9 things I'm learning as a crossfit newbie...

Almost two months ago I decided to try out crossfit.  Never one for doing enough strength training in addition to my running, I knew crossfit was a tough workout but I thought it might be fun way to add more strength work in.

Going in, I had all kinds of preconceived ideas about crossfit:

• You gotta be tough to do it;
• You gotta be strong to do it; and
• It might be too hard for my post-accident body and all it's ongoing problems.

But now that's its been a couple months, I realize I'm learning quite a few big lessons.  Not just about crossfit but about myself at the same time. Since I'm still a newbie, I thought sharing these might help out other newbies too...

1.  Crossfit is functional fitness.

My biggest fear going in was that crossfit would be too much for me and my poor messed-up back.  But as we worked through the classes I started to realize that crossfit is actually all about functional fitness - everyday movements like lifting, pulling, reaching.  You can strengthen a muscle but using it in practise is a totally different thing - using a muscle functionally is what will ultimately condition it for everyday use.  And when I think of where my greatest weaknesses are since getting hurt, it's in the everyday movements of dealing with the kids, taking care of the house etc.  I feel like crossfit might be exactly what I need to finally gain some of my mobility and functionality back.

This idea all fell into place yesterday when I read an article posted by Dai Manuel (a local FitFluential Ambassador and all round fitness and crossfit guru).  In his "What is Crossfit?" post he pointed out the functional aspect of it and for me it just clicked.  

2.  You need to know your limitations.

So in saying all that above, I know that I have to be super mindful of my body's mobility limitations.  We're all different and past injuries and weaknesses change the way our bodies function going forward.  For me, I have major mobility issues in my thoracic spine and shoulders - the gnarled-up, scar-tissue-ridden muscles don't move smoothly or in the correct range of motion they should.  In short, my shoulders probably can't move the same way yours do.  

So in order to still be strengthening properly, I need to be aware of those limitations so that I can work with them.  For me, that means adjusting my grip at times, lessening the width of my stance and doing lots of extra stretching and flexibility work.  

3.  Don't be afraid (or too proud) to modify.

We all have to start somewhere and especially with all of my mobility issues and weak muscles, that 'somewhere' is pretty low on the food chain!  It doesn't just mean lifting less weight than everyone else but in many cases, it means modifying the exercise completely.  Sometimes it's a strength issue and sometimes it's because my mobility limits me from doing the exercise properly.  At first I was kind of embarrassed but now I realize it's more important to do crossfit right than it is to keep up with how much everyone else is lifting.  

4.  Don't be afraid (or too proud) to be last.

Let's face it, if you're starting out like me, you're going to be the last one finishing at some point.  Just like with running, I'm starting from scratch and there's been many days where I'm the last one finishing my WOD.  It's not fun being last but don't be afraid to be last.  Don't rush through it and lose your form, just stay focused and know that you won't always be last.

5.  Do it right to avoid injury.

The instructors at our gym are awesome for making sure we are all doing everything correctly.  They are constantly watching our form to make sure we're not going to get hurt.  I can see that it would be easy to get caught up in progressing quickly and lifting bigger and bigger weights, but if you're not doing it right, you're more likely to get hurt than get stronger.  I've spent lots of classes working more on my technique than on progressing my weights.  I think as newbies we need to be willing to strip the weight down to make sure we're getting the motions right first.

6.  Consider your other activities.

One thing I'm starting think about however, is how crossfit fits in with all of my running.  There's no doubt the strength training will benefit my running (heck and my whole life in general) but I have to be mindful of what training I have going on any given week.  Crossfit is hard and your muscles will no doubt be sore which can drastically affect the quality of your runs.  I'm not saying they're not compatible, but I'm learning how to pick which days make sense and what intensity is safe for crossfit given what training runs I have planned.

