Donate now!

To support my fundraising efforts, click the logo below:

One week to go…

It is hard to believe that a week from today, I will have completed the London marathon, achieving a dream that I have had for so many years. After months of long training runs in the rain, sleet, wind and snow, all that sits between me and this dream are a work day, a ferry, plane, subway and train (and maybe a double decker bus or two)! Chris and I fly out of Vancouver on Wednesday evening and arrive in London at 10:30am UK time on the Thursday morning, so it should give me enough time to get over any jet-lag and hopefully feel rested up for the Sunday morning run. Did I mention I am nervous?!! For those of you are awake next Sunday morning at about 1:45am Canadian time, you can track me online, my bib number is 46,836.

It has been a journey and as I get closer to my marathon destination, I realize that I could not have got to this point without the love and support of so many wonderful people. To my incredible friends and family who have donated time, energy as well as silent auction items and funds in support of Scope, I thank you! With your donations, we have managed to raise nearly 3,000 British Pounds in support of a great cause that gives people with disabilities the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest. And to my training partners, a special thanks to all of you who have been a constant source of motivation and support along the way, not to mention keeping me strong and hydrated (thanks Kat)! A special shout out to my Sunday long run training partner Heather, with whom I have shared many a mile and who is doing her own fundraising in support of Lupus research, advocacy and awareness – an autoimmune disease that has affected her on a personal level – I cherish all of our miles laughter and stories – thank you sista! (Check out Heather’s blog at: http://www.laceup4lupus.blogspot.ca/) To my amazing parents, who have encouraged and supported me along the way and who worked their magic at the silent auction – you guys rule! And finally, a huge thanks to my incredible husband Chris, who patiently supports this affair I have with running, and will be cheering me along on Sunday, reminding me to “hammer down” and make it all count.

I KNOW THAT ALL OF YOU WILL BE WITH ME ON SUNDAY MORNING.

I will make sure to do a post run report and let you know how I made out, but until then, please send me your healthy, speedy, strong running vibes when you go to bed on Saturday night.

Now, let’s run! xx J

Many Miles of March

The month of March has flown by and I realize it has been some time since I have posted in my training blog! I cannot believe that yesterday was the first day of Spring – apparently Mother Nature did not get the memo – I got stuck in a nice hailstorm mixed with sleet during my evening run. I had thought we were past the wet, windy weather but apparently not! I quickly discovered that hail on the forehead whilst running does not feel good. Words cannot describe how I looked when I arrived home so I am including a photo for evidence…

My training has had me covering a lot of ground lately and fortunately I have not had to do many solo runs as Heather has also been ramping up her long runs in preparation for the Vancouver Marathon. Most Sundays we have been covering at least 30-34km and I am definitely feeling like the miles are paying off in preparation for the marathon. Last Saturday we rewarded our efforts with a trip Tonic Spa-Tique (http://tonicspatique.com/) for a facial and lower leg massage – luxury! We capped it up with lunch at Rebar which was delcious!

This past weekend we headed up Island to run the Comox Half Marathon, staying overnight at Heather’s Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Doug’s house in Nanoose Bay, Nanaimo. They were wonderful hosts and made us a yummy dinner and a great breakfast including a foamy coffee – fuel for the half marathon! We headed up to Comox on the Sunday morning and Mother Nature decided to treat us to some wonderful weather – sunshine, no wind, cool temperatures – a perfect day for a run! The course is a great one, leaving the Filberg Centre in Comox and heading along the river through the country. I had a big smile on my face the entire run and was planning on doing my marathon pace as a practice (5:05/km) but felt so great that I ended up running a 1:43 (4:53/km). It was great reconnecting with old friends and seeing familiar faces of my TWC running buddies. All in all, it was a great weekend getaway and it ended on a high with such a great run.

Tomorrow is exactly one month before the marathon… getting excited!! See you again soon! xo J

Running buddies!

My frothy coffee chez Cheryl and Doug!

Silent Auction Success!

This past Saturday I held my Silent Auction Fundraiser for Scope at the Moon Under Water Brew Pub and it turned out to be a great success! As a result of the past few weeks of hard work, preparation and people’s wonderful generosity, we managed to pull off quite the event! We had a broad assortment of items, which meant there was something for everyone! Over 60 people attended at various stages of the afternoon/ evening and had fun bidding on items, playing my Mum’s bottle and card game, guessing the number of eggs in the jar, and enjoying a pint of the Moon’s great assortment of beers.

I was completely blown away with people’s generosity and support – we managed to raise a lot of money for Scope, which was the reason for being there, and we also had a lot of fun. The event was a joint effort of friends, family and the Brew Pub, who graciously donated their pub to host the event.

