Tom Taylor Ten Miler

Boy, what a busy weekend! Baking cakes, attending a wedding and a baby shower, trying on bridesmaid dresses and running 10 miles. But I was able to do it all! My stomach was sub par this weekend, but not as bad as it has been at other times. Luckily I was able to manage it through everything. I'm just paying for it now.

But on with the race recap! This weekend I surprisingly did the Tom Taylor Ten Miler. I say surprisingly, because I haven't really been running lately. I picked up a 3 week Kindergarten teaching position that consumed my life and my energy. And before that my stomach was raging against me. So, I was surprised that I was a) able to run it with my stomach and b) able to stand up afterwards with my lack of exercise!

My mom picked up our race kits the day before the run. Inside were our chipped bibs, bright orange running shirts, some edible goodies, a magazine and a couple coupons. The bibs were late arriving to the running room (making the available 5 hours late) so we had to get them the next day with our tight schedule.

The race took place at George Richardson park in Newmarket. I arrived there around 8:30 and snuck through the 'road closed' sign to get to a parking lot. When I got there, I lined up for one of the two available port-a-potties (that were disgusting; they were permanent port-a-potties). There were limited bathrooms at this race, much to my dismay and disappointment. 

When it was shortly before 9:00, we went to the start line and began on our way. When I got there I ran into a few friends and chatted for a bit before the run. 

It was a beautiful day for the race. The sun was shining, the weather was warm enough but not too cold. A bit foggy in the morning too. But decent running weather. Running the route was lovely. I enjoyed running along a path that was shaded, especially since it was potentially 'pit-stop friendly' in a sense. Knowing where to go on the route for this race was absolutely TERRIBLE! There were volunteers at a few places to guide us, and at about three places handing out water (one of which was out by the time I got there). But I almost got lost and questioned if I had gone the right way a couple of times. I even had to ask volunteers instead of them directing me! That was the biggest let down about the race. Everything else was great.

Upon finishing my run, I was able to get some decent grub. Chilli, bananas, Cobb's bread, bagels and more. They definitely did well with providing food afterwards. And that was much appreciated. Check out my finisher's medal. It's ally about the bling!

Would I do this race again? Potentially. I'm a bit on the fence due to the lack of washrooms and poor marking, but otherwise it was a decent run!

CarrotFast with my better half

So today my boyfriend and I took the plunge into running a race together. It was a local and fun 5 KM run in our hometown on a muggy and cloudless Saturday morning. Last night my mom picked up our fabulous race kits from the Newmarket Running Room and the shirts were much better than previous years.

Take a look at what was in our bags:

This morning's race began at 9:00 at the Bob Fallis Arena in Bradford, ON. We got there a little later than anticipated, around 8:30 and the road had already been closed. So we parked on Artesian and walked over. The race began at the Arena and went south down the 10th Sideroad to Artesian, up artesian to the 8th Line to a turn around point and straight back to the Arena. It was a flat run which was nice, but there was NO shade relief! Pick your battles?! 

Doug and I started off a little quick, with about a 5:55 pave, well above my 6:30 avg pace. I thought I could keep up with it but about 2.5 KM in I knew I couldn't. I started to slow down and Doug was energetic and motivated. Lol. He stuck with me for 3.5 KM and then I encouraged him to try finish better than I and go ahead without me. His goal was to beat my mom and he continued on as I took multiple walk breaks to the finish. I didn't do terribly since we started faster than anticipated. When I got to the finish he ran with me through the finish line again. (What a good guy :)) Here was our post run selfie!

My overall time was 34:04. My PB time is 33:35, so it wasn't that far off. I could have definitely done better had I known and maybe kept with it. But there's always room for improvement :) It was well run this year, so i'm told. I only wish there were medals for everyone. I'm all about the bling baby!!! But this time I was all about running with my handsome guy. :)

