Posted by: Karen | July 16, 2009

Behind the Clock Part I

At some theme parks curious visitors get to go on “behind the scenes” tours. This is a “behind the clock” look at the Robert Hamilton Race we held last weekend.

Way back in November 2008 we decided to try new date for the race and changed it on the Calgary Roadrunners calendar. We’d struggled to get enough volunteers in August, when many regulars are on vacation. With the Calgary Marathon moving to May this year, we decided to try July.

We mapped out a new course, then used it in our application for the City permit. We obtained an Athletics Alberta sanction and a copy of the club’s insurance. We put up a registration site and ordered customized socks (not t-shirts). We booked Jim-the-Timing-Guy and the Roadrunners finish line equipment. We updated the trophies with last year’s times. We made new course marking signs. We ordered porta-potties, approached sponsors, and advertised. We recruited volunteers. We kept lists on Excel spreadsheets.

Two weeks before the race my co-director and I biked the course to discuss course marshal and sign placement. The weekend before the race I baked five dozen gingerbread men for Age Group award medals. Just before package pick-up Jim labeled 100 bibs for me with special bar codes.

Then suddenly race weekend was upon us. I wrote this update to some friends the Friday morning before the race:

“This is it, we’re into our final prep for this year’s RHM race and I’m feeling a whole lot better about directing it this year than I did last year. It’s nice that Jason’s taken over the course and helped share the load on other tasks. Dawn’s gonna have a car full of prizes and supplies to bring on Sunday morning, and we’re going to have fun together at package pick up tomorrow.

On my to do list I still have

  • 48 awards cookies to decorate and be-ribbon,
  • ~100 race bibs, info sheets & pairs of socks to distribute
  • 3 tables to find/beg/borrow/steal/arrange to be brought to the start & one water station
  • groceries & water to buy
  • cash awards to extract from the bank and NOT LOSE
  • a list to make, of sponsors and other stuff to announce on race day
  • one more volunteer to assign to a post (they’re just emailing in – I’m happy to see them)
  • one more last-minute sponsor to confirm

Just a few things left. Good thing I’m off today.

I have to admit, most of this year I’ve looked forward to just getting this race directing thing over with. Now, as it’s finally coming together, I think might actually enjoy the event.”

Package pick-up went well. Neasa, one of the organizers of the Calgary Women’s Run organizers helped me out on Friday. Jim made sure we were filling out the in-person registration forms correctly. Dawn helped me on Saturday and we enjoyed shopping a little at Gord’s Running Store during lulls in registration traffic.

Late Saturday we loaded up our cars with stuff. Jason had signs and chalk and a water table  and his bike. Dawn filled her car with prizes, snacks and juice boxes. I picked up fresh muffins, fruit and water at the grocery store, and piled it in with 3 folded tables, 4 trophies, the race banner, award cookies, socks, registration papers and other various supplies.

Jason sent me an e-mail around midnight to let me know the course was marked and ready to go.

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Posted by: Karen | July 15, 2009

Pannenkoek Run

Last week our Dutch friends stretched the pancake tradition of the Calgary Stampede a bit and had our running group over for pannenkoek afterwards.

I had already run earlier at lunch with one of our Start Liners, but was quite happy to show up with the gang for another jog after work before gathering for yummy food. Most of the group did speed work, but I wasn’t up to it. I had a nice steady run and chat with Sarah and Todd instead.

The pannenkoeken (did I pluralize that right?) were delicious! I had a savoury one with spinach and cheese, and then a plain one wrapped around bananas, ice cream and Nutella. The conversation was great and it was good to share that time with everyone.

I didn’t run or bike or swim the rest of the week. I guess I could have squeezed it in, but I was preoccupied with getting the Robert Hamilton Memorial Race all set for Sunday.

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Posted by: Karen | July 5, 2009

And now we get to the part of summer where…

… Karen gets so busy having fun that she neglects to blog it all 🙂 Let’s see if I can lump some of it into categories, so you can skip parts if you want.

Bike
(first clipped-in fall)

Last weekend the Boy made me buy a new bike helmet. Well, he made me buy him one, because his was tight, but whilst browsing in Sportmart  I discovered Ironman Brand helmets for half price, $20! Thus, I have a new helmet. The other one was at least a couple of years old anyway.

Last Sunday I rode the Robert Hamilton Memorial Race (RHMR) course with Jason, my race co-director. We chatted about where to place volunteers, signs and water stations. It wasn’t a strenuous ride, but it counts as time on the bike. I considered going for extra time on the bike once I got home, but while taking the bike out of the trunk I decided the car had been far too dirty for far too long, and gave the interior an extremely detailed cleaning.  The things I do to avoid training sometimes!

Early this morning I got in a solid 105 minutes of cycling in the Church Ranch utopia NW of town. It takes me about 20 minutes to get there by bike from my home, and the pavement is soooo smooth out there. There’s next to no traffic there from 7:30-9:30 am on a Sunday. I saw a deer, a lot of ducks, 3 sheep and one happy-go-lucky dog.

