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Friday 28 August 2015

Are You EVER Ready?

ummm she whispers quietly...
are you READY for FABFRIDAY?

Honestly. But This week I am already ready for it to be over.
Yet, I am sort of wanting to drag it out!
Are you EVER really ready?
Really the question is ...am I ready for awaits this weekend?
Yes. I am open to all the amazing possibilities that await.
I am scared, nervous, determined ... and I am telling myself to BREATHE.
I am off to Revelstoke, BC run a whole lotta miles up and down a whole lotta mountain.
I expect I will live to tell the tale...
Look for photos resembling THIS on Saturday evening ...
  
Whatever you are up to this weekend ... go make it fabulous my friends!
Life. It's Fabulous.

Embrace it. Love it.
Celebrate All the Awesome!
AND DON'T FALL OFF A MOUNTAIN!




Thursday 27 August 2015

Race Report - Calgary Womens Run: #allthefab

This past Sunday, I ran 10km at the Calgary Women's Run...it was so much fun! Here's my little recap. Thanks to Dawn and Howard for their amazing photos!!

I have a little pre-race ritual where I like to lay out all my stuff....it sort of gets me to focus.
The morning of the race, I parked a mile away so I could have a nice easy run to the race and shake out my legs! As soon as I arrived, I see Melisa - BIG HUGS - then Dawn who snaps a few shots! 
 I had a new top and was trying to take a selfie to show it off...but got caught by the photographers roaming around....I love this pic actually!  
I stretched out, and visited with all the gals gathering before the warm-up and race. 
I love that so many of my running friends do this race!! It is great to see em all out there!

 Though my legs were tired from running 16k  Moose Mountain the day before, I had been training with back to back runs, so was prepared. My intent is to run with a smile. Push when I didn't want to and get some extra miles in!  And with a whole lot of women who are here to run because they love it is really encouraging. we have a chat with the race director, lineup in the chute. and off we go! 
 I love this route - it is all along the river. It is an out and back and what is fabulous is that the front runners in both the 5k and 10k races come back towards us. There is a lot of cheering as we all run past each other - such an encouraging environment! I find it super inspiring to see how fast some of these women are. And they are also encouraging to us "regular" runners.

The run was not as smooth as I wanted, my legs were tired and I was not really able to keep up the pace I set out at. But I felt determined. Plus it is hard not to be buoyed by the atmosphere. The volunteers are great cheerleaders as are the families of runners waiting for us at the end. It is hard to describe the fun of this race - but I think it's because we all love a local race, we love to run, and we hang out after.
 The prizes are great, there are lots of awards and a category for moms and daughters. 
An, we were graced with fantastic weather to hang out after the run. 
While I did not meet my time goal, I had fun, ran a steady pace and was overall pleased with my training run. To me that's why I run. I have work to do, but I'll get there. Next year I'll beat that time! 
Oh .... and check out the FAB necklace from Nik Naks - a neat, different piece of race graft - much better than a t-shirt if you ask me!! 

Thanks for a fun run
See you next year!

Race Report: Getting Dirty on Moose Mountain 16k

I love hitting the trails - and I am so so glad I discovered Moose Mountain Trail Race - as it is pure awesome.

Not only is the location amazing - it is one of those small community races that is just the BEST! It isn't easy, not at all, but it is gorgeous and (while I have only done it twice) it is a favourite.

You have a choice of 3 distances - 42, 29 or 16k. I have done the 16k twice...but there is a big badass medal that goes with the 42...tempting - but tough to attain - since the 29 has over 2000metres of elevation gain (16k has 1000metres)!

This report is a tad late ... Race happened Aug 22nd. 
I got up bright and early - though not too bad as the 16k starts at 11 - to head out. Smoothie in hand, tunes a blazing. It's a 40 minute drive from my place!!! I love that is a small community race - you can see from the photos. There's not a lot of "fancy" - not chiptimed - it's small - only 150 runners.  
We (all 50 of us) got our safety talk, a description of the course and the terrain - it has snowed up in the higher elevation the night before - so we were told to expect muck. I believe I said - 'Oh it couldn't be muddier than last year!' And, off we went!
This pic taken by the lovely Heather - does not show the constant climb of the first few Kilometres. But this is the widest and least technical of the entirety of the race. The longer distances started at 8:30am - and by the time the 16k went off we were not even 2k in before the first 29k-ers came barreling in. Those folks were fast and furious. By the time we turned off the main route to take the telephone loop, we were about a kilometer in I was passed by the first marathoner. He was on fire. Then, a couple minutes later (I find it hard to tell time in the bush) the second place runner - my friend Marky from Red Deer came blazing by. These two held their places for the rest of the race. Finishing that grueling marathon in just over 4 hours. Many of the 29k-ers finished their race in 4-5 hours - to give you an idea of the toughness of the mountain trail.

