PB doesn’t stand for Peanut Butter

When I finished Ironman Canada last year, my coach gave me a very cute little home-baked package of “PB biscotti”.  Those tasty little peanut butter biscotti didn’t last long.  Personal best biscotti!

After some really brutal wind and rain on Saturday, we were lucky to get a perfect day to race the first half marathon of the year (well, February in Vancouver perfect that is!).  And despite being early in the season, the fast course did not disappoint…it was a PB biscotti kind of day!

I have not had an ideal start to the 2011 season, with two bouts of the flu and less-than-stellar work ethic - my heart just is not into cold weather riding and running.  I signed up for the First Half as an early season benchmark (and because it is a great race!), but did not specifically train nor taper for it.  This week was a 10 hour quasi-recovery week of training and included a miserable two hour ride in the rain the day before the race.  Given the lack of training and taper, my “reasonable expectation” was to run close to my PB (1:35) and my stretch goal was to go a little under this.  I knew, however, that averaging a sub-4:30 per km pace was ambitious.

I felt good on race morning so the plan was to try to hit 4:15 to 4:20 for the first half of the race then hold a 4:30 the remainder of the race.  I did not want to torture myself with the math (4:20 multiplied by 21.2…argh!) and also was aware that the heavy lifting would come in the last 4k of the race so I tucked my watch under my glove and ran with abandon (actually I was rocking out to my i-Pod if you must know the truth)!  Fabulous calm weather and the comfort of running the seawall, which is a route I run at least twice a week, made for really good fun.

My RPE was around 85%.  I felt comfortable and was very capable of making small talk, so I was totally shocked when I took a little peek at my 310XT at the 10k mark and saw 42 minutes.  I panicked a little.  First thought was that I had accidentally stopped my watch but then realized that I was properly measuring distance so that was not the case.  Next thought was “oh shit”.  I had just PB’d my open 10k time by over a minute.  Totally awesome, except for the obvious problem that I had eleven more kilometers to go….. 

For the next three kilometers, I waged a little inner battle over pushing to the limit versus running more conservatively.  I swear there was a little red devil on my shoulder yelling “faster”!!!  I hung in at roughly 4:20’s for the next three kilometers and evaluated the situation.  I felt great, but I had a long way to go.  At third beach and roughly fourteen kilometers, I made the conscious decision to (a) slow down to roughly 75% RPE and (b) stop looking at my damn watch because it was stressing me out!  I am admittedly conservative towards the last third of any race and am quite scared of blowing up….this tends to be the source of post-race regret from time to time, but it’s just the way I work.

When we transitioned onto the gravel around lost lagoon, followed by a series of short ups and downs through English Bay to the finish, I was glad that I had turned down the intensity and had enough in the tank to started passing people along Beach Avenue.  This is usually where I completely fade.  At 19 kilometres, I peeked at the watch again and saw an hour 22 elapsed.  Two kilometers left, and I was solidly in PB range.  All I needed to do was hang together two easy kilometers and I was there.  10 minutes, max. 

I realize that the five-minute-kilometer conservative thinking is self-defeating, but for me, envisioning the worst-case scenario provides a little safety net.  When I am in the “what if I start running fives” safe zone, I know I can comfortably dial back to my steady state run pace and not disturb the relative outcome of the race.  It is an interesting mind trick, however, because I was still managing 4:30’s despite having it in my mind that I was running fives.  Somehow I think that telling myself to run slower just calms me down.  Even if my legs aren’t listening!

Resorting to this approach miraculously gave me enough energy to sprint to the finish and I outran two other women close to the line.  It felt good to finish this way instead of suffering.  I know my conservatism cost me in total time, but it was ok by me.  I finished with a very unexpected 3 1/2 minute personal best at 1:31:29, and felt great.  Asking for any more (or in this case, less!) would have just been too gluttonous in the PB department.

I am really proud of my brother-in-law for finishing his first half marathon.  Peanut butter biscotti for everyone!!

(Note**:  Coach Calvin's lovely wife Leanne is the one who bakes the yummy PB biscotti.  Coach Calvin is strictly in charge of Quality Control and Distribution.)

