Pre Race Jitters!!

I cannot believe that it's been a year since last year's Trans Alpine Race, when I was writing a similar entry from my guesthouse in Oberstdorf, Germany. This year, I am sitting in my guesthouse in Ruhpolding, Germany but feeling some very familiar things!

The last 6 weeks of my training were very eventful, and filled with 2 training weekends in the Rockies!! Both weekends contained 3 solid days of running and hiking with some great elevation and some great times with friends!!!

Running into the Assiniboine lodge for a long weekend!

Great running and hiking weekend at Lake O'Hara!!

 The last 3 weeks have been very challenging physically, and I have been having some issues with my back, glutes and legs again. Again, Martha Sirdevan has been my physio angel, treating me 2-3 times a week at "Suite Physio" and at Wave Physiotherapy. I have really tapered, and am trying to rest and let my muscles and nerves settle down before the race.

Martha (on Right) is not only a great physio, but a great runner too!!!

I'd be completely lying if I didn't tell you that this has planted some doubt in my mind, and that I am scared that my body will not hold up for the 8 days!!!

I decided to stop by PEI again before heading to Germany for a quick trip to visit my family, relax, rest my body, but really try to calm my mind and de-stress before the race! I had a great visit, and was so happy I went!!! I tried not to think about the race at all, and it worked!!! When a family member was saying goodbye and wishing me good luck, I asked them for what!!!? Island life is simple and very relaxing......:)

New cottage construction- the new view from "My" Room:)

On Tuesday night I flew to Montreal, and got to sit with my cousin, Jana who was heading back to Ottawa. (I am a horrible person to travel with, because I fall asleep almost instantly as soon as I sit down and we start moving!!!) From Montreal, I flew straight into Munich! And somehow, I managed a seat in Business Class!! It was amazing!!! But again, my borderline narcolepsy got the best of me, and I was asleep after my gnocchi and vino.......waking up just before landing!!!

Things really were better in first class.... ruined for economy class now!!

From Munich, I took a few trains to Ruhpolding where I found the guesthouse and my polygamy family! (AKA my TAR partner,Rene, her husband Trent and son Carter!)
It was great to meet up with them and catch up!! I feel like I haven't seen Rene in a month!!!

Carter, Trent and Rene first night in Ruhpolding

So, today we did a quick day trip to Salzburg, Austria then met up with the Canmore team of Mike and Johnny! It was great to meet up with them and pick up our race packets, and have some good pasta and laughs!!

Johnny and Mike outside the train station

I think you are now caught up on the last 6 weeks.....
So tomorrow, is the last day before the race starts Saturday morning. I plan on getting a great night's sleep then taking it easy and staying stress free by doing some knitting. I know it always calms my nerves:)
So, with a longer, harder race this year, our game plan is to take it one day at a time. Don't look ahead. And be in the moment. Whatever it's going to look like this year.

I am so excited to see what route Wolfgang (aka Wolfie) has set out for us this year......I'm sure we will be cursing his name at least once again this year!

A Scare and a wake up call!!!

It's been close to 4 months since I've blogged. And to be honest, I've been having a hard time getting motivated to do it.
So much has happened during that time.

After traveling to Portugal with the Canadian Men's 200m Kayak Team for 2 weeks, I was home for 1 week, then back down to Florida for 2 weeks to work with the Canadian Canoe and Kayak Team.
After being home for 2 days, I moved into a new condo. I did almost all the moving myself, with the exception of the heavy furniture.

All the while, I kept up my running.....doing lots of trail running in Portugal, then moving into flat road running in Florida, then back on the trails when I got home. My focus in Portugal was distance, then speed on the road in Florida. So getting back to Kelowna in April, I was running the fastest I've probably ever run, while keeping my mileage high.

Trail Running in Portugal:)

Every time I switch from trail running to road running, I have a few issues with my low back and hamstrings which I usually get a few sessions of physio (IMS) and massage, then I'm ready to roll again.
With all the traveling, I was ignoring the tightness in my back, and then the intense pulling in my hamstrings. I was able to run through it, and every day vowed to start stretching....
I had 2 bad consecutive long runs.....hobbling near the end of the 3 hours.....feeling like my glutes and hamstrings were starting to cramp on me.

Then on a hilly run on May 30th, I was running downhill, stopped, and everything decided to seize up on me. It was one of the scariest experiences of my life.....barely able to get to my car and drive myself to the clinic, where Greg saw me right away!!! He diagnosed me with what I was ignoring for so long....Disc irritation, causing bilateral sciatic pain. We think it was irritated especially from all the traveling, then all the heavy lifting with moving.

He got me moving again, and I went home that night, took some anti-inflammatories and was hoping for the best.
Over the next week, I was severely humbled.....continuous pain down the back of my legs, unable to sleep, walk, sit...... Fortunately for me, I stand with my job and change position often- I felt the best when I was working!!

I got in for a CT scan within 5 days and it showed I had a disc bulge at L4/L5.
I got IMS needles 2-3 times a week by Greg Redman, and Martha Sirdevan, and massage once a week by Tao Farrell. This team was amazing, and kept me in check yet optimistic when I was feeling down.
I spent 3 weeks of doing absolutely NO activity except light core exercises, and back extensions,  and feeling my fitness slip away, and seeing my race in the Alps in September seem unfeasible......
The constant pain was wearing on me....not sleeping, feeling emotional, and quickly slipping into a depression...

So many things were racing through my mind...... I didn't want to let down my partner, Rene......I didn't want to let down our sponsors......and I wanted to do my race in the alps in September!!
I met with Rene and we talked about what was happening....she offered tremendous support, and we set a deadline of July 1st. If I wasn't running by then, then I wouldn't have time to get the fitness for the Trans Alps Race starting Sept 1st.

