Tag Archives: Running

My second job

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Did I simply forget how tiring it is to train for a full marathon? Or could it be the extra weekly run and two extra boot camp sessions per week that have me begging for mercy?

Take a little from column A, a lot from column B and you have the reason I wake up in an exhausted fog some mornings. This training schedule is like a second job. For instance, here’s this week’s schedule:

  • Monday: morning tempo run 10-11k; evening “recovery” run with the Running for the Truly Terrified group I started.
  • Tuesday: morning spin class at the YMCA where I’m a volunteer; evening boot camp.
  • Wednesday: evening speed workout with Frontrunners marathon clinic.
  • Thursday: evening boot camp.
  • Friday: one-hour hot yoga at noon because lord knows I need to stretch!
  • Saturday: 19k run (long slow distance: pace 6:50/k, a little over 2 hours)
  • Sunday: hike Witty’s lagoon! (I’m really looking forward to that one!)

As luck would have it, my real job is busy but not crazy-busy, and during the summer I haven’t (yet) needed to put in any overtime hours or travel too much. If that were the case though I’d have to give up something – probably a boot camp session.

As a matter of fact, come August (when my mileage starts climbing again) I will drop one of the boot camps per week, and during taper I won’t weight train at all.

The perennial question for runners is: what are you running from?

Good question. The harder answer (given the fact that marathon training is actually hard on the body) is I have no idea. I can’t think of what I’m avoiding in life by working out so much, I can’t think of anything “chasing” me that would cause me to run away.

The easy answer is: I simply love this, I love running, working out, getting strong, staying youthful, staying healthy; and I love doing it with other people, helping them achieve their fitness goals at the same time I’m achieving mine.

What other possible answer could there be?

Photo: Tori running the Royal Victoria Marathon October 2009 by Bill Broughton

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Running for the Truly Terrified

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Many of you tell me I inspire you and you want to run (for the first time, or to get started again), but you are Truly Terrified. You don’t think you can keep up with me. You think you’ll embarrass yourself if you take me up on my offer to get you started with running. You think you’ll get left behind gasping for air while I run ahead.

I am here to tell you that’s not the case. I am here to tell you I was once in your shoes. I’ve been there, I know how it is.

Compared to most other runners, I am slow as molasses. In all my races I don’t rank in the top 50 per cent of my age group, but I still do it, because I love it. If I can do this, anyone can. I want to help you get started running again.

I’ve convinced my friend Scott Garman to come out to Beacon Hill Park by the petting zoo, Monday night, May 31, 2010, 6:30 sharp, to start running. Slowly. Baby steps. Anyone is welcome to join in.

Here’s the deal: there’s an 800-metre loop that passes by the Children’s Farm petting zoo (map below). If I’m running fast it takes me about 4 minutes to get around it, but if I’m slow it can be 5 minutes or more – and believe me on Mondays I am slow – it’s a recovery run for me, and I will have just done a full-body weight workout. I don’t want to be running any longer than a total 20 minutes.

If you can do one lap, good for you! If you can do half a lap, good for you! If you can run 2 minutes, then walk 3 minutes, then walk 2 minutes — well good for you! I will be there to clap and cheer all along the way.

The point is – you just show up. Because half the battle for anything you do in life is just showing up.


View Run routes in a larger map

Couple of things though before you stop by:

  • Please don’t come if you have a health condition that prevents you from doing physical exercise safely. See your doc first and get the go-ahead.
  • I’m not a certified personal trainer, I’m not a health care professional, I’m just a passionate volunteer and I want to demystify this whole running thing.
  • I can’t tell you how to eat, run, lose weight, or find enlightenment. I just know what has worked for me, and that a thousand mile journey begins with a single step.
  • Therefore I command you to go at your own pace and don’t try and keep up if you’re not feeling it. Huffing and puffing is one thing, but wheezing and gasping are another. Take it slow, that’s the whole point of this exercise.
  • Likewise, muscle fatigue is one thing, but sudden acute pain in muscles or joints is another. We’re here to honour our bodies, not hurt them. If it hurts, stop.
  • I’ll be trying to do this every Monday night, and everyone is welcome, but it really helps to strengthen the muscles and support the joints before attempting any real running. If our little runs inspire you to keep it up and run longer, I recommend getting into a good personal trainer or boot camp to avoid injury.

