First Hospital Stay

At age 32 I finally had my first overnight stay at the hospital. At least from what I remember it is the first time. Just over 2 weeks ago while I was at work, I was carrying a few things that were moderately heavy when a felt something pop in my stomach followed by some pain. When I put the items down and felt my stomach, I felt a lump just above my belly button. This lump was painful to touch and it became painful to move in certain ways. I had the nurses look at it and was told not to worry about it. I only had about 1.5 hours left in my shift at that point. 

When I got off work I debated going to the hospital guessing that it was a hernia, but opted to go home and sleep on it. I had a doctors appointment the next morning anyways, so figured if it was still there I would deal with it then. I saw the doctor and he confirmed it was in fact a hernia. Not a huge one thankfully, but big enough and painful enough that the doctor couldn't push it back in at his office. Instead he sent me off to NRGH and my response was "I am supposed to work today" with his response "Not anymore."  I was also told not to eat or drink anything going forward.

So I placed a call to my work to inform them and then drove myself to the hospital. This is where the long day began. They tried a warm blanket, which I knew was not going to work. Then they drugged me up with Fentanyl (did NOT like that feeling) and tried to push it back in. Again that was done without success. So I waited for the doctor to talk to the surgeon. That took hours. Finally I was told surgery would be needed, but they couldn't tell me when. This meant, continue not eating or drinking. It was at this point I wished I had stuffed my face this morning with a full breakfast rather than grabbing something quick and heading out the door intending to eat more after the appointment. 

I was hooked up to an IV, saw the surgeon and then continued to wait. I wasn't waiting alone though. For the most part I spent hours waiting with another man who had ruptured his bicep at work and was also waiting to hear from a surgeon. He ended up leaving before me with his surgery being scheduled for that following Saturday (2 days later). I on the other hand waited and waited. 

This does not help when hungry (it just REALLY hydrates you)

In total I spent 7.5 hours in the ER before I was finally admitted to a bed. I moved up to the 3rd floor and into a room with 3 elderly women. The nurse who took my vitals asked if I was an athlete as my heart rate was low. The other nurse who did my admitting turned out to be a former classmate from high school. The waiting game continued but at least I had a bet...... and I STILL could not eat. Oh but hey, thanks for the IV so at least I won't get thirsty. Note that the IV fluids did NOT help at all with my grumbling stomach. 

Finally got a bed

Why do they make hospital gowns so HUGE!

 

 

How do people sleep in the hospital? I sure as heck couldn't figure it out. With one lady grumbling in pain with every single breath, to the IV machines beeping, to people in the halls talking, to call bells ringing. I finally started to doze just after 1am only to be woken sometime between 1:15 and 1:30 as they received the call for my surgery. I believe I told the nurse "oh good I will finally be able to sleep."

Out of bed and onto another bed and wheeled down to the operating room. It was cold in there. Hooked up to the heart rate machine I listed to my heart rate bounce all over the place. I looked at the clock and it was about 2am when they put me under. It sure doesn't take long when they give you the drugs. I remember waking up in recovery between 3:15 and 3:30, dozing on and off. I remember correcting one of the nurses when I heard her call me Burnett. Hey people, there isn't an N in my last name, it's two R's. I get that often. I was wheeled back up and was in my bed again by 4am.

I was tired, I was still drugged. I was woken again at 5am, 6am and 7am for vitals. Pretty sure I was ready to tell them to piss off as I was so tired at that point. Finally after 8am they brought me what they considered breakfast. I was so excited to get food at this point, having not eaten for about 22 hours, only to be disappointed by what was put in front of me. One tiny scone, one tiny bowl of cream of wheat (they called it Oatmeal, that was not Oatmeal), one piece of cheese, one little thing of milk, one little thing of apple juice, one coffee (which I don't drink), and one little bowl of canned diced peaches. 

So called "breakfast"

Just after 9:30am I was free and headed home. The next few days were quite rough. Abdominal surgery is no joke. 2 weeks later I am still healing, still have to layoff lifting anything too heavy but otherwise it's getting better and almost back to normal. I can now cough, sneeze and blow my nose without cringing and yelling "ouch" after. Otherwise, I have a nice scar and funky abs right now that I am not the least bit impressed with; however, it beats the pain of the hernia. Thanks to my sister who cooked me dinner and cared for me over the next week post surgery! Oh the joys of life. 

