tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33138368295002292282024-03-13T04:05:44.185-07:00West Coast RunnerErinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.comBlogger350125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-24270165600792943982018-08-12T15:57:00.000-07:002018-08-12T15:58:11.556-07:00Injury Saga 2017 - The Full Story<b>I completely have disappeared from this blog as I have been relying mostly on social media (Instagram and Facebook) for updates; however, this one might be a little long for Instagram so I will post it here to ensure I cover everything. </b><br />
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<b>For those following me on social media would have recently read I admitted to being injured or as I worded it "STILL" injured from November last year. I admitted to the fact that when this latest injury fully took me down in June, I was worried that it was yet ANOTHER injury in such a short time and ultimately it began my slow spiral into a depressive isolated state. I pulled away from family, friends and social media and in a sense with MIA. Texts, e-mails, and calls were put off and I procrastinated many things. </b><br />
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<b>Some people have said "it's just an injury, you'll be back. No need to panic and get so low. Think positive and concentrate on other things and enjoy the break etc." Don't get me wrong, I totally appreciate and agree with those thoughts but what I would like to explain is WHY I went to low because I don't think people fully understand the situation (which is my fault for being so silent). What some don't understand is that essentially for the last 2 years, I have been fighting my way back into the running scene and it just seems it has been one thing after another. It's been one step forward, two steps backward. So here, let me enlighten you on the injury saga of 2017. Grab a coffee, get comfortable and sit back and relax because you are in for quite the ride. </b></div>
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<b>Let's start back at 2016, where the injury saga kind of begins (as my last good race was Rotterdam in April 2016). This is where I tore my hamstring after trying to return to racing too fast post marathon. Following that, due to life changes and stress, I was sick with the flu and toe infection for my fall marathon which resulted in a DNF. From there, in early 2017 I essentially spent sick with random late night vomiting that highly impacted my training and sent me into a depression. I fought out of that and trained hard only to underperform at my return race (Victoria 8k) in the fall. </b></div>
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<b>From there, I started to experience familiar aches and pains in my glute/pelvis (I'll remind you I did have 2 pelvic stress fractures in June 2014 and April 2015) so I stopped training and contacted my doctor who requested a bone scan. I spent 3 weeks cross training before I had the bone scan and then was told "clear" so my doctor assured me that it must be muscular and that he didn't see a problem with me running. So upon hearing that, I started to see a physio along with my chiro and kept on training through what I was told was "glute" plan and that through strengthening, all would sort itself out. </b></div>
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<b>Only it didn't. I had months of glute aches/pains in which I'd be required to sometimes take unscheduled days off before I'd get back to running. I ran races and while they went alright, I could only seem to get so far. I had done comebacks before, with longer periods of time off, but this time around my training only progressed so far and it wasn't progressing at a normal rate of pace (I put it down to me being older so maybe the process was now slower). </b></div>
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<b><br />I kept on pushing through until in June, I pulled my right calf near the end of a workout. I was disappointed, frustrated and thought "another effing injury??!! UGH!!" but made the best of it and cross trained my butt off in the pool for a week. Once my calf was good, I tried to return only to find my glute issue came back. I figured it was just aggravated from the pool but the rest of my body wasn't happy. I only had one week of cross training but I felt my energy levels were low as can be and I felt so out of shape. My pelvis felt "stuck" per say so I saw a chiro (not my usual because it was the weekend) and I had an adjustment and it seemed to help a little. Not long after those, the aches and stuck feeling returned. I saw another chiro (again not mine as he wasn't available) and had many adjustments. Later that evening I uttered the words "I literally feel broken now" so I stopped running and I saw my doctor and he ordered me a X-Ray, bone scan and CT scan (radiology then changed my CT to MRI due to my age and location of the CT scan with relation to radiation).</b></div>
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<b>While waiting for imaging, I set a plan in motion. I needed a gait analysis. Something is biomechanically wrong with my pelvis as I am clearly right leg dominate and my left side has been my injury prone side and weakness. So the plan was for a 3D gait analysis at Fortius Center in Vancouver which I set for Aug 2nd once I received my bone scan appointment. I received that bone scan a few weeks ago on July 31st and lucked out with a cancellation MRI on August 1st. A few hours after the MRI, my chiro checked the images and said to cancel the gait analysis and that I was looking at a stress fracture of my superior pubic ramus. Queue the tears, wtf?! Another injury and a stress fracture at that when I had been so good with nutrition and strength etc. I was devastated in the moment but it doesn't stop there. </b></div>
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<b>A few hours after that my doctor leaves me a voicemail to tell me the bone scan read "clear" but the MRI the following day indicated a stress fracture. My doctor then said "but because the bone scan didn't catch it, I assume it's not a stress fracture, but let me confirm with radiology." Then I received a 2nd voicemail stating that radiology re-looked at my image and maybe they saw something but it looked more like an old injury and that they decided we needed an answer so he would re-submit the CT scan as that will tell me for sure. Okay, now my mind was spinning and then I got thinking about how they originally told me my July 31st scan was "CLEAR" only to change their mind upon looking again. Then it got me thinking back to my December bone scan that they told me was "CLEAR" and it got me thinking that back in May 2015 I was told that bone scan was also "CLEAR" and then they called me again in Sept 2015 only days before I went to Flagstaff Arizona for altitude training before my debut marathon only to say "oops, we were doing a case study and it appears your scan was misread and it was in fact a stress fracture." </b></div>
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<b>So...... consider the following. </b></div>
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<b>May 2015, bone scan report said "CLEAR" but it was NOT. </b></div>
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<b>July 2018, bone scan report said "CLEAR" but was NOT.</b></div>
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<b>Dec 2017, bone scan report said "CLEAR" but..... ??? </b></div>
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<b>I will tell you that the symptoms I was feeling in June/July were the exact same symptoms I felt in Nov-April off and on and also the SAME symptoms with my 2 previous stress fractures (pain in the sit bone/tail bone area and pelvis feeling stuck). So you know what?! EFF YOU BONE SCANS! What a waste of money and time as clearly they are not meant to pick up my injuries anyways. </b></div>
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<b>So here I am, CT not booked until Sept 28th and the doctor sees no rush in that. Good news is that I've been off long enough that I'm closer to returning to running than not. The other good news that that all of my struggles since November finally make sense. If I was in fact running with somewhat of a stress fracture, no wonder I had periods I had to take off (inflamed) and that I'd get little relief after time off before it returned. It explains why my training and racing only went so far/fast because I didn't have full power on my left side. </b></div>
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<b>Yes I admit I got really down, but as you can see I felt like these were all separate injuries, not related to just one. Every time I took one step forward and two back, I was struggling mentally going "what the eff, why can't I just catch a break" but I was in fact dealing with ONE injury that was misdiagnosed and never rehabbed properly. FINALLY it all makes sense. </b></div>
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<b>I have a plan going forward that will address biomechanics because clearly I run in a way that my pelvis takes the brunt of my stress. I am just annoyed at the medical system and how I trusted the system and was let down. The misdiagnosis has affected my entire year and while that sucks for me, it doesn't just affect my running, it has affected my relationships with family and friends and it also has HUGE opportunity to affect my sponsorships going forward. I have been unable to get those performances needed to hold onto sponsorships/gym memberships etc and that is the part that sucks. But I have learned to always trust my gut going forward vs any scans or doctors.</b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> I will get this addressed and I will be back out running stronger than before. You haven't seen the last of me I promise! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Since posting my truth about being injured the other day on both Instagram and Facebook, I have received nothing but support and positive comments such as "it's just an injury, you'll be back stronger. Don't fret. No need to panic and get so low. Think positive and concentrate on other things and enjoy the break etc." Let me ensure you that I am 100% thankful for each and every person who took the time to remind me there is more to life and that I will be okay, but I now want to take the time to explain WHY my injury sent me so low and into a tailspin for a bit. I want to tell you all this because I don't think people fully understand the situation (which is my fault for being so silent). What some don't understand is that essentially for the last 2 years, I have been fighting my way back into the running scene and it just seems it has been one thing after another. It's been one step forward, two steps backward. So here, let me enlighten you on the injury saga of 2017. Grab a coffee, get comfortable and sit back and relax because you are in for quite the ride.</b></span><span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>April 2016- Finished Rotterdam in 2:37:48 with massive blisters after 15k that caused me to adjust my running style</b></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Oct 2016- Significant life changes and stress meant sick, flu, infected toe and DNF in Toronto Marathon.</b></span><span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br data-mce-bogus="1" /></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Nov 2017-March 2018- struggled with so called "glute injury"</b></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>June 2018- Torn calf into current injury</b></span></div>
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<span data-mce-style="display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>Now this is just the short version, Instagram unfortunately limits the rest, so please visit my profile and click on the link to my blog where you can read the FULL story. </b></span></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-72007577182166667382018-02-10T14:09:00.000-08:002018-02-10T14:09:49.849-08:00Sayonara 2017<br />
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***My laptop is currently busted and has to be sent off for repair so this is done via my phone. Hopefully it turns out alright!***</div>
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Ouch. I began the title of this blog in December with a great plan of recapping my 2017; however, clearly you can see that never happened. </div>
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How I felt about 2017</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf6WFFzlmmbdElb-1ZFNKBmkNg8QNgK6tdG6dE_RuYP58KVe4rbl2yW9dS9ci9MtS2EtPVzSyjkYidOV68hyphenhyphenTQa3geZb9p2MN23DskSjRbf1tNo4tmhZWWS_AqvhI__aeuWeuR3vGBC4/s1600/IMG_20170831_094441_380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf6WFFzlmmbdElb-1ZFNKBmkNg8QNgK6tdG6dE_RuYP58KVe4rbl2yW9dS9ci9MtS2EtPVzSyjkYidOV68hyphenhyphenTQa3geZb9p2MN23DskSjRbf1tNo4tmhZWWS_AqvhI__aeuWeuR3vGBC4/s320/IMG_20170831_094441_380.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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To be honest, there is little to recap about 2017. I ran a few races early in the year, Houston half where the humidity killed me, rebounded at the Cobble Hill 10k a week later to prove I was fitter than what Houston showed, headed to Guadalajara for a weekend full of sickness and what turned into be a nice run/walk of the actual race. I then dealt with sickness which made me pull out of the Rotterdam Marathon and my attempt to get a faster time leading into Worlds Qualification. A continuing battle with sickness, left little to no energy to run which led to some situational depression. Ultimately I ended up being one spot off the world team and that small part of me wonders what would have been had I been able to run Rotterdam. One can't live in the "what if" world though.</div>
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Cobble Hill overall men and women's winner</div>
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Guadalajara Half</div>
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Thankfully over the summer things started to pick up. The running I was forcing myself to do became less forced, the sickness improved and the depression got better. I stepped back on the line in Oct 2017 for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria 8k and ran a decent rust buster for 5th female. Initially I was super disappointed due to me being a hard a$$ on myself but I had to realize that I had not raced between February and October and that all of March was taken off.</div>
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📷:Jason Calvin (below)</div>
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Training continued to go great until early November when my left glute started to act up in what would turn into a 2.5-3 month long battle with my glute and lower back. Not running didn't work. Cross training didn't work. Physio didn't seem to be working. It became a day to day battle between good days and no so good days.</div>
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Ultimately I believe I was running in the wrong shoes because once I changed shoes and stayed with them, things have improved. I have now been running near issue free for the last 3 weeks. Some mini workouts have been completely with success so I look forward to getting back to full training and racing again!</div>
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Not only was my health (not a physically injury) most of the battle in 2017 but without much warning and partially (I think) sure to post Olympic budget cuts many athletes were left without sponsorship and I found myself to be in that list with regards to my shoes and apparel. </div>
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While it definitely sucked, it did give me the opportunity to try different shoes and to wear whatever my heart pleased. I pulled out my old Saucony gear that I had kicking around and bought some Nike gear for the first time in ages (thanks to the Nike outlet deals) so it wasn't all bad even if some of the shoes I chose might have planned into my "bummed" glute. </div>
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So here we are in 2018 and I'm excited to get back to a start line (tbd). I want to thank my sponsors of last year. <b>Simon</b> from <a href="http://www.stokedoats.com/">Stoked Oats</a> for his understanding of my health battles, <b>Mason</b> at <a href="https://nuunlife.com/">Nuun Hydration</a> for keeping those electrolytes in me during the bouts of sickness, <b>Cam</b> at <a href="http://www.popeyescanada.com/">Popeyes Nanaimo</a> for joining the team during my struggles and helping me with supplements (not chicken you Americans lol) and to <b>Abe</b> from <a href="http://www.islandoptimal.com/">Island Optimal</a> for his continuous treatments and mental reminders not to give up. I appreciate all if you. </div>
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Thank you to my partner in crime Warren for sticking with me. This year has been an extremely stressful year for us in a variety of ways and it hasn't been easy by any means. I look forward to the future as great things are to come. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmq1fLBvnPHv0oh5C7gocFNT-TFD2VqjwSdvENtzVRJSLtQDrZZiNT0A7Y4g2ARjTMFirG2UrnRqBrWV12zrL2o9W4QXKYimE5et5OXB-r0u-o4MWABo7_ffG26Nc8nQKS1LApj4pTzA/s1600/IMG_20171031_192927_474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxmq1fLBvnPHv0oh5C7gocFNT-TFD2VqjwSdvENtzVRJSLtQDrZZiNT0A7Y4g2ARjTMFirG2UrnRqBrWV12zrL2o9W4QXKYimE5et5OXB-r0u-o4MWABo7_ffG26Nc8nQKS1LApj4pTzA/s320/IMG_20171031_192927_474.jpg" width="281" /></a></div>
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To his beautiful girls, V and J, for believing in me and always being excited about my races no matter how they go.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">To my family, it hasn't been picture perfect but I hope one day it will be. Have faith!</span><br />
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Dad gets the photo honor this year as it's the most current pic!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuFC9XFHkC8jVrDHCt0FayNKM8ovjidCjRHQnLZAbqoO2CYLMMfr5PKF_CRQM091hCwrSvA-f4CAznF_K6fw7kE-CMC_1dPTVv9bXSfZhCDjwOeLCV0UkieXmEdi5jmSkJ4rJw3gtVdg/s1600/Screenshot_2018-02-10-14-01-04.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuFC9XFHkC8jVrDHCt0FayNKM8ovjidCjRHQnLZAbqoO2CYLMMfr5PKF_CRQM091hCwrSvA-f4CAznF_K6fw7kE-CMC_1dPTVv9bXSfZhCDjwOeLCV0UkieXmEdi5jmSkJ4rJw3gtVdg/s320/Screenshot_2018-02-10-14-01-04.png" width="160" /></a></div>
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To my nieces K and A, I know I haven't been around as much as I would've liked and for that I'm sorry. I miss you and hope to see you soon.<br />
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To my coach, thanks for sticking through that instability. We will do great things again. </div>
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To my friends, competitors, social media acquaintances and everyone else, thank you for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. I'm a work in progress with regards to that but I appreciate you pulling me off the ground on numerous occasions. </div>
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So after that depressing recap let's look forward to 2018! I'm absolutely thrilled to announce I have joined that 2018 Skechers Performamce Team! Looking forward to a spectacular year with my feet looked after! </div>
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Some more pictures from the year</div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-54158219143904263862017-07-22T13:55:00.000-07:002017-07-22T13:57:24.668-07:00Ode to Being First Loser ;) <strong>Well, I have apparently neglected this blog for a bit and generally when a runner goes silent it means they are injured. I assure you though, that isn't the case. I did not have a physical injury but I suppose one could argue that I had a mental injury. I will go into more detail about that shortly, but first I want to address the recent World Marathon selection seen as how Worlds is coming up in a few short weeks. </strong><br />
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<strong>For most of the qualification period, I remained in 5th spot with my 2016 Rotterdam performance of 2:37:48 (or 2:37:50 technically by gun). Ahead of me were Lanni, Krista, Rachel and Tarah, all super solid marathon runners. Rumour had it though, that Lanni and Krista would be turning down their worlds slow, leaving the 3 available slots open. I sat in that final 3rd spot all the way up until the final weekend when Dayna ran the Ottawa Marathon. At that point, she finished in 2:36:xx and bumped me back to 6th place. As predicted, Lanni and Krista turned down their slots, selection went to Rachel, Tarah and Dayna and I became the first loser on the outside. </strong><br />
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<strong>Was there disappointment? Of course there was some. As runners we strive to make National teams so I would have jumped on the chance to head to London this summer but it was not to be. We could play the game of "what if's" meaning "what if I was able to run Rotterdam, what would have happened" but honestly what is the point. "What if's" won't get me on the team. I knew when I pulled out of Rotterdam that I was likely kissing my spot on the team goodbye but pulling out of Rotterdam was the best choice for me at the time. Canada is sending a very solid marathon team to London and I couldn't be happier for Rachel, Tarah and Dayna. They earned their spots fair and share, my time will just simply have to wait. There will be other teams. My dream is just delayed temporarily so stay tuned on that aspect. </strong><br />
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<strong>Alright, back to the nitty gritty. My last blog stated I was having some health issues that prevented me from training properly. Doctors couldn't find anything wrong. They sent in a scope request for me, to which is booked for March 28th, 2018..... thanks BC Medical but I hope I won't need it by then. Eventually the doctors concluded that I was likely sick from stress. It was my body's reaction to all the stress I was dealing with and producing reflux like symptoms at night. </strong><br />
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<strong>It all made sense. I had (and still have) some significant stress going on. Financial stress, ex stress, life stress. It all boiled over and took over my health. It's amazing how stress can affect the body. A lot has happened in my life this past year. The ending of my long term relationship, the crazy drama that went along with it (not appropriate for internet discussion), losing my job, losing my shoe/clothing sponsorship (PS shoes are expensive, I am super grateful for being sponsored for so many years as I forgot how much those are), moving twice essentially, disappointing race results, training going downhill. Basically a lot. So much that I began to have signs of depression (though I think I suffered depression like symptoms for well before this). With the help of my doctors and some medication, I began to slowly pull myself out of it. While I still have stress, it's not quite to the same level as before. </strong><strong>Months later I am still not fully clear of symptoms and haven't found any rhythm or rhyme as to why they pop up when they do. </strong><br />
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<strong>Mental illness, like depression, isn't widely talked about. Even "elite" runners are affected. I know my friend and long time competitor Natasha Wodak recently spoke about her battles and I am grateful for the advice she gave me earlier in the year. I too, debated with the decision as to whether maybe I was done with this sport. I had no motivation to get out the door and run and that is not like me. I am normally someone who feels guilty not running, so for me not to care if I ran or not, that was pretty significant. That was the depression talking. I knew deep down that I loved this sport and that I still have goals, but the depression was taking over and causing me to get sick which in turn took a toll on my running. No one likes running when it feels like crap, so no wonder I lost my motivation. If anyone out there is suffering, please feel free to reach out. Reach out to your friends, loved ones, co-workers, doctor or heck, even reach out to me if you want. Don't suffer alone. I am thankful for the support of my family, friends and Warren for helping me through one of the hardest times of my life thus far. </strong><br />
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<strong>So there you have it, I basically had a mental injury that affected my health and kept me from being the athlete I knew I was capable of this spring. Good thing a year has 4 seasons and 365 days. The first half of 2017 might have gone down the drain but that doesn't mean I can't kick butt in the second half right? </strong><br />
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<strong>I <u>WILL</u> earn another Team Canada Singlet (as seen on my Canada Day run)</strong></div>
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<strong>Thankful to this guy for all his support</strong></div>
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<strong>Picked up a new sponsorship with Popeye's Supplements. 10% off if you give my name or use <em><u>EBURRET10</u></em></strong> <strong>online. </strong></div>
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<strong>Been working hard in the gym to build a better booty</strong></div>
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<strong>PS. Also a huge shoutout to my sponsors who have stuck by my side during this less than ideal year so far. Stoked Oats, Island Optimal, Nuun Hydration, Knappett Industries and Solo Energy you guys are the best! </strong><br />
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<br /></strong>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-43645861562707669612017-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:002017-04-04T00:00:12.870-07:00The Moment Running Breaks Your Heart <div align="center">
<strong>2017 you suck ball so far. </strong></div>
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<strong>It's April 4th, a day in which I should be on a plane heading to Rotterdam for my next marathon and attempt to qualify for the 2017 World Marathon Team, but instead I find myself at home writing this with a broken heart. Kara Goucher's post says it all. I couldn't agree more. </strong><br />
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<strong>I suppose you are all wonder why I am not on my way to Rotterdam. Well to be honest, 2017 has been a struggle. I ran some of the best workouts of my life in January and February, only to be followed up with extremely disappointing race results. That was discouraging but it didn't break me. I knew I was fitter than those results.</strong><br />
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<strong>Upon returning home from Mexico, things just got worse. A few days after getting home, I caught a head cold that left me with stuffy sinuses for 3 days and then moved into my chest. I took a few days off to avoid making it worse. When I felt better and started to run again I found myself extremely tired during my runs, especially on up hills. I figured it was just my iron so I had that tested and yes it was indeed much lower than normal so I received my usual treatment and had that fixed, only the running didn't improve. Hmm so now what? I then had my thyroid tested and that came back with questionable results but unfortunately my doctor was on vacation so I had to wait to see him regarding that. </strong><br />
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<strong>In the meantime, I began to hate running. Yes I said it, I actually said it many times "I hate running." For anyone who knows me, would know that I rarely say that. That right there is a sign that something is wrong. My energy levels were horrible and while I wasn't injured, my body ached. Most people would jump to the conclusion of overtraining, but I will tell you that my mileage was actually much lower than normal at this point and had been since before Mexico. </strong><br />
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<strong>After a few weeks of less than ideal running and sickness, I decided at 5 weeks out from the marathon that I had missed too much (vital) training in order to make a decent attempt in Rotterdam. I simply couldn't justify spending $1200+ on the flight, not to mention additional hotel not covered by the race. It was not an easy decision, but I officially sent off the e-mail to withdraw from the race and opted to end my season completely (aka take a week off).</strong><br />
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<strong>This spring has been stressful, that included a move on March 15th and temporary accommodations in Youbou at Warren's uncles cabin until we were able to move into our new place in Nanoose Bay (slightly north of Nanaimo). Youbou was rustic. No internet, no cable, no cell service, only generator power and a landline. While there I caught yet another cold that went straight into my chest. </strong><br />
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<strong>Along with all this, my health has also been doing weird things in which we (my doctors and I) are still trying to figure out. I will say that in the last week I have been in the ER twice, once for 5.5 hours and once for 2-3 hours. Those trips didn't result in any answers; however, my doctor is very thorough and has done quite a few tests, with more tests to come. </strong><br />
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<strong>So the good news is that it wasn't an injury that took me out of Rotterdam, but the bad news is I have no idea why my health has failed me and what exactly is going on. 2 head colds and 2 chest colds in 4 weeks plus way too many episodes involving vomit than I have encountered in my entire whole life. And no people I am NOT pregnant (that question is getting extremely old). </strong><br />
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<strong>What does all of this mean? I am not sure. I am going day by day right now and hopefully all will be sorted out shortly. I know that I am 100% not done with running. We may have temporarily broke up but my love and drive came back and I WILL be back out there kicking butt on the roads and striving for my goals. Don't worry, I am NOWHERE done yet. </strong><br />
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<strong>PS. Anyone have any shoe deals they could hook me up with? While I am grateful for the last 3 years of support, it appears as though I join the list of Asics athletes whose contract will not be renewed in 2017. </strong><br />
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<strong><br /></strong>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-89365709437525759662017-03-15T00:19:00.000-07:002017-03-15T00:19:04.773-07:002017 You Are Officially on Warning <strong>After a lackluster Summer and Fall of 2016, I entered 2017 feeling optimistic and ready to roll. I guess my immune system had other plans as I left 2016 with a head cold that moved into my chest. That took a toll on my training, but once it passed I was again ready to fly. I signed up for the Houston Half Marathon with hopes of running another PB (I set my current PB in Houston last year). Instead of arriving on Thursday, I opted to arrive Friday. The race organizers were helpful and willing to provide 3 nights hotel so I opted to stay post race vs rushing off to the airport (note to self, if you go back choose Thurs-Sun). </strong><br />
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<strong>I arrived as the sun was going down on Friday and did a quick jaunt on the treadmill. The legs felt like bricks, but I wasn't worried as it was after an early morning and a day of travel (aka normal). The next day I did my 30 min run outside around mid-day and boy was it ever humid. While out on my run, I told myself I was super glad I was only here for a half marathon and not a full and immediately thought of fellow Canadian (and new Vancouverite) Kevin Coffey who was supposed to run the full. Kevin had also been in Toronto this past October in those humid conditions and like myself, also dnf'd. </strong><br />
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<strong>For once I fell asleep at a somewhat decent hour and then strangely in the middle of the night I woke up to go to the bathroom and then felt ill. I heaved a few times with no results and then went back to bed curled up in a ball and fell back asleep. Once morning came all was good and I headed off to the start. This is where I made my first mistake, I did my usual warm up of 20 minutes. Half way through that I was already sweating like crazy and knew this was going to be a hot one. What I should have done was cut back my warm up to avoid overheating too early. It was 97% humidity and 17 degrees Celsius at the start. </strong><br />
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<strong>On the start I said some quick good lucks to Flagstaff runners Sara Hall and Kellyn Taylor and off we went. The first few km were okay but felt harder than they should have considering the pace. By 2k I knew I was hot. Every water station I poured water over my head trying to stay cool but it didn't work. </strong><br />
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<strong>As the race progressed, I got slower and slower. I kept telling myself to keep pushing and that maybe after half way the legs would wake up (I am a marathoner and all) but that didn't happen. In the final few km a dude was nearby and commented on how he kept cramping up at the wrong times, when there were spectators and then he said that I looked strong. </strong><br />
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<strong>At this point I had no idea what my time was but I knew it was slow, so I said thanks and told him it was a slow time for me as the humidity had taken a toll on this Canadian. He went on to say that he thought if one was used to extreme temperatures, whether hot or cold, that you would excel at both. Sorry bud, not the case. He then joked "I know how to make your run faster, I'll tell you I voted for Trump." I am not too sure I should blog my response but it might have been something like "well then I might laugh and call you an idiot." Oh Trump. </strong><br />
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<strong>I didn't look at my watch until I saw the clock at the end and it tick over 1:20 and I laughed and internally thought "ARE YOU KIDDING ME." Yes I realize many people would LOVE to race a 1:20 on a bad day, but honestly, I haven't run 1:20 in years. I headed inside feeling defeated and my poor bf (Warren) took the brunt of a "that sucked, I hate running" moment. I was done at the time. I didn't even cool down. Instead I interrupted Ryan Hall and Josh Cox and got a sweaty photo with Ryan just before he headed off. I had met Sara many times before in Flagstaff, but never Ryan so I began a nerd and got that photo. Plus Warren and Ryan hit it off talking about weight lifting and body building. </strong><br />
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<strong>Houston Half</strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong><strong>So that was Houston. I came home defeated but recovered quite well in the cooler temperatures so I jumped into a small 10k race here on the island (Cobble Hill 10k). It was pretty much a solo effort as I was in no mans land but came away with the win in 34:59. By far not my fastest 10k but I haven't raced a solid 10k in nearly 2 years (it's been all half's and fulls). I was happy to sneak under 35, even if by 1 second. </strong><br />
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<strong>Cobble Hill 10k (the face that saw the clock read just over 35, but official results were 34:59)</strong></div>
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<strong><br /></strong><strong>Cobble Hill gave me some confidence back. Then it snowed and I was stuck on the treadmill for a bit thanks to people who don't shovel their sidewalks. I stayed on the treadmill an extra week (even doing a 33k run on the treadmill) to prep for the 21k Guadalajara. I had been approached by Athletics Canada after they received an invitation for 4 of us to attend the race. I apparently was the only dummy to say yes. Training leading up to the half was fantastic all the way until the Wednesday when suddenly my energy was crap. I chalked it up to being the first day in 2 weeks than I ran outside and off the treadmill but then Thursday was crap too. Still, I put it out of my head. </strong><br />
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<strong>Warren and I left Thurs evening and arrived to Mexico City at 12:15am. It took 2 HOURS to get through customs. The race put us in a hotel at the airport to try and catch some sleep for our final 6:05am flight to Guadalajara. We were in the hotel and in bed by 3, probably asleep by 3:15 and up again at 4:30. Back to the airport and we were confused as can be trying to find where to go for our flight. </strong><br />
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<strong>In the end, we finally found someone who spoke English and told us we had to switch terminals, so we catch the train over and then try and print our boarding passes (the one flight that wasn't able to be printed before we left) and were told "too late for check in" even though we had already checked in. We found a desk and they printed it and told us to run. We ran to security to find line ups. I spoke with an airport employee and told her we had 20 minutes at that point until our flight. She told us to wait here and walked off. She returned minutes later and spoke Spanish to us pointing to a line and shaking her head (no idea what she said). The line didn't move for over 5 minutes due to someone arguing with security. 10 minutes until the flight, I looked over to the next line and begged people to allow us ahead in which they did (thank you). We ran to the gate and were there at 6 only to be told "sorry." FACK. </strong><br />
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<strong>We were advised to go get new tickets issues. Here begins the gong show. What I initially thought was stress (might have been a bug) from missing the flight caused me to start throwing up in the airport (don't worry, I got to the bathroom). We spoke with Aero Mexico who informed us even though the flight was on their plane it was issued by Air Canada so we had to go to them. So we find there desk only to be told no one would be there until 10:30am. WHAT?! We get directed to their office and I am literally heaving in their office as they tell us "We could help you if it was our fault, but since it's not, we can't. You need to buy new tickets." As hard as we try, they do not budge at all and so we head back to the hotel and ask for our room back until check out at 1pm. I proceed to hurl and sleep on the floor before finally getting back into bed for some sleep. </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>We get in touch with race organizers and ask what they want us to do and we were told to buy new tickets and they would reimburse (2 tickets from Mexico City to Guadalajara were just over $700 freaking Canadian). We bought new tickets for 5pm and spent 1pm to 5pm in the airport (at least we knew where to go this time). I try to eat in the airport but every time I do, it doesn't sit well. As soon as we board the plane I am in the bathroom heaving. Thankfully I slept on the plan for the short flight and that settled my stomach.</strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>By the time we were checked into our hotel in Guadalajara it's nearly 9pm. My stomach feels better so I try to eat. It goes down okay but then I feel ill so Warren goes out to try and find some anti-nausea medication only to find Peptol Bismol. Well that didn't stay down long enough to work. I feel better after and eventually fall asleep. </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>Nausea was off and on the next day but I manage to keep down my first meal (dinner) since Thursday afternoon. Race morning I wake up and I am nauseous after eating some breakfast. That results in some heaving again a few times before the race starts. All of these were signs I shouldn't have started. The race was at 5000ft so I knew it wouldn't be fast. I was going to get in a good hard effort in prep for a marathon. Keeping down 1 meal in over 48 hours wasn't going to help. I still hope for the best but it wasn't meant to be. By 6k I am walking and heaving. It happens again at 8km. And at 11km. I stopped counting after that. I walked too many times to count. </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>I debated dropping out but I didn't want to do that to organizers like I had in Toronto. If this had been a full marathon, I would have dropped to save on recovery, but I knew I could get through a half. It was a great race (though I question if people truthfully ran the entire course as I passed some questionable people even though I was slowing down) and well run (minus not knowing what the heck was going on in the Tech meeting due to not speaking Spanish and not enough translation). </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>I finished in an embarrassingly slow time (yep slower than Houston) and nearly threw up in the elite tent after the race. It was a slow walk back to the hotel where I nearly threw up multiple times. Eventually I had a long nap (4-5 hours) and felt a little better. I ate dinner that night and while the nausea came back, I had new nausea pills which seemed to help. It was hit or miss after that. </strong><br />
<strong><br /></strong><br />
<strong>So I thought maybe it was nerves/anxiety initially but Warrens gut was also off and he felt nauseous many times as well. He never threw up, but felt off. Warning, TMI. My bowels were also off the entire time away too. We found out later that Warren's daughter was also throwing up on Friday (we had her at our place until Thursday morning) so who knows what was going on. I still don't know but I do know that we flew home Monday night leaving Guadalajara at 10pm and arrived back to Nanaimo for 8am again after getting lost in Mexico City (I will avoid that airport always from now on). 2 days after getting home, I got hit with another head/sinus cold that as of Sunday moved into my chest and has made running feel like death. I know this shall pass, but I just can't seem to catch a break! Hopefully soon, so that is why 2017 is officially on warning. Smarten up 2017. I am fit, let me show it!</strong><br />
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<strong>Another Houston Photo</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelJ-LXNY6f2N1HOrNLc2l03jckR7KTJuJTx1EAwF5zRDBnqJJuSMGOm9oX3mAK0yEDf8Z9tIJBDijJ3nYBwAzqOVh-NX1W3_aCzK60tB7mufxUcURsgmoZQo2wjPnoH9D6pIgNI5G4zQ/s1600/0048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgelJ-LXNY6f2N1HOrNLc2l03jckR7KTJuJTx1EAwF5zRDBnqJJuSMGOm9oX3mAK0yEDf8Z9tIJBDijJ3nYBwAzqOVh-NX1W3_aCzK60tB7mufxUcURsgmoZQo2wjPnoH9D6pIgNI5G4zQ/s320/0048.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<strong><br /></strong>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-18201083013879241412017-02-02T19:38:00.004-08:002017-02-02T19:40:56.076-08:00The Year That Was 2016<br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I realize back in
October I promised a blog about the Canadian Marathon Standards. To be honest I
procrastinated on it (bad habit) as I gathered my thoughts and then on November
21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>, I did sit down and write ¾ of the blog. At this moment in
time, which I hope to elaborate on in the future, I am going to hold off on
finishing and posting that blog. So I apologize to those that want to read it. </span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I will say that
hearing the standards of 2:29:50 (A standard) and 2:31:30 (B standard) only 4
days before the Toronto Waterfront Marathon (and National Championship) was a
bit disheartening and extremely crushing. Since World’s was 2:35 in 2015, I
(along with others I am sure) was expecting something a long those lines. I had
to run Toronto to my fitness and my fitness said 2:35, not 2:31 or faster so I
did not alter my race plans. Ultimately the conditions (humidity) were not
favourable for a fast race anyways and no female hit the A or B Standard. </span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">But enough about
that. After the marathon, I took 3 days off before getting back into training.
