Decisions

Well I didn't end up doing Stormy this year. So my Stormy love affair is not over! Hard decision to make let me tell you. I found myself dreading each and every workout. Even when I got out the door I wasn't enjoying the run. Rain or shine. Good company or not. I didn't want to go into my first 50 miler with a negative attitude-especially Stormy. My first 50 miler is supposed to be an exciting challenge. One I'm stoked, and scared, to take on. At one point I thought "what the hell, I'll just do it." Then decided that if I got injured or dropped it would have an even more negative impact on me. So I decided not to do it. Jen Segger(coach) was very supportive and understood where I was at. She knows damn well I will do it next year, and that I need a break. I've trained hard for a year now (Coastal Challenge 2010), and for Stormy. Burnt myself out. So lesson learned for me personally: ONE major goal a year. Stormy 2011-can't wait!!!!

My Stormy Love Affair

My Stormy Love affair started in:

2007
At this stage I have just stared getting into running. I've run a couple of 5 peaks races, and am up into the 1hr range. I don't think there's much sense in running for more than an hour, because really-why? I'm working at daycare one day, minding my own business when one of the kids Dads (Dennis) comes in.
"Shannon you run right?"
Well.....
" We need a runner for the last leg of the Stormy"
Storm-what?
"Its only 11K"
Maybe-when is this...
"Its tomorrow"
Oh, well.
"We're really stuck"
Ok. Sure. I meet the team at 6am the next morning to send them off. I go back to bed. *Bring* phone rings "We're moving faster than we thought-you'll be running soon." Shit. I get up, get to my stage, see my teamate, do the high five send off, and I'm running. As I'm running it occurs to me that A) Every-ones at the finish waiting for me, B) I have some time to make up, and C) I'm not a team player and 6 people are relying on me, and D) I better get the f moving. I do the 11.2k in one hour. It felt awesome having teamates cheer me through the finish. This is when I realize that not only do people run the entire 50 miles on their own-there is a 100 mile option as well. Seriously???What a bunch of freaks.

2008
In the past year I've done some 20-25ks. They were fun. I meet Tammy. Tammy says,
"Hey do you want to do half the Stormy with me? Well this seems like a natural progression sorta thing to do. Its just an extra leg added onto last years 11.2 leg. Why not. The 22.8k, 9 mile hill leg!!!!!!!!! Oh mother of pearl, now what have I agreed to. I do the 35k in 4hrs. I learn a new word: Ultra. Hmmm...wonder if I could ever do the entire 50 miles? OMG shut up Shannon.

2009
Well as life would have it I've now done some 25ks, and completed a marathon. Oh and signed up for a little 240km run across Costa Rica. Um what? Yes. WTF? How did that happen? I'm a little impulsive some say. Jen Seggers got 7 months to train me for this. This year I do the same last two stages in the Stormy as a training run with future friend and Costa Rican teamate Jude.
After not only beating last years Stormy 35k by 13minutes, I complete the Costa Rica 240k in 39hrs, done some more marathons, and am now ready for....

