The Moose is Loose 2012

The Scenario

Sunday July 22nd was the Moose is Loose in Edmonton. My husband's cousin and her husband had registered for the 10km run. However, they were unable to make it when they managed to sell their house & buy a new one just days before the run. So, I ran this event solo, but, it was awesome to have my family there to support me.

We had an action packed, fun day yesterday!

In an attempt to set my mind at ease, we mapped out the route from the hotel to the race start point. When we got there, I was happy to see that the beginning of the trail was a sort of double wide bike trail with crushed gravel. We tootled around the park a bit, threw some sticks and rocks into the river and enjoyed the views. Then we spent the rest of the morning at the West Ed mall taking in the sites (unfortunately, the only shopping I actually managed was Bath & Body Works!) and then headed back to the hotel after the Sea Lion show to hit the water slides again!

Despite our trip to scout things out, I was still feeling ill at ease for the run. I worried that as I made my way through the course, the trail would become more of a difficult single lane goat trail. I had also started to fret over the availability of water and biffies. When I had picked up my race package the night before, I hadn't looked at it's contents until I was back out in the vehicle. It was only then that I realized that it only consisted of my shirt and bib....I had expected a more detailed route map, but there was no such thing. The only map that the race directors had provided was an online satellite image that didn't indicate where the aid stations would be or if there would even be any. 

I decided that worrying was getting me nowhere, so I phoned back to the Running Room to inquire. Although the person I spoke to didn't know anything about the terrain or the course, she was at least able to tell me that there would be seven aid stations along the half marathon route. So, it would seem that I had all the information I was going to be able to get and I would just have to have faith that I would be fine. 

We had planned to go for supper at the Olive Garden (HELLO CARBS!), but when we got there the wait for a table was over an hour (in all the times I've been to Edmonton, I've only managed to actually eat there once....so I wasn't really that surprised that they were lined up on a Saturday night, lol!). After a little tour around the area, we decided to return to the West Ed. We thought we'd see what the wait was like at the restaurants down Bourbon Street. 

It's funny how sometimes things work out so well. While the Olive Garden would have been nice, Owen & Myles much preferred Jungle Jim's! Their menu was on the back of a mask, they got fruit slushies to drink, there was lots of crazy crap on the walls to look at and their meals were served on a frisbee! The food was pretty good too.

Happy boys at Jungle Jims

Needless to say, bedtime was pretty easy....the boys were beat!

Once they were to sleep, I laid out all my supplies for the next morning. I prepped the coffee pot and got my breakfast organized. Got the kids' outfits and necessities laid out. Set my alarm for 5:30 and then we relaxed with a nice cold beer.

So, this morning I met up with the other runners at Emily Murphy Park. The weather was beautiful! When we arrived at the park just after 7:30 the temperature was 16 degrees Celsius. I wore my shorts, the tech shirt that I received in my race package, my headband and my sunglasses. The use of earbuds was prohibited, so I sent my ipod back to the truck with my family (I had thought I'd carry it with me and then pop in one bud once things thinned out; however, as the race director gave the directives before the run began, he said anyone caught using earbuds would be disqualified.....yikes!).

The Event

The Moose is Loose is an event that is organized and hosted by the Running Room. I can't find much information about the event and didn't think to ask anyone when I was there. It seems like it's been a regular on the Edmonton running scene for a number of years. The proceeds from this year's event go to the Uncles & Aunts at Large program.

There were right around five hundred people that participated in this event. 277 completed the half marathon (260 runners & 17 walkers) and 216 finished the 10km distance (190 runners & 26 walkers). By spacing out the start times for the four event categories, the organizers were able to eliminate some of the inevitable congestion at the start line. With 260 people starting out at the same time, things are bound to be a bit squishy, but it didn't take too long for things to space out.

The course was really well marked, I never worried that I was going the wrong way and the marshals were friendly and encouraging. The aid stations were well spaced and each offered water and gatorade. The tech shirt fits good and I like that it's navy. I was also really happy with the finishers medal. It is a solid, weighty chunk of a medal. My husband laughs at me, but I LOVE the feeling of accomplishment when I cross the finish line and there is someone there to put a medal around my neck! Unfortunately, it wasn't until I got home that I realized that they had draped me with the wrong medal....I had a 10km finishers medal. So, I've sent it back to be exchanged and don't have a picture of it to show you. You'll just have to trust me, it's a beauty!

