So there I was, just over a third of the way through my 12k long slow distance, and although it was a hot day by Calgary standards (23C) I was managing and I could see the finish in sight. With just 7k to go, I started planning my run back from 130th Street - a dash through the fountain I'd stopped at on my way to wet my hat and shoes, a stop at the convenience store for a drink at 7-8k, a loop around the lake and then home.
Lost...
Or so I thought. Stopping at a set of streetlights to grab some much-needed relief from the sun in the shade of a few trees, I took a quick scan of how I was feeling (not bad) and checked that my house key was in my wrist wallet.
But it wasn't. My ID and debit were there, but the key, which I'd hastily tucked in the band after locking the front door, was missing. And I had absolutely no idea where in the last 3.5 kms I'd dropped it. I'd been wearing my headphones and listening to music, so hadn't even heard any indication of a key hitting the ground.
"Shoot!" I uttered (or a variation starting with those two letters). Hubby was at work and not likely able to pause to send a taxi with the key (plus this wasn't the first time I'd lost a key, so I was loath to admit it to him). He wasn't likely to be home until another seven or eight hours, and here I was, a hot mess, locked out of our house in a city where we have yet to meet our neighbours or make many friends.
I briefly debated trying to climb to the second story of our house and trying to pull the window screen off, but our ladder was locked in the garage, and I didn't have that key either.
Well, there was nothing to it but to turn around and scan the ground meticulously for anything shiny, no matter how many weird glances I got, and pray to the universe that either nobody would be interested in a nondescript key, or that the key hadn't flown into a bush or tall grasses by the side of the path.
In an effort to be even more meticulous, I walked rather than ran, taking my time and literally sending a prayer out to the universe to please let me find my key - and to let it manifest itself to me.
On and on I walked, stopping at every glimmer of shiny candy wrapper or plastic on the path or in the grass.
...and found...
And then, just as I yelled yet another plea to the skies, there it was - a glint on the sidewalk. Not believing my eyes but at the same time believing that the universe had heard me, I picked it up, uttered a thank you...And determined that there was no way that I was stopping today after this mini miracle - no matter how hot or tired I might get.
Thankful for little miracles
Now, I'm not an overly religious gal. I'd probably define myself as agnostic. But whether or not this was a miracle, it reminded me of something I'd heard a yoga instructor say once, and what John Stanton had said when he'd visited Halifax for Bluenose 2013: treat every day, every step, every pose as a miracle. We should be so grateful to have our health - to be able to run, stretch, breathe and be. And if I'm hot or tired or in pain, well that's just a reminder that not only am I lucky enough to be able to run, but to be here yet another day.
With that in mind, I turned back to where I had been running, and kept going. By around 6-7k, I was back at the fountain I'd stopped at on my way there. Little kids were screaming and yelping in joy as they dashed in and out of the spray and tossed beach balls. Feeling like a bit of a kid myself, I strode right in to the water, soaking my shoes and taking in the spray full-on. I soaked my hat, then kept going, leaving a trail of soggy shoe prints in my wake.
As planned, I soon reached High Street, where I purchased some gummies and a drink, then kept going for the last stretch of my run.
There's nothing quite like running
And that last stretch, from 8.5-12k, was a toughie. I haven't been running religiously, having been doing a lot of cross-training instead, including biking, yoga, strength, dance and lots of walking - everywhere. Seriously, since moving to Calgary I may have driven two or three times. In fact our town and this city seem to inspire an active lifestyle - I've never heard hubby ask to go on a walk, let alone a bike ride, until we moved here.
But going on a run even when you've been fairly active is a good reminder that running using a bunch of different muscles that you don't use any other time.
Mind over matter, or matter over mind?
But rounding a bend by the lake, where ducks floated peaceably in the still water, I reminded myself again of just how lucky I was to be healthy and able to run and enjoy the day, and focused on mind over matter. Although my pace was slower, my legs felt lighter with these thoughts.
I rounded the bend onto our treed street, drinking in the shade and telling myself I was just hundreds of metres away.
