Santa Shuffle 5k 2022

I am going to confess… I have done this event in previous years and I have never been a big fan. But a running buddy was trying to fill up spaces on her team so I registered just as a favor to her.

The Santa Shuffle hasn’t been held since 2019 because of Covid restrictions . There was a lot of excitement in the air because of the opportunity to see friends that haven’t been seen for a couple of years. Personally I was looking forward to the new location and new route. Though I usually like running on the Riverfront Trail, I don’t enjoy running an out-and back there with a crowd when it is icy and/or snow covered. For that reason I was happy about the location change.

This year’s Start/ Finish Line was at the Salvation Army Church on Centennial Drive, right beside Centennial Park. The looped course included a section through Centennial Park and then a short section on the Northwest Trail before following the sidewalk on St. George Blvd. It was a blustery day but we only experienced short sections of head wind, but a lot of crosswinds.

I settled in with a few people from my run group for a moderate paced run. I had coerced my sister to run the event but I didn’t see her after we started running. An uphill section at the 1km mark was very challenging for me but I huffed and puffed my way to the top and tried not to look like I was dying. Though the wind was bitterly cold, I soon realized that I was overdressed but tried not to think about it. By the time we turned onto St. George Blvd, the runners were spaced out enough that there was not much danger of passing on the narrow sidewalk. There were occasional icy patches that necessitated detouring onto the grassy areas.

The final 1km was a gradual incline. Again I tried not to appear like I was dying but I am not sure that I was successful. At this point my sister caught us and she ran slightly ahead of me until the end. With only a few meters to go she slowed and looked back. I accepted the unspoken challenge and we sprinted to the Finish Line. What Fun! She beat me by a fraction of a second. Afterwards we recreated the sprint finish so a friend could capture it on video.

I am so glad that I gave this event another chance. There are so many things I enjoyed about this race.

1. The location offers ample parking
2. The route is a looped course.
3. Hot chocolate and indoor bathrooms are always welcome at a winter race.
4. It is a fun event and attracts people who just want to have an enjoyable walk or run.
5. This event supports local charity.
6. Santa Claus was there.
7. Coloring pages were available. ( I think they were intended for the children. )
8. Great opportunity to see friends and relatives.
9. Great excuse to wear festive holiday gear and Jingle all the way.
10. Did I mention… Santa?

PEI Half Marathon 2022

Goal My original goal was to run a November marathon and this event was merely a stepping stone on my way to that Start Line. Several weeks ago I recognized the need to reevaluate that plan. My injured leg was not responding well to the workload and I feared a setback. So I scrapped the marathon training and focused on this event as my goal race instead. I had no time goal for this event, though I told my husband that I expected to be at Finish Line around 10:30am if everything went well. ( Spoiler alert: I got there around 10:26) The goal of this race was to be able to run strong and feel good at the Finish Line. Bonus points if I could run up those roller coaster hills on University Avenue.

Training: I enlisted the help of a coach using the Final Surge platform. I had two options ; follow the program as written OR just focus on the time/distance for each workout and walk/run at my own pace. Training went well for the most part though I did skip one long run because I just couldn’t manage to fit it in my schedule. I am not gonna lie…. the training was hard! My foot tolerated the workload fairly well until a week before the race. Thanksgiving weekend is an unforgiving time for a baker to be working, AND I hiked a very long technical trail. Yikes.. the foot became very cranky. I decided that I needed Rest more than Time on Feet so I abandoned my training plan and just did easy walking in the last few days before the race. Foot was still tender during a 20 minute shakedown run the day before the race.

Start Line Thoughts One way or the other I am covering the distance. I am really concerned about my foot. Long runs and hills tend to aggravate it, and it is already tender to begin with. Longest training run to date is 17k and that was brutally hard so I am quite sure I will be walking a lot at the end. Above all I don’t want to re-injure myself. When it gets bad, I will just walk it out.

Race Strategy My foot handled the training runs with intervals quite well, so I decided that I would stop at every water station, take a sip and walk for a minute or two. Two red Swedish Berries would be consumed as I approached each station.

