Limberlost #6: it was a dark and stormy night.

* part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5*

dan decided to run the 14km race within the week before.

three of us would be running.

the boy would be with me and dan would be on his own - first heat, 

and running to see how fast he could do it.

it was going to be a different mindset than the 56km.

Last year:
 there were huge thunderstorms the friday night before The Limberlost Challenge (TLC).

the rain continued throughout the day of.

the mud was crazy awesome!

such a difficult but amazing race.

i wrote about it here.

This year:

 the weather reports were calling for thunderstorms for Friday.

the boy voiced:

"i really hope the thunderstorms come so the trail will be muddy"

well...

he got his dream on friday night.

it was a dark and stormy night...

power was lost to many in the area.

our power came back on at 3:30am.

i did not have a good sleep.

the thunderstorm didn't last all night but it was muggy and humid.

and as i said i know the time the power came on.

i dreamt about the race..

but as dreams go, 

none made sense.

I was just happy the boy had fallen alseep easily.

morning came way too early.

but excitement peaks when one realizes what the day holds. 

the girl got up and was so excited for the day.

we were bringing her to friends' at 7am on our way to the trails, 

and she was so excited to go.

they would bring her to the race later.

the boy woke a little later, 

but without any problem.

he woke up excited!

since we had readied everything the night before we had nothing but to get dressed, 

eat a little breakfast, 

brush teeth and make a bathroom stop before we headed out the door.

dan came to me and put his arm around me and spoke quietly.

"have patience with him."

i needed to be reminded of those 4 little words.

i assumed i would be, but if he has a hard time at all then patience will be needed big time.

finally...

we were off!

the boy in the new shirt i made for him, and his dad in the matching hat.

Front

back

***

these photos show the shirt looking dirty because i took them on sunday night...after it has been washed.

those are stains, 

that i didn't try too hard to get out.

***

daddy's hat: it says 'trail runner' on back.

we drove our little one to our friends' house and away we went.

chilly morning, 

but no rain.

in the past we always arrived a good hour before the 56km race, 

so this was strange to be arriving when the majority were arriving.

after parking we headed over to get our race numbers, and shirts.

how exciting to see the boy's name on the list.

the boy and i got our t-shirts but since dan registered late he would have to wait to see if there were any shirts left.

we chatted with some of the MARs runners before the race.

i love that group of people.

they have been so encouraging over the last couple years.

i know i am not in their class of running, 

but the excitement and encouragement i receive from them, 

even when not being a member,
has pushed me and encouraged me so much.

and they have been amazing for dan and his running.

Race Time.

dan had estimated that the boy and i would take about 2h 15m.

as long as everything went well.

the first heat of the 14km lined up and the boy and i went to cheer his dad on.

and all the MARs runners.

then it was time for us to line up.

i reminded him to take it easy at the beginning.

that he will be happy later if he does now.

3..

2..

1..

and we were off!

running slow.

pacing myself.

he did not want to run slow.

he ran ahead of me and even ran backwards for some of it,

wanting me to catch up to him.

i always go slow on the road part.

then we turned onto the trail.

he started leaping over roots and rocks...

i began running with lighter feet too.

once i enter the trail it becomes fun.

so easy to speed up without meaning to.

the trail was not crowded this year, 

last year was ridiculous.

i think having the three heats helped.

we ran across the first bridge without having to wait - 

i have had to wait the last two years.

usually i don't race with the camelback, 

but this year i had the camelback with gatorade in it,

if needed.

i also had Clif Bloks and a couple Clif Bars.

when training the boy usually gets a Clif Blok at the beginning and then every 2km after.

at the first aid station, 

my favorite aid station,

the one girl was chatting with me and him.

