Sheryl's running tips and tricks

As a rowing coach who runs for fun I think it is time to share some of my tips and tricks that keep my one foot in front of the other on the road and trail.  Though I am not a great runner per-se, I DEFINITELY enjoy the process of running....and my little tricks I have devised over the years have help me a ton, so I hope they help you!

Shoes

Well....I am biased on this one because I worked a specialty running shop in Victoria for 10 years (Frontrunners), but if you have not already, go to a local running shop - NOT the mainstream running room/Sport Check ones - and have someone look at your running (not walking) gait...take their opinion only as an opinion but chances are they will help you to select a good shoe for your foot (in Vancouver I recommend Forerunners or the Run Inn, and Victoria, undoubtedly, Frontrunners http://www.victoria.frontrunners.ca/).

Breath

For those new to running, your breathing pattern is the first and foremost thing that can make or break a run.

• Breathe in two steps and out two steps, simple - obviously unless you are in an all out sprint.  I am no running coach but I know this is the basis of all of my runs.  I also was recently told, if you have a stitch, breath out on the opposite side of the stitch....didn't work for me but maybe someone else.

Technique

Now, we know that this is a larger subject than simply a paragraph but for the purpose of this post, Let us simplify this into one paragraph.

I recommend to think about your body and how to minimize impact and maximize speed forward.  Minimize the amount of time spent on your feet (I think of running on hot coals and minimizing over-striding/healstriking by taking more and quicker steps than you think you should), with good posture (I think about keeping my chin tucked in and tall spine with a relaxed upper body, I check into my posture often whenever running by reflective windows).

Running Buddies

For those long runs there is absolutely no better way to spend countless weekend hours chatting on the trail or road with like-minded people, not.  If you do not know any runners, try joiniong a local club - TRUST ME, do not be intimidated these clubs are always filled with a vast array of running folk at all running paces and there is almost always someone your pace - fast or slow.

Hydration/Nutrition

If you are out for a long run, either bring a your visa and plan the route by a convenience store, or bring it with you.  I underestimated this for so long, but now realize it is so key to keeping on, going on.  As for hydration packs, I recommend the Salomon Advanced Skin S-Lab 5.  This pack is awesome, it is easy to clean, carries 1.5 litres of water (I take the bladder out and throw it in the washing machine); to clean the the bladder I leaev ~ 4 Tablespoons of bleach in 1.5 Litres of water for 10-20 minutes then thoroughly rinse out...works awesome for water bottles as well.

Music

Though I love listening to the sound of my feet hitting the ground, especially on the trail and gravel.  However, music can make a long run not only endurable, but even more pleasurable.  There are some key aspects to listening to music that I have found really help me:

The earphone(s):

• I personally recommend the JVC Ha-FR36 Marshmallow-type earbuds (or similar ones) find them on amazon or at London Drugs for us west-coasters.  Not only do they stay in place but you can switch songs with the touch of a remote control on the earbud wire.  

• I also recommend to CUT ONE WIRE SO AS TO ONLY LISTEN TO ONE EAR.  This is very important especially on trails or while running with road traffic.  You can experience the joy of listening to music while staying safe and respectable to others in the process

• In order to secure the earphones without them falling out, I tuck and loop the earphone under my hat or through my headband.

Chafing:

Lets be honest this can be a huge pain for every runner long distance or not.  Before long runs I literally douse my feet and in-between my toes in "Body Glide" or a similar non-petroleum based product out there this and in and around the seams of my sports bra.  I know a lot of other people have issues with inner thigh chafing, but I usually wear capris to minimize this, so I would do the same on the thighs when wearing shorts. 

The music:

• Obviously you need to like the music you are listening to but I find, especially on the road, the TEMPO of the music is even more important.  I personally have a "long run" playlist with a bit of a slower tempo and a "shorter" or "speed-work" playlist with higher tempo.  Here is a mix of my personal favorites (but I have a ton more so if you want, message me and I am more than happy to share).  

Artist / Song 

Mainstream/Alternative:
Coldplay/Hurst like Heaven
Coldplay/Strawberry Swing
Coldplay & Rihanna/Princess of China
Matchbox Twenty/I Will
311/Amber
Lorde/Love Club

Electronic:
Bustrexx & CoMa/The Business of Sadness
Goldroom/Fifteen
Rameses B/Drift Away
Rameses B/Letting Go (feat. Amelia Rose)
Shockline/Scy
Andreya Triana/Lost Where I Belong
Tycho/Awake
Qbig/Sleepless
Rollz/The Music (Be Strong)
NCT/Frozen In Time (feat. Andreas Ort & Charline)
TwoThirds & BadApple/Sense of Being (feat. Veela)
Jakwob/Blinding (Hybrid Minds Remix)

Singer/Songwriter:
Rosie Thomas/Since you've been around
Howie Day/Collide (Acoustic)

Country:
Hunter Hayes/Wanted
Keith Urban/Thank you

If you actually listen to these songs in iTunes, you will notice there is a large variety, but one regular thing is the tempo/beats per minute are all similar.  These are just a few, I have tons from over the years that have helped to keep my one foot in front of the other.  

