Thursday, April 17, 2014

Well, that didn't go as planned!


This past weekend, we completed our fourth half-marathon of 2014! This was the first time, in 2014, that we split up and raced separately, in seek of a couple of PB's. This race was especially important to us, since it was held in Smiths Falls; spear headed by Corey Turnbull and supported by hundreds of friends and family who were both racing and volunteering. (There are too many to mention, but you know who you are, and we appreciate every one of  you from the bottom of our hearts!!)

The organizing committee had to make a last minute change in location, due to our never ending winter. Typically, the race is held on the Cataraqui Trail, but was moved to Carrol Rd. Our first reaction to this move was pure exhilaration! Neither of us had the opportunity to train on a trail surface prior to the race, so this reduced some of our anxieties. However, when we set out, Sunday morning, and started to experience the Carrol Road hills, I'm certain we were both dreaming of that flat(ish) Cataraqui Trail.

In the end, we trained hard, followed strict nutritional plans (including not drinking alcohol for 5 months!) and gave it everything that we had! We left every ounce we had in us, out on that course. In the end, neither of us hit our goal times; but we’ll be damned if we didn't try our hardest.


There will always be an excuse that you can muster up. It was too cold, too hot, too rainy, too hilly, too early….. We have decided not to take this escape route for the entire year. This is an experience that we are going through. We will celebrate the highs and conquer the lows; together, without excuses! After a few days off, and a few tips from our coaches (running, nutrition, sports therapists, etc.), we have resumed our training; as our next race is only 16 days away. 

In light of the emotional nature of Sunday's run. We're leaving you with this quote.

“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.” 
― Mahatma Gandhi

Kaitlin & Melissa


Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Countdown to Spring Fling

We are closing in on our fourth half marathon of 2014. In five days Kaitlin and I will be running The Spring Fling Running Thing in Smiths Falls, Ontario. This race is typically held on the Cataraqui Trail, but because of this years’ endless winter, it has been moved to a road race. Although part of me is happy about this change, the competitor in me wanted to see how much time I could take off of last years’ race, on the same terrain.

This weekend will mark our first RACE of the season. We are coming off of a much needed six week break, which has felt like an eternity. During this time, Kaitlin and I have ran some amazing long runs together in Toronto (including a PB for Kait). To top it all off; this past weekend, a group of us spent some time working on SPEED with Michael Stashin of runeffortlessly.com which was fantastic (as usual)!!  The only thing that would have made it better, is if Kaitlin could have been there too.

So, we’re off, in search of that coveted BUFF and handmade medal to add to our collection. Rested, and injury free......the butterflies have already gathered in my stomach!

Happy Running!

Melissa & Kaitlin