I looked sunburnt because of the iodine

New Partnership with Sundog Eyewear!

Wow where has time gone! It's been months since my last blog. In fact, I never ended up blogging about my last race. I started it, but never finished it. I will recap very briefly. 

At the end of May I headed over to Ottawa for the Lowertown Brewery Ottawa 10km as part of the Ottawa Race Weekend. This was my second year at this race and I had the goal of trying to hold off the guys for longer than 5.5km this year. We had a 4:10 head start over the men and when they caught me at almost the same place as the year before (and even threw a few elbows as they swarmed me) I knew I was not having the greatest race. 

Basically, my legs were not there. My legs would not turn over and my stride felt off. I ended up finishing 5th Canadian behind Lanni Marchant, Rachel Hannah, Lindsay Carson and Kate Bazeley in a disappointing time of 35:38, which was actually SLOWER than last year. The weather was slightly different though, last year being cool and this year being very humid. I was initially super bummed about the race; however, I have determined that a few factors likely lead into the results of this race, which I will get into those details in a future post. Nevertheless, it was a fun weekend. Results can be found here.

Now onto the BIGGER and more important news! On the way home I ended up in the very last row. Initially I was bummed about it. Having sat at the back before, it tends to smell like the washroom and you always get the washroom lines. When I headed towards the back, I noticed that the man beside me appeared to be a runner so that lifted my spirits a bit. What I didn't expect, is to spend practically the entire flight home chatting to this man. 

It turns out this guys name was Oliver and he worked for Sundog Eyewear. If you know me, you know that I am wearing sunglasses 95% of the time. The only time I do not wear sunglasses is when it's raining or dark. Even on cloudy days I am generally still in sunglasses. I had previously been wearing Ryder glasses that I had won as my age group prize at last years St. Patrick's Day 5km. While they weren't ideal for my face, they were free so why not. 

By the end of the flight, Oliver had pretty much offered a sponsorship with Sundog (who also sponsor Ultra Runner Ellie Greenwood). A few days later I heard from Gary and I was set up to receive some new sunglasses. In fact, I received 5 pairs of glasses, 4 pairs for running and 1 pair for everyday wear. Let me tell you, I LOVED all of the sunglasses. Sure I had my favourites as each pair fit slightly different, but overall I think I would wear all of them at some point. 

Here is how I would rank them if I actually had to:

#1- Bolt (bonus that they match my black/pink Asics Race Kit)

#2- Dialed

 

#3- Pace

 

#4- Prime

All of these glasses have the TruBlue lens, which by their website states:

"The human body naturally produces melanin and ocular lens pigment; together these substances are nature’s way of defending the eye from invisible and visible light.
The TrueBlue™ lens is the only non-prescription sunglass lens in the world to incorporate both melanin and ocular lens pigment, to provide ultimate eye protection and vision performance."

So basically by partnering up with Sundog Eyewear I get the most optimal protection for my eyes. What else could I ask for? I don't know about you, but my eyesight is pretty important to me so thank you Oliver, Gary and Sundog for this opportunity. I cannot wait to represent your company and show off my wonderful new sunglasses in my future races! 

Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal 2014

THIRD TIME IS A CHARM!!! 

Excuse me for "yelling" but I am super stoked to finally break my curse at the Montreal Half Marathon! After 2 less than ideal years running 1:21:xx when training suggested much faster times, I am happy to finally run well, but I will get to those details shortly!

I left Flagstaff very early Friday morning (7am) which allowed me in a way to sneak out of town. I had gone out to dinner the night before, but never actually said goodbye to people. I always hate goodbyes, even if they are technically see you later's. I flew from Flagstaff to Phoenix, from Phoenix to Fort Worth Dallas to Montreal. It was pretty uneventful, except for the fiasco of trying to get some food at the Fort Worth airport. I ordered a pretty easy chicken burger from T.G.I. Friday's. 