On the trail, I personally prefer to listen (in one ear) to a variety of music and tempo not so important since there is rarely continuity in my running tempo due to the terrain.

I hope this helps you in some way to get out there and enjoy your run :)

“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” – Charles R. Swindoll

Athlete or not, we all question ourselves.

Questioning makes you strong, completion of the task makes you stronger, figuring out the art of how to actually complete your goal makes you strongest.

So after one (+) years of playing with a new sport I have yet again re-realized the beauty of a good of challenge, adventure, and a great way to spend time with like-minded people while pushing myself to my absolute utmost - then figuring out how to complete the crazy goals I set myself...all to satisfy myself only.
 
After my untrained Seattle marathon in December,  I humbly attempted to run the Deception Pass 50km race 2 weeks later....I stopped half way through the 50k as a mature response from the injuries that were festering in my hamstring step by step.  This decision absolutely killed my ego in the moment.  This decision has also proved to keep my body in check in the long run.

A few months later after seeing some amazing therapists Chiro/RMT respectively (Paul Wiggins and Clifford Yip in North Vancouver) in March, I ran the Chuckanut 50k - and bettered my time from last year by an 18 odd minutes.  Satisfied.

My most recent attempt at an Ultra-marathon was 2 days ago is what sparked my Blog entry:

At Sun Mountain 50k this year I unfortunately explored that very deep dark place that so many people have been (whatever realm of life)....4 hours prior to the 50km trail running race, for some reason my body decided to completely evacuate itself as I involuntarily cleansed myself of all my insides.  This is absolutely no ideal way to start an ultra leaving my dehydrated and lacking in energy.

With trepidation, I started the race.  For first 2.5 hours (~25km) all I wanted to do was take my visor off because I thought it would make me less dizzy...but didn't have the energy to do anything but keep one foot in front of the other - and tried very hard to smile at any point in the process...

In that time knowing the human physiology very well, I pounded back 3 electrolyte tablets per hour over 3 hours, about 2 litres of fluid (EFS) and anything my stomach could handle (this was about 200 Kcal of sugar stuff and a honey waffer).  All of a sudden at about 3 hours in I started feeling human again and embraced that for the rest of the run for the beauty of it.

I crossed that finish line with a smile on my face, I was 13 minutes slower than last year but am more proud of myself for working through my own battle and the sheer completion....I was so, so, so very close to throwing in the towel.  Thankfully, I absorbed the energy of the other runners and embraced the bright faces (all of which had their own challenges going on) along the way.

Body is back in check, and am raring and ready for the next challenge (TRAILSTOKE 60k in July!)

This entry is for those who find that deep, dark place, wherever it is in life, there is always a way foreward; just keep your focus on the beauty of life, questioning the moments - completing your tasks and finding your own unique way toward your goals.

Life is short, running makes it seem longer - Seattle Marathon 2013

For anyone who knows me quite well, when the going gets tough I go running.  That being said when the going is not tough, I still go running...

I often sign up for random races especially while I am stuck in some emotional rut or faced with some sort of challenge.  I crave the therapeutic process and outcome of setting my own challenge. I have always said "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" so my coping mechanism is to temporarily make life feel even tougher (but usually in some beautiful place)....as a result, in the broad scope everything seems a bit easier in perspective.  

The past eight years I have been experiencing that which I am sure many can relate...watching the ones you love sick and in pain.  First it was my father who passed two summers ago, and now my sister has been battling a very awful disease. Though my family is very tightly knit, I have always been the nomad of the family and have been in and out of the province with my own adventures in life. I wish to no end I could somehow infuse any of my strength into my sister, and into my mom who has been the family rock.  4 surgeries later in a little over a year, and the latest one being very scary, we have our fingers crossed that my sister is on the up.

So back to my own personal therapy.  A couple of weeks ago while I was a bit emotional and reviewing/checking off items on my Bucket List, when my gaze captured..."Boston Marathon".   I cross-referenced my calender with the upcoming marathons and wham-bam, Seattle Marathon December 1st - two weeks away....perfect!!  Without hesitation I paid the big bucks with a last minute entry and set a goal of qualifying for the Boston Marathon (by running at a certified race in <3hrs40mins).  Better late than never right!?

