Medals4Mettle4Boston

I'm so thankful for many things in my life. My family, my health, my ability to run. Almost nothing makes me happier than seeing something go full circle and have as happy as ending as it possibly can.

My wonderful friends at iRun magazine helped me with so many goals in the past few years. They chose me to run in the 'So You Want to Run a Marathon, eh' contest, leading me to my first 42.2. They hooked me up with an amazing coach in Rick Hellard. That lead to Rick donating a massive box of medals to the charity I work with.

As I mentioned a while ago, I sent the Boston Marathon medal Rick donated home to Boston, with Rick's blessing, and it arrived safely this week.

Being the amazing ambassadors of running that they are, iRun magazine featured the story of Rick's Boston medal in the 'Running for a Reason' blog on their site. I'm so happy that in a small way I could be part of giving back to the community of runners.

I went to an expo and a race broke out :-)

Way back when, in 2009, I was the mom of a toddler, just living life, when I registered for a Running Room Training Program. Little did I know that you are 'supposed' to start with Learn to Run or the 5K clinic or whatever. Nope, little miss keener went right for the Half Marathon.

It was fun, it was a challenge, and I met some great people. Our goal race was the Goodlife Toronto Half Marathon, run exactly a month after my 40th birthday. My first half, the furthest I'd ever run (in training we never got over 17k).

I was so green. Didn't know it wasn't cool to wear the race shirt, didn't know they lie when they say races are downhill. Didn't know that 100m from the finish line I would have an argument with myself about just copping a squat on the curb for a few seconds.

Flash forward 4 years. I've run 7 half marathons, 2 fulls and Around the Bay. And here I am, back at the start of the Goodlife half. My toddler is 7, I've moved, changed jobs, and gotten older.

This time I know. Knees taped, no race shirt.

I was supposed to be up around 5:30. Someone tell me how I managed to be wide awake at 3:48? Ewwww....trying to tiptoe around quietly so as not to wake the sleeping (smart) members of my family.

I broke at least 3 'never' rules of running long distances. 1) Don't wear new clothes) - Had a new shirt, socks and bra. 2) Tried new fuel that I've never eaten before - Margarita flavoured shot blocks (they're awful, for the record)

 3) Train well. Whoops.

The new shirt was a must. The group Boston, We Run With You created amazing shirts with proceeds going to the Children's Hospital in Boston

The socks were compression, by a company called Dr. Segal's. My running buddy who is also a nurse, swears by these socks. They were at the Expo for the race and we went a bit insane, buying about six pairs between the three of us (mix and match!) They're graduated compression, so unlike my former (much disliked) socks, my feet weren't squooshed into them. Just supported, and my ankles and calves were totally happy! Matter of fact I washed this pair and wore them to work the next day.

 I am madly in love with this new KT Tape skin prep spray kit! I live in KT Tape, and avoid showering like crazy (much to the dismay of my family) to prolong the tape's life on my knees.

I had my left knee taped at the expo by the best taper I've ever met. He used the sticky stuff, and sent me home with instructions. My DH taped my right knee for me at home, using this stuff and the Tapeologist's directions. The tape is STILL ON. That was Saturday, today is Tuesday. I've had a long hot bath, two long showers, and it hasn't budged an inch.

I wonder how long I can stay in the socks and tape? I wore capri pants Monday and I looked like a demented Scottish dancer.

He he he! I took the socks off Monday night and I have argyle legs! I am, however, still wearing the tape!

Ha ha! I took the socks off and had Argyle legs!

Oh wait, there was a race, right? It was a great day for a race, a wee bit too hot for my liking, but clear and sunny. There were tons of water stations, all along the course. We got gels (chocolate, my fave) too. The spectators had great things to say, the volunteers were upbeat and friendly, the police officers were outstanding and even clapped as we passed. 

The best was the lady who yelled 'Sing, Sing to yourself' as I passed her. This year's race was the one where I was dermined to get the monkey off my back. The monkey I carried for the last half KM up University Avenue. I was so tired, not phyisically, but mentally, and I just wanted to sit for a bit and ponder life on the side of the road. I ran, I ran, I waited for University Ave. We ran past it....didn't turn...

I was like, HEY? I realized at that point I'd not consulted the race route and had no clue where we were going to finish.....brilliant!

Turns out we finshed at Ontaro Place....it was awesome! A great friend and fellow Digital Champion was at the finish and yelled 'Crush it' at me! Exactly what I needed to hear and exactly the right time.

I didn't PB, it was hot, I was undertrained, I have excuses for my performance, but they're all my own fault. It was a beautiful day, beautiful course, and the first time I've run that far, by myself, without music. Just my thoughts and my former hometown.

What a great day!

Next stop, Michigan for the Color Run this Saturday!

Boston Strong at the TYS10K

What a beautiful day to run 10K

This was my first race since the horrible events at the Boston Marathon, and I have to admit that I was feeling a bit uneasy. Not because I didn't have faith in the race organizers, not because I didn't have faith in the Toronto Police Department, not because I thought something would happen. I think it was because it had never occurred to me before April 15 that such a thing was even possible.  

I went through my usual pre-race ritual of eating pasta, drinking water, and lying out all the things I'd need for Sunday.  I even polished my nails Boston blue and yellow. The ribbon I wore on my jacket was an actual Boston Marathon medal ribbon, from the medal donated by Rick Hellard to Medals4Mettle. I thought I'd wear it as a small tribute, before I sent the medal back to it's home in Boston, to be donated to someone affected by the bombing.