It is somewhat hard to describe the race - it is rough terrain - as in not all nice established path. Sometimes you are not sure if you are going in the right direction and sometimes it is just hard slogging through muck and mud and some big "hills". Yet the profound beauty surrounds you and the air is fresh and you feel so alive. I tried my best to run when I could and walk some of the uphill slopes. And try not to get stuck in the calf deep water. After the first 4 boggy sections there was a definite - oh sod it I am so gonna be filthy and I plowed through puddles like a 5 year old!

The view....hello!!!!
At one point the view was so fab I tried to take a selfie to send to a pal stateside to show her what she was missing...but it doesn't show much except pure exhilaration. 
The view on the 16k is not as grand as the 29k route - but I still like it. Some of the path that is hard to love - its can be rocky, slick, some of the ruts are hard to navigate - but over all it is tough and a damn good run!
I might be slow, but the trail is just so beautiful, and I have learned to love it. And, being at the tail end of the 16k, I could hear marathoners as they would come and pass me. The forth person to pass was the first woman - we hooted and hollered and cheered as she went by me. And, every time a marathoner passed me, my spirits were buoyed and I felt a surge of adrenaline.

 I love how the trail markers demonstrate the rugged nature of this race - another reason it's awesome. You HAVE to pay attention to these puppies! Thing is - you are lost in the forest and just gotta run - it is hard to gauge where you are and how far you have left. I finished the race in about the same time as last year - yet somehow it felt faster and stronger. Oh well, I loved it out there.
And, the volunteers are AWESOME! On the route - the one aid station we had was a couple guys, an ATV and a dog! Seriously - gotta love it.
When I finished Karen's daughter Katie was cheering like mad at the finish, so I high5'd her and got through the finish for a hug with the RD! Then a visit with these lovely ladies.
And afterwards you hang out and eat the BEST homemade soup! Congratulate all the finishers...
Rachel rocked the 29k, Terry killed the 42! It was fun to see others and compare notes.
And admire the dirt accumulated on the trail
It was a glorious day to run - and yes it was muddy, which made for some slick sections.
But man, so fun. And, it was a great run the week before my next trail run.
My soak was long and filthy. I MAY have tossed out a body puff ball after I was finished!

Do you trail run?
Have you hiked or run out in Kananaskis?
YOU SHOULD!






Tuesday 25 August 2015

Rock N Blog FAB race update!

I am exciiiiiited!!! I finally have all my Rock n Roll races organized for the rest of the year!!!
As part of the RnR #RocknBlog team, I am running Montreal, Vancouver and Las Vegas! 
In September, October and November! Woot!!!.
The Bling...oh the Bling!!!!!
So 3 Half marathons, one 5k, one 10k and a whole lotta HEAVY MEDAL action awaits.
you know it!! I've said it before that I love the #remixchallenge
sorry - remix got me distracted for a moment!
Now back to the medals ...these babies are going to jet my way in the coming months.
And, because I run in both Canada and the US - I will get the World Rocker (squee!!)
This is Susan's - I cannot wait to get MINE! Then we can have a medal touching party!!
I am stoked for Montreal to see an old friend. Vancouiver is close to Halloween...so Susan and I are cooking up a plan to top my FAB outfit from last year's race  - you know its going to be good! At both Montreal and Vancouver I will work at the CEP booth - so come say hello! And Vegas - well ERMIGAH - VEGASSSSSSSSSS!!! I have been excited for some time about that epic adventure to cap off a fun year of running!
#LVKICKOFFNIGHT - was all kinds of fun in March with Susan!
And Then in late May we got the T-shirt! and this lovely postcard (we made it to PRINT!!!)
Of course to celebrate we ran!

The countdown to #allthefab is on!
I am so excited for the next few months!!!!
Which RnR race will I see you at?

If you are still wanting to register for an RnR race this year ...here's my #RocknBlog code!