Santa Shuffle 5K

Today my mom and I ran a 5 km Santa Shuffle run at the running room in Newmarket. The weather wasn't too bad it was about 0° and felt like -4. Although with a head cold the weather didn't matter. It took us a while to get our race kits because everybody decided to pick them up last minute so we were lined up for a bit when we got there. There seem to be a better turnout this year than last year so I'm told. That's great news especially since it's for a great cause, the Salvation Army. I ran this race with my mom, here's our postrace selfie. 

 

This is what came in our race kit. I paid an extra $15 to get a Cotton race shirt. Overall it was a pretty fun race. 

Angus Glen 10 KM

It was a chilly -2 out today that felt like -9 with the windchill when I woke up. Thankfully the sun was out to help us out today!

I left around 7:30 to get to Angus Glen today, and thankfully I did! The parking lot closed at 8:30 to accommodate the road closures so it was almost full by the time I got there around 8:00. As I grabbed my buff, mittens, water and music I headed for the Clubhouse for about an hour until we raced at 9:15. (Note to self, get in line for the washrooms early! The lineups were brutal! I waited for a good 25 minutes in the one locker room!) I had everything set up and I waited by the fire and stayed warm before the race.

The weather cooperated with us today thankfully, not like the bit of snow we got yesterday, so it wasn't bad at all. I wore my mom's running room jacked, a zip up and a base layer and with all those I was a bit warm. But better warm than cold! We lined up, and I just ended up being near the front, and took off about a minute after 9:15. Note for next time, I should definitely stay near the back of the group. I know there are tonnes of people that will pass me but after a while it was a bit discouraging! But it may have also helped my beginning pace. Nonetheless, stay near the back in the future.

Our route took us down the driveway from the clubhouse and headed south into a nice subdivision. We spent 3 KM running through there and then headed East down Major Mack. It was a bit of a hump that we went over, then came back over, but it wasn't bad. Still fairly flat. That was another KM. 5 done, 5 to go! KM 6 and 7 were up Kennedy, and it seemed like it went forever. But the worst was yet to come. But by worst, I just mean worst from this course. This course wasn't really bad. Only the cart paths were hilly. It was about 1.5 KM of the cart paths with the worst hill being at the end, but I got through it and kept my 7-7:10 pace. I was happy with that. I'll mention that my goal was just 6 and 1's today. After we looped back around to Kennedy road we went back down Kennedy and headed slightly downhill to the clubhouse.

Overall it was a decent course. If it was a bit more flat I know I could have done a PB, but i'll save that for Yonge Street next year :) As we warmed up inside we got a lovely lunch that filled us up. Salads, breads, cookies and more!

I was happy with my time of 1:10:10. And also my bling :)

Race Day Tomorrow!

II picked up my fabulous race kit for my 10 KM Angus Glen run tomorrow. Usually the race kits are pretty good and filled with full size treats, most of which I never would use, but this time I know i'll use most of the stuff. We got some body wash, face moisturizer, sunscreen and more! The shirts were long sleeve and were 'Authentic T-Shirt' company material. I really like the feel of them. I got a Medium and it fit me well!

So, picking up my race kit was great! But.....it snowed today. Yes, that white fluffy gross stuff. I'm really hoping it will be a tad warmer tomorrow. I picked up a buff to wear just incase. Wish me luck!

Straight to 10 KM's!

After running the Oasis Zoo 10 KM Run on Saturday, I have come to the conclusion (through my own experience) that I need to focus on doing my 5 KM distances first. I am taking the soreness of my legs, including the painful task of even sitting down on a chair, as a sign!!! Clearly I am not nearly fit enough to jump into 10 KM run's as of yet!

In March, I started running and my goal was to try and see how far I could run doing 1 and 1's. I slowly realized that it wasn't about how far you can run, but about the best time you can physically run it in. After that I started following the Running Room's 'Learn To Run' and '5 KM Run' programme schedules my mom gave me from her courses. I put them together and tried to do my own thing. It's been about 6 months now and I'm only up to 7 and 1's. I've had a busy summer schedule where I didn't run for weeks on end, but overall i'm getting there. I really wanted to try and motor through the programme, but I'm finding I might need a clinic to participate in. It will be interesting to see if I have time to sign up for the clinic, as I also have soccer on Thursday nights, and if I can continue to run through the winter schnanighans!