So please comment below and let me know if you’re coming, or just – show up in your sturdy runners and some sweat pants.

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Race report: Oak Bay Half Marathon

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First, the quick recap:

  1. Official time: 2:08:04
  2. Personal best by 4:20 (previous PB 2:12:24)
  3. By any measure, that’s a huge jump in performance.

Why am I not really satisfied?  (Or more importantly – I’m feeling guilty about not being satisfied because in fact today was quite an accomplishment! At age 45, I have never run so fast for so long in my life, and I know I could run faster! Isn’t that amazing when you really think about it?)

Because I think I could have done better; because every other person I trained with (except one) finished faster (look at that handsome bunch of healthy people in the picture!), because I knew I wouldn’t hit my “A” goal just after the 5K mark, and I knew I wouldn’t hit my “B” goal before the 15K mark, even though my pace was stronger than ever before. It’s tough to recover from negative self-talk like that in the middle of an endurance race.

Let’s back up: here were my tiered goals for today:

  • “A” goal that I set in January: sub-2 hrs. Reward: that tattoo I’ve been wanting for 10 years.
  • “B” goal: sub-2:05. Reward: 2 summer dresses + necklace I picked out at Lark & Sparrow yesterday.
  • “C” goal: sub-2:10. Reward: 1 of the dresses. No necklace.
  • “Just finishing:” A spa day with a friend. Ok ok, I was going to do that anyway.

So – even though I realized that my stretch goal of sub-2 hrs was improbable, my goal of 2:05 was well within reach.

I felt crappy from the start. Even though I came to the first 5 K at about 29:00 I felt like I was pushing it too much, I was worried I wouldn’t have enough for those tough hills at the end of the course. I got a stitch in my side that took from the 7 until the 12 K mark to disappear. My legs felt heavy and tired. Many times, even before the first hill, I wanted to quit.

You are what you pay attention to: this was a self-fulfilling prophecy. I did the same workouts as my pace group friends who came in ahead of me; I was trained and ready. My own brain failed me: we now know that our brain tricks us into experiencing fatigue and pain when in fact our muscles are far from failure.

Brain training starts next week, find out how after the jump…

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Why I’m not running Vancouver this weekend

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Oak Bay Half, here I come!

I was excited about running the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon again as recently as Tuesday.

Tonight though (Friday), when it’s time to be packing and hydrating and fueling, I’m looking forward to spending a few days at home instead.

I love Vancouver, but I’ve been back and forth a lot lately and one more trip just looks like No. Fun. At. All.

I just got back from there yesterday. If I was to go to Vancouver tomorrow, I would return by ferry Sunday afternoon, then turn around and go back to Vancouver Tuesday through Saturday next week. I’m getting exhausted just writing all that, let alone running a 21.1 km race on Sunday to boot.

I don’t think M. feels all that great about my traveling either, and we discussed it tonight. If she were to come with me she would have to work around my race instead of having fun with Mom in the city.Training run

I’m not without choices though: most of my other running clinic buddies are signed up for the Oak Bay Half Marathon on May 16. I can sign up for that one, hop back on the final two weeks of their schedule by running 1:30 or 1:45 tomorrow and some hills on Wednesday, then taper (again) for another 10 days. Heck, it would even be cheaper than taking the ferry over and eating all our meals out, etc.

In the end it comes down to this: I run for fun. It’s not an imperative, it’s not a job. It’s a way to challenge myself and feel great afterward. It doesn’t matter if I run Vancouver or Victoria; it doesn’t matter if I run sub-2 hours or 2:15. What matters is I show up and feel good about my effort.

So, the plan has changed – I’m in training for another 2 weeks and I’ll run in my own town May 16, after sleeping in my own bed the night before.