Eating right....and getting it right!

A couple weeks ago I met with a nutritionist as part of an employer-mandatory health check.  The appointment was extremely comprehensive and it was interesting to get a snap shot of my health.


Prior to meeting with the nutritionist, I was asked to keep a food log for three consecutive "normal" days that would be reflective of the way that I usually eat. By "normal", this means not going out of my ordinary habits too much.  Keeping a diary of food intake is actually quite exhausting, but it does bring focus to the quantities and types of food that one consumes in one day.  

	Day #1	Day #2	Day #3
Breakfast	Cheerios + banana w/ 1% milk	Cereal + blueberries w/ 1% milk Earl grey tea w/ honey + 1% milk Water	Hot cereal w/ brown sugar; banana, 1% milk Earl grey tea w/ honey + 1% milk Water
Snack	Non-fat chai latte (post run) 3 kiwi + ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt Soda water	Non-fat chai latte Low fat banana bread Water	Non-fat chai latte Low fat banana bread; mandarin orange; water Pre-run: banana
Lunch	Grilled turkey sandwich with avocado, spinach on black olive bread Honey yogurt + cherry compote Water	Roast beef sandwich on whole wheat w/ veggies + mustard Handful plain chips 3 mandarin oranges Water	Leftover quinoa (without cheese or tomato sauce); 1 cup nonfat yogurt; Banana; Water
Snack	3 oz manchego cheese	Apple, diet coke, apple muffin During ride:  Water w/electrolyte Post ride:  500ml chocolate milk	Apple, herbal tea
Dinner	Chicken + black bean soup Tortilla chips (handful), cheddar cheese as topping 2 cans soda water	3 cups Italian quinoa (quinoa mixed with tofu ground round, peppers, zucchini, kale, tomatoes, tomato sauce, cheese) 1 can soda water	3 pieces pizza (2 veggie / 1 ham + pineapple) Diet Coke, water
Snack	Grapefruit cup, handful blueberries	None	Blueberries, ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
Activity	13k run (gel + Nuun)	Bike ride – hard 60’	3k swim 14k run

Although the nutritionist was in general quite pleased with the amount and variety of food that I was eating, we did get into an interesting discussion concerning eating for performance and it made me realize that the way I view nutrition is really quite different from most of the population.  I love food and it is my fuel.  I look forward to meals and generally prefer healthier foods like veggies, fruit and yogurt over processed or fast foods.


However, just because you burn calories doesn't mean you get to consume at will (How many times have you had someone say, "you are training so much, you can afford to eat whatever you want!").  Uh-uh.  Garbage in is garbage out.  Although I burn a lot of calories while training, it is still easy to eat them back. As such, over eating is just as much a concern as under-eating and keeping a nutritionally balanced diet is really, really challenging - particularly because I am usually VERY strapped for time!  


One of the most important lessons I learned last year while training for Ironman was that squirrelling doesn't work.  Your body can store only a finite amount of nutrients and glycogen, so for the most part you ALWAYS need to keep your nutrition balanced and on track.  You are only as good as what you have eaten recently...of course, bearing in mind that yummy snacks like ice cream, licorice and chocolate have their place in all of this.  Everything in moderation, right!? :)


My inherent frustration with nutrition is that, although I am very interested in learning how to eat better, I find most sources of nutritional advice to be very condescending and unrealistic.  It is hard enough to work full-time, train, manage 9 tonnes of laundry, keep my dog happy and still stay sane...I do NOT need to feel guilted out by authors on nutrition who seem to think we are all latent Martha Stewart clones.  Even the Health Canada guidelines are frustrating at times - it seems completely unrealistic at times to get in all of their minimums every day without completely overeating or losing my mind.  Any recipe with a preparation time greater than 30 minutes is strictly out of the question, as is anything too contrived.  Whole grains and beans are awesome, but if I need to spend two days soaking and draining them, forget it!  