I waited a good 15 minutes probably, finally got my order and then headed towards my gate (the furthest away as usual). I sat down to eat as I was starving, opened it up and found soggy fries, some vegetables and 2 pieces of chicken. Not exactly what I ordered, but I was thinking oh well, it's technically healthier this way and figured I would eat it anyways. 

Unfortunately I had no cutlery to eat it though. For a quick second I debated just using my fingers but then decided to take it back. The staff was pretty good about it, initially stating it would take another 12 minutes or so I opted for a refund. The manager then came over and stated that she would have it made right away so I said that I was okay with waiting if it was right away. 

Another 15-20 minutes later, and yet another wrong order that they caught before giving to me, I had my correct order in my hands and was advised I would not see a charge for it. They even threw in a free brownie. I haven't checked yet, but I assume they removed my credit card charge. After all that wait, the food wasn't that good anymore but at least it was food and well, it was free.

Onwards to Montreal where I got to my hotel room around 9pm and had a quick catch up with my roommate for the weekend, none other than Krista DuChene.  After a long day of travel, the catch up was somewhat short before we both went to sleep. 

The next morning we woke up at a decent hour, had something small to eat and then waited to hear from Rachel Hannah before heading out on a group run. Thankfully these ladies knew where they were running as we found a great path to run along. Much better than the stop and start at street lights that I did last year running along some busy roads. We got chatting and the run actually extended slightly further than Krista and Rachel wanted, but only slightly longer than the 45 minutes that I needed. We stopped on the way back at a grassy section and did some strides. 

Once we got back, Krista and I showered and then headed out for some lunch. The afternoon was spent relaxing, then the technical meeting at 4pm which was nice and brief. Great to see that the race committee included a photo slide show of the main sections of the course. Having already run the course twice, I was familiar with the course, but I am sure it helped other first timers. 

After the meeting a group of us ladies, Krista, Rachel and her bf Dave, Rhiannon Johns and Laura Batterink all went out to dinner at a Vegan restaurant that Rachel was a fan of. It turned out to be really good. Lots of selections at the buffet and then you pay for your meal by weight. I loaded up my plate which came to $16 and I could have probably added even more. 

That night was fairly early and I had a decent sleep, other than my usual wake up habits before races. The next morning we were up after 6am and to the lobby for 7:30 to take the bus to the race start. I love how this race has a nice warm area with cots for us to relax on. Parking is crazy at Parc Jean-Drapeau, so we go early so the bus can get in. Makes things a little less hectic for sure. We get there with time to relax before warming up. 

Warm up felt alright for me as the ladies seemed to warm up together. I didn't feel wonderful and was actually slightly worried briefly. I was going into the race officially ranked 3rd, but I knew Rhiannon has run sub 75 and Laura I had no idea about her. No bathroom issues before this race as each time I used the elite/media bathroom no "crazy argumentative shouldn't have been in the line" type people were in line. 

Strides before the race felt pretty good and soon we found ourselves on the line. It was a chilly morning where I actually debated if I was dressed warm enough in my sports bra, shorts and arm warmers while standing on the line. We were off and the first km I again debated if I was dressed warm enough, but soon enough I forgot those worries and was plenty warm enough. 

I looked at my watch during and after the first km and saw 3:30 and it felt okay. After that I simply ran and did not pay attention to my watch which was set to auto lap the KM's. For the first 5km (I think) I found myself running side by side with Rhiannon with Rachel not far in front and Krista in front of her. I had no idea what goal pace she was going for and honestly for myself, I also didn't know what I was capable of running. I knew what my training suggested, so I just kept going with a pace that I felt was comfortable, yet not too comfortable. 

In races I tend to zone out and not remember a lot of details. Here is what I can tell you about the race. It started off with a headwind for almost the first km. We did a loop of about 6km (passing the start at 4km) around Saint Helen's Island before heading over for 6-17km on Ile Notre Dame. So if we hit headwind for the first km, we also hit it from about 3-5km. We headed over to Ile Notre Dame and hit the wind again from 7-7.5km. 

By now, Rhiannon had fallen off my side and it was during this section I felt a male drafting off me, which drove me nuts. I don't mind people drafting, but people need to share the work as well. I tend to find people who draft off me the entire way and then run by at the finish. I was giving this guy a chance though, but as we hit what I thought would have been a tailwind from 7.5 to 9.5 this guy stayed RIGHT behind me. I did zigzag a little trying to lose him. I wanted to see if there was a tailwind and if there was, I didn't want this guy stealing that wind! Turns out, the tailwind wasn't enough to even notice. 

From 9.5 to 12 we hit the headwind again. I remember this section and I remember it well. We crossed the 10km timing mat in 35:24, which was the only time other than the first km where I saw my time. I thought to myself that it was a good sign, I still felt pretty good. I was working, but still comfortable. Then the wind, where I finally dropped Mr.Drafting and I focused ahead where there was another guy a little ways away. 

Malcolm Balk was out on course (I did a Pose Course with him years ago) and he was in multiple spots cheering me on. It was great to hear someone in English and to have him reiterate to catch the guy in front to receive some help. I did catch the guy, but not until pretty much 12 when we turned around the end of the Olympic Rowing Basin and headed back the other way from 12 to 14. Again, here I was hoping for a tailwind, but again nothing noticeable. Disappointing after fighting the headwind for a few km before that. 

I kept pushing along and then began the trek back. 15km (again headwind for about 1.5km) was a spot where I had some mental issues with my stomach the last 2 years. I won't lie, as I went through this area I had to talk myself out of those issues. I did fairly well, but had a brief moment around 16.5km where I slowed briefly to fight those issues. I dropped off the guy in front for a bit, then caught him back.

We headed back onto Saint Helen's Island where we would run the last 4km. We hit a bit more headwind, but I still felt strong. At about 19km I overheard a spectator say 67 min, though I had no idea if that was 67 low or 67 high. I started to pick it up as I still felt good and knew I had more in me. I think I dropped another guy during this section (not Mr.Drafting) but the one I had caught around 16km, dropped off and then caught again around 17. 

In the final km I could see Krista limping on the side of the course. I knew she had gone into the race with a hip problem, so I figured her hip must have cramped or given out etc. I told myself to keep pushing and that she might start to run again and beat me to the line, but I had to try to catch her. I kept pushing and quickly noticed she wasn't going anywhere too fast. As I ran up to her, I apologized and said "Sorry Krista" to which she told me to go (I think). I kept pushing still and rounded the corner to see the clock ticking 1:14:5X and well I simply could not get there in time. 

Final KM

I crossed the line in 1:15:01 chip time (1:15:02 gun time) for a 2:02 personal best, finishing 2nd overall behind Rachel who ran 1:13:36. I hugged Rachel, then I think I advised her and possibly Alan Brookes that Krista was limping and explained that she had been fighting an injury before the race started. We saw her come into view and once she crossed the line, she fell into Alan's arms with Rachel and I right there waiting to help. Alan was able to handle her though and carried her off to the medics. 

I did half my cool down with Laura who ran a huge personal best as well in 1:16:47 to finish 4th and then the second half on my own. We met back up with Krista in the elite room and she wasn't doing well. It was actually hard to watch. My heart was breaking to be honest. We hit the awards without Krista then grabbed our stuff and headed back to the bus for the hotel. I got back and messaged Alan as I wasn't sure what to do with Krista's stuff. They were taking her to the hospital, so our room was extended. 

It worked out for me as our late check out was at 3pm and my flight wasn't until 6. I hung around until 4 and then left Krista a note (thinking she would be back that night) and then headed to the airport. Needless to say when I landed in Vancouver at 8:15pm (pacific time) I was shocked to hear that she had broken her femur! So crazy!

Overall it was a great race. My last 2km, were some of the fastest of my entire race, especially my last km 20-21 which was the fastest at 3:24. Not to mention the final sprint. I am happy with how the legs felt and that everything fell into place and felt so good. I ran completely or well nearly completely blind without paying any attention to my watch and other than a few splits where there was wind, most of the splits were pretty close (3:24 fastest, 3:41 slowest). I am not saying this to sound "cocky" but I still feel there is more there. With each race I am learning more and more of my capabilities. 

Thanks to Alan Brookes, Ian Cater and all of the CRS and race crew for bringing me out and for taking care of us athletes. I am thrilled to finally break my Montreal curse! With the Canadian Championships heading to Calgary starting next year, I have no idea if I will be back in Montreal again, but it will definitely be on my radar!

Results can be found here. Congrats to Eric and Rachel on their wins! Hoping for the fastest recovery possible Krista!

Finished

Canadian Born (USA Living) Laura and Rhiannon with myself

 

All Good Things Come to an End

Well after living my dream life for nearly the last 4 weeks, good things must come to an end. I am finishing my final day of paradise here in Flagstaff Arizona. Not a bad way to end it either. The morning started off at the Bagel Run with locals from town (including NAZ Elite and Team Run Flagstaff Pro members) followed by a few errands around town then dinner with Amy Van Alstine, Matt Llano and Andrew Benford (Eric Fernandez and Danny Mercado showed up too) at the famous Diablo Burger. Yum!

Bagel Run

 

Dinner (Andrew, myself, Matt and Amy)

Training has been going well up here at 7000ft. There are good days and then there are some not so good days. There are days when I feel like I am flying and then there are days where I am dreaming of sea level air. But as with general training, you have ups and downs. The week started off with me wanting that sea level air, but the last few days I have felt fantastic and wanting to stay a little longer. 

I have spent plenty of time on the FUTS (Flagtaff Urban Trail System), Woody Mountain Road, Walnut Canyon, A1 Mountain Road, Buffalo Park and numerous endless dirt roads including the dreaded 532 hill (evil evil hill). I am going to miss having trails so close to "home." At home I am not a huge fan of driving to find trails each day, so I will leave the endless dirt here and Flag and return to the pavement of home.   

Lake Mary Rd after my final workout

For most of my trip I simply concentrated on training and recovery. Lots of time lying horizontal with the feet up (my favorite time). This last week (as with most of my final weeks in Flag) I ventured out a bit more. I went back and visited Sedona. I may have been there at least 3 times, but I cannot get enough of the Sedona views. I had some fun taking some nice running photos so I could have updated versions in Asics gear. Last year when I went, I got caught in a few monsoon rain storms. This year, not a drop. Sedona is much nicer to see when it is sunny. 

I also visited the Petrified Forest National Park. At first I wasn't impressed, but then there were a few good views. It was definitely nice to see once, but not something I would go back to again. 

This trip has simply been amazing, whether it included a few run ins with Shalane Flanagan or I even saw Julia Bleasdale on Walnut Canyon (2014 Carlsbad 5000 winner). While here I have once again been taken care of by Dr. AJ. Gregg from Hypo2 High Performance Sport Center. Back home I am a regular with chiro and massage, so to go without it here can be tough. Thankfully Dr. Gregg is able to keep me rolling in my home away from home.  

At this point I will leave the post with a few pictures as my brain is starting to go to sleep and the rambling nonsense (even more so) will begin to occur. 

Sedona

 

 

 

Now onwards to Montreal and the Banque Scotia 21k de Montreal.

Toronto Yonge St 10km 2014

On day 9 of altitude, I jumped on an early plane out of Flagstaff and headed to Toronto for the Canada Running Series Toronto Yonge St10km (April 13th). This is a pretty big run in the area and I have wanted to try it; however, it tends to fall on the same day as the Vancouver Sun Run so I have never tried it. This year, due to Easter Weekend, Yonge St is actually 2 weeks away from the triple race dates of Sun Run, Victoria’s Times Colonist 10km and the Montreal Half Marathon. That meant an opportunity to try out a new race and when CRS offered to cover my travel, accommodations and food, I had to jump at the opportunity.

It was a long set of flights that included Flagstaff to Phoenix, Phoenix to Chicago and then Chicago to Toronto. Or as I liked to describe it I went from Coyote Territory, to Blackhawk Territory to Maple Leaf Territory. Yes definitely a huge hockey fan here (Good luck in the playoffs Canucks….. oh wait). So much so that I made sure to walk by the hockey hall of fame the day before the race! More on that later!

I arrived in Toronto shortly after 7pm, and was followed in by Natasha Wodak, Dayna Pidhoresky and Rob Watson who were coming from California. Sabrina Wilkie and Catherine Watkins were coming from Vancouver within 30 minutes after us, so while Clif waited for them, the rest of us caught a cab due to not enough seats in the van.

We were at the hotel around 9pm and I met up with my roommate Kate Bazeley who was nearly half asleep due to being on Newfoundland time (90 minutes ahead of Toronto). We visited quickly and then I hit the hotel treadmill for a shakeout run.

After a decent night sleep we were up and we headed out for a run. Unsure where we were going, Kate listened to her coach Matt (not my coach Matt)’s instructions on where to run to a gravel path. We found it pretty easily; however, this path was a short circle of a mini park in downtown Toronto. When I say short, I mean short. I think it took like 3.5 minutes to run  each loop, definitely no more than 4. We did a few loops and then around the university near by and then a few more loops. Kate stopped for some strides while I kept going then we headed back to the hotel. I dropped Kate off and then continued on my way to finish up my hour.


An hour is more than I usually run pre-race, but it had been decided that I wasn’t going to taper for this race and "train through" it. I think that as evident by my Tuesday workout leading into it. Definitely a big week for this girl. My legs felt alright after the flights, but on both the treadmill run and the 60 minutes on Saturday my left knee was bugging me on the back inner side. It felt tendon related and it didn’t hurt at all before arriving in Toronto so I am wondering whether I sat funny or tweaked it on the plane which is very possible.

After the run we went and got breakfast; however, poor Kate was hit with the stomach bug that morning and she opted out of breakfast to buy gravol and go back to the room. When I got back she had been sick a few times even though she had barely eaten anything that day. Her hubby apparently was sick earlier in the week. Kate mentioned she didn’t blame me if I wanted my own room, so Ian and Clif from CRS were great and got right on getting me my own room. Hello king sized bed! I felt bad for ditching Kate; however, I really did not want to stay longer and increase my chances of catching anything.

The afternoon I spent walking around downtown Toronto a bit, as I mentioned going by the Hockey Hall of Fame. I did not go in though. I figured you had to pay for it and I really didn’t want to spend too much time on my feet, especially with my knee acting up. Dinner was spent with Sabrina, Catherine and Richard Mosely where we all left still hungry and bought snacks on the way back to the hotel.

I ended up getting to bed at a decent time. I think I was asleep shortly after 11pm and then my alarm went off at 6:30. Of course I was up a few times in the night, but for the most part I felt rested. We met in the lobby at 7:15am and caught the bus to the start line as this was a point to point race. The drive felt like it took forever!

My warm up was done with Krista DuChene and Tarah Korir and then off to the start. The race went off fast of course, with a slight up and then it was 7km straight down Yonge St, which was mostly downhill with a bit of a headwind. I was surprised by a few ups though as I was under the impression it was all down. It certainly didn’t feel all down. At 7km it flattened out as we took a right, then a left, then another right, then left and down towards the finish (I think).

Krista and Tarah went out fast with Rachel hot on their heels. After about a km Tarah fell off and then it let me and Sabrina who was hot on my heels. No real shock there was we are generally pretty close in races. I kept pressing on, trying to lean forward (this girl is NOT a downhill runner) and trying to keep the legs spinning at a good rate. I hit 5km in 16:39 (only 4 seconds off my 5km PB) with Sabrina 1 second back. Sometime after that I began to hear Sabrina’s breathing fade. Cheers for “Erin and Sabrina” or “ladies” turned into “Erin” or “lady” though I wasn’t taken anyone’s word for it that she wasn’t still right behind me.

At 7km I kept pushing and counting down how long I had in the race time wise. Worst case scenario even at 4 min km's (which I shouldn’t be running) that was like 12 minutes. 2km left (ooh less than 8 minutes left), then the final km and I tried my best to pick it up. As I came up to the finish I saw the clock for the first time clicking in the 33:2x section and I pushed in finishing in 33:28 and received a 3^rd place finisher sticker on my hip for the effort (so the media and race organizers knew who to grab in the chaos).

