Race Recap: True North Academy Fun Run

Saturday May 28th, 2016 marked the 2nd annual True North Academy Fun Run. The run has a kids 1km and a 5km run/walk that starts at Beach Area 5 at the Wasaga Beach Provincial Park and runs the trails and beach as an out and back course. The race benefits a private Christian school in Wasaga Beach that keeps tuition costs low to be affordable and accessible for local families.

I should also mention that this race is near and dear to my heart as my colleague Lisa and I are the race directors. This run was a dream of ours as we are both so passionate about teaching and running and wanted to bring the two together. Our inaugural event was so much more successful than we could have ever imagined and we were so excited for the second year, going in with more experience and understanding of what we were doing.

My partner in crime 

Friday was packet pick up from 4-6 at the school. We had bib pick up, swag bags and shirt pick up. We had great tech t-shirts that were lime green and on the back the school logo with the script "10 years still running strong" as this year the school celebrated its' 10th anniversary.

packet pick up

Race day!
7:45-8:45am was same-day registration and packet pick up. It was set to be a hot day nearing 30 degrees with humidity. We started promptly at 9am with opening announcements, O Canada, a prayer and a warm up by local Chiropractor, Dr. Sarah. Sarah also puts on a running clinic each spring and fall that both Lisa and I have been a part of.

Councillor Sylvia Bray and Dr. Sarah

The excitement was growing

warm up

Warm up

From there, local councillor and owner of everyone's favourite ice cream shop Grandma's Beach Treats, Sylvia Bray did the countdown to send off the kids 1km racers. There was great music from the DJ keeping the energy and excitement up.

After all the kids were finished and received their custom made finishers medal the 5km runners and walkers lined up and waited for Sylvia to announce the official start.

The start of the 5km

The course ran from gravel trail, to packed beach front, to paved trail back to beach front to the turn around (which had water, thank goodness!) and back again. There were lots of course marshals with arrows and km markers along the course.

Mark and I running on the beach

The course turning up onto the trail

Friendly course marshals

The paved trail on the way back

I got to run the race with Mark, our second race together, and loved every moment of it. Many of my students ran the race so it was fun on the out and back course to see so many friends and family and to cheer them all on with such beautiful surroundings. The weather and the course provided a challenge as it was so hot and the ground uneven at parts on the sand but was still manageable.

Sharing in my passion 

It was so nice to have photographer Jessica Lindsay (and close friend of mine) there to capture all the special moments.

friend and photographer extraordinare

sweaty hugs with this sweet friend

My dad and mom, top male and female walkers

Giving out medals to my dad

A special moment for Mark and his mom!

After the race participants were able to sign up for a free 15 minute massage from a local MRT.

Participants had water, coffee, tea, gatorade, timbits, watermelon, apples, chips and more to choose from for post-race nourishment.

Once everyone had finished we announced all our thank-you's and gave out age category prizes (custom coasters) to the top 3 in each age category for the run (male and female in under 19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50+) and top 3 males and females in the walk category. We had a podium made last year and were able to have each winner stand on the podium for photos.

After that we drew names from our bib raffle (all participants received an entry!). The first choice from the prize table went to our top fundraisers. There were some fantastic prizes including 2 new bikes, blue jays hats and shirts, gift baskets, gift cards and gift certificates and so much more.

Overall it was a great day and taking on the role of race director gives me new respect and appreciation for all race directors as it is no easy feat to put on such an event;
but it is so rewarding to watch the kids run and learn healthy lifestyles and a love for the outdoors. Also, to know that all this effort translates to a Christian education in small classrooms to benefit these kids make it all more than worth it.

This week in running

There's a lot going on this week for me in the running realm. So much so that I can't focus exactly what to blog on, so you are going to get a smorgasbord of stuff. Ready?

