Brooke MacDonald

On this episode we are joined by the QCM female half marathon course record holder. Originally from Yorkton, Brooke now calls Prince Albert home where she lives with her husband and twin girls. We chat about how she makes time to train with a young family and why she thinks it’s important to set a good example for them by pursuing goals and working hard. She also has some cool stories about living and training during her years in La Ronge. 

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Thank you to the Burning Hell for the use of their song Holidaymakers. Check them out at 

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Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:00

Brooke MacDonald is originally from Yorkton and currently lives in Prince Albert. On this episode, we talk about her early athletic life as a gymnast, later as a track and cross-country athlete at the University of Saskatchewan, and eventually we talk about her progression into half marathon and marathon running, where she is quite fast and even holds the record for the fastest female half marathon at the QCM. We also talk about her unique running and training adventures while she lived in the Ronnie during the COVID-19 years. Enjoy on this episode of the Saskatchewan podcast. We're going to Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to talk to Brooke McDonald. How are you today, Brooke?

SPEAKER_01 1:11

I'm pretty good. How are you, Jason?

SPEAKER_03 1:13

Really good. Thanks. Thanks so much for taking some time out of your busy life to fit us in. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 1:19

Yeah, I'm sorry, it took so long. Um it's good, but made it happen. So for sure.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

I'm always appreciate any time people can can give. It's awesome. I was saying I'm thinking 45 episodes in, and you're our first Prince Albert runner. So I feel like a bit a bit of a fraud calling it the Saskatchewan podcast, but I've I've put out a few emails and stuff, but of some people were busy and got ghosted a few times. So so you're the first one, so that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Well, I'm proud to represent PA, even though I haven't lived here for long.

SPEAKER_03 1:52

But well, that's good. Well, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Yeah. Like what would you like to know?

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Like my running background or like what you do for work, or you're I always tell people you can share as little or as much as you like. It's all all up, whatever you're comfortable with, just so people get a little idea of who you are.

SPEAKER_01 2:12

Yeah, so I grew up in York in Saskatchewan, actually. Nice. Um, pretty much didn't do much running growing up. I was a gymnast and I was really um competitive in gymnastics, and then kind of it was to the point where I'd either have to move to Regina or Saskatoon um to continue to get you know higher level coaching or kind of just do it more recreationally. So in high school I decided that I was just gonna pursue something different. So that's kind of when I started doing more running, but it wasn't really until the later high school years that I got into it more. Um in university, I went to the U of S and um ran track and field there for a couple years. Um, thought I was like a 400, 600 runner, coaches thought I was, um not so much later, and then I decided the last couple years to do cross-country as well. Um and kind of you'll see my future running career. I mostly do distance, so it was kind of funny looking back, thinking I was gonna do 300s and 600s, and that wasn't the case. Um graduated as a pharmacist, um, which I still do today, and moved back to Yorkton.

SPEAKER_03 3:29

I was gonna say we have a quite a few of my our friends are pharmacists and they're big fans of the podcast, so you're gonna instantly become their new fan, I think.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Good stuff. Um moved back to Yorkton for two years, and then my husband graduated from RCMP depot, and we headed up to La Range for four years after that. Um and I could go on and talk about the training there maybe a little bit later because it was a really unique experience. Um yeah, spent four years in La Range and moved to Prince Albert in oh gosh, I guess it would have been fall um 2023. Yeah, 2023. Um and shortly after, uh less than a year after, we welcomed our identical twin girls into the world in July. So and nice, congratulations. Um yeah, thank you, and kind of just have been building back up since then. Um if anyone knows my pregnancy journey, I was I mean, with twins, you know, you expect with a singleton maybe to be able to run to the end because before that I was doing 130 kilometer weeks was the issue, and then uh quickly realized at 12 weeks, like I no, I had to start run walking. Oh wow. Um yeah, and then couldn't run beyond 22 weeks and hospital bed rest at 30 weeks, and then they came at 31 weeks, so there was pretty much a seven-month period in there where I didn't run at all, okay, which is crazy. So, kind of just building my training backup since then, and yeah, grateful to be out even more now.

