Running – Page 2 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

It’s All About the Running!

These shoes haven’t seen a lot of action lately 😦

So first and foremost, congrats to everyone back home who just ran the 30K Around the Bay in Hamilton! That’s crazy talk! The thought of running 30K makes me shiver, but these amazing people keep me motivated: Dan, Kelly, Carolyn, and my humble machine of a brother, Ry, who despite his supposed lack of training, crossed the finish line at 2:32. Impressive! All of them had very impressive times. Great job folks! I hope you have a relaxing afternoon :).

Congrats folks!

But alas, you have made me realize that I need to step up my game. In order to join the ranks of machine-like superstardom that you four have achieved, it’s time for me to hit the ground running. Even though Calgary’s weather hasn’t be the greatest (I HATE running in the cold), that’s no excuse.

Route for the MEC 10K Bow River Run. Fun!

To help me stay focused, I have now signed up for two more runs. First up, the MEC 10K Bow River Run on April 21st, which will be MEC Calgary’s first running event. I figure with a $10 registration fee and a route with which I’m quite familiar, this race will force me to get up on a Saturday morning and do a fairly painless run. Plus, there’s nothing like the pre-race atmosphere to get the adrenaline going. It should be fun times.

The Vancouver Half Marathon. Fun!

Then, of course, there’s the BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon on May 6th, which I wrote about before. To say I’m not prepared is an understatement, but I will be by that date. And I’ve now signed up for the Scotiabank Calgary Half-Marathon on May 27th. Eek! My goal is to smash last year’s time of 1:55:23. There’s a new course route that starts at Stampede Park, so I’m looking forward to it. Last year’s run was pretty lovely and scenic too, and I expect this one to be the same.

The new route for the Calgary Half-Marathon. Fun!

Oh, and shortly after that, there’s the Bread and Honey 5K run in Mississauga. I’m doing that one with my family. Family fun day!

The Bread & Honey 5K. Fun!

It’ll all be quite exciting- two half marathons in May and I’m sure many others to follow. I’m feeling nervous about it already :S. But in typical Rick fashion, I’ll shelve the nerves, tell myself to stop being a baby, pull up my socks and, like the aforementioned superstars, just dooooo itttt!!!

BMO Vancouver Half-Marathon- I Will Conquer You!

BMO Vancouver Marathon. I’ll be running the half 🙂

So it’s official- I’ve signed up for my second half marathon! Last year, I completed the gruelling run in Calgary with a time of 1:55:23. This year? I’m off to Vancouver for the BMO Vancouver Half-marathon. May 6, 2012 is the big day, which means that as of today, there are 88 days until my body asks WTF and why are you doing this. I won’t be in pain alone, though. Friends Shari (who I ran the half with last year), Robin and Laura have also committed to the run (and now that they’ve been mentioned here, it’s legit and they can’t back out!).

Fancy new New Balance shoes. Yay.

I’m thinking that a time of 1:50 is a good goal for this year. I guess I should start running again if I want to achieve that. 🙂 At least I have some brand-spanking new shoes to help! All I need now is lululemon gear, because according to lululemon, all you need to do is layer up in their gear and you can go from couch potato to running a half-marathon! (Well, that’s what Robin thinks anyway…)

Apparently from lululemon’s website. We got this!

The Bread & Honey Road Race

The Bread & Honey Race

Does this mean that running season has finally started for me? I’ve just signed up for the Bread & Honey 5K race on June 3rd in Streetsville, Ontario. It just so happens that I plan on being in the Southern Ontario area at that time for a statistical conference to end all statistical conferences. So when my brother proposed that we make it a family event and all sign up, I figured it was a great way to start the week, and it would give us some nice quality family time :). All I need to do now is get my act in gear. Today I’ll pick up my custom foot orthotics, and then once I get some brand-spanking-new running shoes, I’ll hit the ground running! Literally.

The Energizer Night Race

Last night, my friend Shari and I participated in the Energizer Night Race in support of the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta. Both Shari and I are members of research groups affiliated with the Libin, and we felt it was important to show our support. Also, the money raised provides funds for research and education in cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention programs. According to the website, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Canada, so this is important stuff!!

Shari and I posing for a pre-race photo… with the sunset

At North Glenmore Park. Who knew??

The race looked like it would be lots of fun. We signed up for the 10km run, which would take place at North Glenmore Park. The area is quite beautiful- I’m not sure how I hadn’t discovered it before in Calgary! I guess there’s so much to learn about this great city :D. In preparation for the race, we were given the usual running shirt swag, but since it was a night race, we also received an Energizer 4 LED headlight! Yes, we support the Libin and running and health promotion and disease prevention… but we were so excited about this ‘free’ headlight :). I use the term ‘free’ loosely because the registration was pretty steep, but it all goes to a great cause, so I’m not complaining.

All smiles before the race

“I’m happy to be running!”