7.  You don't have to BE tough, you just need to think tough!

I always thought that the kind of people who did crossfit were totally hardcore, big-muscled and generally just tough.  I was totally worried I'd be out of place because I am neither hardcore, muscled (at all) or tough in any way.  Our gym is awesome for this because we have young, old, new, seasoned, big, little, pregnant - you name it.  I haven't seen any egos, just tons of hard work and that inspires me to not be afraid of being tough enough.  It doesn't matter if I AM tough, it just matters if I can think tough when trying each of the exercises - not be afraid, focus and try my hardest.  That sounds pretty tough to me.

8.  You are stronger than you think.

At crossfit I laugh at myself quite a bit and sometimes feel like I need to apologize for being weaker or needing to modify but I'm realizing I shouldn't feel the need to do that.  I'm not strong (yet) but even my little weights are hard work for me and that's all that matters.  I'm challenging myself and even though I'm starting at a much lower level (than pretty much everyone!) I'm realizing that strength isn't defined by how much weight you are lifting but by how hard you work at it.  

9.  Above all else, have fun!

I spent a lot of my first few classes worrying about doing things right, being too wimpy and fitting in with the tough guys.  I've thankfully gained some crossfit confidence and feel like I'm finally starting to enjoy the fun of it.  They are right when they say crossfit is like a family - even the toughest of guys at our gym have cheered me on or said "Good job! You can do it!" when I'm the last one struggling with a workout.  Let yourself enjoy the atmosphere and your confidence will skyrocket.

Are you into crossfit too?  What did you learn as a newbie?  What tips or advice would you pass on to someone new like me?

Transitioning from taper to training...

This weekend I ran my first long run for this round of marathon training.  A nice easy 10km but you know what?  It didn't exactly feel as easy as it should have.

On Thursday I put this run off so much it was 9:30pm
by the time I finally jumped on the treadmill! 

Not that the run itself was hard, certainly not.  But I think because my mind hasn't quite caught up yet with the fact that I'm back in training again.  It sounds silly since I just ran a 56km race not long ago, but I totally felt a bit of "ooh, 10km, that's kind of long..." yesterday morning as I drove down to the store and hopped out of the car.  I was amped to run on such a beautiful morning but I had a bit of that slow start kind of feeling as we headed out from the store on our run.

It wasn't a big deal though and I ended up really enjoying the run.  How could I not, it was just so warm and sunny yesterday.  A truly lovely day for a run.  But I will admit that aside from the first night of our clinic (which was just too exciting to not be pumped about) my other two runs this past week took a bit of extra oomph to get done.

I guess I'm just not in that training mindset yet.  But it's really no surprise when you look at my last little while...

• The first week of May was spent tapering for BMO Marathon;
• The last two weeks of May were spent tapering for the Run for Water Ultra Marathon;
• The first week of June was spent recovering from Run for Water; and
• The second week of June I only ran twice before running my first trail race

Yep, it's been a pretty quiet last month on the running front with so much tapering and recovery.  All of the rest has been awesome but it's time to whip this mind and body back into training mode.  Back into the routine where:

• Training runs aren't a question, they're just a part of my day no matter what;
• 8 or 10 km runs during the week don't feel like a chore;
• Making better food choices comes easy again because I can see the difference it makes; and
• Long Sunday morning runs are back on the schedule every week (I sure miss those group runs, can't wait to get running regularly with our clinic group)

I've got so many great events coming up with RnR Seattle half, Scotiabank half, Seawheeze and Disneyland Dumbo Double Dare this summer, then Surrey Marathon, Spirit of the Shore half marathon and Okanagan this fall.  Having so many fun things (and possibly a few more) to look forward to definitely helps get that training mojo going.

One thing I think will also help is that the Surrey Marathon is holding a cool kick-off celebration event this Friday.  Starting at 5:00 am, there will be fitness classes, a pancake breakfast, live broadcasting on our local news and appearances by local celebrities.  The whole thing sounds like a fun way to get people pumped for the start of marathon training and what's even better is that the earlier you show up, the bigger discount you can get on your registration.  

