Winter time in #YYC...And the running is easy (?)

I've been away for the last couple of weeks on work travel, so getting the runs in was a little tougher. And what I came back to in Calgary wasn't exactly setting the scene for a smooth transition back into the training program - while it hasn't been as cold as it was when I was away, it was still fairly cold. But the biggest problem has been the slick pavement and large chunks of ice, which haven't really instilled confidence in me when it comes to attempting tempo runs on this slick surface. For some reason, Calgary doesn't seem to plow all that much after snowfall - and there's been a lot of snow lately!

So for now, my plan is to head to the gym for a treadmill tempo/interval run, and then when pace isn't an issue I'll do a medium run tomorrow and a long slow run Sunday. (In comparison Halifax seems to have gotten its first shovel-worthy dumping of snow today!)

In the meantime, check out my article on winter running in Calgary, which I just discovered is hot off the press in the Nov/Dec issue of OptiMYz magazine (pp. 75-7).

Enjoy, and stay safe and warm out there, runners!

~ HRG

Winter wonderland: My first winter run in Calgary!

Yesterday, we were mowing the lawn...Today, what was a landscape of yellows, oranges and green is now white. My, how the weather has changed fast!

But since my insightful run from earlier this week, I seem to have found my taste for running again. I've managed a few more good runs, and I feel like I'm on track for a hypo half in February - at least for now. So today although we spent most of the afternoon huddled inside watching movies in bed, I was determined to lace up my sneakers and get out there for my first winter run. Because when you can run on a day like today, with wind driving snowflakes down your throat and icy sidewalks making each step tricky, then any run after that feels easy.

So I pulled out my winter running tights, sweater, hat and gloves, laced up my shoes and headed out for an 8k run. And you know what? I'd actually forgotten how much I like those winter runs, when the world is painted white and you've dressed just warm enough that the snowflakes dusting your cheeks feel oddly refreshing...And at the end of those runs, the feeling of accomplishment is just priceless!



I'm told that as Calgarians, we get the odd chinook that means we'll be running in 20 degree weather in the middle of winter! I'm looking forward to those days, but also to a new season of running in Calgary.

Enjoy that winter wonderland, running friends!

~ HRG

T-minus zero days till race day: The race that was a brunch instead...

So - after all the humming and haing and yays and nays of the last week and a bit, not to mention my race day countdown...it turns out that instead of racing in the Halifax Hypothermic Half Marathon yesterday, I had the longest sleep-in I've had in years, watched OASIS tv with my hubby, helped shovel out the car...and then went for brunch.

All of the previous day I'd been sitting on a fence and leaning towards not going, but before I went to bed I'd agreed with my running buddies that we'd wake up early and make the call about the race then. I hydrated, I carb-loaded (kind of) and then I went to bed at a respectable time. But when I looked outside at midnight and the snow was still dumping on us, I had a pretty good feeling that I wouldn't be racing.

In fact, I didn't even set my alarm to wake me up.

Nevertheless, I woke up way early the next day, and started scanning my Facebook feed to see what folks had decided. By around 6:45, the flurry of messages started, and it looked like we were unanimous: with blizzarding conditions in Dartmouth and 50-kilometre winds, not to mention a -18 windchill, we decided to run 21.1kms together on February 17 and simply do the post-race brunch yesterday.

Had this been my first half, or the middle of summer, or if we hadn't had the option of running 21.1 and getting our medals the following week, I  might have been disappointed. But given that I've already fallen once this season and broken the side of my glasses, and that one of my friends had a scary incident where she lost vision on a long run by rubbing off the protective layer of her eyes in the cold (who knew), we all agreed that we were better to be safe than sorry.

And boy am I glad I made that call - because instead of 1.6-kilometre laps, the 60 out of 450 brave souls who did the run  yesterday ended up doing 500-800 metre laps. Which means something like 26 laps, and the course ended up short. Not to mention that it was too windy to put up the race clock anyways (I mean it was so windy I had trouble getting from my car to the hotel for brunch! I dropped my glove and had to run 400 metres to get it!).

Anyways - this means I have one more week to train, and then I'll have a fun run with friends next week. So you know what? I'm ok with that.

