Recently I ordered a pair of Icebug Spirit4 spikes online (its always a risk when you order stuff online and can't try them on! I chose Icebug, mostly because they were on sale, but also because I heard great things and needed to invest in a pair of good winter running shoes.

Pros:

- my feet stayed super dry and warm. Normally running on snow/slush/ice in the winter, I'll end up with freezing and wet feet by the end of it. My socks were completely dry when I was done running.

- the fabric is very sturdy and thick, also helping to keep feet dry and warm.

-they're super lightweight. I loved how it didn't feel like I was lugging around bricks on my feet. They  feel light and I can move around well in them.

- their grip was AMAZING. I'm clumsy to begin with, so shoes with good tread, as well as solid spikes was a must for me. I didn't fall once and only slid around a couple times on the uphills when there was slush. I'm fairly impressed by how good the grip was on snow. So far, no black ice to test them out on, but I'm sure they will hold up.

- nice colours.. I didn't think I would from the look of the website, but I actually love the beautiful bright fuchsia colours within the shoe.

Cons:

- price. These Icebug shoes can run you up to $200+ dollars not including shipping or taxes. I got lucky and found them on sale on their website for $89, but if you're planning on buying the newer versions, expect to pay highly for them.
- they run very narrow. I ordered these in my normal shoe size, and they fit my feet, however if you're like me and have wide/flat feet you will probably have problems. I can feel pressure from the raised arch. After a few km my feet started to feel tired, best way I can describe it is as if my feet had a dull ache. Not good for someone with history of stress fracture on the outer aspect of my foot.
- chafing/blisters. They claim on the website that the heel cuff height has been lowered to prevent pressure on the achilles area of the foot.. but they can tell that to my bloody blisters. Note the photo below.. ouch. This happened even though I wore them around the house beforehand too. Hoping that I can work them in more and prevent this.

Overall the Icebugs are pretty good winter running shoes, if you have tiny narrow feet and can tolerate a few blisters. Most new running shoes need to be worked in regardless, so I'm hoping this is the case. I'll be wearing these a lot in the coming months as training for my next half amps up, and its nice feeling comfortable and safe running on snow/ice and knowing I'm not as likely to wipe out and break a leg.

Spikes make a world of difference and if these shoes can be worked in more they will pay off in the long run. Otherwise, if you have any different winter running shoe recommendations, I would love to hear them!

Happy Trails,
The Rural Runner

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Hello friends,
As you all know I've been training for my up coming ultra the end of July!
The race is fast approaching, and I'm doing what I can to prepare myself for what is sure to be a difficult 12 ish hours on top of a deathly mountain. No big deal right..?
My training this week included 1 long run, a speed workout, and a few average distance runs. I mixed in some biking as well.

Monday:
21.1km we decided to run this one straight up the mountain to the look off, across, then back down the mountain. The view was absolutely worth the climb!

Half way through I got a little tired and needed to take a break...

Running downhill is actually way harder than you would expect.

After completing the Cabot Trail Relay, which includes some serious up AND down hills, we have realized that downhill running is something we actually need to practice more often. Were always so concerned about the uphills and being able to maintain a decent pace while climbing, however, running back down is often overlooked. Downhill running can be a great time to gain time and cover a lot of ground fast, however it can also cause quadriceps exhaustion, shin splints and even injury if not done right. Theres an interesting article I found on running competitor here, for anyone interested in more information.

Tuesday:

(Rest day) but I was hugely motivated to run for some reason, so... 3.2 what was intended as a short stretch out run after our half the day before, turned into a very fast run with Kirk. Felt good to get the legs moving for a short distance though.

Wednesday:

Today was scheduled for a 9.7 km run. However, I only ran 7km.. which I told myself was okay cause I ran when I wasn't supposed to yesterday.. and it was crazy hot out. Almost like running in a humid sauna.

Thursday:

Cross training. Biking is my favourite form of cross training! I feel so free and happy when I'm on a bike. I like to bike to work when the weathers nice. Or to the market with a backpack for a short local ride.

Friday:

Scheduled for 8.05km. Lets honestly hope I have the energy for that after work. 

