5k Rotary Fun Run Barrie Reality Check

After missing out on the Ottawa Race last weekend, I decided a mid-week 5k would be just what I needed for a good (much-needed) speed work session. The last 5k I ran was in 2005! I had no idea what to expect one month post-boston, but my goal was to finish sub 20 minutes. I wasn't really mentally prepared for this race (just found out about it the night before) and after 24 hours of pouring rain, I was ready to scrap it altogether. At 5:45pm after a call from Val who was headed down to the lake shore to cheer on Trisha (see Boston blog post) I laced up my Brooks ST racers (haven't been worn since Marine Corps) and also loaded up the BOB jogger and headed down to the start line. I was planning on at minimum running with the baby jogger (if they were allowed) since the hubby was still en route from his city commute. I resolved that if the hubby arrived before the start, I was going to race the 5k, otherwise it would be a fun run for baby and me.

I met up with Val and learned that she had already run 15k earlier that day and wasn't planning on racing, but instead cheering along her sis Trisha & her running partner in the race. I talked her into adding one quite energetic 18 month old to the pack of kids she was already watching during the race, rolled I the BOB jogger in her direction and bolted for the start line before she changed her mined.


















Right before the gun went off I looked up to see my hubby at the start line giving me the thumbs up and off we went.













My first glance down to the Garmin reported a 4:57 pace - yikes - slooooow down or you'll be sorrry I quickly put on the brakes. By 2k into the run, I remembered why I don't particularly love running 5k races.....it's hard work! I managed to relax myself and hold my pace around 6:00 minute mile or slightly under pace through the first hair-pin turnaround. As I made my way back along the out & back course, I was noticed the 2nd women was about 150 meters or so behind so I tried to pick it up a bit and increase my lead. By 3k I was feeling the exertion, but I talked myself into holding the pace and tried to stay relaxed as we made our way back down the lakeshore to the finish area. Seeing the 4k marker brought relief that the end was near and I talked myself into holding the pace for a few minutes longer (vowing to my tired body - ok, no more 5k races for another 5 years I promise if you just finish strong). As we neared the starting line, I heard looked for my number one fan & cheering section (hubby) and expected to hear cheers and congrats as I passed by. He shouted "go pass those 2 guys - you can get em!". I looked in front of me and saw the first 2 men were about 40 and 125 meters or so ahead of me. Not a chance I thought to myself (so much for positive thinking!) It was then that we realized that the start line wasn't actually the finish line also. Instead, we had to run past the start and make another hairpin turn and then return in order to cross the finish (cruel, sick race course planning!!). I saw the male leader turn in to cross what we thought was the finish line and then he popped back out as he was redirected back to the proper course. This realization that the finish wasn't quite as near as I thought sucked some more wind from my sails and I turned the 2nd hairpin corner and headed for the finish line. As I made my way down the final stretch, I saw the clock and realized that I could possibly get a personal best if I stepped on it. I finished in 18:36.....my last race in 2005 was 18:36...no PR today. After I caught my breath & narrowly averted losing my lunch on my white ST racers, I said - wow - I love 5ks! They are over so quickly! (sorry legs, I predict another 5k in the near future).

Freihofer Womens Run 2009

RunningSkirts is bi-coastal this weekend at the San Diego Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and the Friehofer's Womens run 5k event in Albany, NY. This weekend marked the 31st annual Friehofer's Run for Women event.












This event brings out the fastest of the fast women from around the world. I had the pleasure of meeting Benita Johnson of Autstralia (three time winner of the Freihofer's 5k with a best of 15.22). She complimented me on the camo haute pink skirt and mentioned that she too runs in skirts!













Check out the top 50 results from todays run - this is one speedy 5k:

  1   1/416  F2529 15:26.1#  4:59 Teyba Erkesso           26     3 Ethiopia          
2   2/416  F2529 15:29.8#  5:00 Mamitu Daska            25    21 Ethiopia          
3   3/416  F2529 15:38.4#  5:03 Rose Kosgei             27    16 Kenya             
4   4/416  F2529 15:40.8#  5:03 Genoveva Kigen          27     8 Kenya             
5   1/296  F2024 15:52.7#  5:07 Ashu Kasim              24    15 Ethiopia          
6   1/385  F3034 16:00.0#  5:09 Benita Johnson          30     1 Australia         
7   5/416  F2529 16:06.4#  5:12 Jane Gakunyi            29     4 Kenya             
8   1/489  F3539 16:06.7#  5:12 Dulce Rodriguez         36     9 Mexico            
9   2/296  F2024 16:09.9#  5:13 Millicent Gathoni       23     5 Kenya             
10   6/416  F2529 16:13.6#  5:14 Rene Kalmer             28    19 South Africa      
11   2/385  F3034 16:15.3#  5:14 Mariya Konovalova       34     2 Russia            
12   7/416  F2529 16:22.3#  5:17 Salome Kosgei           28    24 Kenya             
13   8/416  F2529 16:24.1#  5:17 Tera Moody              28    22 USA               
14   3/296  F2024 16:30.3#  5:19 Diane Nukuri            24    17 Burundi           
15   9/416  F2529 16:37.3#  5:21 Natalia Sokolova        27    12 Russia            
16   1/354  F4549 16:38.9#  5:22 Colleen De Reuck        45    42 Boulder CO        
17   1/433  F4044 16:40.0#  5:22 Anzhelika Averkova      40    44 Ukraine           
18   2/489  F3539 16:42.2*  5:23 Elva Dryer              37     6 USA               
19  10/416  F2529 16:43.7   5:24 Marina Ivanova          27     7 Russia            
20  11/416  F2529 16:45.3   5:24 Adriana Pirtea          29    14 Romania           
21  12/416  F2529 16:53.0   5:27 Allison Krol            25  2956 Pittsfield MA     
22   3/489  F3539 17:15.1*  5:34 Sheri Piers             38    49 Falmouth ME       
23  13/416  F2529 17:16.4   5:34 Mariko Holbrook         27    26 Somerville MA     
24   4/296  F2024 17:23.4   5:36 Kaitlin O'Sullivan      23    56 Syracuse NY       
25   1/262  F5054 17:27.3*  5:38 Joan Samuelson          52    52 Freeport ME       
26   2/433  F4044 17:32.7*  5:39 Trina Painter           42    46 Flagstaff AZ      
27   1/332  F1519 17:37.3*  5:41 Jillian King            19  2351 Scotia NY         
28   2/262  F5054 17:42.3*  5:42 Carmen Ayala-Troncoso   50    43 Austin TX         
29   5/296  F2024 17:47.6   5:44 Jen Adams               23    59 Gansevoort NY     
30   3/385  F3034 17:52.0   5:46 Mendy Taylor            32  2562 New Paltz NY      
31   1/422  F0114 17:52.0*  5:46 Keelin Hollowood        14  2697 Saratoga Springs NY
32   6/296  F2024 17:56.1   5:47 Toni Wiszowaty          22    25 Plattsburgh NY    
33   7/296  F2024 17:57.1   5:47 Alyssa Recny            24    57 Cortland NY       
34  14/416  F2529 17:58.9   5:48 Vanessa Martell         26  2552 Penfield NY       
35   3/433  F4044 17:59.4*  5:48 Paula Wiltse            41    41 Canada            
36   2/332  F1519 18:04.9*  5:50 Cassandra Goutos        17   234 Saratoga Springs NY
37   3/332  F1519 18:07.5*  5:51 Brianne Bellon          17  2543 greenfield NY     
38  15/416  F2529 18:09.5   5:51 Maria Varela            28  2551 Brighton MA       
39  16/416  F2529 18:11.6   5:52 Trisha Byler            25  2578 Rochester NY      
40   4/489  F3539 18:11.9   5:52 Hayes Murphee           35    58 Marathon NY       
41   4/433  F4044 18:15.7*  5:53 Lori Kingsley           43    83 Wysox PA          
42   4/385  F3034 18:23.6   5:56 Karen Blodgett          33  2555 Fairport NY       
43   5/385  F3034 18:24.6   5:56 Jory Waldman            33  3915 Slingerlands NY   
44  17/416  F2529 18:26.2   5:57 Lara Johnson            28  3693 Boston MA         
45   4/332  F1519 18:30.6*  5:58 Sydney King             15  1852 Saratoga Springs NY
46   8/296  F2024 18:36.1   6:00 Jessica Snyder          24  3624 Rochester NY      
47   6/385  F3034 18:42.0   6:02 Eileen Combs            31    82 Schenectady NY    
48   9/296  F2024 18:47.1   6:03 Ashley Gorr             22  2229 Albany NY         
49  10/296  F2024 18:53.6   6:05 Brittany Heninger       20  1894 Bristol CT        
50   2/354  F4549 18:55.9*  6:06 Charlotte Rizzo         46    98 Broxvill

Teyba Erkesso 26 year old winner!

I didn't have the opportunity to run this 5k since the expo hours ran through race day today into the afternoon. Colson, however, had his 2nd race (50 meters) for 4 years and under and had a great time. (video coming soon).

This is a well organized outstanding event for the first time runner, race-walker or fitness walker up to the elite runner. There are also kids runs by age after the 5k. Fun for everyone. We were surprised by the charm and beauty of Albany - the architecture, river and parks are beautiful! I definitely recommend this as a destination race if you are looking for a speedy 5k and a chance to run with the fastest women in the world.

Good luck to all the runners at Rock n' Roll Marathon this weekend - see you at mile 18-19 at our Rockin Otter Pop Stop!

Mississauga Marathon 2009

Can you tell spring race season is here? We are way behind in the blogging - sorry for the brevity, but here's a brief recap of the last few weeks.

Mississauga race weekend was amazing. This is the first spring marathon in Ontario 2 weeks after Boston. Here are the highlights - Judika finished 3rd women in the 10k event Saturday night. Josiane finished 3rd female in the half marathon.


















(Judika wearing navy haute pink - 3rd female - 10k!)


I love this race - it has a lot of gradual downhill, some rolling hills, but overall it's a really fun and scenic course to run. I'll always have a special sentiment for this race as it was the first (only) marathon I ran with my husband*. I ran in 2004 with Arma in hopes of pacing her to a qualifier. (she had itb problems the last portion and just painfully missed a BQ by less than a minute or so). Her hubby also ran in 2004. This is a separate story with a whole belly busting comedy life of it's own - I'm gonna leave it at that for now*.

I wasn't sure how the legs were going to do just 2 weeks post-boston and mere days post 7 week holiday in Hawaii! After working the expo with weary legs on satuday p.m. I was ready to write off the race on Sunday, when I received a text message from my friend Patric "Are we still running?". Several months ago I had persuaded hin to run & train for missisauga and had completely forgotten. This text message was the little push I needed to get into the mindset for running the half on Sunday. I inquired of his race plan and he responded he wanted to run around 1:35 or so.....perfect!

We agreed to carpool down to Toronto - Missisauga race morning and we picked up Patrick on our way out of Barrie. Much to my surprise, I was informed that this was to be his first half marathon 21k run ever! Wow - a half marathon virgin who planned to run around a 1:35. Normally, I would be seriously doubtful, but I know that he is an amazing hockey player and I've seen him doing speed work on a treadmill before, so I took it in stride as we made our way to Mississauga. We started chatting about our pre-race rituual and race nutrition. When I asked him what he ate/drank before a race, he burrowed into his bag and pulled out a "Red Bull" energy drink and informed me that he never drinks when he runs as it causes him cramps. Uh-oh I thought to myself, this could be bad. Patrick informed me that his longest race was a 10k, double uh oh I thought to myself.



