Thanks to everyone for coming out and showing your support – I really have been overwhelmed these past few months with everyone’s kindness and generosity in support of Scope and my goal to run in the London Marathon on behalf of Scope. I really do hope this great energy will “carry” me through the 42.2 kilometres in London on April 22nd!
xo J.

Running Friends and Fundraising

This week, I was reminded how wonderful people can be…

Chris and I spent much of our Saturday trekking around shops in downtown Victoria looking for any last minute donations we could add to the Silent Auction Fundraiser. We had low expectations as we know stores often get asked for donations, yet when we approached store managers and talked about Scope and supporting people with disabilities, people were very supportive and many offered us items to be used in the auction, or passed along information to their bosses. It was just great being out there and meeting with people and chatting with them about the Marathon and Scope – people are great!

On Sunday, I ran out to Sidney with my two running buddies, Heather and Kat. They had agreed to try out my 32 km route to Sidney ending with a brunch at the Roost and had even agreed to the plan to convince Heather’s husband Lee (and my husband Chris) to meet us out there so that we had a ride home. The run was so much fun and it went by very quickly having Kat and Heather there. We ran from our houses in Vic out on the Galloping Goose Trail, along the beautiful Lochside Trail, an extra loop out by the fields near Welch Road, out to Beacon, to the airport and back down East Saanich Road to the Roost Farm Bakery and Cafe. I could not have done it so well without Heather and Kat there for support and it made me very appreciative of having such wonderful running friends, who I am getting to know better after each run. I also was thankful that Lee and Chris were willing to drive to the Roost to meet us, and were happy to accept yummy brunch for payment!

And finally, this past week (and along the journey), I have been overwhelmed with the generosity of family, friends and colleagues who have donated items for the Silent Auction, sponsored me online, or have just been there with supportive words – you guys do not know how much it means to me to have such great support. It is really, really appreciated.

Hope to see you all on Saturday! A reminder that the event will run from 3:00-6:00pm, but the Silent Auction will be closing at 5:30pm, so make sure you come in time to bid!

xx Jani

An Affair with Running

It just dawned on me. I am having an affair…..with running.

Last week, I overheard my husband Chris tell someone “if I want to spend anytime with Jani these days, I have to run with her.” At the time it made me laugh, but this past Sunday evening, as I ran along Dallas Road in the sunset completely absorbed in my happy running world, I realized that I have indeed committed to “Running”, and we are having quite the relationship!

Since December, we have been spending no less than 5 days a week together, on some occasions for quite extended periods (usually Sundays). We have deep heart-to-hearts, we tell secrets, we laugh together, and Running knows how to console me when I am feeling stressed or down. Running also takes me on all sorts of adventures, up mountains, along trails, and along the cliff tops of Dallas Road in the sunset – all very romantic! But don’t get me wrong, Running can also be quite demanding and requires me to ‘hang out’  despite wailing winds, dark nights, and pouring rain.  However, no matter what, Running leaves me on a “high” – feeling stronger, and more confident, fit and free! Good thing my even more AMAZING husband is very supportive of this affair with Running and on most days, will actually join us! 😉

With this week’s post, I am including a few snaps from our recent ski trip to Mt. Baker. The sun was shining, the air was clean, and it reminded me again how blessed I am to be “able” to ski, to snowboard, to climb, to dance, to hike, to bike, and to run. Not all of us have these opportunities, so for those of us that do, let’s never take it for granted. It is this thought that continually drives me to train hard for my Marathon goal that I am doing on behalf of Scope, and help them meet their amazing goal of giving people with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else. xo J.

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/JaniUrquhart

Sopping Solo Saunter

It is February 1st tomorrow which means that there are just over 3 months to go until the Marathon – it is starting to feel very real and I am getting excited! I have been kicking up the fundraising efforts this past week and I have secured a date, time and venue for my Silent Auction Fundraiser. It is going to be held on Saturday, February 18th at the Moon Under Water Brew Pub in Victoria. I have been collecting auction items, but there is still room for more, so please let me know if you have something you would like to donate to be auctioned off! Every little bit helps! Here is the flyer for the event – in true Scope colours, I hope you like it!

This past week I was in Port McNeill for work for two days, so on those days I had to do my runs inside on a treadmill!! I quickly discovered why I prefer to run outside, as an hour and 10 minutes on a treadmill is somewhat tedious. I did have headphones connected to a small tv screen on the treadmill (how advanced); however, it was not quite the same as breathing fresh outdoor air and treading on new turf. That said, I chose to run inside as there had been a cougar sighting in the area and I wasn’t prepared to take the risk – most of you know my history with wild animals!