But to the 60 people who did yesterday's run - hats off, my friends! Nicely done!

~ HRG

T-minus 4/3 days till race day...I mean, t-minus 11/10 days till run day?!? Latest news about the 2103 Halifax Hypo Half

Just learned tonight that Bruce has made the call and has decided to postpone/cancel the race on Sunday due to the monster storm (yes, another one) that's headed this way this weekend. I mean, this one is supposed to be big: 40-50 centimetres are supposed to fall, starting on Friday, and Halifax is in the path of two separate storms headed this way.

Much as I'm sure it pained him to do it, after all of the logistical hiccups from the last few weeks, I think Bruce Bowen, the race organizer, has made the right call. Instead, folks have the option to:

- show up at Dartmouth Crossing on the 10th and do an untimed run of 1.6-kilometre loops (or 13.18 laps);
- show up at the Halifax or Bedford Running Room on the 17th and run 21.1 kms.

There will still however be a brunch at the Holiday Inn at 1 Wyse Rd in Dartmouth this Sunday at 1pm.

Sure, it's a bit of a bummer, especially for those for who this is their first half marathon and who have spent months preparing for this race. But truth be told, I'd rather be safe than sorry. After all, most of us know that you can't expect a PB from a race in the middle of winter. So unless things end up looking super on Sunday morning, and the storm miraculously passes us by (stranger things have happened), I'm thinking I'll show up on the 17th and do a fun 21.1km run with my friends.

That also means I'll have an extra week to train, which to be honest I need, given that my running's been interrupted a few times due to weather and travel (though I did manage a 6km tempo run in -16 degree weather (-21 with the windchill - it was cold!)).

Stay safe out there, fellow runners! We'll race a Hypo together some other day!

 ~ HRG

Updated Feb 8: Please note - the race is back on! It will still be at Dartmouth Crossing, starting at Empire Theatres at 8 a.m. for walkers and 9 a.m. for runners. Please circulate widely!

T-minus 12 days till race day, and counting: What you do after the run is just as important as the run itself!

For tonight's tempo run I had arranged to meet my running buddy Kate downtown after work and then we'd head out for a 6k tempo together. So after work, I checked the weather, put on my gear, said goodbye to hubby and headed out the door.

But when I turned on the car, I realized that I'd forgotten a key part of my equipment: a warm jacket for after the run. I ran inside quickly, grabbed my ski jacket, then headed back out.

It brought home an important point about running, which follows a bit from yesterday's post about taking rest days to allow your body to recover from long runs or arduous workouts.

It's what you do immediately following a winter run that is just as important as the run itself. In addition to making sure you get in a good post-run stretch, after any winter run you'll make sure you plan for things like:

- dry, warm clothes to change into after your run (even if you're just driving right back home), since the body cools down quickly after running outside in the cold for some time (think of packing at least a jacket, and/or sweater, hat and mitts/gloves);
- proper hydration immediately after the run, and then sipping on water for the next few hours until your urine runs clear again;
- a good post-run recovery snack (I like to have a chocolate-banana or strawberry-banana shake right after the run, or even just chocolate milk and chips for the salt);
- a good post-run recovery meal within an hour/hour and a half of your run (I like things like pizza, burgers or chicken burgers, but the Hypo Half brunch of eggs, sausages and hashbrowns is also great)
- once you get back home or to your hotel room, run an Epsom salt bath (warm, but not too hot) - I'm sorry but I just will not do an ice bath in the middle of winter!

Thinking about these things is important as you plan for race day, because you'll need to consider them in the things you pack and prepare in your bags the night before race day. As you look ahead to race day, start thinking not only about what you'll pack for the race itself, but also start making a list of things to pack in your post-race bag.

Trust me - once you cross that finish line, you may be tired, warm and exhausted, but it won't take long for your body to cool down and start stiffening up, at which point you'll be glad you have your post-race bag with you!

What things do you include in your post-run/race bag? Share your tips here!

- HRG

T-minus 14 days till race day, and counting: Race day visualization and mental preparation

It's starting to sound like I'm whining about the cold, but I gotta say: yesterday was another cold one (and by that I don't mean a brewskie).