The Excuses

Last night, I decided that I would have to go with the flow today and just accept where the route would take me, the kind of terrain I would encounter and the aid I would be provided. Obviously, this is NOT how I usually approach things! Generally, I take time to figure out the course and the distance markers and the locations of the drink stations etc. Then, as I run the event I use that information to make mental deals with myself (for example: my legs are tired and I want to slow down, but I will keep running until the next aid station...then I can slow long enough to grab a drink). However, this was hard to do today because I didn't know how far that distance would be. Thankfully, I was feeling strong and I didn't have much need for my 'mental games'.

The only other downfall of not being familiar with the route, was that right at the very end, I didn't know exactly how much further I had to go. The hills made my Nike+ distance a little inaccurate, so when I thought I had 1 mile remaining, there was actually 1.5 miles. This might seem minor, but it meant that I ran full out for half a mile more than I had anticipated. When I crossed the finish line I was spent!

I also found it a bit of a struggle at times, to run without my ipod. As I've said before, the speed of my music has a direct impact on how fast I run. That, and I didn't realize how loud I breathe! Good grief I was huffing and puffing, lol! Although I totally understand why the race officials have the rule in place (it makes it too hard on a trail run to hear other runners & bikers approaching and accept directions from people along the course if you're zoned out), I still missed my tunes.

Around the 5 km point, there was a group of Lululemon girls cheering and holding encouraging signs. After looping back, about 16 km into my run, I encountered them again. I really appreciated their spirit and energy! It seems that it takes me the first 5 km to find my groove, I blast through the middle 10 km and then have to push through the last 5 km....so their placement was perfect for me. It's funny what a boost their encouragement gave me.

The Best Part

I feel great to have completed this run!

This morning as I sat in the quiet hotel room eating my oatmeal & banana and drinking my coffee, my nervousness returned. I woke my family up just before 7:00 (I felt bad waking them after such a busy day, but it's probably only about the third time my boys have ever had to be woken up in their lives!). As we made our way to the park, I was so nervous I actually thought I could be sick. When my husband asked me what I was so uptight about I said I wasn't entirely sure other than the fear of the unknown.

It was great having my family there to stand with while I waited in line for the port-a-potty and listened to the instructions. After a smooch and hugs, I was on my way.

It only took a couple minutes for the butterflies to flutter away. Once I got going, I knew I'd be fine.

The route was BEAUTIFUL. I ran through four different parks, through forests, up inclines, through mud, across paved bridges & wooden bridges & plank bridges. I was almost always near water and the scenery was fantastic! The trail stayed wide and manageable. As expected, I found it more difficult to run on the rough trail terrain than on pavement (this was confirmed during the couple of paved sections on the route), but it was still really manageable.

As I ran, I was thankful for the shade the trees provided. By the time I finished my run, the temperature was up at 26 degrees. It would have been a scorcher if it had been a road race!

After leaving me at the start line my family returned to the hotel for breakfast and then went on an expedition to explore Rexall Place. The boys were thrilled to see where the Oilers play and the statue of their dad's favourite player, Wayne Gretzky!!

I had guesstimated that I would finish my run between 2:15-2:30 so they got back JUST in the nick of time as I crossed the line in 2:13:29. I was so happy to have them there cheering me on!

Part of this year for me is about pushing my limits and I feel like I definitely did that today! It feels good to have conquered my anxiety and run my first trail run. Last week when our plans changed, it would have been extremely easy for me to bail on the trip and just head out for a 13.1 mile run at home, but I'm glad I didn't....that would have been too easy.....and  I would have missed out on the awesome medal! I mean, the quality family time, ha, ha!

I am excited that this half has put my 2012 total distance to date over the 570 mile point! I am looking forward to spending more time hanging out with my family and enjoying everything that summer has to offer. Now I've got three weeks to prepare for the Saskatoon Roadrunners Association's River Run Classic on Sunday August 12th.