SPEAKER_03 5:11

For sure. And how old are the twins now?

SPEAKER_01 5:13

They're 21 months. Oh, nice, yeah, very much in the toddler era.

SPEAKER_03 5:18

Yeah, for sure. So, how do you find the time and energy to uh jump back into training with your job and looking after twins? Just a passion for running, I suspect.

SPEAKER_01 5:29

Yeah, like being away from it for that long, and like that was so challenging. So now, like I did a very conservative build. I think at six weeks, I post carnum, I started like a run-walk 5k couch to 5k program, um, and kind of built up from there. And it wasn't until Queen City Marathon half that I kind of started to really try to put a training block together. Okay. Um, and what that looks like is I get up between 4:10 and 4 40 a.m. most days.

SPEAKER_00 6:05

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Um, yeah, and I have to get it done before my spouse leaves for work at 6 30 a.m.

SPEAKER_04 6:12

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:12

Um and the girls will usually wake up sometime between I don't know, 6 and 7 a.m. And they're they're great sleepers, so we'll just they either chill in their crib till I get back, or dad is always with them in the morning. He knows that's my time to run. So that's kind of where I fit in.

SPEAKER_04 6:30

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 6:31

And then um this training block that I'm training for, I'm training for the Vancouver half right now. Um about twice a month, I on my days off, I would do like a hard workout in the middle of the day, which is like a huge luxury to have.

SPEAKER_04 6:48

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

So yeah, I I don't work full time, so I'll add that in for anyone who thinks I'm crazy. I work three days a week, which is uh a lot easier to manage, especially with my husband's schedule, he works a lot, and then I'm able to actually cook good meals and nice, um, yeah, like takes a little bit of time for myself. So um, anyone who's looking from the outside and thinking, I can't do that. Like, I do have a lot of support from my spouse, and you know, we hire on help because we don't have family or friends here really. Um, so the girls love their daycare, and I work about 24 hours a week, and then the rest I am with them or take an extra day off if I need it.

SPEAKER_03 7:33

So yeah, nice. And you find a way to make it all work and have some support. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 7:38

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:38

So the Vancouver half, is that gonna be would that be like your first one that you're are you really going for it? Or is are you just kind of getting back up to like race mentality?

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yeah, I ran the SaaS Marathon 10K last spring and then the Queen City half. Okay, but that was kind of just like I wasn't really training, I was just happy to be out there for sure. Um, so yeah, this this is the first one where I'm like, I don't, yeah, like I I feel like I've worked hard. It definitely isn't the level that I used to train, which was a lot like it was a crazy, but uh yeah, I feel like I just have a different perspective and a different like mental strength that I didn't have prior to my kids. So um I think it'll be a good day. I purposely chose a few collier races just to kind of compare to my to my old self this year, just as I'm coming back.

SPEAKER_03 8:36

So awesome. And then that's in the next little while here, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:40

Uh yeah, it's 13 days away. So it's in May May 3rd.

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Okay, so what would your last two weeks of training look like for a half build?

SPEAKER_01 8:52

Um, I actually don't do a long taper, like I'll do maybe like a seven-day taper. I'll have one more hard workout. Probably Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'll have to keep an eye on the weather. It'll be like at 4 a.m. either tomorrow or Wednesday. Nice. Um, and then I'll kind of start like a uh 10-day taper, but really not anything crazy. So today it's just easy new run. Yeah, tomorrow maybe workout, and then I only do two hard workouts a week. So maybe on the weekend I'll do some hard work in my weekend long run, and then kind of a taper workout the week of, and then yeah.

SPEAKER_03 9:29

Nice. My wife always shows me your um splits on Instagram when you're running the your one kilometer repeats, and it's always humbling when your marathon pace is my zone five, one-minute interval pace. So it's I think it'd be fun to be that fast.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

It's all a relative, right?