"he's only 9 and he's running this...

and here i am just sitting here."

she was quite impressed.

i told her that we couldn't do this run without her, 

and i thanked her.

by about 5km he had slowed down.

he was walking easier, 

and i asked him if he was tired.

he said yes.

i told him he could make it to the 6km marker and get his next blok.

we stopped at 6km and he ate it...

after that his energy and excitement rose.

he had consistently been running slightly ahead

and then waiting for me.

then running with me...

until he sped up a little and then had to wait for me.

at 7km...

the half way point, 

i wanted to take a quick photo.

just one photo on the trail is all i wanted.

but we couldn't get the 7km marker in it and didn't want to take too long to try.

i found that i spent most of the race keeping up with him, 

instead of me setting the pace.

but maybe those moments where he had to wait for me actually helped him keep up the energy.

there was mud on the trail,

just as he hoped.

he spent as much time running through the mud puddles as he could.

while others worked their way around them he ran right through.

i decided to follow his lead.

except at one.

the largest and deepest puddle from last year now had a boardwalk over it.

i ran on the boardwalk...

he ran through the puddle,

laughing the whole time.

he passed people at every puddle.

we got to the 10km marker and he had his next Blok.

this was the farthest distance he had ever run.

and he still had a crazy amount of energy.

i checked the time and realized that we hadn't even reached the 2 hour mark yet.

when i told him he was so happy.

he wanted to try to be faster than 2hr 15m as he knew dad estimated.

so we decided to try.

he began to speed up.

i began to too, but it was so hard.

just past the 10km we were surprised by a cheering squad of Dan, the girl and a bunch of friends.

he ran past them first.

i heard them cheering.

then i came running past and blew a kiss to my girl.

it was such a wonderful surprise to see them.

at the 12km marker we stopped for the last Blok.

once i gave it to him i gave him permission to run ahead of me.

to run to the finish and beat the expected time.

he was so excited to be allowed.

i know...

he was supposed to run with me.

the last 2km i was not worried about him.

he was strong, had tons of energy and i was starting to hurt.

i'd see him at the finish line.

i was full of mixed emotions as he took off and i lost sight of him.

i was so proud of him.

he had worked so hard for this.

his attitude had been amazing.

but i was a little sad that i wouldn't be crossing the finish line with him.

i had thought about that feeling of running through the finish with him - i'd probably cry...

i was pretty sure i would.

but now it wasn't going to happen.

i had tried keeping up.

i couldn't do it.

he picked up speed with ease.

i ran the last 2km thinking about all the people who had cheered him on throughout the trail.

the young moms who hoped that one day their kids would want to run with them.

the girl at the first aid station.

the girl who gave him a high-five as she passed him.

the people laughing with him as he passed them at a mud puddle.

the 'way-to-go' and the 'are you running the 14km?  great job' comments.

about his smile and infectious energy and attitude.

no one seemed annoyed that they were passed by a nine-year-old.  

people were impressed and encouraged him.

we had prayed, just that morning, that we would be an encouragement to those around us that day.

now he was out of my sight.

and he'd finish before me, 

not with me.

i was sad, 

but so proud of him.

i thanked God for this opportunity for him.

i knew his dad would be waiting for him at the finish.

the last three years the boy has run across the finish line with his dad.

this year his dad would be there to run the last bit with him.

that was enough to let him go on ahead.

his dad didn't cross the line with him, he left that part for the boy!

i ran with another girl for the last, and longest, km.

we encouraged eachother and crossed the line seconds apart.

Dan had completed his race: 1:13:07.  8th overall.

i finished my race: 2:16:35. better than last year, and i'm happy with that.

the boy...

did he beat the estimate?

estimated time: 2:15:00

the boy finished his race:

2:10:47

he had done it!

he beat the estimate and beat me by 6 minutes...

something he will not let me forget

and completed The Limberlost Challenge.

it has been an incredible journey.

tough, 

but incredible.

if you were to ask him what he thought of the race he would say:
"it was awesome!"
but he also says that

he doesn't plan on running it again until he's 12.

when dan went to get a shirt after the race he decided on a ladies small and gave it to the girl.

she was thrilled to have her very own TLC shirt.

the girl wants to run it next year.

we told her not until she has run at least one Band on the Run 5km.

i love everything about The Limberlost Challenge.

the volunteers,

the other runners,

the trails,

the aid stations,

the food,

the mud,

the lakes,

seriously, everything.

i love having the opportunity to hike the trails with my family all year long.

but racing them with the boy...

wow.

whole new level of love.

i am so thankful:

to God.

first off He created that beautiful place.

he placed people with a passion for outdoors and caring for His creation right there,

and they take care of the trails beautifully.