We were lucky to have decent weather for Ontario in May (this race always gets cool sunshine). It was a bit chilly as we lined up at the start (i wore the technical long sleeve with a technical tee over top) and my navy haute pink running skirt. Val and Arma were no where to be seen, so I started off a solo skirt along with Patrick. As the gun went off we made our way down the course. Patrick was outta the gates like a bat out of hell - I could hardly keep him in sight. I looked to the garmin and immediately slowed the ponies down over a 6:00 minute pace back to my 6:30-6:45 that I wanted to run. RJ - a co-worker of Val's and amazing speedy runner passed by me and informed me that Val was about 40 people back. I was feeling the urge to make a quick pitstop at the porta potty between 1k & 2k (full bladder) and figured Val would catch up and we could run together. I made a quick stop - in & out - and didn't see Val anywhere when I emerged. Patrick was also gone. Darn - got some ground to make up. I cruised along on pace wondering what the legs were going to do and tried to relax and enjoy myself. I caught up with Patrick around 7-8k I think -when we were approaching the school. We ran together around the bend of the school and at starting up the hill. As we were climbing the incline up out of the school area toward the next aid station I was singled out by one very large Canadian goose. I'm not sure if it was the haute pink technical tee shirt that I was wearing or what, but he took one look at me and charged toward me - beak wide open in attack mode. I still am a bit dumbfounded at what I did to set him off, but he was obviously on a mission to bit my arse! I squealed and did my best hurdle and whew! thankfully cleared the 20 pound ball of feathery fury. This pleased Patrick and everyone in the crowd and water aid station as there was an eruption of laughter. I took a minute to bow to the water stop peeps and shout out my pleasure to entertain them all and off we went up the hill. I grabbed a cup of water and noticed Patrick didn't take any. I asked him if he had anything to drink yet, and he reminded me that he doesn't drink during cardio as it causes cramping. I strong-armed him into drinking the rest of my water and reminded him that he's never run this far before and that he probably would benefit from a little water. Off we went up the hill. I was still feeling ok at this point and remember a few sizeable hills that I didn't recall from previous years races....funny how we forget or block these out. I do remember getting a nice shout out from Peter of "my next race" as we were almost down to the lakeshore. I had about 8k to go and was starting to feel my boston-weary legs twinge a bit. My goal at this point was to finish without horrible cramping and injury. With about 5k to go I was passed by another female, I questioned whether I should turn up the pace or let her go. I heard my coach in my head (he didn't think I was ready to race again) and didn't want to risk an injury. I pulled ahead a bit and held pace for the next km or so. Legs were screaming at this point, so I eased off and away she went and then 2 more. It was all I could do to finish the last 5k near pace and finish...just didn't have the juice in the tank anymore. I finished in 1:27:55 - a PR for Canada, so I'm happy with that.


















Patrick finished in 1:32 - wow - an amazing time for a first half, no water or energy gels, etc.

Here a few more pics from race day.


Arma sporting her Boston singlet with the new "gold/maize" running skirt also PR'd the half marathon course! If that wasnt' enough, she ran back and helped run her hubby Andrew in for a BQ marathon 3:16:47! Nice work you two! Check out the video
& turn up your speakers - it's funny!

Honolulu Marathon Clinic Run

I had a chance to re-connect with Dr. Jack & Donna Scaff on a recent visit to Hawaii. They run a huge running & marathon training group called the Honolulu Marathon Clinic.












Jack is the man who started the Honolulu Marathon many years ago! Donna invited us out for their weekly long run on Sunday- they meet at Kapiolani park and then run various lengths up & around Diamondhead. We were staying on the North Shore during the weekend and made the early morning trek back to Waikiki to meet up with the group. We arrived just in time to catch Dr. Scaff's 10-minute talk about weight distribution and it's affect on running. ( He was one of the first physicians to prescribe running as treatment for heart disease. ) Good stuff!

Then the group broke into various smaller groups based on ability. Donna quickly pointed me to a group that was already taking off up Diamond Headand so off I went in hot pursuit (my boston legs still a bit heavy). As I made my way through the the group a familiar face shouted "Hey- what are you doing here?" I looked over an recognized my friend Jeff (from the Disney running gang).












The last time we met we were taking funny photos of "mara-thongs" at Jeff & Donna's Honolulu marathon party! We had a quick chat and then he pointed out a few others that had recently run Boston and off I went to chat with them about their races. I had a nice visit with Rosie -who had just ran her 2nd Boston PR (for those who train in the crazy heat & hills of Hawaii), apparently Boston is "fast course". We chatted about her recent races, training & PR's and tried to keep up with Jacque, who was leading the pack. Before I knew it we were headed back over and down Diamond head toward the picnic waiting at Kapiolani park. Check out the photos - we got some great action shots of the group to - you can see them on our facebook fan page here.

Congrats to everyone who ran this years Boston Marathon!
It's hard to believe it's come and gone already. Ever since NYC Marathon, we've been counting down the months, weeks and finally days until our trip to Boston. This year Christy & I were finally able to run the race together - in previous years either she or I had been pregnant or new mothers or our qualifying times had expired, etc. Val & Arma were also qualified, registered and ready to go....a girls & mommy getaway waiting to happen!

We kicked the weekend off with a quick visit to the expo to check out the latest and greatest running fare. This year the official jacket was a cornflower blue and gold and there was also a wind jacket in navy & gold. We scooped up the jackets in navy/gold which was a perfect match to our new navy/gold running skirts and some "future qualifier" tees for the kiddies.













Next stop was the Marriott Copley the location of our Skirts Rock Boston party & trunk show! We had a great turnout of all our local Boston "skirts" as well as those customers that were running the marathon. It was great to meet more customers in person from around the globe and share marathon stories, great eats (including kick ass cupcakes), cocktails and fun! We had a great time sipping Ultima-tini's ,












(Brooke of Ultima Replenisher)

who could resist with names like the Ultima Raspberry Goodness, Ultima Deram'alicious and Ultima Lemon Drop to name a few. Special thanks to Brooke of Ultima Replenisher for co-hosting the cocktail party!












"Ultima-tinis & Carbo-Cupcakes from Kick Ass Cupcakes in Boston.

We unveiled our "Boston" inspired collection of blue & gold, navy & white skirts & tops. The white technical tee that reads "Skirts Rock Boston!" on the front and "You've been passed by a skirt!" on the back was the biggest hit! With the skirt tunes rockin, ultimatinis flowing and skirt gear prize drawings constantly - who knew we were all going to be running 26.2 in a few days.

