Tuesday, November 17, 2009

January 2010...Here We Come!

Some of you ask, "How do I do it?"
Well, it takes some serious planning and juggling to make everything fit!
Here is the plan, which is to start January 2010.

Monday
am
Care for my two boys, niece and nephew.
pm
Run (speed) while Dina watches the 4 boys. Then, watch boys while Dina volunteers.
Micah hockey.

Tuesday
am
Take Micah to preschool. Run (hills) with Seth in Chariot. Core and pilates.
pm
Pick up Micah and his cousin from preschool and take them to Jonathan's sister's with Seth for the afternoon while I work 12:30-4:30 with family health team.

Wednesday
am
Micah and Seth cared for by Maureen and Jeanetta at the Wayne Gretzky gym while I swim and run (tempo) on the treadmill. Do some weights.
pm
Groceries, clean, go to the office if necessary.

Thursday
am
Get up early (5:30) to bike before the kids wake up. Core and pilates work.
Take boys to Dina's while I work 8:30am-2:30pm with family health team.
pm
Take Dina and 4 boys to the rink for skating.

Friday
am
Go back to the gym for swim and run (easy). Do some weights.
pm
Ladies' bible study.
Work a few hours doing homecare job.

Saturday
am
Go to Paris for run (long).
pm
Work a few hours doing homecare job.
Family chores, errands.

Sunday
am
Church.
pm
Rest.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Marathon Canada

Check out the breaking news at Marathon Canada. 5th in Canada.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Brantford Expositor - November 6, 2009

Marathoner is armed for cold weather
Posted By SUSAN GAMBLE
Brantford's marathon mamma racked up another win last weekend when she was the first woman to cross the finish line at the Road2Hope marathon in Hamilton. Krista Duchene got the nickname Marathon Mom after winning a marathon on Mother's Day and, perhaps, after running the Paris half-marathon while 6-1/2 months pregnant. Or maybe it's just because of her two little ones -- Micah and Seth. Krista cut a pretty dashing figure Sunday as she crossed the finish line and raised in celebration arms that looked like they were encased in elegant full-length black gloves. Turns out the "gloves" are actually arm warmers that, paired with black gloves, ward off the chill without having to have a jacket or shirt that might need removing while one is running. "In weather like this," says Krista, "they're perfect. And they do look elegant!" With her time of two hours, 46 minutes, Krista is now ranked fifth in Canada and is dreaming of running the national championship race in Ottawa next year. "Pretty much all of my races this year resulted in me coming in first or second and every race was faster than the one before." Go Mom!

Monday, November 2, 2009

Five of Six Top NYC Marathon Winners are Moms!

Check out this link about the NYC Marathon.

Road 2 Hope Marathon Pictures (2/2)











Road 2 Hope Marathon Pictures











Sunday, November 1, 2009

Road 2 Hope Hamilton Marathon

I must quote start with a few quotes.

I'll repeat this one about Eric Liddell, just because. "He runs because 'God made him fast for a reason'. His running is a reconciliation of his faith and his passion, which is running. He runs for the glory of God. His faith always remains constant and pre-eminent in his life...".

And now one from Meb Keflezighi (2004 Olympic Marathon silver medalist and today's New York City Marathon Champion) about fellow teammate Ryan Hall when asked, what makes Ryan run so fast? Meb said, "Ryan understands that God has blessed him with a talent. His strong faith and commitment let him conquer the ultimate distance - the marathon".
Although Hall placed 4th today at the NYC Marathon, and likely wanted a bit better time, I'm sure that he was thrilled to run for God.

I was.

And now for the results: a personal best time of 2:46:27, first female, and 8th overall. I think this makes me 5th overall in Canada.

I must thank:

1) God. Jonathan (my super husband), Micah and Seth (our 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 year old boys). Check out the pictures below. Micah was thrilled to finish my chocolate milk and Seth was proud to walk down the stairs, on his own, to greet me once he woke from his nap. Jonathan had signs all over the house for me when I returned, including one on the mailbox that I could see when I drove in the driveway.