Oasis 10 KM Zoo Run - Race Report

Boy am I sore today!! Note to self, don't not run for a week before the race. Also, get more in shape before doing 10 KM races!

Yesterday was the perfect weather for the Oasis 10 KM Zoo Run. It was chilly in the morning, about 12 degrees and cloudy, but there was no rain, wind or beating sun! I wore my capris and a long sleeve shirt at first, then opted for a t-shirt after. I hate feeling cold, but I knew i'd warm up pretty darn fast once we started running. I say we because I ran the race with my mom :)

For this race we got up at 5:30, left at 6:30 (got there via the 407, THANKFULLY!) and arrived there shortly after 7:20. It's a good thing we took the 407 to get there, because Meadowvale northbound from the 401 was packed to get into the parking lot. My friend Kelly took this other route and she got there JUST in time! So be pre-warned for that if ever you do this race! Allow lots of time to park if you take the 401.

Once we got there, we took a quick trip the ports-potties then went back to the car to stay warm. As we walked back to our car we saw the first corral go off and cheered on Lanni Marchant. Around 8:15 we lined up for the ports-potties again, in a longer line this time, then went to our corral. The gun went off around 8:45 for us. 

The route was pretty decent. This was NOT an easy downhill Yonge Street route, and definitely had definitely had multiple hills, but overall it was pretty good! It starts off going around the parking lot, up Meadowvale, around the north side of the Zoo, then makes an entrance into the zoo. I started running 10-1's with my mom, attempting 10 and 1's for the first time, but that was a bad idea and I was unable to keep up with her pace. I ended up trying to do 6-1's but didn't really stick to that either. I did, however, complete the race in 1:13:24.4! Just finishing was an accomplishment for me! Especially having not run in about a week (bad idea!).

                                     this ^ (double blue line) was the longest hill.

                                    It goes up the boardwalk in-between the trees.

One thing I did enjoy about the race was that you passed back through some parts. I liked this because my mom was ahead of me, and Kelly was behind me, so I was able to say hello or cheer them on as we passed each other!

At the end of the race you climb another big hill then go downhill a tad to reach the finish line. After that we received our medals and made our way over to the food area! There were lots of treats here, Realfruit barries, treats from our race kits, bagels, bananas, oasis juice, and Liberte yogurt. There was also a few running gear tents here too. Had I brought a wallet with me I would have taken a peak, but I didn't.

The walk from the finish line to our cars was not anywhere near each other. We had quite a distance to trek. Luckily we survived! On our way out we could have exchanged our shirts, but we didn't feel the desire to walk even further, so we just picked up Alison's race kit and made our way out. The lineup to get OUT of the park was brutal, but bearable. 

Overall, I did enjoy this race! It ended up being about $72 to register for the race but I think we got our money's worth! I wish I had been a little more in shape to do it but nonetheless we both finished. My mom finished in 1:08 and I in 1:13. I knew she would beat me and I'm totally okay with that. I'll let her have that, for now ;) The race was well organized, there were lots of bathrooms, great food and great race kits. I definitely recommend this race to anyone wanting a unique 5 KM or 10 KM run.

Here was my post-race shirt and medal.

    

The medals!

My running race plaque is slowly filling up. So far this year I've received 6 medals and completed, 8 races!

Oasis Zoo Run race kit

Today my dad picked up our race kits for the Oasis 10 KM Zoo run that takes place on September 20th, 2014. It wasn't the location of the run where he picked them up from. (He paid $4 just to park, then trekked fairly far to get them. So i'm told). In future years, maybe they could have the race kit pick-ups in a better location! Just a tip.

Included in our kit, we received:

• a shirt that fits EXTREMELY small (this is a medium, I fit into an XL nicely)
• a juice box
• running magazine
• personalized bib
• pain reliever
• and two snacks!

The women's shirts were yellow and the mens were green. It's difficult to see here, but the shirts have zebra stripes on them which are kinda cool.

The weather is getting cooler out, much nicer for running in. Let's hope the weather stays like this for the weekend!!