Sunday morning we headed over to the Boston Tea Party, hosted by MyNextRace.com at the Cottonwood Restaurant and Cafe. We saw the 5k runners flying by during our walk over to the cafe from our hotel. The Boston Tea party is a great get together for Canadians who have traveled to Boston for the marathon. We enjoyed the great breakfast buffet (they even had gluten free bagels & bread) and Canadian camaraderie. We had a chance to chat up Alan Brooks (Canada Running Series) and got the low-down on the new Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon course (no more spit portion of the course) more beaches instead. We left with awesome goody bags that included Tim Hortons traveler mugs, full size power bars, etc. Check out the shapshot we captured with Obama!













Great times had by all at the Tea Party!












Peter from My Next Race & Cindy at the Boston Tea Party

After the Tea Party and another trip to the expo to pick up some last minute "I wish I would have bought(s)...." we headed for the famous duck boat tours. A great way to see the city and learn about it's history while staying off your feet (what you are supposed to do before the day before a big race). We had a great time on the tour and got some great photos of the cityscape from the Charles River and all the sites! We made sure to get an early dinner reservation in high hopes of getting a good night's rest before Marathon Monday!














Christy, Cindy & Val enjoying our ritual pre marathon meal of grilled salmon, brown rice & veggies! Val drove down from Toronto with her sister Trish (who is a saint btw - more on that later). Trish is a casual runner and mother of two, who was I think conned into coming along to Boston on the premise of it being a great girls getaway. Any marathoner would know that a Marathon Weekend in Boston rooming with 3 runners is anything but a typical girls getaway (cancel marathon shopping, late nights, dancing & cocktails). I think this realization started to sink in after we drug her to back to the expo for the 3rd time in 24 hours and were all in bed by 10:00 p.m. the first night.

The weather report kept changing throughout the weekend from rain, to showers, to partly cloudy and then back to rain. Everyone was on pins and needles - but we all hoped for anything but headwinds! After our pre-race dinner of the traditional salmon, brown rice & veggies with an awesome ahi & crab appetizer, we headed back to the hotel. As we stopped off at rite aid to pick up some water, and other supplies, Val started making a weird throat clearing "ahem" noise over and over again. I looked at her questioningly, and she said "I think my throat is closing - I might be allergic to something I ate". Immediately I questioned whether it might be the shellfish or something, which sent Trisha into a dither demanding that we pick up some Benadryl for the allergy. I kind of chuckled to myself and told her "snap out of it - you're not having a shellfish allergy" we are all running a marathon tomorrow and you are just wiggin out." I said "besides, are you really going to take Benadryl now? the night before you run Boston? What if you don't react to it well? " She agreed instantly and then we were on our way back to our room (Trish saying "were going to bed NOW?" it's 8:00 p.m. REALLY? GUYS? FOR REALS?) where the three of us immediately engaged ourselves in the methodic pre-marathon dance: laying out running skirt, matching tops, lacing up chip on shoe, getting race bags together, changing race outfit, re-lacing up shoes, adjusting bib, mixing ultima drinks, selecting gu flavors, etc etc etc dilly dallying with may-needs and must-haves while Trisha sat back and watched (I'm certain in horror). She exclaimed "I don't know what I was thinking coming away for the weekend with you marathon runners". We quickly answered - for support and to take photos of course! If I remember correctly we were all in bed by 9:00 p.m.. As anyone who has ever run a marathon knows, it's almost impossible to get decent sleep the night before a race. After 2 busy days in Boston on the go and not enough rest, I was feeling pretty tired and confident I wouldn't have a problem getting some zzzs. We all lay in silence for at least 30 minutes, and then Val's sighs started. You know the type - the deep sigh when you can't sleep and you want everyone else to know it! Then came pee pee relay started...first Val would get up to pee, and then Christy - of course if Christy & Val both went I figured I must need to go to....hence, the pee pee dance which continuted until at least 11:00 p.m. at which time Trisha exclaimed "AGAIN?" every time one of us would get up to go. I think I finally started to doze off (Christy said I was snoring) around 11:00 and then heard another Val SSSIIIGGGHH followed by serious stiff sheet shuffling and a big rolling flop. I quickly informed her "Don't worry Val - none of us are asleep yet!" which brough a hearty chuckle outta of all of us. "OK good", she responded. This sigh, sheet shuffle, peepee relay went on all night. Poor Val was a mess and suffered from a serious case of pre-marathon insomnia....at one point I think around 3:00 a.m. I woke to here her exclaim "That's it, I can't run today, I haven't slept.....we're gonna get up and drive back home before the race!" Poor Val didn't sleep all night ( I think Christy and I may have got 1-2 hours). When the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m., Val was laying in bed near tears and said "I'm not running - I didn't sleep - I'm going home". I took one look at her and said "Yeah - right - give me a break! Buck up buttercup - you ARE running Boston today - as if you are really going to drive home and not run with us! Get up and get your skirt on sister!" I reiterated that no one ever sleeps the night before a marathon and that is just the way it goes. Apparently my little pep talk was the push that she needed to get up and grab her pretty yellow running skirt and head for the bathroom AGAIN.

By 6:00 a.m. Arma was came bounding into our room with a race bag the size of Texas stuffed full like no other. Somebody's excited to run their first Boston we teased her she shared with us the contents of her bag....dry clothes - check, bananas - check, bagel - check, camera - check, gloves - check, hat - check, umbrella (?) - check, full roll of toilet paper (??) - check. She had it all! We headed down to the lobby to wait for our shuttle bus & left poor exhausted Trish to catch up on some sleep before she headed down to meet us at the finish line later.

The bus ride out to Hopkinton seemed a lot longer than I remember it from the last time I ran. We arrived in time to mill about to the porta potties and watch a film crew tape Los Angeles Police Vetern Kristina Ripatti (she was paralyzed from the chest down when shot during a robbery in 2006) who was hoping to finish the marathon in under 2 hours by hand cycle. As fellow police officer herself , Val explained to us her story and then blurted out "I guess I shouldn't be complaining, if that women can finish Boston, so can I". We headed back to the bus to get race ready and relinquish our warm hoodies, jackets, long sleeves, etc. that we didn't intend to run with. It was chilly sunny and windy morning. We were told to expect headwinds all the way into Boston along the course....boo! By the time we make our way through the crowds to our various bag checks, it was time for the first wave to start. We snapped a quick pre-race photo together, shared good luck hugs and wishes and then headed off to our respective corrals.