And then stumbled, tripped and rolled, scraping my hand, knee and leg just 400 metres from home. It hurt as it always does, but I still chuckled at this inauspicious ending. It was also a good reminder that when I'm feeling tired, I need to remember to lift my feet and stop dragging them.
Also, no matter how much mind over matter you practice, sometimes matter just gets the better of you.
I got up, inhaled deeply through the pain, then kept on going to finish those last 400 metres and finish the run.
New race goals
Despite the fall, I'm pleased to be back out there, clocking the miles on my legs. I've been managing about two to three runs a week, but then there's all the cross-training (and the biking! Calgary has so many bike trails and places to explore, that I bought my first bike in 18 years and have been biking everywhere).
My goal is to keep clocking the kilometres with the goal of a fall half marathon - my first in Calgary. I've been trying to get some speed training in from time to time but am understandably slower, both because I'm not training as intensely but also because of the altitude. But my focus is different - when I stand at that start line this fall, my goal will be to run through a new course and experience racing in a new province and a new city and just soak in the experience.
At some point, I want to find and join a run club in Calgary - I've been missing the community aspect of running. But in the meantime, I'll focus on getting out there a few times a week and stretching my legs, clocking the kilometres. And who knows - with all the biking I've been doing, a triathlon may even be in my sights at some point too.
So hooray for good runs, healthy lifestyles and new goals!
Hope your training's also going well, fellow runners!
Signing out from Cow Town,
~ HRG
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Running through Calgary, after the flood (includes photos)
It's funny how life works out sometimes. No sooner had we arrived in Calgary from Halifax, than the city experienced the worst flooding in its history. And here we were, fresh off the boat, just trying to get settled into living in a new place.
Fortunately, we weren't affected by the waters, although we were about three blocks from evacuated zones. Two days after the flood, I took my camera with me to take in the aftermath as the waters receded and roared around the city core.
Warning: yes, there are a lot of photos. But it's not every day you get to witness a flood of historic proportions.
All in all I have to say arriving just as the flood happened was a great way to witness first-hand Calgary's can-do attitude and resilient nature, even if I would never have wished this devastation on anyone. But I was struck by just how much the city came together in a time of intense devastation. In fact, I tried finding opportunities to volunteer but so many people turned out to help that I wasn't able to lend a hand!
In the weeks that followed, there were reports that runners were having a hard time adjusting to the aftermath of the flood, because some of their favourite routes had been washed away. But to be honest, I'm not sure that was a priority for people as they were trying to dig themselves out from the wreckage. Yes it will take time to fix some of the worst-hit areas, but in the meantime, give us a road and some shoes, and we runners can take ourselves just about anywhere.
~ HRG...via Calgary
Fortunately, we weren't affected by the waters, although we were about three blocks from evacuated zones. Two days after the flood, I took my camera with me to take in the aftermath as the waters receded and roared around the city core.
Warning: yes, there are a lot of photos. But it's not every day you get to witness a flood of historic proportions.
All in all I have to say arriving just as the flood happened was a great way to witness first-hand Calgary's can-do attitude and resilient nature, even if I would never have wished this devastation on anyone. But I was struck by just how much the city came together in a time of intense devastation. In fact, I tried finding opportunities to volunteer but so many people turned out to help that I wasn't able to lend a hand!
In the weeks that followed, there were reports that runners were having a hard time adjusting to the aftermath of the flood, because some of their favourite routes had been washed away. But to be honest, I'm not sure that was a priority for people as they were trying to dig themselves out from the wreckage. Yes it will take time to fix some of the worst-hit areas, but in the meantime, give us a road and some shoes, and we runners can take ourselves just about anywhere.
~ HRG...via Calgary
All unpacked, and catching up: My last run through Halifax, in pictures
So the last few weeks have been spent unpacking, unpacking and more unpacking...We just moved in to our new house in McKenzie Towne, Alberta, and things have been a little unsettled as we worked on getting settled in. Which means that I haven't been doing much running (maybe a run or two per week, but lots of walking and working out).
Anyways, our stuff arrived a few weeks ago and I finally made it to the box that contained the cables for my camera. So I'm catching up on a few slideshows I should have posted two months ago, including my last run through Halifax.
