There’s nothing magical about running. Running is walking only faster. But if you have ever had a passion, and you’ve had an injury that kept you from that passion, your senses become heightened.

Now I’m not saying I was blind and now I can see, feel, or hear everything better.

Imagine you were clinically and morbidly obese once. Then one day you went for a walk. The music was so good and air so calm that you sped up and ended up running. You decide to run a race. Then you go on to run marathons. You wake up at ungodly hours to train. It gets so good (s0 bad), that your running becomes like a mistress. You sneak off for runs. You skip occasions because you just have that fix. And it’s not unhealthy. You lose 125 lbs as a result and although you’ll always feel like the biggest person in the room, you don’t care because running makes you feel like you can take on anything. Sometimes you take on too much. But the trick is, running has taught you to get the most out of everything and to be ok with who you are.

Then you get injured. Running was your best friend and now you can’t do it anymore. Weeks of recovery, turn into months of trying your best with cycling, swimming, and weightlifting, which comes close to the euphoria you once felt, but it’s never the same. You go to physiotherapy and a few weeks later a doctor tells you that you can’t run anymore. You see a surgeon and the surgeon says,”No, you can run again, just not extreme anymore, you hear me?”

And you’re ok with this.

Fast forward through surgery and painful recovery which is amazingly quick, but thorough. More physiotherapy and then the therapist says, “You want to try a run?”

You put on your old gear and you’re excited like it’s your first time on a roller coaster. Walking first, you pick up your pace, and lift your leg up…those milliseconds when both your feet are off the ground, and, dude, you’re flying again. Walk, then run a little, walk then run a little (walk and squee, walk and squee).

There’s nothing magical about running. Running is walking only faster.

my go-to running/dancing song.

Reblogged from jacqueline valencia:

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(For a bit of a background: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2013/02/)

I did this routine below so much once that it became a recurring dream I have had for a year and a half now.:

An alarm goes off. It's a pleasant sounding tune, but in the frustration to stay asleep, I hate it. I turn it off lest it continue to wake up my whole family.

Read more… 1,461 more words

It hasn’t been easy. For someone as active as I’ve been for the past six years, it’s been hard not to find myself in a rut. I can’t do the 4:45am wake up rides because it’s just too cold (and I’m getting old, I need my sleep). Compounded by the winter blahs and more, it’s a struggle. However, coming from a long line of women in my family who got stuff done despite their circumstances, I get stuff done.

This week I needed some outside and today I took the opportunity of no crazy winds and not so crazy wind chills and headed out for a ride. This is what Lake Ontario looks like in the winter:

I don’t think I’ve seen the lake that alive in the summer. The bike path is well kept and salted, but the wind down there is brutal. Cycling east was like cycling against a wall while cycling back I felt like I was flying. I missed that feeling! No traffic anywhere, but just me and the elements. There are different sounds at this time of year too: the scratching of branches against other branches, the roaring crests pounding on the breakwater, and the wind has a tinny whistle that says, “Why are you here?”

Dude, I got no where else to go.

My post today is to say that I won’t be running another marathon. My last one was in Chicago in 2011 and I wouldn’t change that for the world. I see the medals on my wall and I’m content, not sad anymore. What I’m looking forward to is walking like normal again, being able to chase after my daughter, or play ball with my son. That’s more important to me than the high, the ego boost of the running distance. I have my cycling and I do have big goals for that (a full century ride this year would be sweet). I look forward to possibly racing small distances and increasing speed one day, but that for me is just a hope. For now, I have an operation scheduled for May. My surgeon is going to be scoping my knee, cleaning it out and seeing what can be done. He’s looking into doing an experimental surgery where they take stem cells from my femur and injecting them into my knee. All in all, there are 60-75% chances that I’ll be without pain one day. I’d love to be with no pain one day. Every day there’s a sharp pain in my knee that feels like an iron rod has been lodged in it. Plus I’m missing most of my knee cap, something I had no idea had happened. No heli-skiing for me.