After a goose-bump rendering of the national anthem, and air force jet fly-by we were all pumped and ready to run! It took several minutes to cross the start line and I was pleasantly surprised by a "Go RunningSkirts!" shout out by the announcer, who turned out to be Sue from the Disney Running series. Thanks Sue - great work on getting us all pumped up at the start!

As expeced, the marathon did not disappoint, and despite the chilly temperatures and strong winds, the crowds prevailed and cheered us the entire course. Our "You've been passed by a Skirt" technical tee was a great conversation peice along the course. I loved hearing guys explain "ouch - that hurts" and "Oh - love the outfit" by the ladies as we ran along. As I reached the halfway point a few minutes ahead of even pace and the screaming girls at Wellesly College, I realized the real race was about to begin. I don't know if it was the increasing hills or the increasing head winds or a combination of them both, but that last half of the race was very difficult this time. Here are my splits - you can see where the hills really started to hit home
mile1-7:25
mile2-6:56
mile3-6:52
mile4-6:57
mile5-7:03
mile6-6:55
mile7-6:57
mile8-7:05
mile9-7:02
mile10-7:10
mile11-7:11
mile12-6:59
mile13-7:02
mile14-7:06
mile15-7:15
mile16-7:04
mile17-7:30
mile18-7:33
mile19-7:24
mile20-7:42
mile21-8:06
mile22-7:27
mile23-7:37
mile24-7:20
mile25-7:37
mile26-8:00 (no finish line "horse to the barn" sprint this time! It was all I could do to keep jogging across that finish)

Here's our official stats:

8701	Cindy	37	F	Barrie	ON	CAN	USA
Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:22:06 0:43:57 1:05:58 1:28:13 1:33:01 1:50:31 2:13:51 2:38:02 3:02:06 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:07:22 3:13:06 3258 234 195
10411 Val 35 F Barrie ON CAN USA Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:23:36 0:46:27 1:09:30 1:33:03 1:38:11 1:56:46 2:21:48 2:48:22 3:14:39 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:07:52 3:26:17 6143 847 700 11820 Christy 37 F Cardiff CA USA Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:25:02 0:49:49 1:14:29 1:41:37 1:47:06 2:06:33 2:32:11 2:57:33 3:22:54 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:08:10 3:34:08 8478 1668 1294 Bib Name Age M/F City State Country Ctz * 12331 Arma 36 F Toronto ON CAN Checkpoints 5k 10k 15k 20k Half 25k 30k 35k 40k 0:25:10 0:49:24 1:13:37 1:38:34 1:43:59 2:03:37 2:29:21 2:55:52 3:21:14 Finish Pace Projected Time Official Time Overall Gender Division 0:08:06 3:32:22 7961 1468 1161 As we all met up at the finish line, we were freezing! We headed back to the warmth of our hotel (decided to skip the ice bath) for now and treated ourselves to warm showers and a big hot meal of cheeseburgers & fries accompanied by a bottle of bubbly. It was great to see all the Running Skirts out along the course - congrats to all on finishing a challenging marathon! Hope this finds you all enjoying a speedy recovery. Cheers & Happy Running!

The 30k Around the Bay road race is "Older than Boston" as printed on the back of the long sleeve tech race shirts. This year they are orange and I was pleasantly surprised with the nice fit! No unisex one size fits most - they were male & female versions of the long sleeve tech race shirts. Nice! This is one of my favorite distance events in Canada, I'm not sure if it's because it's the first long race of the season in Ontario or if it's the challenging course or massive crowds of racers, but I just love this race. Last year, it was my first long race after having the baby, I finished strong, but 2 minutes shy of getting a "gold" finisher medal. I remember vowing, "next year....gold medal". The medals silver, bronze & gold are awarded based on finish time. This is also a great "last long run" chance at race pace before the Boston Marathon. I was scheduled to run 21 miles, but I think 19 miles a bit sub-marathon pace is sufficient.

Since Shamrock weekend, I've been feeling a little depleted, run down and energy-less. I even had a check-up and blood work done to make sure I wasn't anemic /low on iron stores. I've beefed up my supplements with some great vegan multi-vitamin/anti-oxidant supplements, trace minerals, magnesium, vitamin A&D, etc. (Christy got me onto her new supplement regimen since she's been feeling great lately). I started taking them about 3 days before the 30k race last weekend - and was starting to feel a little refreshed and recharged prior to race day. She warned me that she had a few minor "stomach issues" as her body adapted to the super-antioxidants & trace mineral supplements. I remember her saying it hit her on the 2nd or 3rd day of taking the vitamins.

The weather on race day was less than optimal - pouring rain, cold & windy in Hamilton. Not a great mix with the already challenging & hilly course. I decided to ditch the tights I was wearing under my running skirts before my warm up - I figured the less fabric to get wet and heavy the better. I wore my new camo haute pink running skirt, black long sleeve and my haute pink performance tee, run nyc marathon hat (for luck - It reminds me of running with Christy and having a great time NYC marathon) and some "glove love" running skirts gloves.













I was completely drenched by the time the starting gun went off, but was relatively comfortable - thank goodness for running skirts in the rain! They don't hold the moisture and stick to you like running shorts. One of the guys I was running near at the beginning of the run exclaimed, "That is hands down the best outfit I've seen today!".

The first part of the course is pretty fast and flat. I was cruising along a bit ahead of pace until about 4 miles into the run I started to have some stomach cramping "issues". Oh No - I heard Christy's warning in my head from the previous day that she had some stomach qualms on the 2nd day of taking the new supplements...uh-oh gurgle gurgle. My body picked a crappy time to decided to "detox" (no pun intended). Whatever it was, it slowed down my race time by at least 3-4 minutes as I had to make emergency "pit stops" about every 20 minutes along the course. I would like to take a moment right now to say thanks to all the girls along the course at the relay stops that let me "jump" the porta pottie lines & cut to the front so I could get back to the race quickly. I'm sure the look of desperation on my face spoke for itself. I survived the rolling hills and giant neverending hill on the back half of the course and finished in 2:12. Whew - I was glad to be finished with that one & thrilled to get my gold medal this year. If only I hadn't had those pit stops, I'd have had an even better race time.













