Sunday, May 16, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Go Girls Tear Up Yonge Street in the Sporting Life 10K
There is a moment when a person who runs becomes a runner. At that moment, the person moves from being someone who runs to stay fit to someone who runs to run. A person who runs may occasionally participate in a race; a runner races in a race.
In this year's Sporting Life 10K race down Yonge Street, I could see that Mariana has completed the transformation from being a person who runs to a runner. I could see it in her confidence and excitement at the Starting Line. I could sense it in her strong strides down Yonge Street and her final surge toward the Finish Line. It was manifest in her smile at the Finish Line -- a grin that said that she could easily and happily have run another 5K. I don't think that I ever doubted that Mariana could become a runner. I just never realized that she would become a runner in such a bad ass fashion.
But I am getting ahead of myself in this post. Let me return to the race itself. The Sporting Life 10K is another Canada Running Series event. It attracts approximately 15,000 runners. Part of the pleasure of running the Sporting Life 10K is the route: a good portion of the race is run on Yonge Street. As a runner, it is great fun to run down Yonge Street with thousands of other runners. Note the word "down". The race runs down Yonge Street, so part of the race is downhill. Yes, we know that running downhill is not as easy as it sounds. It is hard on your quads and knees. But still, it feels easier than running UPhill and it certainly is easier psychologically!
In this year's Sporting Life 10K race down Yonge Street, I could see that Mariana has completed the transformation from being a person who runs to a runner. I could see it in her confidence and excitement at the Starting Line. I could sense it in her strong strides down Yonge Street and her final surge toward the Finish Line. It was manifest in her smile at the Finish Line -- a grin that said that she could easily and happily have run another 5K. I don't think that I ever doubted that Mariana could become a runner. I just never realized that she would become a runner in such a bad ass fashion.
But I am getting ahead of myself in this post. Let me return to the race itself. The Sporting Life 10K is another Canada Running Series event. It attracts approximately 15,000 runners. Part of the pleasure of running the Sporting Life 10K is the route: a good portion of the race is run on Yonge Street. As a runner, it is great fun to run down Yonge Street with thousands of other runners. Note the word "down". The race runs down Yonge Street, so part of the race is downhill. Yes, we know that running downhill is not as easy as it sounds. It is hard on your quads and knees. But still, it feels easier than running UPhill and it certainly is easier psychologically!
A glimpse of the throngs of runners streaming down Yonge Street. It's great fun to take over Yonge Street, even if only for an hour or so.
The race began at 8am. The Go Girls arranged to meet at a familiar, though slightly unsettling, landmark: Trull's Funeral Home, a few blocks north of the Start Line. There were a few anxious moments for Mariana and Nana since I was rather late in arriving due to delays down at the CNE grounds where I left my car (so that the car would be waiting for us at the end of the race). Of course, it did not help that I forgot to turn on my mobile phone. When Mariana and Nana attempted to call me to determine where I was (and to confirm that I was NOT still sleeping!), there was no answer. Thankfully, the Go Girls are accustomed to my less than stellar use of my mobile phone and they did not panic.
Eventually, I did arrive and we began to make our way to the appropriate start corrals (after a final stop at the Port-a-Potties, of course--it's a running tradition!). We did take some photos for the "Before" part of our race collection. The line-up to use the Port-a-Potties provided the opportunity to get in our pre-race photo shoot.
Mariana and I, preparing to kick some butt down Yonge Street.
Mariana and Nana, looking decidedly relieved that I had finally arrived.
Nana, looking like a seasoned pro, and me (T), looking like a goof. You know, the usual.
This is a photo of the back of the shirt I wore for the race. The shirt is actually a cycling jersey which I choose to wear because it has extra pockets in the back. I was planning to wear a running vest, which also has pockets. But Dave the Cat peed on my running jacket and my running vest the night before the race, a fact that I did not discover until I arrived home at 11:30pm. So I moved to Plan "B": a Snoopy cycling jersey. But the message is appropriate, isn't it? "Get Going, Snoopy!" As it turns out, I would need to remind myself of that message periodically during the race...