SPEAKER_03 9:45

Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 9:46

Yeah, like at the end, uh like you know, two years ago, I was doing like running 20 seconds at a time, you know, it just and I have come back from not running for eight months, and yeah, it's it's definitely humbling, it's all perspective for sure.

SPEAKER_03 10:03

Yeah, for sure. So let's back up a little bit. When you were um young, you said you mentioned you were a gymnast. Did you do any other sports growing up as well?

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Um, I did some like school sports. So I did school badminton, soccer, um, track and field, cross-country. Nothing really like hand-eye coordination.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 10:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 10:24

I'm always super interested in people's backgrounds and discuss it with my friends and stuff. And I always have this theory. I'm sure it's not that smart of a theory or that groundbreaking, but I always think being like a gymnast when you're young is like the best thing to do because you, you know, if lots of people growing up, say you play volleyball or football or hockey, all great things, but it's just kind of like just sports, whereas like the gymnast stuff, just you know, you build that upper body strength and you know, kind of have that pull-up memory, maybe the rest of your life. And I don't know, I always and you get the flexibility and like the whole body strength. I always just think it would be such a smart thing for for all young people to do.

SPEAKER_01 10:59

I'm huge advocate for like gymnastics in general, just because it's also like a big weight-bearing sport and it's barefoot. So I feel like all the like little tendons and ligaments were just so developed in me and shoes. Yeah, like I've actually never really been injured before. Nice. Like, I'm not silly about training, but you know, sometimes if I'm not, you know, don't have a good night, so like I'm sometimes beating myself into the ground, truthfully. Um and yeah, I just I think like the background of the weight-bearing sport and barefoot all those years. I I'm sure it has something to do with it.

SPEAKER_03 11:39

For sure, yeah. I remember I don't I don't think I could do a pull-up till I was like well, I never tried until I was in my 30s, but we used to go to a CrossFit gym, and there was a guy who was like a fairly elite gymnast as a young person, and he really hadn't done any workouts or anything for 10 years. And I had been trying for like three years to get a like a ring muscle up, and I was getting close. I think I think I eventually got a kipping one, maybe not a strict one, but yeah, he hadn't done anything in 10 years. He walks into the gym the first day, bloop, bloop, up on the rings. I'm like, oh but yeah, it's it's impressive when you see how strong people are for sure. Yeah, yeah. For sure. So when you uh were in gymnastics, did you get to like compete in any cool places, or was it mostly local stuff?

SPEAKER_01 12:18

Um it's mostly within Saskatchewan, um at the level I was at. But yeah, I was I mean, I was a better gymnast than I was runner. I've won provincials quite a few times and stuff. Um awesome. So that was kind of cool. Um, it's a part of me that not many people know about.

SPEAKER_03 12:35

So yeah, no, that's awesome. And then when you got to the U of S, you mentioned you did like some of the shorter distances, and then when you got into cross country, what kind of distances were you doing there?

SPEAKER_01 12:45

Yeah, so track, um, yeah, track I was not great at, but I don't know. That's like the longest distance you can do is 3k. So it's like feels like foreign, and then for cross country, we did it did move up in distance until I graduated, which was kind of a shame. So the women did 6k, which is still like it's a short, fast race. Um, and I don't only did that in my last two years. Um, because there's a coach, the coach that I had that who he was finally like, why aren't you doing cross country? I was like, That's a great idea. So I wish I would have done it my full five years, but okay.

SPEAKER_03 13:23

For sure. What would the average day look like when you're like going to university and training at a high level like that? Like what I've never done it, so I'm always fascinated how what that would look like.