Warm up 30 minute walk and warm up drills/ stretches

The Route The race begins with a modest downhill and meanders through Victoria Park along the shores of Charlottetown Harbor. I settled into a nice easy pace and was fascinated to see up close the cleanup efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona which had struck three weeks earlier. Remembering my goal to enjoy every step, I high-fived some children along this part of the route and verbally thanked many of the clusters of cheering spectators. The first few kilometers are on roads that are closed to traffic which is very pleasant, followed by a couple of kilometers on shared roads before entering the Confederation Trail. After leaving Confederation Trail we run along Brackley Point Road. This is my least favorite part because we are running on the right side of the road with our backs to traffic. Then we get to run up the hill on Sherwood Road before turning onto Malpeque Road. At this point we know are on the home stretch with only 5 kilometers and 2 hills between us and the Finish Line.

Fuel and Hydration Aid stations were positioned approx. 2.5 to 3k apart and I dutifully stopped at the first 3 for two candies, a sip of water, and short walk break. The 4th station at 9.6k came upon me very quickly and I decided to ignore it. With all that water sloshing around inside, I did make a quick portapotty stop “just in case.” I did partake at the 5th station at 13k. The 6th station was only a short distance away at 14.4 and I was politely declining the offer of hydration when a gentlemen offered me chocolate. Ooooohhh.. yes please. I quickly grabbed a treat-sized Aero bar and was on my way. I think that chocolate bar gave me a turbo boost because my last 6k were my easiest. In hindsight I should have had some water to wash the chocolate down but I did grab a cup at the 16k station. I was feeling great so I didn’t stop for my walk break here, just slowed down enough for a quick drink. I didn’t even see the final aid station at 19.4k though I trust that it was there.

Hills There are four significant hills along this route, in addition to a couple of smaller ones. The first is Belvedere Street about 4km from the start line. It is not very steep but it is quite long. I motored up without much effort but was grateful for aid station at the top. Second hill is Sherwood Road at about 14k. By this time the 16k route had merged with the HM route and there were lots of people along the way. Most people were walking up the hills and I was pleased to pass them without much difficulty . Like Belvedere, this hill is quite long but not really steep and I didn’t find it too daunting. Turning onto Malpeque Road we were treated to a gentle downslope before those infamous roller coaster hills on University Ave at 18k to 19k These hills have destroyed me in the past but on this day I had enough gas in the tank to make it to the top without too much huffing and puffing.

The End After cresting the last hill I heard a familiar voice calling out “You’re almost there!” It was my husband. This is only the second time that he has accompanied me to a race and I am grateful for his support. After glancing at my Garmin I realized that he was right. I had only 1km to go. As I approached the Finish Line I had no idea what my time was. To discourage myself from being obsessed with heart rate and pace, I set my Garmin to display only the distance. As I got closer I could see the time clock read 2:26.. something. Awesome! Chip time 2:25:47. Not my fastest, nor my slowest but definitely the one that I am most proud of.

Recovery I am not gonna lie.. I was walking funny later that day. The hills trashed my quads but they will be fine in a day or two. The tenderness in my foot is no worse than it was before the race, but my ankle is stiff and calf feels tired. Active recovery will include gentle cycling and leisurely walks.

What’s next? Who knows? I am still basking in the glory of what my body was able to achieve. Definitely need to focus on strength training in the short term. That injured calf/ foot needs to gain strength if I want to continue doing this. And I do want to do this again.

These goals are made for changing…

After returning to running after injury, it took me awhile to figure out that my goals are not the same goals that I had before I tore my Achilles tendon. In hindsight this makes a lot of sense because I am not the same person that I was before. Our experiences shape who we are, and this injury certainly changed my outlook on life.

My return to running coincided with the lifting of Covid restrictions and subsequent return of deferred races. These deferred races included the Fredericton marathon originally planned for 2020 and the Philadelphia marathon scheduled for November 2020. You can read about the Fredericton event here .

https://wordpress.com/view/yourpaceormine62.wordpress.com

When i first returned to running in April, I never once considered NOT training for Philly. I mean.. this WAS my goal once and it never occured to me that I might not want to do it. It made sense to come up with a plan to accomplish this goal.