We're heading out for Seattle that afternoon but Krista and I are going to try and get down to the celebration for the crack of dawn at 5:00 am.  And if a 5:00 am wakeup call doesn't make my mind start feeling like it's in training mode, then I don't know what will!

Do you find its a slow start back into a new training schedule?  Got any hot tips for getting those training mojo juices flowing?

8 'signs' you've just run your first ultra marathon...

One of my favourite things about running a race is seeing the signs that people bring to cheer us runners on.  I love them all.  The serious ones "You can do this Mom!".  The weird ones "The honeybadger is chasing you!".  Even the ones not meant for me "Run Suzanne Run!".  I get so pumped by seeing the signs that in that moment, I'm Mom, I'm Suzanne, it doesn't matter, it feels like they're all out there for ME.

No matter what those signs say, they make me feel awesome and put a little pep in my step.  I even saved the very first sign my niece made for me for a half marathon a couple years ago...

I keep my "Go Nikki Go!" sign in my home gym to cheer
me on during those dull treadmill runs

You can probably imagine then, how much it meant to me to find my friends and family along the route at Run for Water with a whole bunch of their own signs!

1.  Nothing is worse than when people shout "You're almost there!" when you really aren't - I love my sister's honesty in that first one!

2.  This next sign refers to working so hard during my rehabilitation after our car accident - she was right, once you've worked that hard to recover from something like that you kind of feel like you can do anything!

3.  This one definitely made me laugh when I saw it.  Somewhere along the line my sister and I started referring to each other as our "seesters" so it brought a smile to my face to see her waving that one around with a bit of pride...

4.  And well, we all know about my unnatural love of fries...

5 & 6.  These two brought tears to my eyes because they are true.  We all worked so hard to train ourselves for this run but we all pushed ourselves harder than ever before because it would be making such a huge difference in someone else's life.  Koshale is the name of the village that we were able to provide an entire clean water system for.  It's amazing what you find you're capable of when you're doing it for the right reason!

7.  My friends Solana and Dianna also got in on the sign action and prepared their own sign.  Fries, chips, cupcakes!  Nothing makes this girl's heart race and feet move like those three things!  I think the whole team got a laugh running in to this rest stop to these two signs waving around.

8.  And lastly, probably my favourite.  We all felt so amazing rounding the corner and approaching the finish line but seeing my mom and dad holding this one brought even more tears to my eyes.  I've come a long way since I started running and all of those emotions were kind of wrapped up in that one sign...

At Run for Water having my friends and family out there with me that day made such a huge difference.  Their cheers and these signs will forever be part of my first ultra marathon memories because they made me smile at the start, boosted my spirits when I was feeling tired and brought tears to my eyes as I crossed the finish line.

I hope you enjoy these signs as much as I did and every sign at any race you run.  It's amazing what a little cheering can do!

Our marathon clinic starts tonight!

A couple years ago I had the chance to instruct a running clinic at our local Running Room.  It was such a great experience working with runners (some of whom I knew and others who were new to me) to help them train for new distances and support them along the way.  I've always wanted to do another one but it just hasn't fit into my schedule.

Until now!  Sort of.  A fellow run clubber at our store was planning to teach the upcoming marathon clinic but needed some help covering some time she'd be away over the summer.  She asked if I'd like to help out and it's really the perfect solution - for both of us!  I'll help cover the times she's away and then I also get to do some instructing which I really love.  I'll be trying to be available for as many other weekday and weekend runs as possible so that I can be there for as much of everyone's journey as possible.

So there you have it!  I'm one of the new Marathon Clinic Instructors at the Langley Running Room! Neat, hey?  And one of the cool things about our clinic is that it lines up perfectly time-wise for three great events this fall...