Parkinson's SuperHero 5 Km run

Today I got up and ran 5 km with the Parkinson's Superwalk/SuperHero Run. It was $35 to sign up, you can get a registration reimbursement and run for free if you raise over $150, and donations go toward Parkinson's research. A friend of mine has early onset Parkinson's disease so I thought it would be a great cause to run for aside from being a ton of fun! 

I decided to throw on a costume for the fun of it and dressed as Superman. Costumes were encouraged I might add!

A quick trip to Walmart for the t-shirt for $10, a red poncho from dollarama and some red sparkly stars was all it took to do the trick! I give my friend Meghan some credit for the help!! 

I picked up my race kit the morning of as we weren't able to so it any earlier. With my race kit I received a tech tshirt and some goodies!! I loved the shirts because they were green and looked like the Incredible Hulk was trying to rip through my chest. There were several activities for te kids to participate in, making this a family fun event. At one of the tables in the park you were able to fill out who you were running for to receive a Parkinson's Superhero cape. I obviously did this because who doesn't love a good cape! Today I ran for Victor. :)

The run was really fun! It was a 5 km loop with an out and back at the end. And a HUGE hill at the end I might add. But I did it. And in 35:41. (http://rrresults.com/results/021.Parkinson5K.2014.htm) Not a PB by any means but it was a good run and we had fabulous weather! I ran the whole way with my superman cape on. I secretly think it got me to the finish. Lol. 

At the end of the race we got finishers medals, freezies, and nice water bottles. For lunch we were provided with  a 6" sub from subway! 

Overall this was a great race! It was the first Parkinson's  SuperHero race and I am so glad I got to be a part of it. They did great with the organization of it all! I plan on doing it again next year. And watch out for my costume! I've got a year to prepare now!

Here was the finishers medal:

Electro Dash 5 Km

Two fun runs that I signed up to do were Run or Dye and the Electro Dash. Both had their own element of fun for different reasons.

A while back I signed up for the electro dash with my friend Meghan and had our race packs delivered to us for a small fee. I thought this was worth it instead of havig to drie to downtown Toronto to pick them up. Turns out that was cancelled for whatever reason and we has to pick em up at wonderland. I didn't find that a huge deal since it was way easier to pick it up there then the Metro Toronto Convention Centre!  So, Thursday I picked up our race kits in the Wonderland parking lot (wonderland is closed weekdays.  Here was what owe got inside:

There was a pair of glow glasses and four glow sticks to wear. I added the glow pair for an added few that we could add to our fun outfits. 

Race Day:

Before we left home there was a severe thunderstorm warning. We knew it was going to rain but unsure if they would postpone the race because of it! We got to wonderland, and free parking since the park was closed, around 7:45 to race at 8. As we got there the torrential downpours decided to come. We were guided Inside a tent inside the park to keep dry. We were going to wear our tutus, but decided against them with the rain nuisance.

The lightening was plentiful and it didn't seem to want to let up! But thankfully they let us run. It ended up being 40 minutes later, but we did it. In the pouring rain nonetheless! Here was the route we were to run. 

The run wasn't bad. It was very wet, somewhat lit up with glow ligts but fun. It you were 14 years old and ran with a bunch of friends I'm sure it would be better. But we had no problem making or own fun by jumping through puddles in the park. There was lots of room to run compared to Run or Dye, so that was enjoyable. Due to the rain we only ended up running a shorter 4 km race, so my watch tells me. After te race we were guides back into e tent we were initially under to continue our 'rave'. Not really something I'm into so we just headed home. Especially after we were soaking wet. 

Overall, it wasn't a terrible experience. Would I do it again? Probably not. But it was fun while we were there. 

Run or Dye Barrie - Run Recap

Yesterday, my friends and I participated in the Run or Dye 5 KM run at Hardwood Ski and Bike Resort in Oro, On. It took us about 40 minutes to drive there on the HWY, and about 20-25 minutes to get off the highway down the long road of winding cars just to park. Good thing we left lots of time!!! Meghan and Jamie did the run with me and it was fairly entertaining for us.

Once we got there and parked in the field, for free, we got our things ready to be dyed. We weren't sure if the colours would wash out so we went on the safe side and assumed it wouldn't.