And now that we're more settled in (more or less), I intend to start running more regularly and exploring our neighbourhood, with a goal of running a half in Calgary sometime this fall. So stay tuned for more!
~ HRG...via Calgary
Anyways, our stuff arrived a few weeks ago and I finally made it to the box that contained the cables for my camera. So I'm catching up on a few slideshows I should have posted two months ago, including my last run through Halifax.
And now that we're more settled in (more or less), I intend to start running more regularly and exploring our neighbourhood, with a goal of running a half in Calgary sometime this fall. So stay tuned for more!
~ HRG...via Calgary
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Settling in to life in Cow Town...Friendly folks, altitude training, floods and more...
Well here I am, in Cow Town! I can't believe it's already been nearly three weeks. And while I miss the ocean, I must confess - Calgary has been a pleasant surprise so far.
Before arriving here, I didn't remember much about Calgary apart from the biggies - Lake Louise and Banff and the Calgary Tower - which I'd explored with my parents as a teenager. So when we decided to move to Calgary so hubby could pursue a new job, neither of us knew quite what to expect, except that we were heading out on a new adventure together.
The day after our arrival, we took a taxi in from the airport. We could see the downtown core from where we were, and the mountains beyond it, looking majestic, mystical and somewhat imposing. From afar, Calgary seemed only slightly bigger than Halifax - a small cluster of skyscrapers surrounded by a spiderweb of highways.
But then the taxi drove into the downtown core, and it felt like the city swallowed us whole. We were used to being in a city where the tallest buildings were only a few stories high, you could always see the sky and the ocean was never farther away than a few kilometres at most. But as the taxi kept on going, and going, and going, and all we could see were buildings towering above us. We had no idea where we were, or where the horizon was, for that matter.
Stepping out of the taxi when we arrived at our rental apartment, hubby and I looked at each other, and took a deep breath. "Well, that wasn't at all overwhelming," he said. I could tell both of us thinking the same thing: what had we just done? Had we made the right decision to move all of our belongings to a city where we knew not a soul, and which felt 20 times larger than the one we'd just left after six years there?
"Let's just drop our stuff off upstairs, and then take a walk and find a local pub," I suggested, thinking that a beer might just take the edge off.
It turned out that walking through our new neighbourhood - rather than driving through it - was probably one of the best decisions we could have made. There's something to be said for exploring a new city on foot, whether running or walking. In fact, one of the first things I did when I arrived in Halifax close to six years ago was to join a running clinic. When running or walking, you're at your own pace. You can take your time to smell the flowers (Calgary has such lovely lilacs at this time of year) or stare at a new bird (everywhere we kept on seeing black and white birds with long tails, which I later discovered are magpies) or look at menus and do some window shopping.
Coincidentally, it also happened to be hubby's birthday, so we felt no guilt in spending the day hopping to and from a few of Calgary's brew pubs. By the end of the day, we felt quite a bit more relaxed and were enjoying the city's energy and youthful vibe. People here are also super friendly - we're feeling quite at home (our realtor suggested that some of the Maritime hospitality has bled into the city from all of the come-from-aways who've moved here from the east coast).
The following day, I woke up a little earlier and decided to head out for my first run in my new city, wearing my shiny new sneakers (which I'd bought at the Spring Garden Rd RR just days before our departure). I'd been warned by my Halifax running buddies that the altitude would take some getting used to, since the city is 3,500 feet above sea level. I decided it was probably best not to take my Garmin with me, to avoid getting discouraged.
I took it nice and easy and ran down 17th Avenue, which is one of Calgary's most bustling areas, with numerous restaurants and boutiques along it (for sports fans, I'm told it's also known as the Red Mile). I knew I couldn't get lost, because of the city's grid system - the streets are numbered consecutively, so east-west streets are xth Avenue, and north-south streets are xth Street. That means that you can easily count how many blocks there are to your destination, and also that there's almost no way you can get lost. This makes running in a new city a whole lot more comfortable.
Not really having any sense of distance or pace, I kept on running till I saw the top of the Saddle Dome, then turned around and came back home to report to hubby on what I'd seen in our new neighbourhood. I felt like I'd maintained a comfortable pace, and hadn't really felt too wheezy, so maybe the whole altitude thing was overplayed, I told myself.