Race day visualization

The schedule on Sunday called for 20k. I decided to stay in Halifax for the run but I did drive across the bridge to drive around the course and refresh my memory. Visualization is a great way to mentally prepare yourself for race day.

It's amazing how much stuff comes back to you when you're actually on the course. I remembered what it felt like, last year, when we were all gathered at the start line, the butterflies in my stomach but also the sense of excitement in the air as close to 350 of us gathered in -15 weather on a sunny day to share in the experience of running 21.1kms in the middle of winter for the 2012 Halifax Hypo Half.

As we drove along the course, I remembered the water station, complete with plastic palm trees, volunteers dressed in Mexican sombreros and dancing to tropical music. Then I saw the spot when I tripped on a crack on the sidewalk and did a spectacular fall and roll (for which I received some props from my fellow runners - I told them that I'd learn how to fall properly as a gymnast :P ).

We then passed the spot on a downhill stretch on Cow Bay Road, where I saw the two-hour group passing by us in the other direction and I knew that we were nearing the turnaround. At that point we had started seeing familiar faces heading back and we were cheering each other on. And then there were the two women in the Running Room van who kept driving ahead of us and getting out to do a crazy dance and whooping and cheering for us.

As we drove by the spot where I dropped my sunglasses for the umpteenth time, I realized that driving around the route was also a good reminder to try and figure out how to be more organized this time around, since winter running comes with so much more "stuff" than running in the summer. Last year I kept  dropping my gloves, my iPod and my sunglasses, which meant that I hadn't been able to take in enough fuel and as a result felt sluggish in the last stretch.

Then, coming up the hill in the home stretch, I remembered looking up and seeing a good friend with a cow bell, cheering me to the finish line in the slowest time I'd ever raced a half, but also with the best feeling because I'd just gone out there with no expectations and run the race with friends and enjoyed myself. I pictured running up that hill in just two weeks time, and feeling just as happy at my accomplishment as last year, no matter what my time.

The importance of dressing for the wind chill!

After we drove around the course, I went back to Halifax and geared up for my run. I headed out, but for some reason my legs felt sluggish and my gait was off (it was only later that I realized that it could have been the -22 degree windchill!). I made it about 8kms, but then while doing a mental check of my body I realized my core was getting really cold, as well as my head. I couldn't picture running for another hour and a bit while getting increasingly colder.

After some debate, I decided to run the remaining 12 kms on the treadmill, rather than quit, because I knew that this run was an important mental and physical part of preparing for race day. It was not a fun run, but for some reason the 10-minute intervals just started ticking away and soon enough it was done.

It was an important lesson to always, always remember to keep the windchill in mind when dressing for a winter run! (In fact I had worn almost exactly the same clothes as last year's Hypo Half, where I was dressed warmly for a -15 degree day...Just not warm enough for -22!)

And now the mental training begins

The visualization of the race course was a good first step for the mental training ahead. We're less than two weeks away from race day, which means my mind is starting to play its usual tricks on me: have I trained enough? Am I ready for this? What will the day be like on race day? But driving around the course was an important first step.

The trick for me, these next two weeks, will be to remember all the lessons learned in previous races, while at the same time shutting down the negative talk and tuning into my yoga zen voice. The physical work is done - now it's all about the mental preparation!

What tips do you have for mentally preparing yourself for race day?

~ HRG

T-minus 17 days till race day, and counting - Integrating the treadmill into your workout regime

With the cold snap all of Canada's been having lately, I already knew my workout tonight would be inside. The question was, whether I would hit another Body Pump class (ouch!) or the treadmill?

Given that I haven't run since Sunday (Tuesday was Body Pump, and yesterday was nothing, since my hubby and my work schedules were packed - see how life can get in the way?), I felt like I had to hit the treadmill for a good, solid run. So at least I could say that I'd run this week.

I dreaded the dreadmill. I mean, come on: 50 minutes on the treadmill? It's an exercise in trying to distract yourself.

But I dreaded the cold more. So tonight, while gritting my teeth, I drove to the gym, changed, plugged in my earbuds and started to run, while my eyes scanned from one TV monitor to the next - trying to settle on something that would distract me and make the run seem less dreadmilly.