I guess the one benefit of dropping out at like 28.5k was that I didn’t need
much of a recovery. I took 3 days off as the break was still needed, both mentally
because of the DNF and physically because even though I didn’t finish the
actual marathon, I did do all the training leading up to it. Even the training
takes a toll on the body. </span></b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">When I got back into
workouts, my body felt awesome. I was flying out there. Partially because of
the recent altitude stint I am sure. I am sad I didn’t pick another race to do
but it was likely smarter not to. As I get older I realize I need to be smarter
and I am learning. In fact, after a stint of “flying”, I started back with some
strength and suddenly, I was dragging my legs around North Nanaimo. Runs felt
blah. Mentally it was hard. Even though I may be considered “elite” here in
Canada, that doesn’t mean I am super human. I have days where I simply just
don’t want to run. I generally do because I know I must if I want to achieve my
goals, but some mornings I am literally dragging myself out the door. I think I
even came home a few times and said “I hate running right now.” I knew it would
pass though. It always does. </span></b></div>
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<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> am also getting
smarter with those little niggles. A couple times a few little niggles have
acted up and once they have been around a few days I have adjusted training and
even taken some unscheduled time off. I am learning….. slowly (and after a few
injuries). Over Christmas I had a scheduled day off and then I was scheduled
for my long run Christmas morning only to wake up with a wicked head cold. That
resulted in a few days off and I must be honest, I felt guilty as heck. I know
a few days training won’t make THAT much of a difference, but still, I hate to
miss scheduled training. I don’t deny being stubborn. </span></b></div>
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><strong>Speaking of
Christmas, it’s now 2017. Happy New Year! I just want to take a quick moment to
recap my year and thank a few people. I am very grateful for my running as 2016 </strong><strong>included my first DNF's (Calgary and Toronto), 2 PB's (Houston and Rotterdam) plus races that took me to Houston, Rotterdam, Calgary, Kelowna, Toronto and 2 training camps in Flagstaff Arizona. I love to travel so the ability to go away to races kills 2 birds with 1 stone right? </strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Flagstaff</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaky-btyU1-RarRyn5CPKLAnYafNurSwxHEHLvG3bhmAKWeVvC7g17TV0TNruwV491NFj6HJU2HpKbv0gAFtmaEZTyTSAYxDZiGNX_r1sbYKMa-d4doH9z1v1IupWEI8NqSjD1zJS2EJk/s1600/PhotoGrid_1473814169617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaky-btyU1-RarRyn5CPKLAnYafNurSwxHEHLvG3bhmAKWeVvC7g17TV0TNruwV491NFj6HJU2HpKbv0gAFtmaEZTyTSAYxDZiGNX_r1sbYKMa-d4doH9z1v1IupWEI8NqSjD1zJS2EJk/s320/PhotoGrid_1473814169617.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">2016 started off well. In January, I ran
to a new PB at the Houston Half Marathon (1:14:45) despite having GI Issues. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In February, I had a lovely run along the
seawall in the cold pouring rain courtesy the Vancouver First Half. I spent
March in Flagstaff getting in some solid training before heading to Rotterdam
in April. There I ran my best time of 2:37:48 after getting stuck with nasty
blisters at 15k. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Then things kind of
went downhill. In May, I DNF’d for the first time at the Calgary Half Marathon
after tearing my hamstring. June was spent cross training like a mad woman
before getting back into training in July. July and August was spent catching
up it seemed. September, I ran the Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon before heading
off to Flagstaff again. There I snagged a nice toe infection that resulted in
my DNF in October at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon. </span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Being a bunny rabbit for the elementary schools</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkdlhX8SrujpB4HeYuka6zkMthKd2zhNE-pdNIAckp3crBhVQDAlpYUV2EMmRwAMKFmhLJSfgBepGJJqtOinsp8N6wZjxgkqUC_Ad2DQWTky2AtiR6zUwrfQMyg6wWmEdQJqOYySDrXY/s1600/PhotoGrid_1478141042555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkdlhX8SrujpB4HeYuka6zkMthKd2zhNE-pdNIAckp3crBhVQDAlpYUV2EMmRwAMKFmhLJSfgBepGJJqtOinsp8N6wZjxgkqUC_Ad2DQWTky2AtiR6zUwrfQMyg6wWmEdQJqOYySDrXY/s320/PhotoGrid_1478141042555.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now all that just
covers my running life, it doesn’t even touch the fun personal life stuff.
Let’s start in April which resulted in 6 months notice of my 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
layoff/firing (in 2 years) from work at a senior’s facility. May saw the end of
my 12-year relationship which brought on a summer and fall of stress trying to
get things dealt with. Frick even this winter as I am still trying to get stuff
dealt with but such is life. The end of September brought on the end of my
employment and the start of the hunt for a new career (after 2 firings from my
employer of 8 years, I might be done with health care). </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Let’s just say 2016
was an interesting one and needless to say I was itching for 2017. It HAS to be better than
last year right? </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We are one month in so far and it’s going okay. A bit of a
rough start running wise (next blog) but personal life wise things are going
well. I find myself in a new relationship with someone who has already attended
almost every race I have done since meeting him last Summer. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I wouldn’t have got
through last year without the support of a few people and businesses. Quick
thank you’s. Let’s go local first. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><u><em><a href="http://islandoptimal.com/" target="_blank">Island Optimal</a>,</em></u>
specifically Abe Avender. Abe is a HUGE support with regards to my running. I
see him weekly for treatments so that he can keep my body in tip top shape. He
never rushes our appointments and always picks me up motivationally when I need
it. He’s been a huge part of my recovery process since 2009 I believe.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><u><em><a href="http://knappettindustries.com/" target="_blank">Knappett Industries.</a></em></u>
These guys provided some much needed funding this past year in which I was able
to attend a 3 week training camp in Flagstaff leading into the Toronto
Marathon. Without their support, things would have been a lot more stressful. I
hope to make them proud in 2017. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="http://www.visportperformance.com/" target="_blank">Yvonne Visser</a> and
<a href="https://sparkmanualtherapy.setmore.com/" target="_blank">Chantel Went (RMT’s).</a></u></em> I have been seeing Yvonne for a few years and she is one
of the best RMT’s around. So good that she’s always booked ahead of time so
recently after some hamstring tightness I made an emergency appointment with
Chantel Went and I will have to say that Chantel’s skills are amazing as well.
Nanaimo, if you need a massage, book with these 2 ladies and you won’t be
disappointed. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="https://sundogeyewear.ca/" target="_blank">Sundog Eyewear</a>.</u></em> You
guys keep me looking stylish as I run. I cannot live without sunglasses so the
endless supply is exactly what I need. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="http://www.pacificsportvi.com/" target="_blank">Pacific Sport</a>.</u></em> I just
finished my first year with them and am grateful for their program so that I
can use the gym and pool. This came in HUGE this past summer when I was injured
with my hamstring tear. 2 hours a day spent on the elliptical nearly, I
definitely got good use out of that card! </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="http://www.asicscanada.com/" target="_blank">Asics Canada.</a></u></em> I have
just completed 3 years with these guys now (I think). They kept me in style
with their new clothing lines each Spring and Fall, not to mention the shoes
that kept my feet happy over all the miles I run each year. Thank you for that.
I hope you’ll continue this journey with me. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="http://www.stokedoats.com/" target="_blank">Stoked Oats</a>.</u></em> I joined
up with them this past year. Their oats are to die for! Simply amazing. It’s my
go to breakfast before my races and as recovery food post workouts. If you have
not yet tried Stoked Oats, what are you waiting for? Trust me, they are worth
the extra money as they are good quality over the instant oats available for
cheap. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><em><u><a href="https://nuunlife.com/" target="_blank">Nuun Hydration</a>.</u></em> I
think I am beginning my 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> year with them. I simply cannot live
without Nuun. Plain water is boring. Without Nuun I would be dehydrated as can
be. I simply live the #nuunlife. Thanks for keeping my water tasting amazing!</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I think that does it
for businesses, so on the personal side, thank you to my coach <a href="http://www.westcoastendurance.ca/" target="_blank">Matt Clout</a> for
working with me since late 2008. I say this every year, it’s been a while ride
but we aren’t done yet. Toyko 2020 right Matt? Thanks to you for your guidance and
support and to Sarah for allowing me to take up part of your time, especially
when you are up in the middle of the night following my races (Rotterdam). </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">To my family, mom,
step dad, dad, step mom, sister, brother in law, extended sisters/brother, nieces,
aunts, cousins etc., thank you for your thoughts during my races and for
following along. I know my running causes me to be selfish at times causing me
to miss out on occasions or visits and I apologize for that. Please know that I
love and care for you all. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">To Jason and his
family, things may not have worked out, but I know I had support from most of you with regards
to my races. Thanks for looking after things while I was away trying to make my running related dreams come true. </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">To my friends and
former coworkers, you guys are always amazing. Whether text, social media or in
person, I appreciate you all taking time to comment on my posts or send me
messages. You guys always check in on me and always seem know how to pick up
this athlete when she’s down.</span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Lastly, to my newest
family, Warren and his girls, you guys didn’t come into my life until the later
part of the year, but your support so far has been unwavering. What the future
holds is anyone’s guess, but I look forward to the adventure . </span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCyHKkbPk5RNERkh0iuKIe0YFLComFHJ_sBdePuuNKFf6R5v5tvIIGVq9diWHyrJehiR6fFcET79pPDzI8JG3Zu9NpSWw9-E6mwk_uRXj8LRUqQYA7YrjxFfiL6UyaUwYwKcsMlnOHZk/s1600/15631344_10157889329310453_310424222_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcCyHKkbPk5RNERkh0iuKIe0YFLComFHJ_sBdePuuNKFf6R5v5tvIIGVq9diWHyrJehiR6fFcET79pPDzI8JG3Zu9NpSWw9-E6mwk_uRXj8LRUqQYA7YrjxFfiL6UyaUwYwKcsMlnOHZk/s320/15631344_10157889329310453_310424222_o.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1xzFOBKgFiPyTdza80ZpUMqJcshwqVzCaY4d06fUiupTZsZZJqr6Rk9efpoKCVk-mvwssmTtumxIeF7qQg33C5vTuX3CbPAuYq_1m-aUTtOOfJ-hMdpxwyaBbO20DGxL7WkmDi7FSME/s1600/20161222_202532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1xzFOBKgFiPyTdza80ZpUMqJcshwqVzCaY4d06fUiupTZsZZJqr6Rk9efpoKCVk-mvwssmTtumxIeF7qQg33C5vTuX3CbPAuYq_1m-aUTtOOfJ-hMdpxwyaBbO20DGxL7WkmDi7FSME/s320/20161222_202532.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Bring on 2017</span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "calibri";">PS. If I have missed you, I am sorry. I always miss someone! <div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-27160137415793696892016-10-16T20:17:00.004-07:002016-10-16T21:09:09.874-07:00From Fit to DNF in 2 Weeks<b>So today was the <a href="http://www.torontowaterfrontmarathon.com/en/index.htm" target="_blank">Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon</a> in which my training for the last 5 months was dedicated to but you won't find me in the finish results. You might see splits up until 25km (I'd suggest not looking) but no finish time. Yes, unfortunately I am here to report on DNF #2. I am not big on making excuses, I admit I simply didn't have my legs today but I do feel like I need to explain my last few weeks with regards to that statement. </b><br />
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<b>If you've followed my blog you will have read that my first ever DNF was back in May when I tore my hamstring at the <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2016/06/it-was-bound-to-happen.html" target="_blank">Scotiabank Calgary Marathon</a>.... hmmm I've just noticed a trend here (though technically it's the Centaur Subaru Half Marathon). That injury kept me out for all of June in which I crossed trained madly (approx. 3 hours a day between elliptical and the bike). Doing so allowed me to keep decent fitness so when I began running again I was able to come back rather quickly. </b></div>
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<b>During the summer, fitness improved as usual but I did find I was slightly behind my workouts prior to my <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2016/04/no-they-were-not-new-shoes-aka.html" target="_blank">Rotterdam Marathon</a> in April. No worries though, I still had time. I went to Flagstaff in mid Sept ready to work hard and finish up this training block to take my 2nd attempt at the 2:35 barrier (thanks to the Rotterdam blisters). </b></div>
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<b>Unfortunately, in the final 72 hours before leaving Flagstaff I noticed that my baby toe on my left foot was sore during a run. I figured there was just a blister under the nail. I went to Sedona that afternoon with Emily and the toe would throb on and off. When it did throb, it freaking hurt enough to make me jump at times. Again, I still figured it was a blister. </b></div>
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<b>I did my 2nd run that day as planned and the foot actually felt better when running, but once I stopped the throbbing returning and became more frequent. I still thought it was a blister so I tried to find said blister by poking around the nail. No such luck. As we progressed into the later evening, the pain got worse so it was suggested by a few people to burn a pin and try to poke a hole in my nail. At around 11:30pm I sat there trying to do just that. I burnt a hole but had no luck finding a blister. Keep in mind, that nail is thick as can be from years of abuse. </b></div>
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<b>Eventually I gave up on that job. T</b><b>his is where things turned bad. Within an hour I found myself dry heaving from the pain. It was now practically every 5 seconds. Imagine someone taking a knife and stabbing your toe every 5 seconds. This is what it felt like.</b></div>
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<b>That night I think I slept maybe 4 hours of broken up sleep. An hour here, an hour there. By 6am, the stabbing/throbbing pain had moved into the toe joint at the outside of the foot. At this point I was desperate for help cause silly me didn't get any travel insurance (yeah yeah don't lecture me, lesson learned). I weighed out my options of A) visiting the hospital B) Rebooking my flights home for that day (Monday) instead of Wednesday and C) Curling up into a ball and crying my eyes out. In the end I messaged my friend Jason and thankfully I was able to see a doctor who wouldn't charge me thousands like the hospital would. </b></div>
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<b>By the time I saw the doctor my foot was red and warm and clearly infected so I was prescribed some antibiotics and some pain killers (not a banned substance. I checked) and I was sent on my way. After my 2 hour drive back to Flagstaff, I popped one of those pain killers and was asleep about an hour later. I think I ended up sleeping 12 hours total that night. Slowly but surely the pain subsided with help of the meds. </b></div>
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<b>I flew home on Wednesday and on Thursday I saw a doctor here in town as some pus filled blisters were showing up on my toe. With the race coming up I didn't want to take any risks. I needed this healed right and healed ASAP. She changed up my antibiotics and within 12 hours of switching I felt like I had the flu and had the worst headache of my life for 2 days. Last Saturday I did not even get dressed as I did not leave my bed or the couch. I even resulted in taking both Advil and the pain killers. I also stopped those antibiotics on Saturday morning. </b></div>
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<b>Thankfully Sunday morning I felt more human so I stopped in at the ER (long weekend, limited walk in clinics) to switch back to the former antibiotics (unfortunately the previous doctor discarded them). Sunday night my gut rotted from the antibiotics (fun times). I stayed on those antibiotics until Tuesday night and then even though my toe was still slightly red with a nice puffy blister on top. For essentially a week, I felt nauseous on those medications and my foot and fluid intake was less than ideal. Thankfully after stopping the meds, my stomach came back around and by Wednesday I could eat properly again. </b></div>
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<b>At this point I felt weak, but I tried my best to take in good nutrition and hydration hoping that I could pull myself back around by race day. If you asked me last Saturday, I was going to be a DNS. On Sunday after my 90 minute run I thought that I definitely had a shot for this race. Monday again was a DNS. Tuesday onwards, I thought (hoped) I could put in a decent effort. I thought I still had time for my body's health to figure itself out and turn itself around. </b></div>
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<b>I flew out of Nanaimo on Thursday morning at 5:50am. By the time I arrived in Toronto my throat was sore. I brushed it off as due to the air on the plane. Friday my sinuses began to act up but I told myself now was not the time to get sick. Saturday my left sinus still wasn't happy, oh crap.... realization that maybe this is a head cold. Go figure. JUST my luck. </b><br />
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<b>The days leading into the marathon were busy(ish) with Friday morning spent at the expo for the press conference in order to have our bibs presented to us and a panel hosted by Kate Van Buskirk that included Rachel Hannah, Krista Duchene, Dayna Pidhoresky, Leslie Sexton, Tarah Korir and myself. Saturday was getting bottles ready along with the tech meeting. </b><br />
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<b>West Coast represents with #teamshitsandblisters</b></div>
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<b>Race morning came and I hoped for the best. You never know, sometimes you can feel horrid going into a race and have the best race of your life. I knew 42.2k was a long way to go on a less than healthy body but I hoped for the best. It would sort itself out. I just needed it to cooperate with me for 2 hours, 34 minutes and XX seconds but alas it was not meant to be. </b><br />
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<b>Before the start</b></div>
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<b>Warm up felt like normal. Again I was hopeful. The race went off and quite quickly I realized not only that it was warm and humid but that my body wasn't exactly happy. I told myself that it was okay. In Victoria last October I felt like crap at 12k. In Rotterdam I also felt like crap early on. I told myself it would pass. It did not. My lovely pacer tried his best to keep me going. Yannick Lapierre also tried to help out (thanks Yannick) but my body just did not have it. Just before 21.1k I had to stop for the washroom. I tried to get going again but my legs would just not go. My lungs were completely fine, but the legs had nothing. I hung on, telling myself, it'll get better. Maybe, just maybe you'll feel better in the second half. Ultimately I just kept slowing down so I made the call at 27k to pull out. Actually I made the call before that, I just kept running until I found a med tent. </b></div>
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<b>Basically I weighed my options, fight through, run the last 15km at this slower pace and wear my body out to run a time I would be incredibly disappointed in. My body already wasn't at full health due to infections and sickness, why push it further for no reason. Stopping at 27k saves me from that. It allows me to come back quicker and move onto whatever the next venture is. Trust me, I fought with this decision from 10k to 27k and it didn't come easy. I've been very vocal how I hate to DNF. I did not at all want to DNF, but continuing to run would have been stupid. I knew my coach would have wanted me to stop. </b></div>
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<b>The final 2 weeks leading into this race were the 2 of most stressful weeks of my life thus far. Not only was I dealing with this health stuff, but I was dealing with personal life stress too. As much as I tried to put the personal stress into a box until after the race, it was near impossible. It's no surprise that I feel worn down. </b></div>
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<b>I know I shouldn't feel as though I have let people down and that I need to listen to the body (stop before making things worse or potentially injuring myself just to save my pride) but part of me does. All the messages of support prior to the race via text, FB, Twitter or Instagram mean the world to me. Just as all the messages I've received since the race. I feel like I have let the race organizers down since they have been incredibly awesome bringing me out to Toronto for this event. I'm sure they probably wouldn't want me to feel this way though as such is the marathon. It can be cruel but that small part of me still feels bad. So thank you Alan, Clif and CRS for bringing me out here. I'm sorry, but know that I want my revenge so I will be back. </b></div>
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<b>I would also like to thanks <a href="http://knappettindustries.com/" target="_blank">Knappett Industries</a> back home for their support leading into this, providing me some funding and to Abe at <a href="http://www.islandoptimal.com/" target="_blank">Island Optimal</a> for all of his support and treatments. Also to <a href="http://asicscanada.com/" target="_blank">Asics Canada</a>, <a href="http://www.sundogeyewear.ca/" target="_blank">Sundog Eyewear</a>, <a href="http://www.stokedoats.com/" target="_blank">Stoked Oats</a> and <a href="https://nuunlife.com/" target="_blank">Nuun Hydration</a> for their products. To Warren, Daniel, Ryan, Copper, Kyle, Kris and everyone else who tried to keep me on track over these last 2 weeks, I thank you (edit- oops totally forgot a huge thanks to my coach Matt Clout for his hard work and constant encouragement). I poured my heart into training for this event and sadly it was not the result I had imagined and visualized but I must not dwell too long. Sure I will pout for a bit (that's allowed right?), but it's time to re-evaluate and figure out how to proceed next. Onwards they say right?</b></div>
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<b>On side note, stay tuned for a post about my thoughts on the AC World Marathon Standards and how it affected my thoughts going into the race. I will try to get to that later this week as I feel it deserves it's own post. </b><br />
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<b>Oh and on another good note, no return of the <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2016/04/no-they-were-not-new-shoes-aka.html" target="_blank">Rotterdam Blisters</a>!</b><br />
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-25773869564674620152016-10-04T22:42:00.001-07:002016-10-04T22:42:26.382-07:00Life Goes On<b>Phew. After such a loaded blog a few weeks ago, this one may seem a little boring to everyone! As much as some of you readers may be disappointed that this one isn't chocked blocked full of goodness, I am glad that life has calmed down a little. </b><br />
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<b>I am now nearing the end of my time here in Flagstaff and have entered my final week. The first week here was stressful to the max. Not only was I dealing with the normal stress of adapting to running at 7000ft altitude, but I was provided some emotional stress from my former relationship and also some work stress. After I week I put an end to the stress though and requested that things be put on hold until after my marathon. Since then, running has perked back up again. </b></div>
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<b>September 30th marked the day that I am officially laid off (aka fired) from my job. I have worked at Wexford Creek care facility since August 11th, 2008. It was the first and only care home that I worked at following taking the Health Care Aide course at VIU in early 2008. Good Samaritan Society hired me straight into a part time position before I had even finished the course as I was hired in the 2nd wave of employees. Both Wave 1 and Wave 2 were in the building before any resident moved in and before construction was even completed. </b></div>
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<b>After 8 years and nearly 3 months, I am no longer employed by GSS. Ultimately it's been a wild ride. The first 5 years were awesome, the last 3..... not so much (to say the least). I am going to give some basic info here and hope that it doesn't come back to haunt me. Please be warned I need to give the "filtered" version in order to protect myself. Most of what I am going to say will have been in the papers already, so I should be ok. </b></div>
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<b>Wexford and their one main amazing scheduler was amazing when it came to my running. I was able to get off any time that I needed, whether for a race or to go away for 3-4 weeks to Flagstaff. Whether they could cover me easily or not, they found a way to get it down. All good things come to an end though. </b></div>
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<b>On April 1st, 2014 while I was in Flagstaff, I learned via Facebook that we would all be laid off in September and have to reapply for our jobs at less pay and less benefits due to the facility losing $3 million dollars in 6 years. Many of the existing staff jumped ship, but some of us were stubborn and hung around. The pay cut wasn't drastic, though the loss of vacation was a bummer for me. </b></div>
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<b>The next 2 years were interesting and just when we got our hopes up again, last April 1st, 2016, a member from head office was scheduled to come again. I was home from Flagstaff, but only for a few days before heading off to Rotterdam. I knew the meeting was not good so opted not to go, asking a co-worker to fill me in. Yep, laid off again as of Sept 30th, 2016. This time though, GSS was planning to sell us stating that we continued to lose money (I'd like to go into further detail here, but need to be careful what I say so I will opt to stay quiet). Regardless if we were sold or not, GSS or the new company would be contracting out our positions. </b></div>
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<b>I also have a ton I could say about what went on over the summer but I don't want it to hurt my chances of getting another job in the future. Let's just say that communication was horrid. We were kept in the dark nearly about everything, found out things via the paper or last minute. The sale went through August 23rd with the new company and we found out the first week of September who the new contractor was. On my last day of work before Flagstaff I interviewed for my own job back (even at the $3 per hour pay cut) as I had no idea what I wanted to do. </b></div>
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<b>While away in Flagstaff, I was informed by a co-worker that during a general meeting at work, it was announced that the 4 care staff positions in my department (Assisted Living) would no longer exist as of Sept 30th so essentially the new company would not be hiring me back unless I changed departments. My coworkers and I essentially organized and ran that department for the nearly 8 years it existed and we were informed during a group meeting. Nice eh? From what I have heard, my residents are extremely upset by this change. I am hoping they will be okay but I am honestly worried about what is going to happen. </b></div>
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<b>So there we have it, 8 years with "Good" Samaritan Society. I would like to thank my awesome co-workers (most of them anyways), my amazing residents and all the wonderful families I came into contact with over the last 8 year. It has been an amazing and enriching 8 years if you can ignore all the drama. Onwards to bigger and better things. Speaking of which, anyone have a job for me? ;)</b></div>
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<b>On a side note training has been going well. I was able to do a quick trip back to BC last weekend for a wedding and that gave me the opportunity to do my final long marathon workout at sea level. It was much nicer to do that workout back there vs at 7000ft here. Now here I am on the last night here in Flagstaff. Time seemed to tick so slowly while I was here, but when I look back it seems to have gone fast. As usual Flagstaff training has been full of ups and downs. While I love easy runs here, workouts on the other hand leave me sucking wind while gasping for air and dreaming of sea level. Ready or not, 11 days to go. </b><br />
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<b>Lake Mary Fun</b></div>
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<b>Early Morning Run before Flying back to BC</b></div>
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<b>More Lake Mary </b></div>
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<b>400's at NAU in the rain</b></div>
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<b>Last Lake Mary workout with Emily</b></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-45206134285299985542016-09-13T23:55:00.002-07:002016-09-13T23:55:23.566-07:00New Partnership, Life Changes, Past Races and Marathon Annoucement
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wow, that title up there is packed with info. I could probably put this into multiple blogs but I will get it all done in one! Without realizing it,
I appear to have neglected my blog for a little bit. I am happy to say that
training is going well and I have fully recovered from the hamstring tear that
occurred in May. I am full steam ahead toward my fall marathon plans. In fact, as
I write this I am sitting on a plane on my way to Flagstaff Arizona for my
usual pre-marathon training camp. I am stoked to have a training buddy join me,
that being my West Coast Endurance teammate Emily Setlack. </span></b><br />
<br /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VgBnz66oVH92EUZfAH7xzP6-1KrOBiknrQbGL06-cu2XZ6N0dtclzMNTNAy4vo49yuLI906DLAdu94G6UtredGBPdF3-g2MEZOSAwgOCqfXYGj6E1iXgcncw_jBWEedDm2Yu5F_Cqmk/s1600/G1694917_1473812884303_high%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VgBnz66oVH92EUZfAH7xzP6-1KrOBiknrQbGL06-cu2XZ6N0dtclzMNTNAy4vo49yuLI906DLAdu94G6UtredGBPdF3-g2MEZOSAwgOCqfXYGj6E1iXgcncw_jBWEedDm2Yu5F_Cqmk/s320/G1694917_1473812884303_high%257E2.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Before getting into
the rest of my updates, I would like to announce my partnership with <a href="http://knappettindustries.com/" target="_blank">KnappettIndustries</a> (privately owned construction company). For those not aware of what Knappett
Industries is all about, this blurb is taken from their <a href="http://knappettindustries.com/index.php/about/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14oNBKQSIXpKJR1FP17leecmVRpquYlFYdjuN9SeXGdJgm2aVZgiwepCzXH956gZFBC5Fo48cBckLmc9uxNBbiXUXUhsFnFMHkyomB3gH-a2I28MIPzDFlMOa6iw2pPhuNrBqaitGC4o/s1600/Knappet_Logo_wTag_RGB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14oNBKQSIXpKJR1FP17leecmVRpquYlFYdjuN9SeXGdJgm2aVZgiwepCzXH956gZFBC5Fo48cBckLmc9uxNBbiXUXUhsFnFMHkyomB3gH-a2I28MIPzDFlMOa6iw2pPhuNrBqaitGC4o/s320/Knappet_Logo_wTag_RGB.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“</b>Since Commencing
operations in 1988, Knappett Industries (2006) Ltd. has grown into a leading
supplier of construction services for residential subdivision development,
underground utility installation & replacement, road building and land
clearing needs on Vancouver Island and Northern BC.”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Being born and raised
in Nanaimo, I am super happy to team up with a local Nanaimo (and Fort St. John)
business and am honored that they believe in my dream of competing for Canada
in the upcoming future. With their funding, they ARE the reason why I have been
able to take this trip to Flagstaff and I am extremely grateful. </span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">With that being said,
let’s back up slightly. Life since the spring has been hectic to say the least.
April 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> lead me to finding out I was once again laid off from my
job for the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> time in 2 years, this time with the business being
sold and our positions being contracted out for a significant cut (recently
found out it was approx. $3/hour and less benefits). As of right now, all I
know is that I am unemployed as of Oct 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup>. Time will tell what
happens there. </span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></strong></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other thing that
happened was related to my personal life in which I refuse to air dirty laundry
out on social media but to put it simple, I saw the end of my 12-year
relationship. Ultimately my goals and dreams running wise appear to have gotten
in the way and at this time I am not willing to give up on those dreams. Those
who wish to know more can feel free to contact me; however, as I stated, I am
not going to air it out via the internet. Needless to say, life has been
stressful, but at the same time I have also met some amazing new friends in my
life over the last few months and reconnected with a few great ones as well. Life throws
some unexpected twists sometimes and you just have to hang on. Right now, I am trying to do just that.</span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now that my personal
life is over with, let’s get back to running. I recently jumped into the
Destination Races Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon. Coach Matt and I decided
that it would be a good idea to get in a rust buster of a race and with heading
to Flagstaff there weren’t really a whole lot of options. Coach Matt also
decided I was going to train through this race and didn’t require a taper
(thanks Coach Matt). I headed up to Kelowna early Saturday morning with an
amazing support team. Once I arrived, I visited the expo, picked up my number
and caught up with race organizer Matt. I then headed out on my 30-minute
shakeout run and my legs felt horrible. I was still hoping for the best on race
day though. The rest of the day was spent relaxing for the most part. </span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong> </strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlk5wzVVy9eDoT0OOf-GoYcngklYXnziL9KMXmXHLlUzTVsz8zKH-BKYBC2yHFEwvEbUjNx2xbguLXJrenUGKOinUgv0M5X-bkT5GG7C5OA5Cbic7G2xNIx9hHCKtcVQb2d3KBuhOAumo/s1600/PhotoGrid_1473040311689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlk5wzVVy9eDoT0OOf-GoYcngklYXnziL9KMXmXHLlUzTVsz8zKH-BKYBC2yHFEwvEbUjNx2xbguLXJrenUGKOinUgv0M5X-bkT5GG7C5OA5Cbic7G2xNIx9hHCKtcVQb2d3KBuhOAumo/s320/PhotoGrid_1473040311689.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Race morning, I was
up early at 4:45 to eat some breakfast before heading to the shuttle buses for
5:30. I caught the first bus without issue to ensure I was there with plenty of
time before the race. The night before the race I had heard that former
Olympian Malindi Elmore was racing. That put a few nerves into my system but I
was told by many to trust my training and that I would be fine (turns out
Malindi just tempo’d the effort in preparation for an upcoming Ironman). I ran
my race warm up and it felt decent. </span></b></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong> </strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg26qpI7LTFsMTIErfxjU-lhQrYjFIVSvC7mP8QyYXGUQZED9IQRND5i9uswwtgLxfOR5PruOpQfvvWTmrIXpcjuK9rSAxmOr3k2VgNiX7UCAMyVCFjV3cgnzfOaifmWLJ33rIOr3nAsk/s1600/2b86cafa9956226da4367991dd6902ab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg26qpI7LTFsMTIErfxjU-lhQrYjFIVSvC7mP8QyYXGUQZED9IQRND5i9uswwtgLxfOR5PruOpQfvvWTmrIXpcjuK9rSAxmOr3k2VgNiX7UCAMyVCFjV3cgnzfOaifmWLJ33rIOr3nAsk/s320/2b86cafa9956226da4367991dd6902ab.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The start line was
very casual. No one seemed to want to start on the line, so that left me
practically standing there alone. When the race started the overall winner Brad
Bickley took off and left the rest of us in his dust. I plodded along in 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
and worked my way through the rolling hills surrounded by orchards and
vineyards. The legs seemed to feel okay. I got to the 9.5km mark and thought I
had run the first hilly part better than last year (apparently not but I’ll get
to that in a minute). Then the long steep decent started which I tried to roll
with it and not “brake” too much by leaning back. I had formed a bit of a gap
on the hills on 3<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup> overall, but in the end, my lack of downhill
running allowed him to catch me by the time we hit the flat at 12.5k.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong> </strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQsu37rAWSYS2IrKKVjFYFeJqEzYXHvdYYem-LEjb8YvIsqYptTBHxIEM-7q33m4WqpgwP7Sk1gtmQQoO3XRd15rK-rxVgofk8elMs6BR_dvjlROvPeToz9B1s1jO7sXA0MMasAVPAVg/s1600/3ba9b1e121c5948fb1e97b33a00def25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQsu37rAWSYS2IrKKVjFYFeJqEzYXHvdYYem-LEjb8YvIsqYptTBHxIEM-7q33m4WqpgwP7Sk1gtmQQoO3XRd15rK-rxVgofk8elMs6BR_dvjlROvPeToz9B1s1jO7sXA0MMasAVPAVg/s320/3ba9b1e121c5948fb1e97b33a00def25.JPG" width="213" /></a></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We entered the gravel
trail along the river and again I felt like I was rolling along. Then onto the
paved bike path and still I felt like I was rolling along. With about 5km left
I started looking at splits. Now that was a mistake. They were rolling by too
slowly. My legs were just not turning over. In the final 5km another guy passed
me which put me into 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> overall. I rounded the corner to the finish
and saw the clock was over 1:16 and I was disappointed. This was the first time
I had seen the overall time. While I had seen splits, I never looked at the
accumulative time. I crossed the line in 1:16:36 and while I was happy to take
the win, I was truly disappointed in the time. It felt much faster than that. I
guess my legs were a tad tired from the week of training (I think was around
150k that week) or at least that is what I am telling myself. ;) </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipQsu37rAWSYS2IrKKVjFYFeJqEzYXHvdYYem-LEjb8YvIsqYptTBHxIEM-7q33m4WqpgwP7Sk1gtmQQoO3XRd15rK-rxVgofk8elMs6BR_dvjlROvPeToz9B1s1jO7sXA0MMasAVPAVg/s1600/3ba9b1e121c5948fb1e97b33a00def25.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaux9gOEA7G-uEnPth9j9oqAxPSxZR2csudk_AWMc4hmgKeOXyDeX3JLLniaQ7cYBDqg1C2pnBP587ZU3yUG-sNc3Tr8XQuH2CTO0HGhJ90Dbbm5B94w_2C3oDvhTPVSSujtqjWpfzeQ/s1600/14231198_1113878995371859_3003055291891711382_o.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRaux9gOEA7G-uEnPth9j9oqAxPSxZR2csudk_AWMc4hmgKeOXyDeX3JLLniaQ7cYBDqg1C2pnBP587ZU3yUG-sNc3Tr8XQuH2CTO0HGhJ90Dbbm5B94w_2C3oDvhTPVSSujtqjWpfzeQ/s320/14231198_1113878995371859_3003055291891711382_o.png.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rest of the day
was spent eating and relaxing pool side before a drive back to the island the
following morning. Huge thank you to Matt from Destination Races for having me
back at the race.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking back, it was a
solid effort near marathon pace and that is really all I needed. I still have
time to build before race day and with tapered legs, I will be good to go. In
the meantime, it’s time to train! </span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 8pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">What am I training
for you might ask? Well I am happy to confirm I will be running the STWM
(Scotia Toronto Waterfront Marathon) on October 16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and if all goes
well, I will run World Standard (pending time standards still) for my 35<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
birthday! I am briefly mentioned in the press release <a href="http://canadarunningseries.com/blog/2016/09/olympian-krista-duchene-to-race-scotiabank-toronto-waterfront-marathon/" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wPZD6EngaXONSmprYxCaJ5KpGmcKswqB5442aXm-x5SxO813v6_Z6yoyXi-01fJZAubsM0Igi568otyFH3cTW5gtC2kVOMz-iYB5Uo84i8CaB1803jDMmWoEpu0v8-ox0jRqPjv369Q/s1600/G1714977_1473812676165_high%257E2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2wPZD6EngaXONSmprYxCaJ5KpGmcKswqB5442aXm-x5SxO813v6_Z6yoyXi-01fJZAubsM0Igi568otyFH3cTW5gtC2kVOMz-iYB5Uo84i8CaB1803jDMmWoEpu0v8-ox0jRqPjv369Q/s320/G1714977_1473812676165_high%257E2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-32634595486375741022016-07-11T14:27:00.000-07:002016-07-11T14:27:04.309-07:00Rebuild 2016 <b>First off I apologize for the delay in this update. Life has been a little bit chaotic to say the least. Better late than never right? Okay, onward to the injury update. </b><br />
<br />
<b>It's been 6 weeks since I attempted the Calgary Half Marathon and it's been 9 weeks since I initially tweaked my hamstring. I have just received an "ok" to trial running again. While I haven't felt the hamstring in weeks, we wanted to play it cautious and even still I am not in the clear to go back to it full stop. Easy running is okay, but I haven't been cleared for any speed.</b><br />
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<b>Let's back up to about 2 weeks post injury, I had an ultrasound done on my hamstring which showed a small tear in my medial hamstring behind the knee. Darn it. That pop I felt during the race was not good but thankfully due to me sucking up my pride and pulling out for my first ever DNF, I was able to save myself from any further damage. </b><br />
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<b>Thank goodness, I was able to cross train and was pretty OCD about it for the last month, training 2-3 hours a day between the elliptical and the bike. The elliptical was a challenge as the gym I go to only had one and technically they have a 30 minute time limit. Every so often I was interrupted for someone else to get in their workout. I made the best of it and did my strength and rehab before getting back on. My only pet peeve was that the elliptical faces the row of treadmills so sorry to those on the treadmills who received my death stare as I elliptical'd (yes I know it's not a word) away in utter jealousy. And that is coming from someone who hates treadmills. Who knew I'd be craving to run on one.</b><br />
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<b>Just shy of 5 weeks post injury I was given the approval to begin running again. My hamstring was easily able to handle strength/physio exercises on it so the green light was given to start with 15-20 minutes. I had done a short 5 minute jog just prior to receiving approval (cause I am that stubborn) and it actually had me leery as to whether I was ready or not. My first "official" run back I did 20 minutes and I had mixed feelings regarding the run. I still worried whether it was too soon. The last thing I wanted to do was to go backwards in my rehab. I did NOT want to start over.</b><br />
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<b>The next day I trialed 30 minutes and that run was WAY better than the day before so I finally had hope. Then again, I knew it had only been 2 runs so I wasn't ready to say I was on the official "comeback" trail as of yet. Not to mention my body absolutely hated me during those initial days. The injury itself was fine, but absolutely everything else lower body was sore as can be. The shock of impact again threw my calves, quads and the rest of my hamstrings into utter soreness. </b><br />
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<b>Since the initial run on July 1st, I have slowly been building back up. I am up to 60 minutes easy and have done that multiple times. I am currently holding at 60 minutes for a short period. My fitness is decent I would say. It's not horrible but it's obviously not where it was 6+ weeks ago. I have to keep reminding myself that I am only 10 days back into this routine. My body is no longer sore and I know fitness will continue to build. I will be ready for this Fall and I will smash my goals set. </b><br />
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<b>Thank you to all those who stood by me for support during these last 6+ weeks, whether professionals for treatments (Abe and Brandon from Island Optimal) or friends, I know I can be a handful when I am broken. This injury came at a stressful point in my life when I needed running the most so thanks to those who I leaned on for support (K, R, T, T). Sometimes I may not have wanted to hear your words of advice, but nevertheless, I appreciate you all. </b><br />
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<b>To those I might have pushed away (both friends and family) during this time, I apologize but I did what I felt I needed to at this time. I was overwhelmed with life but deep down I still value your reaching out. </b><br />
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<b>To the new friends who came into my life during this time, you met me at a low so thanks for accepting me as I was! In the end life goes on and all will be okay. Fall 2016 you and me have a date! </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
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<b>Back to my happy place</b></div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-872415235944105472016-06-14T01:01:00.000-07:002016-06-14T01:01:54.431-07:00It Was Bound To Happen<b>The dreaded DNF. </b><br />
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<b>I had been so proud to have never DNF'd before; however, that "streak" has now been broken. A few weeks back I tweaked my hamstring. I had been dealing with some slight behind the knee issues coming back from the marathon but it would only appear at the beginning of some runs and go away within a few minutes. I never thought much about it. Provided I kept my hamstring happy, it seemed to be okay. That was until I attempted a "speed" workout one day. I put quotation marks around "speed" because these marathon legs definitely weren't that speedy. Nevertheless, that annoyed my lower hamstring a tad. A few days later during a tempo workout, I turned a corner to the left and I felt my hamstring tweak. It was minor and I was able to finish the workout; however, the next day my hamstring was sore during my entire run so I pulled the plug on running for a bit. </b><br />
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<b>I had planned to race the Calgary Half Marathon coming up in just over a week and a half so I did everything possible to try and rehab. I cross trained, I saw Abe Avender at Island Optimal and had laser treatment on it as well. Each run attempt leading up to the race wasn't ideal, so I'd go back to cross training. I decided to head to Calgary to see what happened. I wasn't sure I would start but since it was the Canadian Champs, I was determined to race if my hamstring would cooperate. </b><br />
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<b>Hello Calgary</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeTyRzqYd5RfcaJ9dbeD_YGukdLW8QQL3oTV9RejhqEAdKyy086VDwgYt4eeeFZKTkLSqwfoqzCyFplvv5UhlhC6LkN9vHkWHh1FcdhO0ssCLWSHS-vNKuY4ZjQPT3BANsdtx6C-nTlk/s1600/20160527_120839.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeTyRzqYd5RfcaJ9dbeD_YGukdLW8QQL3oTV9RejhqEAdKyy086VDwgYt4eeeFZKTkLSqwfoqzCyFplvv5UhlhC6LkN9vHkWHh1FcdhO0ssCLWSHS-vNKuY4ZjQPT3BANsdtx6C-nTlk/s320/20160527_120839.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>I flew into Calgary on Friday afternoon and met Sami Jabril in the airport before heading to meet our lovely ride Peter. The skies opened up as we arrived and we had a nice rain storm with some lightning for the drive. I checked in and then met Krista DuChene in Starbucks for a catch up, then went to dinner with Krista and Emily Setlack. </b><br />
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<b>The next day I opted to try a short run. While it wasn't great, it also wasn't horrible. I decided to wait until race day to see whether I would run or not. I was still hoping the next day would be much better. After the run and shower, I met up with the rest of the hotel crew, which other than Krista and Emily included Calum Neff, Thomas Toth and Anna as we headed to the Tech meeting. There I finally met Josh Bolton and Tanis Smith in person. </b><br />
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<b>It was a quick meeting before a few of us headed over to the race expo. I wanted to go check out the Team Mito 24 hour treadmill event and say hi to a few people I knew taking part. It was quite the sight and not long after getting there, Tristan roped me into an interview. Normally I am awkward as can be when it comes to those things, but Tristan kept the conversation light and flowing as we told stories about how we met in Maui and how I wanted to push him off a cliff. The full story is <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2015/06/vancouver-sun-run-2015.html" target="_blank">here</a>, but a cut and paste from that day is this....</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>On another trail run I had an easy 60 minutes to do and decided to
join Jeremy, Tristan and Adam on a run at Polipoli which had just opened
up after being closed for over a year due to tropical storm damage.
