Catching up on an inspirational HRG Runner Profile: Erin Poirier & Team Love 4 Gambia

I first profiled Erin Poirier as she was still several months of training away from her run across The Gambia to raise money for the Nova Scotia Gambia Association.

As I started following her blog and chatted with her off and on over the weeks before her departure, Erin seemed more than ready to face this challenge -- she'd trained for months, she'd had a great Boston Marathon experience. She had a team that included a nurse, driver and fellow runners. She had a shoe sponsor (ooh, how I'd love some bright pink runners myself :) ).

Two weeks before her flight out to The Gambia, Erin's coach, Cliff Matthews, suggested that she take the time off to rest before her 17-day run. She would be running at least 23 kilometres a day for two and a half weeks, and she'd already injured herself. This was time for rest.

The eve of her departure, I messaged Erin on Twitter to say that I imagined that she must be really excited. She soon tweeted back:

"@Love4GambiaErin I'm so excited that it's turned into ecstatic! RT @HFXRunnerGirl: You must be so excited, Erin!"

But no matter how much training Erin put in over the course of 7 months, no matter the planning and thinking ahead, I'm sure no one on the Love 4 Gambia team could have predicted what a life-changing and inspirational journey that run across The Gambia would be.

Once Erin and her team arrived in The Gambia, they began blogging about her run on a daily basis. Soon, all of us who were reading her posts were pulled into the experience. We soon became familiar with her team -- Ashley, Pa Modu, Kebba and Spider -- and learned how much a part of the experience Team Love 4 Gambia was. Of course it helped that Erin is a great writer, and soon we were sucked into the experience.

In fact, one Saturday, partway through Erin's run, I was meeting a bunch of running friends, including Wendy Bungay, for brunch. But instead of perusing the menu at Chez Tess to decide which of the yummy brunch options they would choose, Wendy was busily scrolling throug her iPhone, a frown on her face.

Then,

"Oh good. There's a post from her," she said.

It turns out that Erin hadn't posted for a couple of days, so some of her friends had started to worry -- Erin had posted so regularly that to not hear from her (although we all knew she was in a location where Internet connections were scarce) was worrying.

In the end, after two taped groins, difficult discussions with her gut over food (you really should read her blog posts to see what I mean), heat, exhaustion, running with mamas and children in flip flops, yoga on the side of the road, a missing Akon tape and 423 kilometres, Erin, Ashley, Pa Modu, Kebba and Spider made it to Banjul and jumped into the Atlantic ocean on July 26, 2011.

But instead of telling you about it, I suggest you read one of Erin and Ashley's more recent posts, where they reflect on the journey (which brought tears to several readers' eyes, including mine).

And then I suggest you start at the beginning of the team's run through The Gambia, and read forward. You'll be sucked into her inspiring journey just as I was. And perhaps, you'll be inspired to make a donation, however small or big, to Love 4 Gambia so that children in The Gambia can grow up big and strong.

Congratulations, Team Love 4 Gambia. You are true inspirations.

~ HRG

Shoe shopping! Why finding the right shoe is essential to avoiding injuries and enjoying running

Brand new Asics GT 2150, courtesy of my parents for my birthday. So crisp and white, they just scream "new shoes"! LOL...I'm almost paranoid that I need to get some dirt on that material so I don't look like I'm heading out for my first run ever! (Not that there's anything wrong with that).

I've been running in Asics 2150s since they were 2130s (just like razorblade companies, shoe companies aren't content to stay with just one model, and they're always pushing out the next best version). These are a great stability shoe for me, as I tend to pronate -- ie, land with my foot at an angle, which means that my foot ends up rolling inwards when it fully plants. Coupled with a pair of custom orthotics by Monique at Maritime Chiropractic & Bluenose Physiotherapy, these shoes have saved my knees/hips/joints.

I've known so many folks who say they don't run because it hurts their joints. I used to be one of them - I would get terrible shin splints running around the track at the YMCA, and even running a kilometre was unbearable.

Then I had my gait assessed by the team at the Running Room in North York. They analyze your gait (the way your foot lands -- whether it lands with your knee angled too much in one direction or the other) and make you run up and down the store a few times. This will help them assess whether you need shoes that give you added stability based on how your foot lands.

If you're thinking of starting running, I'd say just about the worst thing you can do is to head out in your old pair of everyday sneaks. You're more likely than not going to end up hurting yourself and then believing that there's something wrong with your joints and that running is painful for you. The best thing you can do is go to get your gait assessed by a professional, try out a few different pairs, and invest in a good pair of running shoes.

Once you do find the shoes that work for you, make sure you keep track of how many kilometres you put on them. I use the free tracking tool on the Running Room website (create your account and you can track distances as well as other training activities). Most shoes have an average lifespan of 600-800 kilometres. Anything over that, and the compacted cushioning in your shoe may lead to injuries.

Even seasoned runners who have switched to a new pair of shoes have ended up injuring themselves because the shoe didn't give them the right kind of support. Trust me. Your knees/hips/back will thank you for it!

It may sound like a scam for a shoe store to sell more shoes, but believe me -- I speak from experience. I love shoe shopping just as much as the next girl, but when it comes to running shoes, I'm not going to go experimenting with different types and styles and colours. Just give me the shoes that work for me, and I'm happy.

~ HRG

Ready, set, go!!!

Dear friends,

I've been treatening to do this for some time now, and the day has finally arrived: the launch of my all-running blog, Halifax Runner Girl!

I've been blogging about my marathon training program on my regular blog for the last month or so, and gradually realized that this needed its own space where I could expand on the theme of running.

So here it is folks. In addition to continuing to blog about my own marathon training process, I plan to include monthly HRG Runner Profile posts, product reviews (a whole post on shoe shopping!!! :) ), cross-training tips (including things like yoga for runners, Zumba and strength training), interviews, recipes, inspirational quotes and more. And who knows -- maybe some guest posts from fellow runners too!

Whether you've been running for years, debating starting to run but just don't know how to get started or simply looking for inspiration to get active in any sport, I hope this blog will be of interest. I'm by no means an expert, and sometimes running is more agonizing than enjoyable, so I also hope it'll be a place for us to share and learn together.

Ready, set, go!!!

 ~ HRG

And if you are new to me, here are some my links to my previous posts on my first marathon and the first six weeks of my marathon training program.

My first marathon story: Pain is temporary, pride is forever

Getting back into it: Those first steps on my journey of 952.2 kilometres

Week one of my marathon training program: Great tempo, speed bumps, and keeping on...

Week three: Snow, rain, ice, snain, it's all good...

Week four: Whatever it is, find something to kick your butt out that door

Week six: I *heart* two-degree weather, and the importance of cross-training