I really did not take the "race" serious and had no taper whatsoever.  Though, once I set a goal there is usually little to get in my way.  My experience with road marathons is the ability to make legs that feel wooden keep on keeping on.  So that I did (I make that sound simple and easy...very untrue).  Boston Marathon 2015 here I come! http://fw.to/QUmR57a 

So through this process of life and the challenges delivered, I will continue to learn about my own forms of coping and will continue to be increasingly thankful for the good times and the loved ones in my life. I will keep on kicking the asphalt and trails because life is short and running makes it seem longer...and I will continue to run through the walls, because all walls have doors if you want to find them.

Lovely way to spend a sunday morning....

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine, Andrea, recognized that I needed my a personal challenge (my self-induced challenges are how I cope in life)....so tempted me to the Fall Classic 1/2 marathon at UBC.

I could go on, but the long and short of it but....I showed up feeling highly unprepared as most, but happy to embrace the challenge .  Andrea and I have raced this race the past two years, she traditionally runs with me for the first 15-17kms while I push the pace, then when I die, she takes off.  Andrea is the athlete and I am, though very gutsy, the relatively unfit clydesdale in comparison. She has beaten me by within a minute over the past year, the year before in seconds.   Yet again, sad but true - the same thing happened, though she increased the margin!  Ugh.

Andrea thought a 4:45 pace would be good but I said no...no...no...we are running 4:30/km with a goal time of 1:36ish, both of us are PB'ing I said. The gun goes off and  as per the usual got caught up in the race and stupidly started for the first 5kms pacing at 4:12km, Andrea stayed by my side for the first 10km when I got a huge stitch and then just sat in a huge hurt locker with tiny little breaths for the middle kms, I seriously perfected the fly and die, while Andrea just pranced on and away! 

Luckily as Andrea pranced away, Janelle a talented UBC rower that I coach, appeared out of no where and we ran together for the middle kms, she kept my spirits high until..about 2kms to go where I slowed down for fear that I was having a heart attack. Ugh, again.

For 1hr39 mins my average HR was 185 for with 4km to go I saw 200 again and again.....sorry heart, seriously so very, very sorry...bad fly and die (last time the national team experts checked my max hr was 196?!?)

Ok, so silly pity party done, why not sign up for the next challenge. So Seattle Marathon in less than two weeks it is, just signed up yesterday. 

My heart has forgiven me and took me no time to rebound.  I thought no better time than now to try to qualify for the Boston Marathon at best, or have a fun, soggy, cold long run with 3000 like-minded people at worst...Running, for me is positive therapy in so many ways and will continue to be (I'll try to remember this at km 30-42 next weekend : )...

Iriquoia Trail Test 34km

http://www.burlingtonrunners.com/index.cfm?PAGEPATH=Club_Races/Iroquoia_Trail_Test&ID=5710 

I was heading from the Niagara Region into Toronto for the weekend and came across this race on a website and thought: hey...why not?  I had no expectations but thought, well, for $60 I can get a pleasant long run in, a new shirt and be challenged by other runners and the time watch on me to boot!

They call it a trail test with many words of warning about the challenge of the terrain in the pre-race meeting.  I, being a BC native, just chuckled to myself thinking, "right so running on gravel is some sort of test"...I was humbled and pleasantly surprised by the beauty, variety and challenge of the terrain.  They offered a 7km, 18km and 34 km - I wanted the best bang for my buck and did the 34km which was a beautiful 3x11.3km loop in and out of the Bruce Trail, (even with a substantial climb to mix it up in the middle).  I was pleasantly surprised by the race and by how good my legs felt after having done my first 50 miler 3 weeks ago.  3hrs 29mns later I got a good long run in and an opportunity to experience trail runs in Ontario...pretty much the same scene as BC, fun people who love to play on roots and rocks.  I highly recommend this race to anyone who lives in SW Ontario!

White River 50 Mile Endurance Run

July 26, 2012 (one year ago from the day before this race) I lost my 69 year old father to cancer.  The year following has been a year of what I think to be a transfer of energy - to quote Albert Einstein "Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another."  Since the day my father passed, the man who taught me everything I know about adventure, I have felt so much more energy and desire to live life to the fullest than ever before.  So I decided to dedicate this race to my Dad - thus there was absolutely no chance I was going to stop.

Completely intimidated prior to the race, yes.  Slept no more than 5 hours total in 48 hours the days before, yes.  Bought 4 new $16.00 pairs of socks and "just in case", yes...and two new pairs of trail runners, yes.  Well the worry was worth nothing as I was taken under the wing of awesome race organizers and the best ~380 co-ultra-marathoners for an absolutely amazing 50 mile running adventure.

I had many words of warning that being my first 50 miler to "power walk" the up hills, run the flats/downhills, eat 250 calories per hour, and pour water over my head at the aid stations; that I did.  The first 28 miles I felt phenomenal, I found myself in a group of chatty veteran ultra-marathoners who had stories to share and kept me from my desire to run the uphills.  I eventually broke free from that pack and began my own adventure, loving the hills as I do.  My epic moment of the day was when I looked at my GPS and saw 13 miles and 5600 ft when I thought to myself (in Canadian terms)...20 kms done and "ONLY" 60 kms to go...I gulped and just kept going....that sums up most of the "race", actually.