To be honest, part of the dread in the dreadmill is obviously the visual monotony - there's just nothing there to capture your attention for the duration of the run. At least, nothing compared to getting outside and seeing the sights and sounds of a city in motion.

But running on a treadmill, with the same consistent pace and incline, is also nothing like running through a terrain with real inclines, declines and all of the challenges built in between.

At the end of my 50-minute workout, I'm sure it was apparent to all those around me that I had had a workout, from the volume of unladylike perspiration beading off my skin. But secretly I have to admit that I still felt like running on a treadmill was not quite the serious workout that running outside would have been.

Hey - it's been cold out there! And for those days when it's just too cold outside to run safely and warmly (last week it took me a good two hours to warm up after my 8k run), the treadmill has its place.

There are however many running professionals who swear by the treadmill - because it's consistent and you can control the conditions.

There are also many ways to mix up a treadmill workout so that it's not only interesting, but physically challenging. When I used to do a lot more treadill running, I used to do this bump training workout (can't remember for the life of me where I found it):

- 4-minute warmup - jog slowly
- 1 minute at 60-80% effort
- 30 seconds at 90-95% effort
- 1 minute at 60-80%
- Then, keep increasing the time at 90-95% effort (1 minute, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3)
-.in between each speed burst, recover for 1 minute at 60-80
- once you reach the peak time (let's say 3 minutes), start working backwards (2:30, 2, 1:30, 1) until you reach 30 seconds
- cool down for 4 minutes

Marathon Nation has some great tips for running on the treadmill >

Runner's World has a few treadmill workouts for you to get the most out of your workout > >

At the end of the day, the treadmill has its place in a running regime. But make sure to mix it up, to keep it interesting and keep yourself challenged.

Soon enough, it will be spring again - and we'll marvel at the dust accumulating on the treadmill while the crocuses bloom outside!

Keep it real, fellow runners! Warmer days will be here soon!

- HRG

T-minus 23 days till race day, and counting!

It's Friday, which usually means I get the day off (unless I've skipped a few too many runs and am trying to jam another one in to the week). But I was a good girl this week and managed two out of three runs, which ain't half bad, considering the weather.

Although last night's weather was not as hairy as Wednesday's, once I got out on the roads I soon found out that the sidewalks were deceivingly slippery. What seemed like water running across the pavement was actually patches of really, really thin ice. And what seemed like ice, was ice.

Which made for an interesting run. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had to adjust my gait to avoid slipping and face-planting (shortening my stride and running rigidly, tentatively), or if it was the fact that Tuesday I did a Yin:Yang yoga class immediately following my tempo run around the Commons, but for the first half of my 8k run my legs felt heavy and my calves achy. (Ok, I had also overdone it a bit on Tuesday's run, when I started out at 5:10 for what should have been a 5:30 pace.)

In any case, for whatever reason, I felt like I was tottering my way through much of the run last night. Partway through, I started hearing my negative self-talk creep in, wondering if I was feeling the pain because I haven't been training enough...was I ready to race...maybe I've put on a few too many pounds since the holidays...Ok, truth be told, after a long day at work I was mentally tired and dreading the run to begin with.

And then I remembered the lessons I'd learned from last year's training, which included trying to stop the negative self-talk. And I remembered that it's the tough runs, when you don't want to be out there, that help you on race day. Because if you can totter your way through an icy city when all you'd like to do is be home curled up under a blanket, then you can do this on race day, when there are friends and family lining the sidewalks to cheer you on.

I also reflected on a great article in Runner's World I'd just been reading the previous day, which said that the days when you don't want to go out for a run, because it's cold and icy out there, are exactly the days when you should get out there. Because when you finish that run, your endorphins will be flowing, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment.

So I kept going, and I fought the urge to berate myself for running a minute slower than I would usually run (just more negative self-talk). The point of last night's icy run was to get out there, and do it.

Eventually, my gait loosened up a bit, and my legs forgot the ache. And when I got to my hubby's store, I did feel really happy that I'd chosen to go out and get 'er done.

How's your training for race day going? Stay safe and warm out there!

~ HRG