I’m using a Corflex knee brace and whatever cycling shoes or shoes with support I have. Nothing can *solve* or *cure* this issue, until the doctor investigates the knee fully during the operation. MRI’s and X-rays give evidence of things (meniscus tears, knee cap erosion, osteo-arthritis, baker’s cysts, and I forget whatever mumbo jumbo else). So at the moment I’m in limbo. Well, really, I’ve been in limbo for more than year now.

So I try trainers.

Continue my routines and have days where I can pick up and go again, like today.

The fact that my ride is all dirty and in need of a major tune up (my right brake has been freezing up as of late), means that spring coming soon.

I had a great ride today. I was about ready to scratch my eyes out waiting for a tolerable day. Next week looks like it might get better too. Taking each day at a time as we all should.

Keep running. Keep cycling. Do whatever you can. Just keep moving.

I fueled. I fueled hard. I had a Lick’s Nature Burger with fries for lunch. For dinner, two servings of regular pasta with Daiya cheddar cheese and tomato sauce.  I drank water all day. This year, instead of a Sir Perry’s cider, I went with a beer: Pumpkineater by Howe Sound. On race day, I drank more water (with a bit of gatorade), a cup of coffee, and a dozen almonds in my oatmeal.

This is my bike:

My 25 year old Sears Free Spirit Roadie.

My gear:

1. Schwinn bike helmet with a flashlight I MacGyver’ed onto it.

2. Pearl Izumi cycling gloves with that great comfort bridge gel foam. Very necessary since I tend to get carpal tunnel on my left hand while riding. These prevented that.

3. Mountain Equipment Co-op backpack to carry my bike pump, cycling kit, extra clothes, and food.

4. Nike windbreaker, headband (to protect my ears), Boneshaker cycling socks (they have dancing skeletons on them!), and sports bra.

5.  Mitre soccer shoes (Cycling shoes are expensive and I have promised myself to buy some after I get clipless pedals).

6. And finally, the accessories that saved my run: Castelli Duluvio shoe covers. Kept my feet dry during the rainy parts of my ride.

Here is the course map:

My husband and children got up at the crack of dawn to drive me down. It was pouring rain on the highway, but when arrived at the starting line in Queenston, it was down to a light sprinkle. I said goodbye to my family, picked up my race kit, and set off with fellow cyclists (all with way better and newer racing bikes than mine!) along the Niagara Parkway.

The rain eased off a bit into the ride which was good considering I had no idea where I was going (Try to make sense of that map and tell me if I shouldn’t have been worried!). I was not familiar with the streets of Niagara or the Niagara Parkway. Luckily, there were a few other riders that were in the same boat as me and eventually we figured out the main areas with red arrows and the much needed rest stops.

The Niagara Parkway is beautiful in autumn and I would have my own photos of it, but my main goal was to finish the ride! However, I searched for a few photos of the area online to give you a gist of what I saw.

http://www.cliftonhill.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/primary/page/primary-images/niagara-on-the-lake-parkway.jpgOk, so I didn’t fly, but it felt like it. The trees were in full color.

http://blog.niagaraparks.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/trees_7.jpg

http://www.where.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/10_Niagara.jpg

I get some pretty sights in Toronto (Here’s a sunrise pic from Tommy Thompson Park I took in September: https://twitter.com/JacqValencia/status/239718602540982272/photo/1/large), but that’s nothing compared to cycling through an endless spectrum of colour. I swear I didn’t pass a half a kilometre without seeing a winery.

http://www.exploringniagara.com/images_670_209/niagara_parkway.jpg

That ended up being a good thing since my plan B was if I got too tired, I would just lay by the road drinking ice wine slushies. ICE WINE SLUSHIES (believe me, I was so tempted).

However, that wasn’t the case that day. Since there was basically just two traffic lights along the route, my pace was quite good. My Garmin had trouble finding me and logged in late in the game. My Runkeeper would have drained my iPhone battery, but according to another cyclist I was trailing behind, we did quite well. The predicted time I set myself up for was between 5 or 6 hours. I finished in 3 hours and 59 minutes.