The first half (28 miles/~50kms) were really quite a blur.  This race is known for its huge elevation change with 17,400 feet of elevation change and a two huge ~4000 ft climbs - so I spent the majority of that first half conquering the big climb, embracing the 4 miles of mind-blowing views as we ran along on the ridge.  Below is the airstrip were the race started.  Pictures do no justice as usual.

The following portion was all about LOVING the 6 mile downhill section.  My boyfriend was there at Buck Creek with crispy bacon (my request!) at the 28 mile aid station.  I started looking forward to that and got in with about 4 other men and we just embraced the downhill for what it is...downhill has not been my strength up until now but that day I just wanted to let potential energy do its work and blasted down looking forward to the bacon!

The second half....DIFFERENT STORY!!!  Wow....So I got the aid station where moments before  my GI tract started turning sour, so the first thing I said to my boyfriend with a big grin is "feeling great, don't need the bacon! :)".  I had a drop bag full of everything from spare shoes, first aid kit, food, contact lenses - you name it.  But the one thing I needed - my electrolyte saturated drink mix....NO WHERE TO BE FOUND.  I have no idea how I wasted so much time looking for it but I was at that aid station for 13 minutes!!!  Brain - not functional clearly.

Regardless I set on my way and the next 2 hours or so I stayed in that exact poor head space - I was obsessed over the fact that my GI tract was starting to defy me, my bladder was full, I had another mountain to climb, and my feet were starting to ache, and that my GPS had decided to lock it's buttons??! so I had no ability to pace, really didn't matter anyway.  So my cure was to get myself another km under my belt and adventure off course and find an outhouse, no care in the world about my time, just wanted that good ol' port-a-potty.

Back on track my next obsession was to find the "perfect" walking stick to conquer the next big climb....thank god for the random runner who ran with me for a while and shouted out to me that I was such an "awesome climber"... (regardless of the lie, thank you to whoever that was because in 2 words got me out of my slumber and I set on my way back in a relatively good head space).  Finally nearing the top of the second big climb the sun was glaring and Glenn Tachiyama was there with his camera, sad to say I did not have the energy to smile or even swing my arms at that point!

The following was 6 miles down a gravel road.  This re-upset my GI tract yet again but thanks again to another veteran runner who was 60 years old (yes 60!) and had ran 50 odd ultras got me down to the "Skookum flats" (6 miles of beautiful "flat-ish" trails).  Once on the flat I realized how blistered my feet were so I made another poor decision to sit on a rock and take a look at my feet - BAD IDEA!!! Thanks to my laughing boyfriend who peered out of the bush and gave me that look like "come on just get those shoes back on and finish strong".  That I did.

My precious cheat sheet a made up the days before - electrolyte tablets included!!

Fun day, so fun.  During the moments, I said there is absolutely no way I am doing this again.  5 days later, legs are recovered, toe blisters are still challenging me but I have already signed up for another race (well its only 34 kms and is in Ontario, but its a start).  So fun!

King's Market 1/2 Marathon - San Juan Island, WA

I have been told that running ultra-marathons, like many sports, is simply about learning to keep your head in check while you suffer in beautiful places.  With that being said, what better way to spend a sunny weekend but gathering up a group of awesome folk renting a huge house on a San Juan Island golf course, cycling, hot-tubbing, billiards, cooking up a storm, drinking some delicious ceasars and wine on the patio and then capping it off with the Kings Market 1/2 marathon. http://sjmarathon.org/. 

Seeing as my current goal is to complete a 50 mile ultra in a little over a month, I figured running a 1/2 marathon on tired legs would be good training.  So, I had a lovely time with intentionally tuckering out my legs as much as I could prior (53km running on the weekend before followed by a standard week of cross-training then 75kms of riding on San Juan the day before) I successfully tuckered out those legs and set up to the start line with two other friends and 200 other folk. 

Looking at times from the last year and well warned about the copious amount of hills, I set a goal of running 7:45-8:00 min/mile to keep good form and push through the hills without regard for any consequences. With my successfully tuckered legs the first half of the race felt absolutely awful, but began to feel great at around the 1/2 way point.  Thanks to my Ski to Sea downhill race a couple of weekends ago, I could really let go on the downhills and my legs did not seem to care much.  As heavy as I often feel now a days I felt really strong and light on the uphills also.

Well, I successfully kept my head in check while I suffered very much in an absolutely beautiful place and crossed the line as the first female overall and 7th overall in a time of 1:43:02.  That was my first win in a running race so I was pretty happy with that and a very well run local race.  On to my big adventure in a little over a month.....oh gees.

http://sjmarathon.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Race-Results-2013_All-races.pdf