he gave people a passion for creating this event in the first place.

to run these trails, 

surrounded by the beauty.

for the passion of running my husband has.

it has inspired me

a former hater of running.

it has inspired my children.

we wouldn't have been on this journey in the first place if Dan didn't love running so much.

i am thankful

to the powers-that-be.

for saying yes to my plea that my boy have an opportunity to run this race and fulfill his dream.

for the friends and family that prayed for us as the training happened and then the race.

for those who were able to be at the race that day to cheer him on.

for AmyLynn who encouraged me to keep a blog about the journey to post after the race.

for Rhonda and Theresa who captured the finish line crossings.

for Jason who captured the video of the boy running out on the trail.

i can't believe this is all done.

onto the next journey...

whatever that may be.

See the results of TLC 14km race here

Check out how the Muskoka Algonquin Runners (MARs) did at Limberlost Here

Limberlost #5: "i am not running that far"

*part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4*

i had the opportunity to run the 9km run with my boy and Dan.

we ran at Limberlost.

it was a fun time, and a great time for me to see just how this kid runs.

i couldn't keep up for the first few kilometers.

i didn't know how this was going to work - he was faster than me.

then he began to stop, 

he'd be talking so much that he'd begin walking and not realize he was no longer running.

these were sudden stops.

on a single trail sudden stops were going to be dangerous to anyone behind him.

then he got tired, and a little cranky...

then he was back to running and having fun, but i was now in the lead.

pacing himself was not his strength.

then there was his 10km run at Arrowhead with his dad.

they ran it in a time of 1hr 7min.

crazy fast...

no stopping...at all.

why?

mosquitoes and blackflies!

he was crazy excited for how fast he ran it.

now, we were in June.

he had had a busy track and field week.

he ran the 1500m race for school, and ran it in 8min.

he was so proud of himself for the run.  

then there was track and field day at school a couple days later.

he ran the 400m and the 800m.

he came in second in the 800m.

on the friday i ran my 12km at Limberlost.

what a great run it was.

hard, but so much fun.

at one point i thought that i was feeling so good i could maybe i'd run the whole 14km loop...

but by 10km i was so happy that i would be done in 2km.

On Saturday we knew it would be a hard day for the boy.

we were volunteering at an aid station for Band on the Run, 

and in the afternoon he'd be running his 12km.

he had been quite tired 

(busy week at school, still training and an early morning for volunteering)

Great morning cheering on the 10km and half marathon runners.

and dressing up.

for the afternoon the girl and i were going to the beach at Arrowhead as the boys ran their 12km along the trails.

this is what i wrote in my journal that night:

"the boy wanted to run after lunch.  He was worn out. so worn out.

after lunch we were able to get him going and get ready for his run.

...

when we saw the boys they were earlier than i expected...  

they had gone about 7km... of a run/hike...

it was probably the boy's toughest run yet.

he was cranky and too tired."

it was a rough day for him.

he never did get his 12km run in as that was to be his longest run before the race 

and they were tapering off after that.

to make sure he would be ready for Limberlost he needed to taper off when he did.

so the expectation was since he never got up to 12km it will be tough to finish the 14km at the race.

it will be tough anyway, 

but if he had been able to run the 12 it would have been a step in the right direction.

i am so crazy excited to run this race with my boy.

i have made him a shirt for the run..

something special for him.

that will be revealed to you after the run.

i am writing this entry on Thursday, July 6.

The Limberlost Challenge is happening on Saturday, July 8.

when you are reading this we will have already raced.

if things go wonderful, 

and without much discouragement or pain,

we are expecting about a 2hr 15m finish.

stay tuned! 

Limberlost #2: the snag

**see part 1 here**

March.

it was nearing the end.

training was going well.

the boy was still positive he wanted to run Limberlost.

so i sat down one afternoon to register him and i.

my husband didn't know yet which race he'd be running.

I registered myself for The 2017 Limberlost Challenge 14km...

I went to register the boy...

'You need to be 12 to register for this event.'

i stared at the screen on my computer and felt my gut drop.