The finish line is in Copps Colliseum, it's cool to watch the runners on their finish approach on the jumbotron & it's a great place for friends and family to wait & cheer where they can stay warm & dry.

Last long run done - check! Now it's taper time and off to Boston we go!

We had a great time in Virginia Beach at the Shamrock Sportfest. I had an entry for the half marathon on Sunday, but in the end I took my coaches advice and skipped the race on Sunday. It was a hard thing to do, but I was absolutely wiped after the long road trip and working the expo Friday & Saturday. We really enjoyed meeting all our customers from Virginia, DC, Baltimore and NY that were there for the event. We were even surprised to meet one of our customers from my own home town in Barrie, Canada. We weren't the only road-trippers. The Shamrock Marathon is a very well organized event -with a beautiful course in Virginia beach. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a spring marathon on the east coast.

This event will always hold a special sentiment for me personally as it was my little guys very first foot race! There was a kids marathon for the wee ones - they ran the last 26.2 yards of the marathon on Saturday morning. Checkout the photos below - he was so proud of earning his very own race medal or "pretty" as he likes to call it. I was working the running skirt booth at the expo, so Daddy got to enjoy all the race day glory, but I insisted he be one of those over-the-top parents with camcorder in tow....I will get the video footage up soon - it's priceless. It was more of a toddle than a run, but nevertheless it brought great joy & tears of happiness to my eyes. So cute & mommy couldn't be prouder.


















Congrats to all those who completed the marathon, half marathon & 8k - there were a lot of PRs and Boston Qualifiers on Sunday. It was a chilly morning, but sunny, wind free - perfect running weather. We caught a lot of snapshots of Running Skirts - you can see them on our facebook page here. If you haven't seen the new green running skirt yet, it's called "clover-treuse" - it is a beautiful shade of green. I wore mine with our new featherweight silky technical tee in chartreuse. Love it!

Spring running season is finally here! Its been a whirlwind the last few weeks since we kicked off our spring race season at the disney princess half marathon (our first east coast expo). Next stop is the shamrock marathon.

We really enjoy working the expos together when we can, but lately with different schedules on different coasts and in different countries (not to mention different kiddie schedules to boot!), we have been opting to divide and conquer so that we can literally be in 2 places at once. We'd love to add more events as our travel schedules permit, so keep the suggestions coming. Its so much fun to meet all the runners and share your in the excitement and passion for running. I met a woman at disney expo that shared with us she had just taken a pregnancy test that morning and it was positive! She hadn't even shared the surprise with her hubby yet! As mommies ourselves, we love meeting all the other mommies and little future runners. You running mommies are all an inspiration and reminder of why we love our business so much.

I am looking forward to introducing my little guy to the sport of running this weekend at the shamrock marathon. There is a kids run - I think its something like 26.2 yards.
He will be sporting his "mommy runs faster than daddy" onesie and his super white new new balance trainers. Photos to come. I made the hubby promise to capture it all on camera since mommy will be workin the expo when the "diaper dash" goes off. Christy's 3 kids have all taken to the sport so I'm hoping mine will as all. I always joke with friends and say "running isn't optional" In our family. All joking aside, we both believe as parents it is our job to introduce our children to a healthy lifestyle and multiple sports and support them as they take an interest.

Boston is less than 5 weeks away now and we are also at the peak of our training. Training is going ok, but I just don't have that "baby juice" as Arma refers to it. Baby juice was that extra burst of energy or second wind that used to come mid workout or midrace last spring/summer. The weekend of the princess half, I was scheduled to run a 21 miler. - opted to race the half instead and postpone the long run the following week.

Woah! I just looked at the calendar & realized we have less than 6 weeks till Boston! Who's going this year? Let us know if you'll be running Boston - we'd love to invite you to our "VIP Skirt Party!" saturday night. Time to crank out a few long runs...this weekend 21 miler with Val. Thank goodness the snow is almost entirely melted - I'm hoping we'll be able to get off the roads for a change.

Last weekend was the Disney Princess Half Marathon in Orlando. What a great event. Katri flew out from our California skirt headquarters to help me at the Expo and we both ran on Sunday. Katri is a die hard Disney Running participant. She's run the Disney marathon several times, including the "Goofy" event (the half marathon followed by the full marathon the next day), the Disneyland Half Marathon in Anaheim and of course the Inaugural Princess Half Marathon on Sunday.

We had such a great time at the expo - as our first US East Coast event, it was great to finally meet all of our East Coast running skirt fans and customers. We finally got to meet a lot of ladies from the Disney Running boards and it was really cool to put faces with names after years of emails and telephone calls. We loved all the feedback, photos & skirt chat. We take our customer comments and feedback seriously and thank you all for stopping by to say Hi. Our new "princess" inspired skirt collection was a huge success. The "bling" tiara on the front of the skirt was the perfect complement to our running skirts & athletic skirts. Even non-skirt fans stopped by to pick up our limited edition performance tank with the sparkly tiara on the front. On race day it was a sea of "princess pink", "cindy blue" and "snow bell yellow" - so much so that our camera crew had a really tough time getting photos of them all. We did get a lot of photos - checkout our facebook fan page & tag your photo if we captured you! We are thrilled that you all loved the princess collection and the princess tiara logo on the front.

While I worked the expo, Daddy & baby bear hit Disney World's magic kingdom and a few other parks. I've attached a few photos of some of the weekend highlights.

As for the race, it was a great course and pretty flat. The morning was cool and sunny - with the clocks springing forward - the 7:00 a.m. race start actually felt like 6:00 a.m. It was dark and chilly as they race started, but after about 2 miles or so, I was feeling perfect (aside from the nagging sinus cold I've been battling that is - It's hard to get your waters and gu down when you have to breath from the same orifice while maintaining a running pace). I ran pretty conservative, probably too conservative since I still had some kick with 3 miles to go, but was happy with my results. Katri also had a great race - a PR for her. The course went by super fast, with bands, disney characters and princesses at every mile! I tried to high five every princess and character in sight as I cruised through the course.