Registering for the Glass Slipper Challenge

Today was the day! The clock would strike noon and the mad dash to register for the Glass Slipper Challenge (Disney Princess Half Maratron and 10 KM run) would happen. I was in the midst of a summer teaching course, that I was learning in, so I was able to sneak away to register. It was about 11:30 am when iI decided this half-wifi capable building wasn't going to do the job. So I headed to Tim Hortons. I asked about their wifi and they weren't very confident in it so after buying a small drink I headed to Starbucks just around the corner. I also bought a small drink here, to feel respectable, and plopped down in a comfy chair with my belongings. I opened up the website and kept refreshing on all the social media websites, active.com and rundisney.com so I had the best chance of getting into the Virtual Lineup. At about 12:03 i wa able to find the link and get in line. It only took about 30 seconds until I was on he registration page. Got my GSC registration, complete with GSC pin and I was ready to check in on my mom at home. After we got her 'tech problems' out of the way we were both fully registered. No problem! Both websites were slow refreshing and I did panic a bit thinking the wifi was inadequate but I survived the most stressful part of our 'Disney Princess' journey. :) now to wait until February.

(After about 50 minutes in these were the stats)

We also ordered our 'Princess in training' shirts and shipped them to our lovely relative, Debbie Miller, as they wouldn't ship to Canada. I can't wait to get them and am super grateful for her helping us out! They cost $36 to come out to about $45 each. Still worth it. Looking at the logo of a seahorse on the 5km and the seashell in the 10 km logo makes me think it's a Little Mermaid theme. And I can't be more excited :)

Nike Toronto Women's 15 KM

Today I surprised myself, and I ran the furthest I've ever been thus far. It began with a 4:45 alarm and a departure time of 6:15 from my house. I wanted to give myself lots of time to get on the ferry today. Because cramming more than 10'000 women plus spectators wasn't going to be a breeze to get through.

I got to Toronto shortly after 7 and found a public parking lot for $15.00. I didn't think it was a terrible price for being close and easy. The price you pay for your priorities. Anyways, I was on my way to the Ferry Dock lineup. When I got there, there were about 8 rows of lineups that seemed to be never ending. I will give Nike a big pat on the back (clearly they've done this before) because I didn't wait much longer than 20 minutes to get on a boat and make my journey across the lake. Good job Nike for the organization!

The ferry ride wasn't that long, maybe about 10-15 minutes or so. I booted it to the washroom as soon as I got there instead of finding prime seating. Prioritize.

When all of us got off the boat we were greeted with welcome signs and volunteers to guide us the right way to the start. Right at the entrance there were washrooms, whose lineups weren't THAT bad., but they were still pretty long. Luckily my stomach was playing nice today. Even with having pains in my stomach at midnight and 3 am.

Since it was early, about 8 ish, by the time I got to the island and situated I dilly dallied around and got myself to bag check. I waited outside the tent on the lawn for a while where there were food trucks and washrooms, but I don't eat before races, and I didn't have any company with me so I just sat with my phone and stayed warm and dry (under my poncho I stole from my mom, it was raining out) until about 9:15 came around. Then I checked my bag, which was also extremely organized, and I was on my way over the bridge. This was where the start and finish lines were.

 I wandered around to find another washroom, with no lineup I might add, then headed to my corral in Wave 8. Selfie time!

 It took us a while to get to the start line, but it was finally in sight when the first 7 wave's were gone.

 Then we were off!

The first 3 km were on asphalt before we got  to the Billy Bishop Airport strip. We ran for 2 km up and down the runway and then continued onward. It was pretty neat to be able to see the airplanes take off and land beside you, though not as cool as the Runway Run that i've done, and see the city landscape from a different perspective.

This was when is began to drizzle/rain out. But it didn't bother me. It wasn't a cold rain luckily.We continued to run through the island past the starting line area and continued onto Algonquin Island. There was a slight inclined bridge to get onto it, but i ran up it no problem. I felt good with my pace of 6:45 to 7:30 doing 4 and 1's and was waiting to 'hit the wall'.

After Algonquin Island we travelled through Ward island and passed the 13 KM mark. I knew on my map that once 13 KM was past there is only another 2 km, it would likely be the hardest part, but it was all straight to the finish line.  I passed 13 km and STILL felt pretty good with my pace so I picked it up slightly and enjoyed my wet run down the boardwalk.

14.2 km were done and a girl asked me how much further. I told her only 800 m left and that she could do it, which in turn motivated myself to keep going. Then, I did it. I crossed the finish line. I had the biggest smile on my face because I didn't know if I could or not. I had no proof from prior training as I hadn't gone more than 10 KM before. I walked through the finish line to receive my turquoise Tiffany & Co. box with my pendant in it and I was more than thrilled.