BMO Okanagan Marathon - Oct 13, 2013

2008 Okanagan Medal

Held in Kelowna, BC the Okanagan Marathon was where I ran my third half marathon back in 2008.  My sister and I ran this event together with my husband and a few friends and it was great fun.  That year the course was different due to construction and was pretty darn hilly but I'm looking forward to running the regular full marathon course this year because my sister has chosen this as her first marathon!

This race was pretty special because I got to run it with my sister but also because my finish time of 2:12 stood as my PR for quite awhile!  You can read my recap of the 2008 half marathon here.

For more information or to register visit the official Okanagan Marathon website here.


Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon - Oct 13, 2013

2012 Victoria Half Medal

Held in the beautiful city of Victoria, I ran the half marathon at this event last year and really enjoyed it.  This event is known as one of the most scenic marathon courses around and it's a great choice for new marathoners.

This race was a memorable one for me because I started out not feeling great but luckily ended up meeting up with a friend mid-race.  Chatting with her totally relaxed me and completely saved the day.  You can read my recap of the 2012 half marathon here.

To find out more about the Victoria Marathon or to register, visit their official website here.



Surrey International Music Marathon - Sept 29, 2013

2012 Surrey Half Medal

The Surrey Marathon is actually 2 weeks earlier than the others but our marathon clinic can be easily adjusted for those running Surrey. I ran the half marathon at last year's inaugural event and can't wait to be a part of this year's races as one of the Official Surrey Marathon Bloggers!

What will always stick out in my mind about this event was the crowd and community support.  There were spectators lining nearly every inch of that course and it felt like every single one of them was there for me specifically.  Great, great community feeling at this event and check out that HUGE medal!  You can read my recap of the 2012 half marathon here.

To learn more about the event, sign up as a volunteer or to register, visit the official Surrey Marathon website here.


All three of these events are fantastic and I'm so glad I've run at least some distance at each of them.  I'm currently planning to run both the Surrey Marathon and Okanagan Marathon but haven't officially registered for either yet.  Tonight at the first night of our clinic we'll poll the group and see who is planning to run each of the events so we can figure out how much we might need to modify things for those running Surrey.  It's great when events align because then runners can still train together even when they'll be in different cities on race day.

I'll be posting about how our training is going so I hope you'll follow along, especially if you're planning to run any of these three events.

Race Report: 5 Peaks Alice Lake Trail Race, Enduro Course (11km)

You may have read my post called Confessions of a First Time Trail Runner and if you did, you'll know that I was terribly nervous about doing this race.  I've never seen myself as anything but a slow & steady distance runner who loves the comfortable, repetitive rhythm of running on roads and who generally avoids big hills when possible.

The idea of running around in the bush, bounding over rocks, trudging up big hills and flying down steep ones is pretty far out of my comfort zone to say the least.  And yet, that's exactly what I did this weekend...

Photo courtesy of 5 Peaks Facebook Page
(Taken by Rob Shaer)

And I loved it.

So as you may have read, on Friday night I was feeling kind of nervous about doing a trail race.  I hadn't trained on anything that would qualify as trails and didn't really felt like I had the right gear either.  Everyone assured me I'd be okay but I was still feeling kind of anxious.

Saturday morning I got up as usual, had breakfast and hoped as I packed up that I had everything I'd need.  I was packed for the race but also for a BBQ that was planned for afterwards.  The forecast was for warm temps and sun by the time we'd finish the race so I'd planned to wear a running skirt and t-shirt but had packed my usual array of backups in case I changed my mind.

I met up with Solana and her family who were all doing the race too.  I love that both her mom and dad were running their first trail race, how awesome.  We loaded the cars, picked up one last friend and headed off to Squamish.  By the time we got to Alice Lake however, it had started to rain so I was already regretting my decision to wear a skirt - thank goodness for backups!

We made it to Squamish but when can I change out of this skirt!

Thankfully we had a fairly long walk from the lower parking lot up to the race area so I warmed up as we walked up the hill.  After changing into my capris, I felt much better and we headed off to pick up our stuff.