12?

i had checked everywhere on the site for a minimum age.

i hadn't seen one.

but i might have missed it.

with all the info that a site like that needs i may have missed it.

my boy looked at my computer screen and asked what that meant.

i had to tell him that he is too young.

you see my boy is 9.

He will be 10 in August, but that's still too young.

i did actually see tears in his eyes.

i understand age limits,

that's why i looked.

it's quite a distance for someone of his age to run,

and it's a safety and health concern if they have a course full of kids thinking they can run 14km,

and not being able to run it.

i understand completely.

but i told him i would just ask and see if there was a possibility.

i wrote to the coordinator and told him our situation.

i asked if there was any chance he could register,
but i completely understood if he couldn't.

rules are there for a reason.

i then went to talk to the boy.

i told him to keep training.

we'd hear back and no matter what..

if he could race, great.

if he couldn't, we'd go run the trail anyway at a different day.

he was good with that.

so we waited.

he continued to train with his dad.

not crazy distances yet.

his longest is currently 4km on a road.

he was quite tired, but i ran it the next day and was worse off than him.

we have a one km trail we
(i say we, but is was the boy and his dad)
made out back.

when they first made it last summer i referred to it as:
 the whole 14km Limberlost hills compacted into 1km.

it's tough.

quite steep and quite technical.

i find it exhausting.

and the snow and ice on it doesn't make it any easier.

it is a great training trail.

i received an email in response

the email was copied to the men who would make the final decision for the boy.
and there was an apology for not finding the age requirement,
as the website had just been revamped..
it did look amazing by the way.

but, we waited.

My excitement for his dream, and my race partner, was dwindling.

my fears that we were pushing him, were growing.

that he would not be able to do it and would be discouraged.

he is only 9.

should i have encouraged him?

i love watching him run, he is so happy to be doing it... but could he run 14km?

i know that trail...

the uphills drain the soul out of you...

ok, not really, but i wanted to make you know how i really feel about them.

i don't like waiting, 

but i did like that if he wasn't allowed to run it, it was from others, not me.

and if he was allowed, i'd sign him up.

i spent a lot of prayer about him and his dream ever since his training has begun.

i want him to be able to push past the frustration, and discouragement, and even some pain that comes with training for a long distance, without pushing his 9 year old body too far.

my husband and i had agreed to wait for the decision.
if it was yes, we'd sign him up, 

and encourage him.

but for now...

2km trail run time.

...to be continued

41

hi all.

last year i had trained for months and ran 40km on a trail to celebrate turning 40.

(read about it here)

then came home to an amazing birthday party.

this year was a lot different.

this year i turned 41.

since my parents will not see my boy for his birthday next week they came to celebrate both our birthdays.

on the sunday (since my husband would be at work monday) we did the gift thing.

my boy and i opened our gifts.

he got Star Wars Risk and a remote control BB8

I got a pizza stone for the bbq, some books i had been wanting, a cute little dragon from my girl and tickets (to a concert in August) from my hubby.  

my boy's choice for dinner that evening - boston pizza.

on my actual birthday i slept in a little.

took my dad for a walk on our new 1km trail out back.

got a phone call from my mom-in-law.

went to lunch with my parents and kids.

then my parents headed home and the kids and i went to the boardwalk on the trail for some swimming.

HOT day!

lots of fun with them.

My 2nd jump as a 41 year old. 

then we went to the dollarstore for some candy, and i bought myself some Reese PB Cups... 

tried a couple stores to find myself a Jones Soda, but, alas... no Jones for my birthday.

after a few minutes of the kids playing at the park, while i enjoyed my pb cups, we headed home.

we headed across the tracks to let the kidlets do some scootering...

until my boy went into the ditch.

for dinner dan made french toast and i wanted to watch The Princess Bride. 

and my boy remembered to give me my new colouring book Harry Potter Magical Creatures. 

it was my birthday,

i'm now 41.

it didn't feel special...

41 feels no different than 40 did..

or 39 for that matter.

it felt like a normal summer day.

but it was wonderful.

Limberlost Challenge

this year i ran The Limberlost Challenge.

i ran the 14km.

it was fun.

i loved it.

i had to go through a big big big big big big big big big big mud pit.

i got muddy.

i finished my race.

dan ran the end with me.

i passed the finish line, i finished my race.  

i was so happy.