By Friday, I was back in Victoria with a whole new appreciation for my outdoor, cougar-free running routes. Chris was my training partner on Saturday, but for my Sunday long run, I did it solo in the pouring rain as Heather was over in Vancouver. I had to do 29km, so I made my way east along Finlayson, through Fernwood and along Haultain out to Beach Drive. I stayed along Beach Drive along the water, as it turned into Dallas Road, all the while still running in the pouring rain. I cranked the tunes on the IPod and tried to keep things upbeat, but the streets were quiet, and I had moments of feeling quite lonesome – it sure made me appreciate my usual running partners!! I headed around the water around James Bay, back through downtown and over the Johnson Street Bridge, and headed into Esquimalt and then up to Tillicum Road, where I crossed back over towards the Galloping Goose trail, and then made my way back home. As it had poured the entire run, my hair had once again wound itself into a nice rat’s nest (photo evidence below). You think I would have learned from last time! But alas, no.

This weekend I am off to Mt.Baker for some skiing…. cross training!! I will try to take lots of pics! Until then, signing off!

Slippery City and Blustery Battles

I called downtown Vancouver “home” this past week as I spent 5 days in the heart of the City for a course I was taking over there for work. I was a bit unsure how I was going to fit in my training runs between the coursework, regular work that needed attention, and of course, dinner plans all week, including my BIRTHDAY!! However, I was somewhat excited about the prospect of changing things up a bit and running in a new environment so I packed my gear for my scheduled training days. 

By Tuesday evening, Mother Nature had dusted the City of Vancouver with a fresh layer of snow and sub-zero temperatures, so I had to bundle up in preparation for my run. I was scheduled to do an hour and 15 minutes, so I left the hotel and headed down towards Coal Harbour, along the seawall towards Stanley Park. I was thinking that I would do a loop of the park and a bit extra along English Bay and that would give me enough mileage to make up the time. The sky was darkening as I made my way around the seawall and while I did have some small lights to be visible, I soon realized that I was alone, running in the dark along the seawall and I hadn’t seen another soul for quite some time. I took the advice of my inner voice and turned around just before the Lions Gate Bridge and headed back towards the City, at least where the seawall was exposed to the lights from downtown. I ended up running down Denman Street and headed over to English Bay and False Creek, where the walkway was well lit and I encountered quite a few more runners along the route, making me feel much safer! I snapped some pics on my iphone at the beginning of the run so you can see how pretty the City looked from the seawall! I ended the evening with a wonderful birthday dinner with my Dad, brother Tim and friends Rebecca, Laura and Amy!

View from Coal Harbour towards the North Shore

 

By Wednesday, most of the snow had been compacted into piles of ice mixed with salt, which made for a very slippery run, especially as I was supposed to be doing speed work! This time, I made the wise decision to start out along False Creek towards English Bay, and did a bit of an ‘out and back’ and did my best to do pick-ups without sliding too much! I completed the evening with a dinner at Nuba with Fiona, my close friend and colleague who is doing her Masters at SFU in Van. The restaurant was super funky and had some great vegetarian items – I am definitely going back!  

My Thursday training run was definitely the highlight of the week as I had two friends join me – both long time friends from Vancouver who I haven’t seen in ages – Marilouise Muller (my very first friend!) and Lindsay Phelps, with whom I spent copious amounts of time in highschool. Mar met me at the hotel and we ran and met Lindsay on the south side of the Burrard Street Bridge. We had to tread carefully as the streets were still quite icy, and the time passed quickly as we spent most of the run chatting and catching up. Both ladies were great sports and I was so grateful to have friends with me on the run – I will know who to call next time I am training in Vancouver! I snapped a photo of my City training partners – thanks again ladies! I capped off the evening with an absolutely incredible meal at Hawksworth with my wonderful friend Heather, where her husband Kristian, is the Chef de Cuisine. Kristian cooked us a special taster menu, each dish better than the last, and I was thinking how fortunate it was I had been doing so much running all week! The food was absolutely incredible, and I would recommend it to anyone next time you are in Vancouver.

Marilouise (left) and Lindsay

By Sunday, I was back in Victoria on the rock, and most of the snow that the Island had received the week before had melted. I awoke early in the morning to howling winds outside and debris whipping against my bedroom window. I ventured out into the windstorm and met Heather, who was being blown down the road towards me. Our 25 km run felt like 50 km in that wind! One minute we were fighting against it, and then it would stop, and we would lunge forward. I realized pretty quickly how hard we were working as we had very little reprieve from our blustery battle, as is the case in Victoria – the wind seems to blow against you no matter what direction you are headed! We made it back and were quite pleased with ourselves that we had not been blown away. Heather once again proved to be the perfect long run partner – keeping a steady pace despite the whipping wind. Thanks friend.