Saturday & Sunday:

I am scheduled for a 25.75 km run after work Saturday, however there is absolutely no way I will be completing that long of a run after working over 12 hours, plus long training runs like this require planning and preparation before hand. So instead, I'm having rest day Saturday and the long run on Sunday before I lay down to sleep for my night shift. Its hard following a training schedule when you work such long hours and are on your feet all day!

Training goes on though.

Hope everyone's training is going well!

Happy trails!

The Rural Runner

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One of the best parts of the summer is the fact that the sun doesn't go down until about 9 at night. This could not be more perfect for people like me who work long 12 hour shifts, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, etc. It's nice getting off work at 7pm and still having enough daylight left to go out for a run, where as in the winter it would be dark at 4:30pm.

Last night after getting home late from work I squeezed in a quick 6km run. It wasn't my full scheduled 12km, but I still got out there. Sometimes after a long hard day at work all you need is a peaceful run by yourself. The sun was setting across the horizon on the fields and it was so serene.

Lately, I haven't been getting out for every single one of my training runs like originally planned. I'm unfortunately not at that level yet where I can run 6 days a week. My body is only able to do about 4, with the other days being filled with bike rides, walking and/or yoga.

It feels discouraging seeing my training plan check-marks only on some days of the week, but I know my body and 6 runs a week would be overtraining for me. Some day I'll be able to run 6-7 days of the week without developing an injury. For now, I'm sticking to 4, maybe 5, even though my plan calls for more.

One aspect of training that I have been keeping up with very well is my long training runs. I haven't missed one yet and I'm very proud of that. I may have missed a few 6-8k runs, but every week, I get out for one long run of at least 2 hours.

This past week was 25km. I did it with Kirk and we ran straight up the mountain for the first 6km, followed by 13 kilometres of rolling hills toward Halls Harbour, and then 6km back down. It was 25 degrees out with not a cloud in sight.

The sun completely sucked the energy right out of me and by kilometre 14 I was completely dying. We had brought a camelbak and plenty of Gu, however nothing seemed to help and I could barely maintain a run. This had never happened to me before in a run and it was super frustrating to feel this way. I was completely dehydrated and weak and thank god Kirk was there to push me to keep going and get home.

After the run, and after I cried for a bit because lets be honest, that was one of the hardest runs of my life, we showered and got ready for my dad's engagement party. Thank goodness there was lots of food and wine cause I needed it!

We clean up nicely post-run ;)

Hope everyones week is going good! Until next time,

Happy Trails,

The Rural Runner

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Sometimes, to make rest day more bearable, Kirk and I go out on adventures/drives/day dates. This way, were still being active, getting outside, and having a great time!
We spent our rest day yesterday on a nice drive to Blomidon Park. Unfortunately when we went, the staircase was closed off and the tide was up so we weren't able to walk down to the beach. We did however, take some selfies!

We also made our way to Oaklawn Zoo, which is about a 30 minute drive from the apartment. We were very impressed by the amount of animals at this small local zoo, and particularly loved the monkeys. They really made me want to go practice my rig/monkey bars for OCRs, they swing so fluidly around their enclosures its fun to watch!

We saw some peacocks too and after standing close by for what felt like forever, he finally opened up his gorgeous feathers for a picture, even if I didn't get it at a very good angle haha.

So majestic to see

We loved seeing the lions, tigers, jaguars, cheetah's, etc. Did you know cheetah's can run up to 110km an hour?? No amount of training could make you fast enough to out run them.. ever. Haha.

There was also an enclosure you could walk into, and so we hung with some llamas for a bit.

I'm pretty sure I was just excited because it didn't spit on me. Meanwhiles, Kirk is like the animal whisperer haha.

A pretty great way to spend rest day!

How do you survive rest day? Do you prefer to relax? I like to stay active by walking/biking/swimming/hiking.

Happy trails,

The Rural Runner

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Now that I'm home and have spent my Monday resting muscles and joints, I figured it was a good time to share my race recap from the weekend.

Kirk and myself packed our bags Saturday morning with multiple running outfit options (never know what weather will be like come race day!), tons of Gu, water and oatmeal, and our running shoes. We left at around 10 in the morning to begin our 4-5 hour drive to New Brunswick. It was a beautiful 20+ degrees for the drive, and we sure do love road trips!

