tuned down my mileage, I amped up my expectations for this years running goals. I signed up for the Pacific Roadrunner's First Half Marathon in February (with high hopes for a better looking shirt this year), as well as the BMO Vancouver Marathon in May ( with additional hopes that this years shirt is just as nice as the one I covet from last year).

This will be my first kick at the Vancouver Marathon since 2000. When I ran it then I had yet to have confirmation that the "flu-like symptoms" I was experiencing were the result of not one but two little future athletes percolating down below..:). In other words I was pregnant with twins. It was a hard run five hour distance. I would not tip my hat at a marathon again until the Victoria marathon in 2008. So the idea of running Vancouver again excites me, especially with the beautiful new to me route, showcasing much of Vancouver's beauty.

Today was my first long run for a while and to make it easier I enjoyed the company of two of my sisters. Frances put the call out for a sister run from English Bay to Spanish Banks and back. Rachel and I both responded with a YES!. Could we have picked a better day? It was cold to the bone but breathtakingly beautiful with the blue sky and mountains forming a backdrop that made it hard to concentrate on footwork.

Settled in now at home after a nice soak in Epsom salts, a gorgeous meal that I thoroughly enjoyed preparing and eating (Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with all the trimmings). Yes settled in after a long run with no aches and pains. I have a good feeling about the training that lies ahead and I'm excited for the year of running to come. Happy trails!

sticking to a plan

I have always been a planner,whether it is a three week holiday across states, a road trip to Disneyland or a day trip to the park I enjoy the preparation for the event just as much as the event itself. I have found with my running that I enjoy the planning too, although I seem to procrastinate in the choosing of minor details. Once I choose the main goals everything else seems to flow. I have chosen Victoria as
my goal marathon and with that October deadline ahead
 I can start hammering out the details. I like to look forward on my schedule and see
when the long runs will be coming in the summertime. I'm hoping to get
one long Oregon beach run in again this year if it works out.
I love the portability of my chosen sport. No added apparatus required. No special equipment needed. Every road is a treadmill with a view. This is one place
where I don't plan. I love the long run. I run for time and I run without a planned route. My feet take me where I need to go and for as long as I need to travel.....happy trails!

I spent some time debating which marathon I would tackle next.  In fact I spent so much time debating I stopped running long enough to put on a few extra pounds.I am back with a vengeance and having seen the garment that will be bestowed on all marathon finishers at the Royal Victoria Marathon this year I believe I will stick with my old friend Victoria and head over in October for my fourth marathon.

I started my actual marathon training this week and I am following the "Quest for Improvement" Marathon program on the marathon website.  I had success with this program in the past and last year I shaved 11 minutes off my personal best.  I have always been a slow and steady marathoner having a PR of 4:18.  I would love to break four hours but this year I am going to just see where my training takes me.  I plan on sticking to the program verbatim .  This means I will be hitting the track every Saturday to do that much loved speedwork.

A fun twist on speedwork is the new app for iphone "Zombie Run".  I have only used it for one run so far but it is quite hilarious as you basically are chased by zombies while running.  I am hearing impaired so had a hard time with the british accents narrating the story but it is a really neat idea to add some zing to your workouts.   I wonder what I looked like as I ran in and out of  people on sixth street, dodging every virtual zombie in my path.  Next time I will try it at Burnaby Lake where the shadows on the trails and the ripples in the lake will make my heart race just a little bit faster.

I have missed blogging so I am going to try to blog every Tuesday and see how that works for me.  I am juggling a few balls at the moment as I am volunteering, just signed up for a few online fitness courses and of course working and then there are those kids and their sports and my son is graduating this year, the garden is calling and I`m enjoying planting, and of course that work thing.....

Yesterday my sister texted me and asked me to come join her and her husband for a pint at the Dublin Castle...I was so tempted.   I had had a hectic but enjoyable day with the kids that included running around, getting out in the yard, housecleaning, visiting.  I was due for a 2 1/2 hour run if I was to keep to my Vancouver Marathon training schedule and it was a day that was made for runners.  Crisp and cool and breathtakingly beautiful.
So can you believe I texted my sister back and said I was going to opt for fitness.  As iphones have a tendency to do it autocorrected my misspelled fitness and replaced it with the word finesse.  I was opting for finesse. 
Now if we were to analyse this statement I really couldn't have said it any better.   I mean finesse is "to do something skillfully or slyly, especially something that requires delicacy".  Well!!!
Lol!  I have to say that running long requires a great deal of finesse. 
So yes Rachel I know you are proud of me when I say I opted for finesse.

I know

Seriously I know....I mean it has been a long while..I am just going to apologize and move on. Yesterday was the death anniversary of my brother Christopher. He would have been 55. He died when I was 8 years old. He was only 19 years young at the time. I can remember moments from the day he died as clear as crystal. I was in grade 2 and it was donut day at Our Lady of Mercy School. All the kids were just getting their donuts. I hadn't ordered mine for whatever reason, mom forgot, I forgot, no change that day for myself and my two other siblings still in grade school. Not sure why but there was a reason. I knew I hadn't ordered a donut so wasn't expecting one. As the donuts were being handed out, Mrs Thomas, the loveliest grade two teacher you could ever meet, called my name and said my Dad was here to see me. Once already that school year my dad had shown up on a hot lunch day with homemade hamburgers for my grade school siblings and I so I was excited by his appearance. What treat was he bringing today? I didn't run out of the classroom because I wasn't a rule breaker but I practically skipped to the door. I didn't notice that Mrs Thomas looked sad or that the principal was whispering to the Nuns in the hall. All I saw was my Daddy with his arms reaching out to me. I noticed my sister and my brother almost simultaneously coming out of their classrooms down the hall. When I got to my Dad I noticed the tears on his face. I don't think I had ever seen him cry before. He looked shocked as he said your brother Chris died today... I can only remember feeling overwhelmed by the situation. I wanted to cry but couldn't. I didn't know how to act. I didn't know what to feel. I didn't understand what was going on. As the days went by and sorrow blanketed our house like a winter storm, the grief of my siblings and my parents overwhelmed me. I would walk into a room and they would be sobbing. I thought there was something really wrong with me because I couldn't cry. Hadn't I loved my brother too? It wasn't until his casket was brought to the house for the wake and the open casket sat  in the hall that I was finally able to cry. I think back now to the feelings of an 8 year old child trying to understand the death of her brother. Trying to understand that she would never get to see him do those amazing handstands that went on for a lifetime or until his face turned blue. One thing I was truly reminded of yesterday is the importance of keeping my brothers memory alive. I told a few stories to my children yesterday about their uncle and we visited his grave site. We are all thinking of you Chris and what a wonderful gentleman you were and wishing we had had more time with you.  - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone