The Dirty Dash

What a fun race this is!  It's my 4th year running it and I always love to get down and dirty in the mud pit at the end.   I will be honest though, I'm not much of a trail runner.  I'm always afraid of twisting my ankle and undoing the surgery I had done 14 years ago.  I am such a klutz that walking can sometimes be considered a full contact sport.  Throw in tree roots and low hanging branches and I could be looking at an all expense paid trip to the hospital.   But for this race, I'll suck it up and pick my way through the brush.

James has never been able to run it this race and has been begging to for years.  It always fell on a weekend that he was at his mother's house.  This was his year though.  It was his time to shine according to him.  He knows those trails because he has done Adventure Running at that park.  He had a goal of getting covered head to toe in mud.  He had his friend Jackie running with him.  All bets were off.  It was James vs. the mud in an epic battle.

We started off at a nice pace.  He knew a few people running because of Adventure Running.  Jackie was a trooper after having such a horrible first race experience a few weeks ago.  We pointed out how this race is marshalled and there are signs to show you where to turn and where to go.  The two of them chatted and got into the race more and more as we moved along.

At the 2k mark we entered the woods.  This was when the excitement really started to build.  This meant we were halfway done and that much closer to all the mud.  We got to the first river crossing and they were in heaven.  It was like watching to Labrador Retrievers jump in the water.  They were making sure they stayed in the deep part of the water.  James was up to thighs and Jackie was right behind him.  I was trying to herd them out of the water and back onto the trail.  As we were getting out of the water, James "fell" in the mud.  I He claims it was an accident.  I may buy that the first fall was an accident, but the 2nd and 3rd ones I don't think were accidental. 

Now he was muddy and much happier.  He takes off and is running ahead of us.  I'm hanging back with Jackie to make sure she's okay and not worried about getting lost.  As we are running, I'm teaching them what to do when they need to walk, trail etiquette, and the importance of running in a straight line as a opposed to running like a drunken sailor.  James likes to spend time in Jamesland and forgets that there is world outside of that magical place.  He has to be reminded from time to time.

We hit the next river crossing and they were splashing and having a good time.  I got the question I had been waiting for, "Where is all the mud?"  Then we came to the hill that was all mud.  James fell down on his hands and knees and crawled/rolled/commando crawled up the hill so he could get muddy before the mud pit.  Jackie walked up it laughing and having a good time with James.  I, on the other hand, very slowly used trees and grass to help me up   It was super slippery and I didn't want to take out the people behind me by doing my best imitation of a bowling ball.  Besides, it would have been hard to pick up the split.  We got to the top and it was another 2 minute run until the mud pit.

Once we hit the mud pit all bets were off.  James dove in head first trying to get the award for the muddiest person.  He rolled and crawled throwing mud at me the whole time.  Jackie stayed upright trying to pick her way through while keeping her shoes on her feet.  I, being the seasoned veteran, began crawling.  But I made the fatal mistake of stopping and got stuck.  It took me about 5 minutes to get through the pit and I was weighted down by all the mud that was caked on.

I crossed the finish line and looked back to see where James was.  He was lying in the middle of the mud pit like a slug.  He was stuck.  He got halfway through and got sucked in.  He was trying to get out, but the mud pit wasn't letting him.  So I put on my super hero cape, summoned by super strength and jumped back in to save him.  Let me tell you, it was like the blind leading the blind.  I got stuck again and almost lost both of my shoes.  I managed to get to him and we started pushing and pulling our way to the side where the mud wasn't knee deep.  We got to the side, he got in his feet and managed to make it out and across the finish line.

Covered in mud from head to toe, Mike brought us our towels and change of clothes and we all trudged off the the river for a bath.  I think they liked that just as much as the mud pit.  We got rinsed off in the nice cold stream and headed back for a meal of hamburgers, hot dogs, fruit, and stale bagels. 

We had  great time at this race and James and Jackie are already planning their method of attack for next year.  I'm glad James got to finally run it and Jackie got to see that running races can be fun.

This morning my run was stormed out.  I will run in rain, but not in thunder and lightening.  I'm hoping tomorrow will be a better morning for running or I will just hit the gym.  James has track and field camp this week so he will be running and jumping some more.  He was super excited for this camp and I'm so glad that he enjoys it.  It will be a busy week for us, but it will be a great start to our summer of fun!

Day 49: Stryker Dundas Cactus 5k Race

Today we all ran a 5k race.  Mike ran with James so I could see where I was with my time since I have upped my training.  It was a great race!

The race was at a park in Dundas.   It was a nice little park and while this morning was warmer than it has been, it was still a nice morning to run.  Here are a few pictures of us before the run.

The 10k started off the morning.  Some of those runners were speedy.  They were finishing their first loop as we were starting our race.  The course was mostly flat.  I was happy about that.  I know I've been training hills, but I still like a flat course.  There was one hill towards the end of the race, but it wasn't so bad.

I ran a best time of 31:59.  I was really happy with that time.  It's a best time by about 30 seconds.  I thought that it would take James and Mike around 43 minutes, but I was wrong.  I crossed the finish line, got some water, looked up and they were coming into the park.  They crossed the finish line in 38:15.  It was a best time for James by at least 5 minutes.

James was so excited about his time and the fact that he ran almost the whole race.  He asked if he could get a massage and while we were waiting in line, I went to go check the official times.  I looked at his time and saw that he got 3rd in his age group.  Here he is after I told him.

He was so proud of himself as were we.  He got his massage and then we had to get some after race pictures.

VRPro always puts on great races and this one was no exception.  Looking forward to running my next race that they sponsor.

Happy Canada Day! AKA...The Start of My Half-Marathon Journey

I have been very lax in writing in this blog and I apologize.  Everything got crazy and I just let it slide.  I'm back now and I'm going to be sharing my journey to my first half marathon.  I'll be running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon.  Today was my first official training day.  Race day is October 20th.

Being Canada Day, I kicked off my training with the Green Germann Sakaran Canada Day 5K in Burlington.  The past 2 weeks I've been taking it easy to make sure all nagging injuries and soreness was healed up and ready to hit the training this week.  I was expecting anything great, so I was surprised with my time.  I guess all the miles I've been putting in walking the dogs helped me maintain some level of fitness.  The course was flat and along the lake.  It was a cool day and I had a good run.

Here are a few pictures from the race.

After the race, Mike and I came home and took River to the dog park.  She loves going and running around and barking.  It wore her out for the rest of the afternoon.

We went to the University of Waterloo for their Canada Day activities.  It wasn't what I was expecting, but we had a great time and there were some cool kites.

Then we went for a walk in Waterloo Park. We hadn't been there in quite awhile.  It was fun to see the animals and walk along the water.

When we got home, I took River out for a long walk so she could sleep through the fireworks.  It's been a great day and I'm gearing up for tomorrow.  I have a 4 mile run in the morning and since it's been cool, I can take River with me. 

I'm nervous about running my first half-marathon, but I'm also excited.  One of the reasons I'm doing this is to show James that even when things scare you, you can still get out there and try them.  He's been shying away from things that scare him or things he's afraid he won't be good at right away.  I keep telling him that this half scares me and my time won't be super fast, but I'm still going to train and put the work in to do my best and be proud of what I accomplished.  Plus all these training miles will add money to the Disney jar. 

James wants to train with me so we will be doing some running and speed work.  I'm also adding weights and a couple of core classes to my workout.  Wednesdays we will go to the big field by our house and do some speed work and core work.  We'll take River so that will make her tired as well.  Two other days I'll be doing some interval distance running with him after my training run.  He wants to do well in our 5k in August.  I told him he has to train to do that.  I think if he sees me working hard, he will as well.

So I'm off to bed so I can get up early for a run.  Tomorrow will be Day 2 of my journey.  I'm excited, nervous, scared, and ready for the challenge.

Dirty Dash 4k

I love doing this run!  I ran it last year and had a blast.  This year was no different.  It's a short trail run through a park that ends in a giant mud pit.  The mud pit was very thick and very deep. 

