You Are Doing This

It couldn't have been a more gorgeous day for the Modo 8 km Spring Run-Off around the Stanley Park seawall.  Unfortunately, my sister was sick and wasn't able to run with me as planned but I was super grateful to have my nephews and brother- in- law there to cheer me on.

Despite a week of icing my shin, and a trip to the physiotherapist, I actually felt quite strong throughout the run and only started to feel a bit of an ache in my calf after about 5 km.  My goal was to complete the race without having to walk, which I was pretty much able to do. I did stop long enough to snap a couple of pictures though. :)

Around 2.5 km

Somewhere around 5 km

At the 7 km mark I slowed for a much needed drink, which I was so grateful for as I started up those  hills to the finish line.  They were small hills but at that point I felt like I was running up the Grouse Grind. :) During the last 800 meters I couldn't have been more appreciative of the cheers and high fives from the volunteers.

My time was 49:41 and my average pace was between 06:00-06:30 min/km. I'm gradually getting faster so I'm happy with my time.  After the run, when I was telling a friend about my finishing time,  he said, "the most important thing was that you had fun." I can honestly say that I did have a good time. I'm sure the weather, the great course, the volunteers, and Songza's "performance-enhancing pop" play list all had something to do with that. :)  For me to be able to say I'm enjoying running is huge coming from someone who in junior high school hid in a locker room to avoid doing a cross country run.:)

During the run yesterday when self doubt tried to creep in I told myself "you can do this." Then somewhere around 6 km my mantra changed to "you are doing this." That thought got me through the final 2 km and will hopefully be what's running through my head as I cross the finish line at 21.1 km.

Finished!! :)

Lesson Learned :)

Wow. That was a tough race for me. A beautiful, well organized, awesome race, but a personally challenging race. Yesterday I ran the 8km Modo Vancouver SpringRun Off and have learned first-hand why you should not start a race off too fast. When the announcer said we could line up anywhere in the starting line, I think I was a little over-ambitious in estimating my proper place amongst the pack. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, there was a positive vibrant energy at the race, I felt good and I was ready to go! Bring it on!


My ‘take on the world’ attitude was quickly deflated by the 6^th km as I wheezed for air and barely convinced myself not to keel over and lay down in the inviting lush greens of StanleyPark...I think I may have been a little un-realistic in my pacing.

I completed my first kilometer in 5:03, which was significantly faster than I have been training at – averaging between 6:20-6:50/km.  As I kept running, every kilometer my time dwindled. I watched person after person pass me by. Self-doubt started creeping into my mind. I could not understand why I was having such a hard time on an 8km race. In training I can run 10 km without stopping, however this just felt torturous.  

I was able to run 5 km without walking, but then I had to do brief walking intervals for the rest of the race. I tried to keep my breathing fluid by talking to myself “Okay Lora, just breathe in your nose, out your mouth; in your nose, out your mouth; in nose, out mouth…. OH MY GOSH LORA, JUST FREAKING BREATHE!!”  Instead of calm, steady, controlled breaths I began gasping and panting like my dog after an epic game of fetch in the sun.  It literally took all of my mental strength, and every positive self-affirmation to complete the race. It absolutely blew my mind how 8km seemed so much more difficult than running 21.1km last year.  

Yet despite the gasping, panting and feeling as though at any moment my legs were going to give out and I would have to quit the race, I persisted and I managed to come out with a time of 44:52. I am proud of my time; I pushed myself mentally and physically while learning a very valuable lesson surrounding realistic pacing! Luckily the beautiful weather, the beautiful scenery, and encouraging words from passerby’s kept me feeling hopeful while I wheezed through the last few kilometers of the race. This was a very good learning experience for me.  

I wanted to say a special thank you to all of the awesome volunteers who were so amazing, encouraging and positive. Also thank you to the woman who encouraged me to keep going when “I could almost taste the finish line”. Thank you. Even the smallest acts of kindness and encouraging words have lasting impacts.  

Facing my fears, one run at a time.

Fear. It is something we all experience as humans. It is what holds some back. It is what pushes others forward.  Every person has the choice to either face their fears and grow stronger or stay stagnate within their comfort zone. My biggest fear is not of failure, but of success. I am afraid to invest in myself, to love myself and to believe that I can achieve anything I work for. Last year I chose to be accountable to me.  I admitted to myself that I am my own worst enemy and I am the only person who can determine my destiny.  I was tired of being afraid, I was tired of making excuses, I was tired of being stagnant. So I chose to face my fears and be accountable to not only myself, but to my future self. I chose to start loving me. 

Before running my first half marathon last year, the only race I ever completed was at my 7th grade track-meet where I received the green ‘Participant’ ribbon for my near last place finish. So why did I start running again almost 2 decades later when I had never been a good runner? Part of it was because I read stories of other ‘non-runners’ who became ‘runners’, so I figured if all of those people could do it, why couldn’t I? Pair that with being brutally honest with myself by admitting and accepting that only my self-limiting beliefs and excuses were the reasons for my life heading down a negative path; and I was hooked. Running teaches me to be accountable to myself and reminds me that I am the only person responsible for how I choose to live my life.     