Let's just say that this was not a 60 minute easy run. It turned into
more than a 2 hour adventure, crazy climbs and descents all while at
altitude of over 5000 feet. This sea level girl has run in Flagstaff
many times, but climbing at altitude always kills me. I may or may not
have threatened to push Tristan off a cliff at one point and I may or
may not have told him multiple times that I hated him. ;) It did give
some gorgeous views, but this road runner learned that she is still very
well a road runner and is not made for technical trails. </i></b><br />
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<b>Anyway, the Team Mito 24 hour treadmill event was amazing and for a great cause which would be mitochondrial disease. During the 24 hours they broke 7 Guinness World Records, which you can read about <a href="http://www.mitocanada.org/team/24-hour-man-proctor-team-mito-break-7-guinness-world-records/" target="_blank">here</a>. I was there to witness the men and women break the Team 24 hour Treadmill records. I was also there to witness Dave Proctor in some dark times during his 24 hour solo mission. Yes, I said it, 24 HOURS SOLO on a treadmill. Insane! In the end he ran 260.4km. I dislike even 30 minutes on a treadmill let alone 24 straight hours. Check out <a href="http://www.mitocanada.org/">www.mitocanada.org</a> for more info. </b><br />
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<b>Adam Campbell cruising in for the men's 24 hour Team Record with hours to spare</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4DIHF7Fa7-zHnfsdK3BLfBQdGOxyFav6P7xWG8UUvtQUQk0makxqhmk-LwAN_7q_cU7M-HpsVYeivi4CgdkIGfdD4VR4KchZEfRffdl_GzaXMi0WH-q5vh6tC7RbZ0pKaMRpc4Wdbik/s1600/20160528_131921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ4DIHF7Fa7-zHnfsdK3BLfBQdGOxyFav6P7xWG8UUvtQUQk0makxqhmk-LwAN_7q_cU7M-HpsVYeivi4CgdkIGfdD4VR4KchZEfRffdl_GzaXMi0WH-q5vh6tC7RbZ0pKaMRpc4Wdbik/s320/20160528_131921.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b> Men celebrating</b><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNNKG790iG_wedoAxOfaO2z4sBM1zUk1LgO16Kn9ae01SrGIjOwf9IvuB9NodXlTlwmURt6sUAVVQj01C-WYO1-ljouQeKD9KuvLB_VA4NfnkmVKR1JsXc5GlxZfWGCcOLS9GejRDWD8/s1600/20160528_131950.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNNKG790iG_wedoAxOfaO2z4sBM1zUk1LgO16Kn9ae01SrGIjOwf9IvuB9NodXlTlwmURt6sUAVVQj01C-WYO1-ljouQeKD9KuvLB_VA4NfnkmVKR1JsXc5GlxZfWGCcOLS9GejRDWD8/s320/20160528_131950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> Dave in the background no longer appearing to have fun</b><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-385JB_7zjaHcbQ6gNe4TXqHk4Fsz-l-k0Vf09L8spndEIvrjoqt_nNEuZnZm3zFKqosVsWSDpif2L5v4_xJhxgq7EqpFglvwzrMAFR4Tm4ns0tOyzO_tEF-PF1x-BrEUaCpDr-LzK8E/s1600/20160528_141050.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-385JB_7zjaHcbQ6gNe4TXqHk4Fsz-l-k0Vf09L8spndEIvrjoqt_nNEuZnZm3zFKqosVsWSDpif2L5v4_xJhxgq7EqpFglvwzrMAFR4Tm4ns0tOyzO_tEF-PF1x-BrEUaCpDr-LzK8E/s320/20160528_141050.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b><i> </i></b><br />
<b>Later that evening I joined the rest of the hotel crew plus race crew Gavin and Craig (I think) for dinner at the Keg. That was an adventure for me. Needless to say my meal was forgotten and it took 85 minutes for me to eventually get my chicken. My bad for not speaking up earlier I suppose but anyways, it turned into a rather funny adventure. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Race night I slept like usual (crappy). I fell asleep rather early and then woke up and was up for a few hours. I received some unfortunate news that had me worried for a bit, but thankfully all would be okay. I eventually fell back asleep around 1am and then was up by 4:30. Who needs sleep right? I woke up and ate my Stoked Oats and hoped for the best!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>We headed off to the race and I did a warm up with Krista and Emily and my hamstring/back of knee felt the best it had felt in ages. I was running on some anti-inflammatories though. Things were looking good and I was hopeful. I did a few strides and they felt good too, but then I did 1 stride too many and I began to worry. I decided to start the race and see what happened. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Ultimately I got only 2km into the race and I felt a pop (like a tendon popping over another) at the back of my knee. It caused me to jump in my step and I knew I was done. I carried on for a few more minutes to see what would happen. When I saw bike medics on the side of the road I pulled off. I apologize to the medics as they heard me swear. A LOT. They asked me if I wanted to stretch it out and jump back in and I said no, I was done. My first *@%#%*%%% DNF. I asked the quickest way back and they said the way I came and asked if I could walk. I told them I preferred not to, so a van was called. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The medics at the event were great. I was dropped off at the med tent (first time ever there) and put in the hands of Jeff Nessler, a physio from the Downtown Sports Clinic in Calgary. Bless his heart he worked on me for a good 45 minutes, even doing some IMS which isn't normally done in med tents. I suppose the good part about dropping out early is that I had the med tent to myself the entire time. Jeff did his best but there was only so much to do before I was strapped with an ice pack and taken back to the elite area to have a nice cry. </b><br />
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<b>It was a rough experience and I probably shouldn't have started, but since it was the Canadian Championships I wanted to at least try. I rehabbed and did what I could to get to the start line and had hoped I would cross the finish line but alas, it was not meant to be. I will be back though, to get that damn finish line. </b><br />
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<b>I will cross you</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2gsBbEB01f0ljtaU6lJi70DI0KmDvmlEgq-LrW8sXuxtQ-bAuIz7hEZdjmUCwpdFWq-GB01BPE7AHLX6Mk8xW9bwWh4wOg1mDN5ecG-Hofyh2QkgB0iuPuIpk95tui3yi8pTwYZpZ9Q/s1600/20160529_083524.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2gsBbEB01f0ljtaU6lJi70DI0KmDvmlEgq-LrW8sXuxtQ-bAuIz7hEZdjmUCwpdFWq-GB01BPE7AHLX6Mk8xW9bwWh4wOg1mDN5ecG-Hofyh2QkgB0iuPuIpk95tui3yi8pTwYZpZ9Q/s320/20160529_083524.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Post race I hung out with some good friends both new and old, had some beer at the Team Mito Wrap Up party and that helped. I spent the next week in Calgary visiting with friends and was able to take a side trip to Banff, Canmore and Lake Louise area in which I had never been to. Topped it off with a fun Saturday night before coming home and back to work on Monday. That week was exactly what I needed to escape a few life stresses at least temporarily. </b><br />
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<b>While I am disappointed to experience my first DNF, feeling like I let the organizers down, I had to be smart and think of the fall. While I probably shouldn't have started, it was hard to know what was going to happen. This was one race, my goals remain and I will achieve them. </b><br />
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<b>Sights of Alberta</b></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-73808830434633020982016-05-30T09:24:00.000-07:002016-05-30T09:25:27.416-07:00Temporary Gig as a Race Day Groupie<div dir="ltr">
<b>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. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>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. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>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. </b></div>
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<b>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. </b><br />
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<b>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. </b></div>
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<b>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. </b></div>
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<b>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. ;) </b></div>
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<b>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. </b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>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. </b><br />
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<b>Photos</b> <b>from</b> <b>the</b> <b>last</b> <b>few</b> <b>weeks</b></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-81368353739927924362016-05-11T22:26:00.000-07:002016-05-11T22:27:45.711-07:00We Remember a Legend <b>I originally had a different blog planned that include updates since my marathon but I have opted to postpone it for the time being. The last month has been pretty crazy with loss and I wanted to briefly touch on it. First off, on April 14th, one of my high school classmates Colin Laird suddenly passed away at age 34. He leaves behind not only his parents and siblings, but his fiance Kellie and their son Hunter. </b><br />
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<b>Now I cannot say that Colin and I were ever close. He came to my high school for Grade 11 and 12 as all Cedar students had to move to Barsby for their final years as Cedar was only a junior high at the time. We didn't hang out in the same crowds. I do however, run by Colin and Kellie's place almost daily over the last 5+ years. Other than the rare FB message, our only communication was if he was out in the yard or drove by me when I was running, we would always exchange waves and say hello. Nevertheless, it was shocking to hear of his passing. Rest in Peace Colin. </b><br />
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<b>That brings us to yesterday, I was on my dinner break at work and scrolling through FB and I ran across news of the passing of Steve Smith. Many of you probably don't know who Steve is, I certainly didn't until I met him in February 2013. Steve also well known as Stevie "Chainsaw" Smith, is a local athlete out of Nanaimo who is huge in the downhill mountain biking world. He was essentially Canada's downhill legend and a World Cup Sensation. </b><br />
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<b>As I mentioned, I met Steve in 2013 when we both picked up Nanaimo's Individual Athlete of the Year awards for 2012. It turns out, I once worked with his Grandma and my mom and step dad are also friends with his Grandma and know his family. </b><br />
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<b>Steve and I after the awards in Feb 2013 </b></div>
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<b>After the awards I stayed in touch with Steve via FB and the odd Happy Birthday or congrats text. I most recently had a brief chat with him this past November to wish him happy birthday as he turned 26. Unfortunately this past weekend, Steve was out living life like he does when he suffered a serious brain injury in a motorbike accident. He was ultimately removed from life support and passed on. </b><br />
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<b>The sports world has lost a great athlete. </b><b><b>I am shocked and heart broken at the loss of this local athlete. </b>Not only was Steve talented, but he was so down to earth even though he was quite famous in the sporting (mountain biking) world. I admired his love and respect for his hometown. He probably could have lived anywhere in the world, but he stayed true to Nanaimo and constantly talked about the beautiful trails and scenery around here. </b><br />
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<b>Again, I cannot say that Steve and I were close, but more like acquaintances who respected each others athletic talents. I urge you to watch the 3 videos below to get a glimpse into who Steve was. But first here is a quote from one of his teammates, </b><br />
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<b>"</b><b>A driven athlete and fierce competitor, Smith was humble and grounded
off the track. He was a notable influence on all young and aspiring
Canadian gravity racers and others around the world. He was also a key
mentor to friend and DGR teammate, Mark Wallace."</b><br />
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<b> Talking about how he just wants to ride bikes</b></div>
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<b>His winning World Cup Run</b></div>
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<b>Rest in Peace Steve</b></div>
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<b>A Steve Smith Legacy Fund has been started to provide funding for up and coming athletes. Should you wish to donate, please visit <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/23k7fus">https://www.gofundme.com/23k7fus</a></b>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-40540609565058433452016-04-23T22:37:00.001-07:002016-04-23T22:46:17.514-07:00No They Were Not New Shoes (aka Rotterdam Marathon) <b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I am currently on my Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to
Vancouver (or I was when I wrote this 1.5 weeks ago), somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean. Right about here, apparently. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I
figured it would be a good time to jot down my thoughts about the race as the 2
days post-race were spent venturing around Amsterdam with fellow Canadian
Leslie Sexton. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Race day, oh where to start. I last left off on Saturday
evening, where Leslie and I pretty much laid around the hotel most of the day.
The race organizers were nice enough to agree to put me into the hotel along
with Leslie from Thursday until Sunday. Leslie (2:33) was fast enough to meet
their criteria; however, my 2:39 was not. We had meals included which made
things a little less stressful. Meals took place in the restaurant downstairs
via buffet. Breakfast had tons of options. Oh man I would be in trouble if all
that was offered to me daily. Croissants and chocolate filled croissants at
that. Even Nutella muffins. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Of course they had their usual eggs, bacon, pancakes,
waffles, toast, sausages, yogurt, oatmeal etc. Lunch and Supper were quite
similar. Pasta plus chicken or fish. I ate WAY too much pasta by the time the
race started, but that was the point right? Carb loading? Sometimes I think you
can eat too many carbs. Sunday post-race I was simply hoping they would NOT
serve pasta (oh but they did plus a few other options). <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We went to bed at around 10 (I think) the night before the
race. I did my usual routine for pre-race, which meant lay awake for an hour
and get up to the washroom 3 times in that hour. Then go to sleep for an hour,
wake up and go to the bathroom. Sleep for maybe 90 minutes, bathroom, sleep,
bathroom, sleep, wake up in sweat, bathroom, sleep. When Leslie’s alarm went
off at 5:45am I did not want to actually get up. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VTTCBKAgZnIpH0qE6LY8dLDLRHWkgn79K1XjuqEPBOp3Wch_TELlMI16FCeWHN7w2h9SxyXHVGfBaGqMz-bOzWYFroUY2-64bbFpY3Rv7zsAMp2W3nhcat5QfxxRlLjiPcmUqyqrmx8/s1600/IMG_20160410_062757.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_VTTCBKAgZnIpH0qE6LY8dLDLRHWkgn79K1XjuqEPBOp3Wch_TELlMI16FCeWHN7w2h9SxyXHVGfBaGqMz-bOzWYFroUY2-64bbFpY3Rv7zsAMp2W3nhcat5QfxxRlLjiPcmUqyqrmx8/s320/IMG_20160410_062757.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></span></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Leslie went down to breakfast whereas I had brought my own
Stoked Oats from home to eat. Race morning I was not going to play any games
with other foods and was going to eat what I was used to. Plus it meant I got
to hang around in bed. After eating and checking social media (so many updates
while I am asleep and North America is awake) and then I started to feel tired.
Uh oh. I still had time so I closed my eyes for a bit but I did not actually
sleep. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Closer to 8:30 I had a quick shower to wake me up and got
ready for the race. At 9am, we headed to the elite room where everyone was
supposed to gather before we headed down to the start. The room was packed with
fast Kenyans and Ethiopians among other counties. Eventually around 9:20 we
were taken down to the start in a big group. We were roped off on either side
and everyone outside was pretty much staring at us. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Once we arrived to the start we were given a 200m stretch at
the start line to do our warm up. Back and forth around and around. Most people
followed the circle of up the right side, down the left side, but we still had
to dodge a few people. Next thing we knew our warm ups were off I took a deep
breath and said “here goes nothing” and lined up on the start line. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Now let me tell you, the start at Rotterdam was the WORST
start I have experienced thus far. Houston was crowded to, but I have never
been pushed and shoved so many times in a start and even before the gun went. I
don’t know if anyone fell but it wouldn’t surprise me because it was a rough
go. Thankfully both Leslie and I managed to stay on our feet. </span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Clearly unimpressed with the start. This I call, my Running Bitch Face ;)</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLtKTxEmuh4pOC_7SlDnU_fTKSVebbbtUI02fb_gH9vd6_0ZubOwJ2h6oRa43Xlqu10WvRGdh0pK4amGB0ma6czD2cdjXJPjBT02zTGtN_VX4hgOu_klZhgawGazcUoMkzgHeZbqrAjw/s1600/20x30-RMAO0012.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLtKTxEmuh4pOC_7SlDnU_fTKSVebbbtUI02fb_gH9vd6_0ZubOwJ2h6oRa43Xlqu10WvRGdh0pK4amGB0ma6czD2cdjXJPjBT02zTGtN_VX4hgOu_klZhgawGazcUoMkzgHeZbqrAjw/s320/20x30-RMAO0012.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">We both had different race plans. She was lucky enough to
have the chance to join with the 2:31:50 pacer who was here to pace F7. The
next pacer lined up was 2:39 and well, I have been there and done that. There
were of course faster pacers, I think they had 2:22, 2:26 and 2:27 also setup
but for obvious reasons, I didn’t go with those either. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I went out and kept an eye on my watch, which is actually
rare for me. Quite often I race and don’t look at my watch. In Victoria I only
peered at it a few times but then again I did have my coach Matt Clout out on
course. If only I had clued into the fact he was telling me my overall race
pace and not just the pace at that exact moment. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I guess now would be a good time to mention my goal since I
am going to talk about overall pace anyways. I wanted to hold 3:40’s. All my
training had been geared towards 3:40’s and everything indicated 3:40 was the
way to go. A few of the first 5km were slightly fast, but nothing outrageous. A
few 3:37-3:39’s. We were only 2km and had gone up and over the Erasumaus Bridge
when I thought “wow I am already warm. This is going to be a warm day.”<o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was feeling strong through 5km which was slightly fast,
but again, nothing outrageous. I decided to pull back slightly and go back to
the 3:40’s to be safe. By 10km I had dudes drafting off me. Actually it
probably started around 5km. There I was, a girl leading the group and dudes
running RIGHT behind me. I’d venture to one side of the trail, dude would
follow. Okay let’s test this, I decided, so I ventured to the other side, dude
followed. Ugh. Annoying. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Around 10km I remember thinking that my legs really weren’t
feeling as great as I had hoped, but I told myself that at 11km in Victoria, I
thought the same thing, so I kept trucking along. At 12km, I came upon Leslie
bent over leaning against a rail on the side of the course. I told her to hang
in there (or something along the lines) and kept going. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">15km……. oh 15km. This is where the fun starts. As everyone
knows, a marathon is 42.2km or 26.2 miles for those Americans reading (sorry US
friends, all km talk here today). Well by 15km I began to notice blisters
forming on the balls of both of my feet. 15 whole km into the race and it all
began to go downhill. What started as a slight annoyance ended up becoming a
burning sensation with each and every step. That burning sensation turned into
a tearing feeling each time I took even the slightest corner or had the
slightest of uneven ground. Essentially, they were tons of fun. </span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">PC: John Janse</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKWGXJ4u-uro1OqMN0H7dOVpjl7A01ggcXuvvlU6nMOzTY1uQmOd7GWt-_mH48Jz9o6SU9Ddt9GEvvoXfkNHAi3HuRLxceoACzx4oZTzoP5eQRLTVZrDtBAHWK9qOGdfrciYu4T4XPWg/s1600/IMG_20160411_112328.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuKWGXJ4u-uro1OqMN0H7dOVpjl7A01ggcXuvvlU6nMOzTY1uQmOd7GWt-_mH48Jz9o6SU9Ddt9GEvvoXfkNHAi3HuRLxceoACzx4oZTzoP5eQRLTVZrDtBAHWK9qOGdfrciYu4T4XPWg/s320/IMG_20160411_112328.jpg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Around 18 or 19km I started to get annoyed with dude behind
me. Still drafting. Honestly I don’t know if it was the same guy the entire
time of if a new dude drafted, but I turned around slightly and said a few
words which included “you could help” and “are you kidding me.” No response, no
offer to help. Then again who knows if said dude could even speak English. I
got angry eventually and didn’t act very Canadian like. That’s all I am going
to say about that. At the half way marker it appears the guy stopped because
all of a sudden I felt free. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The second half of the race was a struggle. My feet hurt.
Each km they began to hurt more. Not to mention time seem to be ticking by so
slowly. At 17km I thought I was over 20, but apparently not. My feet hurt, a
lot, but I told myself that I didn’t come all the way to Rotterdam to DNF and I
was going to run until my feet no longer let me. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9uhXg59DyHmWLxMdMSVc1RV96nyS59UFMxg3D0QESrapXN1i0adQuk35MmvJsxhSkeKKusAkZlbnsbTblp7xB2zbTFN2KWXrmq5dLrpQ3QYObOIwzq0OLkWnZp7PEnuTLVSvo66qw_w/s1600/20x30-RMAO0989.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv9uhXg59DyHmWLxMdMSVc1RV96nyS59UFMxg3D0QESrapXN1i0adQuk35MmvJsxhSkeKKusAkZlbnsbTblp7xB2zbTFN2KWXrmq5dLrpQ3QYObOIwzq0OLkWnZp7PEnuTLVSvo66qw_w/s320/20x30-RMAO0989.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At 25k I came up to the elite tables to find my bottle
already gone. Matt had already warned me of this, so I attempted to grab
someone elses (sorry) and I actually dropped the bottle and heard it fall to
the ground. No problem, I veered off to the left and grabbed a cup of water. I
still had a gel in my hand from the 20km station so I wasn’t worried but a dude
came running up from behind to hand me the bottle that I had dropped. I think
it said “Pacer” on it so not big deal. Whatever was in it was manageable and I
took a few sips before tossing it. </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Approx 26k</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VFNG_u8rJ4d_xMAFzZzMP8-DLAimIxDvrMi_2lHwVjSz4B9xonddn_21OWdhS1LuSiAkZrpg7XHLz2ySI1UqhRf1Q5bc2XKZ6jL6q-fcP-pQazNscCsW4fFkr7sMhgKhqUTXtDXoozY/s1600/20x30-RMAU3696.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5VFNG_u8rJ4d_xMAFzZzMP8-DLAimIxDvrMi_2lHwVjSz4B9xonddn_21OWdhS1LuSiAkZrpg7XHLz2ySI1UqhRf1Q5bc2XKZ6jL6q-fcP-pQazNscCsW4fFkr7sMhgKhqUTXtDXoozY/s320/20x30-RMAU3696.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Up next the 30km aid station, I look ahead to the table… yep
gone again. I think I may have sworn and said “wtf again?” and then grabbed
someone’s little bottle. (Can I just interrupt and say that dude in front of me
just put his seat back and now I am practically typing in my lap. This plane
has decent room but once someone puts their seat back, it turns into zero room.
My shoulders are hunched trying to type this. Thanks buddy). </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Side note: Crammed into my seat for this blog</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEg_TmoNpxgFGpf_nygI62T6wkpPHXwNMmRM86n6u2kTZ_gjvmCsB00uAGS7dETRLtl9ZC5v8fJ3MXwW1h2kTNxCgtp11k5k6g67V18GXSDenh8yQ0ZTvMiB6Kxug5hNPYEQYUSTOdR8/s1600/Snapchat-1614641850368134733.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJEg_TmoNpxgFGpf_nygI62T6wkpPHXwNMmRM86n6u2kTZ_gjvmCsB00uAGS7dETRLtl9ZC5v8fJ3MXwW1h2kTNxCgtp11k5k6g67V18GXSDenh8yQ0ZTvMiB6Kxug5hNPYEQYUSTOdR8/s320/Snapchat-1614641850368134733.jpg" width="192" /></a></span></b> </span></b></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Anyways, the
bottle I grabbed at 30km, one sip and I uttered “yuck what the heck is this”
and threw it on the ground. I then veered over and grabbed a regular water cup,
which might I add was a pretty dramatic grab. The first cup I missed and
dropped it (sorry volunteer). The second cup I grabbed but didn’t quite get a hold of it, so it bounced up in the air and I caught it on the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
go. By the sounds of it the volunteers were impressed by that recovery. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">After 25km each corner I turned, the pain was evident on my
face as it crinkled up into an “omg this hurts” face. But I pushed through.
Each km I told myself it was only so many more. Between 25 and 30km we go near
the start/finish area, my feet were definitely telling me to stop. My mind was
telling my feet to shut up and just deal with it. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil04Goi2E6QEiA2chu5mRKEv7cqbBbns-cemVxw2ImjsF8HKJkA8qapVBMXKAy0Uo3M5-FnywRKpLC0rGr65gn7v0S85Bat1Fpzi8X1O9NuFEA9eyDjzt5Stkcej64FqLrR1SzAW7hUb8/s1600/20x30-RMBB0119.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil04Goi2E6QEiA2chu5mRKEv7cqbBbns-cemVxw2ImjsF8HKJkA8qapVBMXKAy0Uo3M5-FnywRKpLC0rGr65gn7v0S85Bat1Fpzi8X1O9NuFEA9eyDjzt5Stkcej64FqLrR1SzAW7hUb8/s320/20x30-RMBB0119.jpeg" width="213" /></a></span></b></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">My bottles were back at the 35km and 40km tables though I
didn’t really want or need the 40km one. I did take it anyway though. I won’t
lie, my pace slowed considerably in the last 10-15km. With each burning step,
my strides were slowing down. I was curling my toes and altering my stride
trying to take the pressure off the hot spots but nothing was working. It was
frustrating to have my breathing completely fine and my legs feeling decent but
not being able to pick up the pace. </span></b><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">1k left</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJKZHzzO0s8vu6jTk8hYrFy8jQwOywbJHPFCFxzd7pQJj36MRb9hUa3t_K9o6rgzFxP2t9mJhRJhx_Pba6-w7sUnA3qEQ-EVvPKWz_TM-F3UgAvoU3_Lxka6hWw5qRtDI3aE8CIGE66A/s1600/20x30-RMXE8588.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJKZHzzO0s8vu6jTk8hYrFy8jQwOywbJHPFCFxzd7pQJj36MRb9hUa3t_K9o6rgzFxP2t9mJhRJhx_Pba6-w7sUnA3qEQ-EVvPKWz_TM-F3UgAvoU3_Lxka6hWw5qRtDI3aE8CIGE66A/s320/20x30-RMXE8588.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finally at 41km I decided to do what I could. I picked up
the pace as the clock had just clicked over 2:34. Even though my goal was not
within reach, I could still PB. My feet were not going to stop me now. I
tracked down a few guys who actually stopped to walk or stretch and cruised in
finally back under my 3:40 pace for the last km to cross at 2:37:50 gun
(2:37:48 chip). One of the elite crew met me at the finish and asked how I was.