2) Mitch and James - my amazing pacers. Wow, those guys were super! They paced me from 22-42 km and I WOULD NOT have run so fast if I didn't have them.

3) Deb Jones and Mike Hamilton with the Runner's Den for their great support.

4) Coach Nicole Stevenson. Supporters: Chariot Carriers, Eload, and adidas.

5) And numerous others - family (including my sister who listened to my crazy excitement 2 weeks ago when I came up with the idea to run two marathons 5 weeks apart) and friends.





Friday, October 30, 2009

Who Knows?

Two weeks ago I was sitting at my computer while Jonathan was at hockey and the boys were in bed. A good friend of mine who was training for the Hamilton Road to Hope Marathon mentioned that Simon Whitfield (who is also sponsored by Chariot) would be there. So, I thought I'd check out the website. Not only did the race appeal to me because a) it's close (only 40 min from Brantford to the Hamilton race start), b) it's a Runner's Den race (I run with the Paris Runner's Den group), and 3) proceeds go to Hamilton City Kidz (www.citykidz.ca) and The Joy and Hope of Haiti (www.joyandhopeofhaiti.ca) but it's, "Ranked #1 BOSTON QUALIFIER IN CANADA". This is what made the light go on. Why not run it (to better my time)? I have never done 2 marathons so close together (Toronto and Hamilton will be 5 weeks apart) but thought, hey why not? So, after chatting w/ my sister and getting approval from coach and hubby, I did a 22 mile run on the treadmill at race pace (to see if I "had it") and decided to go for it! I have two friends who will pace me, one around 20-30 km and the other 30-42 km and I just got a Garmin so hopefully it'll be a steady, evenly paced race! Look for a post after the race. I have no idea what to expect. Back to my friend. He said that he is so thrilled to have the gift from God to run, and be healthy. I couldn't agree more. And here's a quote from Amazon's review of Chariots of Fire about Eric Liddell to reflect my feelings, "he runs because 'God made him fast for a reason'. His running is a reconciliation of his faith and his passion, which is running. He runs for the glory of God. His faith always remains constant and pre-eminent in his life...". Wow.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Can You Imagine?

My husband's cousin sent me this youtube video. Wow. You'd better have some tissues nearby. When I ran the Boston Marathon in 2005, the Hoyt's and I ran by Jonathan and his family at the same time. Because of it, my fans nearly missed seeing me!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Brantford Expositor - Oct 17, 2009

Marathon Mom seeks to inspire others
written by Brian Smiley

For those who missed it, The Expositor's Flashback column on Thursday carried an interesting item from 25 years ago.
In 1984, two young runners, Rick Mannen and Martin Dixon, created a buzz during the Skylon International Marathon.
Running in Niagara Falls, Mannen completed the 26 miles and 385 yards in two hours, 19 minutes and 40 seconds, shaving eight minutes off his personal best time, while placing first. Dixon, Mannen's Brantford Track and Field Club teammate, was second with a personal best of 2:25:08.
Well, history seems to be repeating itself. But this time it's on the women's side as the local running community is abuzz once again thanks to Krista DuChene.
DuChene, who started running marathons in 2002, has now raced in five and at each one her time has improved dramatically.
This year has marked a huge breakthrough as DuChene won the Mississauga Marathon in May and was the first Canadian woman (eighth overall) at the recent Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon.
Her time in Missisauga was 2:51, while she finished the Toronto race in 2:50:36, which is the eighth fastest time by a Canadian woman this year.
DuChene is having the time of her life.
"I love it," the 32-year-old said when talking about her life as a runner. "I think it's a gift from God I've been given.
"People ask me how I do it but I tell them they can do it, too. I think I can take my experience and try and excite people to get out there and do it.
"It's something that shines all over in my life."