For the most part, the race went well for the Go Girls. The weather was quite good for racing: it was cloudy and relatively cool, though humid. Runners in the race were assigned to colour-coded corrals based on their expected finish time and the race began in waves, with different corrals starting at different times. It was not long before we were off! Here is where our experience of the race begins to diverge, with some of the Go Girls enjoying themselves as they virtually floated down Yonge Street while others (okay, me) struggled to continue running. Both Mariana and Nana report having great races. Having personally witnessed Mariana's race, I can confirm that she had a great race with a strong finish. I'm not even sure she broke a sweat. She finished with a chip time of 55:57.4, shattering our previous 10K run time of approximately 1hour 10minutes set in the Nike 10K race we did last October. Mariana would have finished faster if certain other runners (me) had been able to maintain pace.
Nana reports that she felt good throughout the race. When she hit the 8K mark, she realized that she was having an excellent race and determined that she would finish strong. Nana tore up the road in those last 2Ks. She completed the race in 1:08:53.7, breaking her race goal of 1:10:00.
As for me, well, it was not pretty. Or at least, it did not feel pretty. I did not have a particularly good race. In addition to having a poor night of sleep prior to the race, I was also dehydrated. (Note to self: do NOT drink wine the night prior to a race!) I bonked. I cramped. It was ugly. But Mariana pulled me through this race. She shared her water with me. (I lost my water bottle early in the race.) She stayed with me even though I was running at a slower pace. This is what it means to be part of a team: we stick together and drag each other across the finish line! I finished a few seconds behind Mariana, with a time of 56:00.1.
The juxtaposition of Mariana's and my race experience highlights some lessons in terms of race preparation. Mariana did everything right: she carb loaded; she avoided booze the night before the race; she was hydrated; she ate a banana shortly before the race; and she was well rested. I did everything wrong: I did not properly carb load; I had wine the night before the race; I was dehydrated; I ate breakfast very early (520am) and was bonking by the time the race began at 8am; and I did not get much sleep the night before the race. Mariana had a terrific race: she felt good and had a strong run. I had an awful race: I felt terrible and ran slower than I usually do. Lessons learned: sleep more; drink more water and less wine; and eat something about an hour before a race.
In any case, once crossing the finish line, we ALL felt great. I had predicted that Mariana and I would finish the race in about 58 minutes; I was delighted that I was wrong by about 2 full minutes. Given our successes, it was only natural that we then retired to the Monk's Table for a hearty brunch. Of course, we did take VICTORY PHOTOs!!!
Eventually, I did arrive and we began to make our way to the appropriate start corrals (after a final stop at the Port-a-Potties, of course--it's a running tradition!). We did take some photos for the "Before" part of our race collection. The line-up to use the Port-a-Potties provided the opportunity to get in our pre-race photo shoot.
Mariana and I, preparing to kick some butt down Yonge Street.
Nana, looking like a seasoned pro, and me (T), looking like a goof. You know, the usual.
For the most part, the race went well for the Go Girls. The weather was quite good for racing: it was cloudy and relatively cool, though humid. Runners in the race were assigned to colour-coded corrals based on their expected finish time and the race began in waves, with different corrals starting at different times. It was not long before we were off! Here is where our experience of the race begins to diverge, with some of the Go Girls enjoying themselves as they virtually floated down Yonge Street while others (okay, me) struggled to continue running. Both Mariana and Nana report having great races. Having personally witnessed Mariana's race, I can confirm that she had a great race with a strong finish. I'm not even sure she broke a sweat. She finished with a chip time of 55:57.4, shattering our previous 10K run time of approximately 1hour 10minutes set in the Nike 10K race we did last October. Mariana would have finished faster if certain other runners (me) had been able to maintain pace.
Nana reports that she felt good throughout the race. When she hit the 8K mark, she realized that she was having an excellent race and determined that she would finish strong. Nana tore up the road in those last 2Ks. She completed the race in 1:08:53.7, breaking her race goal of 1:10:00.
As for me, well, it was not pretty. Or at least, it did not feel pretty. I did not have a particularly good race. In addition to having a poor night of sleep prior to the race, I was also dehydrated. (Note to self: do NOT drink wine the night prior to a race!) I bonked. I cramped. It was ugly. But Mariana pulled me through this race. She shared her water with me. (I lost my water bottle early in the race.) She stayed with me even though I was running at a slower pace. This is what it means to be part of a team: we stick together and drag each other across the finish line! I finished a few seconds behind Mariana, with a time of 56:00.1.