Pretty sure my first words were “I need to take my shoes off, I have major
blisters” or something like that. She helped walk me to the elite tent as I
walked on the heels and outer edges of my feet to take the pressure off. <o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Finish</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfSoHqPql2ShpF7MqkQUBLnI2eif93KqY5TYpWhk6nLFA-FkUjuzvUMWE_mA8Xcl5EXMZyIGjed5gGJJdxoyrqPmC1SjQ__1LpjB8aJE6V-dNVco2M36_KGN0q75hUHJz4XF4FQ9Mh6w/s1600/20x30-RMXA6192.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfSoHqPql2ShpF7MqkQUBLnI2eif93KqY5TYpWhk6nLFA-FkUjuzvUMWE_mA8Xcl5EXMZyIGjed5gGJJdxoyrqPmC1SjQ__1LpjB8aJE6V-dNVco2M36_KGN0q75hUHJz4XF4FQ9Mh6w/s320/20x30-RMXA6192.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">At that point I didn’t know my place or really official
time. I didn’t even spent much time at the finish. I simply sat for a bit, put
my warm ups back on and then asked for an escort back to the hotel. Thankfully
my legs were okay because they make you go down the stairs to the subway and
then back up the other side. <o:p></o:p> </span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I got back to the room expecting Leslie to be there, but she
was not yet (she came in shortly after). I then took off my shoes to examine
the damage. The blisters were not full of fluid anymore. As I thought, the
tearing on the corners probably popped them. I then hit social media where I
found out my gun time via an e-mail from my mom plus a few others who had
gotten up super early (or stayed up super late) to track me (Thanks Matt,
#RyanSnaps, JLC, Kris and mom). A few e-mails exchanged with coach Matt and then I
wrapped a towel around me and climbed into bed temporarily (don’t judge me, I
was cold and didn’t want to get off the bed). </span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Post race</span><br /><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRoxJrBHJDQTnCe0efFyjlbeL7mgTolYnLCW2YNqWUUt5TE7xzri2ELS3m0tBKgWObHeku78DwyVLRWX3aoBhY1zr_IAB_1FWTp-_nTa-Yn8XTgMbA6wLWIUAfJvh7q0Iut4eSeP_htI/s1600/IMG_20160410_132604.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwRoxJrBHJDQTnCe0efFyjlbeL7mgTolYnLCW2YNqWUUt5TE7xzri2ELS3m0tBKgWObHeku78DwyVLRWX3aoBhY1zr_IAB_1FWTp-_nTa-Yn8XTgMbA6wLWIUAfJvh7q0Iut4eSeP_htI/s320/IMG_20160410_132604.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Eventually I showered and got some food, which included the
candy I had bought pre-race. Leslie unfortunately didn’t have the legs and was
unable to finish the race. While I have never DNF’d and cannot speak of the
emotional roller coaster that goes along with it, I do know the disappointment
of a failed race so I did my best to support her as needed with also trying to
not to push her into talking about it. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In bed without a shower</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduoWT6F8PN15z_6hCpmsZGLeoAqacVK33lnQfs0oD3zXTwOb4SDS6eSm93_H_wvlDZcZV1xTnr3oYZwRgzxZnF4Y4iouKoxCbGBIJCX6M_kB3iAQZ7Mx1BgPbGYoj1c4fEYS6KoOzw5M/s1600/Snapchat-1595146061034154132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhduoWT6F8PN15z_6hCpmsZGLeoAqacVK33lnQfs0oD3zXTwOb4SDS6eSm93_H_wvlDZcZV1xTnr3oYZwRgzxZnF4Y4iouKoxCbGBIJCX6M_kB3iAQZ7Mx1BgPbGYoj1c4fEYS6KoOzw5M/s320/Snapchat-1595146061034154132.jpg" width="192" /></a></span></b> </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">The rest of the afternoon was spent hanging around the
hotel, social media, Netflix and the post-race supper where they offered pasta
along with fries and fish plus a few other things. Apparently people were
hungry because each time I went up to the buffet there wasn’t much left. Oh and
one weird thing, the buffet in the restaurant had regular sized plates. The
special dinner up in the banquet hall the night before the race and post-race
had plates half the size. What was up with that? You had to go re-fill multiple
times. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Post Race Goodies</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vx5JvbKgDeHDWS7OWNKW6wBfV_Z-EtuKkvWqjPso2-YBvKK-ii1OCv9u5DfyfIe-U7mTQbQD863UwwEokJF4YO7ijgll5ttCuvWG3JuhdSymhqDSvfAGczsU1uw2-QO9FIwvVjEpOFQ/s1600/IMG_20160410_143006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vx5JvbKgDeHDWS7OWNKW6wBfV_Z-EtuKkvWqjPso2-YBvKK-ii1OCv9u5DfyfIe-U7mTQbQD863UwwEokJF4YO7ijgll5ttCuvWG3JuhdSymhqDSvfAGczsU1uw2-QO9FIwvVjEpOFQ/s320/IMG_20160410_143006.jpg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">So my thoughts on the race. My body felt good. I felt
healthier and fitter going into Rotterdam than I did into Victoria. I once
again never got to experience the dreaded wall. I felt relaxed up until the
end, other than the searing pain in my feet. I feel like sub 2:35 was there had
I not had the foot issues. I had a first aid guy look at my feet after to
ensure they wouldn’t get infected. He said “well there’s your 3 minutes right
there, I can’t believe you ran 27km on these.” Yeah well me neither buddy. All
I can say is I am super stubborn (shocker). <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">I left Rotterdam unsatisfied. Yes I ran a PB of nearly 90
seconds, but it was less than what I was capable of. I am fitter than that. I
am happy I still came away with a PB but it is not what I came to Rotterdam
for. I am hungry. I want another crack at it. I want another marathon. Boy this
whole marathon thing is addicting eh? I now have to decide when and where I
will make my next attempt. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">As for the blisters, this is not the first time I have had
this issue. No I was not wearing new shoes (you don't know how many times I have been asked this). In Victoria I ended up with one blister on the ball of my left
foot. At the Houston Half I wore the same shoes and socks and had double
blisters. At the Vancouver Half I wore the same socks but a newer model shoe (I
think) and no blisters, but then again it was POURING with rain. And now
Rotterdam, the biggest blister I have ever had on my right foot though this
time I wore thinner compression socks. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Whatever the cause, I need to figure out
the issue before my next marathon as I NEVER want to run 27+km on feet like
that again. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to comment. I have
been told swiftwick socks. I have been told trying tape, liquid spray on bandage
or possibly baby powder. There is a solution out there for me, I just have to
find it. <o:p></o:p> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the meantime, my feet will heal as I think forward to the
future and what it may hold for me. I will achieve my goals and no one and
nothing will stop me. The future is mine. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Amsterdam</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRxNcM6igL8_xv9uti7ujqQ9bz46jw_fddQJ6mnQ_UbQt3HD_vvFxFjGTLn-TnzKYeXo9hwYF0RYVFFPTbbPQXcxjHy4w2J_wRFTcMP4u2JBaPcwjqNwwH8e50erwYE9rSXe1sGa2iyE/s1600/IMG_20160411_233152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRxNcM6igL8_xv9uti7ujqQ9bz46jw_fddQJ6mnQ_UbQt3HD_vvFxFjGTLn-TnzKYeXo9hwYF0RYVFFPTbbPQXcxjHy4w2J_wRFTcMP4u2JBaPcwjqNwwH8e50erwYE9rSXe1sGa2iyE/s320/IMG_20160411_233152.jpg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGog93QDxAw78f4PL_VwC7jpNWvac7oCiZsvM0a1YYOO_May5hGD0lBxhViRaW9aa7s2BvWuoD-YJnITny1k2SeZtg1MAz6mkeRxpVyodIbzkVxdxOGaG-aXmW07GanzUwpGtxd29KeLE/s1600/IMG_20160412_212117.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGog93QDxAw78f4PL_VwC7jpNWvac7oCiZsvM0a1YYOO_May5hGD0lBxhViRaW9aa7s2BvWuoD-YJnITny1k2SeZtg1MAz6mkeRxpVyodIbzkVxdxOGaG-aXmW07GanzUwpGtxd29KeLE/s320/IMG_20160412_212117.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ready to fly Home</b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0GTpcdm_c4pPQV9-qEYAV36IK-NVxow_HvNXAPng4WFHYdNSNpZZDqgTi041HtPhjFgYuTNzuUvHukx-mVek6_K5Cj7Vq9qOJ3M9kajOdSM85QCU6dpajMYFtx4EgX-IyXDVOcoYtsQ/s1600/IMG_20160413_093418.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0GTpcdm_c4pPQV9-qEYAV36IK-NVxow_HvNXAPng4WFHYdNSNpZZDqgTi041HtPhjFgYuTNzuUvHukx-mVek6_K5Cj7Vq9qOJ3M9kajOdSM85QCU6dpajMYFtx4EgX-IyXDVOcoYtsQ/s320/IMG_20160413_093418.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">PS. Thank you to everyone who helped me get to Rotterdam,
including VIRA, Bastion Running Club and my to remain anonymous donor (we both
know who you are). </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">HUGE thanks to coach Matt and my partner at <a href="http://www.westcoastendurance.com/" target="_blank">West Coast Endurance</a>. We've been a team since late 2008 and I owe a lot to him! </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Also thanks to my friends and family for putting up with me during training and for your constant support. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Thanks to Dr. Abe Avender at <a href="http://www.islandoptimal.com/" target="_blank">Island Optimal Health and Performance</a> for his weekly treatments and keeping me on the road both mind and body. </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Thanks to my other sponsors aside from Island Optimal, including <a href="http://asicscanada.com/" target="_blank">Asics Canada</a>,<a href="http://sundogeyewear.com/" target="_blank"> Sundog Eyewear</a>, <a href="http://www.stokedoats.com/" target="_blank">Stoked Oats</a>, <a href="http://www.nuun.com/" target="_blank">Nuun Hydration</a> and <a href="http://www.cepcompression.com/" target="_blank">CEP Compression</a>. Your continued support means a lot!</span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Thanks to my co-workers for covering my shits and Jason for looking after things back home. </span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Myself with John Durkin from Bastion Running Club </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzF_vZqz9idmb-HoUtrJMr1EXGkabFOVlEnjA8ha0zNlno8lAtOXUrFkIiU0NKAyNA5RS702Q00vcE2kgasqgQvZL-uXiLLiiO8AL_hTQIoFyNF6-GXisuklpK9dQqFGipCjRx5aUJo4/s1600/FB_IMG_1459743019107%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzF_vZqz9idmb-HoUtrJMr1EXGkabFOVlEnjA8ha0zNlno8lAtOXUrFkIiU0NKAyNA5RS702Q00vcE2kgasqgQvZL-uXiLLiiO8AL_hTQIoFyNF6-GXisuklpK9dQqFGipCjRx5aUJo4/s320/FB_IMG_1459743019107%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a></span> </span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";">For those who really want to see my feet... scroll down. First some SnapChat photos cause they are always fun. </span></o:p></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxh78hfFblcaMYKKGZRLf1GiME4BUZV5GieqYwKyBznI2hPSUjJanci4tC5SUbk_L1GZr2pcQZN1ZSF37Gkv0CQ5m5TNAhMMgIleiyqh8d32scl7fX1HVFmUDjQa9meRgOz8Hz8owtzg/s1600/Snapchat-1038222122369022170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHxh78hfFblcaMYKKGZRLf1GiME4BUZV5GieqYwKyBznI2hPSUjJanci4tC5SUbk_L1GZr2pcQZN1ZSF37Gkv0CQ5m5TNAhMMgIleiyqh8d32scl7fX1HVFmUDjQa9meRgOz8Hz8owtzg/s320/Snapchat-1038222122369022170.jpg" width="192" /> <b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufO4lgWbtFD9WJuAJI83ZX_Jta5puQg6tvMgRanwVRfLt7OTaFCjg-bbrAMTjRwqYWsRCw-dr-BWkDHB-inAbdeuwPLfcOvMu7Qmth2yuNwA27Qmw9cNokkuvMZTf_ydi7P9yXcdmHnE/s1600/Snapchat-1787866481161324025.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufO4lgWbtFD9WJuAJI83ZX_Jta5puQg6tvMgRanwVRfLt7OTaFCjg-bbrAMTjRwqYWsRCw-dr-BWkDHB-inAbdeuwPLfcOvMu7Qmth2yuNwA27Qmw9cNokkuvMZTf_ydi7P9yXcdmHnE/s320/Snapchat-1787866481161324025.jpg" width="192" /></a></span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y0deYY_APkkpbVWLKw3ZbGAQ3OiqXBpRPH3rN05JlIhXSvQQXQym1RHeLAXgjJOpMX4qwjVKIdHxT0HLupN5V1X2QO-qcoci7SDO-9Plc4CgjbUJaSDxG04LfONnXFJDmVx4tUYNP5s/s1600/Snapchat-2140261571411776008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2y0deYY_APkkpbVWLKw3ZbGAQ3OiqXBpRPH3rN05JlIhXSvQQXQym1RHeLAXgjJOpMX4qwjVKIdHxT0HLupN5V1X2QO-qcoci7SDO-9Plc4CgjbUJaSDxG04LfONnXFJDmVx4tUYNP5s/s320/Snapchat-2140261571411776008.jpg" width="192" /> <b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></b></a><b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziAG4ohwzhH-JdNArX3QnrYYgaxIg22iIif7TG4Bczdb_SYJiejenvzhLGXeEnpH9ahtzQ3rSCWC1ZqqeJF334Y1M1Huh_5ReGYqDy4zvUSz_efmO63m6lFWxHADAm7NX8YLQ4sNERq8/s1600/Snapchat-2475530107832770545.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziAG4ohwzhH-JdNArX3QnrYYgaxIg22iIif7TG4Bczdb_SYJiejenvzhLGXeEnpH9ahtzQ3rSCWC1ZqqeJF334Y1M1Huh_5ReGYqDy4zvUSz_efmO63m6lFWxHADAm7NX8YLQ4sNERq8/s320/Snapchat-2475530107832770545.jpg" width="192" /></a></span></b></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Do you have SnapChat? Feel free to add me</span></b></div>
<b><o:p></o:p></b><b><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span></o:p></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg8VqA4K2GZDW8oZ17sMuKpiyGG4rohyphenhyphenZ4xa2XA-EIDOdKizRVNq4YsWLlowNoB8UnzEfPI8Zcv5GFiNK8J1FCQRe2IL0_xJNhUe0vkvwu2HJ01rL6_5VvGZyB1jnR5Qy6Fn_bpwBAsQ/s1600/Snapchat-4119061186326844358.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqg8VqA4K2GZDW8oZ17sMuKpiyGG4rohyphenhyphenZ4xa2XA-EIDOdKizRVNq4YsWLlowNoB8UnzEfPI8Zcv5GFiNK8J1FCQRe2IL0_xJNhUe0vkvwu2HJ01rL6_5VvGZyB1jnR5Qy6Fn_bpwBAsQ/s320/Snapchat-4119061186326844358.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div>
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<b><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Now the feet down there</span></o:p></b><br />
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<b><o:p><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> Immediately post race</span></o:p></b></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-48041647057619424942016-04-09T06:20:00.002-07:002016-04-09T06:20:40.445-07:00Flagstaff > Nanaimo > Rotterdam<strong>Where in the world am I? This last month has been a whirlwind of experiences and I wouldn't change it for the world. Last I checked in I was midway through my Altitude Stint in Flagstaff Arizona. Normally I am there alone (since my coach hasn't been able to join me for the last 2 years) so it was a nice change to be there at the same time as fellow Canadian Lanni Marchant (everyone knows who she is). Thankfully I had her there for the first 3 weeks of my trip, with the last week being solo. </strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PD9HbVwRUhZgr4ceygBvmHDRT3WyjcSbbju8_kyXUCQ4HvV7-BhVCUIFG8uMNP1koEfpvoqpr9JubMufNAa_N4OBc6zKaKJmJYl34avDIVh0VaSDOn2QVp6pQWWi80tuj7gFFB5klyI/s1600/IMG_20160323_130835.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0PD9HbVwRUhZgr4ceygBvmHDRT3WyjcSbbju8_kyXUCQ4HvV7-BhVCUIFG8uMNP1koEfpvoqpr9JubMufNAa_N4OBc6zKaKJmJYl34avDIVh0VaSDOn2QVp6pQWWi80tuj7gFFB5klyI/s320/IMG_20160323_130835.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>It was quite the change to go from always running solo back home to having a daily run buddy but it was such a good change that it was then weird to go back to solo. Amy Van Alstine was very kind in offering me to join in with NAZ elite; however, none of our easy days seemed to match up. While in Flagstaff I was able to catch the Bagel Run each of the 4 weeks which was always fun. If you catch yourself in town on Thursday mornings, head to Biff's Bagels downtown at 8am. </strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGUC29VPBzNtGRJ7-P5HYC6FJkZEsCRkSYnIIsusmaLUY3zv4RryD9pl8bR0IUlnT073EgZ4mSBno9TRiOjlRERiKMXIuqIPP4mxg0Eur_7ebII9gdrCR3-twMYMiJO0b5L9YNbJlK1Q/s1600/IMG_20160325_145742.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpGUC29VPBzNtGRJ7-P5HYC6FJkZEsCRkSYnIIsusmaLUY3zv4RryD9pl8bR0IUlnT073EgZ4mSBno9TRiOjlRERiKMXIuqIPP4mxg0Eur_7ebII9gdrCR3-twMYMiJO0b5L9YNbJlK1Q/s320/IMG_20160325_145742.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Shortly after my last blog I had my longest/hardest workout of the marathon build. I arrived back to the house after with many text messages from my sister trying to get ahold of me. Apparently my Grandma (last remaining Grandparent) was failing and she wanted me to know in case I wanted to call. In the 2.5 hours I was gone, it went from Grandma having a few hours left to receiving an email from my Aunt that she had passed peacefully about an hour before I got back. Poor Lanni walked into my room to ask about my workout and I think it went like "how did your workout g......." as she saw I was in tears. Ultimately it was a good thing as my Grandma suffered for years with Dementia and simply was not the same woman anymore. She passed exactly 1 week before her 89th birthday. Rest in Peace Grandma.</strong><br />
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<strong>Old Picture but this is how I remember her</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnG2nYxuDG7N9d9Vqfc2FQMPXe5YG5zYlVpmYSAAHF44Scyc7zF8TEH2h6j4Kid3TwY4Dh_XbDwz9lUMcqJNG_5uryJpZBEac-xgkwpeY1nlG-2Mr4qQGQOzlg3BoidWe8xI4wPh_lSM/s1600/IMG_20160320_125606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbnG2nYxuDG7N9d9Vqfc2FQMPXe5YG5zYlVpmYSAAHF44Scyc7zF8TEH2h6j4Kid3TwY4Dh_XbDwz9lUMcqJNG_5uryJpZBEac-xgkwpeY1nlG-2Mr4qQGQOzlg3BoidWe8xI4wPh_lSM/s320/IMG_20160320_125606.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>The rest of my time was spent with too much time on social media where #RyanSnaps was trying to convince me to run the Barkley Marathons. Umm yeah no, especially not after watching that on Netflix. I do not care if I could be the first Canadian to finish it or even the first woman to finish it. </strong><br />
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<strong>Day hike to Devil's Bridge in Sedona</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lm3vWdRn0iOKFMruGf1UkX-VmMmF3CXhyphenhyphenuC5rkuzpt_ZFDkiEHFdcDgP_hU0Xp9J6A6KUNT96K8HJITvsw-p5edAFldIkJQpXlm-iLniZIb6bznE5wiuF456p4ChwSeDBMSdvVPOsz0/s1600/IMG_20160327_201425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_lm3vWdRn0iOKFMruGf1UkX-VmMmF3CXhyphenhyphenuC5rkuzpt_ZFDkiEHFdcDgP_hU0Xp9J6A6KUNT96K8HJITvsw-p5edAFldIkJQpXlm-iLniZIb6bznE5wiuF456p4ChwSeDBMSdvVPOsz0/s320/IMG_20160327_201425.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>I also caught up with the Team Run Eugene BBQ for a quick night out. Even though I think I only met a couple of the actual team members, thanks for having runners out. </strong><br />
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<strong>Sadly though my time in Flag came to an end and I had to pack up and leave on March 30th. I know I have said it before but the running community in Flag is simply AMAZING. Even though I always know I am coming back, I am always sad to leave. Not to mention I simply suck at goodbyes. I'd prefer to sneak out of town then actually say goodbye or even see you later. I say goodbye and there's a HUGE chance of tears. Yep, I'm a suck. Some good people in Flag that's for sure. I'll be back. </strong><br />
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<strong>Dinner at Diablo on the last night </strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxQs2Mx4MXaU4klwRO2abYSCocsKqkyfk7_FKsL0kWkPc36jNJOkzKuRE_erfzJ9nrOtCte-oLU0Tl1QNsiPuYvMkYve_KjlHmmoMoUH8yoeYhdJVCo0_Bt_3Z8DQXtWWGqm6z6e-sBk/s1600/IMG_20160329_230158.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxQs2Mx4MXaU4klwRO2abYSCocsKqkyfk7_FKsL0kWkPc36jNJOkzKuRE_erfzJ9nrOtCte-oLU0Tl1QNsiPuYvMkYve_KjlHmmoMoUH8yoeYhdJVCo0_Bt_3Z8DQXtWWGqm6z6e-sBk/s320/IMG_20160329_230158.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>The last 2 days in Flag were actually filled with tons of wind and some snow. Those runs were freaking cold. My hands took the brunt of it, even with gloves. The day before I left, I ran with Canadian (and Vancouverite) Natasha Wodak as she had just arrived to town. Natasha and I go WAAAAAAY back. My claim to fame is that I did used to beat her. Sure we were like 12 or 13 but still it happened. ;) We tried to take some pictures and my fingers were way too frozen to even press the button on the remote so I had to pass that job over to Natasha. I ended up with pictures of the sky, and my stomach etc. Apparently she went "button happy" and pressed it at random times. Haha. But we did end up with some good ones. </strong><br />
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<strong>Good Pics with Tasha</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgerCxr_RucaxK7OizD1nn4xe005gXytYEUpBNSItDtTgl5C3fBioRQ_fKcKwVq5-kNen03CicGY7RVUQ8I-1ZMUfngGnEwqD8ZI_s23XyTbAuLBHQtK8-1qyvPdgpQlhzJcCFjLbC0I/s1600/IMG_20160329_130650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVgerCxr_RucaxK7OizD1nn4xe005gXytYEUpBNSItDtTgl5C3fBioRQ_fKcKwVq5-kNen03CicGY7RVUQ8I-1ZMUfngGnEwqD8ZI_s23XyTbAuLBHQtK8-1qyvPdgpQlhzJcCFjLbC0I/s320/IMG_20160329_130650.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Last Day, Last Run</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wY3NLmL3qvy7ltcjZcsug3IdSbFOh5-RaV1uodwTcauWe2CCN_xhv3tXHCgd-QbM7A6yIrqFYs0TQM_cHGewZAUZQTjI23leQK6kk9-8dOCN34dpBnrTzHebmVl9Srv8G-uEQ4wHEb0/s1600/IMG_20160330_100230.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8wY3NLmL3qvy7ltcjZcsug3IdSbFOh5-RaV1uodwTcauWe2CCN_xhv3tXHCgd-QbM7A6yIrqFYs0TQM_cHGewZAUZQTjI23leQK6kk9-8dOCN34dpBnrTzHebmVl9Srv8G-uEQ4wHEb0/s320/IMG_20160330_100230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>March 30th I flew out from Flag to Phoenix and were on the same flight as Steph and Ben Bruce (plus their adorable kids) as they were heading over to Stanford where Steph CRUSHED the US Olympic Trials Standard and snuck in under Olympic Standard only 6 months after having her 2nd baby! HUGE congrats Steph. We talked in the airport about hopefully getting it out of the way so you didn't have to do too many track 10k's. Glad it actually happened. Also got to finally meet the famous Oiselle star Sarah Robinson and her daughter PJ. </strong><br />
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<strong>Aug 2012 - March 2016 = 5 trips to Flag</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfFCsgANJ_enoYBt3EOgh3zkv1N1IrifkzT9BajreACeb8NmB-HgiXcOgXPMyz50UQJMj1QwwV4KUKxH1BMyzPr4wd0QAyZWalpVPgH5JpawECnpxtxln9WvXZf6zn-1tJN7UHjzQA7s/s1600/PhotoGrid_1458432120944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYfFCsgANJ_enoYBt3EOgh3zkv1N1IrifkzT9BajreACeb8NmB-HgiXcOgXPMyz50UQJMj1QwwV4KUKxH1BMyzPr4wd0QAyZWalpVPgH5JpawECnpxtxln9WvXZf6zn-1tJN7UHjzQA7s/s320/PhotoGrid_1458432120944.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>I flew Flag > Phoenix > Seattle > Vancouver. The lovely Catherine Watkins picked me up at the airport at 8pm and I spent the night at her place because the 9pm ferry to the island was impossible to make and I really did not want to take the 10:45pm ferry which would have gotten me home at 1am. #islandlifeproblems </strong><br />
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<strong>I totally travel is style aka Capri tights and compression socks</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqweWdxXRsGkcHKe7ef7ppZfUCWm8QlALCzLGuu2Hbc-eCUyx4JGGzHFksUkba5HYXFRMjV9MLmqgDDimlDmv55Y8X0gvUGDzTCtK8Qc3_if4JEWoGWKflUjy_62SlVXk3YBmQf_uWY8/s1600/IMG_20160330_171039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqweWdxXRsGkcHKe7ef7ppZfUCWm8QlALCzLGuu2Hbc-eCUyx4JGGzHFksUkba5HYXFRMjV9MLmqgDDimlDmv55Y8X0gvUGDzTCtK8Qc3_if4JEWoGWKflUjy_62SlVXk3YBmQf_uWY8/s320/IMG_20160330_171039.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>The next morning I hit up an 8x1k workout at the UBC track and while it felt great to be at sea level and have oxygen, the legs were definitely feeling the travel. From there, it was a quick shower and then off to the 12:30pm ferry home. Very thankful to my friend Jason who was able to pick me up at the ferry and take me home and also thankful to my chiro Dr. Abe Avender who was able to move my appointment from 3pm to 5:15pm as there was no way I was going to be able to make that 3pm time slot! </strong><br />
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<strong>Sea level! </strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXTwV-HSNfc9YCUJmo8GV88AzShJI6TbOL3RBz8H39Z9_qg7iIdT5Zh2IAVG-YVMySuIbC2qvpmII7egrAieT4aUkbD6RToBT2SJIM_D12rHPP4QU95bf7U1KGcjKBZHeI5T9IeIZTlw/s1600/IMG_20160331_130314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwXTwV-HSNfc9YCUJmo8GV88AzShJI6TbOL3RBz8H39Z9_qg7iIdT5Zh2IAVG-YVMySuIbC2qvpmII7egrAieT4aUkbD6RToBT2SJIM_D12rHPP4QU95bf7U1KGcjKBZHeI5T9IeIZTlw/s320/IMG_20160331_130314.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<strong>The day I got home was busy. So much so I was barely home. I walked in the door, found my delivered shoes from Asics, went through my mail oh and of course said hi to my cats even if they were apparently snubbing me for leaving them for a month. I had a proper shower and then was off to my chiro appointment and then to give a quick talk to the Running Room half and full marathon clinic. After the talk I did their 3.5k warm up and then hung around while they did their own workout of km repeats. Some food and then a few groceries on the way home meant I really didn't get home until after 9pm. </strong><br />
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<strong>I was then home Friday, Saturday and Sunday (filled with errands, running and chiro) and oh right, finding out that I was being laid off from my job as of September 30th once again. April 1st, 2014 my entire work was fired and we were able to re-apply for our own jobs as a reduced rate with reduced benefits and loss of seniority etc. I was hired back and then bam, April 1st, 2016 it happens again. This time they are selling the building and contracting out the workers, so even if I wanted my job back, I'd have to re-apply with another company and have my wages and benefits reduced even more. 8 years there this August, so it's slightly disappointing; however, I am trying not to worry about it until after the race. My Grandma, the layoff and other major stuff going on in my life, this is NOT the time for it. Ugh. </strong><br />
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<strong>Unpack the bottom 2 and repack the top 1</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V6CVO04HKitprGKknfJVMzzHyW7iXs1OyHV_g15ZcfLshXaUHejW-4IdzDvBzV_ECZGib9pLK4PAb7mxoetJwj036ghct2uv9iq8Viowb7NqkpSeABTp3jPjDmSvJkK2DPyA4y_UiH8/s1600/IMG_20160403_220930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V6CVO04HKitprGKknfJVMzzHyW7iXs1OyHV_g15ZcfLshXaUHejW-4IdzDvBzV_ECZGib9pLK4PAb7mxoetJwj036ghct2uv9iq8Viowb7NqkpSeABTp3jPjDmSvJkK2DPyA4y_UiH8/s320/IMG_20160403_220930.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<strong>Anyways I was able to also catch up on Dragons Den and see my sponsor Stoked Oats get a deal! Not surprising as it's a yummy product! Then Sunday night I found myself finally unpacking from Flag and repacking for Rotterdam. I left Nanaimo again at 8:10am on Monday morning (Thanks for the ride to the airport Mom). </strong><br />
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<strong>Stoked Oats Getting the Deal</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eOmMc8jRX1eqGC0Fa3uEMkmkQtm9kYXur-3zHE9n5-gsfXPl3GU_-z7H5izMnGZjyf_ELUXGT3tPIpq711KHmMd0EK-5AfSjGHeaWXX8wJGY6M0NBV6zHqcEfosEEFbZZ0u7TFGd698/s1600/PhotoGrid_1459485683967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8eOmMc8jRX1eqGC0Fa3uEMkmkQtm9kYXur-3zHE9n5-gsfXPl3GU_-z7H5izMnGZjyf_ELUXGT3tPIpq711KHmMd0EK-5AfSjGHeaWXX8wJGY6M0NBV6zHqcEfosEEFbZZ0u7TFGd698/s320/PhotoGrid_1459485683967.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Ready to Leave Vancouver</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClUbL7NLDJIi6VnJOGg-0CKjCjostTDn-lPFWshz3uka6PpoHyvkaPudrPJrU111xUFr6EhHx8EkYf1amXy4WoQYD8riNLUxJvppOrUjc9k7QLBfFan2ee3UfCIOWx9VqCwNNBT8zgDY/s1600/IMG_20160404_093256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClUbL7NLDJIi6VnJOGg-0CKjCjostTDn-lPFWshz3uka6PpoHyvkaPudrPJrU111xUFr6EhHx8EkYf1amXy4WoQYD8riNLUxJvppOrUjc9k7QLBfFan2ee3UfCIOWx9VqCwNNBT8zgDY/s320/IMG_20160404_093256.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1V6CVO04HKitprGKknfJVMzzHyW7iXs1OyHV_g15ZcfLshXaUHejW-4IdzDvBzV_ECZGib9pLK4PAb7mxoetJwj036ghct2uv9iq8Viowb7NqkpSeABTp3jPjDmSvJkK2DPyA4y_UiH8/s1600/IMG_20160403_220930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<strong>This time travel took me Nanaimo > Vancouver > Toronto > Amsterdam. Travel was pretty uneventful. The nice Air Canada attendant in Nanaimo was able to get me an exit row seat from Toronto to Amsterdam (Glad I never paid the $100 upgrade the night before when checking in). I was hoping to sleep from the Toronto to Amsterdam flight as I left Toronto just before 9pm Eastern but I think maybe I slept only 2-3 hours of broken sleep. </strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbvKMrL6253bTFLCWr11EFLOix4AiZz0LBiKRrGUdsXHwg35Lj674PF2SixfsalGZfToXnm_68ug42HGv0OZK2N9p2_8YWd-Vno5kca9Z5NBdfviWrPgO66S-BkFDbhgUGHHRzy6it5Y/s1600/20160405_021841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNbvKMrL6253bTFLCWr11EFLOix4AiZz0LBiKRrGUdsXHwg35Lj674PF2SixfsalGZfToXnm_68ug42HGv0OZK2N9p2_8YWd-Vno5kca9Z5NBdfviWrPgO66S-BkFDbhgUGHHRzy6it5Y/s320/20160405_021841.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>The lovely Air Canada flight attendant was great and she did her best to get me comfortable with bringing me 2 extra AC blankets and then a nice AC duvet but who the heck can sleep sitting up on airplanes. It wreaked havoc on my back after too long. It was great to have the legroom but I would have preferred an empty seat next to me like a few people had a the back of the plane. Oh well, I survived and landed in Amsterdam shortly after 9:30am local time Tuesday. We then had to wait 10-15 minutes for our gate to open and then the slowest customs process ever (clearly chose the wrong lane). </strong><br />
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<strong>From there I eventually met up with fellow Canadian Leslie Sexton who had landed not long before me from her flights. We were able to figure out how to catch the train to Rotterdam only with a minor error (apparently we sat in First Class instead of regular). How dare we sit in red seats vs blue. We got to our initial hotel shortly after noon and had an hour to kill before we were able to check in so we grabbed some lunch (thankful for English menus). We did a bit of walking around before our eventual run later that afternoon and boy did that feel awful. Plus we got a little lost trying to find a local park which we both found the following day.</strong><br />
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<strong>Rotterdam</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl1h5B65FqmBXMyGOC4mbehgTkiYUrfm4y_cZpAjy_hKO1Bza8W-aAQtRqh7IksAgwtVPfnYiqmO5E7E_2C8fDfyeP5wlC05Bz0Rcx8wWHcDqSJP-zy0UcsiakyqkBNDhqfkOxf1XZqM/s1600/PhotoGrid_1459946135148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAl1h5B65FqmBXMyGOC4mbehgTkiYUrfm4y_cZpAjy_hKO1Bza8W-aAQtRqh7IksAgwtVPfnYiqmO5E7E_2C8fDfyeP5wlC05Bz0Rcx8wWHcDqSJP-zy0UcsiakyqkBNDhqfkOxf1XZqM/s320/PhotoGrid_1459946135148.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>My goal was to stay up until bed time which I managed until 10pm and then I crashed (on and off as usual) until 8am when the noise outside the hotel kept waking me up. Wednesday we grabbed our Athlete passes so we could have our food covered and just laid low other than our final workouts at Kralingse Bos. I apparently picked the wrong time of day to go do it, has for my actual workout I was hit with a downpour and crazy winds. The workout went well considering. </strong><br />