I left that meeting and went straight to see Martha for physio. I felt AMAZING after that....I had no sciatic pain- even with sitting!!! I was Mtn biking on the greenway 3 days later, hiking the next day, then ran for the first time 2 days later!!! It seems like my back just needed a deadline for recovery:)
It feels so great to be running again, but so amazing to be pain free!!!!


The reason that it has taken me so long to blog about this, is that it's taken some time to trust my back, and feel like my confidence has returned. I'm now into my 4th week back running, and have managed to get my weekly running volume to 14 hours this week.

And I feel like I have the best running partner, a girl could have- Rene has been an amazing support through all of this!! Can't wait to start training again with her!!

Rene and I dorking it up at race package pick up at last year's TAR

I can't thank Greg Redman and Martha Sirdevan (suite physio) from Wave Physio enough!! Not only have they been amazing physios going above and beyond to get better, but great friends and a great sense of support through all this!!!

I'm ready to train. 6 weeks. I'm excited and ready to put in the miles!!!

A long overdue THANK YOU!!!!

I can't even believe it! Rene and I are heading back to the alps to do the Trans Alps Race again in 2012!!!

It hasn't even sunk in yet, and we registered 3 weeks ago!!!
We both didn't think we'd be able to do it this year, because it is such a HUGE financial commitment, and to do it 2 years in a row seemed like too big of a stretch. But then a very gracious local company, Western Financial stepped in and offered some very generous support to us!!!!

 We are so overwhelmed by this support, it's hard to express into words!! They are making our dreams come true in the alps this year!! They are so active in the community, and support so many great causes and events! Thank you again for supporting our dreams!
We feel so supported by our community, that Rene and I are committed to giving back this year for local charities. We are looking at organizing a hill climb, and a run to Naramata to raise money for the BC Cancer Foundation- a cause that is dear to both of us!!

Rene getting lost in the weeds -Wildhorse Canyon

I'd also like to do more trail maintenance this year, especially on the trails I use on a daily basis as well as the trail to Naramata through wildhorse canyon that has become severely overgrown with no one to maintain it after all the funding cuts to Parks.

On a training run to wildhorse canyon with Kevin

This year, I am dedicated to not taking anything for granted and being grateful for every moment and every person that enriches my life. By doing this, I want to give back to the community that has been so kind and generous to me....both personally and professionally.

It's been a whirlwind month, and why this 'THANK YOU' shout out is so late. We found out about Western Financial Group's support, and signed up for the TAR 2 days before I had to fly out to Florida for 2 weeks to do massage therapy work with the Canadian Canoe and Kayak team during their spring training camp.
I love working with these guys and girls!!! Not only are they amazingly gifted and dedicated athletes, but they are a great group of people as well.

While I was there, I was asked to go to Portugal with the Men's 200 meter kayak team. After pulling some strings at work (THANK YOU!!! to all my patients who are so patient and understanding:) and to KATE and TARA- the front end staff at WAVE that do amazing work, and always with a smile!!!),
and coordinating with Bernie, (the massage therapist who works with the Canadian Canoe and Kayak Team full time), and Jason (the best dog dad ever!!!! xoxo) I committed to going.

So, here I sit at the Calgary airport waiting for my plane to Frankfurt, then on to Porto, Portugal..... where I will meet up with the team at the Nelo Training Facility for 2 weeks.
I feel very lucky these days, and I just want to say "THANK YOU" to everyone that has given me support, opportunities, love and friendship!! I appreciate you all, and I can't even tell you what it means to me to have you all in my life.  2012 is shaping up to be a great year!!

Really excited to see Portugal! Don't worry, I brought my trail runners.....

Back on Track!

It's been a while since my last post, and I was wondering the other day why that was? I think it's because it's taken me a while to get back on track after getting sick in Turkey!!! A bacterial infection and some parasites later......I can honestly say I didn't feel like myself again until late November!! I'd like to thank Udo's oil probiotics for getting me back on track!!! I think I've gone through 8 bottles since being September!!
After going down to Florida in November to work with the National Canoe and Kayak Team during their training camp, I felt motivated to get training again! Being around Olympic caliber athletes can do that!!!
I was feeling sluggish still, and trying to build some muscle I had lost in the time I was sick, all the while trying to keep my mileage up to run the Marathon in Vegas in early December.
As it turned out, I ended up only running the half....a decision I made because of the volume of runners this year- 40,000!!!! I knew that the marathon runners only started an hour and a half before the half marathon runners, so that I would have to merge in with them at the half way point after their race had been under way for only 10-20 minutes!!! I thought it would be chaotic, so I decided to run the half with Jason!
It was a great decision, as we ran the strip at night, chatting and having lots of fun!!!! On the second half, we had almost 5 lanes of road to ourselves!! There was no one around us!!! We had such a fun run!!! And by the sounds of it, about 20 minutes behind us was pure chaos, with so many people on the road, you couldn't hold your pace!!! Great decision!!!

So, as you can see, my good friend Robina and I ran the strip in matching tutus!!! It was so much fun....from the look of disdain from the "serious" runners we were lined up with in corral 1 to all the people cheering and complimenting my tutu!!!! My major claim to fame, and where my only bragging rights from the weekend come from is that I was the first tutu to cross the finish line!!! How fun:)

So after Vegas, it's been back to the bread and butter of running.....building endurance, some speed work and hill repeats. My next race is Chuckanut in the middle of March, which seems early for a 50 km!!!  The saving grace has been our weather....it's been a relatively mild winter so that we can get out on the trails, and not have to contend with too much snow.  I've been having so much fun running with friends, and doing more running on the road too!!!
One thing I've really missed this past year is my bike, so I have been doing at least 3 hours of biking a week! It feels really good to be back in the saddle again..... I feel like I'm back to my old self, feeling good and running happy again:)