The next day, I decided to try and find the CORE shopping centre downtown, and opted to take my Garmin with me. That's when I realized just how deceiving the previous day's run had been. Although I felt like I was maintaining a steady pace, I was really running at about 6:45min/km even though I felt like I was running between a 5:55 and 6:05. My legs felt sluggish and my breathing laboured, and after about a kilometre and a half I felt like I was running at about 95% effort after speed work on what should really have been a very slow long distance pace. I managed a walk-run-walk 4-kilometre run and came back home exhausted.
The following day, I ran to the Eau Claire Market and found the Running Room, which is also conveniently located in the same building as the downtown GoodLife. Introducing myself to the manager on duty, I explained that I'd just moved from Halifax. "You crazy woman!" she exclaimed.
I hoped she was just being friendly and not actually commenting on my decision to move to Calgary from Halifax, or alternately on my decision to run in Calgary (I had as of yet encountered very few runners since arriving, so I was starting to wonder what the deal was and whether it did actually have something to do with the altitude).
I mentioned that I was debating joining the marathon clinic, but that I was feeling the altitude might make it tough for me to maintain a 5:30 pace for Week One's 10-kilometre tempo, given that I hadn't even broken 6:30 on my run down to the store. I asked how long it was going to take me to adjust to the altitude difference.
"I can't remember, because I've been living here for close to 20 years," she said, laughing. "But 3-4 weeks, I'd say," she added, suggesting that I might want to try the half marathon clinic instead, which sounded like a pretty good idea, considering how I was feeling. I ran back home slowly, trying not to focus on my pace but secretly feeling discouraged by how tired I was feeling on what should have been an easy run. At around 5.5kilometres I gave my tired legs a break and walked home the rest of the way.
I didn't run at all the following week - not because I was disappointed with how I was coping with the altitude, but because I was in Manitoba for part of the week on training.
This past week, I managed to run three times:
- once from work to GoodLife for a BodyFlow class and then home (managing a 5:57 pace over six kilometres, which was encouraging);
- once from work to GoodLife for BodyPump at lunch, which felt more like Fartleks than anything because of the start-stopping at red lights, although I did feel like I was maintaining bursts of speed);
- and today I ran an eight-kilometre loop around the SW portion of the city, to explore the after-effects of yesterday's historic flooding (it was also a stop-start run, since I'd brought my camera with me to take photos of the flooding, the swollen river and the evacuated downtown core, which is really quite something to see - I hope to post a slideshow of it here once I find out where my camera cable is packed). My pace felt a lot better, and I even managed to keep it below 6mins/km for a number of stretches, so I'm starting to feel like myself again and am optimistic that I'm acclimatizing.
Now that I've been running around, what only weeks ago felt gigantic and imposing now feels quite a bit smaller. In fact, today's 8-km run took me just about around the entire SW downtown core. Considering that Halifax is about a 16-kilometre radius, that makes this city start to feel a whole lot more homey.
I'm encouraged that my pace is starting to pick up again, and I'm loving all of the city's trails (although right now a lot of them are closed down due to the flooding). I'm excited to start building up my distances and to continue exploring our new city. There's just so much to see and do. My one question, though, is - where are all the runners?
I've been told that Calgary's a great running community and there are lots of runners, but beyond a few clusters here and there or the occasional lone runner, I haven't seen them yet. I'm sure they're here though - so I'm on a mission to discover them, one kilometre at a time!
~ HRG
Before arriving here, I didn't remember much about Calgary apart from the biggies - Lake Louise and Banff and the Calgary Tower - which I'd explored with my parents as a teenager. So when we decided to move to Calgary so hubby could pursue a new job, neither of us knew quite what to expect, except that we were heading out on a new adventure together.
The day after our arrival, we took a taxi in from the airport. We could see the downtown core from where we were, and the mountains beyond it, looking majestic, mystical and somewhat imposing. From afar, Calgary seemed only slightly bigger than Halifax - a small cluster of skyscrapers surrounded by a spiderweb of highways.