Goodbye for now Nova Scotia!

We arrived around dinner time and went straight to the Convention Centre for race kit pick up! This is always exciting, especially when theres an expo. After collecting our race shirts, course map, and talking to some people about up coming races (and being convinced to do the Marathon by the Sea Port City challenge, in Saint John, NB), we headed to our hotel to check in, and get our race kit ready for the next day!

I will make a post about my race day essentials soon!

We were staying at the Holiday Inn Express in Fredericton, since I got a good deal/used RBC points! Upon arrival the nice gentleman at the front desk asked if I would like to join the membership club, I said sure, and he upgraded our room for FREE to a suite! The room was absolutely gorgeous and HUGE with a sofa in the front as well as mini kitchen, and a huge king sized bed and flat screen in the back. This was such a great start to our weekend.

Once we were all settled, we headed to downtown Freddy to search out the race start line and find some supper. We stopped at a restaurant modelled after the prohibition called Vault 29. We both started off with a Shock Top beer (this may be the best new pre-race tradition EVER!)

For food, we both ordered the black bean burger with sweet potato fries. Im honestly drooling right now just thinking about it.. they were literally the most amazing fries I've ever eaten.. EVER. Seriously. 

After that, we took our full bellies out for a walk around the town. I don't think I could have eaten one more bite, but it was exactly what we needed the night before a big race.

Once we returned to the hotel, we both settled into bed early since tomorrow was a big day and we would be getting up early to get prepared for the race.

We woke up at 5:45, got dressed, ate our oatmeal and headed for the start line. We got there early and dropped off our bag, taking off our extra layers before hand. It was around 11 degrees, with cloudy skies (no rain though!) and absolutely no wind.

Perfect race conditions as we knew it would warm up more before we were done racing.

Kirk was aiming for around a 1:30 half, and my goal was to beat my previous time of 2:33. We went our separate ways as he headed toward the front and I stuck at the back of the crowd near the 6:45 pace section.

After a little wait, the gun went off and the huge crowd of runners made their way through the start line. I tried to keep my pace slow and as close as possible to my race pace (which is SO hard to do when everyones cheering and the adrenaline is pumping!), and ended up going out a little fast at a 6:00 pace (which I maintained happily until slowing down to a 6:45 pace at around km 7).

We completed the first 4km through town, until turning onto a trail and (to me) the most scenic part of this run, the walking bridge.

This bridge was gorgeous. I used this picture from google ;)

The course was absolutely beautiful, and made me wish I lived in Fredericton. There is a great amount of walking/biking trails all throughout the city and I was so impressed by them and their accessibility. 

After the bridge, we continued on the trail which was a combination of paved and hard packed, and running beside a river. It was also relatively flat which was perfect for setting new PRs. I was feeling great at 10km in and decided it was time to take my first GU. I saw a water station coming up at almost 11k and ate my chocolate Gu before grabbing a cup of water and chugging that so I could keep going without stopping. I was feeling so good I didn't want to ruin my stride by stopping to walk.

At last, I had reached the turn around point. Seeing that orange cone was a great feeling, I looked down at my watch and was excited to see I was over half way done! I couldn't believe how amazing I felt (must have been that pre-race beer, Ha!).

At around this point, I had been maintaining a similar pace to another woman for almost 3 km and decided to stick with her. We chatted for quite a bit and I found out it was her 65th birthday!!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth!

Her smile and cheerful outlook helped me finish the race strong. She was very inspiring, and I told her its a life goal for me to be as active and fit as she is when I'm older. She helped me maintain my pace for almost half of the race, and I was so glad to have met her along the way!

Around 17.5km I finally started to feel tired. Honestly was expecting this feeling at around 12k in so I was glad it hit me later on. Training is paying off. I had one Gu left, so as I was coming up to a water station I ate it fast and slowed for another quick drink. My pace this kilometre slowed significantly to around 7:00 a km.

It was around 18km that I finally saw that beautiful bridge again, and I knew I only had a short 2 km left to push.

After the bridge there was a straight stretch, one corner and then another quick stretch to the finish.