SPEAKER_01 13:36

Yeah, and like track that that's where track was difficult because they almost expected you to be at the track five days a week, six actually, okay, um, for drills and stuff, and I really could only commit to like two or three. Uh just because labs would go like pharmacy was quite a demand in college. Um so like some days we were in class for I don't know, eight to five, and then you know, practice was supposed to be at 4 30, so and then sometimes evening classes and labs, so yeah. I honestly don't I didn't wake up crazy early like I do now. Um because practice was late, but it was just a lot of I would be at the university at 7 a.m. to either do some studying before classes started, and then I wouldn't get home till like 9 p.m. Like it was insane long days, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 14:31

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 14:32

And I don't that I wasn't really an elite university athlete by any means. Okay, or top of my class in pharmacy. I was just yeah trying to do well at kind of well at both, so yeah, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 14:46

Awesome. And then um when you were in university athletics, did you like do track meets like at other in other cities like in the western Canada?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

Yeah, we went to a few cool places. Actually, um I never made like nationals for track, but for cross country, I made I think they call it Usports now, but it used to be CIS, and I got to go to Quebec City for that. Oh nice um in Kingston, Ontario and stuff. Quebec City was really beautiful in November weekend was yeah, so a few cool places, and then we'd go to Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary. Okay, yeah. Nowhere in DC, but yeah, a few cool places.

unknown 15:24

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 15:25

Then how often would you do like those inner, like in your own kind of division in like say Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg?

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Was that like a monthly kind of trip or it was busy, I would say once January, February, March and it was a couple times a month. So it was a lot of missing like Thursday or Friday of classes as well. Um, and then getting back like late Sunday, and then for sure to go to class again Monday. So yeah, it's a little bit of a grind, but yeah, it sounds sounds like it. Yeah, when you're in a college like pharmacy or any really busy college, um to have like track and field and cross-country, that's like your social time. So made a lot of friends through those programs, so that's good.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

For sure, yeah, that sounds fun. Yeah, guys all travel on a big bus, I imagine.

SPEAKER_01 16:16

Yeah, and then like I don't know, some people have so much fun. I just have my headphones and I just remember like getting dizzy trying to stare at a book, but oh yeah, trying to memorize drug facts or whatever I was telling back then.

SPEAKER_03 16:32

Yeah, yeah, lots lots of time on the bus, that's good. Yeah, so then once you're um you had mentioned you kind of got more into like the road, like the marathons and halves when you were out of college. Do you kind of remember what first piqued your interest?

SPEAKER_01 16:48

Yeah, I think I always knew I was gonna do longer stuff, it was just a matter of when. Um, it wasn't really encouraged throughout the season, like it wasn't encouraged to be done your school year and then go race a bunch of like half marathons and marathons, like they wanted you to not be burnt out when you came to base season in the fall. For sure. Um so I graduated in um the spring of 2017, and I think I ran my first marathon a year later at Sask Marathon. Yeah, in 2018. Um, so that was my first marathon, which was yeah, a good experience. Um, I think I only took two gels, so I was underfueled, but I still had a positive experience and like made me really excited to not kind of continue to try to master it and learn more about it because it's such a you know, any race distance that requires you to like take in carbohydrates because your your body like physically runs out of fuel, I think is like a really cool cool event, and like you can always learn more about it, which I like.

SPEAKER_03 17:58

So for sure. Did is that the SAS marathon that you ended up winning? Uh yeah, yeah, nice.

SPEAKER_01 18:06

Yeah, first marathon. Like, I think I was kind of naive. I was like, Yeah, I'll break three hours, like, no problem. I think I'm on three of seven.

SPEAKER_04 18:14

Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_01 18:15

But like I was on pace to break three hours at like half, so that's how much I faded, but I still walked away smiling, so that's that's all you can ask for.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

So that's awesome. Yeah, and then you mentioned uh you you only had two gels. So um going into that marathon, do you remember how you trained for it? Did you just kind of do your own research or get a coach or yeah, did some research, um, didn't have a coach.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

I feel like I trained similar to what I do now, I just do a few more maybe, um, and more longer runs, but yeah, no, I don't really remember practicing fueling, that was the issue. So then I got to race day and I was like scared to take in more than you know, yeah, for sure. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 19:04

So yeah, but um so you're on board with the new like high carb revolution, then that's seems to really be taking off like an elite athlete's last I don't know, year, year or two, something like that. Yeah, yeah, of people doing like 120, 130 grams an hour, if not more.