Here is a picture of us pre-coloured!!! Meghan decided to dye her hair with koolaid, does NOT wash out well fyi!!!



When we got to the venue, we bout some glasses for $5 each to keep the colours from flying in our faces. This helped a bit but wasn't really needed. We got there around 9:30 and they already had ropes for the waves of people to be sent off. They sent them off every 5 minutes or so in waves. It wasn't a bad system. This was by no means a run or race per-say. It was more of a walk and 'run through a maze if you can get by the people' sort of deal. Us three girls did run at least 3/4 of it i'd say, but it was difficult. It would be a great family/friends event for people interested in maybe later running, but it was more of a fun thing than anything. Right when we left the gate we were bombarded with colour, then each of the five colour stations we were coloured and then the end there was nothing.

Overall we did have a bunch of fun. I'm not sure if I would do it again. It's a bunch of money that I would have maybe run a real race and spent it there. But it did go towards the Rainbows charity so that's something. However, I didn't actually know it went towards a charity until I heard it on the news. I'd like to hear more about that next time. Doesn't seem they are real benefitting much from the race which makes me a little sad. Dye can be expensive though i'm sure.

The dye was cornstarch and colour mixed together. When we poured water on it it seemed to stick, but the shower some soap and a luffa did just fine in getting it all off. As for the powder in our hair, shake it off first then wash it. Otherwise it sticks and is harder to come off. My hair is a bit orange today still.







Here are the Race pics that were posted on the website. They were available to download for $0.01. I Was a big spender and bought all 3! lol

Run or Dye Barrie Kit

Today I picked up our race kits for the Run or Dye - Barrie 5 km run. We were to pick them up from the Barrie Running Free store at the back. With it being the long weekend I went early to try and get ahead of  the cottage traffic. Good thing j did because even when I got there there was a lineup. Here was what we got wih our race kits:

 I choose a size medium shirt and it also came with one dye pack, a tattoo and an iRun magazine. I also was able to pick up my friend Jamie and Meghan's race kits with no problem at all. 

Hopefully all goes well tomorrow and I actually make it to the race! Unlike the women's run. I haven't ran in about a month it seems. So wish me luck! God help me!!!

Failure to Launch

Thursday evening my mom picked up our race kits from the Rosedale Running Room for the Toronto Women's 10km Run at Sunnybrook Park in Toronto. Take a look at the pretty pink tech shirts and personalize bibs they had for this race!!

I got a large shirt because I heard rumor that try for small. The large was perfect for me. 

Saturday mornjng at 8:00 am was the race. So I set a few, not all, things for my am race on my bed for the next morning, went to my engagement party for a friend that night and came home and went to bed. I went to bed with a headahe hoping it would go away while I slept. 

It didn't. :(. I woke up with quite the headahe which in turn made my stomach feel nauscious. I was up at 5:15 to give my stomach lots of time to wake up but that didn't do any justice for me head. Needless to say I ended up not running. It kind of sucked because I wanted to do this race with my mom, the shirts were nice and you got some bling out of it too! Now I'm not sure I should even wear the shirt if I didn't complete the race! I'm blaming this on bad luck, on top of my laziness and lack of time for running lately. I have always prepared everything for the am the night before and this time I didn't. So dually noted! I hope to participate in his run next year with my mom and have the firefighters hand me my water and chocolate! 

Yesterday was a failure to launch, but the next race! Run or Dye is next weekend and hopefully I won'tt have a headache for this fun 5 km run!! I'm doing it with a few friends too :)

10 Running Tidbits

1.  FUEL: Shot Bloks, GU, Energy Chews, Candy or Other?

Well, I haven't really used many of these types of fuel yet. I've only gone a maximum of 10 KM at one time. But of the ones I have tried so far I'd have to say i've taken a liking to the Sport Jelly Beans. My favourite were the berry pomegranate ones (I think, they were burgundy and tasted great!). I'm not a huge fan of the Gu stuff, so my mind has made up, but I will try these out on longer runs. When I get there :)

2.  Race Length: 5K, 10K, 1/2 Marathon, Marathon, Ultra or Other?

I’ve only ever run one 10 KM and 1 5 Miler (8 KM) race. And i'd have to say it really depends on your course. I loved doing my flat 10 KM run but I hated my cart path Angus Glen 5 Miler (8 KM). Partially because the time of day, partially because the hilliness of the course. But I'd still have to say I enjoy running the 10 KM. I haven't ran a 1/2 YET! But I hope to someday!