*as dictated by my girl*

*my turn to tell you how it was*

I had originally hoped to be in the top 10 of my age group this year.

but i did not train enough.

i went into this year with not having run more than the 10km i ran at Band on the Run one month before.

i was not prepared but i was planning to run it anyway.

i love the Limberlost Challenge.

my hubby made the decision to run the 56 one week before so we signed up.

(obviously even though i was planning to run it i was hesitant to sign up)

Dan hadn't been feeling the greatest and was planning to take it easy, and not push himself too much.

he was aiming for a 7 hour finish.

i was just wanting to cross the finish line, i didn't care how fast, although i will be honest, i wanted to break 2 hours. knowing that would be crazy hard.

the night before the race happened.

thunderstorms.

rain.

lots of both.

the morning of the race happened.

rain.

we set up for the kids to hang out 

(a friend was coming to hang with them)

and got ready for the race.

a wet morning.

but everyone was excited, and spirits were high.

the 56km race headed out.

dan hung back and didn't rush.

the 28km race headed out.

our friend showed up so i could get ready for my run.

my turn!

off we went.

last year i was determined to be at the front at the beginning so i didn't get caught behind the crowd entering the trail or crossing the first bridge.

but, i forgot that this year - mainly because i wasn't ready for the race.

i love running trails.

i spent a lot of time running with people who had never run it before.

i chatted with many of them.

we ran similar pace for a bit.

i really enjoy the many people on the trail.

so many encouraging people, and i love also encouraging those i pass or who pass me.

i am so thankful for everyone who run the aid stations.

the trail was pretty much one big trail of mud!

hills to slide on, puddles to go through.

mud, mud and more mud!

I think I wore the right shirt for the day

it was beautiful.

and exhausting.

i was running and chatting with a couple in the last 2km.

i felt done.

i hurt.

i was walking a little more often than i wanted to.

when suddenly someone jumped on me.

i now had less than a kilometre and someone jumps on me.

it was Dan!

he was finishing his second lap.

i was going slower than last year.

and he was faster than originally planning to run.

we ran together for the end.

i told him to go on, 

but he wanted to cross my finish line with me.

i was about to walk the last little hill when he took my hand and we ran out of the woods together.

i finished my race with my husband!  

it made me so happy.

I didn't make the top 10 of my age group.

but i am happy with my time, and results.

Results 14km (look up my bib #329)

and off he went to lap 3 of 4.

i will train better next year.

i think.

when dan was on his 4th and final lap we went to see him at the one mud hole.

which was even bigger now.

we saw the first place guy pass.

pretty sure it was him.

but the second place guy didn't pass us.

(we were pretty sure he hadn't already gone by)

and then Dan came.

we were pretty sure he was in second.

he was hurting but doing well.

we headed back to the finish to see him.

He came in 2nd overall.

1st in his age.

he had a great run.

Results 56km (bib #766)

so that's what taking it easy looks like.

haha.

i absolutely love that race.

i am already looking forward to it again next year.

so proud of my husband

we went car-camping for the week of Aug 22-29.

two reasons we went.

first and foremost was to have family time doing something we love to do.

We love Killarney and everything about it.

Dan and i met there years ago.

we have car camped a few times.

we have backpacked and enjoyed the interior campsites.

we have canoed on some of the lakes.

*we have travelled into the village of Killarney and enjoyed world famous Fish and Chips 

and explored the lighthouse on Georgian Bay.*

it is a favorite location and it was wonderful to be back there.

This year we had another family with us for the week.

the kids loved having friends there with us, and so did we.

secondly, and the reason we chose Killarney Provincial Park,

was for my husband to run the La Cloche Silhouette Trail.

The trail is 78km in length.

the terrain is quite rugged and technical.

it is recommended to take 7-10 days if backpacking along it.

the trail begins and ends at the George Lake Campground which made it perfect for Dan to run the whole loop.

he planned to run it on Tuesday.