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<strong>Post last workout</strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxnri337MtXjwoYzf1dyT_iMSsY7H6tb-vq6TNo7JbiQfUtaWVKRlOdjqnmTFNJuTPMjaQwXbdz28GV6BG4b2o273Aep5urE7WF0q3fTBb6KHW5_6GFyn4waq5LCnPkmJdzS6CcULm4I/s1600/IMG_20160406_210359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxnri337MtXjwoYzf1dyT_iMSsY7H6tb-vq6TNo7JbiQfUtaWVKRlOdjqnmTFNJuTPMjaQwXbdz28GV6BG4b2o273Aep5urE7WF0q3fTBb6KHW5_6GFyn4waq5LCnPkmJdzS6CcULm4I/s320/IMG_20160406_210359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Thursday after we changed hotels and checked into the race hotel (Hilton) and celebrated how we finally had a proper flushing toilet, an actual good shower, facecloths and internet that didn't cut out (can you see our first hotel was low budget?) we did some touring around and checked out the Erasmusbrug Bridge and Euromast which gave spectacular views of Rotterdam. You go 100m up where you can then take the Euroscoop to the top which is 185m. </strong><br />
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<strong>Easy Run</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcloHF6RJL82gMHakhZIfyK7QacmKM460r83uFclLzVvy2fbvygNiu7aYvejeEgXessCrLWw1JCqhj7xi_oYMGE_fPBNrl5QcgtquOfiYgWnZQm72bWnDJvv18hU7LVrCy6qPwyER2Fo/s1600/PhotoGrid_1460047742449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGcloHF6RJL82gMHakhZIfyK7QacmKM460r83uFclLzVvy2fbvygNiu7aYvejeEgXessCrLWw1JCqhj7xi_oYMGE_fPBNrl5QcgtquOfiYgWnZQm72bWnDJvv18hU7LVrCy6qPwyER2Fo/s320/PhotoGrid_1460047742449.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBAuaIFCmxK7-0K794Nkvv0cqfyNm2eLIXgUXQp-T6tDuPC7TMp4JpEYgcfEN6r0z1Q_g9u4AXR3tQUObEHNbcZQlFovUs9dOObM7Rw0oWStDdhrF2LtYwV320mfja7gFCULqF0G6Z6I/s1600/PhotoGrid_1460048009307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBAuaIFCmxK7-0K794Nkvv0cqfyNm2eLIXgUXQp-T6tDuPC7TMp4JpEYgcfEN6r0z1Q_g9u4AXR3tQUObEHNbcZQlFovUs9dOObM7Rw0oWStDdhrF2LtYwV320mfja7gFCULqF0G6Z6I/s320/PhotoGrid_1460048009307.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Erasmusbrug </strong><strong>Bridge</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX2mQDTpKSwdkTPUpaWS93_CZb7aSVRxIpmV0fNB5BhWssKj2j1jSbNgaBfm7FL2BL-QZ1a1R5MpaqHV0CCcRb8D-UNE_NsVGEjrlTtAjsBkynwTH89pYFMrpSRztr_W3roSFqFKhK5c/s1600/20160407_135704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggX2mQDTpKSwdkTPUpaWS93_CZb7aSVRxIpmV0fNB5BhWssKj2j1jSbNgaBfm7FL2BL-QZ1a1R5MpaqHV0CCcRb8D-UNE_NsVGEjrlTtAjsBkynwTH89pYFMrpSRztr_W3roSFqFKhK5c/s320/20160407_135704.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Euromast</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUXuQl00TBr8t1yv5OrEJ-fPFppGMf7b2hLqJhW38VpIrQaFruR1dPbLvqIWsgobXRhWt-I3V3RNVg9njTJsuOjUuqj93Wo9m5yPrskZlILB8Ho_A_bUqwdez2jAu0qTsPgLkWn5IBKM/s1600/IMG_20160407_162144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWUXuQl00TBr8t1yv5OrEJ-fPFppGMf7b2hLqJhW38VpIrQaFruR1dPbLvqIWsgobXRhWt-I3V3RNVg9njTJsuOjUuqj93Wo9m5yPrskZlILB8Ho_A_bUqwdez2jAu0qTsPgLkWn5IBKM/s320/IMG_20160407_162144.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>Friday all we did was check out the race expo and eat carbs, lots of carbs. The race expo took probably 10 minutes to walk to and from and I think we spent about 10 minutes (if that) in the actual expo. </strong><br />
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<strong>Leslie and I </strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchMt3kdOpWizJVJgH-FjS4mZlgU9kG9t3htH1c6JiR-ne48De5Uy_GiI3HX4HKRY5KRe4cs5SsqC7uRCoT0jelkOt2kY4S1kttm0IPy1BMJoKtqT_5skduUVn2ohVZaP5ybkGTK4b0Zg/s1600/PhotoGrid_1460116710457.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhchMt3kdOpWizJVJgH-FjS4mZlgU9kG9t3htH1c6JiR-ne48De5Uy_GiI3HX4HKRY5KRe4cs5SsqC7uRCoT0jelkOt2kY4S1kttm0IPy1BMJoKtqT_5skduUVn2ohVZaP5ybkGTK4b0Zg/s320/PhotoGrid_1460116710457.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<strong>That brings us to now, Saturday at 10:30am where we have eaten breakfast and are now chilling before we head out on our final short shakeout run. The rest of the day will be spent lying around and resting up (other than meals and the Tech Meeting today at 5pm). In 24 hours I will be 30 minutes into the race (eek). </strong><br />
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<strong>Goals? Some people know and I'll leave it at that. There are times being posted on social media and I will NOT confirm those times as my goal. Enough said. Alright, time to chill and try to keep the nerves in check. </strong><br />
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<strong>Think these will work for the race?</strong></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-52490983362407533992016-03-28T17:24:00.000-07:002016-03-28T17:24:10.645-07:00Project Fun <b>Back in November I approached Arrowsmith Aerial Photography for some drone footage that I wanted to include in a video produced by some VIU Students. Dave and Doug had a great eye and we had fun. The sun was shining on a beautiful (but cool) day and I pretended to look smooth while running even though I was still comeback mode after the Victoria Marathon. </b><br />
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<b>Doug then offered to put together a video for me when he had more free time in the New Year. It wasn't until late February when our schedules met up for some further filming. We lucked out to get some beautiful weather in between a few Wet Coast Storms. I have placed the video on Facebook and Twitter, but for those not following me either place, here is the video if you wish to check it out. </b><br />
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<b><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zf9qQTaDyNM" width="560"></iframe> </b></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-31464167712857695182016-03-18T10:53:00.000-07:002016-03-18T10:56:08.675-07:00SnapChat, Netflix and 7000ft<b>Here we are the middle of March already. This past Sunday marked 4 weeks until Rotterdam and made me think where did time go. Good news is that I feel fitter and healthier than I did in September prior to when I ran the Victoria Marathon. Definitely a good sign of things to come. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtKCHNuQwhZ77L_zKhuY34_PiCB6wAu2aHU8w4QGA174_isY91TIlHr0ghDxTUCwr3B9QCUfcwoc0375y94h5yud04Z5f3l7YmgKCjxl4hApnCLRE9vAhyphenhyphen5e1wi0m8qpdxiTMFRUP3Yw/s1600/IMG_20160310_101857.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRtKCHNuQwhZ77L_zKhuY34_PiCB6wAu2aHU8w4QGA174_isY91TIlHr0ghDxTUCwr3B9QCUfcwoc0375y94h5yud04Z5f3l7YmgKCjxl4hApnCLRE9vAhyphenhyphen5e1wi0m8qpdxiTMFRUP3Yw/s320/IMG_20160310_101857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The middle of March also marks the halfway marker of my latest altitude training stint in Flagstaff, Arizona. Anyone who knows me probably has realized I tend to disappear off to Arizona prior to my main goal races so to most it was expected. This is my 5th time here since my initial trip back in August 2012. Each time I fall more and more in love with Flagstaff. It's so nice to pass other runners out on every single run and this is the time of year when everyone arrives in flocks. With spring marathons coming up and outdoor track season about to begin, Flag is the place to be. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGthezg89-ySj2oyaJ1G5G5MrzasxknsKnBdCF-DqkjAUX9SUEPkQQgytKjgUCpy3iJ0wLyGCrwzFELTpp5_38Rd5yNToNMUpvdLHvLsOuumGHRtD75plyDmq2ruVtC4aEcu3WHNdeGU/s1600/IMG_20160312_132238.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkGthezg89-ySj2oyaJ1G5G5MrzasxknsKnBdCF-DqkjAUX9SUEPkQQgytKjgUCpy3iJ0wLyGCrwzFELTpp5_38Rd5yNToNMUpvdLHvLsOuumGHRtD75plyDmq2ruVtC4aEcu3WHNdeGU/s320/IMG_20160312_132238.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>The difference this time is that the timing of my trip corresponded well with when <a href="http://www.lannimarchant.com/" target="_blank">Lanni Marchant</a> is in town and since we stay at the same house, that has meant many many runs together. Coming from training pretty much 100% solo back home, it's been a nice change to have someone there. While our workouts don't match up (obviously due to different goals), we coordinate as much as possible for everything else. Whether it be simply be like today where I do a warm up with Lanni and then when she does her workout, I continue on my easy run or vise versa. I will say, that one of us tends to dress much warmer than the other (hint: not me). I actually find it quite amusing, though I give her a bit of an excuse with her having just come from Kenya.</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fU_2yFTmqslbca7MRJ360oNkAMuzegx1JOIi1PogDBj6k_khH_gwaaen76B2kIDUT7-rdcdkpyXy0cErqPbKNE5vGBE0b8kSVL8SeUAW-YA6BEIuQpq9dEwmA3Os_TCAUTd82bNUsFs/s1600/IMG_20160303_185306.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fU_2yFTmqslbca7MRJ360oNkAMuzegx1JOIi1PogDBj6k_khH_gwaaen76B2kIDUT7-rdcdkpyXy0cErqPbKNE5vGBE0b8kSVL8SeUAW-YA6BEIuQpq9dEwmA3Os_TCAUTd82bNUsFs/s320/IMG_20160303_185306.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Training stints tend to be pretty relaxed. A lot of time is spent on the feet running but is counteracted with a lot of time lying around. Netfllix and SnapChat seem to keep us entertained (when Lanni isn't working on a case). Call us weird, but yes we have been known to send SnapChat's or texts to each other, even though we are in rooms to each other. Thanks to SnapChat for updating the filters daily. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabhMezS2EXOiX2R_MEd_pSArWpqntWfkdhfCKmLERHeW-9bg5cfdi_9ryP47KKP724ryTjSdWS3P1BBYI-h5_N14Kvraxq5fjDmrRCIxscaj6i2exnIp0cwhshfImDA0RJu19G8p1S7c/s1600/Snapchat-798298672018019156.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabhMezS2EXOiX2R_MEd_pSArWpqntWfkdhfCKmLERHeW-9bg5cfdi_9ryP47KKP724ryTjSdWS3P1BBYI-h5_N14Kvraxq5fjDmrRCIxscaj6i2exnIp0cwhshfImDA0RJu19G8p1S7c/s320/Snapchat-798298672018019156.jpg" width="192" /></a> </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqrWnW7r3b7LAonRP5M0_LK0s1ykQdvSLWCv-13KFYOxGOkq_KG1014S7gsZaCaS7TQZzUVaYD1ez59ROd3CKJBp_35dnsS2bEK1Oyq7cDw86cvtLWSPgEwrOyYevh51Y7Bl7GhOiGbk/s1600/Snapchat-5306990769893407343.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghqrWnW7r3b7LAonRP5M0_LK0s1ykQdvSLWCv-13KFYOxGOkq_KG1014S7gsZaCaS7TQZzUVaYD1ez59ROd3CKJBp_35dnsS2bEK1Oyq7cDw86cvtLWSPgEwrOyYevh51Y7Bl7GhOiGbk/s320/Snapchat-5306990769893407343.jpg" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEiunDTX_I6DRcBAhpc7RUQpUe9E7MO_Xa55dRltBsoIj9GVkmUHimEuG5bPvd_WDvPUz8TnBTGzNYx37h0R06_DdVClsBiPR6_dihjaO0aoJdKMqOw2bZVdQXa0hfehBvAt58o8czGQ/s1600/Snapchat-7865238964601905036.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNEiunDTX_I6DRcBAhpc7RUQpUe9E7MO_Xa55dRltBsoIj9GVkmUHimEuG5bPvd_WDvPUz8TnBTGzNYx37h0R06_DdVClsBiPR6_dihjaO0aoJdKMqOw2bZVdQXa0hfehBvAt58o8czGQ/s320/Snapchat-7865238964601905036.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<b>Aside from SnapChat, training has been going well. One of my coaches favourite workouts to do up here is 10 x 3 minutes (with 90 seconds jog) at around 10k effort. I am sure I have done this workout each time I have been up here and while time has obviously been progressing to faster results each attempt (due to obvious improvements fitness wise), I finally rocked the sh!t out of the workout this past Wednesday. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMNOEhic5z1E2yAWfMrJEt9IJ9BztyAUfR4-y0UiqUZOpNrk1Z1nqNClGy-N7hwY2PEiP0c9IBTbLgF9imkUULQSF6KZdFhPPyuvLmucVvGv0mLjdmKMhrKy6AkxLrUDoyBsDgqXzd4o/s1600/IMG_20160311_142059.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMMNOEhic5z1E2yAWfMrJEt9IJ9BztyAUfR4-y0UiqUZOpNrk1Z1nqNClGy-N7hwY2PEiP0c9IBTbLgF9imkUULQSF6KZdFhPPyuvLmucVvGv0mLjdmKMhrKy6AkxLrUDoyBsDgqXzd4o/s320/IMG_20160311_142059.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlteLbsX-qJXJjeF1aKB5DWBWCtgtQxmcEn-GGbKUj-B35ovMpjrX_v4FmupmgblD8HYVDJHB5w-LTsGpL1JIoiLvE-aiLs_AHvhj0Py-Wv6u0JvvC9Kz2eSSdXHO6HEf0SQyeUQGagLw/s1600/IMG_20160316_102831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
<b>By that, I meant I kept the splits fairly consistent, the fastest I have run the workout and also didn't feel like I was dying or having my heart explode through my chest. I have one big workout left this weekend and it is a repeat of one I did last September that had me e-mailing my coach and telling him that I hated him. It's a brutal workout and I am somewhat dreading it, but I hope I can rock the sh!t out of that one too (stay tuned). </b><br />
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<b>Position after my almost 22 miler last weekend on Walnut Canyon Rd</b></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNYRT6bj9lEdxeTaYDMV4FoX5mAE1uQQ1s7KdSyIxtV_SsZONBiW0Cv06HYg-VobEELC6MwFX_TO0X3baUASE0e4zK9qTLDd657_7JifX5PIW6JGLprOYDmZnDj_ceWdQDEdp53nYso8/s1600/IMG_20160313_140230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzNYRT6bj9lEdxeTaYDMV4FoX5mAE1uQQ1s7KdSyIxtV_SsZONBiW0Cv06HYg-VobEELC6MwFX_TO0X3baUASE0e4zK9qTLDd657_7JifX5PIW6JGLprOYDmZnDj_ceWdQDEdp53nYso8/s320/IMG_20160313_140230.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<b>The only downside of Flagstaff in the spring is the wind. It's hit or miss. Sometimes if you put up with the cooler temps of the morning, you can get out and avoid the wind. In the later morning the wind picks up and can get quite gusty. Many a times Lanni and I have told the wind where to go. Still, the crappy wind aside, I am loving the sunshine (other than the minor attempt to snow one day) and am glad I missed the wet coast storms that blew through home the last few weeks. </b><br />
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<b>Just over 3 weeks till Rotterdam....... oy vey! I've included a few more photos below. </b><br />
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<b>Round and Round I go</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlteLbsX-qJXJjeF1aKB5DWBWCtgtQxmcEn-GGbKUj-B35ovMpjrX_v4FmupmgblD8HYVDJHB5w-LTsGpL1JIoiLvE-aiLs_AHvhj0Py-Wv6u0JvvC9Kz2eSSdXHO6HEf0SQyeUQGagLw/s1600/IMG_20160316_102831.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlteLbsX-qJXJjeF1aKB5DWBWCtgtQxmcEn-GGbKUj-B35ovMpjrX_v4FmupmgblD8HYVDJHB5w-LTsGpL1JIoiLvE-aiLs_AHvhj0Py-Wv6u0JvvC9Kz2eSSdXHO6HEf0SQyeUQGagLw/s320/IMG_20160316_102831.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Cool mornings but once the sun comes up it warms up fast</b> </div>
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<b>First Fartlek Workout</b> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg6r9HUK995f2jrUf_hp2G-kcflnUbOK9aI_7cr3bCay_zVtmU95-Xt_Uue98MFajFFueX2mnX9OSwsBf4FYxtRDxfBSfLyIiJV7kJDkzfU-JE8T2YwyUys5mf0kLbqPCLVb00QLcwD4/s1600/IMG_20160306_130932.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwg6r9HUK995f2jrUf_hp2G-kcflnUbOK9aI_7cr3bCay_zVtmU95-Xt_Uue98MFajFFueX2mnX9OSwsBf4FYxtRDxfBSfLyIiJV7kJDkzfU-JE8T2YwyUys5mf0kLbqPCLVb00QLcwD4/s320/IMG_20160306_130932.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPk8fIsRnvWtL_LBKIJkQpMjE0Gz73tthEXOYhDoxYLkadkBOBsmvcfZMtC3nXJvdPOuJw1L8YCh3AFlDOQT_nvf6X9KHsK4gA_KMBAHfbZoqbHHNwLoDqmK-YmHBqrljTktrvHWmgwA/s1600/IMG_20160312_131720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPk8fIsRnvWtL_LBKIJkQpMjE0Gz73tthEXOYhDoxYLkadkBOBsmvcfZMtC3nXJvdPOuJw1L8YCh3AFlDOQT_nvf6X9KHsK4gA_KMBAHfbZoqbHHNwLoDqmK-YmHBqrljTktrvHWmgwA/s320/IMG_20160312_131720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Dinner Time (yes that's Cards Against Humanity- stupid Ghost Hand)</b> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QElcM3Q-6rtGL0DaCSuKrSdFNZWa9zsNPZPe5MM1DWU-7VuKFCU_0r9JwyTlMW1Es_Mx4RzVTCrAYhmV3APE3vSWhNgq7XNwMr-x_Mp5YZKRMUJPUKn5AM8WanG0uUDY2E4xh3StLTc/s1600/IMG_20160305_223941.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7QElcM3Q-6rtGL0DaCSuKrSdFNZWa9zsNPZPe5MM1DWU-7VuKFCU_0r9JwyTlMW1Es_Mx4RzVTCrAYhmV3APE3vSWhNgq7XNwMr-x_Mp5YZKRMUJPUKn5AM8WanG0uUDY2E4xh3StLTc/s320/IMG_20160305_223941.jpg" width="308" /></a> </div>
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<b>I don't want to preach and annoy people, but reminder for those interested in purchasing <a href="http://www.sundogeyewear.com/" target="_blank">Sundog</a> Sunglasses, discount is good until March 31st, 2016</b></div>
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<br />Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-36173756803017085382016-03-08T20:17:00.002-08:002016-03-08T20:20:47.947-08:00Anyone Remember February? <b><strike>Life</strike>, no scratch that, procrastination has gotten in the way of updating my blog, so here goes! Let's go back to February and begin the catch up there. </b><br />
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<b>For the last 11 years, the <a href="http://nanaimosportachievementawards.com/" target="_blank">Nanaimo Sport and Achievement Awards</a> are held annually in February. Each year the committee goes through nominations and chooses 3 finalists for each category and for the past 4 years I have been chosen as a finalist for the Individual Female Athlete of the Year. I took home the award the first year I was nominated and I was honored to again be selected as the winner for 2015. </b><br />
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<b>The awards were held at the Coast Bastion Hotel on February 12th and it gave me an excuse to get dressed up (thanks Sis for the dress). As usual it was a yummy roast beef dinner and I was able to enjoy the night sitting with members of the local Nanaimo Track and Field Club. Thank you to those who took the time to fill out the nomination form. </b><br />
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<b>Local athlete and friend Byron Trajan and myself with our awards.</b></div>
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<b> </b></div>
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<b>The following morning, I headed over to Vancouver to compete in the <a href="http://www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf/" target="_blank">Pacific Road Runners Vancouver First Half Half Marathon</a>. </b><b>Training since Houston had actually been rough. After the race I spent a week cross training. It's always hard after
good races to stop and take a step back, but it was what both coach
Matt and I felt was necessary in order to get me to my end goal (the
marathon in April). Not to mention leading into Houston my SI/lower back
area was acting up and I was nearly begging for some cross training.
It's not often I am the one that says "after Houston I think I might
need a week of cross training." After a few injuries I would like to
think that I am getting smarter about listening to my body (currently
knocking on wood).</b><br />
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<b>I also started back up with
strength at Island Optimal Performance Center. Initially it felt really
good and then my easy runs started to slow down. </b><b><b>Re-introducing strength to my routine just took all the "pep" out of
my legs. Workouts were less than ideal and I struggled to hit paces
that were easy a month before that.</b> I've been through this
before though. Each time I start back with strength I find it takes me a
few weeks for my body to adapt. </b></div>
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<b> Getting it done anyway.</b> </div>
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<b>I headed over to Vancouver early so that I could spend the day with my nieces (and sister and bro in law I guess). It had been awhile since I had seen them and wow are they ever growing fast! It's fun to see how much they gave grown and what new skills and words they have acquired each time I see them. </b></div>
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<b>The next morning I was up early to have some breakfast and then off to the race site. The weather was less than ideal. Typical Vancouver weather. I had hoped that it had rained itself out the day before but apparently not. I arrived downtown to the race pretty early and met up with my fellow friends in the elite room. We headed off for our warm up as a group and found that the temperatures weren't that bad. It wasn't raining too bad at the time, so when we got back to the elite room many of us decided we could do buns/shorts and crop tops. Boy was that silly. When we headed out to the start line, the rain started to come down harder and there was wind. Still, we all hoped we would warm up as the race went on. </b></div>
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<b>Headed to the start!</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2XGhxxu44nFCiS4zMtGfpBpfAthbao0R_pmCG0nz7ulYBa9iC9mgdlgUMzo9Erewwg3ReBuZKMp1Kvnvc7VR9utemUcND1iENIu4Jd4I074L898Aq182u3tRhyIKgSkjvr0t1UhYrfQ/s1600/12779201_10153974603439111_7860646201534546715_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS2XGhxxu44nFCiS4zMtGfpBpfAthbao0R_pmCG0nz7ulYBa9iC9mgdlgUMzo9Erewwg3ReBuZKMp1Kvnvc7VR9utemUcND1iENIu4Jd4I074L898Aq182u3tRhyIKgSkjvr0t1UhYrfQ/s320/12779201_10153974603439111_7860646201534546715_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>We'll warm up right?</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJELzWRZfPOpmgei5fXfWytyZR3Qt7TCpXV6HbM8RW-pgFRgfLIdslGNtTeNWYXoKtzENrxiNxfNIGMKZPyqXnD2Vt9nzb_gqb0zFKvDiBivSSHRY4DJEaCpMLC48SMxXRj0AIO-WlyGY/s1600/12771949_10153974603604111_8227828173770061265_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJELzWRZfPOpmgei5fXfWytyZR3Qt7TCpXV6HbM8RW-pgFRgfLIdslGNtTeNWYXoKtzENrxiNxfNIGMKZPyqXnD2Vt9nzb_gqb0zFKvDiBivSSHRY4DJEaCpMLC48SMxXRj0AIO-WlyGY/s320/12771949_10153974603604111_8227828173770061265_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>That didn't really happen. The race started off and we all had a good laugh as the "gun" was delayed. The count down went, we started and were a few meters off the line when the gun went. Right away we were dodging puddles. It didn't take long for the shoes to be soaked. <a href="http://www.daynapidhoresky.com/" target="_blank">Dayna </a>took off like expected as she was going after a spot on the World Half Marathon Team (sub 73') whereas I hung back and stayed with Krista. Since Krista and I had been fairly close in Houston until I ran into gut rot basically, I figured she would be good to key off of. </b></div>
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<b>First few km (pc: Frank Stebner)</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm28OEOIkup2Y1zbgKCY5rPg06wXY4xevR81NUVSutPyVq7FKuTGDuuxlFRCWINenlIYhcClXqKmUpQBTSUM_E5ZCIedLp4mY00aAZmVcRP_YO-1O5WH9OzEfJaikc5Gi0YXqQt8Okak/s1600/12698215_10154534044617538_4583731702072805054_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqm28OEOIkup2Y1zbgKCY5rPg06wXY4xevR81NUVSutPyVq7FKuTGDuuxlFRCWINenlIYhcClXqKmUpQBTSUM_E5ZCIedLp4mY00aAZmVcRP_YO-1O5WH9OzEfJaikc5Gi0YXqQt8Okak/s320/12698215_10154534044617538_4583731702072805054_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>(pc: Dave Burroughs)</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSAHYKOOJW1qBfVHHHLfqVOSM-uJna9JFlYtYhLC70dYEF2OqpO_cNsHxUvLkLt1wgHXxIpZum2xPXFtuLgo6Kh5vb1kdRdm7eJSHPdfhIdUueOfbmzcz5KF30KZxsRGJNVE9GCl44o4/s1600/24961597161_4424c7893a_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSAHYKOOJW1qBfVHHHLfqVOSM-uJna9JFlYtYhLC70dYEF2OqpO_cNsHxUvLkLt1wgHXxIpZum2xPXFtuLgo6Kh5vb1kdRdm7eJSHPdfhIdUueOfbmzcz5KF30KZxsRGJNVE9GCl44o4/s320/24961597161_4424c7893a_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Krista created a gap a few times over the first few km but I always came back. We hit the seawall and were pretty much side by side. It was windy on the seawall and to be honest I am not an ass. I can't sit on someone and draft off them unless I put in some work too. Each time I tried to pull ahead, I wasn't able to, so I would stay side by side. </b></div>
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<b>Side by side on the seawall (pc: Mark Bates)</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVQ6srYBoz132paKkNTcHZK1XEAtF2X8uWPOFPmnzPUmIWLj5pkmuKO5oBloVv_puV5XpJm7a5vNY42zOolCKfmIG2DJ5BnpedqdwzeZ1OExkji1x8TduLb4MymtjxZYBaRbqW-FwJF0/s1600/534116_966763963401913_1765893425915871643_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVQ6srYBoz132paKkNTcHZK1XEAtF2X8uWPOFPmnzPUmIWLj5pkmuKO5oBloVv_puV5XpJm7a5vNY42zOolCKfmIG2DJ5BnpedqdwzeZ1OExkji1x8TduLb4MymtjxZYBaRbqW-FwJF0/s320/534116_966763963401913_1765893425915871643_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>After 10km, there was a bit of a gap, but I would pull even again and then another gap was created. As we hit the other side of the seawall there was more wind. There was probably a 20m gap at one point, but by the lagoon (in the last 5km) I again caught up to Krista and another guy. I tried my best to hold on but another gap was created and Krista pulled away and the guy fell off pace. Up the final hill there were some good cheers but my legs were frozen. I tried to push the final downhill but actually felt my legs nearly give out at one point. I did get to see some nice surprise cheers from my sister, bro in law and nieces just before the final turn though! </b></div>
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<b>Before the Lagoon</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxFGvEBbkUk7PdtZfmLtfuujV-nI7XtT2MF9hDoaMfIXkCIFIxXW6ZaPCf8EKsVfurHMVTO2SCI9dxRuS1pdY09O2ODLKxTY91UjUBR-R4J1Y2a3KNWfUG9UmLPZke5WKCuMUNDnmQ-Y/s1600/24447934894_ded1c61af7_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxFGvEBbkUk7PdtZfmLtfuujV-nI7XtT2MF9hDoaMfIXkCIFIxXW6ZaPCf8EKsVfurHMVTO2SCI9dxRuS1pdY09O2ODLKxTY91UjUBR-R4J1Y2a3KNWfUG9UmLPZke5WKCuMUNDnmQ-Y/s320/24447934894_ded1c61af7_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLPBn69apyl1nA9TPZfx-oi6wyw6VxnHljtnf3ADRf4-Tqn07uviTuCgDY0mTxfKPzJ6eWUn7RrZS2S9lm3I0DjuIl3lb_UcVvTdmACYyr1uLGQ3uknAjvdPTLXFSovFRbYmGRfj1EEo/s1600/25052253506_33abef3b7c_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLPBn69apyl1nA9TPZfx-oi6wyw6VxnHljtnf3ADRf4-Tqn07uviTuCgDY0mTxfKPzJ6eWUn7RrZS2S9lm3I0DjuIl3lb_UcVvTdmACYyr1uLGQ3uknAjvdPTLXFSovFRbYmGRfj1EEo/s320/25052253506_33abef3b7c_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I rounded the final corner to see the clock already ticking over 1:16 and thought "wow what the heck". While I had heard "38:xx" at half way, I remember thinking late in the race, "38? really, that means 1:16" but I actually felt like the pace had picked up so I was hoping for at least 1:15:xx. </b></div>
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<b>Headed around the final corner (pc: Frank Stebner)</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZiHzQU29H0BM78BZ8QAOzkZtawh0dmljbullLAZvLKHvLFhB4RiG46qJko8yjxgsYmBpl8hQJ8YDuo2bM7Zlz6meaFNMn56lWO7HWYjna3JTaUXikQT3HaytJrwaOs3cQq9fZMWoIsQ/s1600/12719652_10154533458312538_1680357081202519047_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZiHzQU29H0BM78BZ8QAOzkZtawh0dmljbullLAZvLKHvLFhB4RiG46qJko8yjxgsYmBpl8hQJ8YDuo2bM7Zlz6meaFNMn56lWO7HWYjna3JTaUXikQT3HaytJrwaOs3cQq9fZMWoIsQ/s320/12719652_10154533458312538_1680357081202519047_o.jpg" width="206" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Headed to the finish (pc: Rita Ivanauskas</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ4rJqyXav5rUA_j1V2xdpnO16V7unWL_xQHga0ncu-vhHvuNxmPaPx0e4_BoBXCL0xTN9ceLAK39cJ-g5uf0njUPeG7K_ocOCM1erb5ss0O4M5FJhQrM3n8TZUPYFLahq9rc8JERRq0/s1600/12719330_954506441270340_4691585508438726746_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJ4rJqyXav5rUA_j1V2xdpnO16V7unWL_xQHga0ncu-vhHvuNxmPaPx0e4_BoBXCL0xTN9ceLAK39cJ-g5uf0njUPeG7K_ocOCM1erb5ss0O4M5FJhQrM3n8TZUPYFLahq9rc8JERRq0/s320/12719330_954506441270340_4691585508438726746_o.jpg" width="255" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>While it wasn't the time or race I had been hoping for thanks to some "wonderful" weather, I was able to hold on and finish 3rd behind Dayna and Krista. It took all of minutes for all of us to become absolutely freezing due to being soaked. As usual though, the race organizers did a wonderful job and I highly recommend the race. </b></div>
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<b>Post race soaked muddy bums (was that a road race or XC?)</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAxSF3rnNyIQgbXN8FtIgGn1gv0c4iCB_iMqQ8WPsUDs8UIPBd8HP_t4jTHRi30PFnwCmlmyu4W3qKZnWw90639TxmwVhxsmBnVLVoVINe-n1vhXT1xf3gtVthIhqrckrOUr75GqZyv8/s1600/12697292_10153974607699111_5184325451921728965_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDAxSF3rnNyIQgbXN8FtIgGn1gv0c4iCB_iMqQ8WPsUDs8UIPBd8HP_t4jTHRi30PFnwCmlmyu4W3qKZnWw90639TxmwVhxsmBnVLVoVINe-n1vhXT1xf3gtVthIhqrckrOUr75GqZyv8/s320/12697292_10153974607699111_5184325451921728965_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Other side of the photo (pc: Rita Ivanauskas)</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrP5wFe4ygCBw6JqX1nTRVvzzwYWvcs2JAlCSfKBqZ6ntPVQnqOfmD-45YnxaoPNnaHzLtprW5_CPdGYkqX5u4bkG7MvL6_Ex6hP2uM0O4VaEgw_fx7jmBkkOkmIyFBzkjHlaAax9wJaU/s1600/12698410_10153957916359111_7243339952647544386_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrP5wFe4ygCBw6JqX1nTRVvzzwYWvcs2JAlCSfKBqZ6ntPVQnqOfmD-45YnxaoPNnaHzLtprW5_CPdGYkqX5u4bkG7MvL6_Ex6hP2uM0O4VaEgw_fx7jmBkkOkmIyFBzkjHlaAax9wJaU/s320/12698410_10153957916359111_7243339952647544386_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Reflecting on our results....</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAR07sysU5006ccTfW8Q666QCm03FymGcxGhEBENI_g2cjIXddelUlazHg4uNr2Zp-nDVpt4aWr6KQdJSmJp690Ob2xZGs75Q4xYXmUZDz5fYE5X7I3FF180RzCBoznPcofDamr63hzM/s1600/12768153_10153974607929111_6992050859039016709_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAR07sysU5006ccTfW8Q666QCm03FymGcxGhEBENI_g2cjIXddelUlazHg4uNr2Zp-nDVpt4aWr6KQdJSmJp690Ob2xZGs75Q4xYXmUZDz5fYE5X7I3FF180RzCBoznPcofDamr63hzM/s320/12768153_10153974607929111_6992050859039016709_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Results found <a href="https://www.startlinetiming.com/en/races/2016/fhhm" target="_blank">here</a>. </b><br />