I also had my first clipped-in fall off the bike today. 15 minutes into my ride I had reached a lighted street intersection at the top of a steep bike path. I knew I was wobbly and I had to clip out as I stopped, so I did. I clipped out my right foot, but then turned my bike left, making it lean the wrong way. AAAAHHHH! Over I went, arms waving wildly. I have a bruise on my left thigh, a slightly skinned knee, and gear-shaped welts on my right calf. I must have looked HILARIOUS to the lone car waiting at the intersection.

Ah well, glad to have that rite-of-passage over with.

Run
(various excuses and distractions)

Last Saturday I ran up and down my local trails for 75 minutes. I actually felt pretty strong on them compared to usual, but having wasted away the week before it without a decent run likely made me feel rested. Or maybe it was restless.

I’ve been running with the Start Line group again downtown on Tuesdays at lunch. Nice group of newbies again – we’re having fun with them. This week they’re up to running a whole minute at a time, with 90 second breaks.

Thursday I tried to keep up with Liesbeth and Karin as we did the usual 5 mile Thursday Edworthy-Crowchild-northside-southside loop by the river. The leftover chili I had for lunch did not agree with the run and made my last 15 minutes rather uncomfortable. We saw a couple of deer along the railroad tracks, the young buck had fuzzy 4 point antlers. Very cool.

Today I got in a half hour of running through my hilly neighbourhood after the bike ride this morning. I had planned to do a separate run after helping to set up the pancake breakfast yesterday morning, but succumbed to fatigue. and pancakes.

Swim
(and another excuse)

Last Saturday after my trail run I took Little Runner to Cardel pool, a fun pool with a small indoor river in it. A couple of other neighbourhood moms came with their kids too, and I snuck in a few laps on my own between bobbing along with the kiddos.

On Monday I headed over to my usual pool and found it closed for repair. It was too late to go anywhere else, so I went home and knitted.

Volunteering

Yesterday morning before the run I’d planned I walked a km over to our community center, helped set up tables and chairs for the pancake breakfast (it’s the Calgary Stampede! Yahoo!), and walked home again. Those tables and chairs were heavy – I found my biceps that morning, ha. I took Little Runner to the local community parade and then stood in line for pancakes with her and her friends. Of course, we walked there and back again.

This last couple of weeks I’ve been working on the final preparations for next Sunday’s RHM Race, which is kind of why I feel a little guilty taking the time to blog. There is still so much to do, and now less than a week to get it all done, so if you don’t hear from me before that, you’ll know what I’m up to. I’m looking forward to race day!

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Posted in Bike, Calgary, Cross Training, First, Road Races, Running, Swimming, Volunteering | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Karen | July 1, 2009

Happy Canada Day!

canadian-flag

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Posted by: Karen | June 21, 2009

Sundre Sunday

I was not impressed when I woke up to ride at 6 am this morning and it was windy and rainy. Then it poured! and was windy and wet some more, and only started to clear up when it was time to go to the inlaws’ cabin for family Father’s Day fun.

I am not a die hard cyclist yet. I am an emerging swimmer and a crazy trail runner, but still a baby cyclist. I know it could rain on race day, but I’m not willing to ride in it if I don’t have to. Yet.

Oh well, I packed the bike in the car and hoped I would be able to steal a little time for a bike ride in between visits and fishing. It worked.

I spent 73 glorious minutes on the bike this afternoon, riding from beautiful downtown Bergen to Sundre and back (a little over 20k round trip). Highway 760 there is a nice, fairly flat, paved road. It was a cloudy day with a breeze just perfect for cooling me down.

I rode through town and to the hospital before turning around, as I wanted to go out for at least 30 minutes before turning back. There was only one challenging ascent on the way back, about 40 minutes into the ride. There were no potholes, no road debris, no rain, and the traffic was light and friendly. Best of all? No flat tires.

I’m very very glad I brought my bike along to the cabin.

My legs are stiff already, but YAY! it felt good to get out there.

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Posted by: Karen | June 20, 2009

Saturday Stretch

A quiet little thought worked its way up in my mind this morning. It was one of those niggling little thoughts that get louder and brighter as they come into view, kind of like how sirens and lights on approaching emergency vehicles do.

It occurred to me that in the Olympic distance tri I’ve set my sights on later this summer I will be racing for much more than an hour – maybe 4 times that. So far this spring my workouts have taken an hour or less:  Run for an hour, swim for an hour, bike until I get a flat, usually under an hour… and haven’t combined any of them into the same day.

So today I stretched out my run to 75 minutes instead of an hour.  I’ll plan on stretching it a little longer next Saturday, too, and add in a short bike before it.

Little Runner came along on her bike as I ran trails. I brought along a bottle of Gatorade and we shared it as we worked our way over and around hills. Our local parks have dirt trails over and around many of the hills, so she’d head around, I’d go over, and we’d meet on the other side.  A couple of times she stopped at playgrounds while I’d run around or over or down and up a hill one more time.