But then the taxi drove into the downtown core, and it felt like the city swallowed us whole. We were used to being in a city where the tallest buildings were only a few stories high, you could always see the sky and the ocean was never farther away than a few kilometres at most. But as the taxi kept on going, and going, and going, and all we could see were buildings towering above us. We had no idea where we were, or where the horizon was, for that matter.
Stepping out of the taxi when we arrived at our rental apartment, hubby and I looked at each other, and took a deep breath. "Well, that wasn't at all overwhelming," he said. I could tell both of us thinking the same thing: what had we just done? Had we made the right decision to move all of our belongings to a city where we knew not a soul, and which felt 20 times larger than the one we'd just left after six years there?
"Let's just drop our stuff off upstairs, and then take a walk and find a local pub," I suggested, thinking that a beer might just take the edge off.
It turned out that walking through our new neighbourhood - rather than driving through it - was probably one of the best decisions we could have made. There's something to be said for exploring a new city on foot, whether running or walking. In fact, one of the first things I did when I arrived in Halifax close to six years ago was to join a running clinic. When running or walking, you're at your own pace. You can take your time to smell the flowers (Calgary has such lovely lilacs at this time of year) or stare at a new bird (everywhere we kept on seeing black and white birds with long tails, which I later discovered are magpies) or look at menus and do some window shopping.
Coincidentally, it also happened to be hubby's birthday, so we felt no guilt in spending the day hopping to and from a few of Calgary's brew pubs. By the end of the day, we felt quite a bit more relaxed and were enjoying the city's energy and youthful vibe. People here are also super friendly - we're feeling quite at home (our realtor suggested that some of the Maritime hospitality has bled into the city from all of the come-from-aways who've moved here from the east coast).
The following day, I woke up a little earlier and decided to head out for my first run in my new city, wearing my shiny new sneakers (which I'd bought at the Spring Garden Rd RR just days before our departure). I'd been warned by my Halifax running buddies that the altitude would take some getting used to, since the city is 3,500 feet above sea level. I decided it was probably best not to take my Garmin with me, to avoid getting discouraged.
I took it nice and easy and ran down 17th Avenue, which is one of Calgary's most bustling areas, with numerous restaurants and boutiques along it (for sports fans, I'm told it's also known as the Red Mile). I knew I couldn't get lost, because of the city's grid system - the streets are numbered consecutively, so east-west streets are xth Avenue, and north-south streets are xth Street. That means that you can easily count how many blocks there are to your destination, and also that there's almost no way you can get lost. This makes running in a new city a whole lot more comfortable.
Not really having any sense of distance or pace, I kept on running till I saw the top of the Saddle Dome, then turned around and came back home to report to hubby on what I'd seen in our new neighbourhood. I felt like I'd maintained a comfortable pace, and hadn't really felt too wheezy, so maybe the whole altitude thing was overplayed, I told myself.
The next day, I decided to try and find the CORE shopping centre downtown, and opted to take my Garmin with me. That's when I realized just how deceiving the previous day's run had been. Although I felt like I was maintaining a steady pace, I was really running at about 6:45min/km even though I felt like I was running between a 5:55 and 6:05. My legs felt sluggish and my breathing laboured, and after about a kilometre and a half I felt like I was running at about 95% effort after speed work on what should really have been a very slow long distance pace. I managed a walk-run-walk 4-kilometre run and came back home exhausted.
The following day, I ran to the Eau Claire Market and found the Running Room, which is also conveniently located in the same building as the downtown GoodLife. Introducing myself to the manager on duty, I explained that I'd just moved from Halifax. "You crazy woman!" she exclaimed.
I hoped she was just being friendly and not actually commenting on my decision to move to Calgary from Halifax, or alternately on my decision to run in Calgary (I had as of yet encountered very few runners since arriving, so I was starting to wonder what the deal was and whether it did actually have something to do with the altitude).
I mentioned that I was debating joining the marathon clinic, but that I was feeling the altitude might make it tough for me to maintain a 5:30 pace for Week One's 10-kilometre tempo, given that I hadn't even broken 6:30 on my run down to the store. I asked how long it was going to take me to adjust to the altitude difference.