We got bottles of water, apples, and a bag of snack bar's and chips as well. I would have preferred a banana however. There could have been them on the other side though. I love my new Tiffany's jewellery! First ever!

Overall here are my split's. About 2 KM in I had to take a pit stop that cost me about 2:00, but I was quick and in dire need of a loo!

I would absolutely do this run again. But i'd definitely do it with my mom or a friend. It was extremely well organized, there were great race shirts and shirts to buy, and pretty Tiffany's jewellery. I'd much rather that than a medal for a rack. It was a pricey run ($120) but well worth the money. And now I'm motivated, more than ever, to do another race. As well as more sore than ever! Off to the hot tub!

Barrie Waterfront 5km

Today my mom and I ran the Barrie Waterfront 5 KM run. 

One of my worst run's ever. My stomach was crappy, and I regretted only getting up an hour before we left. I really needed more than that to get situated today. But I got my stuff together and headed out the door by 7:45 as planned.

The run began at Heritage Park at 8:30 AM. Along the way I took a pit stop at the Tim's on Dunlop and we continued our way to find free parking just East of The Ranch. We got there minutes before we started our run. In fact I didn't even have time to get my nervous pee out of the way when we got there. I was fine though. So we quickly lined up and were off on our run. Mom was set to do 10 and 1's, and I kept to my 4 and 1's. I should probably progress past that, I know. After next weekend perhaps. 

With my stomach being off, and my leg's beginning to cramp up I told mom good luck and she went off ahead of me. My leg cramps lasted for just under 3 KM, then mostly went away. I really hate leg cramps. I think it's because I was a bit dehydrated from the night before and also because I didn't eat breakfast.

The route for this race was nice. It was a bit chilly, but it warmed up nicely. We ran alongside the waterfront for 2.5 KM, slightly up hill near the end but nothing dramatic, and turned around for the remaining half. At the turnaround point we met up with the 10 KM and half marathon runner's. It was marked to tell who to go where, until the finish line. All of a sudden someone was screaming at you for half-er's to keep right and all others to keep left. It made me feel like I had to make a last minute decision to grab that last brownie before the person behind me grabbed it. I survived to figure out where I was to go, and ran through the finish.

Afterwards, I met up with mom near the washrooms...our usual meeting place if we break away from each other. There were some Clif/Builder Bar's to test (I enjoyed the Mint Chocolate ones!), some Domino's Pizza and some banana's. I obviously opted for the Pizza. Great choice that I will probably pay for tomorrow. Then mom and I headed to go get our Podium cow bell's. When we got there, there was only one left. But that's okay, because who really need's two cowbell's in the Jones' residence?!

Here was a picture of our post-race selfie after.

And here was the medal alongside my bib and race shirt, if you couldn't gather that.

Overall, it was a great race that I would happily do again since it is nice and close. There were only about 400 5 KM runner's. It was small, worthwhile, great route, and reasonably priced. Not amazing shirts, but I really haven't been too great with wearing those lately anyways.

Slow and Steady

After picking up my pretty race shirt's for my Nike Women's 15 KM run on the 14th I decided I had to wear them immediately. Plus it was laundry day. But I'm a sucker for wearing new things right away. I knew I had to go for a run today, and I knew it also had to be longer than 6 km. I decided 8 was a good idea, and so I went with it. I have a 5 km race tomorrow so I didn't want to go overboard.

I took my mom's advice and went for a slower pace than usual. My average running pace, without walk adjustments is usually 6:45. Today my average running pace was 7:04. I felt like if someone watched me run I looked like a turtle stuck in PB, but I did it anyways. My stomach survived. On my run I decided to use a different running app today, called Spotify, to listen to my music on. I am getting bored of my shuffle music, so I mixed it up and gave into buying 3 months of Spotify for $1. Why not! I quite enjoyed it. Not my repeated songs over and over again that I get sick of.

I quite enjoyed my run today with my slower pace. I did 4 and 1's, which isn't anything spectacular, but I ran. I could have gone longer, but I ran out of water and I also didn't want to push it.