The race was sponsored by Salomon and they had trail shoes there that you could try on and test out during the race.  This was great for me because I didn't have any trail shoes so I got fitted and laced up and felt much more "trail runner" like.  Solana also informed me that trail runners like to wear their bibs on their legs so I was finally starting to look the part...

We had a little while to wait before the start but that was great because I had the chance to meet a whole bunch of people.  Everyone was super friendly and very encouraging when I told them I was nervous about my first trail race.  I was also thankful when my friend Dianna (from my amazing Run for Water crew!) arrived because she said she'd hold my hand during the race if I needed it.

Trying to absorb some of Solana's
toughness before the race...

We eventually lined up and the first few waves took off.  When it was our turn we immediately ran up a short hill and right away I felt tired.  Uh oh.  This was not a great way to start off!  Dianna was comfortably running faster than me but I told myself to suck it up buttercup and keep up!  We reached the top of the hill where we saw my friend Dave from run club and then we disappeared off into the woods.

This was it!  I was trail running!  The first part was great.  A bit of uphill and a bit of downhill but nothing too steep or strenuous.  I was so nervous about losing my footing that I didn't really look around much but I knew that it was pretty nice scenery around me.  It was also really cool because right away I could feel how different it is to run in the woods - so quiet and you could hear everyone breathing and talking around you as if they were right beside you.  Very different than running on the roads.

Dianna and I before the race

I pretty much continued running until we hit our first big-ish hills and felt like I could use a break to
walk.  I wasn't sure how tiring I would find the trails so I decided I'd just walk any hill that felt kind of tough and run everything else.  It seemed to be a good strategy because Dianna and I stayed pretty close together for most of the first part.

We leap frogged a bit but eventually caught up with each other and ran right together for awhile.  Dianna was so good to stick with me.  There was a fairly long flat stretch on a gravel road which we took pretty easy and then we were back into the trails again.  This was also where Twitter friend @jencloss recognized me (so many tweeps at this race!)  We soon got to my favorite part of the race which was a fairly long section of downhill.  I don't know that I'm particularly skilled at technical downhill but it was so much fun bounding down the trail.  I felt like you kind of had to let momentum take over a bit but it just felt so fun to run down such a big hill and be jumping over rocks and roots as you go.  I loved this part.

However, what goes down must go up and we certainly got punished for all that fun downhill.  We started an uphill slog that just never seemed to end.  There was no running here!  It was so steep for most of the way that I was lucky to not wipe out just slowly hiking up.  Not fun but thankfully everyone around me seemed to find it a bit tough so that made me feel a bit better.  It seriously felt like it was never going to end but finally, it did.  Phew!

The last section was down a gravel road and then we wound our way on flat walking trails around the lake and back to the finish area.  We did it!

We totally high-fived as we crossed the finish line.  We ran 11km in 1:44:59.  My first trail race was done and I survived!  And more importantly, I totally enjoyed it!

There were so many people at the finish line, it was a great way to end the race.  Several others from our run club were there and we even ran into my Pilates instructor who is a hardcore trail racer herself.  Unfortunately we also found out that Solana's mom was being walked out by the medics as she hurt her ankle so that was a definite damper but thankfully she was okay (we later found it she broke her ankle and is now on crutches and soon to be casted!)  I also got the chance to meet another Twitter friend, @Erin_braincandy as were standing around during the awards and prize giveaways. 

The lovely ladies of trail running (before the race)

We didn't win but I was pretty happy with our time

After visiting with everyone we were all getting a bit hungry so we headed off in search of a picnic table and to get our BBQs set up.  We had quite the spread with us from homemade burgers to salads and candy and of course, lots of chips!  Unfortunately the weather had gotten terribly cold and although it wasn't raining we were all pretty much freezing.  I wish I had some pics of our outfits because we pretty much put on whatever we could find in an attempt to stay warm.  Thanks Dave for your huge winter ski gloves!