I enlisted the help of a coach who provided me with a training plan which would prepare me for a November marathon. The first several weeks went great and I was pleased to build a strong running base quickly. And then I hit a ‘Wall’ in my training cycle. Not only was my foot becoming chronically tender again but I just didn’t have time to fit long runs in my weekly schedule. This could be problematic. I knew that i just couldn’t continue to train at this level. After some soul searching I realized that I really didn’t even want to run a marathon. It just wasn’t a goal that I want to achieve at this point. It was time to let Philadelphia go.

A chat with my coach confirmed that I made the right decision. I had already registered for PEI Half marathon and had planned to run it as a training run. Coach suggested making it my goal race and not setting a time goal but just run it with the goal of running strong and enjoying the experience. I embraced the new goal and added my own slant. In previous years the roller coaster hills on University Avenue deflated me. This year I will own those hills.

Coach reworked my training plan to reflect my new goal and it is much more manageable. I have the choice to follow the plan as instructed , or to walk/run the workouts if my foot is sore.

I’m not gonna lie… it is a relief to back off the hard training.

University Avenue… I’m coming for you.. !

Finding my groove in June

Summer is here and suddenly everything is green. I had lots of outdoor time this month with running, gardening, lawn bowling and disc golf. The disc golf aggravates my foot because of the uneven ground but surprisingly the lawn bowling doesn’t bother me.

With all the extra outdoor time, it is hard to fit in a daily walk but I am still getting it done. Currently running 3 times a week, longest run is 10k. My mind is telling me that I am not ready to run this far yet, but my body seems to tolerate it well.

The hardest part of my training program is trying to fit in 3 strength training workouts each week. I seem to be “too busy” and then “too tired.” I keep lying to myself that I will do it tomorrow. The workouts themselves are easy and only take 30 minutes but I am not giving them the priority they deserve. Do better, Diane.

I love these positive messages that I find on my daily walks. Be Happy

Walking 118km

Running 94km

May Growth

There have been two big changes this month. First my physiotherapist broke up with me. It didn’t catch me unawares… she had been hinting at it for weeks. But it did leave me feeling empty and forlorn. We have been seeing each other regularly for 9 months and I have come to depend on her for guidance and support.

Secondly I have begun a relationship with a new coach. He is inarguably the best running coach locally and I am really excited about starting a new training program with him. First we will expand on my current 5k ability and build a solid 10k base. Then we will get down to the nitty gritty of marathon training. The thing about deferred races is that you eventually have to face them. In November I will finally run the Philadelphia marathon.

I have learned a thing or two about Heart Rate Zones this month. My new coach is all about the Zones. The first few runs of the month I referred to Garmin Connect’s suggested HR zones. It was horrible! After some trial and error ( and some frustration) I was able to determine my personal zones. Finally I am learning to run by feel. My previous coach tried to teach me but I just didn’t “get it.”

One thing I love about the new training plan is the built in strength training workouts three times a week. I confess that I am guilty of not doing enough strength training in the past. I really need someone to tell me what to do, and when to do it.

In addition to my running and strength training workouts, I am doing physio exercises to strengthen my calf, as well as balance exercises and low-impact plyometrics. I am still unable to do a fully extended calf raise but have figured out a way to run anyway. With the better weather I been disc golfing and lawn bowling a few times. The uneven terrain of the disc golf course triggers a minor flare in my injured foot, but lawn bowling doesn’t seem to have any impact. It is a great time of year to be outdoors and I am still walking a lot, but avoiding uneven ground for now.

Here’s to continued growth and forward movement.

Running 94k

Walking 133k

Cycling 7k

Fredericton 5k

Once upon a time long long ago, it seemed like a good idea to run a marathon in Fredericton. But the best laid plans of mice and men aften go awry. Who could have predicted that a global pandemic would close the whole world down? I had registered for the 2020 race but we all know what happened that year.

By summer 2021, some restrictions were lifting and it looked like Fredericton would be able to host their event in the fall instead of their usual spring date. Alas.. this chick wasn’t able to participate. A torn achilles in August canceled my running plans for the foreseeable future. Luckily the race directors agreed to defer my registration to 2022.