Runners with their headlights at the starting line

We crossed the starting line at 9:30 pm. The sun was setting in the distance behind the mountains, and soon afterwards, a full moon shone brightly in the night sky. And then all you could see were bobbing headlights running through the park. Now THAT was definitely awesome. As if cardiovascular health wasn’t reason enough to complete the race, a huge incentive was the free beer being offered at the end. I’m not a huge beer drinker, but boy did that beer taste so good after finishing the 10K. Truthfully, Shari and I had not really been running since conquering our first half marathon, so we were both a bit nervous about the run. But we crossed that finish line with huge smiles, acknowledged a job well done with treats and a drink, and supported a very good cause. All in all, it was a great way to spend a Saturday night 🙂 Go Team 403!

This is so much fun!

Celebrating a run well done with free beer 🙂

Here’s a video of us running. We are so cool it hurts.

You’re Off The List, Half Marathon!!

Since running my first 10K in 2008, I have wanted to complete a half marathon. However, it had always seemed so daunting, and I just couldn’t bring myself to commit to it. When I was creating my 30 before 30 list, I knew that I needed to add this task. So in January, I signed up for the Centaur Subaru Half Marathon, part of the Scotiabank Calgary Marathon. At that point, run day was so far away! But before I knew it, the run was just around the corner, and I still didn’t feel quite ready. Days prior to the race, Mother Nature was not so kind to Calgary. It rained and rained, and I monitored the forecast closely. Regardless, rain or shine, and whether or not I was ready, I would be running the half marathon on Sunday May 29th, 2011 :). And in the end, I would be running with two of my awesomely awesome friends, Paul and Shari. Team 403, as we sometimes called ourselves! We would also continue to tell ourselves that “We’re Awesome!” and “We Got This!” to help psych ourselves up for the big day :D. True words, true story.

The 21.1 km half marathon course is quite nice. Starting in Bridgeland, the run passes by the Calgary Zoo, the Stampede Grounds, along 17th Avenue, through some neighbourhoods and parks, and then on to Memorial Drive along the Bow River. Race day turned out to be gorgeous and sunny (Praise the Lord!), and with such a great course, I was getting pumped…

On the morning of the half marathon, I was up at 4:30 am to try to get my insides sorted out. Honestly, my biggest fear was having to go to the bathroom during the race! Yes, this is share-worthy information, and I’m happy to say that my insides co-operated :). For breakfast, I ate a bagel with peanut butter and a banana accompanied by a nice cup of Earl Grey tea. I’m not sure if that’s a great runner’s breakfast, but it was good. Paul and his wife, Vanessa, who was running the 10K, picked me up and we headed down to the race site where we met up with Shari. The energy was amazing- so many excited and crazy people thinking that it’s a great idea to run for hours starting at 7 am on a Sunday morning! I can identify with these people :). Naturally, I had to go to the bathroom right before the race started. I did that last year before the 10K too. At least I’m consistent. Afterward, Paul, Shari and I lined up and the run was on!

As expected, the start of the race was packed, with everyone trying to find their stride and with so many runners of different paces. It was a bit difficult to navigate through the crowd, and it took some time before we found our pace, but eventually we did. It then dawned on me- “I’m actually running a half marathon! This is awesome.” And even though I was focused on my breathing and running, I was able to take in the sights around me. As we meandered through the course, I was reminded why Calgary is a great and beautiful place… when it’s not -40 degrees Celsius, of course.

Around the 12 km mark, Paul and I were absolutely thrilled- we had caught up with the 2:00 Half Marathon Pace Bunnies! We knew if we ran with them, we would finish in about 2 hours, which seemed like a lofty goal at the start of the race, but a goal that we really wanted to achieve. So we ran 10s and 1s with them for a few kilometres, and then around the 16 km mark, we forged ahead. At 17 km, my right foot started to cramp a bit, and my left foot would do the same a few kilometres later. The end was a bit rough, but Paul and I kept to a good pace (thanks Paul!). Overall, with our pacing and determination, and with the help of well placed Gatorade stops, some sports beans/honey stingers/energy gels, and the well-timed voices of Beyonce, Katy Perry (Firework, of course!), Gaga, and Britney, Paul and I crossed that finish line in under 2 hours! Shari would cross not too long after with an amazing time! As expected, I was hurting afterward, but incredibly elated. I am so proud of Team 403 :). To Paul and Shari: It was amazing to run our first half marathon together. We rocked it!

To say that I am happy to have completed my first half marathon within my goal time is an understatement :). Thanks to my family and friends for all of their support! And with that, I am now able to cross off what I think was the most challenging on my list of 30 before 30: #11, Run a Half Marathon. Right after the race, I thought “OMG, never again!”, but as I write this, many hours later, I can’t help but think when the next run will be. Maybe I’ll run another one at the end of the summer. And my ambitious goal is to run my first marathon in Honolulu, December 2012. Anyone interested?

In another note, I want to say congratulations to my awesome friend Dan of Consumed By Wanderlust and face-smashing fame. He completed the 42.2 km Ottawa Marathon on Sunday with an epic time of 4:08. Amazing! I give you a face-five smack to the centre of your face for finishing your first marathon :).

Oh, and what’s a big event without a planking shot, just because. It’s very rare to see Memorial Drive closed off and with no cars in sight. Sometimes you just need to seize opportunities when they present themselves…

(UPDATE: My net time was 1:55:23.50. W00t!!)