Beautiful Brantford Trails

I guess one can expect that a 3 yr old needs his turn to run part of a 20 km run!

Yes. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Beautiful Brantford Trails

I decided to take my camera on my run today to capture the beauty of the trails. Running 20 km with a healthy body and my 2 youngest children along such a pretty route is truly a blessing.

Runners Feed, Kenyan Kids and the Hall Steps Foundations

It's about time that I blog about the amazing Runners Feed.
This site has it all: training, reviews, nutrition, interviews, and much more. Specifically as RF describes it, " Runners Feed will be focusing efforts on bringing a quality road race to the beautiful city of London, Ontario – Canada, bringing together all levels of runners from around the globe. We look forward to organizing sustainable events with the intention of giving back to the community and local charities through proceeds raised from the race. " Brandon and Chantelle (siblings!) are super great people who love the sport of running and the people around them. They are really worth meeting and getting to know. I first met Chantelle at the 2010 Canadian Half Marathon Championships in Montreal, and Brandon over Skype prior to my "Marathon Mom" interview last year.
My favourite thing about Runners Feed is that we as athletes are able to talk about how important faith is in our lives. Today's interview,"Post Chicago Marathon Interview with Wesley Korir: Fueled by Faith" is THE BEST EVER! Wesley and his wife Tarah (also a runner who I met at RF's Rock the Road 10 km in the summer) have established the Kenyan Kids Foundation , which is partnered with the Hall Steps Foundation (created by another Christian running couple, Ryan and Sarah Hall). Much of the support is for education, healthcare, poverty, and farming. As the Hall Steps Foundation website says, "Ryan & Wes are sending a message that world-class runners can compete on the roads, and join forces for a great cause after the race!"Wow! It's also really neat because our own church, is looking into supporting Partners International. Hmmm.
I don't know exactly what God has planned for me but I could certainly see myself serving and supporting such a worthy cause in the future, somewhere or somehow. A trip to Kenya would be amazing some day (when my own kids are old enough!); my love for young children, running, and profession as registered dietitian might just make a great combination. To spend a trip training and serving would really be something. Until then, I can keep on, keeping on in Brantford. Our family recently filled a couple of shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse - Operation Christmas Child. It's small but mighty! Check it out (and the many other links above)!

NEW 2012 Brantford Tournament of Races, Road and Trail Series.

Recently I was invited to have coffee with Brantford's marathoner, Rick Mannen (read below about his major success in the 1980's). What an honour. It was great to exchange running stories and learn about the NEW 2012 Brantford Tournament of Races, Road and Trail Series. Brantford has had numerous road races but never a series so this is great! The group is gaining a lot of support from local businesses and organizations and I was asked if I would consider supporting and endorsing the Series as a runner and spokesperson. The more I learned about Brantford's history of running, the more I wanted to be involved in bringing a culture of running back to Brantford. So, I said yes! Kevin Sullivan has also agreed to support this Series!
There is a media launch Nov 15th where we will introduce the series to the media and community and will be inviting local dignataries and prominent supporters of our series.

Here is the link to the Brantford Tournament of Races Road & Trail Series
Stay tuned for more!


Rick Mannen, Brantford's Athlete of the Week in December 2000.
Rick Mannen - December 12, 2000
This week's "Athlete of the Week" is Rick Mannen a member of the Brantford Track and Field Club. Rick is an outstanding marathon runner who has competed at all levels of competition. He represented Canada at the World Cup Marathon in Seoul South Korea in 1987, at the Pacific Rim Marathon Championships in 1990 and was the winner of the 1987 Hong Kong International Marathon. Rick was recognized for his outstanding sports accomplishments locally in 1984, 1985 and inducted into The Sports Hall of Recognition in 1987. This year he was the overall Masters series winner of the 2000 Tim Horton's running series and is currently ranked 4th in Canada for the Masters (over 40 yrs.) marathon. Rick is an active community supporter who has been involved with the Brantford Classic Run for many years and most recently was a honorary water carrier and committee member of the 2000 Trans Canada Trail Relay. What an outstanding career, much success in the future Rick.



As for training, I had another great week. Ran 95 km, biked 3 times, and swam 3 times (plus the usual core, strength training and stretching). Tuesday was a biggie run ... 25 km with Seth and Leah in the Chariot and the dog on leash!
I hope to log about 105 km this week, which will include another long Chariot run. It's so beautiful in October! Another few weeks of this great weather would be lovely!

Another Season

Let me tell you, I love the location of our home in Brantford. It's close to the 403, the trails, the school, and the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre.
With my training, and now that we are into hockey season, I will be at the WGSC Monday-Friday. I train 3 mornings/wk and take Seth skating Tues'/Thurs'. Check out the pictures of the new facility. We now have 4 new rinks, one indoor track (!!!!), and a new pool on the way.

I just finished a decent week of steady running, nothing spectacular considering I just raced on the 16th. I got in 90 km, which included a great 25 km run Saturday with sunny skies, beautifully coloured trees, and the perfect temperature.



Just seems like yesterday that Micah was using the pusher and Seth was in the stroller!

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon (STWM)...WOW!

Well, today was a GREAT day at the STWM!
Here are a few articles with the many exciting events of the day (one, two, three). In short, here is what happened: Reid and Eric met the "A" standard for London 2012, Kenneth Mungara won his 4th consecutive STWM, and 100 y.o. Singh and 80 y.o. Whitlock set World Records. Oh, and I ran my first 1/2 since Leah was born. OK, not so news-worthy!
In these pictures, 1) Micah and Seth LOVED eating their pizza supper in front of the hotel tv!
2) We really enjoyed ourselves as a family; cheering on the runners, staying in a hotel, etc. I've been trying to explain to the boys about the significance of the day's events. They don't quite get it yet; shortly after seeing Reid and Eric finish, they were more concerned than anything about getting back to the tv! Jonathan did a great job getting the kids fed, to the start and finish, etc. It's not always easy trying to keep your eye on the kids AND the runners! Thanks to Kevin and Jen for coming to cheer me on and help w/ the kids.
3) After showering, I enjoyed some down-time with Leah (and she was glad to be fed again!).
4) Here I am, about 500 m from the finish.

As for the race, although I did not achieve my goal time of sub 1:18, I am thrilled with my performance (time was 1:19:15). I knew there was going to be some decent competition so didn't have an pressure to keep up w/ the lead pack. So, once I saw them head out, I was ok with that and stuck to my own plan. I wanted to stay around 3:40-3:45/km, which was difficult at times with the fast start, wind, etc. Around 5 km I ran into Roger who provided me with some relief from the wind and a decent pace. We ran together for at least 7 km. Thanks, Roger! Before the race, I wasn't sure I would need any gels but good thing I had 2 in my back pocket! They came in handy. Around 12 km (?), the best thing happened ... my body surged. It was neat in that my body said, "Yes, I've got this" and my mind said, "Are you sure?". So, I went with it and rather than counting down the km's left to go, I found them slipping by quicker and quicker. If my math is correct, I think I had a negative split (second half faster at 3:43/km than the first at 3:48/km). Around 16 km I caught up to one girl ahead who was leading a pack of 5 or 6, and went past her to get a 4th place finish. Not too shabby. I must say that even though I was only doing the half, I certainly took advantage of the crowds. The support from the fans was amazing. I just love hearing people call out, "Go, Krista. Great pace. You look strong!".
So, I am ready to start ramping up the miles. The plan is to average about 100 km/wk between now and the end of December. Then, Coach Nicole takes the reins January 1st to get me ready for Ottawa May 2012.