3.  Workout Bottoms: Skirts, Running Shorts, Capris, Pants, or Other?

If it's a bit chilly i'll wear capri's, otherwise I like wearing my spandex-y running shorts. Aka, booty shorts. They are short but the material doesn't gather in-between my legs like my other shorts do. End of story!

4.  Sports Drink: Gatorade, Powerade, Cytomax, you stick to water when you run or Other?

I've occasionally had some gatorade in my water bottles during longer runs, but i've been told NOT to eat gel's at the same time or you might get pains in your stomach. However, i'm a straight water kinda gal.

5.  Running temperatures: HOT or COLD?

COLD! I've run in some hot weather and those are trying runs. But I also have only been running since April so I haven't hit the frozen season yet. 

6.  Running Shoe Brands: Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, Brooks, Asics, or Other?

I LOVE the colours that Nike brings out in their styles of shoes but I've been fitted for Brook's shoes and I LOVE them. They are a bit wider and make my feet happy when I run. However, once I hit the 8 KM mark occasionally my toes go a bit achy/tingly at the negative space underneath them. Not quite sure why this is yet!

7.  Pre-Race Meal: Oatmeal. Bagel, Banana, Eggs, Cereal or Other?

Probably oatmeal, because I know it isn't too heavy nor will it bother my stomach. However, and I hate to say this, I'm a 'don't eat before you go anywhere or do anything' kinda gal due to my stomach issues. 'No food in your stomach, no problems' is kind of how I think of it mentally. If i'm really hungry I'd maybe say some cereal or toast with PB.

8.  Rest Days: 1x per week, 2x per week, never ever ever or Other?

I used to try and go every other day, or every day if I could handle it. However, lately with my stomach acting up I've been trying to go whenever I feel I can. But I'd like to run at least every other day if I could.

9.  Music: Have to have it or go without it?

HAVE to have it! It keeps me going, even if it is background music. A bunch of country, a few 'Rock My Run' mixes, some high intensity beats, a mumble jumble of all that really. But I definitely have never run without any music. I think I'd get bored if I didn't have it!

10.  #1 reason for running: stress-relief, endorphins, you love to race, so you can eat all the cupcakes you want, weight-loss, love running for social reasons or other?

I'm someone who thrives off of prizes, sadly, and I love the idea of doing health things for my body. So, I'd have to say that I love the whole race idea (even though it stresses my stomach out)! I have yet to use running as a form of stress relief or weight loss. So probably a mix between loving to race and doing it to better my health. :) 

Warrior Dash

Yesterday I did the Warrior Dash at Horseshoe Valley in Barrie and it was the hardest run I've done thus far! My stomach wasn't the greatest but I made it through! It's 5 KM of running with multiple obstacles that required endurance and upper body strength. Both of which I need to work on, apparently! It was a TON of fun and i'd definitely recommend doing it with a group of people you know so that you can cheer each other on or help each other out. I'd like to do this race with Doug next year potentially. I did it with Alison and Brittany this year. At first I was hesitant to sign up (i'm not very fond of ponds of water) but I signed up at the last minute (paying about $100 to enter it) trying to tough out my fears. In the end we didn't end up going through a single body of water, just up and down multiple ski hills and difficult obstacles.

Here's a picture of us before the run...

During the race...

Some of the costumes were...um.....interesting!

Running through fire...

 And finally finishing!!!

The last obstacle was to run through a mud pit under barbed wire. We had fun with that and Alison ended up falling in too. Afterwards firemen sprayed us down with water.

With our registration to the event we got a free beer afterwards. I was pretty hungry too so I bought a whole Turkey Leg ($7.00). Well worth it I might say!