We made it up to a very high point in a neighbourhood north of us, and Little Runner loved the view. We could see mountains to the west, Canada Olympic Park to the south, and the towers of downtown to the east. It was beautiful.

The second best part (after the view) was all the downhill to home. We whooped “Wheeee!” a lot. It was great. It was a delightfully warm day and I’d brought a few coins with me, so we cooled down with a couple of small slurpees in the last kilometer to home. The last km was a bonus walk after the 75 minutes of running.

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Posted by: Karen | June 19, 2009

Busy Week

*Blog Geek Warning*

Wednesday evening I chatted with a blog focus group led by a PhD candidate at the U of C. It was very cool to have someone actually want to listen to us ramble on and on about our blogs. One of the main reason I blog is because I don’t think anyone should have to hear me ramble on about my running and stuff unless they really really want to. I had a splitting headache, but didn’t want to cancel and head home – it was too cool to miss.

*Race Director Shameless Promo*

Last night I paid bills and baked a banana bread for someone’s birthday at work. I had planned to distribute Robert Hamilton Memorial Race flyers to running stores last night, but ended up doing that tonight after work. In case you’re interested, Early Bird registration ends Sunday and the cost of registration goes up $5 after that.

*Bike Geek Warning*

Tonight I also dropped by Bow Cycle for some spare bike tire tubes, a CO2 cartridge inflator thingie and some CO2 cartridges to inflate tires after fixing a flat. I bought the Genuine Innovations Ultraflate Plus, which can use either threaded or unthreaded cartridges, and works on both presta and schrader valves.

My tires have presta valves, but with this device I can help out fellow cyclists if I ever need to on a group ride. Not that I’ve ever been on a group ride. Not that I’m ever going to get another flat tire out on the road again, now that I’m prepared.

I think if I pack some bandages and update my tetanus vaccination I’ll be all set for anything on the road, eh?

O-o-o-on with the weekend!

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Posted by: Karen | June 16, 2009

How did that happen?

Last night I went swimming again, as I have been most Monday nights this spring. This is becoming a serious habit. I’m enjoying the swims way more than I thought I would – to the point where sometimes I’d rather swim than run. How did that happen!

Maybe I’m not swimming hard enough to dread the workout. Maybe that’s a good thing. Whatever, last night it just felt good to get in the water and just move through it, just concentrating on my form and breathing.

Today at lunch I went for a nice run downtown with one of our Start Liners. It was a beautiful day for a run, though it was kind of hot and muggy. We walked when we needed to, and ran when we could.

There was a big thunderstorm in the afternoon, but I was working diligently at my desk, so didn’t really mind 😉  By the time I made it home it was lovely out again. The air still smells delightfully fresh.

Tonight I sat out on the deck and knitted. I finished knitting another apple/pear cozy and started on a butterfly washcloth.

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Posted by: Karen | June 13, 2009

Don’t Run There

Last night it rained some, which softened the local dirt trails to the consistency of “just right”. I headed out this morning with a big grin on my face, wearing shorts and short sleeves, and NO MITTENS. The trails through my urban woods smelled spicy, musky, earthy and sweet. I love that smell.

I ran up and up, out of my neighbourhood, into the next and then over the bridge to one more. The slogs uphill were worth it, as I careened joyfully dowowown to my turnaround point before heading back, up and down, to home.

I grinned as I met several deliriously happy off-leash dogs along the way, their tongues lolling wetly to one side or the other.

In the last, mostly flat, un-park-like kilometer, I struggled to keep the joyful feelings going, but wasn’t used to so much sunshine and kept finding myself walking.

Just run over there, I’d say to myself, setting my sights on a wee knoll ahead. Didn’t wanna. Okay, then, just run Here. That worked. I ran a few steps right here. And then I ran here and here and here again, and before I knew it, I was beyond my original There.

So there’s my lesson for today:

Don’t run There.
Just run Here. and Here. and Here again.
There will come soon enough.

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Posted by: Karen | June 12, 2009

A Swim and a Run

I swam for about 45 minutes at my usual indoor pool on Monday night. The water temperature was perfect and I enjoyed how the water felt on my arms as they entered the water.

I’m getting a little better at keeping my body and legs aligned. Last month when I tried using a leg float between my knees I fishtailed all over the place. This time I tried it again and kept much straighter.

Tuesday at lunch I went for a run with some of the Start Line group. We ran across the Prince’s Island bridge from Eau Claire and turned back at 10th street. It was a short run and the breeze was cool, but it was perfect for running.

Tuesday evening I brought Little Runner out to a Roadrunner weiner roast at Edworthy Park. It was nice to chat with some of the runners while they weren’t moving so fast.

Thursday I normally would have run, but I have felt tired this week, am anticipating another busy weekend, and just wanted to catch up on some rest. I turned on the t.v. for the first time since Survivor ended a month ago and knitted while I watched So You Think You Can Dance.

I must buy more bike tubes and ride that bike this weekend. And run. Must run.

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