"I can't remember, because I've been living here for close to 20 years," she said, laughing. "But 3-4 weeks, I'd say," she added, suggesting that I might want to try the half marathon clinic instead, which sounded like a pretty good idea, considering how I was feeling. I ran back home slowly, trying not to focus on my pace but secretly feeling discouraged by how tired I was feeling on what should have been an easy run. At around 5.5kilometres I gave my tired legs a break and walked home the rest of the way.
I didn't run at all the following week - not because I was disappointed with how I was coping with the altitude, but because I was in Manitoba for part of the week on training.
This past week, I managed to run three times:
- once from work to GoodLife for a BodyFlow class and then home (managing a 5:57 pace over six kilometres, which was encouraging);
- once from work to GoodLife for BodyPump at lunch, which felt more like Fartleks than anything because of the start-stopping at red lights, although I did feel like I was maintaining bursts of speed);
- and today I ran an eight-kilometre loop around the SW portion of the city, to explore the after-effects of yesterday's historic flooding (it was also a stop-start run, since I'd brought my camera with me to take photos of the flooding, the swollen river and the evacuated downtown core, which is really quite something to see - I hope to post a slideshow of it here once I find out where my camera cable is packed). My pace felt a lot better, and I even managed to keep it below 6mins/km for a number of stretches, so I'm starting to feel like myself again and am optimistic that I'm acclimatizing.
Now that I've been running around, what only weeks ago felt gigantic and imposing now feels quite a bit smaller. In fact, today's 8-km run took me just about around the entire SW downtown core. Considering that Halifax is about a 16-kilometre radius, that makes this city start to feel a whole lot more homey.
I'm encouraged that my pace is starting to pick up again, and I'm loving all of the city's trails (although right now a lot of them are closed down due to the flooding). I'm excited to start building up my distances and to continue exploring our new city. There's just so much to see and do. My one question, though, is - where are all the runners?
I've been told that Calgary's a great running community and there are lots of runners, but beyond a few clusters here and there or the occasional lone runner, I haven't seen them yet. I'm sure they're here though - so I'm on a mission to discover them, one kilometre at a time!
~ HRG
Sunday, June 2, 2013
This isn't goodbye..It's till we run together again...
Well Halifax, this is it. In just over 24 hours I will be hopping aboard a plane headed halfway across the country, trading the ocean for the mountains. Hubby has a great job opportunity that we couldn't refuse - and what better way to get to see a new part of the country?
So after 5 1/2 years of running through your streets, I have been struggling to find the words to say not goodbye, but au revoir - till we run together again.
It's tough to put into words what I'm feeling right now. Running has been such a huge part of my life ever since I moved to this city. In fact, one of the first things I did when I arrived was to sign up for a 10km clinic at the Spring Garden Rd Running Room. It proved to be one of the best things I could have done.
I got to make connections and eventually meet new friends. As the distances got longer, I explored virtually every corner of the city. I set new goals and challenges for myself to aspire to. And over time, Halifax started to feel like home, and I decided to set up a little blog called Halifax Runner Girl.
There were many ups and downs - literally, and figuratively, because this is hilly Halifax, after all. There were days I felt I'd run the same 8km loop over and over and over again. Other days, I ran home on a cloud, marvelling at the fact that my route took me by the ocean (and up those incredible hills in Purcells Cove).
There were the days where I ran the farthest I'd ever run before - over the bridge and back. Snowy Sunday morning runs through Point Pleasant Park, the snow soft on branches and ocean glimmering just beyond the edge of the trail. And there were those marvellous Blue Nose race weekends where it seemed the whole city thrummed with the rhythm of thousands of Haligonians of all ages running.
Despite my up and down relationship with running - those days when I didn't want to go out; the mornings when we trudged up the city's icy hills and I wondered what it was all about and why I wasn't in bed. Despite the rainy, slushy, windy, icy, snowy, hot, cold, you-name-it runs...As I look back I realize I have loved every footstep of it.
