With the arrival of November and "falling back" comes chilly mornings, shorter days, swirling leaves and the end of the fall road racing scene. Ontario autumn is one of my favourite times of year, and the past 2 months have proven no exception to the beauty and excitement that I always associate with the fall. After returning home from my 8-week summer racing tour of Europe I was riding the high of my "breakthrough" season, but was ready for a short mental and physical break
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| Hiking the Niagara Escarpment |
before getting back to building mileage and a solid strength base. Unfortunately, it seems that my body was ready for a longer break than I offered it, and so, by the second week of October (the most BEAUTIFUL time of year to be a runner, in my humble opinion) I was dealing with a rather angry and inflamed posterior tibial tendon. Imaging confirmed tenoitis and (thankfully) not a bone issue, which was a relatively positive diagnosis, although it did mean forgoing the last 3 weeks of frolicking about the streets and parks of Toronto in glorious weather. It also meant reluctantly ditching my fall racing plans, including the NYRR Dash to the Finish Line 5km this past weekend in NYC.
Although I'm bummed that I didn't get a chance to take full, unbridled advantage of this season, I have been thriving off the race energy of the last
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| Canadian marathon record women! |
several weeks, including the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon and the ING New York City Marathon weekends. The
Canadian Running Series events are always a thrill, whether I'm there as a competitor or spectator; the Toronto Marathon weekend was no exception. Being present to witness Sylvia Ruegger's 28 year-old Canadian record get broken by TWO phenomenal women was one of the most exciting things I've seen in my athetic career. While
Lanni Marchant and
Krista Duchene were busy making history at the finish line,
Natasha Wodak was nearing the end of her outstanding marathon debut,
Eric Gillis and
Rob Watson were catching their breath after each setting personal bests, and seasonsed veterans and first-timers
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| NYC Dash to the Finish Line 5km |
alike were gutting it out along the streets of our fair city, each linked by the sheer joy and deep satisfaction of their running pursuits. Traveling to NYC last weekend to cheer on
Peter Corrigan and the plethora of elites and weekend warriors in the Dash to the Finish Line 5km was also a blast. Cruising around 5th Ave and Central Park, and soaking up the energy of thousands of runners was magical and inspiring. These experiences give me so many reasons to love the running community, and get me PUMPED about returning to racing and training!
While being forced to take time off running is always frustrating, I have been trying to see this little injury as a blessing in disguise. Any time our bodies break down or fail us in some capacity, we are forced to take a step back and figure out WHY. So often the temptation is to treat the issue at the point of the symptoms; I have tendonities in my left posterior tibial tendon so soft tissue work, accupuncture, icing and compression around that area of my body makes sense. But so does re-examining my biomechanics, identifying deficiencies and weaknesses elsewhere in my physical make-up, and working to eliminate these through comprehensive strength training, form corrections, and the goal of obtaining a more complete understanding of my body.
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| Brooks Shoe Box of Shoe Boxes! |
One of my rookie mistakes was running too many miles in my last shoes, so that by the time I returned from France in September, my treasured Green Silence were beyond dead. Thanks to the arrival of my new Brooks kicks-- Gycerine 11, Ghost 6, PureFlow 2 and PureConnect 2-- as well as treatment and a revised strength plan from my amazing chiro and strength/conditioning coach Kris Sheppard, I am back running, and can enjoy the rest of the fall in my NEW GEAR! The awesome folks at
Brooks sent me a big box of apparel and accessories to keep me warm and dry as the winter approaches, and I'm very excited to try out my new swag! Stay tuned to my blog for the inception of "Kate's Kollection" of Run Happy clothing, apparel and shoes, where I'll put together outfits from my new gear, complete with what are sure to be super dorky photos, and I'll review key pieces. There may be promotions and even the occassional give-away so check it out over the coming weeks!
Now that I'm injury-free and decked out in new shoes and apparel, I'll spend the next 2 months getting back to full run training, and start looking towards the indoor track season! My main goal this season is to represent Canada at the
IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland in March. In the meantime, I'll be enjoying hot apple cider, running through Toronto's gold and red leafy parks, and cozying up with a good book in Peter and my new
Hypoxico Altitude Training tent! However you celebrate fall, I hope you're all finding ways to stay warm, healthy, and joyful.
Run Happy, my friends!
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| NYC's Central Park in Fiery Splendour |
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| High Park- Athletics Toronto's Fall Training Hub |
How many KM's do you typically put on your shoes before replacing them?
ReplyDeleteAs I read your blog I know that every penned word is so uniquely and genuinely YOU. You inspire me Kate...to see the world and take in the glory of each day with a sense of Wonder and Excitement, and to be thoughtful about finding optimum health for this 60 year old body...body and mind. I'm ready for a brisk walk in my Brooks runners. Thank You Kate! XO
ReplyDeleteThanks for the questions, Terry! I typically replace my shoes after 500-600km's, depending on what intensity I'm running those km's at and what type of shoe it is. For example, a higher cushioning shoe that I wear for longer runs and recovery runs will last me a bit longer than my lighter, less cushioned shoes that I wear for workouts or tempo runs. Also, I always have at least 3 pairs of shoes on the go during any given training phase, so that I can alternate them. I never wear the same pair 2 days in a row, since it takes 24-48hrs for a shoe to "recover" from a run. Try buying 2 pairs at once and alternate them every day; you'll actually get more life out of both pairs! Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Mary, for your kind words! I'll look forward to joining you and your awesome body/mind on a few fall and winter walks! Walk happy!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Advise Kate! But if you are running 100+ KM's a week, even with alternating two pairs of shoes, then you are replacing them every 6 or so weeks? Wow!
ReplyDeleteYes Terry, I go through shoes pretty quick! Thank goodness I have the awesome folks at Brooks Running Canada supplying me with fresh pairs as I need them. Like I said, the rate at which you replace them depends on not only volume of running (how many km's) but also intensity (how hard you're pounding each of those km's). So because I do 2 hard interval session and an up-tempo long run each week, in addition to plyometrics, drills and strides, I need to replace my footwear more often than most.
ReplyDelete