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<b>In other news, anyone need sunglasses? I am sporting my <a href="http://sundogeyewear.ca/" target="_blank">Sundog Sunglasses</a> 95% of the time (unless it's dark or raining). My awesome sponsor is offering a good deal to all of you. 25% off and they will also kick back 15% towards my upcoming Rotterdam Marathon costs. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCvkVoL-DqW4KbY9-haWro9a1vrUy6z52A16slw6pAOyKHaN8SzJ8Fk_ORoOIUpGcRlhgZMTPiscEhHgli6zEkt2FpcLOOuRXEMV7pnSAR6ozVAmVNg21DrRwIY5Ln0HWIyVdvXRUD4I/s1600/12742723_10156542367675453_9136009137297258522_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZCvkVoL-DqW4KbY9-haWro9a1vrUy6z52A16slw6pAOyKHaN8SzJ8Fk_ORoOIUpGcRlhgZMTPiscEhHgli6zEkt2FpcLOOuRXEMV7pnSAR6ozVAmVNg21DrRwIY5Ln0HWIyVdvXRUD4I/s320/12742723_10156542367675453_9136009137297258522_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-50360993372253257362016-01-24T00:57:00.002-08:002016-01-24T10:24:45.169-08:00Success!!! I Didn't Sh!t Myself! <b>So you may be wondering about that title, well I am about to explain. This past weekend I raced the <a href="http://www.chevronhoustonmarathon.com/" target="_blank">Chevron Aramco Houston Half Marathon</a>. Prior to my marathon debut (October), coach Matt and I discussed this option as an attempt at a fast half, but then my return to running took slightly longer than expected thanks to my lovely lower back/SI. As I got back into solid training I slowly saw increases in my fitness but I wasn't sure whether I was really ready to run a decent half. As time went on, my fitness improved greatly and I was nailing some pretty good workouts so I decided that yes I would in fact head to Houston and give it a go. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbMo9WzOgtg6hJS18B5C9ITyudof3wmaFgPWD54Yo9rhkGOa19DrU4X47j1c5uy_SVXS5va1qMf-GOjfAc_quDHRgUn6fkO8qAHr7lIsg-w4hHJZwr-DSyYafc4BW1OrAdmS0Du90gMg/s1600/20160116_112458.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvbMo9WzOgtg6hJS18B5C9ITyudof3wmaFgPWD54Yo9rhkGOa19DrU4X47j1c5uy_SVXS5va1qMf-GOjfAc_quDHRgUn6fkO8qAHr7lIsg-w4hHJZwr-DSyYafc4BW1OrAdmS0Du90gMg/s320/20160116_112458.jpg" width="180" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>I was originally supposed to head down with a fellow runner from Ontario but by the time I confirmed that I would attend, this runner told me that unfortunately they were going to pull out. This was JUST as I was about to book my flights as I found a good deal. So instead of booking the flights, I went in search of finding new accommodations. Even though I had contacted the race organizers back at the beginning of October, they were only willing to provide me "sub elite" status which meant a free entry and the ability to start behind all of the athletes they considered elite. </b><br />
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<b>Thankfully though, through the elite coordinator I was hooked up with the contact info for a local running club. I was able to get in contact with a woman named Heather, who then put out a blurb to her running club to see if anyone would be willing to host me for the weekend. I am VERY grateful that Catherine stepped up and said yes! With that being sorted out, Houston we were back on and flights were purchased (slightly higher in costs). </b><br />
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<b>Just under 2 weeks before the race, I was out for a short evening run with another local runner (Melissa) and it was an extremely icy evening after a snowfall. We were running by headlamp on a paved trail that we call the Parkway Trail. I stupidly didn't notice the edge of the paved portion of the trail and my ankle decided to roll. I began quite the out of control stumble before finally putting my hands down and stopping myself. Then I proceeded to let go of a few choice words. I was able to finish the run though the ankle was not happy and was slightly swollen. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7yORXOtZBNYWn9i9mny9jkAVKaQ59poJkRp8Ua1L6gNTG5MZscRGQZC9EqSbwYO8gulCVmJDO9zl9usyx15HwtM8ZpnDDKCuxGFSJOsNp0s2hs3Ty3qQRVWU6RNOYzZSC3Xr4sxDHew/s1600/Message_1451965772148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs7yORXOtZBNYWn9i9mny9jkAVKaQ59poJkRp8Ua1L6gNTG5MZscRGQZC9EqSbwYO8gulCVmJDO9zl9usyx15HwtM8ZpnDDKCuxGFSJOsNp0s2hs3Ty3qQRVWU6RNOYzZSC3Xr4sxDHew/s320/Message_1451965772148.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMl4bM64lrQ3VTnNmT6lFDwHGj_jHaD_zAW6axWTh-FC1v2WT1SJFOFlTTUz5xdr2BPaytUUxh61ojiAdp7EkPckiohciG5eviiCRLoaH9-LgyB4CbVhS5FC9IVHx4P0KX67GTm7qB5k/s1600/Message_1451968478918.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizMl4bM64lrQ3VTnNmT6lFDwHGj_jHaD_zAW6axWTh-FC1v2WT1SJFOFlTTUz5xdr2BPaytUUxh61ojiAdp7EkPckiohciG5eviiCRLoaH9-LgyB4CbVhS5FC9IVHx4P0KX67GTm7qB5k/s320/Message_1451968478918.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>I am so glad to have such great support through Dr. Abe Avender at Island Optimal Heath and Performance. He told me to come in immediately the next day for some laser and to come in daily until Houston. I was glad to only have minimal time off (though I was able to cross train) before I was back out flying along the roads. The ankle was still slightly swollen but at least there was no pain after 24 hours. Thanks to Abe, Dr. Joe Foglia and to Geordana who all provided treatment and/or laser over the next 8 days. </b><br />
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<b>Go away cankle </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqnXdtQpgLdH0IKKRKm6WTll0bbRMzqweWPfRHP8WYdgdsvWACI4sBz4bo1o10weJQS4Ysp1MDxhOKoWJC6rlnntb7JNuveNDctahkxghGk276AEz95603cPh-qAvFrep1fw_6hV0EVE/s1600/20160106_135232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGqnXdtQpgLdH0IKKRKm6WTll0bbRMzqweWPfRHP8WYdgdsvWACI4sBz4bo1o10weJQS4Ysp1MDxhOKoWJC6rlnntb7JNuveNDctahkxghGk276AEz95603cPh-qAvFrep1fw_6hV0EVE/s320/20160106_135232.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>On Wednesday I headed off to Vancouver, not without incident. As my mom was driving me to the seaplane terminal, we were about 5 minutes away and I had about 10 minutes until the "Arrive 30 minutes before the flight" deadline when someone rear ended us. My first thought and I am pretty sure I said it out loud was "I don't have effing time for this." There didn't appear to be much damage visible to the eye, but we got his information anyways before rushing off to the terminal getting there just a few minutes late. Good thing there were only 2 of us on the flight. Plus my coworkers husband was my pilot so I wasn't too worried. </b><br />
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<b>See Ya Nanaimo</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh5xOknS7UjLWwiqUMKyCXbhhViFrGZPfromjJqLmkA8O4L5epVtBJi35oK4OIFHrXrD_31E5LTW39EjisZHdQOG-i9ov04z0YaleQK3BVNujMCiSgR3DtObZ9fjnhwPACQzUffShmHE/s1600/20160113_135143.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBh5xOknS7UjLWwiqUMKyCXbhhViFrGZPfromjJqLmkA8O4L5epVtBJi35oK4OIFHrXrD_31E5LTW39EjisZHdQOG-i9ov04z0YaleQK3BVNujMCiSgR3DtObZ9fjnhwPACQzUffShmHE/s320/20160113_135143.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>So the trip was off to a good start. I spent Wednesday night in Vancouver getting a very short visit with my nieces, sister and brother in law. </b><br />
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<b>Hello Vancouver</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzbckMzOCIYoeS4m4SzhK_wcYRuGP2T56yuPLSSahsW3ZxU-IOaOSAdQSQhvpgbUhkgBy4ofSiTqMA0WdB5K6B_o0aw8iyZmNXgiWuPyshthDM2HCg-GJZZ72otCdyTbQoj1xhZmZk_4/s1600/20160113_140720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzbckMzOCIYoeS4m4SzhK_wcYRuGP2T56yuPLSSahsW3ZxU-IOaOSAdQSQhvpgbUhkgBy4ofSiTqMA0WdB5K6B_o0aw8iyZmNXgiWuPyshthDM2HCg-GJZZ72otCdyTbQoj1xhZmZk_4/s320/20160113_140720.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>The following morning I caught a cab with Dayna Pidhoresky and her husband (and coach) Josh Seifarth at 4:30am. Wow that was early. We all had flights out of Vancouver at 6:30, both through Calgary yet I was on Westjet and they were with Air Canada. </b><br />
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<b>Leaving Vancouver. Whatever that bright light is, it must be super bright in person.</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEMBZpGnpt06oCoRLWwKn6_-LIfrHRVuYdZ7zsBGxEabuocD3Aq1cZirWEmsrzEcjbFxPI48khONzXZ6auW4rEnEhN-2VMZdf1JJrrbEqBOtxYtnnf1tSiqEqdgfamiKHTcBmqnpJqe4/s1600/20160114_063619.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEMBZpGnpt06oCoRLWwKn6_-LIfrHRVuYdZ7zsBGxEabuocD3Aq1cZirWEmsrzEcjbFxPI48khONzXZ6auW4rEnEhN-2VMZdf1JJrrbEqBOtxYtnnf1tSiqEqdgfamiKHTcBmqnpJqe4/s320/20160114_063619.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Sunrise from the plane</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoJtWNW5nY4gHgDbBnJ21bTjVlgzSC_SDxfz70GaUatt9W8boYm-e1cngzlZ8a6HtnSl2U8bR-eGDpQuwWxRxHBdiQG44IkbbAycGxuQKhUoLrVqdffiRdPL-swI6j5jKtM4SwML4EQc/s1600/20160114_064551.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsoJtWNW5nY4gHgDbBnJ21bTjVlgzSC_SDxfz70GaUatt9W8boYm-e1cngzlZ8a6HtnSl2U8bR-eGDpQuwWxRxHBdiQG44IkbbAycGxuQKhUoLrVqdffiRdPL-swI6j5jKtM4SwML4EQc/s320/20160114_064551.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<b>Good people in Calgary, but unfortunate weather</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OMVxnuhHtZM18xM-OW6XJ08FCc5Mkh3dAJ7ugVw2CzfskdWNBqkpeVl8-Lu8FuELqWHkINoYEhKPZHJ3vT0rrlGwWze9rz3S3QMRL2NpkyyjJiE79syKjlC6Ic4C5NTmqBT9n6fWUaI/s1600/20160114_073356.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_OMVxnuhHtZM18xM-OW6XJ08FCc5Mkh3dAJ7ugVw2CzfskdWNBqkpeVl8-Lu8FuELqWHkINoYEhKPZHJ3vT0rrlGwWze9rz3S3QMRL2NpkyyjJiE79syKjlC6Ic4C5NTmqBT9n6fWUaI/s320/20160114_073356.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Catherine picked me up Thursday evening and we had dinner and settled in. Friday she had to work so I headed into the elite hotel to run with Dayna and Josh and then hang out the rest of the day. Saturday I visited the expo with Catherine and had a nice chat with Collen De Reuck. </b><br />
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<b>Expo fun</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkKHthjJbWwR2tCxJd9M2pyOG0pSf-zZo4z_zWweFaiHw4np4518RGbJ5drCzyijJwrXdh_X9eaML3ukyJbP3DlOzyOuJ6XDxs6ysM6PIeBtwIsREMLE47tqxrHyc2m-pXcnjUq90vjE/s1600/12620642_10153585346461107_1851501145_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinkKHthjJbWwR2tCxJd9M2pyOG0pSf-zZo4z_zWweFaiHw4np4518RGbJ5drCzyijJwrXdh_X9eaML3ukyJbP3DlOzyOuJ6XDxs6ysM6PIeBtwIsREMLE47tqxrHyc2m-pXcnjUq90vjE/s320/12620642_10153585346461107_1851501145_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><b> </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9MARhjo-_w8R3CfnDwWc1zDJXwBdxCF7W3Lznry8KSP8Z5sbBFwizJzdtSfXFjqXW2m7ZsItV_nNL_oU2RCjaToUfKiBJaV7Tu0bFLU0vgTdC35MoRT-C8HRVo8tk5NsYeUjIwjFowk/s1600/20160116_113121.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9MARhjo-_w8R3CfnDwWc1zDJXwBdxCF7W3Lznry8KSP8Z5sbBFwizJzdtSfXFjqXW2m7ZsItV_nNL_oU2RCjaToUfKiBJaV7Tu0bFLU0vgTdC35MoRT-C8HRVo8tk5NsYeUjIwjFowk/s320/20160116_113121.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiG23AtekWruGew6c9o7btOmNvfMpIVw58oSOMV-t1e89kidDnVLhi_zj__SV186ncKBVD7KPaxzRW7qV7dQyBPLk9hdW4qtrPQhAhE7-vl2j8PWocV-EnKcE2A7zaBw9Naxw4UKvXrI/s1600/12507452_10153571105886107_4899966377960616154_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOiG23AtekWruGew6c9o7btOmNvfMpIVw58oSOMV-t1e89kidDnVLhi_zj__SV186ncKBVD7KPaxzRW7qV7dQyBPLk9hdW4qtrPQhAhE7-vl2j8PWocV-EnKcE2A7zaBw9Naxw4UKvXrI/s320/12507452_10153571105886107_4899966377960616154_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPenkyHFW9NgQ0q0SMN-XWSOp8qKAMTC_l9OM6a6pCNF0VQwpz74VgbRigk-wPstUCSslvj4NqWxfbxB1NYtAyC7914d0pnVcz6080cdPsOQBuQtoQKx9tMTPOuf_eN3S719lsbXX4v4/s1600/20160116_110425.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPenkyHFW9NgQ0q0SMN-XWSOp8qKAMTC_l9OM6a6pCNF0VQwpz74VgbRigk-wPstUCSslvj4NqWxfbxB1NYtAyC7914d0pnVcz6080cdPsOQBuQtoQKx9tMTPOuf_eN3S719lsbXX4v4/s320/20160116_110425.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<b> </b><br />
<b>This was followed by a run from the hotel and hung out until after supper. It was nice to catch up with Krista DuChene and Rachel Hannah who were also at the hotel. Dayna and Rachel were in the marathon and Krista and I in the half. There were other Canadians in town too, such as Rob Watson and Sami Jibril both in the half. </b><br />
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<b>View of the finish area from the hotel</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yuRSaYwPgoZkvQ5wh8olBO5UJcucSB6HCWofIFmNMUCnbWO7bv_hM2DRdMuRaLJ9-VKx-9iqklI8F5vQgttgEIX5rkwRORvMIPncBldTjK1yJ2F6j51XSJlgkRTr8VhqGuDUfahA05E/s1600/20160115_170310.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5yuRSaYwPgoZkvQ5wh8olBO5UJcucSB6HCWofIFmNMUCnbWO7bv_hM2DRdMuRaLJ9-VKx-9iqklI8F5vQgttgEIX5rkwRORvMIPncBldTjK1yJ2F6j51XSJlgkRTr8VhqGuDUfahA05E/s320/20160115_170310.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Killing time watching sunsets with these kids (Josh and Dayna)</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFP18Y2czM0wP2vsgNtILLf7rkrHUNUgS6iNTmQQKUHo3EvgwfD9NlvpDS2S9wljGqsoEsBa4B6U8qyd3U7YlGQ7Nh7GXFH8NfUIi6fSu5L3uY5UjzvcK2x4VdcLrbQ1SUlk-5MN4rmE/s1600/20160115_174049_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuFP18Y2czM0wP2vsgNtILLf7rkrHUNUgS6iNTmQQKUHo3EvgwfD9NlvpDS2S9wljGqsoEsBa4B6U8qyd3U7YlGQ7Nh7GXFH8NfUIi6fSu5L3uY5UjzvcK2x4VdcLrbQ1SUlk-5MN4rmE/s320/20160115_174049_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB4IK7QSixwsBRf4saw8leuFO-VMELLu-9TPg7ZrubHOJqGZJST2vLJ1ech33UQlaWKC8-mzvc_ph1rmKzA-t0Oo3IW6xQI-Is5K9Pa6Cb5-P-kKb1MDN38upPyrCL_fen1BsSNC1o-o/s1600/20160115_181217_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZB4IK7QSixwsBRf4saw8leuFO-VMELLu-9TPg7ZrubHOJqGZJST2vLJ1ech33UQlaWKC8-mzvc_ph1rmKzA-t0Oo3IW6xQI-Is5K9Pa6Cb5-P-kKb1MDN38upPyrCL_fen1BsSNC1o-o/s320/20160115_181217_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Sunday morning was an early wake up call at 4:30 which is 2:30am back home. Thankfully I didn't have any problem with time change so 4:30 felt like 4:30. We headed down early to grab parking and to drop stuff at the bag drop. This was the first time I hadn't been elite in a while. Doing the regular bag drop with no clothing drop at the start line was something new. I had to be in my corral by 6:35. I wore a few warm ups down to the corral as I planned to catch another Canadian in the elite crew to hand my stuff to in order to pass to Josh. I ended up catching Krista at around that time and then I spent the next 25 minutes in my buns and a throw away t-shirt. </b><br />
<br />
<b>The corral was only about a block long and had quite a few other athletes in there. We ran back and forth and did drills trying to keep warm. Around 6:55 they did the colour guard (or should I say color guard since it was the USA) and the national anthem. At 6:57 they removed our gate and us sub elites ran up to the start behind the elites. I was probably about 10 rows back. It took me 4 seconds to cross the start according to the results. </b><br />
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<b>I had planned to find Krista, Dayna and Rachel who were going to be going out at 3:30/km or so. I could not even see them at the start. The gun went off at 7:00 and off we went, trying not to stumble over the hundreds of feet around you. After a few hundred meters or so I spotted the 3 of them over to my right and I slowly made my over to them. We ran this way for quite a few km before Dayna pulled ahead and Rachel dropped back. </b><br />
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<b>Krista and I continued along together and she graciously shared a sip of her first bottle with me. We were still together at 10km and I felt strong. I had no idea what pace we were on as I wasn't paying attention to my watch. I knew the first km we were slow (3:43) and then the next km we were right on (3:30). After that, I didn't look. There were clocks along the course but I never really paid attention to them. I questioned my legs at one point around half way, but my breathing was super relaxed so I knew I was okay. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49STakE0rO-4reyVHX-ZWpBNnYBIXeNFXiWiqOzhyphenhyphenBdbx_hhXSCE32G0h70a2e6wRgFNHbuM0NlNCBE6GawVDpoF73Vy4Qreyu8wcSfz20TthiobGnsyIhSnvqeqm4h5gW01Yuct4mDk/s1600/011716-ktrk-marathon-split-DSC_0081.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49STakE0rO-4reyVHX-ZWpBNnYBIXeNFXiWiqOzhyphenhyphenBdbx_hhXSCE32G0h70a2e6wRgFNHbuM0NlNCBE6GawVDpoF73Vy4Qreyu8wcSfz20TthiobGnsyIhSnvqeqm4h5gW01Yuct4mDk/s320/011716-ktrk-marathon-split-DSC_0081.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><b>Credit: (KTRK Photo- Gina Larson)</b></i></div>
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<b>Just before 15km I started to run into trouble. Not with my legs but GI wise. This might be TMI for some people but the last 6-7km became a battle not to sh!t myself basically. For the first time ever, my inability to go before the race was coming back to haunt me. By 15km I was maybe a few seconds behind Krista. Every time the bowels acted up, I had to slightly slow down. Then the feeling would pass and I would pick it back up and get back up to the group (including Krista) only to have the feeling return. This went on 3-4 times. I eyed up the outhouses on course and nearly stopped but I thought "I don't want to ruin what might be a good time" and generally each time the outhouses were there, I felt okay. Then 500m later I was eyeing up side roads. </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Unfortunately they want $75 for these photos.... yeah right.</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwAQ3fvzhEeso0Tgp10-xh1xYuRHlcnYSHWGQ4nYbCRs7rWNm-GNMopUzIT9yHCP_nlIS3q1frWMQo6Y8nVg_8831Byp_Qm4zZk8kmvVdCqKhO5p9Q7L2tiEHcEfSe7IRlOhZCSbz-HI/s1600/Houston1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwAQ3fvzhEeso0Tgp10-xh1xYuRHlcnYSHWGQ4nYbCRs7rWNm-GNMopUzIT9yHCP_nlIS3q1frWMQo6Y8nVg_8831Byp_Qm4zZk8kmvVdCqKhO5p9Q7L2tiEHcEfSe7IRlOhZCSbz-HI/s320/Houston1.jpg" width="222" /></a></b></div>
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<b>One girl came up beside me and I nearly asked her if I had already done it. I hoped I hadn't. I worried that I had. People said I would know if I did, but me having never been in that situation before, I had no idea. Finally with about a mile left, the bowels felt in control so I picked it up yet again and went with it. I was able to finish strong with my fastest km yet and even pass 3 women along the way. I will admit, I totally did a check of my behind once I finished. I am proud to say I did not sh!t myself and even with the issues I was able to finish 20th female (90th overall) with a 16 second PB in 1:14:45. I finally broke that 75' mark! Woo hoo! </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaicq6GGk-8DO9S2Al3RnM82x920C7l_g_mXsX0jqrCxNk0Y_qjlO_hqYcaYxYGjT1nHppKDUJiCN5D6SVTPubAC-74yYOmgPq_01lPwqaRmouyGhs1kMccujR8REcHHsUoH_4AUgzQ8c/s1600/Houston3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaicq6GGk-8DO9S2Al3RnM82x920C7l_g_mXsX0jqrCxNk0Y_qjlO_hqYcaYxYGjT1nHppKDUJiCN5D6SVTPubAC-74yYOmgPq_01lPwqaRmouyGhs1kMccujR8REcHHsUoH_4AUgzQ8c/s320/Houston3.jpg" width="224" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryVxW3bOESfQn9oCuvAfe3cxWT6UnY1bJQtAbRxnofepsNwn6My76tBTvra1u1T1MbRUY83owl-cq7vMmeiI0JjCWwEb8eHIbh4ytFSHX9PbPJnUGZSOqjwQwrEhGcK0mXVrwMer3AW8/s1600/Houston5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryVxW3bOESfQn9oCuvAfe3cxWT6UnY1bJQtAbRxnofepsNwn6My76tBTvra1u1T1MbRUY83owl-cq7vMmeiI0JjCWwEb8eHIbh4ytFSHX9PbPJnUGZSOqjwQwrEhGcK0mXVrwMer3AW8/s320/Houston5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Oh and in case you are wondering, I found a washroom shortly after thanks to a lovely volunteer who gave me access to an off limits area as I was desperate. The legs felt good after the race other than 2 blisters, each on the same spot on both feet. It bodes well that there is still more in the tank. As the day went on, more and more stories came out of GI issues within the elites, whether it was bowel related or vomit related. There are questions whether the food provided on Saturday at the hotel was the cause or not. I believe the organizers are looking into the issue as too many people became ill. </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f0qirr9rmSY7KbaNPfnhtiSJ99m8eYwEvXDFZK-8s9j3wLDF0ypgljoIwk02LYV8mjsCXEpygG4uRiDkVP9gwHteHEJ5zPUHJDjNJ7Lu-g4EkTwANrRPI4bsqx4NfYtF7hEWs7JwZEs/s1600/Houston4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-f0qirr9rmSY7KbaNPfnhtiSJ99m8eYwEvXDFZK-8s9j3wLDF0ypgljoIwk02LYV8mjsCXEpygG4uRiDkVP9gwHteHEJ5zPUHJDjNJ7Lu-g4EkTwANrRPI4bsqx4NfYtF7hEWs7JwZEs/s320/Houston4.jpg" width="223" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>I spent Monday sleeping in and then visited the Houston Art Gallery with Catherine before my 5pm flight. </b><br />
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<b>This art I get. Actually made with coffee stained sugar cubes</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgN9A6XASBeqpYiw_Ox4h6V3vqFsBTDNmSS7H5z5KKzPdI6Te1r6eS8pC0cBP6i58oLt1Cxbm_xuodFGLboiESaevwWcw0R4lIxTYCOjn5CoPfXwZTsEicfhyA6ohXU0UILYeF0BAJWo/s1600/20160118_125633.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTgN9A6XASBeqpYiw_Ox4h6V3vqFsBTDNmSS7H5z5KKzPdI6Te1r6eS8pC0cBP6i58oLt1Cxbm_xuodFGLboiESaevwWcw0R4lIxTYCOjn5CoPfXwZTsEicfhyA6ohXU0UILYeF0BAJWo/s320/20160118_125633.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>This art on the other hand, I do not get (Rothsko). </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBZh3NJefxq6Y3SqUN_FkDjbMljO6rv9hN0wMqmOgonrmiPKaFUP6qq-T6HvUOgH2CKt9CXhv21_3qF8WiaeUEqHI7lGPKdHmwbH1ks5UesijFj22WsDOhbOXPL70bTQl4TStpMfPmSo/s1600/20160118_133751.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBZh3NJefxq6Y3SqUN_FkDjbMljO6rv9hN0wMqmOgonrmiPKaFUP6qq-T6HvUOgH2CKt9CXhv21_3qF8WiaeUEqHI7lGPKdHmwbH1ks5UesijFj22WsDOhbOXPL70bTQl4TStpMfPmSo/s320/20160118_133751.jpg" width="180" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Monday night was spent in Calgary for a 13 hour layover, which allowed short visits with Trevor, Kim and Chris before flying back to the island on Tuesday morning and then straight back to work. </b><br />
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<b>My house is in there somewhere</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fmKXShhRWu_ssRhHbfspgavTHtH8Jd0rVn1WSqLAEQj5EaqYvJ0VoiB2H1BtrzYwQJChGbor1RSZH1rKajYZmxX03Vsa_yF7t0wWtL0snrrmOiV9cOe5mPv-CO7CglNHNuvIwfRqgTA/s1600/20160119_111224.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fmKXShhRWu_ssRhHbfspgavTHtH8Jd0rVn1WSqLAEQj5EaqYvJ0VoiB2H1BtrzYwQJChGbor1RSZH1rKajYZmxX03Vsa_yF7t0wWtL0snrrmOiV9cOe5mPv-CO7CglNHNuvIwfRqgTA/s320/20160119_111224.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Results can be found <a href="http://results.houstonmarathon.com/2016/?pid=list" target="_blank">here</a>. </b><br />
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<b>Finish Video <a href="https://youtu.be/_kmp_BDOMuc?t=14m12s" target="_blank">here</a>.</b><br />
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<b>Also if you haven't checked it out already, check out this video. </b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I93UB4oVwi0" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-22263492075061610832015-12-23T19:08:00.002-08:002015-12-23T19:08:48.906-08:00Post Marathon Update <b>It's been nearly 3 months since my debut marathon, which means it's nearly been 3 months since my last post! Where did time go? Some of you might be wondering what has been going on so let me provide you with a quick update. </b><br />
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<b>Post marathon I began my 2 week end of season break of no running. The body actually felt really good. I had minimal soreness and definitely didn't have the "post marathon shuffle" that I had heard about. After 2 weeks I began some cross training in the pool. I had a few nagging issues going into the marathon so we planned to play it safe upon returning to running. Around 3 weeks when I tried to run, my body decided it wasn't quite ready yet. My lower back was a bit unhappy as well as my right glute. Thankfully my chiro <a href="http://islandoptimal.com/abe">Abe Avender</a> was able to help me with the recovery process. </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRixbpsJ2bb1wxBbSobEXNbEQccLyJWfDqAzP-nBUC5IG6KjR-IuUNa3tMVMNdxbXHa11y9LLu4NgInNd4B6iJ3w8FzJs-b7-6mKMCWFis0ylvT2LSur3QNiCdaMS8tEtcPUpEBReSvU/s1600/vlcsnap-2015-11-26-00h54m22s19.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqRixbpsJ2bb1wxBbSobEXNbEQccLyJWfDqAzP-nBUC5IG6KjR-IuUNa3tMVMNdxbXHa11y9LLu4NgInNd4B6iJ3w8FzJs-b7-6mKMCWFis0ylvT2LSur3QNiCdaMS8tEtcPUpEBReSvU/s320/vlcsnap-2015-11-26-00h54m22s19.png" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<b>For the next 2 weeks it was a mix of pool running and a few trials of running. Eventually after 5 weeks my body began to sort itself out and I was able to increase the running. Now 10.5 weeks post marathon I am back into the swing of things, starting back up with minor workouts last week. I can sure tell you that it was frustrating not to be able to get back out there running right away. I mean I had minimal DOMS so I was a bit confused. Turns out my SI/Lower Back was a bit locked up so once that was sorted out everything fell into place. </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDi4xRwryg7pTGnfl3UiBy4WT5-6FdrfLjlety6yrxjIVFfFObnHNrByi4qBhzPLid0rUnnSzyQqbIqH2bsFqP1EWKU1Jad5uSi5HiowX_N-5Glm7P-Q_xXNaFhXxOC5gvdgLgaLnI6AE/s1600/vlcsnap-2015-11-26-00h27m42s183.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDi4xRwryg7pTGnfl3UiBy4WT5-6FdrfLjlety6yrxjIVFfFObnHNrByi4qBhzPLid0rUnnSzyQqbIqH2bsFqP1EWKU1Jad5uSi5HiowX_N-5Glm7P-Q_xXNaFhXxOC5gvdgLgaLnI6AE/s320/vlcsnap-2015-11-26-00h27m42s183.png" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>Now I begin the "get back into shape" phase. My easy runs are normal pace, but the workouts aren't quite there. I am also building back into my long runs. With the next goal race not until Spring I have a bit of time to ease back into everything. No reason to go real crazy yet as I want to be healthy in April. </b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-HpBYhdaQhXNhUrrbw6C4NDzmDNvhLcK684ph7IHXNMZwp7gGtOTNoRKC2rZ65wnPeZo8B8rBkRThaweq5nMw-AAwcJvq4ZYeBmZbAKwckwJflH38QO3WIO-xTgugFxfT8uR6R_IS34/s1600/snow+running.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-HpBYhdaQhXNhUrrbw6C4NDzmDNvhLcK684ph7IHXNMZwp7gGtOTNoRKC2rZ65wnPeZo8B8rBkRThaweq5nMw-AAwcJvq4ZYeBmZbAKwckwJflH38QO3WIO-xTgugFxfT8uR6R_IS34/s320/snow+running.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div>
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<b>During my downtime after the marathon I began working with a local VIU Student named Jessie on a video project. Jessie needed a school project and I wanted a fun video, so it was a win-win situation and we began filming and planning in November. After some editing, we are pleased to release the latest edition of the video. Check it out! </b><br />
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-34887811963589413542015-10-15T17:51:00.001-07:002015-10-15T18:27:36.471-07:00Did That Really Just Happen? (aka 2015 Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon)<span lang=""><b>On Sunday I ran (and won) my debut marathon at the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon weekend and since then it has been a whirlwind few days. I have caught a bit of slack for only posting "So this happened today. That was kind of cool" along with a photo of the finish on my Facebook. Some seem to think I downplayed it too much. To be honest, it's simply what came to mind at the time I posted the picture. I have also caught slack in the past for being "too cocky" when posting results so it's not like I wanted to post something like "Eff yeah I won my debut marathon". I guess I have to find the middle ground somehow or I will just continue to post what I want and to heck with opinions! ;) </b><br />
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<b>I came back from Flagstaff, Arizona feeling fit and ready. I love the feeling of coming back down to sea level. Every run feels effortless. It's amazing how easy it is to run up a hill at sea level and not feel as though you are dying. New Flagstaff resident Craig Lutz from <a href="https://www.nazelite.com/">Northern Arizona Elite</a> actually blogged on his experience of coming to altitude. It's called "Tell me how I'm Supposed to Breathe with No Air" and it's a good read, you can check it out <a href="https://www.athletebiz.us/blog/tell-me-how-im-suppose-to-breathe-with-no-air/">here</a>. In short form, he basically sums up my thoughts in this one paragraph. </b></span><br />
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<i><span lang=""><b><span class="s1">“Breath is the finest gift of nature. Be grateful for this wonderful gift.” – Amit Ray</span></b></span></i><br />