It was a great way to unwind and get to know a few other people who hopefully I will be seeing again at future races.  It would have been nicer had the sun been shining but that's okay, I toughed it out because I'm a trail runner now.  Ha ha.

So did I enjoy it?  You bet!  Will I do it again?  Of course!  I am hoping to do the 5 Peaks Cypress Mountain race in July and would love to do some trail runs with Dianna and Solana (if she can slow down for us someday!)  Will I give up roads for trails?  Probably not.  I really loved this race because where roads are about focus and perseverance for me, the trails seem like more excitement and fun.  I'd love to do both and add in trails whenever I can.  We live in such a beautiful part of the world, what a great way to experience some of our awesome outdoors.

And am I tough enough for trails?  Well, I've got a long ways to go but as long as I wear my race bib on my thigh like hardcore trail runners seem to, I think I'll be okay.

Do you ever run trails or trail races?  How do you feel about trails vs roads?  What's your favourite?

Confessions of a first-time trail runner...

2013 is turning out to be a year of firsts for me including both my first full marathon and first ultra marathon.  And now, MY FIRST TRAIL RACE too!  Gulp!

The 5 Peaks Trail Series Alice Lake race is tomorrow and it might have me shaking in my boots even more than any race or distance I've taken on yet!  As part of her Under Armour What's Beautiful campaign, Solana somehow managed to get me to sign up for this adventure and an adventure it will definitely be.

Solana seems to have this uncanny ability to get me to do things I never thought I could do.  Like remember the time she dared me to speed train and get a PR?  And then remember the time I actually did it and bettered my PR by nearly 10 minutes?  (She was also kind of instrumental in helping me realize I was actually capable of running an ultra marathon too)  Anyhow, I thought I'd be able to resist her urging when she started asking me to try a trail run, but alas, I couldn't resist and now here I am the night before my very first trail race.  Yikes.

The fact is, in my mind trail races and the people who run them are tough, hardcore, rugged and seriously cool.  I however, feel like I am hopelessly lacking in all of those categories.  Sure, I can run down the road for 6 hours at once but throw me on a rough, uneven, dirt trail and I'm out of my wheelhouse!  I am newer than new can be when it comes to trail running and have no idea what I'm getting myself into.

Let me give you some examples...

These are my 'trail shoes'.  I don't own any trail shoes so I was thinking of wearing this pair of runners from my Mizuno stash because I think all the black looks a bit 'tough' and since trail runners are tough, maybe they'll be a good choice.

This is the kind of trail I am used to.  Yes, technically it is a trail but a manicured, packed gravel one.  Not exactly the kind of steep, rugged, muddy trail I'm likely to encounter tomorrow!

Pacific Spirit Park at UBC

Oh and did I mention one of the last times I did a trail-ish race I was 6 months pregnant?

Pacific Spirit Run 2009

I bought a snazzy handheld bottle to look a little less road-ish.  Ha ha.  I'm being silly but all of my trail running friends seem to use handhelds or hydration vests and since I'm not quite ready to plunge into a vest, I thought I'd buy a handheld and see how it goes.  I don't wanna be weighed down by a water belt as I'm bounding over rocks and logs tomorrow!

I'm seriously considering wearing this shirt.  In the hopes wearing a Beast Mode shirt might actually make me a bit tougher tomorrow when I have to face all that mud and dirt and uneven terrain!  I love the shirt and whatever it says on my shirt must be true, right?

I've actually spent a surprising amount of time analyzing my race outfit to figure out what will make me look the 'toughest' so I fit in with my new trail peeps.  Ha ha.

I've spent more time preparing for the post-race BBQ than the race itself!  I'm excited that a post-race BBQ has organically come together for Alice Lake because I am really looking forward to getting to know so many of these trail people I've chatted with and followed on Twitter but have never met.  My fridge is currently full of salads, cut fruit and other bits and the bags of chips are ready to go!