The juxtaposition of Mariana's and my race experience highlights some lessons in terms of race preparation. Mariana did everything right: she carb loaded; she avoided booze the night before the race; she was hydrated; she ate a banana shortly before the race; and she was well rested. I did everything wrong: I did not properly carb load; I had wine the night before the race; I was dehydrated; I ate breakfast very early (520am) and was bonking by the time the race began at 8am; and I did not get much sleep the night before the race. Mariana had a terrific race: she felt good and had a strong run. I had an awful race: I felt terrible and ran slower than I usually do. Lessons learned: sleep more; drink more water and less wine; and eat something about an hour before a race.
In any case, once crossing the finish line, we ALL felt great. I had predicted that Mariana and I would finish the race in about 58 minutes; I was delighted that I was wrong by about 2 full minutes. Given our successes, it was only natural that we then retired to the Monk's Table for a hearty brunch. Of course, we did take VICTORY PHOTOs!!!
Mariana and I, post-race, pose with our trophies: medals around our necks and food in our hands. Yes, it's true: we race to eat. Note the Port-a-Potties in the background. Do we ever take photos away from those things?!
The official Team Victory Photo. Here we are, post-race, post-brunch, in all of our glory. WE were all feeling good since we had warm and dry clothes on our backs and food in our tummies. And look! Not a Port-a-Potty in sight!!
As a final note, take a careful look at the above, post-race photos. In them, you will see three runners. Not three people who run, but three runners. And having seen Mariana's performance in the Sporting Life 10K, I think it is only fair to put the running community on notice: my friends, Mariana is now a runner. Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
(Road) Hockey Night in Canada
Hello Canada and Hockey Fans from United States and Newfoundland, it's Hockey Night in Canada...
Okay, actually it's road hockey afternoon in Toronto with the Go Girls. But I trust you will still be interested. After all, what could be more fun than chicks with sticks in the 'hood?
A bit of background to RHAT (Road Hockey Afternoon in Toronto...RHAT, pronounced like 'rat'): the Go Girls is a wonderfully eclectic and diverse group of individuals. Our club includes not just Canadians, but Brazilians and Americans, as well. As good citizens, we Canadians in the Go Girls felt that it was incumbent upon us to share with the foreigners an important part of Canadian culture: hockey. But since most of the Go Girls cannot skate, we determined that we would share the very next best thing to hockey: road hockey.
As it turns out, most of the Go Girls had never actually played road hockey, even the Canadians!! I (Theresa) was utterly shocked that my fellow Canadian Go Girls had been deprived of the experience of playing the good ol' road hockey game. I have played a lot of road hockey in my young(ish) life, including a four year stint playing in the St. Hilda's Road Hockey League at U. of T., where I played for 9T6's Alfresco with an Attitude. I must add that Alfresco was the reigning champion in the League. 9T6!!! But I digress. Back to RHAT...
We assembled on a Sunday afternoon on a vacant parking lot near Nana "the token Yank" Brown's house. After we (a) kicked around a soccer ball for a while (where there are Brazilians, there are soccer balls); (b) cut down and taped up sticks; and (c) carefully measured out goal posts, we assembled in the centre of the lot to make teams. At this point, I explained how road hockey teams are made:
Step one: everyone throw your sticks in the middle. Seriously, it's okay. Just put down your sticks. C'mon...throw 'em in the pile! (It took a bit of convincing to get some of the Go Girls to put down their new hockey sticks.)
Step Two: Someone (Joanna) has to close her eyes and mix up the sticks. Don't worry, we won't tickle you. Seriously. Hey! Stop tickling her! She has an important job to do!
Step Four: Two piles of sticks = two teams. Go find your stick and your team. And so our teams were made.
Team WICK: Mariana, T (me) & Joanna:
FYI, "Wick" refers to Wickenheiser. What? What's a Wickenheiser? Oh, dear...we have so much work to do with you...