And now it is 2022. I have only been running for a few weeks and there is no way that I can run a marathon so i changed my distance to a 5k. This is one week after the Grand Digue 5k, probably not the best plan but it is just how things worked out.

Race day was warm and sunny. At the start line I met up with my friend Phil, a cancer warrior who is experiencing some recent issues with his health. I knew he was running this event and was hoping to see him. To our surprise we were wearing matching shoes. We had bought them together two years ago and I was taking mine for their maiden voyage.

We had no plans to run together… but it happened anyway. I made the rookie mistake of not checking my shoe lace and it untied within a few seconds of starting. As I stepped aside to correct the problem, most runners passed me by. No problem, I am just here fulfilling my obligation to use the race entry. After tying my shoe properly, I set off again and soon caught up with Phil. We started chatting and fell in step with each other and stayed that way until the end. It was an honor to run with this local running legend.

The Finish Line of the Fredericton is a great place to hang out. The positive energy is contagious. The world needs more of that right now.

I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when

(April in Review)

April, the month when the calendar page says Spring but the weather clings stubbornly to Winter. Cold temperatures and rain make it hard to be cheerful, but the emerging crocuses and daffodils give me hope that better weather will be here soon.

Running is hard, but I remember how much joy it has brought me in the past so I am determined to keep at it. I have no real training plan.. I am just getting out there 2 or 3 times a week and see what happens. I am still doing Cybex strength training twice a week but now that I am running regularly, we will probably stop those sessions soon.

April 1 – Crappy weather. I ran a couple of short intervals and then 2 x 10 minutes with a bit of a break in between. It sucked.

April 5 Run/walk intervals then 20 minutes continuous. This sucks.

April 6 Run/ walk intervals. 10 minutes continuous. Sucky.

April 12 – Run/walk intervals. 10 minutes continuous. Blah!

April 13 – Ditto. same as yesterday.

April 17 , With a 5k race looming over me at the end of the month, I need to figure this out. Today’ s run was 4km, including warmup and short walk breaks. Ugh. this is hard.

April 19, After warming up, I planned 30 minutes continuous but couldn’t think of a reason to stop, so I did 40 minutes. It still sucked.

April 21 – After warmup, 30 minutes continuous. It wasn’t horrible.

April 26 I have been avoiding my running group since I got Covid. Though I have been symptom-free for a few weeks, I still cough at the end of my run. Tonight I joined a couple of people who were doing 4:1 run/walk intervals. I coughed at every walk interval, and at the end of the run.

April 30 Grand Digue 5k in 34:20. Read about it here. https://wordpress.com/post/yourpaceormine62.wordpress.com/9852

April was a Blah month for me. My mood matched the dark dismal weather but the running is progressing. Despite the weather, Grand Digue was the perfect way to end the month. Better days are ahead. I am confident of that.

April miles 44km

walking 188km

Grand Digue 5k

Picture this; In February an injured runner learned that an April 30 race was being dedicated to the late Sylvio Burke. Never mind that she can’t run, nor are there any immediate plans to return to running. This runner immediately registered for the race.

In March things did not go well for the injured runner. A pinched nerve in her back and Covid derailed any plans to start running. Oh.. she tried to run.. . but it didn’t go well.

April was dark and dreary, and so were the runner’s spirits. A couple of weeks before race day she came to the realization that she might be walking most of the route. She was okay with that.. any movement is a step forward. But then something magical happened. The runner was able to run further distances with shorter walk breaks. Oh, she still had days when lingering Covid symptoms frustrated her and made running difficult but other days were easy. Some days she ran like the wind, on other days she ran like the winded.

Race day dawned cold and rainy. The dismal weather could not dampen the spirits of the runners who came from far-and-wide to run Sylvio’s race. For many, this was the first race since pre-Covid and there was much joyous laughter.

The injured runner toed the Start Line with many of her friends. She had no time goal. Her only hope was to run the entire distance, with no walk breaks. And she did! Despite the sideways rain and occasional sleet, she reveled in the joy of running for the sake of running.

That runner was Me. I have discovered my elusive love of Running.

RIP Sylvio. You are missed.

March Recovery

Marching forward on the path to recovery.

