Why I love the Tech shop

There are several reasons.  Be prepared.  I'm about to list them.  And a quick note before I launch into the list, I would like to offer up a congrats to the Tech shop half marathon training group who ran the Police half route today for training.  Noteworthy is the fact that a great part of that route was at this moment in snowy time a goat trail with sketchy footing.  Thinkin' the stabilizers MAY be sore tomorrow.  But I digress.  Back to the very meat of this post...

6.   Shoes.  Tech Shop has a lot of running shoes.  All different shapes and colours and sizes.  It's like a running shoe explosion in there.  Maybe you should check it out.  It's on 4th street in Mission.  Do it.  They will have a shoe for you.  Yes, YOU!

5. The staff.  They just rock.  Nolan, Lauren and the crew WILL put you in the right pair of shoes, not just any pair of shoes.  Obviously, they know their stuff, since as I mentioned above, they have a lot of shoes and they need to be able to put runners of all shapes, sizes and strides in the right shoes.

4. Dog friendly.  Yep, swing on by with your pooch.  As long as they are well mannered, they are welcome!  Also, you should come and say hi to Casper, the Tech Shop bulldog.  He isn't always working but when he is, he's a trip.  He has the most adorable under bite.  I heart him.

3. Washrooms.  Yes, Tech shop has 2, and they are always open for runners that need to veer just slightly off the path for an emergency mid run pit stop.  And the staff doesn't even blink as I race by with a quick, "Hey guys, just need to use the washroom!"

2.  Running Knowledge.  The staff  have a lot of running knowledge.  Tons in fact.  And not just about shoes and gear, but about nutrition and hydration and races and the stride and training too.  In fact, as I've mentioned before, Nolan (Tech Shop king) has become my go to source for training info.  Or should I say my training counsellor, because I tend to be a bit neurotic about my training.  And he never laughs at me.  At least to my face.

1. Clinics.  The Tech shop puts on GREAT clinics.  They have half marathon clinics and learn to run clinics that you should consider checking out if you are a newbie.  It is a great way to meet some new folks and to take advantage of all the running knowledge that the clinic leaders have to offer up!

There are others, I'm sure, but these are my main reasons.  If you've never been, you should go now.  Right...NOW!  Head down to 4th street, say hello, check out the shoes and pet Casper.  I promise, you won't be disappointed!

Just Because

Um.  Love this song, love this video (warning- it's strange), love the message, love, love, love.

But most of all, love running to this one.  Highly recommend it, and in fact, give it the ARSR stamp of approval. 



And since I just suggested an amazing running song, I think you all should offer one up too.  I need some new running tunes.  Yes, please!

Signs,Signs, Everywhere...

Do you ever feel like the universe is against you?  At times, I sure do.  I realize that this is in direct contradiction to the very optimistic promise I made to myself over the New Year, where I indicated that I was going to see the glass as only halfway full.  Having said that, it gets hard to see the glass as halfway full when the thermometer consistently reads -30!

My training for Vancouver stinks.  That's it, in a nutshell. To be fair, it's really only my endurance on the long runs that is a bit questionable, since I haven't really done a long run in forever, since every time I try to get out for my Friday long run its FREEZING cold.  I've tried to improvise by heading to the track, but there is something about completing a very long run on the track that just doesn't work for me.  I get to about 2 hours and I just can't seem to push over the mental hurdle to get those miles pounded out.  My brain says no and my body doesn't like it much either.  This Friday, I was positive I was going to get out for a few good hours of training, but the wind foiled me this time.  It was a chilly -9 and with the wind it was brutal, biting and cold.  In fairness to myself, I made it for 24k (10 k short of the 34 I was trying to accomplish) which is a decent amount, but certainly not enough to quell the anxiety I'm starting to feel build when I think about my endurance.  And endurance I need if I have any hope of pounding out a decent 26.2 in Vancouver on May 1st.   Let's all say a quick prayer to the weather Gods that this most hideous of Calgary winters is behind us and we have nothing but blue skies and big mileage in the future.

Along with the signs, did you ever notice that sometimes terrible things happen to very, very, VERY good people?  I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing just this earlier in the week, when the wonderful gym that I am privileged enough to train clients at had a major disaster.  Poor Alive.  The location flooded and is now condemned.  Words cannot express how sad this really is, and further, I can't believe this is happening to the owners, Holly and Ben, who are two of the loveliest people I have had the privilege of meeting.  These two have the most fabulous attitude and are promising that Alive will be back, bigger and better than ever before.  I believe them when they say that, because they are full of positive energy and are determined to make something amazing out of this bump in the road.  And I hope I am fortunate enough to still be a part of it!  Please everyone, send some positive energy and love out to Holly and Ben and the Alive crew!  They sure could use some positive vibes for the speedy recovery of Alive.

And last be not least, I came across this little gem...

And so I sign off thinking about becoming an awesome marathon runner...

Look out pathways, here I come!