Though 8 km is just about half of my 15 KM run I have set up for next weekend, I know I can do it. Well, I think I can do it. And that work's for me!

Race Kit Pickup day!

Today was a double race-kit pick day! And Boy was it exciting!

In the morning, I headed up to Barrie (Running Free) to pick up my mom and I's 5 KM race kit's for Sunday morning. I ended up getting to Running Free at 11:30, even though they said pick up began at noon, but they were okay with my earliness. I picked up an Appleby's bag with a bib, shirt, Cliff bar and a few pamphlets. The shirt's were nice looking, but very long and I didn't love the material. But it is a tech shirt and it's unique with Barrie's landmark pictures on it. I picked up a Large for myself and a medium for my mom, and the medium was millimetres smaller than the large. Perhaps it was a men's accidentally? Whatever it was, it was big for her. Mine fit me just fine.

Inside the bag was alto a 'spend 100 and get $20 off' coupon for the Running Free store. I believe it was also advertised that you received 20% off of Running Free items during race-kit pickup day too. Excluding electronics, however. The last pamphlet was for the Podium Group which, if filled out, provided you with a free cowbell! Very cool! So we filled those out!

My second race kit, I picked up on our way to Toronto to watch 'Once' the musical. Nike provided a few race kit pick-up day's over a week before the race. So I took advantage of that and picked mine up at the Sporting Life store on Yonge Street. I love this store and never walk away from it without a race kit or purchase in hand!

When I got to the store I saw the beautiful Nike Toronto 15 KM shirts and couldn't resist! I headed upstairs to pick up my race kit first then decided I would shop, while Doug waited for me. I was asked for a piece of ID and my confirmation e-mail (the first I have ever been asked, for a race kit) and they set me up with my kit.

Inside the kit were a ferry ticket, course map, race wave bracelet, bib with tracker, beautiful peach tech shirt and two packet's of 4 Nuun tablets. (The orange/lime I found out I was not a fan of).

I opted in to be searchable in the system by name for tracking me the day of the race and then headed over to the beautiful other gear. I ended up buying the $45 turquoise tech tee that says 'Nike Women's 15 K Toronto' as well. Because when again would I get a shirt like that! It was very pretty!

After I had my goods in hand I was out the door in a flash. Doug was happy about that. And we were off on our way to the Downtown core. 

Both places were well organized and I had no lineup to get to. Though I have heard the Nike one had a lineup of 25 people at one point of the day, around rush hour. Glad I went when I did!

Newmarket Easter Seals 5 Km Run

On May 24th, I ran in the Easter Seals 5K run with my mom in Newmarket. The run began at 9:25 so we left at about 8:45 to make it just in time. I hate having to wait around to run so I enjoy getting there moments before we start. I made a quick pit stop at the washrooms, there were about 7-8 ports potties but were readily available, then we joined our 5 km group and we were off. This was a pretty decent run. The course was nice, it was an out and back, but with the 5 km there were several kids, bikes and strollers to pass by if you were at the back of the corral. Luckily we were smart enough to make it to the front of the pack. The route was soft rolling hills and nothing too hard. I quite liked it and hope to do this again next year.

When we were finished and collected our medal, we made our way to a tent that a church group had organized. Under the tent was watermelon, apples, chocolate milk, juice, blueberry muffins and amazing granola goodness. The granola things were superb and I'm certain they, along with the muffins, were made by the church. 

Kverl it was well organized, fun, the weather was great,shirts awesome and bright, medals were okay. But for everything all accounted for is definitely do it again and suggest others do so as well. 

Here was what my race loot included:

My mom got out bibs and they never labelled whose was whose. When we got to the race I confirmed my number and had to change with my mom. So I was actually bib #55. 

Here were our medals. 

Until next year, Mr. Persuchini!

Sporting Life 10 KM

It was a year ago today that I registered and ran my first race ever! I trained for it in just over a month and finished in 1:07:18. I thought that was an okay time. I ran it by myself, as my mom was away on a vacation, and tried to pace myself as best I could.

This year I decided to run the Sporting Life 10 KM run in support of Camp Ooch again. However, I was in good company with my mom alongside me. I hadn't ran as far before this race this year slash winter, so I knew what I was in for. But with my mom's recent second foot surgery with this past winter, she was equally out of shape as I was. My dad picked our race kits up on the first day they were available (Tuesday) and we were ready (kind of) for our 10 K.

