Color Me Rad

Fun runs seem to be popping up all over the place lately. I can't seem to login to Instagram on the weekend without coming across at least one photo from some kind of charity or fun run. It's great! I love to see people getting out, moving around, and getting healthy.

A few friends and I signed up for Color Me Rad this year. You dress in as much white as you can and run 5 km while people throw packages of corn starch dye at you. It was originally scheduled for July Long Weekend, but due to the flooding it got rescheduled to August Long and a lot of my friends couldn't participate.

Luckily, Color Me Rad is an easily transferable race, so a few other friends took their places. We met at Crowfoot LRT Station on Saturday morning and took the shuttle bus out to Canada Olympic Park for the run. There were so many people up there. It was great to see everyone dressed up and running around having a great time.

At the start line we were given our first colour bombs, which we proceeded to throw at each other. We couldn't start things off with pristine white shirts. The race itself was up and down the hills and trails at the Park. It was a mix of pavement and trail running, but all in all a fairly easy course. We weren't with many actual runners so we walked a lot of the hills and just took our time, laughing at each other as we got more and more covered in colours.

As we rounded the last corner, they gave everyone one last colour bomb to use however they wanted. Of course, we saved ours and dumped colour all over each other at the finish area.

I really enjoyed the race. It was lighthearted and easy so there was no pressure running-wise. It was advertised as a 5 km, but I'd give it 3 km at most. Definitely manageable for all fitness levels. We got a lot of great photos and laughed a lot. If you have the opportunity to do Color Me Rad or some other colour run, I would definitely go for it. If you're worried about the colour dying your hair (like I was), coconut oil seemed to keep the colour out and had the added bonus of leaving my hair super soft after I washed it.

Happy Running!

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May in Instagram

It's already June? How did that happen? Apparently, I haven't been very on the ball so far this month seeing as this recap is happening five days into June. Whoops! 

It feels like we got up to a lot this month. We finished out month of Paleo and no drinking (although not entirely free of grains or drinks) so we're back to enjoying drinks from time to time and have added cheese back into our diets. We still are trying to eat primally most of the time, but we're certainly not overly strict. Story of our lives. Enough about what I eat though. As if I don't talk about it enough on here. On to the Instagram Recap!

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1. We started the month with a pizza date at Una before heading to Cirque du Soleil with my parents. Totally delicious and totally not following our supposed paleo plan. Oh well!
2. Lobsters with N's family while his brother was in town. I'd never put one into the pot so we had to capture the moment.
3. I spent three days down at the geoConvention for work. This bird was blind in one eye, but he made for a lovely hat.
4. Treating ourselves to Peters' milkshakes after hunting for my unjustly towed car.
5. It was N's birthday this month and I made him this paleo smoked salmon eggs benedict (as mentioned). I'm pretty proud of it.
6. We went out to the lake for N's birthday and even though the weather wasn't spectacular, it's one of my favourite places to be.
7. We had a party at our place for N's birthday. It was a gong show.
8. Cheering at the Calgary Marathon and Half Marathon. It was a lovely day with lovely people!
9. I've been doing CrossFit in the park for the last few weeks. It's been really fun and one of the coaches sometimes takes pictures. These were burpee broad jumps.

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Calgary Marathon and Half Marathon

Wheelchair Marathoner coming through first thing

My alarm went off at 6 am last Sunday and one of my first thoughts was "Why am I not running this morning?".

I'm not some crazy morning person (quite the opposite actually), but I couldn't help wishing I was running the Calgary Half Marathon that morning. I really enjoyed running it last year and was suddenly questioning my decision to sit it out.

The lady in green had so much energy

I knew a couple people running the half and a few running the full so I decided it would be fun to go cheer them on. As a runner, I know how much it's meant to me to see all the people cheering on the sidelines so I decided to be one of those people this year. The energy of the spectators is just awesome.

So off I went to Bridgeland for the start of the race. I knew a few people who had volunteered to marshall so I thought I'd hang out with them for a bit. I ended up hanging out until the last runners came through. It was really great! Bridgeland was one of my favourite parts of the course last year. The spectators have to get their early, but they're some of the most energetic and motivating people of the whole race. Not to mention, it's a trendy neighbourhood so it's got lots of good distractions. We were about 5 km in to the race, so people are still really excited and having a good time. There were tons of smiles and lots of thanks. It was great to see.

As much as I really loved that spot for cheering, I don't know that I'd choose it again since I didn't manage to spot any of the friends I knew were running. Everyone is still clumped together pretty tightly so it's hard to pick out people you know through the crowds.

After the last runners passed, I headed towards the finish to meet N and my friend's wife. I wandered through the East Village on my way to the finish line and spotted two of my friends running the half. It was so exciting to see them and cheer them on in the last kilometres of their race, especially since I hadn't spotted them earlier on.

The three of us found a spot near the finish where we thought we'd be visible. It's fun to see people cross the finish line, but it gets so crowded in the Grandstand that the runners usually don't see you. I think it's kind of fun to choose a spot where they'll see you and you can cheer them towards the finish line.