Olympic Dreams:

When I first started running and bought my first Canadian Running magazine I read about a woman named Krista Duchene who was attempting to appeal to make Olympic standards and was not successful. At this point, as a new runner I couldn't name a single runner. Wow how things have changed. I would now acknowledge Krista as my "running hero", as a woman I deeply respect and look up to for her speed, dedication, hard work, balance and love of the Lord. Krista proves that with hard work and dedication anyone can achieve great things! She is a working mother of 3 who is a real person. She's endured her fair share of trials and tribulations but just recently ran a super fast marathon and just this week the Olympic standards were posted and she's in! Krista is the first female to make the near impossible Olympic marathon standards in 20 years! I feel like I am just as happy as she is. Read more about it here:

Injuries:

All runners ignore pain and hope it goes away. I've been having foot pain and general tightness in my whole left leg resulting in consistent pinpoint pain and when I run this pain is amplified and my toes go numb then hurt. On my last serious run I kept telling myself, you need to call your physiotherapist. I am afraid of 2 things: that I will be told I need to take a rest from running and that it's going to cost a lot as I do not currently have benefits. I finally booked an appointment for next Monday. Pray for good results (aka cheap therapy and quick solutions that allow me to still run :))

I am currently icing it and decided it was a good time to write a blog post as it would keep me sedentary for more than 10 minutes :)

Life as a Race Director:

I knew organizing a race would be a lot of work but I've gained a new respect for race directors as I've worked with some colleagues to plan out and organize a fundraising run for our school. You see, I work at a private Christian school that aims to teach those students that couldn't be taught properly in the public school system. I love that we have the opportunity as a Christian school to be open about faith and teach the kids how much the Lord loves them. We keep our tuition low and do what it takes to give the kids the education they need. What that means is we rely largely on fundraising efforts. So, since I love my job, my kids and running I decided a fundraising run would be a great opportunity to get the community involved in a fun, active way. Plus we live in a super beautiful area with Blue Mountain close by and Georgian Bay. The run follows the trail systems of the Wasaga Beach provincial parks. Wasaga is the world's longest freshwater beach. To say the views are breathtaking is an understatement.

So I've been trying my best and giving my all to make this race the most successful event it can be. It truly has been draining me as I've seen my fair share of high moments (we have received so many awesome donations for our bib raffle, lots of people have signed up and I've truly realized how blessed I am to have some supportive friends and family) and low moments (costly insurance, facilities, lack of help, last minute course changes etc). Last week was incredibly stressful for me and I wasn't myself. I prayed for peace and had a friend pray as well and this week I have felt a peace that could only come from God. This week has just been draining as it has meant long hours spent in preparation, sorting and organizing shirts, signage and race kits.

We are 2 days away from race day and I am very excited for it. I will be thankful when it is over. To learn more about the run visit the race roster page here or the facebook page here. We are still happy to receive donations :)   Stay tuned for a race recap!

StrideBox Ambassador perks:

I received this fun package in the mail today.

I was so pleased to be chosen to represent such a fun company. I've loved receiving my monthly StrideBox. It is a box of an assortment of fun running items like chews, gels, hydration mixes, hard goods and other fun things. I feel like I get to be a product tester without having to do the research or having to go out and find these new products on my own. StrideBox is like the wise running friend that introduces you to products you will love for life. StrideBox has introduced me to SkratchLabs, JTree and Picky Bars, all companies I would have never known about before and swear by now. Thank you StrideBox for the fun new socks. I plan to be able to wear them as I run the charity race I planned this Saturday!

To learn more about StrideBox visit their website here. BONUS: If you want to give them a try sign up today with the code "aal2508" before May 8th to receive $10 off your first box!

25 Signs You're Hooked on Running:

I just came across THIS post today and had a good giggle as I can agree with mostly all of them.

Speaking of hooked on running, last weekend I got my second tattoo. I knew I wanted something running related and decided on the symbol of the Goodlife Marathon. I decided on this because the image is neat as it is a runner and a canadian flag but also because this was my second half marathon (so my first one where I knew what I was doing). It is also similar to symbol of the sister race, our local half marathon, the Collingwood half-marathon. Also, the Goodlife full marathon is on my bucket list for sure. I got it on my quad because these quads were made from running and it will be visible when I run in shorts.

Fun fact: my other tattoo is Ecclesiastes 3:4 on my back in memory of my Papa Jack.

Try Something New: April 

It's on hold for the time being due to illness and because both of us have been exceptionally busy this month it seems. So May will be 2 in one! We will do Heather's pick for April and then my pick for May. I already have it picked- stay tuned!