So I stick to what I know - fresh fruit is always on my desk at work and I try to make leftovers of health dinners for lunch to have later in the week.  I read labels.  I prefer healthy lunches and frequent snacks over large meals, and I try not to snack late at night.  (Stop tempting me Lay's potato chips!)  Yet, there always seem to be lapses where I am rushing from work to workout when I need to eat NOW.  Those are the dangerous times when overprocessed / convenience / junk food is most appealing and I totally blow my diet.  Half a pizza anyone?!           
    
So if anyone has any great suggestions as to nutritional planning or great tips that work for them, I would love to hear them!

I quite like my slow-ass, thank you very much.

According to the first findings from the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS), a comprehensive national survey to determine fitness levels, between 1981 and 2009 fitness levels of Canadian children, youth and adults declined significantly.  In adults, the reported decrease in fitness levels over this period were particularly pronounced for those aged 20 to 39 and even more alarming, for 2007-2009 just under 38% of adults were estimated to be at a “healthy” weight. Approximately 1% were considered underweight, 37% were overweight and 24% were considered obese.

Only 32% of Canadian men and women aged 15 to 69 were considered to have "good" health benefit levels based on their aerobic fitness ratings. Sadly, more adults received a fair or needs improvement rating (40% of men and 47% of women) compared to those who received either an excellent or very good rating (27% of men and 22% of women).

We can of course argue semantics about the methodologies used for testing and the basis for categorizing people according to their fitness or health (BMI, etc).   Regardless of deviations in statistical measurement, the trend is clear and it is disturbing. 

Proposed Canadian guidelines recommend that to obtain substantial health benefits, adults are to accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity a week.  According to the data from the CHMS, it is estimated that only 15% of Canadian adults currently attain this level of activity.

150 minutes a week.  That’s not even 3 HOURS of exercise, and we are not talking about intense workouts here....just moderate forms of exercise.  Walking, gardening, yoga, anything.  Just moving at least 30 minutes for 5 days a week.  How glorious, that is TWO WHOLE rest days a week! J

You are probably wondering where I am going with this.

In this day, where our country is apparently turning sedentary, it is my view that we should be lauding everyone who is out there putting in the time to stay healthy and fit.  I am not talking about training to break any records or for the Olympics, but for any reason – health, stress reduction, a life “bucket” list goal – just getting out there a few times a week. 

So I was really saddened / frustrated / angry this week when I came across a message board of apparently “elite” runners who were tearing down a girl who just recently finished the HURT 100 trail race, an insane, humid, difficult 100 mile race on Oahu.  http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3886519

The stated goal of the www.letsrun.com website is to cover the “elite level part of the sport properly”.  They self-proclaim that they have grown into the #1 internet site for the so-called *serious* runner and that their message board is “THE place that runners from all over the world go for the latest news, results and gossip in the running world”.

Seriously?  So does this also necessitate elitist, conceited rants about amateur athletes? 

The general gist of the message board in question, save for the kind souls who chimed in with more reasonable views, was essentially that the average person has no business running (or jogging for that matter).  We are referred to as the “also-rans”.  One poster said “I have thought for a long time now that the hobby joggers and ultra joggers have taken over Letsrun. Because of this, more elite/sub-elite runners will get less of a contract so jogger nobody can brag about their 5 hour 50K. It's the stupid "give everyone a medal" mentality that has over-taken our slow-ass country.”

What!?

First of all, I must preface the discussion by providing some background on the poor girl who these elitist snots decided to dig into.  She is not exactly *slow-ass* (their word, not mine) and I have an incredible amount of respect for her.  Not only did she complete the HURT 100 in a very respectable time, in reportedly terribly humid conditions where most of the field DNF’d (32 finishers out of 111 starts), but she clocked just over 11 hours in Kona this year and followed that up with a 10:46 at Ironman Florida only four weeks later.  Slow ass, my ass.  This girl is a talented age-group triathlete who is upbeat, bubbly and willing to share her story.  She is a role model and an inspiration, and quite frankly, something our sedentary society needs a little more of. 

The fact that these narcissistic, conceited, self-absorbed, so-called “elites” decided that it was necessary to call her down is pretty pathetic.  Elite?  I think not.  Just elitist.