There were a couple Guiness World Record attempts during the race. One guy was running in full lacrosse gear. We saw him near the finish and he looked to be on the verge of collapsing. The other attempt is pictured below. Can you imagine running a marathon attached to seven other guys?

When T came by, we cheered as loud as we could and tried to snap some photos of him. Unfortunately, there were some obstacles so they're not the best shots. Sorry, T. I tried!

It was a really long day of walking, standing, and cheering, but I'm so glad I went. Races have such a great energy. Next year is Calgary's 50th anniversary so I will most definitely be running it. It's funny how I always think I'm going to take a break from running and then get pulled back in to another race. I was going to take 2013 off and focus on strength training instead of running, but I'm now running the Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon in September with N and a couple friends. So much for a year off. I guess I just can't stay away.

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Boston

I've gone back and forth all week about whether I was going to write anything about what happened at the Boston Marathon this week. I'm sure I don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said. I'm also sure that there are plenty of people who will have said it much better, but I decided tonight that I'd thought about it enough to warrant posting something.

This tragedy hit home for me in a few different ways. I know that there are people who experience these types of things every year, every month, maybe even every week. I'm fortunate enough to live in a country where this isn't my reality. For this, I am truly grateful.

Boston is a wonderful city. My roommate and I did a road trip after I graduated from the University of McGill and one of the stops was Boston. I have nothing but fond memories of the city and its people. My thoughts and prayers go out to them, their families, and their friends.

As a runner, I was shaken by the news on Monday. Boston is an iconic event. I have nothing but respect and admiration for those who endeavour to run it. I've qualified for Boston in my dreams although I have no intentions of ever running a Marathon in reality. For me, it's the marathon. The one I'd love to run if I ever managed to qualify for it.

I can only imagine how awful it must have been for those who were there. I've run enough half marathons to know that the last mile is usually the most painful. By that point, I'm just trying to keep moving forward. Imagine getting turned away after having run 41 km of the Boston Marathon - to not officially finish the race. In my mind, those people are all finishers. And the ones who continued on to give blood at a nearby hospital are incredible heroes. I am in awe of their strength.

Even more terrifying is imagining coming down the home stretch as an explosion goes off. Or watching for your husband, wife, father, mother to finish the race and instead finding yourself in the midst of a fatal attack.

I've always associated running with the feeling of freedom. When I abandon it, it's always willing to accept me back. It doesn't judge me. It doesn't cost me anything. It gives me time to unplug. Running gives me so much. And being a runner means being part of a community - a wonderful, welcoming, friendly community.  It's one of the most inclusive clubs I've ever belonged to - it doesn't matter if you're fast or slow, if you run barefoot or with orthotics. All that matters is that you're doing it.

And that might just be the worst part about this tragedy. I don't want tragedy to taint Boston, or even worse, running in general.

Wednesday at lunch, I laced up my shoes and went for a short run by the river. There was nothing spectacular about it aside from the fact that I got out and did it. I hope that others continue to do the same. I love running and I hope to never have someone try to take it away from me.

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Run Run Run

 

One of my goals this year is to get faster at shorter distances, namely 5 km and 10 km. I've only run 5 km for training so I've never really pushed myself. Speed work is so important though, so I'm making an effort to be faster.

I went for a 5 km run at lunch today. I wasn't expecting it to be very fast, but it felt good. I didn't really pay attention to my watch until I hit 2 km in 10:05. I never run 2 km in less than eleven minutes. And it felt good, really good. I did a bit of a double take, I was so surprised. So I decided to consciously try and keep it up for the rest of my run. At 3 km, I was right at fifteen minutes. Holding that 5:00/km, I kept an eye on my watch and by 4 km, I was breathing hard. I came in under twenty minutes. All I had to do was hold on for one more kilometre and I'd reach a goal I hadn't expected to attain until much later this year. I mean, it's January 7. I only set these goals a week ago! I just tried to keep my feet moving quickly and stopped my watch at 5 km: 24:46. My first time running 5 km in under 25 minutes. Walking back to the office, I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear.

And doing a little happy dance. Follow @whoalansi

Vegas!

Today marks 1 month until Nathan, my dad, and I will be standing at the starting line of the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas. This will be my third half marathon and both mine and Nathan's first time in Vegas. I'm looking to finally break the 2 hour mark (last time I missed it by sixteen seconds). I can't wait to see Vegas AND cross this awesome race off my bucket list.

Heather, Nathan, and I after Calgary 2012

Calgary's weather has been making training a little on the difficult side, but it's still been going surprisingly well. A month seems simultaneously like a lot of time and very little. That's only 3 more long runs, 3 interval runs, and a couple handfuls of shorter midweek runs. Somehow it always seems like training flies by and race day is suddenly here. I'm sure this next month will be no different.

Hoping I feel better this time than Calgary Half Marathon

Vegas, I am so ready for you! Follow @whoalansi