We left pretty early because we paid for and used the shuttle to the start line before the race. We left our house around 6:00 AM to get there for 7, and get on the bus for 7:00-7:15. My stomach was not up to par in the morning, which may or may not have involved a parking lot pit stop, but we were ready and on the bus by 7:05. The bus ride there took us about a half hour just about. It went on the 401 then down Yonge Street. As we approached the barrier to stop cars from travelling up Yonge Street, one bus pulled to the side to let off their runners. But seconds later it let our bus through and we were thrilled. This gave us almost a kilometre less of walking to do...up hill nonetheless! Anyways, we got off the bus...lined up at the first washrooms we saw (Wait till you get to Sporting life and use them there next time...seriously, there was a ton!) and then we waited. We had about an hour and a half wait between our bus ride and our corral starting (9:15 AM). Coincidentally, my mom's friends were also running and they spotted us amongst the 27'000 other people. I think they need to buy a lottery ticket just about. So we stuck with them and ended up chit chatting, taking selfies, then heading to the start line. It was 8:00 and we were getting bored of waiting, so we skipped up a few corral's and went off with the green corral at 8:40.

Mom and I knew we were going to be doing 4 and 1's due to our recent running capabilities, and it was hot out, so we knew we weren't going for a PB. The goal this time was to complete it. And that was just what we did! I started off with some pretty awesome calf cramps in both my legs that didn't go away until about the 4 KM mark. I drank some water, stretched it out briefly, and had some stingers in hopes that would do the trick. Our 4 and 1 slowed pace seemed to do the trick, even though I still felt pretty rough. It was about the 6 KM mark that mom and I made the executive decision to make a run for the washrooms as a McDonald's we were about to pass. Not worried about our time, we quickly ran in and out and went on our way.

On went our run, and we definitely had to slow our pace down quite a bit. It was about a 7:00 min/km pace to a 7:30 min/km average pace. At about the 8 KM point my mom's friend found us as she was lagging behind the other women, so we kept with her for the rest of the race since we knew we weren't wining the Camp Ooch 1st place medal. We finally got to the final stretch and made our way through the forever winding route of metal fences to get our bling! This year they were nice, big and pretty colourful!

When we got to the field I was starving. They offered us water, banana's, and bagels...look for the food signs next time. It was difficult and seemed a bit disorganized, but i guess that's kind of hard with 27'000 + people. The nice thing was the ample washrooms. I kind of wish there were more at the starting line and less at the finish! Oh well. After the pit stop we walked back to our car at Ontario Place and we made our way home.

Mom and I ended up finishing at about 1:17:42 (chip time of 1:19:06; i guess we spent 2 minutes in the bathroom at McDonalds!), not a PB but we did it and we did it together. That was a lovely mother's day activity we both can remember for later :) I'm lucky I get to do things like running with my mom. I hope to do many more races with her in the years to come!

Mississauga Marathon 5 KM Run with 'Guts To Run'

Tis' the weekend for the 'Mississauga Marathon'. Now to be clear, I did not run the marathon as I am not about to use 5 hours of my day moving my legs constantly. I'd prefer to use part of that time for a run and the remainder of the 4 hours sitting on the couch watching tv. It's all about moderation!

Friday afternoon after work I decided to pick up both my mom's and my race kits. If we hadn't picked up our rackets then we would have to pick them up by 3:00 PM on race day. We were told they weren't available at the run, though they were giving out bib's there. I'm not certain that they were giving out race kits then however. Anyways, I drove to the Port Credit Arena where I had to find a parking spot on the road, then I made my way into the arena. When I got in I began picking up some of the free stuff, and spun the running room wheel to win a 20% off coupon, to extend my extra swag from the race. Amongst the free stuff I got was some NButrience dog food (for Thatcher of course), protinis (which were quite good!), some slug slash garden bug traps and plant food, cold FX, and contact solution. Finally i made it through the winding route to get my bib, cotton 5 KM race shirt, and race kit. By this time my hands were full so I went back to get anything I missed. That's when I also decided to use my running room coupon to buy a nice new running jacket. I don't have one of my own, I often use my mom's purple one, so I bought a nice neon coral running jacket. Another motivator to run in the wind perhaps?! 