As part of our race kits we were given special bibs to honour the runners, spectators, first responders, and the city of Boston. Since I already had two other memorial bibs, I thought that they all deserved pride of place, and I attached them all to the back of my jacket. Many sites invited runners to submit photos of themselves at races showing their Boston spirit.

Get Out There Magazine included me in their photos on Facebook in an album entitled Canadians Remember Boston. 

I've never run the TYS10K before, and this year I was invited to participate as a Digital Champion. It was a great experience, to promote the race as an Ambassador on social media. We ran awesome training runs in Toronto with other TYS10K folks, and it was wonderful to be a member of the group. For a very modest donation you could customize your race shirt. I chose my Twitter handle and the hashtag for our group.

The race was wonderfully organized, from reminders that the subway wasn't open, to offers for shuttle rides back to the start line. The bag check was flawless, organized and faster than any I've ever experienced. The corral placement, the volunteers directing us, the start. All went off perfectly.

The race course is a favourite of mine, having done it for the Goodlife 1/2 Marathon and the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I love running down Yonge street, the memories of living in Toronto, of making great friends, meeting my husband, and working at some awesome companies make the miles fly by.

One of my fellow runners had recently fallen off a ladder, causing whiplash a small concussion and discs in her back to mess up. That meant she hadn't trained as much as she'd like, and despite the fact that she's way super faster than me, she was stuck limping along toughing it out. She never complained, only once admitting that she could use an Advil or two.

As we neared the finish, line, keeping a pretty good pace (but WAY slower than she normally runs) we started laughing about how we could finish with a big kick, but hey, why? This race was to remember, to celebrate, not really to PB. Would I have liked to smoke my prior fastest 10k? Sure. Will I when I run this race next year? BOO YEAH! Here's a link to the Garmin data for the race, we did 10:1s for the most part.

What's next for us? My first ever half marathon is back (and I seek revenge on the final stretch were I considered calling it a day). In a couple weeks we run down Yonge street AGAIN, in the Goodlife Toronto 1/2 Marathon. 

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/boston-we-run-with-you

 This year we'll run together, as a team, with Boston in our hearts, our minds and on our bodies.  A group called Boston We Run With You has created shirts, with the monies going to the Boston Children's Hospital. As Mother Runners we all feel deeply the loss of young Martin Richard. I can't begin to imagine what the family is going through, and I'm overjoyed to be able to give back, even in some small way. Hopefully we will all be healthy and ready to go.

Boston Pride

When my friend and coach Rick Hellard of Zone 3 Sports donated his Boston Marthon finisher's medal to Medals 4 Mettle I was speechless at the generosity. I spent a few moments just holding it, marveling at the fact that I'll never earn one.

Then the events of this week unfolded, and the medal took on an even greater signifigance. Knowing that so very many people- runners, spectators, first responders, and more- were forever changed leaves me shaken.

I wondered what to do with the medal, because it seemed so much greater than the sum of it's parts. Then Medals 4 Mettle sent out an email from our Boston Chapters:

All of us at Medals4Mettle are saddened by the unimaginable events at the 2013 Boston Marathon. This historic event celebrates the freedom we have to run through the streets of one of America's great cities on Patriot's Day. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those who must deal with the loss of life and the pain of injury. Medals4Mettle will humbly accept donations of 2013 Boston Marathon finishers' medals to be sent to our Boston area chapters. We will then place Medals4Mettle ribbons on them and award them to the courageous victims of the 2013 Boston Marathon and the first responders that raced to help them while respecting the privacy of all victims and family members. To donate, please send medals to our Boston Area chapters listed on our chapter page. 

 

So there it was, my answer. I have contacted Rick to see if he'd like to include a message with his medal, and I'll now return it to it's home in Boston, where hopefully it will serve as a small token of thanks to someone who deserves our support. The fact that our running family is so far flung yet so close just makes me all the prouder to be a member.

My first race since the tragedy in Boston will be as Digital Champion for the Toronto Yonge Street 10k. This Sunday I will proudly wear the bib above, along with my race bib, to support our running family. I'll also wear as much blue and yellow as I can find. 

As a final thought, I leave you with something that brought me to tears. The article sums it up far better than I ever could. I followed this story from the runner's first posts on FB, and am beyond happy that she succeeded in finding the man who's act of kindess was felt the world over.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

I sent a plea out to my running friends, asking if they'd consider donating a medal or two to Medals4Mettle as I've become the Hamilton ON Coordinator of this amazing charity.

A few days after my message was sent, I got a reply from my friend and coach Rick Hellard from iRun Magazine's "So You Think You Want to Run a Marathon, eh?" contest that I won. His advice and council got me through the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and it's amazing to ponder all that man has accomplished.

He said that he had a 'few' medals lying around that he'd be happy to donate and that he could send them my way. We arranged to have a friend of his deliver them to the Around the Bay expo as I was volunteering there.

The huge heavy box of medals arrived and I realized that Rick's idea of a 'few' was more medals than I could amass if I ran every weekend for the rest of my life.

This photo didn't come close to giving a true look at the sheer number of medals....so I tried to sort them out (and apparently take a horrible photo). There must have been a hundred medals, everything from a 5K to multiple years of Around the Bay, to Marathons by the dozen.



Then I realized that there were several medals that I'd never seen in real life, including TWO Ironman Hawaii and Boston Marathon medal.

I had to take a moment to ponder the fact that I'll never earn either of those medals....and to send a silent thank you to Rick for so selflessly donating these medals to our cause. I was in shock, as a runner, since it's sort of like sending your Oscar to someone else who might enjoy it.

I'm so excited to start sending these medals out into the world....

And speaking of exciting, there's a VERY famous runner who might be lending his star power to our cause too......stay tuned :-)