We are all obviously entitled to our opinions, and the internet is a playground for every view on life whether you choose to agree with it or not.  However, what is firstly bothersome to me is that these so-called elites are not limiting their clawing and narcissistic criticism to their competitors, but that they have chosen instead to lash out at someone who is not even their rival. 

It also disturbs me that this attitude is displayed by people who are presumably winning races and perhaps are *best in class* at their short distances.  It seems to me that they should endeavour to be ambassadors to the sport rather than disparaging it.

And, to bring me back full circle to alarming state of our sedentary nation, why are those who should be ambassadors in sport choosing to detract from anyone who is getting out there?  Obviously there are people who should not run or participate in vigorous sports, such as those with health difficulties, but in my view anyone who dares call themselves an elite should carry an attitude that is similarly winning and tolerant of everyone.

Most of us do not have the natural talent or ability to win at the local level, never mind on a national or world scale.  Moreover, most of us are not deluded enough to think that we could ever compete on that level.  Instead, we define our victories by our own personal terms.  That’s why we shoot for PRs, not WRs.  Knocking off a 16-minute 10k is out of reach for the majority of us and yet, in my view, this does not make the physical training and cognitive effort required at any level of sport any lesser than the elites.  While I realize that my amateur goals must be simply mundane to an elite runner or triathlete, we should not need a reason or defense as to why we are out there. 

It is bad enough that the statistics show that physical activity is on the decline, but completely pathetic that people who are supposedly elite (though self-proclaimed) in their particular sport are choosing to discourage participation.  I realize that this is probably not the view of the majority (case in point: I celebrate people like Chrissie Wellington and Scott Jurek, who make a point of congratulating every participant regardless of finish time).  However, the mere fact that this narcissistic view is paraded out there by persons daring to label themselves elite in sport really chafes me.  And unfortunately, no amount of Body-Glide is going to relieve it!

So, Miss Frayed Laces, good on you for showing the class and tenacity to laugh these elitist asses away.  And good on you for being an inspiration to our sport.  We can use a little more of your brand of inspiration...cuz for the sake of our society we all need to get off our slow-asses, be proud of them and get them out there! :)

           

More info on the CHMS:

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/100113/dq100113a-eng.htm

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-003-x/2010001/article/11064-eng.htm

2010 race log

PF Chang's Rock n'Roll Arizona Half-marathon - January 17, 2010: PB 1:35:08

• Mercer Island Half-Marathon - March 22, 2010: PB 1:35:01
• Boston Marathon - April 19, 2010: PB 3:24:17
• Vancouver Sun Run - May 9, 2010: PB 43:04
• UBC Olympic triathlon - May 16, 2010: 2:28:35
• Persona Oliver Half-Iron - June 6, 2010: 5:12:42
• The Ride to Conquer Cancer - June 19/20, 2010
• Subaru Vancouver Half-Iron - July 4 2010: 5:02:48
• Ironman Canada - August 30, 2010: 11:09:21
• Whistler Gran Fondo - September 11, 2010
• Ironman Kona - October 9, 2010: 11:31
• ING NYC Marathon - November 7, 2010: 3:36:36
• North Face Endurance Challenge marathon relay - December 4, 2010

Move that Fat Ass!!

Ah, New Years Day. We usher in the new, make resolutions and typically suffer from an evening of revelry and celebration the night before. Tylenol, tums and sleep are usually prescribed. And 2011 was no exception to this rule, but for a different reason!

I rang in 2011 not with champagne, but with a 50k resolution run. If you consider anything more than a marathon to be an "ultramarathon", then it was my first "ultra". Let's call it "ultra light"!

I was untrained, unprepared and would be happy to finish my first 50k. Signing up was a bit of a lark actually, and it was really more about doing a long, slow, easy run with good company. And the Fat Ass 50k 2011 did not disappoint.

We were served up a crisp, glorious winter day - it was calm, sunny and spectacular! A tad bit chilly, but hey, you can't have it all, can you!? (No whining. See below.) Today was the kind of day that reminds me why I live in Vancouver and endure the sometimes seemingly endless winter rain. The North Shore mountains were crowned with gleaming snow and English Bay was like glass....perfect, perfect conditions!