SPEAKER_01 19:19

I've never been able to do that, especially like at high intensities. Like when I'm running a marathon hard, my heart rate's 185 the whole time. Oh, geez, nice really like high heart rate, and that's heart high intensity, so like I can't take it that much. I think I can get into like 70 to 90, maybe. Okay, yeah, that's good marathon. So yeah, um, but that took like a year or two of working on it, and then now I had to start restart, you know, once the girls were born.

SPEAKER_03 19:52

So yeah, we had a few of the um older gels left over, like the uh I don't know, the goose and the what ones I just say take every 45 minutes, and it's like 20 grams of carbs. It's like I don't know how did we manage on these things before? And they're not they're hardly edible, they're like toothpaste.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

So oh, exactly. I think they have changed the backing now that it says 25 to 30.

SPEAKER_03 20:14

Oh, okay, smart.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

But even still, like it I think there's only 22 grams, so that'd be like 44 for the hour if you only took two, so it's yeah, uh for most people that's probably not enough if they're out racing for more than three hours.

SPEAKER_03 20:30

So yeah, for sure. I've uh grown fond of the uh precision energy gels make like a 90 gram that comes with like a little twist off kind of and goes down so smooth. Like I was telling Melissa on the way home from work here this morning that I said I can eat that all in one sitting. So I couldn't imagine eating 90 grams of like the goo black cherry or blackberry. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. So after you had that original taste of success in the um Saskatchewan marathon, what was your next uh where did you take your career after that?

SPEAKER_01 21:03

Yeah, so then I went to Queen City marathon and did the marathon like a couple months later. Um and I ran a 304, I think, there, which was I think it was just more fueling um training through the summer. So then you get we had a cool day in Regina. And I just like feel like that's such a training advantage. Yeah, and I think my goal was 305, it wasn't sub three anywhere because I realized how hard that that would be and how much work that would take. Um so yeah, ran 304 there and had a good day. Um I ended feeling way stronger than I did in Saskatoon, so nice that was a bonus. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I don't know, I might have gotten stuck in that year, I'm not too sure, but there definitely was somebody ahead of me.

SPEAKER_03 21:51

Nice. And that was 2018, you said?

SPEAKER_01 21:55

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 21:56

That was your first season as a marathoner, and you banged up. Two, so it's or was there more?

SPEAKER_01 22:02

Um, no, okay, that was explained awesome. And I've never done more than two actually in a year, so okay, nice, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

And then you were you all full steam ahead in 2019 too, before the little couple years of nothing. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

So then I went did a half at the Sask marathon. Um okay, and I kind of did that to see because usually around like I don't know, 122 to 124, it's like a good chance you'll likely break three hours in the marathon though. So I think I had a huge half PB. I think I ran a 123 at Sask, and then I went and done did the Manitoba marathon in Winnipeg in June. Nice. Um, and I broke three hours, I ran to 59.51 or something so close. Um, that's awesome. Snap under three hours, and it was a nice cool day there, which that race couldn't be hot, so lucky with the day we got. Um, and yeah, that's a really great, great race for anybody else looking for road races.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

Um yeah, it sounds really cool. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:12

It's the pancake flat. Like, I think you it's if you're wanting to run fast, it's a good option.

SPEAKER_03 23:17

So yeah, I've heard of people doing like 20 kilometer runs there and they get like two meters of elevation change.

SPEAKER_01 23:23

Oh, it's it's so like, and like some people don't do well at those kind of races, but if you're somebody who likes the flat and fast, that's a good option. So for sure, people forget about it. So I like to mention it.

SPEAKER_03 23:35

Yeah, for sure. And it's not not that far.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

No, exactly.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

It's probably yeah, the second or third closest marathon to you, I would imagine.