Most of the bigger Tupperware containers are
coming with me tomorrow!

I'm secretly glad I'll have someone to hold my hand.  The lovely Dianna from my Run for Water crew has offered to hold my hand if I need it tomorrow and I can't say enough how secretly relieved this makes me feel.  Thanks Dianna!

The reality is, I'm sure tomorrow will go fine.  I think it'll be tough because I'm not conditioned for that kind of running and it may just end up being more like a hike than a run for me.  But that's okay.  I'm super excited about the day and really looking forward to something new.

Do you get nervous like me about stuff like this?  Any last minute advice for a newbie trail runner?

Race picture photobombs...

I was standing in the kitchen tonight staring at one of my favorite race pictures I keep taped to my fridge...

And my eyes couldn't help but be drawn to well, that butt!  That poor woman happened to bend over right when this photo was taken and now every time I look at it, I can't help but look at her 'better side' too.

Admit it, you noticed it too, didn't you?

It got me to thinking about how many times I've laughed about what shows up in the background of my race photos.  I decided to look through them and see if I could find some of my more favourite "race picture photobombs" to share.  Here's what I found:

Grumpy people.  In his defence, it was extremely cold that day at the Chilly Chase 15k...

Extremely happy people!  I just love Cori's fist pump as we crossed the finish line at the Donald Duck Half Marathon this year at Walt Disney World.  Day 1 of our Goofy Challenge was complete, who wouldn't wanna fist pump that?  Oh wait, me.  I chose to hold up my phone and try to film us crossing the finish line instead.

Stalker people.  I always smile when I see this shot from last year's Surrey Half Marathon because it makes me laugh in kind of a creepy way.  The girl in the yellow sneaking up on me is none other than Solana (from Beast Mode on the Run) and after months of stalking each other on Twitter we were trying to meet up that morning for the very first time in real life.  She just happened to have found me right as I was taking this picture.  You're witnessing the start of a great friendship in this photo people!

The photobomb that wasn't.  Not exactly a photobomb but this shot from the Disneworld Family 5k makes me laugh because of how dumb we must have looked.  We told the photographer we were going to try and frame the Disneworld Ball with our hands but he neglected to tell us that it was way off to the side.  

Ahhh that's better!  We tried again during the Mickey Mouse Marathon a couple days later and our result was much better....

Men without shirts licking their lips.  His shorts are riding up but at least he has a decent body...

Hairy men without shirts.  Geez, Disneyworld Marathon Weekend was a gold mine for funny pictures.  I just love this guy and his crazy glasses!  Here's a second example of a guy with no shirt "photobombing" my glorious running moment...

Little boys with funny faces.  I just love my son's face in this shot from the Run for Water ultra marathon of me displaying my finisher's plaque.  That kid looks like he's up to no good!

The girl I almost hit in the face.  Coming out of the castle at Disneyworld I wanted to raise my arms and smile but this chick insisted on getting her moment instead and whacked my arm out of the way to get in front.  Awesome.

My future ultra marathon teammate!  I couldn't believe it when a few days after my Run for Water ultra marathon I was sorting through my BMO Marathon photos and recognized a familiar face.  The lady running beside me in this shot turned out to be one of the women from my ultra team who I didn't meet for the first time until about a month after this picture was taken.  So funny that we happened to be in the same place at the same time in a different race before meeting for the first time and sharing such an incredible day together at Run for Water.

I'm the photobomber!  And last but not least I'm pretty sure I "photobombed" my teammates taking a picture in this shot.  They look so happy standing together and I bet they've got some nice pictures with overwhelmed Nikki in the background - sorry guys!

In other news, Happy National Running Day!  We all run for different reasons (see mine below) and hopefully you're able to get out today and run to celebrate all reasons you do and all the ways running makes your life happier and healthier.  You can claim your own personal badge like mine from the National Running Day website here.

Do you have any good race picture photobombs?  Any big plans to celebrate National Running Day?