DuChene, who works as a registered dietitian, is relatively new to marathon running.
Born in Strathroy, she grew up in Alvinston and spent her youth concentrating on hockey. She also ran track and field in high school. By the time she was ready to head off to university, DuChene had to decide on which sport to pursue at the next level.
Her choice was to attend the University of Guelph and play hockey. While at Guelph, DuChene was the most valuable player, leading the Gryphons to an Ontario University Athletics provincial gold medal in 1998 and a fourth-place finish in Canada. She was also the OUA's top scorer that season and, in 2000, was an OUA all-star. She still ran to keep in shape for hockey.
But once she graduated from Guelph -where she met husband Jonathan, a volleyball player -she decided to go back to running.
"At that point, I thought, 'I'd like to run a marathon some day,'" said DuChene, who moved with Jonathan to Brantford about seven years ago.
In 2002, she competed in Niagara Falls and was the 19th woman to cross the finish line but first in her category.
"I think most people, your goal is to finish but you also have a secret time in your head," she said of that first race which she finished in 3:28.
The following year, she ran in Ottawa and was the 14th woman across the line and once again was first in her category with a time of 3:09, a whopping 19 minutes faster than her previous marathon.
DuChene had qualified for one of the biggest marathons in the world, in Boston, but something got in her way of competing.
"I was supposed to go to Boston in 2004 but I had some injuries," she said. "So, I deferred it and did it in 2005."
That year at the Boston Marathon, DuChene finished in 3:00 and she was the first Canadian woman across the finish line.
It was around this time that DuChene became pregnant. However, in November of that year, she ran the Paris Grand Half Marathon while six and a half months pregnant.
DuChene and her husband welcomed a son into the world shortly after that and the birth of Micah slowed her marathon running for a while.
In fact, the couple had a second son, Seth, before DuChene was back in a marathon, winning the Mississauga event earlier this year.
That was an outstanding accomplishment in its own but it was made even more amazing based on the fact that she had gone almost four years without running the distance in an actual race.
The fact she was now running marathons after giving birth to two children gave her a unique nickname in the running community. She is known as "Marathon Mom."
"When I won in Mississauga it was on Mother's Day and some of the people there started calling me 'Marathon Mom,'" explained DuChene.
She said one of the things she's most proud of now is that she and her family juggle so much but remain on even ground.
"Obviously the times of my races are important and certainly the money is rewarding but it's the balance," DuChene explained when asked what she's most proud of in her running career.
"My husband and I are involved in church, I work part-time and have two kids and I'm training so we have to balance everything.
"Sometimes you go to (marathons) and that's all these people have. I'm glad I have that balance."
DuChene, who runs around 95 kilometres a week, has also received support from others. With a young family, it's sometimes difficult to train with a group but DuChene still tries to run with members of the Runner's Den in Paris.
"They have such a super group out cheering us on," said the runner, who has set personal bests this year in the 10-km, 10-mile, half-marathon and marathon and is supported by adidas, Eload and Chariot Carriers.
"When you see people you know (during a race), it really gives you a boost."
DuChene, who was a part of Team Canada during the recent Scotiabank marathon, helping them finish second, now has her sights set on next year.
Now training under coach Nicole Stevenson, DuChene is gearing up for a gruelling 2010.
The first race she plans on entering is the Grimsby half-marathon in February. She'll then compete in the Around the Bay 30-kilometre race in Hamilton in March before taking part in the Canadian half marathon championships in Montreal in April.
On May 30, she'll be in Ottawa competing at the Canadian Marathon Championships.
Her goal for the Grimsby half-marathon is 1:18, which would give her an 'A' standard ranking, which gets her entry to the Canadian Marathon Championship paid and allows her to start at the front of the race.
At the Canadian Marathon Championships, she'd then like to run 2:44, which last year would have placed second.
After that, it's up in the air but one thing is certain: DuChene appears to be on a similar track as Mannen and Dixon, two of this area's most accomplished runners.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

More Great News!