*others have run it, 

see bottom of this link & description*

he was going to run it clockwise.  

the beginning of the trail would be the easiest terrain.

the second half was going to be the hardest and steepest.

our friend Ed was planning to run the last half with Dan.

on Monday we had another family come up for 2 nights so we would have extra people on support team.

the plan:

• Dan would head out from the main trailhead at 6am.
• 4 of us would paddle from Bell Lake to David Lake.  
• meet Dan where the trail crosses the portage to boundary lake.
• Dan would refill his camelback with gatorade and snacks.
• Ed would run with Dan the rest of the way as the 3 of us paddled back to Bell Lake, and i head back to George lake campground and our other friends head home.
• meet dan and ed at end of trail with the kids.

Monday night Dan packed everything he needed for the run.

it was going to be a rainy day.

90% chance of rain.

we didn't doubt the possibility.

and the temperature was to be around 16*C

sleep did not come easy.

5:00am came early. 

it had rained all night long, but stopped shortly before 5.

we woke the kids up at 5:35 as they wanted to come to daddy's start.

over to the trailhead we walked in the dark.

headlamps guiding the way.

the campground was so quiet and still.

when we got to the trailhead we gathered together and prayed for dan.

he was to be running alone until we met up with him.

i cried.

i was nervous.

it was to be wet.

wet rocks, would not be easy.

i began the stopwatch on my phone as he headed across the bridge to begin the trail.

it was dark.

Rhonda would be hanging with the kids for the day as i got to be support crew.

support crew headed to Bell Lake.

one canoe.

4 people.

i wasn't necessary to be there except that i wasn't staying back at the campsite wondering how he was doing.

the paddle was wet.

the rain didn't let up.

it wasn't heavy at all but consistent.

on one portage we met with some people returning from a trip

we told them where we were going.

it was so encouraging.

the lady said she was so glad that she had met us.

that trail running a distance like that always seemed like an urban legend, but she had met us and my husband was doing just that.  

they were quite excited for him.

we arrived at the meet point.

he had run a 56k race in just under 6 hours.

he compared the first part to that, except he wasn't racing it, but it gave us a good earliest expectation.

so we waited.

6 and a half hours after he started out we saw him crest over the rock.

"i am so glad to see you guys."

he said as he ran down to where we were meeting.

brief chat.

bit of food.

change of shirt.

refill camelback.

the decision to not run up the side trail to the Silver peak was made.

so overcast and rainy.  they didn't need to head up there.

and off they headed.

if ed wasn't running with dan he probably would have finished when we met him.

he hurt.

he was tired.

it was only getting harder from there.

it had already been so difficult as he climbed the trail.

but with ed's excitement, even nervousness, they headed out together.

our canoe travelled back to Bell lake.

the rain slowed.

*we found out later ed and dan had re-debated heading to silver peak, because it cleared slightly.

the original decision stood and they continued on their way.*

when we got back to the car i headed back to our campsite.

i was so glad i had been there to see him, to encourage him, to support him.

now i didn't want to miss him at the end.

i met up with Rhonda and the kids and we headed to the final destination.

the kids biked and climbed on the rocks as we waited.

Rhonda and i watched the stopwatch and watched for them to arrive.

other people kept fooling us as they came to the end of the trail.

Rhonda and the kids climbed up to look around a little as i waited at the bottom just in case they came and i could stop the timer.

nothing.

the girls told many people why we were waiting there.

the girls made a sign out of acorns that said DAD!

they worked so hard on it.

i walked up to check out the top of that hill, 

hoping..

hoping to see them.

i turned to come back down and, as i neared the girls, Rhonda yelled

"i think i see them!"

i turned to see them coming over and through the trees.

i cheered, 

the kids and rhonda cheered.

our husbands had done it.

the girls showed them their sign on the ground.

i high five them each and rhonda stopped the timer as they crossed the end.

11hours and 26 minutes.

Dan had run the La Cloche Silhouette Backpacking Trail.

he did it!

thanks ed for being the last-half pacer and encouragement for him.

thanks rhonda for watching the kids so i could meet at the half way point.

thanks marshall family for the canoeing and crazy support.

thanks portage-ers and hikers who were excited for him.

thanks jen for praying on tuesday after my text to you.

thanks friends and family who encouraged and prayed.

we didn't tell many people, so most of you didn't know, but now you do.

 *photos by me with Gertie

*dark morning photo with Chester