Results:
Agegroup/Gender Overall / Racer M/F Age/ bib/ Final/ Pace
1 / 11 / Cindy Lynch 37/ 7/ 1:28 / 6:44
83 / 580 /Katri Sjoblom-Snyder 41/ 684/1:59:06/ 9:05












Post race celebration













The hubby got some great action shots of me from the monorail on his way to the next "meeting point" along the course. I always say it is more of a race for him trying to navigate along the marathon courses to capture the action shots - good job honey!













Coming out of the princess castle (I think this was around mile 5-6)



















Running through Magic Kingdom. Of course I wore my tiara! I remember being energized by the cheers along the course and hearing "first tiara" and "first skirt" as I ran. Even the princesses along the course thanked me for being in full princess flair.



















Katri in finish line stretch (with her award-winning PR smile!)





























Katri celebrating her PR & princess bling bling medal with a little hoola hoop & refreshments!
It was great to be out of the freezing temperatures for a few days. The weather in Orlando was amazing - in the low 80s. It was hard to get back on the plane and fly north. Hopefully we will bring the warmth back north with us.


















My little lion prince! (I have no idea how Daddy got him to stay still for this face painting! I have a feeling he was asleep or there was some physical restraint going on!)

We will be in Virginia Beach next weekend for the Shamrock Marathon and Shamrock Sportfest - hope to see you all there.


Disney Princess Marathon Video

We took a quick trip back home to Northern California to visit the fam this week & most importantly visit our father who has been quite ill and recently admitted to the hospital. After seeing his grandchildren (Christy's 3 and my boy) all running around his hospital room tearing things apart, he had a quick recovery - or at least feigned one so that he was released to go home to continue his recuperation and enjoy the company of his visiting family.

It was beautiful there - the first thing I noticed was how green everything was. It was raining quite a bit during our visit, but the temperatures were quite mild compared to what we are used to. Christy and I got in a run along the rail trail near my parents home. It was great to be out in the running skirts (without the tights, mittens, tuke, etc.). My little guy was thrilled to walk in Grandma & Grandpas garden and see the birds in the trees. His favorite activity was picking oranges out of the trees so that Grandma could make him fresh squeezed orange juice. Now after living in Canada for 3+ years, I am starting to miss the simple pleasures that we took for granted living there....like walking out and picking a fresh orange off the tree...yum!

It was a quick trip to California and unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to hook up with my old running friends from Sacramento and the fleet feet racing team. I was hoping to maybe get in my favorite runs around lake Natomas or along the American River Trail too. Next time!

We are back in the "north pole" as I fondly refer to it. It's almost March 1st and it's -29 below outside. I have my first official run of the season tomorrow in Burlington, Ontario - it's called the Chilly Half Marathon (wonder where they came up with the name?). I'm running with Arma and Val as a training run so it should be good times. I did 30 minutes easy on the treadmill this morning to loosen up the joints after 2 days off and lots of air travel. I always tell everyone that I can't wait until my son can run with me and that I hope he inherited my passion for running. Well, my dream came true (sort of) today, as he went for his first treadmill "run" with mommy.
Check out the pics (oh - yeah - check out our new orange running skirt coming for spring).



















On his baby treadmill (he has to push to make his belt go)


































Stretching with mommy



















Daddy was getting jealous and wanted to realize a dream of his own!


















playing "hock" with Daddy

It's never to early to involve your children in fitness and sports, right?

Will have a run report from the Chilly Half Marathon and some new icicle face photos for you all after tomorrow. Next week we will be in Orlando for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. I'm so excited! This will be my first race of the season - in a cute little princess skirt too! I can't decide which one I want to race in....probably Cindy Blue (cinder-elly) or maybe Snow-Belle yellow (since I'm a brunette). They are all super cute - gotta love the princess "bling" sparkly tiara on the front.

See you at DisneyWorld!

Hola! It's been a while since I've had a moment to update the blog. I was lucky to escape the freezing sub zero temperatures, treadmill and the 200 meter indoor track I've been training on in Toronto with a last minute getaway to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. It's about a 4 hour flight from Toronto and a great place to escape the winter wonderland.

We booked a last minute all inclusive trip to a resort called Gran Bahia Principe Bavaro which is on the eastern side of the island of Dominican Republic. It was a huge resort, with about 5 or 6 ginormous pools, a beautiful beach and tram (trolley) which ran all day to transport people from the lobby, restaurants, pools and beach. I had flashbacks to my last visit to the dominican (it was to the other side of the island - Puerta Plata) and doing a 20 mile long run in the rain in a 1.5 mile loop, they recommended tourists stayed within the compound at that resort. I woke up at the crack of dawn the first morning there and put on my running skirt with delight and was pleasantly surprised by the size of Gran Bahia Principe resort especially since I found if I ran around the entire perimeter of the resort, It was about 5k. After my first 5k loop, I was really feeling the humidity, whew like running under water. For my long runs every other day, I opted for 2 loops and occasionally threw in some 150 meter pick ups at the end of the runs. I ended each morning run with a plunge into the warm carribbean waters - aw - heaven! That was the extent of my training last week.



















The new cheetah haute pink skirt & cheetah strappy top were great in and out of the water. I'm amazed at how quick they dry. The first 4.5 days of the trip were very rainy all day....pretty much a downpour, but luckily the sun made an appearance for the last 2 days of our trip. It was so nice to simply wear a running skirt & strappy top (no tights, mittens, tukes) that I didn't mind running in the rain at all. I am a warm weather runner - give me the heat any day over the cold. I swear my muscles and joints just perform better when they are warm.

So now - as I type this post, I'm am back in the great white north, looking outside at the snow and ice and trying to motivate for another sub zero run. It's 14 below right now, but if I wait a while the temperature might get up to 7 below (that's a difference between having to wear one or two pair of tights). I really do need to start ramping up my mileage and workouts since the spring running season for me is about to begin. Races on the horizine for me include, the Chilly Half Marathon in Burlington on March 1st (as a training run) and then the following week the Disney Princess Half in Orlando (really looking forward to that one!). We have great new "princess inspired" skirts & tops that we will be revealing at the Princess Half Marathon. It's the first year for this great womens running event and it's gonna be awesome. After that, I will be running the 30k around the bay (which is the oldest road race in North America - even older than Boston) and then of course, Boston!