 I had a blast even though I am extremely sore today (the day after). Here is what we got for registering: a hat, t-shirt, bib number and race medal complete with bottle opener. :)
I'd definitely do this again and recommend anyone who wants to try it to just do it. It took us about 1:00:00 to do the whole course. I'd say I'm a warrior after that. :)

A special shout out goes over to my friend Meghan for cheering me on slash 'holding all my stuff while I ran the race' :p. She took some great pictures, which I wouldn't have without her being there, and I appreciate her coming and being my 'mom' for the afternoon, lol. Thanks girlie!

Angus Glen 5 Miler

Man oh man this was a tough one. When we signed up for the 5 miler or 8km run we regretted it the next day. Next year I think we will do the 3 miler. Lol. Don't get me wrong the corse was beautiful, the race kit was awesome too but it was a tough go. I've done maybe one run where it involved a hill and I wanted to completely bail, but I ran with my mom and we helped each other through it. We didn't stick to our 4 and 1 pace but we finished and that's all we wanted to do. This was a very hilly course with several steep inclines. It also sucked that it was done at 6:00 pm in the heat of hte day. I'd rather it be raining to be honest! My time was 1:02:25 and I'm happy about that all considering. I ran the lat 0.8 km by myself ahead of my mom, who finished with 1:03:29.

Here are my terrible running pictures. I wish I were more photogenic!

After we got bottles of water and bananas wih our medal and went on to have a lovely BBQ (salad and burgers or hot dogs with a pop and chips). I'd do it again, just the shorter one! Here's our bling!

This year was an anniversary year for The Angus Glen race so our medals featured bottle openers. How helpful!

I finished 24th in my age group and 162 overall (our of 188, lol).

It's been a while!!

So it's definitely been a while since my last post. An it's been over a week since I've ran. Gahhh! The reason is because after my scope on July 7th I've been flared up with my Colitis. Great timing with the summer being here and all!!! What can you do. Anyways. So that's slowed me down with my running. However, I've got to kick it inp full gear with he Angus Glen Five Miler tomorrow night and the Warrior Dash on Saturday!

Tonight I went to get my race it for the Five Miler and here's what we got! 

Quite a few goodies I might add! I'm running it with my mom, who recently had an assessed molar pulled two days ago, so I hope we both make it to the finish line in one piece! I'll let you know how it goes!

"Cause we can't stop, and we won't stop"

Well I guess Miley said it right! After getting back into running with my mom this week, and it feels good I might add, I don't want to stop. Yes I don't feel like getting up at 6:30 to run at 7 every other morning, but I'll do it. Looking back at my times that I gradually got up to when I started running were much better. This could be because a) I built up the stamina or B) I'm running slower with my mom. She says B, but I think A. Anyways, the point is I'm back at it. It's nice to have company to run with that is at my pace and ability right now. Yes she has done a half marathon but running is definitely not something you can just stop doing for 4-6 months then jump back into right away.


Mom and I just signed up to do the Angus Glen 5 Miler. It works out to be an 8 KM cart path in the middle of the summer but we can do it. I hope!


Wish us luck!


Just updated my future events page!

Toronto Pearson Runway Run 2014

Yesterday, I did the runway run with my mom. It was pretty chilly in the morning but we both survived. It was the first run since her foot survey and our first run together. Overall I'd the run was successful!

We got to the maintenance building around 8:30 and had great parking! FYI: Stay in the right lane when you go in! We had no problem getting into the gated area with or without a bib. But you weren't allowed on the airstrip without a bib number. When they lead you over to the start line is when they check you and make sure.

When we got there we had to wait a while for a port-a-potty. After that we hung out in the warmer maintenance building. There were a few freebies inside there. On the other side of the building was a gentleman who had a falcon that worked at the airport. So that was neat to see. 

Around 9 o'clock they rounded us all up and walked us over to the starting line.  Then we were off. I ran 4 and 1's but I tried to take pictures of the runway while running and it was hard to time my run properly in my app. Oh how I wish I had a garmin watch.

My mom ran it in 35:07 and I ran it in 33:37. After our run we picked our ribbon colour (purple, yellow, lime green, red, turquoise and navy) for out medal, I choose lime green, and we were on our way to the food!!!

They had bananas, bagels and a TON of freebies to take home with you. Here was everything we could grab:

It could have been a personal best run had I ran consistently the two weeks before the run! But maybe next year. I would definitely do this run again. A little boring but still pretty fun and very cool to run alongside planes!