March 2 – My physiotherapist has Covid and has to cancel tomorrow’s appointment. I am very disappointed because she was supposed to let me run on a treadmill while she analyzed my gait. Since I won’t be seeing her for a couple of weeks, I decided to test the legs on my own to see how they responded to a bit of a run. It was absolutely awful. My plan was a few 1:1 walk/run intervals but I sometimes I barely made it to 30 seconds during the run part. My legs are stiff and awkward and my feet are heavy. And my cardio fitness level is horrible. I am clearly not ready to start running yet.

March 4 = Cybex appointment. Minor pain in my leg which might be because of my attempted run yesterday. It is not really bad and Cybex didn’t make it worse.

March 11 – It is maple season in New Brunswick and I love everything about this season. I gathered sap and carried the heavy buckets to the maple camp. Ground is uneven but I was very cautious.

March 13 – My leg hurts so bad. Mostly it is the inner thigh but also the shin. It feels like a really bad sunburn and is tender to touch. The pressure of clothing on my skin is quite excruciating and is really impacting my walking gait.

March 15 – I finally got to see my regular physiotherapist today. She had Covid, and then my rescheduled appointment was rescheduled again because of double booking. I was so happy to see her. When I told her that the pain in my leg was back and described it to her, she told me it was my lower back that was the problem. I assured her that I have a strong back but she insisted that I was wrong. She was right. I was wrong. Apparently I have a compressed nerve in my L4-L5 vertebra. The pain that I am feeling is not from a leg injury, which is a relief. I really thought I had messed up my recovery. It is just the nerve endings going haywire, which is not to be taken lightly but it is nice to have a diagnosis and treatment. Physiotherapist worked some magic with her fingers and then showed me some exercises to do at home. The pain diminished almost instantly and it is a relief to know what is causing the pain, and to know what to do about it.

And then…. she surprised me by telling me to warm up on the recumbent bike and then get on the treadmill for a run. I wasn’t expecting that because of the pain in my leg. The run was only for a few minutes but it felt okay, though a bit awkward. She is happy with my push-off and told me to try running short intervals on my own at home. As it happens, tonight is run club night and a couple of members are also starting over so I decided to give it a go. We did 10 x 1:1 intervals and it wasn’t great but it wasn’t horrible. I am so out of shape. It was nice to connect with people again after two years of restrictions.

March 17 – I did a solo run today with 6 x 2 minute run intervals with 30 second recovery . Running is hard. My cardio fitness has suffered so much in the last 6 months. I feel stiff and awkward. I am not sure that I even like running.

March 18 – It is my birthday. A few weeks ago when I realized that I wasn’t going to be running by February, I set a goal to run on my birthday. Because of poor planning , that didn’t happen. My workday started at 4:00 am and I had Cybex immediatley afterwards and I didn’t dare tempt fate by running with a fatigued leg. I settled for a nice walk instead and my calf was quite tired and cranky by the end.

March 19 – I tried to run. It was awful. I started with a few 1:1 intervals and then a couple of 2:1 intervals and ended with a five minute continuous run. It was awful. I can’t remember why I enjoyed running before my injury.

March 21 – After a nice brisk walk to warm-up, I ran 10 minutes without stopping. I had planned to run 2 minute intervals but at the end of 2 minutes I couldn’t think of a good reason to stop. It was the longest 10 minutes of my life. I hate running.

March 22 – Group Run. We did 6 x 4:1 intervals. It wasn’t bad but I was looking forward to the one minute break every time.

March 24 – Hey, y’all, I have Covid. Chills, fever, fatigue, sore throat , headache…

March 27 – Covid kicked my ass for a couple of days but I am feeling much better now. It seems like a good day for a run so I did a nice brisk walking warm up and realized that I was looking forward to the run part. For the first time since my injury I really wanted to run. I was actually excited because I was going to run and I knew it was going to feel good. It didn’t feel good. It sucked big time and I coughed a lot when I finished. It appears that Covid is not done with me yet.

Summary : It has been over 7 months since I tore my Achilles tendon. and the recovery has been slow. The good news is that my patience has paid off and I am finally allowed to gradually return to running. The bad news is that running is not coming easily to me and I am not enjoying it at all. I am awkward and clumsy, my feet are heavy and I have no endurance. Covid knocked me out of the game for a few days and I think it is still impacting my lung capacity.