It's official! We have both registered for Boston Marathon 2009. Now that it's January -oops - almost February - it's time to get back into the marathon training. All the fun stuff that has been long gone....but not forgotten ( Yasso 800s, mile repeats and hill workouts!) For some of us (Christy) it's gonna be a bit easier to carry on with training in mild San Diego temperatures. Others of us (me) are faced with running in insane sub zero temperatures & freezing slippery surfaces Ugh! Luckily, I've talked my sister in law Val into registering also and Arma's been on board ever since she qualified in Columbus in the fall.

Val and I have been making the drive down to the indoor track at York University to work with coach Ken each week and test drive all the new spring running skirts. It's about a 45 minute drive (just to run - I know - crazy but true). We have been doing most of our other mid-week mileage on the treadmill. As for the long runs...aye aye aye - there lies the challenge! It's either pound away outside in -35c temperatures (why is it always 10 degrees colder on the weekends anyway?) or plod along on a treadmill (snore). I cannot tell you how much I miss our trail runs or even running on any surface that isn't coated with the icy white stuff.

Something I am enjoying is the countdown of days until Christy & family travel up for a visit to the great white north. Finally, she will get to experience training in my winter wonderland (don't worry I'll post photos). Actually - it is really beautiful up here once you learn to embrace the winter and when you have proper warm clothing. Speaking of embracing the winter - I am trying something new this evening: Snowshoeing! I'm actually really looking forward to it. Did you read the article about the snowshoe race in colorado in Runner's World - it sounds like a blast. They even make "running snowshoes" now - I've already added them to my Christmas list for next year. I've heard cross-country skiing is how a lot of triathletes up here keep their cardio conditioning through the winter. I have yet to try that also, but it's on my "embracing the winter list" .

This weekend is the Surf City Marathon & Half Marathon event - be sure to stop by our booth and say hi if your running. Hopefully it will better weather than the torrential downpour on race day last year. Good luck & Happy Running!

It's a New Year! Our annual Hawaiian holiday of Mai Tais & chocolate covered mac nuts gluttony, as all great things, must also come to an end. That, and the countdown to Boston Marathon has now started. We just booked our hotel - hooray! This will be Christy's first Boston (she was pregnant when I went before) and we are running it together with my sister-in law-Val and good friend Arma.

Despite the extreme cold temps and snow up here, I've dived right back into winter training this week. I have been doing my mid week shorter runs on the treadmill and did one hill workout outside and a long run. With all the snow & freezing cold, it's better for me to do my quality workouts on a treadmill. I even started a great new evening yoga class that I think is going to be awesome for core strength and some much needed stretching in my injury-prone areas.

Today, being Saturday, is long run day for me. Val and I planned to meet at my house at 6:30 a.m. and run the lakeshore trail and back (it's about 9 miles or so round trip from my place). When she suggested the time, I shuddered knowing it was going to be cuh-cuh-cold at that time (my run the day before in the afternoon was -15 or so and it was sunny!). I agreed to the ungodly early running time quickly accepting the fact that it would be better to be freezing in the company of Val than almost as freezing a bit later......alone. Well 6:30 a.m. came and went and no Val, than 6:35...6:40 - still no Val. I could hear baby bear stirring upstairs in his crib so I figured I had better make my getaway while the getting was good. I sent Val a quick (where the heck are you) text message & told her that I was sticking to our original plans and out the door I went.

It was peaceful out, there was a huge golden full moon in the sky that illuminated the snowy surroundings almost as bright as if it were daylight. It was FREEZING - luckily there wasn't a lot of wind, it was a still morning (no wind chill thankfully). I realized after I had started out, that I forgot to position my headphones in my ears under my beanie and turn on my ipod. I decided it would be better not to take my hands out of the mittens at that time to put my headphones on since it was that cold. I made a mental note that I'd wait until I warmed up to bare the little paws for a second and turn on my ipod. Off I went toward the frozen lakeshore to the sound of only my breath and the extra crunchy sound of my footfalls on the snow covered road. I could tell by the oddly crunchier sound my feet made on the snow/ground that I was in for an extra cold run today. As I arrived on the lakeshore trail a few miles into the run I was surprised by a full view of a huge gold full moon still hanging low over the sky - it was so picturesque I was cursing myself for not bringing along my bberry so I could have snapped a photo. It was out of this world - a huge orange (harvest-like) full moon hanging what seemed like inches over the frozen lake - a sea of nothing but white snow covered ice. I was the only person out there (not even the ice fisherman were out this morning that early!). I soaked up the sight and trudged along catching myself from slipping in a huge ice patch...whew - close call.

I realized I didn't seem to be warming up as I normally do by this point in a wintery run. I kept wiggling my fingers in my mittens to make sure they were unfrozen. I passed another crazy runner and then another - I wasn't the only die hard out there! I made it to the turnaround point at the end of the plowed lakeshore path and stopped just long enough to quickly pull my ipod out of my pocket, position the earbuds and be back on my way. I was now sweat soaked and feeling even colder and slightly worried about the return trek home. I passed the same 3 die hard runners on the way back and was alarmed at their ice covered eyebrows, eyes, etc. Wow - I wonder if I look like that I thought...now feeling even colder...I looked down to find my garmin had frozen and was no longer working. For some reason the return trip around the lake was colder running in this direction. As I approached the last mile from home, I recognized a silver suv that pulled up next to me - it was the hubby & baby bear! He was worried about my running in the sub zero temps alone and went out looking for me. I gave him the thumbs up as he drove by. He stopped to snap a few snapshots of me and then trolled along next to me the rest of the way home. I climbed in the car as we rounded the corner to our driveway and off to Timmy's we went. I've never been so happy to see a Tim Horton's large milk & sugar! Check out the photos from this morning - take note of the 'ice mascara" and the white fluffy stuff on either side of my head - that's my hair FROZEN! I was worried that it might snap! Could you imagine?! All of a sudden the treadmill's not looking so bad now....oh yeah - it was 27 below (c).