Race Season is Here!

Well the groundhogs didn't see their shadows this year (well, in Canada, anyway). So, I guess that makes for an early spring... and where there's spring, there is an over-abundance of races!

Last year I could have still signed up at package pick-up. This year, that won't be the case. I get an announcement last week that the BMO Vancouver Marathon (full distance) has less than a few hundred spots left! Forbes Magazine has it listed as one of the top 10 marathons worth travelling for. So I signed up right then and there. This wan't a race I was going to miss. I had such a great time last year, it should even be better on their new course this year! The fact that there will be even MORE runners to share the experience with will be an added bonus. Actually, I was so excited to register, that I also signed up to volunteer for a few days leading up to the event at the expo. I've always appreciated and valued the volunteers and thanked them for their help and time. This year, I wanted to learn more about the behind the scenes stuff of putting on a race and help where I can, too.

I've also registered for the Dirty Duo (25k) distance which is coming up pretty quickly in March. I've heard some great things about this race and am really looking forward to it. ...also heard it's tough due to the elevation. Which makes me pretty nervous. Time for more hill training and stair-climbing, maybe? LOL. It's probably a little late for that now. The race is less than a month away! Eeek! I just hope it lives up to it's name and I get really dirty! LOL! ;-)

The following month, I'll be running the April Fool's run (half marathon) for the third year in a row. I really like this race for many reasons. One being that it's just far enough from home that I feel like I get to go on a "mini" vacation (if you choose to stay in Gibsons like I do). It's also a point-to-point course (Gibsons to Sechelt) so you don't have to see the same scenery more than once. The course is mostly downhill with a lot of small rolling hills, which I love. At the finish line, you can look out at the ocean (or jump in if you're brave enough!), so it's something to look forward too. They also have plenty of food and transportation back to Gibsons as well. The weather has been great the last few years, too - cool and cloudy. Plus, the race is cheap! They don't force you to buy their shirt keeping the price down. Honestly, I have a closet of race shirts and I have worn maybe two of them more than once. I'm fairly tall for a girl and it's rare to get a race shirt that fits long enough in the body. I end up having to go a size up so it looks like I'm wearing a box (as it's too wide).

I've been looking into other cross-training techniques for the season to supplement my training including spinning. There's a great new indoor cycle studio close by, that has comfortable bikes and is fair open/airy unlike a lot of spinning places. It's a bit pricey but worth it if I only go once a week. I feel like a bit of a nerd trying to set up my bike but everyone there has been so nice, so far, and are willing to help my "nerdy self". Some of the spinning classes incorporate other exercises including killer ab workouts and upper body strengthening. My stomach killed for a week after the first class. I could barely sit up!

I'm slowly getting my mileage back up to where it was (prior to the Ultra last November). Now that the weather has started to get a lot more milder (no more snow, yay!), I'm enjoying my runs a lot more. One thing that is starting to really bother me though is seeing all these little plastic bags of dog poop everywhere. There are garbage cans every 1-200 meters and instead, dog owners just leave them on the side of the trail. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of picking up dog poop? People also enjoy riding their horses, too on the trail - and I love seeing them... but wow... if dog owners need to pick up their dogs' "doo-doo", shouldn't horse owners do the same? Just sayin'. I've stepped in both, and neither are pleasant. ...and that's my little rant for the day. Now, it's time to get moving! :-)

Thanks for Reading!