I surprised myself more than I ever have with running. The finish is a long hill up back to Queenston Heights, but it was so worth it. The sun was shining and I was greeted by my family soon afterwards. This is me tired and hungry.

Many thanks to my husband, my kids, my family, and friends who supported me in this. I raised $100 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation in dedication to my dad, my husband, and friends who have struggled with high blood pressure and heart disease.  Many thanks to my sponsors: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1026288&supId=222643616

The ride itself was really well organized and I highly recommend it. Despite them rescheduling it to October, it provided a wonderful array of views and the course was a combination of smooth pedaling and challenging hills. The rest stops were located just where we needed them and the lunch was hearty and healthy.

Now to state the inevitable: What do I do now? As my previous post to this stated, I have an MRI for my knee scheduled for Oct 24th, then we’ll see if it’s an lateral meniscus tear or if it’s something else that’s fixable. I’m still limping, still managing through.

As a person who struggles often with bouts of depression, running came along exactly when I needed it. When I couldn’t run, I started cycling. As the winter approaches, I’ll still be cycling (if it’s not insane weather, of course), weightlifting and cardio at the gym if it gets too bad. It’s been a particularly rough few months, but with a lot of support and meditation, I’ve managed getting through day by day. This ride was especially important to me in that with no marathon, I was still able to accomplish something that I never thought I could do. Who knows what the next thing will be. I just know that I have hope now that there will always be something waiting for me on the horizon. At the very least, I’ll keep trying.

Next year, my plan is to walk like normal again. After that, maybe a run. Definitely attempting my first 100 miler at the next Pedal 100!

A reminder that if you are reading this and would like to start on a path to running or walking, take some time out and go through the menus and blog posts. I’ve had this little site for a few years now. If there’s anything you’d like to me to add to it, just shoot me an email at the contact info provided through comment.

There isn’t much for this year, but look for a Best of 2012 post coming up around December.

Happy running, cycling, lifting, swimming, and just keep moving!

So I went on a long bike ride. Then I went on a longer one. Tomorrow while my favorite race in Toronto will be starting (The Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon), I’ll be cycling the Pedal 100km in Niagara.: https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1026288&supId=222643616

These are the weather conditions.

I’ll be doing a detailed race report right after with what gear, bike, and fuel I used for it, regardless if I finish or not. I hope I finish! I only doubt it because of the wind factor.

Cycling saved me from insanity without running. Cheers to everyone doing this ride with me and cheers to runners and all the people who do it because it’s just another test, another challenge to remind us that we’re alive.

Good luck, happy running, and happy cycling.

]]> http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2012/10/13/hello-running-blog-its-been-a-while/feed/ 0 ravensee Capture http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2012/08/01/update-the-runner-whos-been-told/ http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2012/08/01/update-the-runner-whos-been-told/#comments Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:52:41 +0000 Jacqueline Valencia http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/?p=1786 ]]>

I was on the second phase of my first marathon training when my right leg first gave out. It was a humid morning in 2008, and I had set my alarm for a quick recovery run after having completed a 30k run a few days beforehand. At about 3km, a few blocks away from home, I heard my leg pop and I fell to the ground. I got back up and found myself unable to put any weight on that leg. The pain was excruciating and traveled from the outside of my knee all the way up my hip. With the help of a kind passerby, a runner in fact, I limped my way back home. I cried to my husband and online about how I had screwed up my marathon dreams.

I went through physiotherapy and cross-trained in swimming and cycling. I went on to finish the Toronto Marathon that year. In fact, I went on to finish quite a few marathons, half-marathons, and races after that. However, the tightness, the giving out, and the pain came and went despite the stretches and the continual RICE regimen. I thought it was just my lot in life if I wanted to continue running. Then at Sporting Life 10k this past May my knee said, “Enough is enough.” It gave out and didn’t go back to normal again. I have been walking with a limp ever since.