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<i><span lang=""><b><span class="s1">"Amit Ray could very well be the father of breathing and relaxation. His “Om Meditation” and yoga technique would be impossible without breathing and the ability to allow calmness to settle over your body and soul. He spent the time between 2004 to 2010 living at 4500 feet and probably meditating higher in the surrounding landscape. Amit Ray knows his breathing but where I think I differ from him is that I know the importance of breathing while hitting an incline at 7000 feet and wanting to quit running all together."</span></b></span></i><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">So the first week back I was flying and then into the final week of the taper things changed. My body still felt okay and runs were certainly still easy, I didn't feel quite as smooth. Panick started to set in with thoughts that maybe I had returned from altitude too soon. In previous visits I returned to sea level to race within 3 days whereas this time it would be more like 12 days. At the same time, I knew that I came home earlier in order to get in a few final workouts at sea level in order to get a feel for my marathon race pace as paces are altered to be slightly slower at altitude. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">The final workout was on Tuesday, which was a very short session at marathon pace where I practiced for the first time, picking up my water bottles. I chose a short loop (only took me approx 3 min to do the loop) and took over 2 newspaper boxes at the end of people's driveways. Around and around I went for the workout, snagging a bottle each time. Probably should have practiced this more, but at least I had plenty of practice taking in fluids already via carrying a small handheld water bottle during most runs. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">In the days leading up to the marathon I was still slightly panicked. The legs didn't feel as fresh as I wanted them to and my coach plus many friends kept me sane. My throat started to bother me and I was worried I was coming down with something. Not to mention I swear something was up because I tried to injure myself 3 different times. I burned my arm right near my watch strap so it kept getting torn open and I feared an infection. I dropped something on the top of my foot which left a bruise and I walked into the door at work smashing my right hip. Thankfully, none of those events turned into anything major. They were definitely wake up calls to be careful though. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Saturday morning I headed out early for my shakeout run and wasn't pleased with out it felt. Again I was assured by friends that it was just the taper and all would be good by the next day. I left Nanaimo shortly before 11:30am as it started to downpour. A brief stop in Ladysmith for gas (102.9 vs Nanaimo's 112.9) and it was still pouring. The roads were in horrendous conditions. Thankfully it was daylight so I was able to see where the water was pooling to avoid hydroplaning. After Chemainus it cleared up enough. Another brief stop in Duncan to buy some straws for my water bottles and then I continued on to Victoria. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Downtown was terrible traffic. I am from Nanaimo, I hate traffic. I am not used to traffic. Put me in rush hour type traffic and I become less than happy. Finally I made it to the race hotel checked in and just as I got to my room and looked outside at the view it started to downpour. Oops I guess I brought the rain with me. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Soaked after package pickup</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu9xv2PyvnPEX4fMrpJLtIVO4tYmzQ_atKe6Pl3Ir80q6K06E77VnrIqw4fDHVc7UYJMCp3oitdZMqdT6bw_VArDjNPiNucl4Y8kuJOnj5htFUQt86MnZ-wQa9xMn-lo9Bg0sHaKzcas/s1600/IMG_20151010_144520%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAu9xv2PyvnPEX4fMrpJLtIVO4tYmzQ_atKe6Pl3Ir80q6K06E77VnrIqw4fDHVc7UYJMCp3oitdZMqdT6bw_VArDjNPiNucl4Y8kuJOnj5htFUQt86MnZ-wQa9xMn-lo9Bg0sHaKzcas/s320/IMG_20151010_144520%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">That night was filled with picking up my race number, getting my bottles ready, driving the course with my coach and his fiance and going to dinner with Anne-Marie and Kim (John and Drew joined us later). After that it was back to the hotel, a bit of social media and then trying to sleep which went as normal (waking up multiple times). </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aez8hFN5w7d2CrtMmYWXxmjyhYKhugQIGgTZ_xp1B-CTsbgVPLbxBSLQXXCND8JLBD_vkw6bvk14yz22SVrHj7HH3AyxO1w1ZhZKUSJ-b_xxzbLqS8WCb4J7K1z6nHq0ohNJ4JfVeNs/s1600/IMG_20151010_214042%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7aez8hFN5w7d2CrtMmYWXxmjyhYKhugQIGgTZ_xp1B-CTsbgVPLbxBSLQXXCND8JLBD_vkw6bvk14yz22SVrHj7HH3AyxO1w1ZhZKUSJ-b_xxzbLqS8WCb4J7K1z6nHq0ohNJ4JfVeNs/s320/IMG_20151010_214042%255B1%255D.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Morning came and my roommate Lindsay was up at 5:30am as she was racing at 7:15am in the 8km (my race was at 8:45). I took my time waking up and then ate some breakfast and slowly got ready. As I got dressed and got my bottles ready to drop off I began to feel my heart rate get faster and faster. Panic mode was setting in. The nerves were running crazy and I was doing the best I could to stay calm. Thankfully I had some nice text messages from friends to keep me going. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">I dropped off the bottles at about 7:50am and came back to the hotel for final prep before heading down to the start line around the corner. A quick 10 minute jog warm up and a few drills before getting on the line. Definitely felt weird to wait until 30 minutes prior to the race to do any type of warm up. And certainly was even weirder doing no strides before the start. My competitors and friends (Catrin, Shauna and new friend Kat) were very encouraging before the start as I was pretty nervous. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Trying to stay calm on the start (pc Craig Odermatt)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTK1DPZ0yG5DipmY1yzmq73YDDOA8IGYC2XJ-irZD_SoPHMIngd1mNwHPxMC793FDJvYcd79cE2QGoeLdOYxuC-k4_emVKm_oiztpYq5A-wwjQqZojx4q9XVnpnXpf0yfgRdHBaLF4oc/s1600/11225464_10156209435315245_3709957008255499387_o%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTK1DPZ0yG5DipmY1yzmq73YDDOA8IGYC2XJ-irZD_SoPHMIngd1mNwHPxMC793FDJvYcd79cE2QGoeLdOYxuC-k4_emVKm_oiztpYq5A-wwjQqZojx4q9XVnpnXpf0yfgRdHBaLF4oc/s320/11225464_10156209435315245_3709957008255499387_o%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Before I knew it we were on the start and off we went. The race went off and I positioned myself not far from #1 ranked (and previous champion) Lioudmila and with a pack of guys. I ran this way for about the first 5km and then Lioudmila started to pull away. I decided to stick with my pace and run my own race so I let her go. Slowly I watched her pull away. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Early in the Race (pc: Jason Calvin)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6q6ZwmpsKvdPDGQZc8AtlFdCJMV_HcyRmbI91WR8sf_dlvSF_vU3ST6ZYMLPZvpCByypYdiJ5eHseZaon8PenOxYhtigveSoReHk2cvODeK0L9pLgHGWodKs7XLcHlJRdqz-u6i_c1w/s1600/IMG_9348JC.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6q6ZwmpsKvdPDGQZc8AtlFdCJMV_HcyRmbI91WR8sf_dlvSF_vU3ST6ZYMLPZvpCByypYdiJ5eHseZaon8PenOxYhtigveSoReHk2cvODeK0L9pLgHGWodKs7XLcHlJRdqz-u6i_c1w/s320/IMG_9348JC.JPG" width="320" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Key points I remember about the race are approximately 11km I remember thinking "I am not feeling that comfortable considering it's only 11km. There is still a long way to go." Looking back at my splits I had dropped a few fast ones around 8 and 10, so that could explain it. The men slowly started to fall off and just before half way I found myself running alone with no one in my immediate sight ahead. Well I shouldn't say that, I had early marathoners out on the course and they were great support. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Approx 6km in (pc: Paul Little)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB02EeY9oCGDLj19OOLLeshP4Mn9jBr1D0nsNt1K_5Vd3HCeeQh00ipKbrOGVJCp6YLBjnNRmZ7zlItKaCo9Ez4L8xAdFO17Daz_rD5Ot1pZGt78Ih5xHziAUyjrNjjBWGys6ktaF4Zmw/s1600/12079968_10153050830631286_191071671285350907_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB02EeY9oCGDLj19OOLLeshP4Mn9jBr1D0nsNt1K_5Vd3HCeeQh00ipKbrOGVJCp6YLBjnNRmZ7zlItKaCo9Ez4L8xAdFO17Daz_rD5Ot1pZGt78Ih5xHziAUyjrNjjBWGys6ktaF4Zmw/s320/12079968_10153050830631286_191071671285350907_o.jpg" width="239" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"> 7km I think (pc: Dan Hedekaer)</span></b></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk4A4hiC1HoS2Y3UsWJWzrMkFbbAQGeYQoRMpAtvIY7tZatdoKV1vY2A_kXWWg5zhKYqSaKiuLXvSrORdn6OkwaDP37soG-qK3azs6g-XGHdeUBCoVVVUMd1iMPesAAn6pNyTEh59nBM/s1600/DSC_0118DH.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxk4A4hiC1HoS2Y3UsWJWzrMkFbbAQGeYQoRMpAtvIY7tZatdoKV1vY2A_kXWWg5zhKYqSaKiuLXvSrORdn6OkwaDP37soG-qK3azs6g-XGHdeUBCoVVVUMd1iMPesAAn6pNyTEh59nBM/s320/DSC_0118DH.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">I hit half way and didn't even look at my watch. I concentrated on hitting the turnaround which was around just over 23km. Then I focused on hitting 28km then 32km etc. I had a ton of support out there, not only from my coach popping up all over the place thanks to Sarah's spectacular driving skills, but from spectators and early start marathoners. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Somewhere on the way back I had people start telling me that I was 90 seconds back of Lioudmila and that she looked like she was hurting. I kept plodding along. Soon that 90 seconds became 1 minute and that turned into 45 seconds then 30 and somewhere along the way she popped into my view again. I kept being told how much stronger I looked, how much more comfortable I looked and how much smoother I looked. I figured if I had closed the gap so significantly in only 5km that I just had to keep going a few seconds faster than her per km and I would catch her eventually. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">I think around 30km I missed my bottle because someone placed it on the far side of the table making it unreachable but I wasn't worried. I felt like I had fueled pretty good so far, had a spare gel with me anyway and I still felt pretty good. In the back of my mind though people said that somewhere between 30 and 35 this wall would hit. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Finally we came back onto the half marathon course and I became familar with the area. I only had 12km to go. I came to the next aid station at 36km and saw again that my bottle was on the far side. This time I deaked around the table to grab it, only to notice that I had a bottle on each side of the table. I guess a volunteer picked up my initally discarded 10km bottle and put it back on the table, so I actually grabbed the 10km bottle again. Thankfully it still had plenty of fluid in it. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Up the hill on Dallas Road towards 37km, coach Matt was giving me updates and yelling at me like he was throughout various points of the race. At this point he yelled my name and Lioudmila at that point turned around to find me only 20m or so behind her. She instantly picked up the pace and I proceeded to curse my coach in my head for yelling my name. I think I even said something to another runner that I caught and passed. Lioudmila put a bit of distance on me (40m or so) and I kept going trying to keep her within striking distance. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">With probably 2.5km to go, my left hip suddenly out of nowhere became unhappy and I had a deep ache that altered my stride and made me limp and favour that leg a bit. I remember Darren yelling at me on the sidelines that I could catch Lioudmila and I remember yelling back "Darren my hip is gone." Thankfully after a brief period it came back. It went again slightly but again came back good enough to regain my stride. I kept pushing on. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Fronrunners Vic caught my bad hip/glute (pc: Erhard Laslo)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv3my6U8G8yMoCcca-qIYAhWW2dhjLgcf8DCbJ6PuJzOhEeR6i-gbW5mbvSD8QE8Z8xmc7qGljmVho2MT_eVxCf_Bnyx44KBTYqTxRJQk149XpBaxdEVKh9Im5e066ai91-G-tecBPQQ/s1600/12107225_1153793537981748_2306891377533307026_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCv3my6U8G8yMoCcca-qIYAhWW2dhjLgcf8DCbJ6PuJzOhEeR6i-gbW5mbvSD8QE8Z8xmc7qGljmVho2MT_eVxCf_Bnyx44KBTYqTxRJQk149XpBaxdEVKh9Im5e066ai91-G-tecBPQQ/s320/12107225_1153793537981748_2306891377533307026_n.jpg" width="266" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">We came to the final km and I had closed the gap a bit, but at this moment in time I still thought I was going to be 2nd. In my head I kept saying "I can't believe you are going to come within 20 seconds of winning, after all this way." At the time I did not think I would catch Lioudmila. Matt yelled at me around that 1km marker and I just couldn't take it anymore. I knew he was trying to encourage me but at that moment in time, I wanted him out of my ear so I yelled at him and with some swear words thrown in I basically told him to shut up (sorry). </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">The gap coming into the final homestretch (pc Craig O)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsKgQvDFjPBChDuiMUp_yLr02CECNQWvu8j5PvaSdfi58Px1u9YGc50vk6V17734ifV0fMJuK0u_LsvnW0zqkf2KuSTUAkELaOUT1-AqL3JmygIcjjkW5_srN5nBg_EWbbfA9RXDNKAM/s1600/12094932_10156209313580245_6889339349626475923_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqsKgQvDFjPBChDuiMUp_yLr02CECNQWvu8j5PvaSdfi58Px1u9YGc50vk6V17734ifV0fMJuK0u_LsvnW0zqkf2KuSTUAkELaOUT1-AqL3JmygIcjjkW5_srN5nBg_EWbbfA9RXDNKAM/s320/12094932_10156209313580245_6889339349626475923_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">The pass</span></b></span><b> (pc: Ross Palfrey)</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1UVRlcXVd416GIug8C3mttG8ji_tcRetEg9DQktDSwCTksPaY8XSOhpCTmbL3_2I1pNf8IlY4AoIAxnUCsqBX-m0qguW_Zk4lsAAq9zt8zCljdbKSJ5uLW59sqQ-CmwQXHMPZo-w4Ao/s1600/12087321_10153126358539149_2311036134089226066_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN1UVRlcXVd416GIug8C3mttG8ji_tcRetEg9DQktDSwCTksPaY8XSOhpCTmbL3_2I1pNf8IlY4AoIAxnUCsqBX-m0qguW_Zk4lsAAq9zt8zCljdbKSJ5uLW59sqQ-CmwQXHMPZo-w4Ao/s320/12087321_10153126358539149_2311036134089226066_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">(pc: Jason C)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGhJMAVyTrhxWx4OL-8Emyee2-2UOsBCimejW0JoC7vcQpzJGLlkfb0qX0VBM3Cfed0UUpsASn1JywuBIdGNUjGI02om73wOEicpvHBjCDq_Go1pH0gxeONCGj5s6ag4nwujvLDqLNMY/s1600/IMG_9404JC.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGhJMAVyTrhxWx4OL-8Emyee2-2UOsBCimejW0JoC7vcQpzJGLlkfb0qX0VBM3Cfed0UUpsASn1JywuBIdGNUjGI02om73wOEicpvHBjCDq_Go1pH0gxeONCGj5s6ag4nwujvLDqLNMY/s320/IMG_9404JC.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Onto the final stretch which I think is about the final 500m or so, I realized I was again gaining on Lioudmila and it was at this point that I realized my legs were not weak, I was not dead tired and that I had more in me. I began a sprint and I was gaining ground fast. With 300m to go I passed Lioudmila like she was standing still. I looked briefly behind me to see whether she made any attempt to go with me and saw instantly that she did not but I didn't let up. I kept kicking and it was at that moment that I saw my overall time for the first time as it clicked over 2:39:00. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"> Some final stretch pictures </span></b></span></div>
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<b>(pc: Ross P)</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZOTN9VDYp4xWXWHLwQDvbqVEiLB6KUjz4bMzUBlRTGkHa3WXcZnqxOjPfB87BvPQTp5aqlgDxGpdil1SSP-PCgrnyCGx14AUReSoVME3WW2ObSZRrrdCJ2N7raSvlrU7txiK5e_9tEI/s1600/12094886_10153126362519149_6378970569990812743_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZOTN9VDYp4xWXWHLwQDvbqVEiLB6KUjz4bMzUBlRTGkHa3WXcZnqxOjPfB87BvPQTp5aqlgDxGpdil1SSP-PCgrnyCGx14AUReSoVME3WW2ObSZRrrdCJ2N7raSvlrU7txiK5e_9tEI/s320/12094886_10153126362519149_6378970569990812743_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPAU0yPy8j3c4pzXx_fXHq_mNegsHDp8TopXxtZLqWQO3wPt-rEL3n_Y2uS1C-kHEEdJ-c_8LdndRrhgnEoSZ6mwmAQFbwmrm9MG3oYFzS_DAs5a9XziE_G1Dm_N0UQl9dGwyeEtXvdQ/s1600/12091271_10153126363559149_9098944717657550054_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpPAU0yPy8j3c4pzXx_fXHq_mNegsHDp8TopXxtZLqWQO3wPt-rEL3n_Y2uS1C-kHEEdJ-c_8LdndRrhgnEoSZ6mwmAQFbwmrm9MG3oYFzS_DAs5a9XziE_G1Dm_N0UQl9dGwyeEtXvdQ/s320/12091271_10153126363559149_9098944717657550054_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RANufLCgLX_u2PoMyZxMlX9UXf8tvfLS1os92zYkWalQaN9-wLt1-V9R6bWaodoTlKEcNHsBTSdizEt2DQXcNQcoy2U9euEFrDw7bKG6VBb6cSmB6XXRkvA5K1hXOckyszpSGv1n6HA/s1600/12087806_10153126366714149_8294632883901346482_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RANufLCgLX_u2PoMyZxMlX9UXf8tvfLS1os92zYkWalQaN9-wLt1-V9R6bWaodoTlKEcNHsBTSdizEt2DQXcNQcoy2U9euEFrDw7bKG6VBb6cSmB6XXRkvA5K1hXOckyszpSGv1n6HA/s320/12087806_10153126366714149_8294632883901346482_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">I crossed the line, threw my arms up and put on the best smile I could manage as I thought "I actually did it." After the race, it was insane. Cameras in my face, interview after interview. Finally I found my coach on the sidelines and the first thing I said was I am sorry for yelling at you. Hugs all around from coach and fantastic driver Sarah and congrats from so many people. It literally blew me away. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">I did it! Pure relief!</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">(pc: Paul L)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XtGIl6FwosDK8yJs0DHj_vvGfBpQfmkHot02Zzb5pSCygKASIjRl5m6vvjdK1-cMoTI7kqmGHAJx1QZ3m7TSulTo_Dk2poGJK1tBxdbuqy_vBtIyA4ZB711BPW2lnCW3tN_ErRd7I0E/s1600/12080088_10153050834961286_7394034372320284886_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2XtGIl6FwosDK8yJs0DHj_vvGfBpQfmkHot02Zzb5pSCygKASIjRl5m6vvjdK1-cMoTI7kqmGHAJx1QZ3m7TSulTo_Dk2poGJK1tBxdbuqy_vBtIyA4ZB711BPW2lnCW3tN_ErRd7I0E/s320/12080088_10153050834961286_7394034372320284886_o.jpg" width="239" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">(pc: Sarah Redding)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviQch1eUhxRya1Ogo9qsEpiXMQUzgrkCC3UZsgYwOaB6B14A2hyphenhyphen7eOCEfN5XyoDiCky2fsKy2QpApX6nF4O4fqwY1M1tv6OHnZBBXPTTt3lD0ev7rKmSntHfgRbHgkPoJZQbe3mT-tu4/s1600/12072653_10156219653355093_2302385772884115552_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgviQch1eUhxRya1Ogo9qsEpiXMQUzgrkCC3UZsgYwOaB6B14A2hyphenhyphen7eOCEfN5XyoDiCky2fsKy2QpApX6nF4O4fqwY1M1tv6OHnZBBXPTTt3lD0ev7rKmSntHfgRbHgkPoJZQbe3mT-tu4/s320/12072653_10156219653355093_2302385772884115552_n.jpg" width="298" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoJ9_vRVfWEwmw14PNhq7Do9aiUmswlCMysrNRef3dvjkONtppndgmvlU1zY46ephHEC5wYLb308MALoJVTkSRPPvQU9__kgLi397w14Oh2nnMKVEUYIvWMQrGDlUyexzEZTATqZ2Q6E/s1600/12072596_10156119707135453_6934088650774095184_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPoJ9_vRVfWEwmw14PNhq7Do9aiUmswlCMysrNRef3dvjkONtppndgmvlU1zY46ephHEC5wYLb308MALoJVTkSRPPvQU9__kgLi397w14Oh2nnMKVEUYIvWMQrGDlUyexzEZTATqZ2Q6E/s320/12072596_10156119707135453_6934088650774095184_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">By the time I got back to my phone at the hotel, social media had blown up my phone. Texts, missed calls from family with voicemail's, tweets, Facebook, etc. It was nuts. I responded to immediate texts and a few Facebook messages and left the rest for later as awards and food took precedent and then a lovely drive got me home around 7pm. </span></b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1">Post race craziness (pc: Frontrunners Nanaimo)</span></b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><span class="s1"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUOFpxLU8wnszB5qpyXLoLBptzU9FbBDaHTXg3P2dUoYrYywIy5MXKZE9_wcoI8HIlCDiIl0n_sPiUcXgn1Lk8bi3vPdB5kgD8-qv1Er9jB8CtP9bLY0bNkhPKA2xy6WtQWnVVVYGnEc/s1600/12096081_1645798545697476_3639392127740928880_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOUOFpxLU8wnszB5qpyXLoLBptzU9FbBDaHTXg3P2dUoYrYywIy5MXKZE9_wcoI8HIlCDiIl0n_sPiUcXgn1Lk8bi3vPdB5kgD8-qv1Er9jB8CtP9bLY0bNkhPKA2xy6WtQWnVVVYGnEc/s320/12096081_1645798545697476_3639392127740928880_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </span></b></span></div>
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>I am not going to get into details on my fueling during the race and I honestly cannot remember a lot of the race. People might wonder why I chose Victoria. Well simply put because it was somewhat local, I knew the weather and it was the same time zone. While it is a rolling course and considered much slower than other events going on around the same time, we chose Victoria to reduce pressure on time. We wanted a positive experience for my first marathon and I believe I got that. I finished still feeling good, with a sprint finish, never hitting the famous "wall" unless the little hip blip counts in which case it wasn't a wall but a curb. I know all marathons don't feel that way, but to have your coach say after that you looked like you could have done a post race workout and to have people comment on how well you are walking/moving, it's a good sign. Though it might also be a good sign that I didn't leave it all out there on the course. That would be why I cannot wait to do it all over again! </b></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang=""><b>AG Awards- Myself, Shauna Gersbach and Kat Ahokas (pc: Lowell Greib)</b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg8DHLO_0guZBe5XvoeXDjO1VHdTCxYcLqjl6Vj6zJ9tpBUniwkUwWRPZ8ATG9dZlTMBrG8Ax4AsHfVZXOPCA1EktXQ_JNnUN0elbm1Ob4-UFi7eHiAw93MFNvsRmiKRfQtsTU8AKJjw/s1600/vic+AG+awards.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZg8DHLO_0guZBe5XvoeXDjO1VHdTCxYcLqjl6Vj6zJ9tpBUniwkUwWRPZ8ATG9dZlTMBrG8Ax4AsHfVZXOPCA1EktXQ_JNnUN0elbm1Ob4-UFi7eHiAw93MFNvsRmiKRfQtsTU8AKJjw/s320/vic+AG+awards.jpg" width="316" /></a> </b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b>BC Marathon Champ awards- Myself, Catrin Jones and Shauna</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vwkN9V9iyJW9ilsjFbMxjl8QeWMBALAAC3DY5ZfnLMr5xOGECC4wQAU6J3iPHR8mvtmaiN0foV2XAmdpGMwNQnGLIjaE0jtzDAjRLH9CrVul2QCa_ZHVuXnaEioF5d6-RwTNX9ZOs4c/s1600/bc+champs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7vwkN9V9iyJW9ilsjFbMxjl8QeWMBALAAC3DY5ZfnLMr5xOGECC4wQAU6J3iPHR8mvtmaiN0foV2XAmdpGMwNQnGLIjaE0jtzDAjRLH9CrVul2QCa_ZHVuXnaEioF5d6-RwTNX9ZOs4c/s320/bc+champs.jpg" width="320" /></a><span lang=""><b> </b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
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<span lang=""><b>Now I know this post has become lengthy, but please stick with me while I say a few quick thank yous. </b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
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<span lang=""><b>First off, a HUGE thank you to my coach Matt Clout (<a href="http://westcoastendurance.ca/">West Coast Endurance</a>). Matt started working with me in late 2008 and has basically taken me from a 1:45:00 half marathoner to this. I owe him a lot for my success. I may hate him during some workouts or even during some races, but in the end I love him and owe him big time. So thank you Matt for sticking with me over the years and for believing in me. I cannot wait to see what we can do in the future. As Sarah says, we make a good team. Special thanks to Sarah for driving the course, for a great finish photo and for supporting both Matt and I in this adventure. </b></span><br />
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<span lang=""><b>Coach and I post race (pc: Craig O)</b></span></div>
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<span lang=""><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgHj87HorR8SHQ9Kp33UK8jjfZrJM96W0nBRuQwuCKPQxNgXX148umcuPvtZsvP4D7Vs7VNGGyq0sHkOwYfZOXm-OPmqiC_Ru9BqxwCKpP-2h-zWIa5SuMA_I_pmuYhbPWybyVQ_fKdc/s1600/12140147_10156209313565245_4861774715613410482_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLgHj87HorR8SHQ9Kp33UK8jjfZrJM96W0nBRuQwuCKPQxNgXX148umcuPvtZsvP4D7Vs7VNGGyq0sHkOwYfZOXm-OPmqiC_Ru9BqxwCKpP-2h-zWIa5SuMA_I_pmuYhbPWybyVQ_fKdc/s320/12140147_10156209313565245_4861774715613410482_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></span></div>
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>Next up, has to go to my family. Unfortunately while other commitments kept family from being at the finish line, I had calls and voicemail's waiting when I arrived back to my phone after they followed along with the finish line stream. They put up with my crazy training schedule and even if they don't fully understand, they try to. I always know they have my back and I can't wait to have my nieces at the finish lines once they understand what is going on! </b></span><br />
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>Thanks needs to go out to my friends. Many of you kept me feeling positive and motivated towards this marathon and for all the marathon tips and tricks. From Catherine, Lanni, Natasha, Dayna and Josh to Jason, Craig and Kris D. All your messages whether text or Facebook were greatly appreciated. Special shout outs to Trevor for always being supportive in a huge way, to Adam for keeping me calm race morning. </b></span><br />
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>To my coworkers, thank you for taking my shifts recently so that I could take some time off to get in my training while in Flagstaff and to my work for always giving me my time off (even if unpaid). </b></span><br />
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>Thanks to my therapists, from my main go to man (aka chiro) Dr. Abe Avender at <a href="http://islandoptimal.com/">Island Optimal</a> who always fits me in when needed and gives stellar treatments to Greg Howe who I strength trained with earlier this year though the Island Optimal gym. Thank you Abe for always listening, motivating me and for keeping my body in check as best as possible as I continue to reverse every single treatment you give me within hours. Thank you Greg for giving me some newfound strength. I also have Yvonne Visser who I rely on for massage. Those treatments are a lifesaver sometimes. </b></span><br />
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>A special shout out to<a href="http://www.drajgregg.com/"> Dr. AJ Gregg</a> (Hypo2) who is my go to when away from home man (aka chiro) down in Flagstaff. You really saved my butt last month and through minimal treatments I saw relief in my niggles. Thank you for taking the time to not only fix me but to give me some rehab to help in the future. You helped get me to both the start line and finish line.</b></span><br />
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>Also thank you to everyone out there who supports me from near and far, whether in person or via social media. I felt HUGE support out there before the race, while on course and certainly after. To everyone who cheered while racing themselves or after their race, thank you. I heard a lot of you out on course. Thanks Kris S, Dan, Alexis, Paul, Darren out on course. Plus many others who I can't seem to recall right at this time. To the Nanaimo people cheering at the finish including those who took photos (Ross has an awesome photo stream of my finish) and all the people I don't even know cheering, THANK YOU! Your support means the world to me and you have made me feel like a celebrity this week! </b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang=""><b>Love this picture because it shows some of Team Nanaimo in the background! (pc Ross P)</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span lang=""><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8iNmLnE5saWcEDZhXjzzWRjtLISUeo-9KmNy-EngIoYpXGH2lWDG6e_RXq1zleEHI_PstQsYU98oAMF8mASah9bAzu9Xy6MMqOjzz36BUDJWvl-KhGOiPLbjHlKgEZq7D0lC6YPEQ6c/s1600/12091336_10153126360809149_5105190543054040839_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil8iNmLnE5saWcEDZhXjzzWRjtLISUeo-9KmNy-EngIoYpXGH2lWDG6e_RXq1zleEHI_PstQsYU98oAMF8mASah9bAzu9Xy6MMqOjzz36BUDJWvl-KhGOiPLbjHlKgEZq7D0lC6YPEQ6c/s320/12091336_10153126360809149_5105190543054040839_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></span></div>
<span lang=""><b><br /></b></span>
<span lang=""><b>Lastly, I saved these guys for my final thank yous. Thank you to my sponsors that have either stuck by me through injury or have recently joined on. <a href="http://www.asicscanada.com/">Asics Canada</a> thank you for the shoes and apparel. <a href="http://sundogeyewear.ca/">Sundog Eyewear</a> I couldn't live without you! Thanks for protecting my eyes and making me look cool. <a href="https://cepcompression.ca/">CEP Canada</a>, thanks for keeping my legs feeling fantastic. <a href="http://nuuncanada.com/">Nuun Hydration</a>, thank you for supporting me in my addiction towards you. <a href="http://islandoptimal.com/">Island Optimal</a>, thank you for everything you do for me from strength to treatment and for always believing. </b></span><br />
<br />
<span lang=""><b>**If any other business wants to join in on assisting me with my dreams, please see my <a href="http://www.erinburrett.com/">website</a>. </b></span></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-80725503685635053042015-10-12T12:54:00.001-07:002015-10-12T12:54:43.082-07:00Wow, just Wow! <b>So yesterday this happened. You will have to stay tuned for the race report as I work in an hour but I will get started on that report as soon as I can. </b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pure relief and "I did it" going on right now! </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXIikzgFlvZ1m0HhaNwiuZ-BZvx6ugHESO7hHi3UBAK0vnLWoGdWJOIbUFlgl5PiqEa_HTPawjc-EYF9s__Y7nQc2EJHce_dj0x02V_4ijuKoHGT9WNDy_AWfxQKQQo4kag5WdDTf4XA/s1600/12072596_10156119707135453_6934088650774095184_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXIikzgFlvZ1m0HhaNwiuZ-BZvx6ugHESO7hHi3UBAK0vnLWoGdWJOIbUFlgl5PiqEa_HTPawjc-EYF9s__Y7nQc2EJHce_dj0x02V_4ijuKoHGT9WNDy_AWfxQKQQo4kag5WdDTf4XA/s320/12072596_10156119707135453_6934088650774095184_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
<br />
<b>In the meantime, here are some media articles posted so far. </b><br />
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<a href="http://www.timescolonist.com/news/local/high-drama-punctuates-victoria-marathon-finishes-1.2083207"><b>Times Colonist</b></a><br />
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<a href="http://runningmagazine.ca/first-place-runner-collapses-right-before-finish-at-victoria-marathon/"><b>Canadian Running</b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bcathletics.org/News/erin-burrett-wins-bc-marathon-championship-on-debut/2291/"><b>BC Athletics</b></a><br />
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<b> </b>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-20098632803069579062015-10-05T10:00:00.000-07:002015-10-05T11:18:30.563-07:00Flagstaff Recap and Marathon Annoucement <span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Upon racing the <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2015/09/kelowna-wine-country-half-marathon.html">Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon</a> on
September 6<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>, I headed off bright and early the next morning for
Flagstaff. This marked my 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> trip to altitude (August 2012,
September 2013 and April 2014). I was a bit leery heading to Flagstaff this
time around and even whined to coach Matt that I didn’t want to go. Reason
being was because my body was hurting me and I was a tad worried that I was on
the borderline of another injury. </b></span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kelowna Finish</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwdsjLLZNduCrXEDGyn08DkDD1SEeFJ_oVIyC3hQU4O7NLgovNDBAG_rFXCaAiH86NHYGW3DO3uYAEEzss3qNY9TKaLK0pAVIv9SHzG0rMzWeEYkHlbDS5IQiUbUkWmjojYoQ8hmdSn8/s1600/011-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiwdsjLLZNduCrXEDGyn08DkDD1SEeFJ_oVIyC3hQU4O7NLgovNDBAG_rFXCaAiH86NHYGW3DO3uYAEEzss3qNY9TKaLK0pAVIv9SHzG0rMzWeEYkHlbDS5IQiUbUkWmjojYoQ8hmdSn8/s320/011-1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>See you later Kelowna</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNca-fDgQuWzHqczrrZxOx-2ZBn4ZMfEjWSCodGR5m72QNdkNv3AX9tC3uyjdyTl0p_lwQwNhL9bgQn_TBL9RUOvdsc2QKPhg9FrmjTyVBbOXzj_X6H8wqhkJP_ofTN67SdYuuiiUsLA/s1600/SAM_8140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><b><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNca-fDgQuWzHqczrrZxOx-2ZBn4ZMfEjWSCodGR5m72QNdkNv3AX9tC3uyjdyTl0p_lwQwNhL9bgQn_TBL9RUOvdsc2QKPhg9FrmjTyVBbOXzj_X6H8wqhkJP_ofTN67SdYuuiiUsLA/s320/SAM_8140.JPG" width="240" /></b></a><b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>As I mentioned in my previous blog, I had some x-rays taken
on the Thursday prior to the race and hadn’t heard back by close of office
hours on Friday. With Monday being a holiday I also never heard that day, so I made
sure to send an e-mail to my doctors office on the Tuesday asking for results.