Despite the extra challenges this month I was still able to walk every day in the month of March. Here’s hoping that April will bring better running vibes.

Running 16.85k

Walking 123.45k

wtf February ?

Feb 2 – This is my second week back to work and my body hates me. I am too tired to be motivated to do my physio exercises but I am doing a half-assed attempt. By the end of the day my unilateral calf raises are ugly. My heel won’t budge from the floor at all but I can manage bilateral calf raises so I am being consistent with those. Every morning before work I crank out 10 quick single leg calf raises just to be sure I get them done while my leg is fresh. To clarify, my heel is still only lifting about an inch but I am calling it a calf raise.

Following the recovery protocols I am doing some simple plyometric exercises. No bouncing or jumping… just stepping up and down on a stair. And I am not walking up the stairs like a toddler anymore. Yay, me! I still walk down the stairs one foot at a time and I hold the handrail for security.

Feb 4 – I love /hate Cybex. It is so hard but I love that my leg feels powerful when it is crushing the workout.

February 7 – Early morning Cybex session and then a snowshoe trek. In hindsight the snowshoeing wasn’t a good idea. I need to respect that Cybex packs a powerful punch and I should rest afterwards. But 30cm of fresh powdered snow is hard to resist.

February 11 – The inner thigh of my injured leg is suddenly very painful to touch. It is really extremely tender and every movement hurts. Doctor ruled out blood clot, which was my first thought because of recent Moderna Booster. He said it was not vascular, but muscular or tendon related. Thankfully I have Cybex appointment this afternoon and maybe physiotherapist can help me.

I need to clarify that I am under the care of two physiotherapists. One is my regular one who is brilliant and is crucial to my successful recovery. I am currently seeing her twice a month. The other one is responsible for coordinating the Cybex strength sessions twice a week. It was the latter that I was seeing today. The pain has now spread to include the area of IT band / hamstring and we aren’t sure what is causing this issue, but think maybe shoveling snow or snow shoeing, or maybe heavy lifting at work. Or maybe all of the above. Either way we abandoned plans for Cybex today. Instead she performed ultrasound and taped me up and sent me home.

February 14 – Cybex . The pain in the leg has lessened considerably but now I am having pain in my shin/ calf. We went through the Cybex session anyway and it didn’t get worse.

Feb16 – Today I saw my regular physiotherapist. The pain in my leg has almost disappeared and we dismiss it as some weird quirk. I can add to my plyometrics routine.. just little hops and bounces on my step riser. At my next appointment physiotherapist will let me run on a treadmill while she analyzes my gait. It seems to good to be true.

February 18 – Cybex. The mysterious pain in my leg has disappeared completely.

February 23 – The pain in my leg has returned but it is not constant and it is less severe than before. It moves from my thigh to my knee to my shin and it is impacting my walking gait. When I first start moving I walk slightly sideways with a bit of a hop/limp. Mostly it is painful where the skin comes in contact with my pants. I am not convinced that it is not related to Cybex and I call physiotherapist to see if I should cancel tomorrow’s appointment. She assures me that the Cybex is not causing the mystery pain in my leg.

February 24 – I showed up to my Cybex appointment walking mostly straight. The mystery pain is in my shin and top of foot today. It is barely noticeable and doesn’t impact my normal gait. It is frustrating to not know what is causing the pain and I have cut back on most of my regular exercises.

Summary : We had some lovely snowfall in February and it seems rude not to embrace it. I was able to enjoy some snowshoe fun several times, which probably slowed my recovery time but I consider it a good trade-off.

I had expected to start running sometime in February but that didn’t happen. Returning to work after a 5 month absence took a huge physical toll on my body. Early this month all I could manage was to get through the workday, go home and rest, and then go for a walk and a light version of physio exercises. After developing undiagnosed pain in my leg the quantity and the quality of my exercises really suffered. It is so easy to get out of the habit of doing the daily balance/mobility exercises. I am feeling so lazy. February has been a total write off in terms of progressing with my recovery.

March has to be better, right?