Today was first physio appointment since 2008. I hadn’t gone back because budget-wise, that costs a lot up front and as a parent with two kids, other things take priority. I admit, I let it slide and thought I could fix it on my own. My own stubbornness, I guess. I had cycling, swimming, and weightlifting to fill in the running void. But there was a little voice in the back of my head that kept telling me that it wasn’t right, I couldn’t live the rest of my life taking one stair at a time and limping after my children.

Then last month I booked a family doctor’s appointment (I hadn’t seen one in a while actually). She said that she could help me and most likely get me running again.

“Please don’t give me the hope. I just want to be able to walk again,” I told her.

“No, really, you’ll be able to run a marathon again if you’d like,” she replied. She booked me an appointment with a sports clinic.

Big hopes filled my heart that day. I had spent months crying whenever I found myself at the lakeshore seeing runners pass me by. Silly, no? You may say not running since May isn’t long at all. For a runner though, a week without running is like an eternity. It’s like not being able to call the person you just fell in love with for a year. My runs were my first escape into a zen like world in my head. If I had had a bad day, I had a run to look forward to. I had sunrise to aim for and if anything, it just made me feel incredible every day.

I miss that. Cycling and weightlifting have given me different rewards and I’ve grown to appreciate them in their own way, no doubt about that. What I miss most about running though is that lonely journey and that solitary accomplishment after a good day of it. No one to cheer you on at your finish point. No one to acknowledge that personal best. I have always wondered why us runners and cyclists post our times and distances when we know the only ones that really care are us. I think it’s because we want to share that lonely journey which is funny because running just happens to be that happy isolation story that can never be shared accurately. I mean, I have tried. I’ve posted almost all of my best runs, cycles, and races in this blog. I want to share what it is to be out there because I’d love for other people to do it too. I want others to exercise or find an activity that makes them appreciate nature, their surroundings, and just being outside more.

I stood in front of the doctor who fit me with my orthotics today. She said, “I can see it in your face. You want to run so bad that you’re kicking yourself for letting it get so bad. You’re angry because you miss it.”

“Yes, ma’am. I admit it and I do. Everyone here is telling me that I can run marathons again and all I’m saying is I want to walk. Now you’re saying the words marathons and running again, and I don’t want to let me down anymore. I feel old and I don’t want false hope!”

“You have two kids and you have to run after them. You do what I say and put on these shoes with these orthotics and we’ll make it better. No, wait. YOU make it better.”

I was heavily lectured today. My legs are not minimalist running legs. The orthotics doctor and the physiotherapist I saw today both said that they understood my desire to mid-foot strike, but that my body with the combined bow-legs and flat feet, weren’t made for it.

I have to special order these guys

http://www.mizunousa.com/running/products/mizuno-womens-wave-nirvana-8-running-shoes

Them plus the orthotics. I have been given new physio exercises, stretches, which also include barbaric foam rolling and icing. I am to continue cycling (I am allowed to do the 100km Fit for Heart in August!), and weight lifting. I am to attempt to bend my right knee when I walk until I feel it getting lose. Then one day, apparently, I am to attempt a run.

A run. A RUN!

Wait what?

This all made me feel hopeful, but old as well. Remember when you were a kid and you’d get hurt and just heal right away? I’m 39. I may have lost a lot of weight, but my body and the mechanics in it are not what they used to be. Yeah, I have a lot of work ahead of me.

This is the part of the post where I write BRUCE LEE. This is the part of my life where I think, what’s another challenge? LET’S DO THIS (oh please, body let me do this)!

August 1st, 2012. Bike ride. Start time: 5am

It’s just one of those things some of us do to make each day worth it some how.