They responded back promptly with a scan of the results stating that there was
no issue. That was good news, but I also knew deep down that my body still hurt
and that x-rays don’t always catch stress fractures. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>I spy the Rockies</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNMN5UKD5vnc6kcaVlhlN8W9BmshG1ClsEptnzxRyPd6kSAgiNZEU34TZVPq_VquggNTRDgbJUcOgXGqIAZe158QYyNkrpdPuwafP44BP6QH5N_y-HX772R2htFYM_aI46BEnA6nrZv4/s1600/SAM_8154.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNMN5UKD5vnc6kcaVlhlN8W9BmshG1ClsEptnzxRyPd6kSAgiNZEU34TZVPq_VquggNTRDgbJUcOgXGqIAZe158QYyNkrpdPuwafP44BP6QH5N_y-HX772R2htFYM_aI46BEnA6nrZv4/s320/SAM_8154.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3TzwOK-xZOfT8VhyfJGR8foe9lhiGuLO8372clJUjtZg50il2vvV2_6MNNxLcSoUghKurTMuM8arA-g8W25XdSIHhVs3uqDbZZnweA99hhAtqLcu3AcMC9pS1gyPv91y8ICGdqtlLoQ/s1600/SAM_8162.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ3TzwOK-xZOfT8VhyfJGR8foe9lhiGuLO8372clJUjtZg50il2vvV2_6MNNxLcSoUghKurTMuM8arA-g8W25XdSIHhVs3uqDbZZnweA99hhAtqLcu3AcMC9pS1gyPv91y8ICGdqtlLoQ/s320/SAM_8162.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hello T-Hof</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcjrbwk8a8YHkEJi96o0aumYgBaF1aIsfbTq8jaXtlCs4h-AzDi4ZAleWpY7CM6ggvN1-ASO_ZOmsnO4ZedrZjqQUbXySirpbQ2xBUIbxrGjqQ5oDCF9xYM1zh70jxXHwe-knMNe0NUk/s1600/SAM_8169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijcjrbwk8a8YHkEJi96o0aumYgBaF1aIsfbTq8jaXtlCs4h-AzDi4ZAleWpY7CM6ggvN1-ASO_ZOmsnO4ZedrZjqQUbXySirpbQ2xBUIbxrGjqQ5oDCF9xYM1zh70jxXHwe-knMNe0NUk/s320/SAM_8169.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In Calgary. My plan certainly was not as cool as the Disney plane.</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VGX5fozhgk4PY5xezC_y0vAYOWnOMaQbHJ6cRoEYN14ciHd14dAGjbv7EJmbS7ddUlZiglJc74cMeA3_wfZsF8w1-Y3orcDrw-RczWV4vrBf3VzW4_-JbI077kktJmYyoh2xphJF3cs/s1600/SAM_8172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VGX5fozhgk4PY5xezC_y0vAYOWnOMaQbHJ6cRoEYN14ciHd14dAGjbv7EJmbS7ddUlZiglJc74cMeA3_wfZsF8w1-Y3orcDrw-RczWV4vrBf3VzW4_-JbI077kktJmYyoh2xphJF3cs/s320/SAM_8172.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>I arrived in Flagstaff after having a bit of drama with the
car rental, though thankfully I had pre-booked with 2 companies and neither
requested credit card details so when I didn’t like the hidden fees with the first
one I went on to the 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup> one. This delayed my arrival slightly, so
when I arrived I had a quick tour of the house from Jonny and then went off on
a shakeout run before hitting the grocery store for some solid food. Let me
tell you, airport food was lacking on this trip. Calgary didn’t have much once
you went through security (I flew Kelowna – Calgary – Phoenix). </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh Flagstaff how I missed you</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeJFcU1Jb7xS4bNGQFVjd5wcQRmi5xCBS7cKBuAqpiVDX1w58KpqHFdEpIvt7vmX0oLxTZWHbsu5go5FKppldXHLMeH_26nkRzOH-6ZNoW7SlelfDQSw2h68vdUwvmk_GVRw7rS_vc60/s1600/SAM_8181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGeJFcU1Jb7xS4bNGQFVjd5wcQRmi5xCBS7cKBuAqpiVDX1w58KpqHFdEpIvt7vmX0oLxTZWHbsu5go5FKppldXHLMeH_26nkRzOH-6ZNoW7SlelfDQSw2h68vdUwvmk_GVRw7rS_vc60/s320/SAM_8181.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Ooh that first shakeout hurt. Well technically the lungs weren't too bad, but the legs were a different story. Actually the first few days
hurt. My quads had taken a pounding from the downhills on the course. Good
thing the house had stairs in it. I might have had to walk down them sideways
on the odd occasion. </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Duck Pond</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYWJjz0tudxmT_Mz224s9koX5R0EJq8wK6X2lwvA5CF6-uqjuzQ0bywsuIcUrKvz5JDCXr5xTo9ZEIxtDvw713vWMZpW9tG7f5aHApEpHsJ5Wn6R13yi7PdHWqQhfkEvDjcG8Ff4zz_E/s1600/SAM_8214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYWJjz0tudxmT_Mz224s9koX5R0EJq8wK6X2lwvA5CF6-uqjuzQ0bywsuIcUrKvz5JDCXr5xTo9ZEIxtDvw713vWMZpW9tG7f5aHApEpHsJ5Wn6R13yi7PdHWqQhfkEvDjcG8Ff4zz_E/s320/SAM_8214.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few days after being there I decided to go see my chiro
away from home, aka Dr. AJ Gregg and hoped that he could sort out what was
going on with my hips and why I was feeling familiar pains from when I had a
stress fracture a year ago. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">AJ was fairly sure that it wasn’t a fracture and that if it
was, it was very slight. He offered to get me some imaging but I decided to
hold off and see what happened. </span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many runs in the first few days resulted in feeling like this</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_OgcJKooCI0r8sfizZ7NjDRtRRWGI4Khcr3gq-BaNZc-zrU4jWqNaN2cGBK1ulKabOJF1dYiCKGTAyNWM7yHOUjNI45bvXV6w7Eh8joHDJwaa-EyYHBH2ouY1WF_-6gapoNyU0bvqjU/s1600/SAM_8217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_OgcJKooCI0r8sfizZ7NjDRtRRWGI4Khcr3gq-BaNZc-zrU4jWqNaN2cGBK1ulKabOJF1dYiCKGTAyNWM7yHOUjNI45bvXV6w7Eh8joHDJwaa-EyYHBH2ouY1WF_-6gapoNyU0bvqjU/s320/SAM_8217.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thankfully the runs turned into more like this</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBFJkoF5ah_PfTG2J2teJuPQL-zXAABEE4Rf2aAA3uMNIq-6RlrK44XAx1etXTFLo3_UX2r6cOsI1Y9O_aVOC0HGS8hSjUyrpZETrCAmXy1AaMqt47mKLZ92JjDxzmvLCGyQtQSgLfOY/s1600/IMG_20150908_154234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFBFJkoF5ah_PfTG2J2teJuPQL-zXAABEE4Rf2aAA3uMNIq-6RlrK44XAx1etXTFLo3_UX2r6cOsI1Y9O_aVOC0HGS8hSjUyrpZETrCAmXy1AaMqt47mKLZ92JjDxzmvLCGyQtQSgLfOY/s320/IMG_20150908_154234.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOBLKCYRUfnJKZfy4raJvypJpt22pGLKHl8K_SujmSOMPUdvYDazsJudIzqXb4sYaUuHbe2lru9AKhgNXEqYtU8m33Cx9nrKS1EOnny2C364x873l7wX0tdz4S6upFu40dgDVKXAwg6I/s1600/IMG_20150919_140151.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDOBLKCYRUfnJKZfy4raJvypJpt22pGLKHl8K_SujmSOMPUdvYDazsJudIzqXb4sYaUuHbe2lru9AKhgNXEqYtU8m33Cx9nrKS1EOnny2C364x873l7wX0tdz4S6upFu40dgDVKXAwg6I/s320/IMG_20150919_140151.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>In the meantime he found some pretty good
tightness in my left hip and went hard at loosening it. Let me tell you, I have
seen AJ the last 3 trips I have been to Flagstaff and he is the only therapist
I have seen that has made me want to punch them. Is that a good thing you may
ask? Well he brings on good pain. It hurts like a beotch at the time and
certainly takes my breath away and leaves me practically shaking, but in the
end, it pays off. Boy that hip was tender for a few days though. </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eating dirt on Woody Mnt Rd</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjklb4u2Y_fgMsMRgxleA3irEn7ygQQLG7-OAjF0_1DCb1RmgKZ6fip9O9MSSy7J9kVIzjkUf_Sk8rdb7qB4MUnRlqFOts799il8LA3exKt2R0tIE-aBN4Og0s7gSUTcPcMTiPfhOT2eA/s1600/SAM_8220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjklb4u2Y_fgMsMRgxleA3irEn7ygQQLG7-OAjF0_1DCb1RmgKZ6fip9O9MSSy7J9kVIzjkUf_Sk8rdb7qB4MUnRlqFOts799il8LA3exKt2R0tIE-aBN4Og0s7gSUTcPcMTiPfhOT2eA/s320/SAM_8220.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>As the days ticked by running got easier and the body got
better. It was funny how I went from telling Matt I didn’t know how I was going
to go from a 75 minute run to a 2 hour 30 minute run as I couldn’t imagine
doubling my time running, but that 35km run was when I suddenly hit my groove
and felt great. Slowly most of the aches and pains disappeared (for the most
part) and I was able to hit my biggest mileage week in a long time.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In my Happy Place</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19_tURxN5CZ6OWEqJ9KAzgzB8KCR8FiIXw-zOCXLGqSPjLH0zrte717m5tn4saTCUklp40aLiC0rrpuB4DhZG6EvA02A1LNNrToFAFo8EMC4PfzyL56m2EBiX60Xs_Yp45RVEb-49Iro/s1600/IMG_20150921_131516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19_tURxN5CZ6OWEqJ9KAzgzB8KCR8FiIXw-zOCXLGqSPjLH0zrte717m5tn4saTCUklp40aLiC0rrpuB4DhZG6EvA02A1LNNrToFAFo8EMC4PfzyL56m2EBiX60Xs_Yp45RVEb-49Iro/s320/IMG_20150921_131516.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>For most of the initial 2 weeks I concentrated on running
and recovery and spent a lot of time with my feet up watching Netflix. Then
Lanni Marchant came into town and I was able to hook her up with staying at the
same house as me. This made it much easier to connect for runs and I was able
to show her a few trails nearby the house so that she had a bit of an idea of
where to run after I left.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bagel Run Canadian Take Over (Adam, Dylan, myself, Lanni, Brendan, Rob)</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CEoBGxAwrxb3O4UmK0M2i-Q8LeyO__KCVsG1zjPsIpG7l9dvg9xAXl4BzfN4RDOBTknqzSzqTgafFHKwln-fd2NCdtIfF8mIrI3iMhiKVo4dLkN00bPxf662Zqsd2Mlnufe57n2HXCQ/s1600/12017504_10153639043388874_7215670428396600265_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CEoBGxAwrxb3O4UmK0M2i-Q8LeyO__KCVsG1zjPsIpG7l9dvg9xAXl4BzfN4RDOBTknqzSzqTgafFHKwln-fd2NCdtIfF8mIrI3iMhiKVo4dLkN00bPxf662Zqsd2Mlnufe57n2HXCQ/s320/12017504_10153639043388874_7215670428396600265_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lanni and I</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyoHD3ELv60klt15lJWrIAA8xBRp8fT7OKje1ECCym4zftOnf-m0Csa8bI-ud1HQJH1wGO5ekpXoqc5BXT9cDTF_XAYUny4l8kiY1ty6DjIG8swtsCgLg_olxCCEFPAqF-8O7-_EJzTA/s1600/IMG_20150923_141843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyoHD3ELv60klt15lJWrIAA8xBRp8fT7OKje1ECCym4zftOnf-m0Csa8bI-ud1HQJH1wGO5ekpXoqc5BXT9cDTF_XAYUny4l8kiY1ty6DjIG8swtsCgLg_olxCCEFPAqF-8O7-_EJzTA/s320/IMG_20150923_141843.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Also during my last week I connected with some
Canadian boys from out east, including Adam Hortian, Brendan Hancock and Rob
Brouillette. They even convinced me to enter a dark underground cave, which
might I say was quite the experience. We might have been slightly under prepared, dressed in shorts and having 3 sources of lights from cell
phones and tablets but we all survived. </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lava Cave Adventures</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXWwavdt9aBTyPUWxk9R5GKU3zvPLmFNs_F4hG8AHVCInv2PR-dXpmCGMGxpIh_JP4GEd5n-w47HqSr09BW648kPwDrEnYpkO9FX8Ln5VK7r6rKHOI_SgqvdOBvS6nfDNjJueUZhkoWo/s1600/received_10100273321184181.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXWwavdt9aBTyPUWxk9R5GKU3zvPLmFNs_F4hG8AHVCInv2PR-dXpmCGMGxpIh_JP4GEd5n-w47HqSr09BW648kPwDrEnYpkO9FX8Ln5VK7r6rKHOI_SgqvdOBvS6nfDNjJueUZhkoWo/s320/received_10100273321184181.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Entrance</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirn5I1JYJw2rfnnCfixG8tUOJBzss3wiFjtUjzfB1h3tCmXkk13IZJ7aV_P5Zkyazc1JWpk_zF0FTz1YuLCU6TFE3ctYKvWbpMhA_KHfCz_Th-XBMqtKPZi-UtJO1w9eiseX1Au5T7Bs/s1600/SAM_8569.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgirn5I1JYJw2rfnnCfixG8tUOJBzss3wiFjtUjzfB1h3tCmXkk13IZJ7aV_P5Zkyazc1JWpk_zF0FTz1YuLCU6TFE3ctYKvWbpMhA_KHfCz_Th-XBMqtKPZi-UtJO1w9eiseX1Au5T7Bs/s320/SAM_8569.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeJsXo6yn8t2Dcuji2MmwAm83TA5TH-3uf1rTvP59VEzmUmYy2mdU-uRxA5lOLhHUxVkNdz-a85jP0MOSaPCNbUzhv0kPdCGbRsq7mSBRPuUUVQy2OFB2f2V8MIefAFGAwjOMAMBUPg/s1600/12019863_10153637938724819_3764112502570611700_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZeJsXo6yn8t2Dcuji2MmwAm83TA5TH-3uf1rTvP59VEzmUmYy2mdU-uRxA5lOLhHUxVkNdz-a85jP0MOSaPCNbUzhv0kPdCGbRsq7mSBRPuUUVQy2OFB2f2V8MIefAFGAwjOMAMBUPg/s320/12019863_10153637938724819_3764112502570611700_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxChYdHXmGdsLTh2AHmurx1TT0TlMupg5iNz7jfebcMqNnCcsQFgD0LOWReMDd_jTyvhsOI03d3YZ_ThWal8QaHzR5XDr49awRalIqvkff3lgpqtnjgNunWMTe4aQiEYBdaNEVp6J4bk/s1600/12038520_10153637938169819_6460144865379293997_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoxChYdHXmGdsLTh2AHmurx1TT0TlMupg5iNz7jfebcMqNnCcsQFgD0LOWReMDd_jTyvhsOI03d3YZ_ThWal8QaHzR5XDr49awRalIqvkff3lgpqtnjgNunWMTe4aQiEYBdaNEVp6J4bk/s320/12038520_10153637938169819_6460144865379293997_n.jpg" width="176" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>The last week was certainly filled with more fun which is
normal when I go to Flagstaff. Generally I always spend the first few weeks
concentrating on running. Then I do a bit of exploring near the end. As usual I
didn’t want to leave Flagstaff. There is a reason I always call it my second
home. It is somewhere that I could see myself living. The running community
there is just unreal. Now now Nanaimoites, don’t get upset, I know there is a
good running community here in town too but sometimes I just don’t feel as
though I quite fit in. </b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Climbing rocks in Sedona with Rob and Brendan (missed you Adam)</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qbfD2zRFBWz6Oud_-Lbvcc_YXUiJOaP7a5Eil2AHiI_OscMGcfpEL9ZY6QOSmYzH20N2Qc2JxsiurWCdJeTCKWqY40fW6pomybEdN8_PYOZNkXU2Bnoj_8Vjyh6V1VwDSwTE3tSKNrU/s1600/11231028_10153641775889819_5276188292419385543_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0qbfD2zRFBWz6Oud_-Lbvcc_YXUiJOaP7a5Eil2AHiI_OscMGcfpEL9ZY6QOSmYzH20N2Qc2JxsiurWCdJeTCKWqY40fW6pomybEdN8_PYOZNkXU2Bnoj_8Vjyh6V1VwDSwTE3tSKNrU/s320/11231028_10153641775889819_5276188292419385543_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As high as I got. The boys went slightly higher as they are crazy. </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOZdKfpYyUog0IgGsaf9Ca6T4-Ei5IC7nHWmfolXuT0p-I-dM4LGo_uLmNadxB3amvISi-hTYc6qsKB7JW7RBSAZtbLS7yfdTmKcNHyj34XS3H8WQokKcZvc_63Wj5QowteFwf9WQSFo/s1600/12027637_10153641775479819_8918016981447304558_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOZdKfpYyUog0IgGsaf9Ca6T4-Ei5IC7nHWmfolXuT0p-I-dM4LGo_uLmNadxB3amvISi-hTYc6qsKB7JW7RBSAZtbLS7yfdTmKcNHyj34XS3H8WQokKcZvc_63Wj5QowteFwf9WQSFo/s320/12027637_10153641775479819_8918016981447304558_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brendan, myself and Rob</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEExS8IGzP_acEULLn9EWBQpO9pQ_xYMzFfX_VGsvmAr2GetSVQAFdnVV6RxhMvoEbQiy4lYn0GtR_b8YGYEb_Ks28EIuQ1tfMUsdYMPiZbya742ah4_uha66i1Dn7OuZGIgJ8I6rowdg/s1600/SAM_8927.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEExS8IGzP_acEULLn9EWBQpO9pQ_xYMzFfX_VGsvmAr2GetSVQAFdnVV6RxhMvoEbQiy4lYn0GtR_b8YGYEb_Ks28EIuQ1tfMUsdYMPiZbya742ah4_uha66i1Dn7OuZGIgJ8I6rowdg/s320/SAM_8927.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Needed an updated Sedona shot</span></b></div>
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<img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcI891vmYwY6ySNBrzdExR4UzZFfgJy2B2BDVHcyX7ywtxZcdd0d7F4O3vmALsY-mO8Hq3IaOVez0Dmown_q9O-bN_VxglJ6s6wsd8FlGPE5oPAUI_syOHel2YcQKhS25u4n4ikaPSOzg/s320/SAM_8949.JPG" width="320" /> </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moon when leaving the Sedona Track </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOOt1NvE1EIFrl9JCPkeWxtfV7jPQrBOym5mo4Fm49Bc0N6XfomXE1G-zukAjW7fckuaAZyRzHvluACFtCmTt1cpgWWALqqmFcH8cndYlvZWZgSocMqYq4zwfYcwzIMHjzxO6M8zB85s/s1600/SAM_8967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOOt1NvE1EIFrl9JCPkeWxtfV7jPQrBOym5mo4Fm49Bc0N6XfomXE1G-zukAjW7fckuaAZyRzHvluACFtCmTt1cpgWWALqqmFcH8cndYlvZWZgSocMqYq4zwfYcwzIMHjzxO6M8zB85s/s320/SAM_8967.JPG" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Made some other friends while in Flagstaff</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSTW4ddGRjoBMnIIOK7w7AuFMzZ3P7ufF3ODcmxy3IdhJGHXmUtj67s7Bf4CxrXTYOGFpJzhl3HYbijadJ_EaorpKTgcL_0OV1t1NiFzWpIiiwsfpDYPffM5QoklBG3ominE-REsMYDQ/s1600/IMG_20150921_202105.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSTW4ddGRjoBMnIIOK7w7AuFMzZ3P7ufF3ODcmxy3IdhJGHXmUtj67s7Bf4CxrXTYOGFpJzhl3HYbijadJ_EaorpKTgcL_0OV1t1NiFzWpIiiwsfpDYPffM5QoklBG3ominE-REsMYDQ/s320/IMG_20150921_202105.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrf4pN_WudfmwojzMHaWUVxWXPuON0H_drjSzeiAa-n0JC_f2qn5pTqLRnKw5DFia_P9f7pT7oJRjT9cD3P8AgyXmgNHK7ajZba-LeXxUHkqAfPQNFxnM1NhIo2_FDCGGP7Rbz-xIp8I/s1600/IMG_20150921_190030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOrf4pN_WudfmwojzMHaWUVxWXPuON0H_drjSzeiAa-n0JC_f2qn5pTqLRnKw5DFia_P9f7pT7oJRjT9cD3P8AgyXmgNHK7ajZba-LeXxUHkqAfPQNFxnM1NhIo2_FDCGGP7Rbz-xIp8I/s320/IMG_20150921_190030.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And watched some sunsets from the Snowbowl</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkUSRbtO9t7wyxcNwtFeYyxfQCXXxQ89a53t8scApsow1cM5m2dbhNuQt33nzQRMTHpuwhAcd7m7gZffKvOBbIWIrvlkJv3PrD9ZxvfyW1MGrm0xQiY8i0Eyeyv0MZp5rGnJ8i97Ux4Q/s1600/IMG_20150925_210929.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihkUSRbtO9t7wyxcNwtFeYyxfQCXXxQ89a53t8scApsow1cM5m2dbhNuQt33nzQRMTHpuwhAcd7m7gZffKvOBbIWIrvlkJv3PrD9ZxvfyW1MGrm0xQiY8i0Eyeyv0MZp5rGnJ8i97Ux4Q/s320/IMG_20150925_210929.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXPcqd7VD8iHvel8sNnJcHjIVq3pUi38ElQi5fgnCvEAgtZpaQvXAV409MV8LhTYz7po6t4n1ogIj4BPSGIHGKdZ3il-tD__O-tkCZSc4fKE_2dvvQjHQ16r-kSYtCt7NElWX2cFwQ5c/s1600/IMG_20150925_211305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioXPcqd7VD8iHvel8sNnJcHjIVq3pUi38ElQi5fgnCvEAgtZpaQvXAV409MV8LhTYz7po6t4n1ogIj4BPSGIHGKdZ3il-tD__O-tkCZSc4fKE_2dvvQjHQ16r-kSYtCt7NElWX2cFwQ5c/s320/IMG_20150925_211305.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Or from closer to home</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoi6s3yijkKLiNRsmtFKTxEAX7-yieyVSr_oqTNLGHX-ZWGrr6QiEWWvTwrI09Oce9pHmiQGv1hwLcqyJ9GdqRA3hbX6W9OhiSg1VKN-HlohqJ9DIlnv6flZgfOteEvQquhj9aVPIpLQ/s1600/IMG_20150918_185655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSoi6s3yijkKLiNRsmtFKTxEAX7-yieyVSr_oqTNLGHX-ZWGrr6QiEWWvTwrI09Oce9pHmiQGv1hwLcqyJ9GdqRA3hbX6W9OhiSg1VKN-HlohqJ9DIlnv6flZgfOteEvQquhj9aVPIpLQ/s320/IMG_20150918_185655.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>Funny though how I initially didn’t want to go to Flagstaff
and wanted to hang around and run my usual routes and then in the end I didn’t
want to leave Flagstaff. Don’t get me wrong, the west coast and Vancouver
Island is beautiful and I love seeing all the fall colours here, but I miss the
endless amounts of dirt roads and trails of Arizona. We have trails here but it’s
just not the same. Funny me saying that considering I am 100% not a trail runner.
</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Track Work</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMBPjwwIyo_B8qMnxoHTBhwwaIbmRCk9XLXguOK92fPZ39pkJKZtr212GUYopVcKYEYlxSmcQ71hffuzqgdwgdRxFtcXqmWAzqLYqtYkdhreOw_0X10RvjpjhFsStbooIlFjMJIKSnzU/s1600/SAM_8560+crop+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMBPjwwIyo_B8qMnxoHTBhwwaIbmRCk9XLXguOK92fPZ39pkJKZtr212GUYopVcKYEYlxSmcQ71hffuzqgdwgdRxFtcXqmWAzqLYqtYkdhreOw_0X10RvjpjhFsStbooIlFjMJIKSnzU/s320/SAM_8560+crop+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>So here we have it, I am back to my reality (aka island life
and work) and all the major marathon training is done. Where does that take me
now? I suppose some of you may wish to know which marathon I am actually
debuting at. Certain people have been in the know for a while now, but I have
avoided making it public. Why you might ask? Well for one I had tons of niggles
going on and I wasn’t even sure I was going to make the start line. I did not
want to announce my marathon debut and then pull out of the event. A good part
of racing the marathon is simply getting through the training and getting on
that start line. I now feel confident that I will be on that start line to give
it the best shot I can.</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Traveling Home in Style</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEFQuHGrNbhJlzOYBlz7el2L5TwHsIEgWldUbB2mHC6ymgSfZyblq4pJoJCXkdvu_PAxDuZScecCoELL30AgNTWjC8RyFTr2FeWZ_unpZuoKIVjPudF2e0KQh9oBoVQvXgDDIeS-kz6g/s1600/IMG_20150929_153634.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpEFQuHGrNbhJlzOYBlz7el2L5TwHsIEgWldUbB2mHC6ymgSfZyblq4pJoJCXkdvu_PAxDuZScecCoELL30AgNTWjC8RyFTr2FeWZ_unpZuoKIVjPudF2e0KQh9oBoVQvXgDDIeS-kz6g/s320/IMG_20150929_153634.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Back at Sea Level (my Island Home)</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr26mWcDRbjQkhPX0kmLeC9J3L3HO7SAM6viwlpk8NWFbtPAxa5fyqCRilF8l6PMQ0MBnpFDmMyODv1JVsbMsQlI4cBYP5JdQHQGebfR0wqPKFXnRELnwdj-lM_G3_QKAOEaPFLyvVYc/s1600/IMG_20150930_182125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKr26mWcDRbjQkhPX0kmLeC9J3L3HO7SAM6viwlpk8NWFbtPAxa5fyqCRilF8l6PMQ0MBnpFDmMyODv1JVsbMsQlI4cBYP5JdQHQGebfR0wqPKFXnRELnwdj-lM_G3_QKAOEaPFLyvVYc/s320/IMG_20150930_182125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>I suppose you still want to know what marathon start line I
will be standing on eh?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>I am excited to announce that I will be on the start line
for the <a href="http://www.runvictoriamarathon.com/">2015 Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon</a> this coming Sunday on October
11<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>. See you on the line and hopefully at the finish! </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oxkibDuSVmzudto36U3X2erer2pzWlThXIrja_hGP9Z2LEVM0twEN6ufHHZuBwpiKzb0qRHcoJmkaPCF_krKKUhqMDPZxwvYjLqEG1cBmUKEubs_a7x2bxjR-Vd1_0gdF-qn5j6vlm4/s1600/334336857.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8oxkibDuSVmzudto36U3X2erer2pzWlThXIrja_hGP9Z2LEVM0twEN6ufHHZuBwpiKzb0qRHcoJmkaPCF_krKKUhqMDPZxwvYjLqEG1cBmUKEubs_a7x2bxjR-Vd1_0gdF-qn5j6vlm4/s1600/334336857.png" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Till we meet again Flagstaff</span></b></div>
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Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-52976962634620836442015-09-20T16:39:00.000-07:002015-09-20T16:43:41.303-07:00Kelowna Wine Country Half Marathon<b>Labour Day weekend meant I found myself on a Greyhound bus up to Kelowna to take part in the Wine Country Half Marathon. I am ever so grateful for Eric and Barb who agreed to take me into their house for the weekend. Not only did they feed me and give me a place to lay my head, but they picked me up from the Greyhound station, took me to pick up my race number along with a course tour, drove me to and from the 7am race (they also generously volunteered at aide station #4) but to top it all off they drove me to the airport for my 6:15am flight the day after the race! Thankfully I could pay them back with a HUGE 1500ml bottle of wine that I won!</b><br />
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<b>To be honest I was fighting a few nagging issues going into the race so I wasn't sure how it was going to go. In fact, the Thursday before I left, I had some X-Rays done. I was supposed to hear back on Friday whether they were clear or not, but alas, no call received. Coach Matt had strict instructions NOT to kill myself in this race and not to make anything worse. I was instructed to cruise any downhill and not to throw myself down them. Basically, the goal was to race but not to come out injured. </b><br />
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<b>Any injury sucks of course, but the real reason not to come out injured was because the day following the race I was scheduled for a 3 week altitude training stint in Flagstaff Arizona. We didn't want that to go to waste by injuring myself in this race. The race was done so that I could get in a half marathon effort prior to my upcoming marathon debut. Yep a marathon. Eek. </b><br />
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<b>The pre-race shake out the day before was okay. I tend to always feel like junk going into a race. I guess the body likes to play mind games sometimes, isn't that nice? Race morning I was up early (4:45am) and had a light breakfast before heading to the start for 6am. It was chilly and breezy up at the Vibrant Winery where the race started. Planning on racing in my <a href="http://www.asicscanada.com/">Asics </a>kit, crop top and buns I initially thought I was going to freeze my butt off; however, thankfully once I started my warm up (in gloves for the first time since last winter) I realized the temperature was going to be perfect. </b><br />
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<b>I wanted one last potty stop before the race, but took one look at the line up and realized that I was going to have to hold it. On the start line I lined up next to Kim Doerksen (2 time winner of the race) and we chatted while trying to stay warm on the line. A quick hello and good luck was said to my friend from home (who lives in Calgary) Kim Johnson who was completing her first official half marathon and then it was game time. </b><br />
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<b>The countdown ended and off we went. The first few km's went on a different route than I realized. Unless we did drive it and I never noticed, but no big deal. I found myself in about 4th or 5th with Jan Heuninck and Kim D right with me and a guy with the name Clark on the back of his Black Lungs Toronto singlet. I found out later it was Dave Clark whom I would run the first half of the race with. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmS6sINNln88BpvypjaVMCdOY9_XKCRaDgwte6z-QJ15IaKH6L2D2DB_0ctlcP1lZHksBALqcJRIYMhyphenhyphen8u4SpTs9ZIgcxjIlXRsBxZckr1bpOrH37QT-Xz0AO6QwzU0-JCAIaBmaOiHk/s1600/11223518_858076137609032_7723596582221982256_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmS6sINNln88BpvypjaVMCdOY9_XKCRaDgwte6z-QJ15IaKH6L2D2DB_0ctlcP1lZHksBALqcJRIYMhyphenhyphen8u4SpTs9ZIgcxjIlXRsBxZckr1bpOrH37QT-Xz0AO6QwzU0-JCAIaBmaOiHk/s320/11223518_858076137609032_7723596582221982256_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCvwSJRDDotGp_G67W_yyUAqFe2gIyW5N4OCgeX2j5Fz-NAX99SX9p0fvUCRm3bc2Ikuhz_D9tzaQciJ6JevZz9d_7-7BSveRShfSsr7M4zbUBEVkXWWmU2j4wAPLd6pUvwQb1jWK5_Y/s1600/11950158_858076267609019_5959974308533272124_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCvwSJRDDotGp_G67W_yyUAqFe2gIyW5N4OCgeX2j5Fz-NAX99SX9p0fvUCRm3bc2Ikuhz_D9tzaQciJ6JevZz9d_7-7BSveRShfSsr7M4zbUBEVkXWWmU2j4wAPLd6pUvwQb1jWK5_Y/s320/11950158_858076267609019_5959974308533272124_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcAzhUVAA5GQsBA0z7ID_-k4gqYXtn9l1WMk4FRqM-EMM8NSxGNbjJms3C_LfcIuqkvSF-CW9OL30xFVl9hfjcfMCkNdurQgc5xHPcgyK3KIotvm5ETrwccCe1077FvMeje6ksqRK184/s1600/11227382_1030089813687938_7966912987317186924_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNcAzhUVAA5GQsBA0z7ID_-k4gqYXtn9l1WMk4FRqM-EMM8NSxGNbjJms3C_LfcIuqkvSF-CW9OL30xFVl9hfjcfMCkNdurQgc5xHPcgyK3KIotvm5ETrwccCe1077FvMeje6ksqRK184/s320/11227382_1030089813687938_7966912987317186924_n.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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<b>After a few km's it was just Dave and me with the leaders of the race gaining ground on us. The first 10km of the race or so is a lot of rollers through the orchards and vineyards. Some downs with some freaking nasty ups. The ups were certainly starting to wear out my legs. </b><br />
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<b>Dave and I went back and forth throughout the hills</b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_g8rQDCmL1nYTUWGLJ_odyA6ySYYKKzbOmdUN-2L8JLuatJcgF6h6DrLWhcMX0w7Q56UXRUwcNUSG19sr6TkSOOYJf-_5G-2Gb7S3IaQ9ciKg1kHdmX50aSqvD1jwtkwDCaBatJonOc/s1600/Wine+Half-+Sept+6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_g8rQDCmL1nYTUWGLJ_odyA6ySYYKKzbOmdUN-2L8JLuatJcgF6h6DrLWhcMX0w7Q56UXRUwcNUSG19sr6TkSOOYJf-_5G-2Gb7S3IaQ9ciKg1kHdmX50aSqvD1jwtkwDCaBatJonOc/s320/Wine+Half-+Sept+6.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>After about just over 10km we hit the big downhill and this was where Dave really gained some ground on me. I 100% am not a downhill runner. As much as I try to convince myself I am, I am not. This body does not like to feel out of control. I had <a href="http://kaelafit.com/">Kaela </a>with me on the ElliptiGO and I actually said I wanted to trade places with her. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs8p4OcNUMSh7y49scdPBgGuvPkyFmB5EMOTuGu_9k2TKAXSRHk2wKCjY_P4b_iXLqPD4g75up0UvKw66961CQyNqf8nM9m0yJ9iBZd5_oeeCm8kz6455ycvoSmy6mQs0V-EKQB9BReE/s1600/11987173_10207419879957247_6570085817287174340_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhs8p4OcNUMSh7y49scdPBgGuvPkyFmB5EMOTuGu_9k2TKAXSRHk2wKCjY_P4b_iXLqPD4g75up0UvKw66961CQyNqf8nM9m0yJ9iBZd5_oeeCm8kz6455ycvoSmy6mQs0V-EKQB9BReE/s320/11987173_10207419879957247_6570085817287174340_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuS7sxF6lBqG6V3A6muFMwpvMS-o0LikaxKH-4eNyeTQf4DDa0RmbbR2wo0M936e5PgvkS1fwM1a6EeczMo4hbWNU7bjeyyXRveoOqrhxNLyXm2Etp9hkYzm7-MTeIaU-BcY-5RvFukE/s1600/11952998_1030087127021540_4633261696451460704_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHuS7sxF6lBqG6V3A6muFMwpvMS-o0LikaxKH-4eNyeTQf4DDa0RmbbR2wo0M936e5PgvkS1fwM1a6EeczMo4hbWNU7bjeyyXRveoOqrhxNLyXm2Etp9hkYzm7-MTeIaU-BcY-5RvFukE/s320/11952998_1030087127021540_4633261696451460704_n.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b>It was at least 1.5km probably of straight downhill which just KILLED my quads. When I hit the bottom of the hill (12km) I had some great cheers from the Relay participants waiting for their turn to run. This was also where they had the timing mat (the results show a 10km split, but it is more like 12km). From there we hit the Greenway Trail which was harder packed gravel/dirt. By coaches instruction this was the point I was supposed to try and pick it up for a strong finish. My quads however, definitely felt the downhill and felt shaky. </b><br />
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<b>I felt like I found as best of a running grove as possible along here, took my gel and even took a few steps to the side to throw my gel pack in a garbage can (yep environmentally friendly here). From there we hit the lake and were running along a bike path. A lot of twists and turns through neighbourhoods and Kaela was going great at cheering me on. Apparently I made her laugh as at one point she asked me if I was on pace for my goal. I responded with "I came here to win" or something like that. </b><br />
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<b>In the last portion of the race I was starting to reel Dave back in, I just simply couldn't catch him in time (he finished 6 seconds ahead of me). </b><br />
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<b> Darn you Dave! </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOCVCpxX-cKyJJ0tupM56HpNpxXvynpOp_C3uBC55-BGybYiRBmVao-B46aevl2-2x2c7RGzejLaKNr66QvS3qi5vDy2yJrugCaYMZpwGX4rN9UN02Wt_KAQstbNAtpSUh0jfqLZTiCE/s1600/12000897_1030234187006834_808298767746477843_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOCVCpxX-cKyJJ0tupM56HpNpxXvynpOp_C3uBC55-BGybYiRBmVao-B46aevl2-2x2c7RGzejLaKNr66QvS3qi5vDy2yJrugCaYMZpwGX4rN9UN02Wt_KAQstbNAtpSUh0jfqLZTiCE/s320/12000897_1030234187006834_808298767746477843_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I came into the finish stretch and saw the clock clicking at 1:15:xx and thought to myself, holy crap I had no idea I was running that pace. Between the rollers in the first 10km and the downhill it was hard to gauge my overall pace. Not to mention I stopped looking at my watch after 2km. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KfsRUfd-MZ7iUrWS1Ca48QgZ6eeoM5LoKa1pMV5btVvDBpPTCaB8JDg7buhfdYMT8hX13GPd1SkUhA070SpM1JWxeiE3_kLk-bKyOApZkrn8Z61CBqjdXXIvSAnZ5iIxif3MXyPnsyY/s1600/11942318_1030234223673497_3514753116904345822_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-KfsRUfd-MZ7iUrWS1Ca48QgZ6eeoM5LoKa1pMV5btVvDBpPTCaB8JDg7buhfdYMT8hX13GPd1SkUhA070SpM1JWxeiE3_kLk-bKyOApZkrn8Z61CBqjdXXIvSAnZ5iIxif3MXyPnsyY/s320/11942318_1030234223673497_3514753116904345822_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeYywE1RZWB-aG-dRozHXtl7orBNYI1YOUdR2H9dTUE3HY7NyU38lysmTMqAEpoAPccxCI7tR7k7nXnOS5ampAQeyhgF7W9aC4OKhexprbKIZrh1l7-8m5NjEMa1lqkwCROYt_qtDoB4/s1600/11222552_1030234907006762_2023618315289774041_o.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDeYywE1RZWB-aG-dRozHXtl7orBNYI1YOUdR2H9dTUE3HY7NyU38lysmTMqAEpoAPccxCI7tR7k7nXnOS5ampAQeyhgF7W9aC4OKhexprbKIZrh1l7-8m5NjEMa1lqkwCROYt_qtDoB4/s320/11222552_1030234907006762_2023618315289774041_o.jpg" width="320" /></a> </b></div>
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<b> Me with Kaela</b><br />
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<b>I knew Kim D had the record at 1:15:5X so I gave a bit of a sprint and crossed the line in 1:15:43. Not a PB (1:15:01) but a solid effort and on the plus side I had ZERO signs of the issues nagging my body. Kim D had a solid run to finish 2nd in 1:18:01 in her comeback return after a length injury battle. </b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzExnA9ipy8wa3zxsYjfcNvT_nVR8XuZyFAZMGw1scJUm_fORgAmffkhdf7mDG7KWFqqtZth0vVIzFRiRUkRKPTzQKUEKll7Skz_ajLuz1XfN4vPr7HCv3LRoN8twrHeoX5UtsDuJ-gXA/s1600/11226005_1658750131032342_7124004531955735772_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzExnA9ipy8wa3zxsYjfcNvT_nVR8XuZyFAZMGw1scJUm_fORgAmffkhdf7mDG7KWFqqtZth0vVIzFRiRUkRKPTzQKUEKll7Skz_ajLuz1XfN4vPr7HCv3LRoN8twrHeoX5UtsDuJ-gXA/s320/11226005_1658750131032342_7124004531955735772_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>I ran a cool down, had some food and a massage, that's if you call rubbing lotion on one's legs a massage ;). Can't complain with free though. All in all it was a good day and beautiful weather in the Okanagan. Perfect for all those wine lovers who were taste testing all morning. If only I liked wine (hence why I re-gifted my 1500ml bottle of win to Barb and Eric not to mention I couldn't fly with it anyway). Overall it was a well run event and I appreciate the race organizers for having me. </b><br />
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<b>Overall race winner Steve Dekoker (1:10:04) and myself.</b></div>
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<b>Photographer thought this was top 3, but I think this woman might have been 4th.</b> </div>
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<b>Women and Men top 3 (L-R: Lisa Heidt, Kim Doerksen, Myself, Brad Bickley, Nic Browne, Steve Dekoker)</b></div>
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<b>Kaela and I along with the ElliptiGO. I totally want one of these things! </b></div>
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<b>Women's Top 3 and Kaela</b><br />
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<b>Race results found <a href="http://racedaytiming.ca/results/2015KelownaWineCountryHalf#.Vf89jpd0rd4">here</a>. </b><br />
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<b>Onwards to Flagstaff. </b>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3313836829500229228.post-53179320477514089802015-09-02T18:39:00.000-07:002015-09-02T19:13:48.489-07:00Thanks for Nothing Medical System<b>Back in April while in Maui I began to have some SI pain and saw my doctor upon returning. He stressed that it was likely nothing but a crooked pelvis and locked SI so I ran the Sun Run as planned (which was in my opinion a disaster and I ended my season early). You can read about the Sun Run <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2015/06/vancouver-sun-run-2015.html">here</a> and the post race debacle <a href="http://westcoastrunner.blogspot.ca/2015/07/post-sun-run-sidelines.html">here</a>. </b><br />
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<b>Shortly after the Sun Run I had a bone scan done at NRGH and received word back shortly after that everything was normal. That led to much confusion as to what was going on with me. My doctor kept stating it was because my pelvis was crooked yet I kept telling him that there was more going on. I took my 2 week end of season break and attempted to come back running but things still felt off so after 10 days I stopped again and hit the pool. I blogged that it was about 6 weeks until I returned to running as I slowly worked into it again. </b><br />
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<b>Things since then have been progressing quite well. Summerfast was decent for my first race back and training has been going quite well as I have been getting fitter each week. That brings me to today (almost an hour ago), when I missed a phone call and saw I had a voicemail. I checked the voicemail and heard my doctors voice and this is what I heard. </b><br />
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<b>"Hi Erin, this is Dr. Goodall calling. I got a call today from Dr Sheriff. . They were looking at some of the bone scans they had done this year for a study they were doing. He noticed that the scan you had done on April 23rd 2015 did in fact show a small evidence stress fracture in your right pubic ramus. I was just phoning to see if it has resolved or if it was still bothering you. We kind of already knew about that as it seemed to be there clinically. If you want to come talk to me or have more test done please give the office a call." </b><br />
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<b>Umm WTF? It would have been nice to have been told this back in April and not be told that the scans were FREAKING CLEAR. Really nice to find this out in September, nearly 4 and a half freaking months later. I do remember reading about pubic ramus stress fractures a year ago and kind of remember reading how it is common to get a second stress fracture in the opposite side when dealing with the pubic ramus but I could be wrong. </b><br />
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<b>So yes, in May 2014 I had a stress fracture in the LEFT pubic ramus and then apparently in April 2015 I had evidence of a small stress fracture in the RIGHT pubic ramus. Please god let me be done with those stress fractures. </b><br />
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<b>And yes, I will be calling the doctors office tomorrow morning. Stay tuned. </b><br />
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<b>PS. I should point out that I have no pains in either stress fracture site and am still training towards my fall race goals. </b>Erinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17944675328455925972noreply@blogger.com0