Running in Halifax hasn't just been about the kilometres marked, although that was one of the major accomplishments I celebrated since being here - moving from being a 5k runner to challenging myself to a 10k, then the Hypo Half, and then the full...After each race I crossed that finish line believing it was the farthest I could ever run - and then I put my shoes back on and pushed myself to run that much farther.
But none of this could have been possible without the support of my coach - aka hubby - and his belief in me. His encouragement when I just wanted to stay home and snuggle up in front of the TV has been priceless.
And then there's the Halifax running community, through which I have made so many friends. You have all been there for me at some point in my running journey - whether it was hanging back when it looked like I was flagging, or listening to me muse about my insecurities with my running after overcoming major surgery, or showing up at the track during speed training prior to my first full with a neon yellow sign that read "Go, Halifax Runner Girl!"...Or just being patient with me when I went quiet and put in my ear buds because all I wanted to go was get the run over after a long day at work and just wasn't in the mood to be social.
To all of you, I say thank you. I'll miss you all. I'll miss Halifax's hills and winds and ocean spray when cutting through Point Pleasant Park. I'll miss Blue Nose weekend - I run in every single Blue Nose single one since being here. It's been a highlight of my running years. I'll miss showing up to a crowded Running Room on Spring Garden Rd on Sunday mornings, perhaps dreading the 32k run that faced me, but feeling buoyed by all of the runners who had decided to show up as well and being motivated and inspired by their energy and enthusiasm.
But no one gets very far by looking backwards while running - in fact that's the surest way to trip. So I'm packing all of my memories into my mental storage bank for those days in Calgary when the going seems tough, or when I long for the salt spray on my face as we run along the Bow River. And I will think of you all.
I've heard that Calgary has many great running trails, but that I'll have to take some time getting adjusted to the difference in altitude. I'm planning to sign up for a marathon clinic when I arrive. I actually do highly recommend it as a great way to settle into any new city.
I also plan to continue blogging in this space, though I haven't quite decided whether to keep the name or change it to Calgary Runner Girl - though so far the votes I've had is to keep the name the same.
And who knows - in a few years, I may be back to run the Blue Nose again, looking to kick some butt at sea level after running at higher altitudes!
Once again, I thank you all for your support. It's been a blast, but this is not the last of it - it's only just the beginning of a new adventure!
Till then, I say not goodbye, Halifax - but till we run together again!
Stay strong, healthy and happy. You'll be in my thoughts.
~ HRG
So after 5 1/2 years of running through your streets, I have been struggling to find the words to say not goodbye, but au revoir - till we run together again.
It's tough to put into words what I'm feeling right now. Running has been such a huge part of my life ever since I moved to this city. In fact, one of the first things I did when I arrived was to sign up for a 10km clinic at the Spring Garden Rd Running Room. It proved to be one of the best things I could have done.
I got to make connections and eventually meet new friends. As the distances got longer, I explored virtually every corner of the city. I set new goals and challenges for myself to aspire to. And over time, Halifax started to feel like home, and I decided to set up a little blog called Halifax Runner Girl.
There were many ups and downs - literally, and figuratively, because this is hilly Halifax, after all. There were days I felt I'd run the same 8km loop over and over and over again. Other days, I ran home on a cloud, marvelling at the fact that my route took me by the ocean (and up those incredible hills in Purcells Cove).
There were the days where I ran the farthest I'd ever run before - over the bridge and back. Snowy Sunday morning runs through Point Pleasant Park, the snow soft on branches and ocean glimmering just beyond the edge of the trail. And there were those marvellous Blue Nose race weekends where it seemed the whole city thrummed with the rhythm of thousands of Haligonians of all ages running.
Despite my up and down relationship with running - those days when I didn't want to go out; the mornings when we trudged up the city's icy hills and I wondered what it was all about and why I wasn't in bed. Despite the rainy, slushy, windy, icy, snowy, hot, cold, you-name-it runs...As I look back I realize I have loved every footstep of it.
Running in Halifax hasn't just been about the kilometres marked, although that was one of the major accomplishments I celebrated since being here - moving from being a 5k runner to challenging myself to a 10k, then the Hypo Half, and then the full...After each race I crossed that finish line believing it was the farthest I could ever run - and then I put my shoes back on and pushed myself to run that much farther.
