Day 9 - 30 Day Challenge

What’s the strangest or most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you on a run?

I don’t think I have ever had anything strange happen to me on a run. Scary I think would be more of the question.

One time Jamie and I were running through the reservoir near my house. This trail is frequented by runners and bikers all year round and it goes around in a 9 mile loop, it is a lot of fun to run because you kind of feel like you are out of the city. It was around 7:30am and off in the distance I saw a coyote part of me was kind of scared but I realized that there are two of us and one of him and we are bigger so we just kept running but a half mile down the trail we saw a sign “WATCH OUT FOR BEAR” I was like Bear, like a real bear. I was scared for the rest of the run because once you hit that point you run into an area that is totally treed in, lucky for us we never saw a bear. I told Mike about that sign and he said lets go get your some Bear spray, have you ever seen a bear spray can!!?!!? It wouldn't even be possible to run with it lol. I guess if I ever come across a bear all I have to do is run faster than the person I am with ;)

An embarrassing moment that happened was on the Nike Women’s running course I felt my legs turning into jelly and my head getting foggy, next thing you know I am looking up at the sky. For me I was embarrassed but I don’t think many people cared.

I don’t really have any fun running stories for this one, sadly. 

Day 8 - 30 Day Challenge

NWM 2012 Tiffany Lunarglides

Show us a picture of your running shoes! What are they and why do you like them?

Yay! Shoes!! I love shoes, whether they are running shoes or dress shoes I just love shoes haha. I don’t just run in one type of shoe I run in two types of shoes and they are Nike!!

For my longer runs I prefer Nike lunarglides. They have more support and are built for those marathon distances!! They feel like you are running on clouds and they are so comfortable on my feet. I have two types of lunarglides; the regular lunarglides and my shield shoes. I use the shield ones for cold snowy days because they are meant for running the elements and I use my regular ones when it isn't so mucky outside. If you try them you will likely fall in love!!

Lunar Shields

For my speed work and shorter runs I prefer running in Nike Montreal’s. These are more of a thinner shoe and they don’t weigh very much, they are perfect for speed work. I wouldn't advise running in these for longer distances unless you are used to a thin shoe. There isn't a ton of cushioning in these so if you are used to a thicker shoe I don’t advise going to these and doing 10 miles right away work your way up. One day I may try running a marathon in these. The moment I tried them on, they quickly became my favorite shoe to run in and I have 4 pairs!!

These are the shoes I run in, but when you are running it is also very important to cross train. I go to the gym and see people doing weights with running shoes and it makes me cringe. Marie Purvis has an amazing article on training or runningshoe and it is defiantly a must read.

For me I prefer the Nike Twist Training Shoe or the Nike Free’s Trainers they give my foot the movement they need without jeopardizing my foot protection. 

My collection of Nike Shoes. I am missing 1 pair from this pic.

Try training in a training shoe and you’ll never go back. After reading Marie’s article I went out and purchased a pair of training shoes and I have never looked back it has changed the way I train and they way my feet feel. They are no happy feet.

Day 7 - 30 Day Challenge

7. Who supports you the most with your running goals and why do you pick them?

Who supports me the most with my running goals. Honestly, I can’t just pick just one person. I have such an amazing support system when it comes to my goals.

My boyfriend Mike. When I trained for my first marathon he did every training run with me, he is faster than I am so we would start together and  meet back at the car but my really long miles (18, 20, 22) he ran them with me. He even let me yell at him in the trail at one point screaming at him about how hard this was, than he just hugged me and told me everything was going to be ok and at that point I knew he was exactly what I needed to get through my first marathon training.

Jamie my running buddy here in Calgary is one of my favorite people to run with. We started running together when I first came to Trican in 2011 and together we have improved our pace and endurance together. When I decided to sign up for my first marathon she was there encouraging me the entire way.

My dear friend Autumn who was once my encouragement for shooting the most tequila now encourages me to get my running shoes laced up and my butt out the door. Autumn will forever be my best friend and we have had many adventures together I hope our next adventure will be the Nike Women's Marathon in San Fran this year. There is nobody I would want to run it with more than my Jamaican Bacon. 

Last but certainly not least Karen and Elizabeth, sometimes I don’t think that Nike Women’s Marathon would have been the same without them. I haven’t even known these two ladies a year yet but when I need a pick me up or encouragement or even someone to vent to I know these girls are always there willing to listen. They are my running sisters  for life.

I think it is so important that you surround yourself with positive people, people who are willing to push you towards your goals and who want to see you achieve. A wise man once told me “If you want to soar with the eagles, you have to stop hanging with the turkeys” I think the support system I have surrounded myself with has allowed me to push my running to new limits. 

Looking to Speak with a Vegan Elite Runner

Lately I have been hearing about a lot of people going Vegan. I have always had my reservations about it.

I was vegan before, I decided to go vegan while in high school. I had a dietitian and a doctor watching my muscle mass and my coach watching my speed. I started slowly losing muscle and therefore it impacted my speed. Not only did going vegan impact my speed it impacted my body. I started losing my hair and it set me on slippery slope of becoming anorexic.

Many people said I did it wrong, I wasn't getting the proper nutrition, the proper protein. I believe that is false since I had a dietitian assisting in the preparing of 90% of my meals. Someone told me that maybe I was too young and competing at a high level of swimming along with my age could have factored into the hair loss and muscle loss. I was 16 years old and was already underweight.