Great news. I was 8th (not 9th) overall at the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Not sure exactly what happened but I am thrilled!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront (STW) Marathon

Pick a number (for today's news on the marathon): 1. 2. 3. 4.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Results - Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon '09

What a day! Today I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for Team Canada. I was ranked the 14th elite female and ended up placing 9th female overall, was the 1st Canadian female, had a personal best time (7th fastest Canadian in 2009), and we (Team Canada) were 2nd in the International Team Challenge.
I was hoping for a faster time but made a few errors: 1. I didn't drink enough soon enough, which was necessary for the high humidity. 2. I went out too hard in the first half. After chatting with several other elite athletes after the race I realized that they too were a few minutes off their expected times. Live and learn.
The most "interesting" part of the day was the unfortunate loss of fluids I experienced after the race (if you know what I mean)....only to be followed by a mandatory drug test. I finished the race around 10:20 a.m. and wasn't able to provide the required 90 mL of urine until 3:00 p.m. Then, on the ride back to the hotel, all of the excess water came back up again. I was so glad this happened right after my last "try", which got me to the required amount! Wow, what an experience.

Looking (but not feeling) OK! The top fastest 2 groups for both men and women get pacers. The rest of us are on our own.


Getting my prize for 1st Canadian Woman from the famous Ed Whitlock. I also had a nice chat with Joan Benoit Samuelson after the race.


Smiling to the crowd. Taking it all in. Thank you: Jonathan, Micah, Seth, Frank, Kevin, Jenn, Henry, Haidee, James, Donna, Paris Runner's Den, adidas, Chariot, eload, coach Nicole Stevenson, and the many friends and family members who wished me the best and followed me on-line. Also, thanks to the race winner escort who had to stay by my side until the drug test was complete and those at the drug testing station who were so patient with me (I was her new record for longest time of 4.5 hrs. Hey, can I get prize $ for that too?)!

International Team Challenge. England 1st (what a lovely group of folks). Canada 2nd.
Getting hugs from the boys after the race. Sweet.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Team Canada for Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

Well, here it is! A picture of me with my Team Canada jacket. I will run with 3 other Canadians in the International Team Challenge Sunday, September 27. This morning at the press conference I met Fauja Singh & Ed Whitlock. Six years ago, at the Scotiabank Toronto Marathon Singh ran 5:40:04 a new 90+ marathon record; Whitlock ran 2:59:10 to set a new mark for 70+ and become the only septuagenarian on the planet to go under the magic 3-hour barrier. Today they are (I believe) 98 and 78 years old, respectively. Singh will run the 5 km and Whitlock will run the 1/2 marathon Sunday. Pretty spectacular, don't you think?!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Team Canada!

Team Canada for the Scotiabank International Team Challenge ! I am thrilled to be selected! What a great opportunity! One week to go until I run another 42.2 km! Hoping for a Personal Best!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon...Quickly Approaching!

Check out the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon for the latest news. I'm getting quite excited to run this race!

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

1/2 Marathon Champ at Quebec City (part two)

Race prep the night before helps a runner sleep better (after triple-checking the pile)!
Ready, Set, Go!

Getting ready to race!


Congratulations from Ingrid and her buddies.



Gotta love the "DuChene" spelling!




Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Quebec City 1/2 Marathon - Women's Champion and New Course Record Holder!


1:19:14 was my time (course record) with a 1st place finish at the Quebec City 1/2 Marathon! Only a few more weeks until Scotiabank Toronto Marathon!!!
ELOAD are you pleased with a 1st and 2nd place finish?
The ADIDAS gear was great for warm up, racing and afterward.
Because it was a weekend away without the boys, the CHARIOT stayed back home.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Thank You and Hitting the Track

Eload - thank you.
Adidas - thank you.

Chariot - thank you.


The guys join me at the track for some speed.




It was a hit. They'll be sure to join me again.



