Temporary Gig as a Race Day Groupie

As time passes in real time, it seems to go by so slowly, but when you look back it seems like time has just flown by. This seems to be the case with regards to the Rotterdam Marathon back on April 10th. Post race I began my down time (aka no running) and time seemed to drag by as it usually does when I am unable to run. My feet needed the rest to heal up the blisters and my body needed the rest from the intensity of marathon training. Thankfully I had plenty of activities to keep me busy to help that time go by even quicker. 

I returned home from Rotterdam on Wednesday April 13th and was home for 1.5 days before I began my 3 week stint as a race supporter. Friday the 15th I headed over to Vancouver for the Vancouver Sun Run. I had a few friends racing this event and while it was obvious I could not race this with it being only a week post marathon, I offered to help volunteer with the elites. That way not only could I hang out in Vancouver and support my friends, but I could also be a bit useful. First up though, I spent Friday at my sister's so I could visit my nieces who had recently turned 2 while I was in Arizona. 

Saturday I was put to work in the elite hospitality suite. I am pretty sure I spent half the afternoon eating the goodies they had in the room. Oh well I also did my official duties of handing out some race kits and answering any questions that other athletes had. Sunday morning was an early rise which had me thinking "why am I getting up so early when I am not racing?" It was neat to be at the start line watching my friends and competitors warm up. While I was envious of them racing, I was relieved to not have any of the pre-race nerves that go along with it. We saw the women's start, which was 10 minutes ahead of the men, and then headed off to the finish. 

It was an exciting race and I was stoked to see Canadian's take the overall win for both the men (Eric Gillis) and women (my Asics Teammate Lanni Marchant). I hung around in Vancouver that night for some extended visiting with my nieces/sister and brother in law before heading back home the next morning.  

That week I went back to work, after 7 glorious weeks off in which time my entire work was given pink slips (for the 2nd time in 2 years). Needless to say, my work place is a little toxic at this moment. Last time, my work essentially fired us and then rehired us for less money, less benefits, less everything. This time, my work is not only laying us off as of Sept 30, but they are selling the business in which our jobs will be contracted out. This is not a good thing and it is allowed by law. It means that if I want my job back, I will likely be taking a significant pay and benefit cut. I have been at this job since the facility opened back in summer 2008, so it's a hard pill to swallow and at the moment I do not know my future with regards to employment. 

After a rough week (non running related), the following weekend brought the TC 10k on Sunday April 24. My coach (Matt Clout) convinced me to come down to Victoria to cheer on new teammate Emily Setlack in the race. I got up early (6am) and drove down to Victoria. We checked out 2 spots on course and then headed to the finish to see Emily kick ass and finish a close 2nd place. We then joined her on her cool down before Matt and I continued on for the rest of our run (my officially return to regular training). I then spent the day with Matt and his soon to be wife Sarah before driving home later that night. 

I decided to keep the trend going, with the following weekend being the BMO Vancouver Marathon weekend. Again friends were going to be in Vancouver and I needed away from Nanaimo so I ended up over in Vancouver from Wednesday until Sunday. I ran the seawall daily and accompanied friends to the expo multiple times since I was nearby. I attended the kids run on the Saturday to show support and on Sunday, Lynn the elite coordinator had me as a guest speaker at the finish line of the half marathon along side Rob Watson. It was a neat experience and nice to officially meet Steve King. I don't think Rob or I will be hired to replace Steve any time though. ;) 

After BMO life went back to normal with work and training. Now here I am 6.5 weeks post marathon and things are returning to normal. Each week I am seeing my legs begin to turn over faster than the previous week. It's amazing how my easier runs feel so great but then once I try to run half marathon pace or faster, my legs protest and say no. Apparently according to my legs, I am a marathoner now but they'll soon have to have a wake up call. It's time to work some speed considering I have not raced a distance under half marathon since Summerfast last July when I was returning from injury. 

I would be lying if I said my return to running was all sunshine and rainbows. There have definitely been some thunderstorms in there but I know there's sunshine always on the other side. I would like to thank everyone for the great feedback regarding my blister situation from Rotterdam, whether via email, FB, or commenting on my blog. Some valid points were made and hopefully I can avoid a occurrence in the future. My fall marathon has been decided so stay tuned for that announcement. 

Photos from the last few weeks