Here was what my goodie bag looked like. I was quite impressed with what we got. 

I did quite like the Mississauga Marathon 10KM, Half and Full Marathon shirts (which were all the same and were tech shirts). The women's were neon orange and grey, and the mens were royal blue and lime green. Both were quite appealing.

The next day, Saturday, I set up my race gear for my run. I participated in the Charity Challenge in support of Crohn's and Colitis - Peel. As you may or may not know, I have Ulcerative Colitis. So anything that support's raising money for the cause or helps people become aware of what it is is something I am interested in doing. We had a great team that was put together by Maria Gladden and Rob Trewartha. They really rooted us on and gave us great shirts too! This year they were purple this year. I already can't wait to see what colour they will be next year. That's a sign that I'll definitely be participating in this again :) So far our total money raised for CCFC is over $16'000. Which is fantastic! Way to go Guts To Run!

Around 3:30 we left for the hour trip to Mississauga and parked at the Community Centre on Cawthra when we got there. It was from there that there were ample shuttle busses lined up to take us to the starting line. The line ups for the washrooms in the arena were a bit lengthy, so note for next time...stop at Tim's or hold it until the starting line.

When we got to the starting line, we had about an hour, since the last busses for the 5 KM ended at 5:00 SHARP. At the starting line there were several washrooms with no line up, but were a little 'tippy' on the unloved land. They still did the job. We hung around enjoying the sunshine until about 5:30 where we gathered with our Guts To Run group for a group shot before our race.

6:00 came around and we were ready for the start. It was a bit of a chaotic start as there were no side barriers to prohibit runners from bottlenecking in through the starting gates. The run was a nice flat-is course with small short inclines, but nothing substantial. The run alongside the lake was beautiful and  provided us with a nice breeze. However, the swarms of what looked to be baby mosquitos were terrible! I should have held off on the pre-run protein bar because I'm certain I could have gotten my daily supply just from the mouthful of bugs alone! That's my biggest complaint about the race though. Overall it was a well organized and decent route. I enjoyed seeing several kids there with their family members, but I do wish they stuck to one side of the path or refrained from aimlessly weaving along the path for no reason.

The last kilometre of the race you look around an area of land that forms a bit of a bay and you are able to see the finish line from that point. It's a great way to motivate you to the end. At the end we received our medal, got our shoe chip device cut off and got a few goodies. I came away with a half a blueberry bagel, a box of organic wheat squares, a chocolate milk, some facial cleanser and moisturizer samples, a chocolate milk sponsored ice pack and towel, and a vector bar. I can confidently say this race didn't lack in the free stuff! Something I definitely appreciate! Here is what my two shirts, bib and medal looked like. :)

Anyone looking to do a race in around Mississauga, the 5 KM or even the 10 KM is one I'd recommend. I hope to do this run again but with the 10 KM perhaps, next year. I appreciate the tech tee's way more. And they're prettier too :) Until next year Mississauga!

Mercedes Benz Oakville Run

Today was a chilly 4 degree start but warmed up nicely for my 5 KM run in the Mercedes Benz 10 K in Oakville. It took me about an hour to get there from my house to the Bronte Go station, and I'm surprised I wasn't more tired from getting up at 5:30 AM. When I got to the GO station, we were told to park there due to the limited parking near the site, I had a bit of a wait to nab one of the shuttles due to the long lineup. But I must say they went fast! The busses were quite evenly spread out and filled up quickly. Once I was onboard I had a short trip to Appleby College.

Upon arrival at the park, with the hundreds of other people, I went to get my bib and race packet. Now I know last minute pickup's are chaotic, but it seemed quite unorganized. I has to ask if I got a shirt, then ask again to get a bag. Good thing I was on top of things! It's all about the goods, :) Once I had everything I put it in my bag and headed to bag check. Note to self, bring a unique bag next time for bag check. I don't typically use bag check, but it was quite easy even with the identical white bag everyone else was using. Here was what was in the bag, minus the medal of course.