2010
My first Ultra-Marathon. Goal: 50miles in under 11hours.
Story: too be continued...

Summer Solstice Trail Marathon

This was my make it or break it race. I have been feeling love/hate about running lately, and was unsure of how I'd react to 42.2km, 1866m elevation trail marathon. I'd been a bit slack in my training as well. If this race sucked I was going to postpone my first 50miler until next summer.
Sooooo....the weather was overcast-perfect. My mood-great. Energy-lots of it. What I loved about this race was there were maybe 30 runners entered. I met running great Adam Campbell(he won). Maybe if I wasn't introducing myself to him during the course briefing I wouldn't have gotten lost! (that story coming up). Felt very cozy as I got to know some great new people. One of which was Andie. We ran up Grouse, and down Old Mountain Hwy together. She was telling me her daughter wants her ears pierced at 7-I told her to just let her. I shared my struggles with training lately-she told me I'm burnt out. Moments like these are why I love racing. Struggling up a mountain and talking about life with a complete stranger. Then I got lost and didn't see Andie for the rest of the race :( Getting lost is an exaggeration. I simply did these two loops in the wrong order. I saw flagging and just turned off to follow it. Poor 80yr old race volley didn't tell me I had to do that loop 2nd as A) she was 80, and B) my bib was on my pack so she didn't realize I was racing. Well I didn't quite realize my mistake until I saw Adam Campbell running lightning fast towards me. We waved, I ran, the loop looped, and I realized: "This.Is.Not.Right. I SHOULD NOT be behind Adam Campbell. Shit." All said and done it made no difference.
Nearing the end I hit an aid station where I promptly ate about 3 cut up oranges. I couldn't stop! Most Delicious. And sorry to anyone who may have wanted oranges running behind me. Left that aid station as Chickie said "8k to go!" Yippee!!! I get going with heavy legs. I run for about 30 minutes when I come up to another aid station. As I run by Chickie says" Only 8k to go!" Well WTF. I know better than to believe what I'm told about km countdowns-but still. Of course the trail meanders through the forest, and I know I'm close to been back near Grouse. I think its almost time for the downhill sprint to the finish when *gulp* flagging leads me back up Grouse Mountain. Mother%&$^^. Was stoked when I did end up on that downhill sprint to the finish, in at 6:18. Andie was there cheering me on-she'd thought I'd injured myself so she was thankful to hear I'd only done the route ass backwards. I sat at the finish for awhile, freezing my ass off at the Summer Solstice race. How ironic.
I must say now that Summer Solstice is done, I can solely focus on the Stormy 50 miler and I'm feeling super pumped for it! Then I'll take some chill time, do some smaller races, and become a fair weather runner!

Bit of Bypolar

Running has been an emotional roller coaster for me lately. One day I love it, googling every run, race, and runner that exists. I day dream of destination races, and achievements. The next day I hate running, and exercise in general. Wishing I was a lazy couch potato and OK with that. Never want to run again, and don't get why people do it in the first place. I blame the weather. Its cold and wet. I trained in cold and wet for Costa Rica and I guess I'm over it. I knew the Iron Lung 25k (May 30th) would give the drive and motivation I so require. Just pinning my bib number on my shorts was enough of a rush. I had so much energy and enthusiasm during that race. I was worried my mind and body wouldn't show up. So glad I was wrong. I had a great race, it was a beautiful day and a fun course. It was just what I needed to get back in the game!
Summer Solstice in a couple weeks!
I'm now excited about upcoming runs, races, and goals!

Not MY best friend

I know you love your dog(s) and think they can do no wrong. They are the apple of your eye, and they love you unconditionally. Well they don't love me unconditionally so call off the hounds. I hate how nervous I get while running in the trails and coming upon unleashed dogs. Most dogs could care less, and breeze by me. That's cool. Its the ones that are jumping happily all over me while the owner says "He's just friendly." I don't want friendly dog slobbering over me mid run, thanks. Get him off me. Then I find said dogs stupid hair in my food days later??? Gross. Or the dog that sprints full tilt towards me, playing chicken with me on the trail, when just as I'm about to jump into the ditch it darts slightly right, grazing my shorts as it passes. "Awe....wasn't that cute" the owners gush. Cute?!!! Here, have my shorts I just soiled-hows that for cute? Yesterday I had a dog growling at me as it bounced back and forth deciding whether to attack me. That owners response? " We just got him from a shelter, so he's still figuring out who is good or bad." Welllll....I'm not out here to be your mother f&$%*king guinea pig! Test him out in a prison yard!

A couple of weeks ago a dog actually made contact, ripping my 100$ jacket with his teeth. I just wanted to get up the bloody Chief and beat my personal best time, but noooooo the owner was so upset she was crying all over the place, saying "that's never happened before." Ya well it just did.

I do like the dogs that just come out of nowhere and run with me for a bit. That is until I worry he's adopted me as his future freaky dog owner.

Oh and believe me I can't wait to get a dog to run with. Will I put it on a leash? Probably not-that's just cruel. He'd be friendly and oh so cute, and would NEVER jump on you. He could do no wrong.

Vancouver Island Quest - Trailer

Slow cookers and babies.

Ok, this has nothing to do with running, but was too funny not to share.

