This Saturday was the Sporting Life 10k Calgary race (aka #calgarysfastestroad race). It was my first time running it and I was honoured to run it on behalf of Starlight Children’s Foundation.
I haven’t been training consistently nor done much of any speed or hill training, and with my focus on taking in this race for such a great cause, I intended to run it as a tempo, that is, comfortably hard. Which is just fine by me because for a 10k race you can push yourself to go a lot harder than the distances I usually race (I tend to gravitate to halfs and marathons), and I don’t especially love that feeling that comes with running at a fast pace (as though my heart’s about to explode!).
The weather Saturday morning was just about perfect for a race: about 12 Celsius, which made it a tiny bit brisk to be waiting for the race to start, but thankfully the race started at a transit station so runners were able to wait for the 8 am start in the station or wait in the bus shelters to keep out of the slight breeze.
The race is smaller in size than ones I have run recently, so the start was quite relaxed; normally you’re shoulder to shoulder in the start chute, but this morning I found myself with plenty of personal space, and instead of being herded toward the start line by being in the thick of a crowd, I was able to pause and get my music and NRC app started just in time as I crossed the start line.
As with most races, I found myself swept up in the excitement of the race and ran the first two kilometres at a very fast pace for me, but for the remainder my pace fluctuated a lot, partly due to the change in elevation (the race is net downhill, which I prefer, although I know many runners find downhill to be hard on the body). Being a small race, I found it motivating that I felt I could always more or less see the front of the pack.
In terms of race organization, there were two water stations, and kilometre markers at every kilometre (although I admit I did not notice the markers until I got to the 6k marker; I think the flags for all the previous markers must’ve been blowing in a such as a way that I didn’t realize they were the distance markers). There is virtually no entertainment along the route, and very little in terms of spectator support (which made the smiling cop directing traffic and the few cheerers especially appreciated!), so I was happy I had decided to listen to music (however, I always just use one earbud for races so that I can be aware of traffic and runners around me).
Crossing the finish line as always is a great feeling, and an adorable little girl handed me my medal. In the post-race area, there was a nice variety of fuel (Kind bars, watermelon, Old Dutch chips, Clif Bars) and it’s the first time I’ve seen a PG gong, so fun!
I ran a 51:32, which is far from a PB for me so I didn’t get to hit that gong but love the concept and wish there were one in some of races in Toronto! I finished in 232nd place out of 717, 91st out of 431 women, and 19 out of 68 in my category.
I don’t have the final numbers yet, but I believe upward of $15,000 has been raised thus far for Starlight Children’s Foundation. And that’s what’s really important here: raising funds so they can help bring some lightness and joy to the many sick kids they work with.
I was reminded of this at dinner that night after the race, when I checked my Instagram inbox, and saw a message from Heather, the mom of the ambassador family for this race (you can find her with all of her truly inspiring positivity on Instagram @happilyheath). I unfortunately saw Heather’s message well after the race (or else I’d have made plans to meet IRL that morning), but I got to reading about her daughter Evelyn on her Instagram, and Evelyn’s recently just had a shift in her cancer treatment plan. Looking at her smiling photo, well, it certainly puts life into perspective and I’m inspired by how courageous she is. She’s been through much too much for her age, and I’m grateful that Starlight Children’s Foundation exists to provide experiences that allow her to be a kid, in the middle of so many tests at the hospital and the endless series of treatments.
If that sounds like a cause you’d like to support, consider sponsoring a runner (you can still do so now even though the race is over; this is my fundraising page but there are also several hundred runners you can support!).
Thank you Starlight for asking me to take part in this race and for the work that you do!
June 21, 2019
“Oh, it was fine. I didn’t race it. I just ran it.”
People (OK, people who either don’t run, or run shorter distances than a half-marathon) seem really confused by this reply when they ask me how my Calgary Marathon half was. But I didn’t stress about this race or push myself. If you see me before a race I’m hoping for a PB in, I’m a mess. Stressed out to the max, and I will barely speak to you morning of the race. This half, I didn’t even check my official time until today so I could include it in this post.