Rounding the corner and hearing all of the crowd cheering was an exciting feeling and the energy helped carry me to the finish line. I went all out for the last 500 meters and thats probably the closest I've come to blacking out/puking on a run haha.

I finally crossed the finish line and saw Kirk waiting for me. After catching my breath he told me I beat my time! By an entire 13 minutes! Like I said.. training is paying off! I finished with a time of 2:20 and couldn't be happier. Before I started the race I had high hopes of beating my previous time, but in the back of my mind had a fear that I wouldn't be able to do it. 

But, as Kirk always says, "push those thoughts out of your head! Its all mental and you know what you're capable of, and its big things."

That man sure motivates me to keep going and push my limits.

Having someone there to support you and make you stronger is an incredible feeling. I'm so grateful for not only Kirk but also the amazing people and friends I've made through racing. Its honestly such a supportive community of people. I also came to realize during this race, while people were passing me (which at points can be mentally difficult), that even though its a "race", I'm only truly racing against myself. I feel like thats the same for the majority of other runners as well. We're all chasing that new PR or that personal goal or that fast time for ourselves. I think this is one of the reasons why were all so supportive of each other, because for some, even simply finishing is an accomplishment.

My new favourite medal!

For now, I'm switching my focus toward running more hills and further distances in preparation for The Cabot Trail Relay the end of this month. Our team is small and therefore I will be running two legs for a total distance of 32.42km.. If any of you have been to the Cabot Trail.. you know just how many mountains there are! Training will be tough for the next 3 weeks but I'm very excited to run this as its one of my bucket list races!

Today was a great rest day, but back at it tomorrow for an 8km run. Hope everyone's training is going well too!

Happy Trails,

The Rural Runner

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Long training runs are quite different from races. You're (generally) alone, no aid stations, no ports-potties, etc. This can be dangerous if your route is on a trail in the middle of the woods, or if you're like me and live in the middle of nowheres.

25 km run, gotta be prepared!

So... I've compiled a list of my go to items to bring on a long run. These are basically personal preference/some are common sense, but its what I typically bring with me on runs of 15+ km in distance.

1. Camelbak

Like I said, theres no aid stations waiting for you when you're doing your own personal long run. Its so important to keep hydrated, especially on longer runs. I use a Camelbak Sno Angel. Its insulated (must have for Canadian running!), its light enough for me, holds ~2L, its feminine, and its got zippered pockets for all of the rest of my long run necessities. 

2. Cellphone

I know its a pain in the butt to carry around, but if I get lost theres a GPS, or a way to call home if needed. PS.. ALWAYS tell someone where you're going and estimated how long you'll be gone.. SAFETY FIRST.

Also, sometimes pumping some jams is just what you need to get through a tough part of your workout! Power songs can be your best friend and motivator on a long lonely run ;)

Heres a couple of my current running jams

3. GPS watch

I wear my Garmin 610 on every run for a couple reasons. I like knowing the time without having to get my phone out of my Camelbak/pocket and I like seeing my elevation/pace/distance/route stats.  

PS - Make sure your garmin is charged before you start running.. OPPS.

4. Blistex

This stuff comes everywhere with me. I may or may not have an addiction.. but its okay because at least my lips arent chapped. Nothing ruins a long run like having burning, cracked and dry lips the entire time. And I am totally one of those people who would constantly be licking my lips, even though I know it makes it worse haha.

But my lips hurt real bad.. UGH.

5. Kleenex

Again.. theres probably no porta-potties hanging around in the back woods.

Also necessary for runny noses.. unless you rub it on your sleeve.. or arent Canadian and running in -15 degree weather..

6. Gels/bloks/fuel

Our bodies are like cars, we require fuel to turn into energy to keep going. If I'm doing any run more than an hour I like to have a package of Gu or shot bloks. I know my body, and I know that this is where I will hit my wall if I don't have some form of carb/fuel.

7. A positive attitude

Long runs not only test you physically.. but they have a huge impact on our mental capacity to handle tough situations. Yes its hard running 20+km all at once, but can you do it? OF COURSE YOU CAN!

Now get out there and enjoy those long training runs!

Happy trails,

The Rural Runner

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