I work with 3-5 yr olds.
The other day one of the Moms(A) took her son (J) to the pool. (J) is 4 years old. This is their conversation:

J: We have two new teachers at school that are sisters. They are only here for three weeks and then they are leaving. They are learning how to take care of their own babies.
A: I don't think they are old enough to have their own babies, they are probably learning to be teachers. Like Shannon Bananon, she is a teacher and is not ready to have babies yet. She needs to find a man.
J: Ya, she needs to find a man.
A: You need to go back to school and tell Shannon that she has to trade in her slow cooker for a man.
J: Ya, because you can't make babies with a slow cooker.

And thats not all!

I was so incredibly proud and excited to check my mail today. My coach, and life motivator is on the cover of my Canadian running magazine! And that's not all, she had a 5 page spread, pictures and an amazing article! I was even mentioned! Well kinda, not really. " Segger coached a number of runners to success at TCC's Coastal Challenge in Costa Rica this January" Yes she sure did!

And that's not all, Gary Robbins who got me into running in the first place is featured in the magazines Elite Q and A section! And that's not all! Fellow competitors Stacey Shand and Margaret Phillips are mentioned in the Route of Fire, Coastal Challenge write up on page 23!

Wow-so cool to know all these amazing athletes. This Canadian trail running magazine will never leave me. So proud of everyone!

Slave to the Puppet Master Once Again!

Well I've been having trouble jumping back in the running saddle. After a great week of R and R after the race I returned to Squamish and quickly jumped on the Olympic band wagon! Watching ridiculous amounts of tv, spending every weekend in Whistler, and crying at Tim Horton commercials. I didn't run for 2 weeks. Since then I've pressed snooze way too many times, and made up every excuse in the book not to go. Fellow runners from the Coastal Challenge are reporting finishing local marathons, and ultras. I was starting to feel guilty!
So my big goal for the summer is the Stormy 50 miler. Thought I could just maintain my fitness and do it on my own. Not the case. I will once again become Jen Seggers personal puppet! I can't wait to log into Training Peaks once again. I can't wait for everyday to feel like a personal achievement! I can't wait to work towards goal, and feel as though I have purpose once again!

Stage 6

Stage 6

Km: 22km

Time: 3:30

What a beautiful sleep I had last night. I wake up at 5:15 on this glorious last day of racing. I roll over and open my eye. Yes eye. Apparently that bee/wasp is having the last laugh. I open my tent door only to see the Italians who look me in the eye, nod their heads, and then start laughing profusely. Its contagious. I laugh. Its only an eye, its the last day, and yes its pretty funny. My eye is swollen shut. I make my first visit to the DOC. He gives me two shots in the arm, one in the ass, and a little yellow pill. I take it all not having any idea what he's just injected in me. The DOC warns me that I will have no depth perception for the last 22km of this 220km race. He'll only let me run if I take it cautious on the slippery rocks along the ocean. Sure. Whatever. Seriously if this is the worst thing to happen to me in a 6 day run through the jungles of Costa Rica-I'll take it! Takes awhile to get used to running with one eye, I'm tripping all over the place as I can't decipher a pothole from an anthill. Feel a little wobbly drunk, and blurry. Oceans up next, and the rock hopping is too fun to take it easy! My shoulders are blistering from heat and sun exposure. I'm running along the rocks when I see King Richard. "100 meters to the finish!" he yells. No way. Really? I don't believe it. I rock hop like a little rock hopper would, get back on the sand and I see the finish! I run over the messages in the sand: "Way to go", "you did it", "you're amazing." I cross the finish, Jude's running towards me, beer in hand, arms outstretched for a finish line hug. Shes about to say my name...when thump, stumble, oof. She trips on a coconut, rolls ass over tea kettle, beer stays upright, and shes back on her feet. "That's the first time I've fallen all race!" she says as I finally get my Jude hug. Awe....

Beer time, and the eye is trying to open. First beer is heaven on earth like everyone said it would be. We wait for Jen to come through the finish. She has blisters for feet. Jen comes through! You did it Jen. What a freaking trooper! Now the rough part: cervezas poolside for hours on end. Sharing stories with new lifelong friends. High-fiving, whoop-whooping, sharing war stories and injury's, replaying the heartaches, tears, and pain. What we talk about the most though? Next year. See ya then amigos!