Yet cycling is the one thing that gives me my much needed escape. It’s my main mode of transportation through my city and I cycle every chance I get. A few days ago, The Globe and Mail put up a story on the West Toronto Railpath: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/home-and-garden/architecture/a-forgotten-finger-of-land-now-an-important-toronto-public-space/article4378533/?cmpid=rss1

The path has been a secondary route for me in The Junction. I have a set route I usually take to get downtown, but the path is a great respite from regular traffic. Today, as an alternative, I took it on my way to the lakeshore. Here are a few photos of its 2 km length (the proposed full length is 4km and I wish it were so much longer).

Photo below: Can you believe that there are people that want to get rid of the bike lane under this bridge? There is no way another car lane could fit in its place.

A piece of a train car lies among the yellow flowers.

These two photos below are sights I see every day on my commutes. The stars reveal themselves as I zoom up the hill on cloudless nights.

And this is where it ends.

I headed south and made my way to the Lakeshore along the main roads and headed by to the west end. It was a long and hilly ride back, but a lot of fun. 35km today. I’m aiming for another century ride this summer.

As for the weightlifting, my gym has a great set up. I’ve been working my way slowly up the weights and dead lifted 225 lbs this week. I can do pull ups, presses, rows, and pulls. I didn’t know I could lift that much. I really don’t know what I plan to do with weightlifting, but I’ve never felt stronger or more able to take on things since I started weight training. The elation and zen-like feel of it stays with you for a whole week, which is a bit different than long distance running (which lasts about a day or two).

Anyways, I continue on this stubborn and interesting journey with activity, and hopefully, running one day again. It’s been a bit of a mind adjustment to not have running as my go to, but as a runner, we all do what we must. Right now, I’m having myself an interesting discovery time.

I really love the technical shirts for this race. It’s the big “TORONTO” street sign that gets me.  This race also adopted the “virtual race bag,” where you get most of your pamphlets and coupons in an email. It makes for less garbage and I’d imagine it costs less to produce. Kudos to every race that takes on this practice.

Here’s the starting line.:

The race is the same route as the Sporting Life 10K. The only difference I found in TYS10K was the efficient release of the corrals. There wasn’t much of a race or a rush to get to the starting point and everyone waited patiently for their start. I commend them on the organization of this.  Too many times, I’ve found myself getting elbowed or almost run over (because of my height) when there’s chaos at the corrals.

Here’s my finishing photo.

It was a chilly 5C run, and my knees didn’t like the moisture in the air. Nevertheless, I stopped to stretch at a few points and slowed down significantly after hitting the 7 km mark due to how heavy my legs felt.  But I dealt with it and finished which is what I wanted to do. My chip time: 1:17 . I’m not unhappy with it since I thought I’d finish it in an hour and half or an hour 45, especially since I stopped to stretch.

I love LOVE LOVE this medal because it says “TORONTO” in big. Most of the races in Toronto are sponsored by some company or other and have their logos or names blazoned across the medal. This one shows pride in our city.

Toronto has the potential to be a great marathoning city like Chicago and Boston. People in Chicago take pride their races and the whole city comes out to celebrate  them. I find many people are either unaware or don’t care for these events here. It’s a bit disheartening to see people complaining. A marathon is a festival of sport and continuing health. Running a race you feel like you’re taking on the city and spectating the race feels like you’re cheering the city on. The signs today at Dundas and John St. were a welcome sight in that regard: “GO RANDOM STRANGER” “STOP READING, KEEP RUNNING!”

The Toronto Yonge Street is a great race and I highly recommend it to anyone. It started smoothly, even the police came out to high five us, the chute at the end was streamlined, and the sights, because I adore my city, were amazing.

As an aside, there was a tough looking guy wearing a fur coat at Yonge and College. He was walking north and pretty much sneered at all the racers. I don’t know why, but this well dressed man in a ridiculous coat seemed to think we were in his way. I stopped for a few seconds and growled at him. He looked at me a bit shocked, but since I was running, there was no way he could have responded better.

I have fun when I can.

P.S. Speaking of city spirit: Many thanks to Lavishy Boutique on Yonge Street for being open and having us runners browse through your warm store while we waited for the race to start.. I will be going back this week to shop for some accessories there!  http://www.lavishy.biz/

Happy Running!