Coming up to the finish (photo stolen from Rob Brouillette's FB)

In the end, it sounds like Krista led the whole race with Rachel Hannah hot on her heels. With around 400m left Rachel made her move and had a finishing kick that Krista couldn’t match. Congrats to both Rachel for her 32:33 and Krista for her 32:40. I was gunning for a bit faster time than my 33:28 considering the net downhill of the course; however, based on my week I am super happy with my effort. Not to mention, honestly I am not a strong downhill runner so while it might be a huge advantage to some, it is probably less of an advantage for me. Don't get me wrong, still and advantage, just not as much as others. My lungs felt great, my legs just wouldn’t spin as fast as I was hoping. Considering I went 16:39 for the first 5km, I went 16:49 for the 2^nd 5km which was actually less downhill than the first, so I am again also happy with that.

We hung around for the awards where the top 3 overall, then top 8 Canadian and finally the East vs West Challenge (East won easily) were all recognized. Then a fun mission to find the bus that would take us back to the hotel. We arrived back there shortly after 12pm in which that left me less than 30 minutes to pack my stuff and get ready to head to the airport. My flight wasn't until 2:51pm; however, new Canadian citizen Kip Kangogo had a flight at 2pm so we needed to leave in time for his flight. It was rushed, but I made it though unfortunately without a shower (sorry to my plane buddies).

Results from Yonge St found here. 

Now back to Flagstaff for some more hard training!   

Top 3 Overall Women and Men (L-R: 2 CRS members, myself (3rd), Krista (2nd), Rachel (1st), Paul Kimugul (2nd), Eric Gillis (1st), Kip Kangogo (3rd)

Top 8 Canadian Ladies

Top 8 Canadian Men and Women

West vs East: Who would win?!

 East wins!

East vs West challenge 2014

Disneyland! aka Flagstaff

 

On March 30^th I made the trek down to Flagstaff Arizona for another altitude stint. For the past 2 years I have gone in late summer (August/September); however, this year coach Matt and I decided to change things up a bit. Each time I have gone to altitude in the past, I find that I gain overall fitness. There is something to say that working hard at 7000ft does really pay off, at least for me it does. 

This time around I am staying in the Flagstaff Ranch area with a house full of runners including Jonny Wilson, Amy Van Alstine (2014 USA XC Champ and 5^th at Carlsbad 5000 in 15:30), Matt Llano (61:XX half marathoner who was just on Team USA for World Half Champs), Maegan Krifchin (70:xx half marathoner) plus Rob (non-runner). 







I arrived in the late afternoon on the 30^th to mega windy conditions. Let me just say that it was an interesting landing in Flagstaff. It was also an interesting first run. Let me tell you, the headwind that day and for a few days after that was brutal! The good news was that I didn’t really have too much of an adjustment period. My easy runs were pretty much the same pace that I was running back home. The only difference being the hills. Hills at 7000ft take it out of you no matter what I think.

Wednesday I think it snowed. At first I was thinking it wasn't too bad. I had an easy run to do and I had run in snow many times before. Then the storm picked up including the wind. Wow was that wind ever cold! Hands and face frozen, nothing that a hot shower couldn't fix though! Thankfully the snow was mostly gone by morning. 

By Thursday I was ready for my first workout. The first workout at altitude is always brutal. Or at least it is for me. It is a reality check that you are up high and that you have to work that much harder. Once you get the first one over with, it gets easier though.

For the most part my days are relaxing. Filled with running, eating, reading, movies, computer time and sleeping. Initially the days would go slow, but soon they would speed up. Of course I want them to slow down, as the faster they go, the faster my holiday time is over!

The only downside of the trip so far is that on April 1^st, I learned via Facebook of all places that my entire work (seniors facility) was being terminated. With some questioning, I found out that all 120+ employees received pink slips on April Fool’s Day stating that as of September 25^th of this year, we were all unemployed. No April Fools Joke unfortunately. Basically my facility has lost 3 million dollars since it opened in August 2008 due to lack of proper funding by VIHA or Island Health. Or at least that is what my work is saying. We are all being laid off and we can reapply for our jobs back with a significant reduction in pay and benefits. 