But none of this could have been possible without the support of my coach - aka hubby - and his belief in me. His encouragement when I just wanted to stay home and snuggle up in front of the TV has been priceless.
And then there's the Halifax running community, through which I have made so many friends. You have all been there for me at some point in my running journey - whether it was hanging back when it looked like I was flagging, or listening to me muse about my insecurities with my running after overcoming major surgery, or showing up at the track during speed training prior to my first full with a neon yellow sign that read "Go, Halifax Runner Girl!"...Or just being patient with me when I went quiet and put in my ear buds because all I wanted to go was get the run over after a long day at work and just wasn't in the mood to be social.
To all of you, I say thank you. I'll miss you all. I'll miss Halifax's hills and winds and ocean spray when cutting through Point Pleasant Park. I'll miss Blue Nose weekend - I run in every single Blue Nose single one since being here. It's been a highlight of my running years. I'll miss showing up to a crowded Running Room on Spring Garden Rd on Sunday mornings, perhaps dreading the 32k run that faced me, but feeling buoyed by all of the runners who had decided to show up as well and being motivated and inspired by their energy and enthusiasm.
But no one gets very far by looking backwards while running - in fact that's the surest way to trip. So I'm packing all of my memories into my mental storage bank for those days in Calgary when the going seems tough, or when I long for the salt spray on my face as we run along the Bow River. And I will think of you all.
I've heard that Calgary has many great running trails, but that I'll have to take some time getting adjusted to the difference in altitude. I'm planning to sign up for a marathon clinic when I arrive. I actually do highly recommend it as a great way to settle into any new city.
I also plan to continue blogging in this space, though I haven't quite decided whether to keep the name or change it to Calgary Runner Girl - though so far the votes I've had is to keep the name the same.
And who knows - in a few years, I may be back to run the Blue Nose again, looking to kick some butt at sea level after running at higher altitudes!
Once again, I thank you all for your support. It's been a blast, but this is not the last of it - it's only just the beginning of a new adventure!
Till then, I say not goodbye, Halifax - but till we run together again!
Stay strong, healthy and happy. You'll be in my thoughts.
~ HRG
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Boston strong. Halifax strong. Memorial run, Halifax Point Pleasant Park, April 22, 2013
I responded that to me, last night's run was about solidarity for those - runners or not - who had lost their lives or had been affected by the tragedy, even the city of Boston itself as it struggles to recover from the horror that was wrought on it.
I was heartened to see the hundreds of runners of all ages and abilities at last night's Boston memorial run. It was amazing to see how many of Halifax's runners were there wearing Boston jackets, Boston Red Sox jerseys or blue and yellow. The bond between our cities was apparent. You could sense how each of us had been struck by the tragedies in Boston last week - and the determination that we'd keep running together.
As we waited in the brisk wind off the ocean for the organizers to speak, I could hear runners around me reliving their Boston experience last week. It was still so fresh and raw for many of them, just seven days after the event.
I was moved as our queue of several hundred crunched slowly off at the starting point, making our way around the park. This was not about speed or time, as the organizers reminded us. It was about solidarity and togetherness.
So we took off together, each of us running at our own pace for 15 minutes, and then turning around and running back to the start.
When we reached the starting point and started trickling back in, our group of several hundred strong milled around - many of us giving hugs to those runners safely returned. This was not just about what happened in Boston - it was about what had happened in our own community, as we watched in horror and hoped and prayed that all those who we knew were safe and sound. I was glad to have been a part of it.
Thank you to the organizers for pulling together such a meaningful event.
Boston strong. Halifax strong.
~ HRG
Monday, April 22, 2013
Boston 2013 memorial run: Runners grieve by running
Tonight runners from across HRM will be gathering at Point Pleasant Park for a 30-minute memorial run in support of the tragedy at last week's Boston Marathon.
Runners are encouraged to wear yellow and blue. A minute of silence will be observed at the start of the run.
The run starts at 6 p.m. in the lower parking lot at Point Pleasant Park.
I'll be there. I hope you will be too.
~ HRG
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