I headed to make a quick pit stop then went to join the other 5 KM'ers. The guy who was on the speaker waiting for us to line up was quite funny. The corral's were lettered 'A' through 'D'. He said things like "if you wear something that makes your hips jiggle when you run (a water belt), head to corral A. If you're wearing jeans, head to corral 'D'". The wait wasn't terrible, but it was hard with the slight wind and cold. Not long thereafter, we were off. It was a difficult start with the other runners jammed into road with barriers, but after the first turn onto the open road it was fine. The route was nice and flat with a few downhills. I remember going down them and thinking, "crap, what goes down just go up again" but there really were no decent uphill running bits. So that was nice. Near the 3.5 KM / 4 KM mark I looked at my watch and began running a bit quicker noticing it said 28 minutes. I knew my best 5 KM race time was 33:35, so I was determined to make this one my new PB. I put some extra hitch in my giddy up and I was able to push it to the end. My final time was 32:47 and I am pleased with that! There were some nice Tim's bagels at the end, an Emergent C sample, bananas and water. I collected my medal and goodies then was off to head back to my shuttle bus.

Overall, this was a nice route to run. It was organized nicely. It could have been a bit better with including corral intervals, more organized on for race day registration, and have much more crowd/volunteer encouragement, but I'd still do the race again. Happy Sunday!

Did I just do that?! 15 KM here I come

My next race is tomorrow, the Mercedes Benz 10 K in Oakville (I'm doing the 5 KM run option). I'm excited to get some more use out of my new motivational running gear to get me going because I have signed up for a new running distance for me, 15 KM! On June 14th I have signed up for the Nike Toronto Women's 15 KM run. I am excited to train for this run since it will be my longest distance yet, but I know I can do it. As my mom says, "walk it if you have to!"

On to bigger and better things!

Last weekend I was signed up to do the Toronto Yonge Street 10 KM run, but due to this overwhelming cold I got that went into my chest I opted to sleep in. I was pretty excited to do this nice downhill run, and the race kits were pretty good too. It will be my goal for next year now :)

Here was the race kit:

Harry Spring Run-Off 5 KM

This year I decided to get an earlier start to my medal collection than I did last year. Last year was my first year of training to run. I started around April after I signed up for my first run and 10 KM race, the Sporting Life 10 KM, and began training as fast as I could! My goal wasn't to get a PB by any means, but I was pleased with my completion time of 1:07.

At first, when I signed up for this race it was the dead of winter and I was amped up to get some 'BLING!!', so I signed up for the 8 KM run. A week or two before the race I realized I hadn't nearly trained enough for the 8 KM just yet so I paid the extra $10 to drop down to the 5 KM. And BOY AM I GLAD I did! After scouring Instagram for pictures of race kits, bib and shirt pictures as well as past medal pictures, I found myself curious about the #killthehill hashtag. I hadn't heard anything about a hill before, likely since I haven't ever run at High Park, and I started to get worried. I started thinking about if this 'hill' is going to 'kill me'!

The morning of the run was a bit chilly and windy but nice and sunny. I think it flurried the day before, but I can't be certain. I was going to drive myself down then take the subway, but my mom and dad ended up driving me down instead. It was the first time my mom has cheered me on along the sidelines and it was quite nice! I definitely appreciated her company! When we got to High Park in Toronto I headed over to get my race kit (that included a shirt, some goodies, and a drawstring bag) which was quick and easy and then hung out for a bit. When I signed up I also signed up to get a Pancake Breakfast for $3, even though I typically go gluten free. Since my mom was with me I gave it to her so we got that before the race then slowly made out way to the starting line.

After waiting for the time to tick away all the corral's were in place and went off at once. It was a nice  route that started with a small loop past the crowds, where I picked up my handheld water bottle I had forgot from my mom, and then began to descend.....and descend again....and again....And I thought to myself, crap....what goes down must go up again (in races). The route was all paved roads through a forested area that passed by a river and wound around and back. It was not too bad really....until I realized what the #killthehill hashtag had really meant. It was the last half kilometre of the race where this hill took place. And it took up 400 meters worth of it, no lie. Thankfully my mom was along the sidelines of the hill to let me know it was just up the hill then I was done, and that definitely kept me going, but I won't lie and say I ran up it all. I definitely had to take a 'break' to walk at one point and likely another. But the end was upon me and I received my medal and matching light green beanie and another race had finished.

