Redefining and Strategic Planning...Sort Of

Sarah Seads nearing the finish of the Fat Dog 50M (80K)

First of all, I need to give a BIG shout out to my running buddy Miss Sarah Seads, who finally got to Fat Dog this year and ROCKED the 50M course in a torrential rain storm to come across the line as the second woman and nearly beating the previous course record.  Way to go girl!  Read her race report here.  It's hard to believe it's been almost 4 months since we were at Miwok.  Since that time, there have been so many changes in my life I've been feeling slightly destabilized to say the least.  Definitely not ready to rock.

We moved this summer from the beautiful and mountainous west coast of British Columbia (Comox Valley) to the flat homogenous prairies of central Manitoba (Winnipeg).   I also had to take some time off running for medical reasons.  I know I'm not the first runner to move to a completely different geographic and climate zone or be forced not to run for a while, but these things happening at the same time landed me solidly in a state of dysequilibrium.

As I drove 2600km east towards the centre of our continent/country, the sky got bigger and the landscape got flatter.  I had a lot of time to think as I seriously starting looking for river valleys and even small hills as a place to train.  Most road runners hate hills, but this mountain trail ultra runner was having a panic attack!

Several existential questions starting rolling around in my edgy, endorphin craving mind.

1) Who am I now? Am I still a trail runner?
2) Do I try to become a good road runner now that I live in a concrete jungle?  Focus on speed?
3) If I'm going to keep my word and go back west for a yearly race, how in the world am I going to train for it?
4) How am I going to keep from getting injured without the variety of mountain trail running?
5) How am I going to keep my mind sane without the peaks and valleys to look at?
7) How do I redefine my WHY now?  I need to find a way to keep it FUN.
8) How am I going to change my yearly periodization schedule and race schedule to take the harsh Manitoba winters into account?

My new neighbourhood running trails are along this river.

Notice I asked 'WHO am I', not 'WHAT am I?'  Being a runner isn't about what you do, it's about who you are.  How each run and each race, each time you push yourself beyond your limits changes you permanently.  Not always in big ways, sometimes in subtle ways, but the change is inevitable. I will always be a runner.  Running is a big part of who I am and what I do.  So no matter where I live, I will continue to run.  Why? Because I am a runner.  Because even though I won't be climbing big peaks or running along clear glacial rivers, I need to move my body with joy and reverence for the gift that's been given me as much as I need to breathe.

No hill training here!

I will miss the mountains as much as a part of my own body, but I've come out of my funk.  I've joined a few running groups (Trail Run Manitoba and the Manitoba Runners Association), signed up to race and volunteer this fall, and can't wait to get out there and explore this new place that I live.  I will lose my edge on the hills, but hopefully will improve my leg speed.  Remember what the most important attribute of an ultra runner is?  Adaptability.  It's all good as long as I can run!

PS - My big toenail decided to fall off this week.  Guess it's time to start training for another ultra!

A little slice of forest a short 10 min jog from my house in the middle of the city!