Okay, actually it's road hockey afternoon in Toronto with the Go Girls. But I trust you will still be interested. After all, what could be more fun than chicks with sticks in the 'hood?
A bit of background to RHAT (Road Hockey Afternoon in Toronto...RHAT, pronounced like 'rat'): the Go Girls is a wonderfully eclectic and diverse group of individuals. Our club includes not just Canadians, but Brazilians and Americans, as well. As good citizens, we Canadians in the Go Girls felt that it was incumbent upon us to share with the foreigners an important part of Canadian culture: hockey. But since most of the Go Girls cannot skate, we determined that we would share the very next best thing to hockey: road hockey.
As it turns out, most of the Go Girls had never actually played road hockey, even the Canadians!! I (Theresa) was utterly shocked that my fellow Canadian Go Girls had been deprived of the experience of playing the good ol' road hockey game. I have played a lot of road hockey in my young(ish) life, including a four year stint playing in the St. Hilda's Road Hockey League at U. of T., where I played for 9T6's Alfresco with an Attitude. I must add that Alfresco was the reigning champion in the League. 9T6!!! But I digress. Back to RHAT...
We assembled on a Sunday afternoon on a vacant parking lot near Nana "the token Yank" Brown's house. After we (a) kicked around a soccer ball for a while (where there are Brazilians, there are soccer balls); (b) cut down and taped up sticks; and (c) carefully measured out goal posts, we assembled in the centre of the lot to make teams. At this point, I explained how road hockey teams are made:
Step one: everyone throw your sticks in the middle. Seriously, it's okay. Just put down your sticks. C'mon...throw 'em in the pile! (It took a bit of convincing to get some of the Go Girls to put down their new hockey sticks.)
Step Three: Keep your eyes closed and separate the sticks into two separate piles...
Step Four: Two piles of sticks = two teams. Go find your stick and your team. And so our teams were made.
Team WICK: Mariana, T (me) & Joanna:
FYI, "Wick" refers to Wickenheiser. What? What's a Wickenheiser? Oh, dear...we have so much work to do with you...
Team EXPERIENCE: Nana (in yellow jacket), Jacquie (in red), and Olga (in grey, to the right of Jacquie):
Why Team "Experience"? Uh, well...some of us (you) have had ample life experience and, uh, well, hey, isn't that Hayley Wickenheiser over there?! Let's play ball!
Why Team "Experience"? Uh, well...some of us (you) have had ample life experience and, uh, well, hey, isn't that Hayley Wickenheiser over there?! Let's play ball!
Once our teams were made, I proceeded to explain the traditional way of starting shiney and road hockey games: the "three stick crosses face-off". You start like this, in a traditional face-off position, with the ball between the players from each team:
See that orange thing between the stick blades? Yes, that's the ball.
See that orange thing between the stick blades? Yes, that's the ball.
Next, the players cross their sticks and then touch the sticks back to the ground again, like this:
Cross those sticks!
And back to the ground again. Hey! No laughing!
After a rousing rock 'n' roll introduction, the Band moved to a wonderful rendition of Stompin' Tom Connor's classic, "The Good Ol' Hockey Game".
The band closed with an operatic flourish, singing O Fortuna from Carmen. They said that the song reflected the gravity of RHAT that fateful afternoon...
Cross those sticks!
And back to the ground again. Hey! No laughing!
We do the "stick cross" three times and then it's GAME ON!
Alternatively, it's stand around and look cool time...
...or it's "turtle T time"...
Explanatory note: "turtling" another player means pulling her jersey over her head so she cannot see in order to enhance the ability to pound the turtled player in the tummy (but mercifully, Jacquie did not beat me up).
Explanatory note: "turtling" another player means pulling her jersey over her head so she cannot see in order to enhance the ability to pound the turtled player in the tummy (but mercifully, Jacquie did not beat me up).
...or, for something entirely different, it's Rock Band Time:
After a rousing rock 'n' roll introduction, the Band moved to a wonderful rendition of Stompin' Tom Connor's classic, "The Good Ol' Hockey Game".
The band closed with an operatic flourish, singing O Fortuna from Carmen. They said that the song reflected the gravity of RHAT that fateful afternoon...