This was the swag from this year:

Very minimal, but it was most welcome. If you’ve received a race packet, you’d be silly to miss all the junk mail and coupons that come with it (some of them are really useful). However this year, Harry Rosen decided to go greener by sending all those offers online with your official confirmation. This pleased me greatly.

The temperature was seasonable at 7-10C for and sunny. I cycled a quick 10 minutes from my house. As usual, it was packed. I ran in my Vibrams.

After the race started I felt really good, almost too good. I wasn’t pacing with anyone, but my legs felt looser. I’ve been really lenient and laid back about training this year and am focusing a lot more on weight lifting and strength training. I’m a city cyclist, therefore I get a lot cardio as it is. This is all working towards repairing my knee with less pressure on it and more focus on keeping myself healthy and strong. It’s paid back big time and although I’m not as fast as I used to be when I first started out, I’m enjoying it all a lot more, instead of frustrating myself. It’s peaceful.

The run takes you through most of the same course. Maybe I don’t remember doing the big hill, the one on the last 1km, at the beginning as well, because I was with my sister.  That hill is killer, but I did it…two times and the many little hills in between.

If you’re looking for a first race to do, this is a really challenging one for it. The hills do a bit on the knees and if you’re not careful and not trained for it, sprinting through this for a good time is not recommended if it is your first time. But if you’re looking for a shining moment to start of the race season, imagine climbing the last 1km of a really steep hill. Once you’ve conquered it, imagine the crowd going wild for little you as you cross right over that finish line. I always end up in tears.

My chip time for those who are curious, 1hour and 5mins. When I left home, I told my husband that at most I’d be able to do it in 1hour and 20 minutes (if you need to know why, go back to my previous posts about my meniscus tear).  So I surprised myself today. I haven’t felt like that in a while!

I reiterate my advice to anyone with an injury or a setback, don’t push it. Speed isn’t everything and there’s so much more you can do to help your running. Experiment, trust your gut instincts, and most of all, keep enjoying yourself when your moving about. Keep moving!

More races coming up. Happy Running!

I’m the type of person who gets an idea in my head and all I can do is think about it until I can do it. I see a race, I train hard and then it gets done, regardless of injury. See here, dear readers, don’t do that. It’s all fine and well to be determined and to not let anything stop you. It’s quite dangerous to stress yourself beyond your mind’s limits. This isn’t to say, don’t go for it, or don’t stretch yourself beyond those limits. It’s mostly to say, that as athletes, we must all learn when to tell ourselves to slow down.

I don’t know if there is something bigger to me than the Chicago Marathon. Well, ok, someone did spin me the idea of running one of the greatest world marathons: The Berlin Marathon. Berlin is for the future though when I can leave my kids for more than just a weekend, so their crazy mom can run in a foreign country. That will be a long way off still. And yes, I do plan on running into my old age, and yes, I know my doctor continues to hate the fact that I run, and yes, I still have an acl tear to deal with, but I’m a runner. I may swim, cycle and jog sometimes, but all in all it’s in the name of running.

I’ve chosen a few highlights of 2011 to link to:

1. Chicago Marathon: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/10/14/my-2011-chicago-marathon-race-report/

There are days I wake up, and think that my experience there was a huge hallucination. Then I look at this photo (besides my finish line photo…boy was that ever the most painful and glorious thing ever), I met one of my heroes, Hal Higdon.

In my eyes, that’s like meeting Bruce Lee. What a wonderful gentleman and a great writer too.

2. My 20-miler: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/09/18/32-36-km-20-10-miles-done/

One of my favorite long runs this year. I was just about to quit when I saw my friend, cyclist Todd C., about to head off for a long ride. He high-fived me and gave me that push I needed. It was a really hot day too.

3. Retired my first Vibrams: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/09/17/retiring-some-friends-after-2600-kilometres/

My love affair with barefoot running started when my friend, Hilary, gifted me my first pair of Vibrams. I was sad to see these go. Now my running is a combination of Vibrams, pure barefoot and minimal running shoes. It’s a good combo that works for me.