I didn’t start training for this race thinking I wouldn’t race it all out, in fact, I had planned to race the marathon (as in the full marathon). But then life threw me a few twists and turns: I started traveling more than ever, but early in the year I was still on track to run the marathon. Then at the end of March, I was unexpectedly asked to cover a nearly two-week trip to China. I knew I would likely not run at all while there (and certainly not my long runs) due to the busy itinerary, but I figured once I got back at the end of March, that would still leave me with two months to train for the marathon.
Two months is not ideal but as I’ve run marathons before, I figured I could manage it, just that it wouldn’t be my fastest marathon.
Then I caught a horrible cold and cough while in China. If that’s what it was…it ended up lasting well over a month (and I got home one day and lost my lunch, so who knows…). I sounded like I was coughinh up a lung. Then, compounding this, less than a week after returning home from China, as I sat on my couch and reached forward to grab my glass from my coffee table, I coughed and threw my back out. Yes, I can train for what seems like race after race after race and not get injured, but a COUGH brought me down.
I have never thrown my back out before, and I didn’t realize what world of hurt I had in store for me. Movements I didn’t even realize called for me to use muscles in my lower back, such as pulling open a door, would make me freeze up thanks to my back seizing in spasms and I’d cry and wimper in pain. After two days of being an invalid, I booked my very first chiropractor appointment ever and gingerly walked over. Thankfully, it helped, and I continued to see her 2-3 times a week for the next few weeks.
She explained to me that it wasn’t something that happened overnight but a multitude of reasons: running compresses your spine, all that coughing compresses the spine, the long flight home from China with me sitting for hours and hours, my job sitting in front of a computer, my lack of stretching post-workout, all factors that contributed to this pain. She recommended I lay off the running for awhile (“But I have a race!!”) and to cross train in the meanwhile. The problem was that I couldn’t cross train because of the damn cold and cough that was taking me out. Add to that the horrendous sleep I was having; I had several nights of just lying in bed and seeing the sun come up because I simply couldn’t fall asleep. I suppose it was part jet lag, but I think worsened by my usual erratic sleep schedule.
Finally, after about two week of chiro adjustments, I felt somewhat better to run and workout. I did a Crossfit workout and a Viking Method workout (both of which my chiro was not too pleased about, too intense, she said!). I went easy in both workouts, and the runs, I took slow and started with shorter distances. With each step running, I could feel the pressure on my lower back.
Over time, that twinge was less severe, but it’s still there. With about five or six weeks to the Calgary race, I opted to register for the half-marathon instead. I also made the focus of my training simply to complete the distance, so I did no hill training or speed work as I felt the intensity would be too much for my back. As a result, I’ve watched my pace slow considerably. Even for a short run, my pace is quite slow for me, which is disheartening but that’s how things go, alas.
And, so, this is why the Calgary Half-marathon was just a run for me. I didn’t stress about time. I just ran comfortably and took in the scenery around me for this, which was my 15th half; I snapchatted, checked my Instagram, took pictures. The weather was pretty much just about my ideal running weather (cool but sunny; warm enough for shorts and a tank, but not warm enough to sweat buckets and buckets). What I did stress about was potential stomach issues (I didn’t feel so great the day before and the morning of the race) but thankfully I never was forced to make a pitstop at a portapotty. At my very comfortable pace, I ran a 2:08:16, finishing 76/210 in my category, and 610th out of 1526 women in the Calgary Half-marathon.
Where this leaves me now with my race goals, I’m not sure. This will be the longest gap I’ve had for not running a 42.2k since racing my first marathon in 2012. I feel like the longer the gap, the less I’ll feel I’m able to complete that distance. I can’t tell you how positively gleeful I felt in Calgary that I was able to follow the signs for the half-marathon route rather than the marathon of (gasp) ultra route. I was so, so, so happy to not be slogging through 42.2k and only 21.1k.
Which is to say (gulp), I think this means I’ll plan to race a marathon this fall. Which also means training starts now. Travel has kept me busier than ever so far this year, so juggling it all is going to be rough.My back still isn’t fully recovered. Even sitting for short periods, it’s uncomfortable. And I can tell when I run that it’s not quite right. There is still that slightest of twinges. I suppose I should stretch it out more (I’ve been slacking).
In the meanwhile, the race in Calgary is a great one, and one I hope to run again. For more about the Calgary Half-marathon race itself, check my post over on the iRun blog.
June 9, 2016