Of course, we also did play some road hockey. There was much laughter, screaming, body checking, and goal scoring. Well, I should qualify the comment about goal scoring: Team Wick did quite a bit of goal scoring (13 goals, not that we were counting), while Team Experience mostly got in the way. Team Experience scored 3 goals, not that anyone was counting. The final score was 13-3 for Team Wick. But we weren't really counting goals. Naturally, we also played the "Next Goal Wins" rule. And which team scored next? That's right...Team Wick. As it turns out, the Brazilians are not only natural soccer players, but also natural road hockey players, as well.
After the game, we celebrated with a lovely potluck dinner. All animosity from RHAT was left behind. More or less.
We also celebrated the "Canadian-ization" of our two favourite Brazilians, Joanna and Mariana.
Mariana was outfitted in a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt and she looks like a real Torontonian when she wears it.
Note: T would very much like Mariana to wear a Calgary Flames shirt, but you can't win them all.
After the game, we celebrated with a lovely potluck dinner. All animosity from RHAT was left behind. More or less.
We also celebrated the "Canadian-ization" of our two favourite Brazilians, Joanna and Mariana.
Mariana was outfitted in a Toronto Maple Leafs T-shirt and she looks like a real Torontonian when she wears it.
Note: T would very much like Mariana to wear a Calgary Flames shirt, but you can't win them all.
Joanna was presented with an authentic hockey puck. We're not sure whether she will use it as a puck, a paper weight, or a weapon.
As you can probably tell, the Go Girls' first RHAT event was a tremendous success. We had a lot of fun. We probably got just as good a work out from laughing so hard as we did from running around playing hockey. The only thing that remains to be said is...
"Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!"
"Stand back! I don't know how big this thing gets!"
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Legends and Heroes: Terry Fox
One of my heroes was a runner. Terry Fox, as many Canadians know, initiated the Marathon of Hope in 1980 to raise funds for cancer research and support for those dealing with this terrible disease. Terry had an audacious goal: to run across Canada, from sea to sea. This goal is all the more radical in light of the fact that Terry had lost a leg to cancer and had to accomplish his run across Canada on one leg and a prosthetic. The prosthetics in 1980 are not what they are today. Look closely at the video below to see what Terry used for his artificial leg.
Terry ran the equivalent of a marathon every day -- 42.2K/26.2 miles, day in and day out, on one good leg and one prosthetic, wearing running shoes circa 1980 (read: devoid of structural support and comfort). He did not complain. He did not cut corners. He ran with absolute integrity and encouraged every Canadian to participate in this Marathon of Hope. He said "if you've given a dollar, then you are part of the Marathon of Hope". This year, we mark the 30th anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope. We'll have more to say about Terry in future posts as we remember his extraordinary accomplishment. His courage, vision, and leadership set a standard for all Canadians and he is a true running legend and hero.
Terry ran the equivalent of a marathon every day -- 42.2K/26.2 miles, day in and day out, on one good leg and one prosthetic, wearing running shoes circa 1980 (read: devoid of structural support and comfort). He did not complain. He did not cut corners. He ran with absolute integrity and encouraged every Canadian to participate in this Marathon of Hope. He said "if you've given a dollar, then you are part of the Marathon of Hope". This year, we mark the 30th anniversary of Terry's Marathon of Hope. We'll have more to say about Terry in future posts as we remember his extraordinary accomplishment. His courage, vision, and leadership set a standard for all Canadians and he is a true running legend and hero.
How Not to End a Race
Many of the Go Girls will be running the Sporting Life 10K on Sunday. We've trained. We've prepared. We're ready. At least, we think we are. You know, the one thing we don't really practice is the end of the race: how to cross the finish line. Well, I cannot give many tips on how to cross the finish line, but I do know how not to cross the finish line. Robert Cheruiyot give us all a lesson in how not to finish a race in Chicago in 2006...
Legends of Running: Pre
The Go Girls respect the legacy of the runners that have gone before us. In today's post, we remember Pre (Steve Prefontaine), perhaps America's best ever runner. Not only was Pre great, but he pushed others to be great, too. "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." And Pre made running cool. For that, we are deeply in his debt.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
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