4. The Acura 10-Miler: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/08/15/the-acura-10-miler-race-report/

I did the Sporting Life 10K this year, but I don’t believe I made a race report for it. This was my first time doing the Acura and it has become one of my all-time favorite races in Toronto. It’s organized, the swag is amazing and the cheering along the route makes a huge difference. If you haven’t run it, I highly recommend you do.

5. Coming to terms with my abilities: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/08/11/why-run-if-you-run-slow/

One of the things about being a runner is that you become an over-achiever with your body. You expect more and you want more. You put all your physical efforts into becoming stronger, faster and better at what you do. Over-achieving evidence can be seen in a in-person or online gathering of runners. There’s constant talk of personal bests and speed training. Let’s face it, it can become a big competitive brag fest, and there is nothing wrong with that. My thinking though is geared toward a more healing approach to running.

Running clears my mind, running helps me with the writing process, and running is my friend. I want to keep running and the best way for me to do that is to make it work for me. I might go for speed one day, and do know my potential. Right now, I choose to just keep chugging along.

6. My Don-Joy Knee Brace: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/07/20/my-knee-brace-is-here-pic/

Best investment for my injuries yet. That is all on that subject.

7. The Thrive Diet: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/07/17/pre-run-meal-thrive/

I’m a vegan thrive dieter. It’s a different approach to fueling that’s become popular with some athletes as of late. Since July, I’ve found my long run recovery time to be about a day. I also feel very light, and not as bogged down by things in my system like I used to. Bare in mind, it only took me a bit to realize how much processed foods and animal products were bogging me down. I don’t feel bloated, my knees deal with the load better and mentally, the lows aren’t as bad as they used to be. I might even go as far as saying the running highs stay longer.

Even if you can’t dedicate yourself to a meal plan like this, sneak a few things in your day. See if you can see a difference in how your body responds. Running = experiments!

8. Becoming Body Positive (Site Changes): http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/07/01/body-positive-site-changes/

I’m very open about my eating disorder, and how my therapies have benefited me. Therefore, I decided to make some changes to the way I word things in this site. Running has been a positive force in my life, and I would like it, and this site, to be a positive space for all of my readers.

9. My First Century Bike Ride: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/06/17/my-first-century-ride-70-11-miles-112-83-kilometres/

Cycling!  After doing some research on the benefits of cycling to ACL tears in runners, I took on cycling in a more serious way this year.  Toronto did prove to be quite the century ride track, and I’ve seen the most gorgeous sunrises this year along the water just because of cycling.

10. The Goodlife Toronto Marathon (My learning experience): http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/05/16/the-toronto-marathon-may-2011-race-report/

So yeah, I tried again with this race. It was rainy, cold and many other marathoners felt that it was their hardest run yet. I learned a lot from this attempt. But I was rewarded with seeing my sister off on her first half-marathon and it was all worth it because of that.

11. Harry Spring 8km Run Off: http://somethinggoodisgoingtohappen.com/2011/04/03/the-harry-spring-run-off-8km/

Now we’re back to the first race of the year, which was also one of the best.

What does 2012 hold?

Thinking of: Harry Spring Run Off, Toronto 10K (new race!), Sporting Life 10K, a few 5Ks, The Acura 10-Miler again, a few half-marathons, mulling over the Toronto Waterfront, and maybe this (The Toronto Mudder) with my friend, Kelowna.:

Of course, I do have to figure out if ACL surgery is worth it or not in my case. I said to a friend recently that NBA players, NFL players, NHL players and MMA fighters are constantly taken off the game because of my type of injury. Some of them get surgery, and others choose to go through rehab only. Either way they still get back in the game.

I’ll always be in the game. I’m just playing for myself. Planning not stress over it and take it as it goes.

Thank you for reading, thank you for the encouragement, and have a wonderful new year. Here’s to the coming year, happy running in 2012!