In September 2013 I ran my first half marathon. The high of finishing your first race is indescribable. The amount of pride I had for myself and the self-love I felt in that moment will forever stay with me. With a little preparation, determination, accountability, and persistence I was able to challenge my inner critic and prove to myself that I am able to accomplish my goals.  I hope through sharing my training journey – the good and the bad – it may encourage others to challenge their inner critics and start believing they too can achieve anything they put their mind to.

I am looking forward to running in the Modo Vancouver SpringRun Off tomorrow and hope to see you there! J

Traveling and Training

Greetings from Savannah, Georgia! I travel a lot--for work and to connect with family back in the Southeastern US, so I'm used to rental cars, airports, hotels, and all the fitness perils that come with spending a good bulk of your time away from home. In some ways, many things haven't changed--most airports are still a wasteland for healthy eating--but hotels--at all price ranges--have upped their game to accommodate runners and those looking for an active lifestyle on the road. Today is a bit of a mild day in Savannah--a flat city defined by park-like squares that make for a beautiful run--and with the hotel fitness centre all filled up, it was a perfect excuse to get out and explore. Today, I can go the front desk and ask for a good running route and instead of getting puzzled looks, hotel staffers reply--how far do you want to go? Uphill or flat?--and then they provide a buffet of routes on neatly printed cards and I'm on my way.

Running around Savannah included a tour of Forsyth Park

If running while travelling seems like a nuisance, hotels have smartened up and many now offer free or nearly free rentals of workout gear--sneakers, shirts, shorts, even socks. And sure, the loaner shoes are not my preferred shoe of choice--but not having to cart around workout clothes is a huge plus.

I try to stay close to a downtown area when I'm away--sure the airport hotel has free parking, but running routes can be pretty sparse. Instead, staying within steps of the sights provides a great orientating run, and, in the rare case I've jogged too far from home, transit or car-sharing options to get back to my starting point. And you won't be alone--just as in Vancouver, cities wake up with a jog. On a trip to Ottawa last year, I tried to squeeze in a run around Parliament Hill--as it turned out, so did the people I was in town to meet. Here in Savannah, the roads and squares are dotted with a mix of people that give me the visitor a true sense of the full diversity of the city. I notice different things when I run--a shop to check out later, a historical marker to read up on, a university campus--that are sometimes easy to miss when I walk. I realize this sounds counter-intuitive, but I'm usually walking to something, going somewhere. When I run, the journey is the goal, and instead of looking to make sure I'm not late, or worse, checking my smartphone, I'm allowing myself to be present and aware in the city. It's a gift I cherish every time I run.

The Serious Training Begins!

Before I update you on how my training is going I just wanted to say another big "thank you" to the organizers of the  "Joe Runner" contest, those involved from Asics, and everyone who voted for me. 

I'm really loving how good I feel mentally, and physically, since I started running regularly (a few aches and pains aside....see below).  Being outside running in our gorgeous city is pretty invigorating.  However, the photographer in me hasn't yet been able to go for a run without stopping to take a picture. :) 

One of the biggest challenges I have encountered over the past couple of weeks is trying to increase the frequency and distance of my runs while doing shift work.  My shifts are twelve hours long and usually I don't have the time or energy to run on a work day or post night shifts.  There are two or three days out of my week when I'm sleep deprived and not at my healthiest for running.  I don't want to push it and become run down but I am determined to keep trying to fit the training in to my schedule! I'm sure there must be other shift workers out there who have run a half marathon.

Recently I started doing a couple of shorter runs each week (4 to 6 km) and one longer run (7 to 9 km). Although I have been increasing my distances gradually, I have developed a shin splint and occasional pain in my left hip.  I've been trying to read up on how to avoid shin splints and have been icing and resting when necessary.  I'm not sure what my hip pain is all about but doing yoga regularly seems to help alleviate some of the discomfort. I have an appointment with a sports physiotherapist this week so I'm hoping he will be able to help me get back out running without pain.

My third challenge has been trying to run long distances by myself. I've always liked running alone but I'm now realizing that once I get to 7 or 8 km it becomes quite the mental challenge to keep going. If you have any motivating music play lists for me, please feel free to send them my way. :) I think that having a buddy along would probably help greatly as well.  Fortunately, I have some friends who have offered to run with me and I'm definitely going to take them up on it.

This past weekend I did the St. Patrick's Day 5 km run at Stanley Park.  It was a beautiful run with a good number of hills thrown in to make it challenging.  I was excited by my personal best time of 28:52!!  I'm starting to get addicted to how great it feels to finish.  Now I'm looking forward to doing the 8 km Modo Spring Run Off this coming Sunday. Fingers crossed the shin splint subsides!

On one final note, I wanted to let you know that I have joined the Fragile X Team for the Scotia Bank Half Marathon and their team fundraising page, as well as my own, are now up and running.

You can support me and the Fragile X Research Foundation by making a secure online donation on the Scotia Bank Half Marathon charity page. Any amount would be greatly appreciated and could one day help my nephew Oliver and others with Fragile X Syndrome.

Thanks everyone!  I will keep you posted on my journey.

Meet our 2014 Joe Runners

We're excited to announce our 2014 Joe Runners! Congratulations to Alexandra Turner, Lora Wendorf, and Joshua Labove. Here they are being fit with some great new gear from Asics!

You can follow their training progress for the 2014 Scotiabank Vancouver Half-Marathon right here, or sign up to join them on their journey!