At an average pace of 5:30/km, slow and steady was the name of the game. The company was great and everyone kept their pace in check....well, mostly :) Four hours and forty-seven minutes after we departed Brockton Oval, lots of potty stops and walking, 50k and eight gels later, we returned to the kiss the fire hydrant. Don't ask...apparently it is one of the rules!

Speaking of rules, the rules of Club Fat Ass are fairly simple aside from the not-so-obvious hydrant kissing. You pack yourself up, aim to be self-sufficient for the distance, respect mother nature and find enjoyment in running. If you don't enjoy it, you suck it up. It's not about winning, it's about the journey. And it was a great journey! The Fat Ass 50 course is an out and back from Stanley Park to Pacific Spirit Park, kind of a greatest hits collection of the spectacular seaside runs that Vancouver has to offer. Most of the course is on trails or soft gravel. The run is totally informal and very grassroots - the attitude amongst the other 100 or so runners was incredibly positive, inclusive and sometimes just silly.

Thanks to my running partner, Shane, and to the impromptu support crew that kept us energized and amused enough to actually run 50k and still be smiling at the end. We did it! New Year's Day, 50K! Now where are those tylenol and tums....

Happy New Year!

2010: A Triathlon Odyssey

To say it has been an interesting year would be an understatement! It has been quite a wild ride and blogging a recap is bound to be somewhat anti-climactic. So here goes....(insert theme music here)....2010: A Triathlon Odyssey.


2010 was about dreaming the impossible.

I dared to believe I could finished an Ironman. And then, for good measure, I had the absolute privilege and opportunity of being able to race in Kona. It isn't about winning, it is about dreaming the impossible, working hard and making it happen. And sometimes, those dreams are possible.

2010 was about doing things I swore I was never going to do again.

After 2009, I vowed never to run four marathons in one year yet here I am reflecting on 2010, realizing that I did it again. Damn those marathons for sneaking up on me. Cross my heart, 2011 will be the year of No Mary.

After crossing the line at IMC, I also vowed never, ever to do another Ironman. And, yet, 6 weeks later I was quite acutely aware of this vow as I lined up to do it again. I guess "never" has its limitations (especially with Kona on the line), but it still never ceases to amaze me how quickly humans can compartmentalize our experiences, forget the pain and suffering and lay it all on the line again.

2010 was about finding inspiration when the going got tough.

And when I speak of inspiration, I am not talking about superheroes or Chrissie Wellington. I owe a debt of gratitude to my family and my friends - were it not for them providing equal parts support, butt kicking and patience, it just would not have been the same. To Jeanne for being real, Mom and Dad for keeping me grounded, Jared for forcing me to do hill repeats, Coach Calvin for teaching me regimen, Jeremy for showing that fearlessness is good, Shane/Dave/Steve/Andrew/Gregg for provoking me to ride harder than I thought I could (damn you!), Greg & Tav for encouraging me to believe in myself and Hoz (as only an ultramarathoner can) for opening my eyes to the fact that we can go a long, long way if we hang in there. There are so many more people I am forgetting to mention here that influenced me so positively in training and in life...thank you so much.

2010 was about logging a lot of miles.

My GPS logs say that I ran 2,277 kilometres, rode 6,011 kilometres and swam 257 kilometres. In aggregate - 8,545 kilometres traveled on my own steam, well worth any number of Honey's donuts as reward I would think!

I raced two half-marathons, two open marathons, two half-ironmans, two ironmans, two mass rides, a trail half marathon relay, an olympic distance tri, my first 5k and a couple 10ks for good measure. That is a whole lotta GU consumed!

As 2010 fades away into the training logs and plans get drawn up for a new season, it is hard to imagine a year quite as amazing as this one has been.

2011, you have a lot to live up to.

Impromptu racing! Funky Munky hits the Marin Headlands.

Not *quite* ready to throw in the towel for the 2010 season, I entered the North Face Endurance Challenge marathon relay this weekend in Marin County, CA. I was traveling to San Francisco for work the following week and we knew a few others running the distance events at the North Face (50 miler + 50k). Turns out there were spots open for the marathon relay, hence Team Funky Munky was born.


