Author name: Katie

Have you ever been friends with a non-runner and seen the looks they give you when you tell them about the kilometres you’ve logged, the pain you’ve endured, the crazy things you’ve done to continue in your love of this amazing sport? I have, every day. My husband is one of those non-runners who view us runners as weird – and probably rightfully so. I mean, seriously, how many of you can honestly say that you haven’t done something so crazy, so oddball, so totally whacked out just for this sport? I can’t. Today, I plopped my buttocks atop the “evil orange plastic ball,” otherwise known as a road-hockey ball, and rolled around on it for three minutes – all in the name of running. I noticed the other day, in yoga, that my hips were out of alignment again (I kid you not, my left leg is like a big toe […]

At some point today it dawned on me that the summery pink shirt I was wearing was the same shirt I bought the very first time I went to Portland like four years ago (yes, it’s undergone some repairs over the years, but I love it so much I just can’t give it up) and with it brings great memories of my most favourite American city – the same city of the marathon I’m gearing up for! Eeeeeeeee! So exciting! I haven’t yet registered for it, and I probably should to make it more real, but I’m always scared of registering for races, because the last two times I’ve signed up for half marathons, I got injured both times. The only time I completed a half was a self-organized half with me as the only participant. Last night I went to a Medtronic-organized presentation featuring Canadian cyclist Jonny White, who’s also

Wow! It’s not even April and the temperatures in the Valley are already soaring above 20 degrees, the daffodils are blooming brightly, and the rat-a-tat sound of the bugs meeting their demise as they pelt into my windshield is non-stop  – I love that sound! I love spring! Last year, we celebrated the new season with the purchase of our loft; this year, we’re celebrating with a trip to the NYC! The last time I was in New York it was in the thick of summer, the week before the Twin Towers went down, and truthfully, it was not my most favourite trip. In fact, I was quite disappointed with it, given that I had been dreaming of New York ever since I was 14, when I first decided I was to become a world-famous journalist (still working on that). But it was sweltering hot, and smelly, and I was with

On Saturday, Mario and I headed up to Seymour Demonstration Park for my first bike ride of the season. We chose that traffic-free destination as I hadn’t been on the Zing (my bike) in like 7 months and I think Mario was a little nervous about taking me out onto the busy Vancouver roads. I was quite aghast at the suggestion at first, I mean, sure I hadn’t been on Zing in 7 months, but I had been running for like six of those months, that had to mean something didn’t it? Apparently not. Route: 26.76 km Trip time: 1:20:24 Average speed: 19.8 Max speed: 47.7 My legs felt like lead for the first three to five kilometres; I was huffing and puffing, struggling for air up the hills; and dealing with major blood sugar dramas, which may explain the excessive huffing and puffing. We parked the car a little

It’s been 42 days since I last laced up my sneakers and hit the pavement. I miss it. I miss the breeze dusting my face, the music filling my ears, the seemingly natural flow of my body, stride after stride after stride. I miss the ease of sorting through work issues as the cars speed past me; the nostalgia of running through my old neighbourhood; the endorphins that flush through me with every gusting breath. Every time I walk up the stairs of my loft, the first thing I see is my Asics sitting under my desk; maybe it’s torture I put them there, maybe it’s motivation. My Garmin and Road ID lie side by side on the top of my desk; the Garmin hasn’t been plugged in since Feb. 7. It was the day of our pre-run for the Historic Half, just two weeks before race day. My favourite