2012 turned out to be a year of many ‘firsts’ for me. I become a member of Team Running Free, Orangeville. I ran my first Marathon in Ottawa in April. I applied for the New York City Marathon [Sadly, I didn’t get in]! I ran a 5km race on a tarmac! I participated in several running events as a ‘volunteer’. I trained on the trails with a new group of ‘Erin’ runners. I started open water swimming in the Quarry. I trained for most of the year “indoors” and in November of 2012, I opened a fitness center, “Towne Fitness” in Shelburne, Ontario with my husband and running partner, Jeff.
It was not only a year of many ‘firsts’, it was also a very busy year. We opened our doors to the public on November 10, 2012, so most of the year leading up to that date was spent investigating, researching, hiring, designing, planning and occasionally ‘freaking out’. This endeavor definitely ate into my training time.
I started skipping the occasional run. Soon gym classes were missed and a week would go by before I realized I hadn’t done any form of training. A week soon grew longer and there were times when I couldn’t remember the last work out/training run. My diet changed, too. I was eating the wrong foods. A lot of fast snacks as I always seemed so rushed and so busy. This is probably why I also sustained several injuries during the year. The good news was I didn’t lose my enthusiasm for running as a member of Team Running Free.
The infectious enthusiasm of my fellow TRF members and their drive to do better kept my attention and motivated me to do the same. I continued to enter races and although finished all of them there were certainly no PB’s. My final race for the year was the Chase The Coyote. This is a Running Free Orangeville event so I certainly didn’t want to miss this one. I volunteered on the Registration Desk so that I would still be able to participate in the race. I had run the 5 Peaks Series 21km Trail Race three weeks earlier in Terra Cotta so assumed that that run and some prior training would get me through the 14km trail of the Mono Provincial Park.
It was a great day for a race. Wonderful Fall weather. Fabulous volunteers. Plenty of enthusiasm as participants arrived and collected their bibs and goody bags. During the morning I met several new racing enthusiasts/volunteers and of course conversed about ‘running’. I ran the race and struggled right from the START line. I was only 3kms in when I fell for the first time and stumbled off the trail. The second fall came around the 8km mark and the 3rd and most painful came right at the 10km aid station. I fell hard and landed on my hip. Ouch! I dusted myself off, wiped my tears and managed to finish the race. I realized that day that I could not continue to ‘train’ or ‘run’ the way I had been. If I wanted to stay safe, injury free and improve my times I had to make some drastic changes.
“Chase The Coyote” was the wake up call I needed. Since that day, I have changed my eating habits and have since lost 10lbs. I have started my 2013 training program and have partnered with a fellow female runner who both motivates and inspires me. I am really looking forward to a new year of running and PB’s. See you out there TRF!