Track Running with the Gang

Feeling good, just after a speed workout at the track.
Two boys racing to the finish.

The storage part on the Chariot is so handy. We've put in swimgear, towels, snacks, drinks, cameras, phones, keys....well, you name it!


Go, mommy!



Ready to head home.





Monday, August 24, 2009

Quebec City - Here We Come!

Beautiful rainbow off Lake Pen, near Huntsville.

Just getting in from a day on the lake.

Having ice cream at African Lion Safari.

It's been a busy but fun summer - trips to African Lion Safari and cottages, working part-time as a dietitian, and training for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (Sept 27). Training is going very well. It was nice to get in some hills while cottaging near Huntsville last week. The Chariot continues to log some significant miles and the eload is a real necessity. I sure am loving the adidas gear too!

This weekend Jonathan and I will leave the boys with Grammy and Grampa as we head to Quebec City for the weekend. It'll be a nice get-away for us and hopefully a great 1/2 marathon race for me.



Friday, July 31, 2009

Thank you, adidas!

Today I received this wonderful package of superb adidas running gear.

I am thrilled with their products, particularly their shoes.

Seth thought he'd try on the shoes and go for a little run (see video).
Micah - adidas runner in training!





Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Thank you, Eload!

Thank you for sponsoring me, Eload. I am thrilled to represent you! Your products will be put to great use, especially during and after those hot and long training runs.
The boys do a bit of label-reading for mommy.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Another Personal Best! Acura 10 miler 2nd Woman!


Pictures and article compliments of Canada Running Series and Acura 10-miler and 5 km.

Not such a flattering picture but a great race! I am so pleased with setting another Personal Best (1:00:03) and finishing 2nd woman overall. The Acura was a great race and the weather couldn't have been better.


Top 6 men and women.
From the Acura website, "...Lioudmila Kortchaguina had a much easier time of things in winning the women's title in 59:00. Brantford's Krista DuChene, winner of this Spring's Mississauga Marathon, continued to show good form, coming home 2nd in 60:07, ahead of the reigning CRS champion, Josiane Aboungono [60:45]..."

After the race I was asked to wear a ribbon to support the Canadian Cancer Society. Having lost both my parents to cancer (in 1995 and 1997), I was more than pleased to do so. Thank you, Acura for supporting the Canadian Cancer Society.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Chariot Athlete!

This week I've already enjoyed two runs with the boys in the Chariot. While on the trails, Micah enjoyed the view of the golf course on his side while Seth looked at the Grand River on his.
Check out the newly posted write-up at:
http://www.chariotcarriers.com/english/html/chariot_athletes.php
Thank you, Chariot. My 10 mile race Sunday will feel much lighter!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Upcoming Race July 19/09 - Acura 10 miler Toronto, ON

"The women's battle for spoils at the Acura Ten promises to be equally absorbing, with a good tussle expected between Canada's #1 and #2 ranked marathon women, Lioudmila Kortchaguina and Tara Quinn-Smith. Include last year's Canada Running Series champ, Josiane Aboungono of Milton, Mississauga Marathon winner Krista DuChene of Brantford, and St-Bruno, Quebec's Nathalie Goyer, a 3-time Quebec City and 3-time Mississauga Marathon winner who was dramatically passed in the final stages by DuChene this year, and some sparks could fly!" "

For more about the race, go to

http://www.runnersweb.com/running/rw_news_frameset.html?http://www.runnersweb.com/running/news_2009/rw_news_20090714_CRS_Acura.html


Looks like it'll be a fast race!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Peachbud 10 km Race 2nd Woman!

Feeling good at the end of the 10 km race. I was happy with my personal best time of 36:39 and place of 2nd Woman overall!
Photo source: Peachbud Race.

The Chariot kept the boys comfortable and dry during the light rain. It is so great to have at races - holds snacks and gear, is light-weight, and has window seats for the kids to watch.


Marathon Mom!