Overall it was a great race. Now I know what to expect with the hill and I'd definitely be willing to do this route again. It had a great medal and swag (It is a Canada Run Series run, so I knew it would be good anyways). The nice thing too was that with it being downtown with limited parking, the subway was a short walk away. This made it easy to park at another location and take the subway down. And I definitely advise that.

Here's my race swag to add to the drawers and medal rack!

I Run For The Bling

I decided to reflect upon last year's idea to 'begin running'. I signed up for my first 10 KM run at the end of March and jumped on the running bandwagon. I have always been athletic from High School Track and Field, years of Figure Skating and currently from joining two soccer teams. But never had I committed to doing a distance further 1500M! I trained for the Sporting Life 10 KM for just a little over a month. Not bad i'd say! And heck, if I can train for a 10 KM in a month...surely I can train for a half marathon in under 9 month's time.

I'm one of those people that run's for the bling, as I have previously stated. I literally have a OneNote file with all the dates of races, complete with prices, websites, pictures of t-shirts and pictures of finisher's medals. Call me crazy, but it's my motivator to get the bling. If i'm running 10 KM and waking up early to do it, i'm getting something materialistic out of it! Anyways, signing up for races has always helped me get my running in check. I know that if I don't finish the run, I have not only wasted my money but I also don't get that pretty medal.

My goal for running this year is to try and get a 10 KM run in each month from April onward. The ones I would like to do are:
April - Yonge Street 10 KM
May - Sporting Life 10 KM
June - Nike 10 KM in Toronto (hopefully, it's a lottery)
July - Haven't found one with a good medal yet....any suggestions?
September - Base Borden 10 KM Run

Then from July, I figured i'v be good enough to do a bit longer of a distance and I hope to sign up for the August Mid Summer's Night Run 15 KM. I thought this run would be a good 'in-betweener' before my first Half Marathon. I'd like my first Half Marathon to be the Niagara Falls Half in October. My mom is also hoping to do this run. I have to be able to do a half before February so a) I can do the Princess Half Marathon in Florida, and b) so I have a Half Marathon time for my corral.

What are your favourite 10 KM or 10 KM + race medals? Please share!

2015 Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Mississauga Marathon

2015 Scotiabank Charity Challenge at the Mississauga Marathon

On May 2nd, I am participating in the Mississauga Marathon 5 KM run while raising funds for  Crohn's and Colitis Canada that is important to me through the Scotiabank Charity Challenge.

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis at the age of 9. After 18 years of this disease, I have come to appreciate things in a different way. Simple things like going out for dinner, attending a concert or out for a run are manipulated by this chronic illness. I am lucky to have a mild to moderate form of Ulcerative Colitis, but so many are not as fortunate.

Please help me raise funds to support finding a cure for Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis to others do not have to suffer like myself. Thanks for your love and support!

Love Laura

Please support me by making a secure online donation:  

https://apps.facebook.com/fundraising_na/PersonalPage.aspx?RegistrationID=2699825

or here at:
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?EventID=153184&LangPref=en-CA&RegistrationID=2699825#&panel1-1

2015 Race Goals

2015 is now upon us. And for that it means I only have a year and a bit until my goal race of the Disney Princess Half Marathon with my mom in February, 2016! Eek! I can't wait, but I have so much training to do before then!

This year I have started off trying to eat right (no gluten for my tummy), exercise more frequently to tone up, and attempting to run more often. So far the first two are a go, however, the running bit is a bit more challenging. My stomach hasn't been the greatest (minor flare up with UC) and the weather has been SO COLD! So I have been trying to run inside in the mean time. Might I add that I hate running on a treadmill, so this will be interesting!

I have recently registered for a few races! Previously I registered for the Sporting Life 10 KM run. And the other day I registered for the Harry Spring Off 8 KM and the Yonge Street 10 KM run. Today I also registered for the Move Your Paws for the Polar Bear Cause 5 KM in February to get a head start. I love getting race medals and it's a good 'kick in the butt' kind of race to get me going for this year. It's only a 5 KM run but the zoo has been known to be hilly, so I am interested in what the route will look like!