Another crazy week of winter running – stay tuned for next week! xo

Say hello to WINTER!

It has been about two weeks since my last blog entry, but last week was a “recovery” week on the training plan, which meant that I was supposed to pull back a bit on the mileage and recover from all of the building I have been doing as of late. I kicked off the week by scheduling myself a massage at Equilibrium Massage Therapy on Monday evening and was kneaded into a relaxed state, despite having some “ow” moments when the masseuse worked into my hamstrings and quads –  it was a good reminder that I need to make time for stretching before and after my runs!!

Interestingly, my week of recovery allowed my body to rest a bit, and on Tuesday evening, I felt a slight tickle in my throat and by Wednesday, I had a full blown head cold. Boo. I know that I have been burning the candle at both ends both on the home front and at work, and it finally caught up to me! It was almost as if my body knew it was a light training week and decided that this was the time to get sick. It did force me to go really easy on the days I was scheduled to run and also rest a bit more than normal, so perhaps these things are blessings!

Anyway, with the recovery week complete, and the cold still lingering, I was a bit unsure of how I was going to manage to do the 2 hour long run on the training schedule. Fortunately, my friend and training partner Heather offered to create us a route and agreed to let me set the pace to ensure that I would make it to the finish. I woke up this morning to find a fresh dusting of snow on the ground, so I suited up for the cold and headed out to meet Heather. She had created a wonderful route for us including a mix of road and trails with some hills for good measure. While I definitely didn’t have my normal energy levels, it was such a great route that it went by much faster than if I had been running solo. By the time I got home, I had been out for 2 hours and 3 minutes and the Garmin was reading 22.79km. Most of the snow had melted, but I had Chris snap a photo to show that I was still smiling at the finish! Thanks to Heather for great company and a fantastic route – it was awesome making fresh tracks and feeling the sunshine on our faces on the way home! 🙂

I am off to Vancouver this week for a course for work, but I plan to do my training runs from over there – stay tuned for how that goes. I am also going to be having my birthday this week, so next time I check in, I will be 32 years old!

Happy Running!

New Year’s Day Dash and Dive

Happy New Year!

The first day of 2012 started off a big groggy for me – an early morning wake-up after being out until 1:30am to ring in the New Year had me seriously doubting my “yes” response to Heather the day before when she asked me if I wanted to join her and Kat for a long run at the lakes. Heather (and her pup Macy) arrived to pick me up looking bright eyed and bushy-tailed and seeming far too energetic to be my running partners for the morning.

Kat and her pup Juno were already at the Beaver Lake parking lot when we arrived, as were a pack of Harriers who were there for the annual Harriers Memorial Run/Walk. We said hello to our fellow friends and runners and the three of us headed out on the trail to get our first lap started to ensure we were back in time to meet up with the ladies who were meeting us there for lap #2. We started out at a steady pace and after a few kilometers I had shaken off the cobwebs and was already starting to feel like a new woman!

We were clocking a pretty steady pace after the 6km mark but all felt great and were having no trouble chatting, so we figured we would keep going at that pace. Janet, Sam and Shari (and her pup Jersey) were planning to meet us for our second loop and they were all there as we turned the last corner towards the Beaver Lake parking lot. After some “Happy New Year” hellos and hugs, we headed out for loop #2.

Despite dogs darting around our ankles and poor Heather having to warn oncoming runners to “watch your shins”, we managed to hold a steady pace and even kept the pups in a somewhat straight line! There was lots of chatter and it was great catching up with the gals and finally getting to meet Shari, whom I have heard so much about.  With such great company and conversation, the second loop went by in a flash!! We clocked 1:42:10 and 19.60km on the Garmin GPS and felt great.

The icing on the cake was the post run polar bear “dip” in the lake –  you can imagine the sight of five ladies in spandex and sports bras sprinting (and shrieking!) into the icy cold water. I bailed on entry (due to a dog blocking my path) but regained composure long enough to see Heather do a beautiful dive into the water – nice job lady! I dipped and ran out as fast as I could, feeling energized and invigorated!

All in all, it was a great way to kick off the New Year – a huge thanks to Heather for organizing the troops, and to Kat, Janet, Sam and Shari for the great run and conversation! I am taking all of you ladies on my future long runs!

My long run partners - Kat and Heather

Sam, Kat, Janet, Heather and Shari - Post Run

Drying off after the Polar Bear Swim