The trail run wasn't super technical, but there were 2 stream crossings where everyone got bottle necked.  It kills your pace and your rhythm, but I run this on for fun.  I did take it easy on the hills since it was trail running that hurt my knee.  I had no pain and I felt pretty good running.

Here I am before the race.

Mike was there to support me.  I am so glad that he comes and is so supportive. 

And here I am in the mud pit.

Like I said the mud was thick and very hard to move through.  I got almost to the finish line and tried to stand up.

And the mud pulled me back down.  Once I stood up, my feet got sucked in so I had pry them out with my hands.

I finally got out of the mud and crossed the finish line.

It was a humid day, but near as hot as last year.  I did drop a lot of time from last year so I'm happy about that.  The river crossings did slow me down too.  I can't wait to run it again next year!

Waterloo Classic

Today we all ran a race for Father's Day.  Mike and James ran the 3k and I ran the 10k.  After almost 3 weeks off, I was certain this was going to be a disaster, but it wasn't that bad.  It was a great way to spend the day together and have a lot of fun.  I asked Mike if this was a good Father's Day and he said that it was.

We got up and took our traditional family picture in our race shirts.

We got the starting line and James did some warm-ups.

We took a few pre-race pictures together per James' request.

All the races started at the same time.  James took off like a shot and Mike had to try to catch up to him.  I stayed with my pace.  I had my knee brace on with a cloth under it so I don't break out.  I felt pretty good after about 2k.  That's a bit longer than normal, but it was to be expected. 

My knee did pretty good, but there were tears at the 5k when I was afraid that it would not make it and I would have to quit or be the very last one across the finish line.  I did NOT want either of those to happen.  I had to walk up the hills as my knee would pull a bit.  I walked a lot more than I thought I would and that was upsetting me as well. 

I did finish and I wasn't dead last.  Mike had ice for me at the finish line so I iced it right away.  I only added 5 minutes to my time from April.  I'm not super happy about that, but it's okay.  I know I will do much better at my next 10k in September.  In between I have several 5k races to fine tune.

Here are a few pictures from after the race.

Tomorrow I'm starting my half marathon training program over from the start since I've been out for so long.  I want to slowly build my mileage back up and work the weights back into my routine.  I really want to get back to feeling like I was before I hurt my knee.  I was feeling really good and running well.  I just have to wear my brace and be cautious.  I will be okay.

My next race is a 4k mud run.  I ran it last year and had such a good time.  I can't wait to do it again!

Good Friday 5K

It's been a crazy week this past week.  I was at the Victor Davis Meet all weekend for swimming and Olympic Trials were going on in Montreal.  Andrew Ford made the Olympic Team in the 200 IM!!!!!!  It was so exciting!

Mike ended up getting sick and was in bed until Tuesday.  He caught something while traveling.  I wasn't home on Sunday so James took care of him.  That consisted of James letting him rest while he watched TV and played Wii.  It worked.

It ended up being a short week because of Easter.  Yesterday we ran in the Good Friday Races.  James ran the 1K Bunny Hop and I ran the 5K.  Here we are before the race.

It was a colder morning, but it was clear and sunny.  James ran the 1k all by himself.  He was so proud and so were we!  When they started there was a mob of kids and Mike leaned over and asked if I was sure he was in there.  I said, "Yep.  I put him on the starting line and told me that I could go now."  We didn't see him until he crossed the finish line 7 minutes later.

He was so happy that he did it all by himself!  We were very proud of him too!

Here he is posing with his medal.

Next it was my turn.  I ran the 5K.  It was a nice course, a bit hilly at the start, but a nice downhill finish.  I dropped two and half minutes though!  I was so excited!!!!!!!  It was a great run!  It really got me excited about my training too!  Here I am crossing the finish line.

And posing together after the race.

After the race we went to Waterdown Falls and hiked a bit.  It was a nice day and we didn't have the time to go to Niagara Falls.  This was just up the road from where the race was. 



We hiked along the Bruce Trail and climbed on rocks near the water.

After hiking we had a picnic.  It was a lot of fun and James loved it!

It was a great day!  We all had a lot of fun.