Photo: me (front & centre) and my gang, about an hour into a long run, about a month ago.
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Seen on my run

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Suits, heels on downtown city streets, tired faces dodged. A former colleague from the Ministry. A smile hello.

Long steps down to the seawall from the new convention centre. Float planes and large yachts. Bejewelled harbour; I feel glittered in my running shoes. I’m only going for 45 minutes; the race is only a couple of weeks away.

Two men pass me: one wearing a toque and long sleeves and what appear to be skate shoes with only the most minimal sole, the other older. I keep pace just behind them and soak up their chatter as ambient camaraderie.

Bikes, rollerblades on the shady side. A strong pace. Bliss. Just ahead, the lookout point, my estimated 4 k turnaround. I brought water, should I just keep going?

Just one more kilometre.Seawall Run

Rounding a bend I can see the Lion’s Gate bridge. Beyond that I know is the open strait, brilliant sun, cliffs shiny with runoff, more water fountains, beaches. I stop at the 5 k point and take a picture.

Some military-type men run by – their dark blue shirts and muscled arms. They catch my glance, smile and say hi.

“I’m wondering whether I should keep going around,” I call out.

“Go for it, it’s not as long as it looks!”

I know how far it is. If I turn back now, it’s a 10K run. If I keep going, it’s 15k, an extra half hour onto what should really be a taper run.

I keep going, because runs like this are worth more than any Personal Record.

I keep going, because this is why I run.

Photo: Seawall Run, by Tori Klassen

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Of Toenails and Teenage Wisdom

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Hey there – my latest blog post for Life As A Human is up:

“Can you tell I’m missing a toenail?” I asked M. the other day. For some reason I consult with my daughter on matters of fashion and appearance, probably because at age 16, she is at a stage of her life where she is inordinately focused on such things. Sometimes I appreciate her keen eye.

Please read the rest here. And Stumble it, Digg it, Tweet it, etc. And leave a comment. And send me chocolate (or gin).

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The training is done. It’s all self-talk from here.

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I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

I will run the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon in 2 hours or less.

….[repeat as needed]…

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Are we tapering yet?

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I gotta say – this last week, even though it was low mileage – got me. I did my speed workout (a progression – barfy hard!) Thursday night, then a lake run (a little faster than I should have) on Saturday – not enough rest time in between for this 45-year old body.

I’m tired. I’m sore. I need a massage (especially calf, shin, hamstring, glutes, lower back, upper back and shoulder muscles .. hah) – I need a hot tub.

A sure sign it’s time to rest! and soon (next week) I’ll start tapering the training. Now’s the time to be extra-cautious and not get injured!

Tonight I’m watching The Red Violin again (just because I love that movie and it was on my mind the last couple of days) cuddled up on the couch with — well myself. I’ve got to admit though, having someone to cuddle up with (just for tonight maybe?) would be nice.

Not to worry, I’m sure this too shall pass. Now, off to the video store.

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Running with the wind and the driving rain

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At 5:30 this morning it was pouring rain and windy in Victoria. Why would that stop me from running? They don’t postpone races until the weather is better, so why postpone a training run because the weather’s bad?

It was “only” a recovery run – 45 minutes easy. Except – the rain seemed to drive me along. My pace hovered around 6:00/km the entire time (usual recovery pace 6:30/km).

In short: I LOVED IT!

Raindrops stinging my face, windbreaker soaking through within 5 minutes, unavoidable puddles leading to squishy toes. And the sea — I love the ocean when it froths up into the shore. The tide was in, and the foam reached up to the walkway near Clover Point.

It reminded me of the song: Wild is the Wind. I’ll try to embed the Bowie version here:
Bowie does Wild is the Wind – YouTube

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My 101st post is about workout music…

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Exercising in middies & bloomers circa 1915 (thanks to Cornell University Library)

In March I had a request for workout music playlists, so I posted this. Recently I had another request, so I decided to publish this post as a page too. After the jump, you’ll see a couple of my playlists. Apologies to those who (when I polled readers a while ago) told me they are not interested in my music playlists!

Now on to the music >>

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