There were of course a glitches. First, I haven't run trail for nearly three years. Next, the relay was actually a four person relay and since Funky Munky only had two members we had to run 2 laps apiece. Easy peasy, right? Oh yeah, and the last one, which was that I had not run further than 10k at glacial pace on flat, flat since the NYC marathon three weeks ago. Pffft.

The race is situated in the Marin Headlands, just north of San Francisco. The course is fairly non-technical terrain sandwiched between the stunning vistas of the Pacific Ocean and Sausalito - we were told to expect five stars of scenery combined with five stars of elevation change!

The marathon relay was four 6.2 mile loops with a profile of one mile mildly rolling net downhill, loong three mile ascent (featuring 900 feet of wind-sucking elevation gain), sharp one mile descent, mildly rolling net uphill for the final mile. Our race plan was quite simple: run munky run! I would lead off, followed by Donovan for a second lap. He would decide at the end of the second lap whether to do two consecutive and I would either enter again at lap three, or pull in the anchor at lap 4.

There were about 40 relay teams and our initial observation of our competition was that they seemed quite fast. Many of the girls looked *tough* and trail-worthy, and lots of them were very seriously warming up before the race. Never mind that I was afraid of sucking wind on the ascent!

The start was VERY fast and I settled to the mid-back of the pack for the first section, which was mainly on the road. Most of the mixed teams had females starting, so there seemed to be about 20 girls in the starting pack, a good number of them blowing past me right away. I looked down and saw a 4:15/km on my GPS - my only thought was whoa, settle down, we gotta tow this thing uphill...this is NOT the time to go blasting out. And this gut reaction turned out to be exactly right. As soon as we hit the trail, the free ride on the downhill stopped. I quickly passed about 6 people whose momentum had totally faded.

It was not all easy cruising though. The hill REALLY sucked. A couple of very strong girls plowed past me at the bottom third and I couldn't even contemplate chasing. I ended up walk/running the top third of the hill (posting some very sexy 7:00/km splits). However, I also realized that no one was passing at the top...which meant everyone else was sucking as much as I was!

The top of the hill at the 4 mile mark featured some absolutely stunning vistas over Sausalito - one could not help but slow down to gawk a little. And then, since what comes up must come down, it was rock and roll time. The elevation gained over 3 miles uphill was lost over one mile downhill. This means one thing: WHEEEEEEE!!!!!! I figured I was about 3 or 4 back of the lead female and ran like a flying banshee, on the verge of being totally out of control. It was exhilarating. Bliss. Wind in my face. By the bottom of the hill, I was lead female. Totally wicked fun. :D

I beat Donovan's expectations of time by about 5 minutes and he was barely in place at the hand-off when I finished my loop. Munky One done. Munky Two, GO!

The course was fast and I knew Donovan would rip it up...no way would he hold off so he could do two consecutive laps, it was just too much damned fun to let 'er rip on the downhill! 46 minutes later, Munky Two signaled that I would be jumping in as Munky Three - he would take a break and anchor.

Let's just say that it was a somewhat less-spunky Munky that took to the trails. We were in third place after Donovan's lap and I knew I was going to have trouble holding our place. My less-than-adequate training gave me what I deserved, as did some stomach cramps on the second ascent. There was more walking than running the second time up...but I did manage to save some WHEEEEE!!! for the downhill. Three minutes slower on the second lap. Still respectable. Go Munky Four!

Donovan lost a lot of spunk on his anchor lap...but we managed a 3:30 and a pretty decent 4th place finish. With 4000 feet of ascent over 44km and our handicap of 2 laps apiece, Funky Munky managed to be pretty OK for a couple of silly ol' road runners!

I give the North Face folks an A+ for a well-executed and organized event - it was a whole lotta fun from start to finish. The shuttle service from the city was quick and flawless (well, aside from the motion sickness induced by a school bus ride in the Marin headlands!), food and entertainment were plentiful, trails well marked and provisioned with volunteers, never mind the were fantastic sponsors (GU, Nuun, Gore-tex and of course, North Face). In true trail running style, the start was a little late and the course was actually a little long, but it was just too much fun to matter!