What sucks? Is that I, along with many of my coworkers, started with that place upon opening. We just celebrated (delayed) our 5^th year of service not even a week before the pink slips. Happy 5 years, you lose your job! I had been counting down the time until this August when I would hit 6 years, where I would then begin to earn extra holiday pay. As a runner, my holiday time is important to me. It helps me with training camps and also to be able to attend races. Instead, right when we reach that marker, we are laid off. We can try to get our jobs back and start again at ZERO. FIVE FREAKING YEARS OF TENURE GONE! So much for seniority.

People keep asking whether or not I will apply for my job back or move on. Trust me, I would love to move on. I feel like I am getting screwed over. I have residents who have been with me nearly 5 years and I can’t imagine they are happy. I will likely reapply for my job because it works well with my training; however, anything can happen between now and September. I will definitely be exploring options. My question is, what happens again in 5 years? My work promised this would NEVER happen and here we are.

The one thing I can say though is that I am glad to be away from the facility during this time. My coworkers are going on a rampage to stick up for our residents to ensure they get proper care. I support my coworkers and my residents, but at the same time I am glad to be away and avoiding the immediate stress. I can’t imagine what it was like to be there when the news broke. Thank god I am away.

In the meantime, I am here to train and that is what I am going to do. I will put work behind me and not worry about that until I return home. Good luck to my coworkers. Fight hard and I will join you when I am back. I have completed workouts 2, 3 and 4 here now and each one gets better as I get more and more used to the altitude. 

St Patricks 5km 2014

With another race coming up this weekend, I guess I had better do a quick re-cap of my last race, which happened to be the St. Patrick's Day 5km in Vancouver back on March 15th. This race came 6 days after my 16:35 PB at Bazan Bay. I had also done the back to back last year and let me tell you, I knew it was going to be hard going into it and boy was I right. 

I headed over to Vancouver the night before, stopping for a quick cookie (yum) and chat with Natasha Wodak before venturing a few blocks down to my sister and brother in law's place. I had dinner with them (sorry for barging in) and then headed off to stay with one of Canada's best Master's runners Catherine Watkins for the night. We visited for a bit and then headed off to bed where I had my usual pre-race nights sleep where I was up multiple times to the washroom.

The next morning we headed off to Stanely Park, arriving just in time to get settled and head off on our warm up. The legs felt decent, so I was hopeful I could run a good time. I have run this race for the past 3 years and this was the 3rd course I had run, each year the start and finish have been completely different. This year was no different. The start was in the same place, but we headed in the opposite direction. The finish was also in the same place, but we took a different route to get there.

This race had a stellar elite field, with race hosts Steve and Karen bringing in the best from the area. I knew I was in for a hard battle and that it was. The race started off super fast on a downhill before taking a left turn. The nice thing about the event is that it was run on the roads throughout the park instead of along the seawall. This led to a lot more room to maneuver around. The bad thing about the event was that it was run on the roads throughout the park instead of along the seawall. 

Wait what? Did I just contradict myself? You bet. I love the open roads; however, being on the open road meant more hills. The seawall is fairly flat, whereas the road is undulating. Boy did this hurt. Not to mention the final km is mostly uphill still. 

I went through the mile in 5:11 I believe, and felt as though I kept pressing on. Around this time I think I was 4th female and I held my spot the rest of the way. As I said, I felt as though I was pressing on; however, looking back on my splits made me say "oh my." The legs were definitely not as fresh, but I knew that going into the race and it was pretty much the point anyway. It was treated as a workout on tired legs. 

I finished 4th in 16:53 and was closing in on Sarah Iginlis in front of me, but ran out of time. Not to mention I think Sabrina Wilkie was also closing on me! The race was won by Rachel Cliff in a fantastic PB of 16:14 (she recently went on to run 15:49 at the Stanford Invite on the track), followed by Natasha, then Sarah, myself and then Sabrina for the top 5. Catherine of course was the top Master and 7th overall I believe.

Right after finishing, I grabbed some water and then headed off for my post-race workout. Man that was tough. If I thought my post Bazan workout was tough, this one was longer and hurt even worse. The legs were definitely tired.  I was happy to be under 17' on this course though, especially only 6 days post Bazan.

Results can be found here. 

The following weekend I was suppose to race the Modo 8km; however, my body overruled my brain and told me to sit it out instead. It was a tough decision but in the end, it was the right one. 

Photo Credit: Rita Ivanauskas

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