However, I am not 100% opposed to trying it again. I started searching the internet to find elite runners who are vegan. My search turned up none, but that doesn't mean there isn't any, that just means it isn't documented and that is normal I mean I don’t run around documenting that I love pickles!

I am interested in speaking with a vegan female elite runner to see how they do it. The reason I am interested in a vegan elite runner isn't because I believe I am elite runner but because I am interested in speaking to them about maintaining and building muscle on a vegan diet as well as how it has affected their speed. My BIGGEST fear is that making major changes to my diet will have a negative impact on my speed and I have worked too hard to get where I am to have a negative impact.

It is one step at a time for me. At this moment I am giving up wheat. I recently learned that Gluten is Latin for glue. I wouldn't sit down and eat glue so why am I going to sit down and eat wheat. For me it is stepping stones. I have cleaned up my diet A LOT, not eating anything that has more than 2-3 ingredients in it unless of course I am making it myself and not consuming diet coke.

I am kind of superstitious and until I qualify for Boston in May and speak with an elite vegan runner I don’t think I will be making any drastic changes.

What are your thoughts on Veganism? Do you know any elite vegan runners I can speak to? 

Day 6 - 30 Day Run Challenge

To you, what’s the hardest thing about running?

The first 2-3 miles!! When I start running those first few miles are so hard, my legs hurt and my body hurts, sometimes I can hear my body scream "JUST STOP NOW!". Honestly, I can pretty much find any excuse in the book to stop in those first few miles!! However, once I get through them I am good to go and love it!!

They say you learn to love running when you forget you are running. When I first started running my lungs burned so much it was hard for me to forget, but now I love lacing up the shoes and going!! I often forget I am running and I just enjoy it.

 

I also find injury sucks about running. I have never been majorly injured. I got planters fasciitis in May 2012 and recently I injured my knee back in November. When I feel a pain that I know isn't normal I usually go see my physio. I am so nervous about getting a bad injury. Cory usually takes me off running for about a week and does all this physio stuff and heals me up. That week can feel like an eternity because running really keeps me balanced and happy but I always say Cory knows best!!

I also find listening to my body when running is hard, maybe because I don't hear my body but more like I don't want to listen!! Before I got planters fasciitis and my knee injury I felt something wrong leading up to those points, but I brushed them off as nothing, even though deep down I knew they were something. As an athlete you really need to listen to your body and know when it wants you to stop. 

There is this old man, he is about 70 and he often runs the same trails as I do, one day I stopped and talked to him and I asked him how he is still running and he said he always listens to his body, he takes a rest day if needed, he doesn't push himself past his limits and he loves it. I think listen is key, your body will tell you when something is wrong. I am learning to listen more because I want to still be running when I am 70!!

Day 5 - 30 Day Run Challenge

5. What’s your favorite distance to run or race and why?

Before October of 2012 the furthest distance I ran and raced was 10km. I really enjoyed that distance. I could finish it in under and hour and didn't have to exert myself too much.

Now that I have experienced a marathon I believe there is no other distance better than it!!

Elizabeth and I at the finish!!

I remember training for my marathon and doing my 22 miler and standing in the middle of the trail crying on my boyfriends shoulder telling him that I wasn't physically capable of doing a marathon. I was too lazy and to fat. When I crossed the finish line at the Nike Women’s in October there wasn't a prouder moment for me because I proved to myself that I am capable of running a marathon!! I could put in the distance. 

Training for a marathon is time consuming and mentally exhausting. Honestly, there were days I wanted to give up and throw in the towel and there were moments on the marathon route that I wanted to give in. I remember hitting mile 24 and wanting to quit. Feeling like crying but it not being possible because I had no tears coming out and wanting to pull myself off the course, but I reminded myself that I didn't come all the way from Calgary just to quit on course.

Now that I have completed my first marathon there isn't any turning back for me, I am hooked!! 

Day 3 and 4 - 30 Day Run Challenge

3. What ultimate running goal would you like to accomplish?

My ultimate running goal is to qualify for Boston. It’s my dream!! I am running the Calgary marathon in May with hopes to qualify. For me to do that I have to run my full in under 3:35. I am aiming for a 3:30 time with a pace of 8 minutes per mile. Totally do-able right!! Right!!

My main focus is to push even when my body starts to hurt. I already know I can run a full, but can I run a full in under 3:30!!

During training I am focusing on a lot of tempo runs and speed work. I am working on pushing through even though I want to walk. Let’s face it, our legs give out long before our hearts do and when my legs say they are done that is when the heart has to pick up the slack.

What advice do you have for training for a Boston Qualifier?

4. Tell us about your first race or when you plan to start!

My very first run race was when I was in grade 5. I grew up in a town that was very athletic focused. I remember running the 400m and coming in 1^st.Than I remember running the 200m and coming in 3rd. I ran up to my mom and was like "Momma, Momma!! I came in 3rd"!! She looked at me and said "THIRD!!" in a very disgusted tone, lol. At the time I didn't think anything of it all I said was "I know I need to run harder" My mom said all these people stopped and looked at her "she patted my head and was like oh 3rd good" haha. I come from a very competitive family! I was so happy and excited!! It was my very first taste of real racing. I went on to be in the Summer Games that year but not long after that I took up competitive in swimming and that quickly became my life.

Since running in 2009 my most recent race is the Mother’s Day 10km. It was the first time I ran a real race in a long time. It was in 2011. I ran the race in 54:13 and there was nothing I was more proud of than crossing that finish line! It my was my moment. Even though I never trained for the race I think I performed pretty decent.