SPEAKER_01 23:44

Yeah, besides the two vagina ones. Okay, 7 a.m., which is kind of like you beat some of the heat.

SPEAKER_03 23:51

So yeah, for sure. And then did you do QCM again in 2019 then too?

SPEAKER_01 23:57

Um don't think so, no, because we were moving to Laurange, so I didn't do anything that fall. Yeah, we moved that fall, so I did not race.

SPEAKER_03 24:09

All right, well, that sets us up perfectly for the story I was reading about you, how you used to run early in the morning in Laurange on the gravel roads and ice roads, and obviously moved there in 2019, so right in time for the pandemic. What was that like?

SPEAKER_01 24:25

Honestly, Laurange is great. I and we probably well, there's a few reasons we're not there. One, like the work was so demanding, we were very understaffed, and then my husband promoted in his job, so we had to move here. Um, but the training was just so unique, and it was one of those places that just like took you back to why you enjoy running. Um, like a lot of trails, just like really like rustic, beat-up roads, like there was no racetrack pavement. Um, and then in the winter, which was like amazing, there's ice roads. So, like for all the people who were driving to their cabin or you know, like both on McGibbon Bay, which is kind of where I lived on the lake, as well as Lac La Range, like there was I could go 35 kilometers out and back and not have a single vehicle.

SPEAKER_03 25:17

Like, oh, that's fantastic.

SPEAKER_01 25:19

Yeah, it was it was so beautiful and not icy, like there's like a nice little thin, I don't know why it's not icy, but it's um just like a little bit of snow over the ice, like it was never just pure ice that you were running on.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

Yeah, it just gets a little pebbled up.

SPEAKER_01 25:35

Yeah, otters, like eagles, you would see all the things. Um, yeah, and it was just like the most unique experience. Like my Strava maps for when I did Ice Roman were so funny, just like straight up on the water. But yeah, I should I wanted to make a segment, but I was like, well, nobody's like slightly different every year, so for sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 25:57

Yeah, and then I and in those early mornings, there must have been some beautiful like skies overhead with the stars and planets.

SPEAKER_01 26:06

Yeah, and just yeah, northern lights and just lovely. Um, and then even running in Laurange, like it was there weren't like a ton of places. Um, but yeah, I kind of made my own route and it was it's hillier than most parts of Saskatchewan. So I feel like it just made me such a strong runner being there.

SPEAKER_00 26:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 26:28

Yeah. And then there's beautiful trails, and yeah, it just made me really appreciate and kind of like step back before the pandemic hit.

SPEAKER_03 26:36

So yeah, for sure. Do you have a favorite trail that you would run out there on in the summer?

SPEAKER_01 26:42

Um there are a lot of like there's a trail system that um a lot of the like volunteers maintain. Okay. Like I lived in a great spot, so I would like connect to the trail system that could connect to the trails in town, to the nut point trail, um kind of area. And then I did do the nut point trail twice um while I was there. It's about it's over 30 kilometers, it's a long, like it's a four or five hour um trek. Um, and I did it twice when I was there, and the second time was right before we moved and actually did it myself, which was really scary, but like so so amazing. I did it in September in the fall, and it was just beautiful.

SPEAKER_03 27:25

Nice, yeah. So is that a like a 15 there, 15 back or 30?

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Pretty much. I think about 16 out, 16 back.

SPEAKER_03 27:34

Okay, nice. Yeah, I hiked that years ago, like in the early 2000s. I didn't we didn't make it all the way there, maybe like we went five or six kilometers onto the trail, and then that was enough for us for the day. But yeah, I remember it being super gorgeous, and our dog was a puppy at the time, and she was eating all the blueberries on the trail. And oh, yeah, yeah. It was really a special time, I remember. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:54

Yeah, no, so yeah, I'm not sure the condition of it now because of the the forest fires and that's right. But I'm sure it will be rebuilt. Um, it'll take many years to get to some parts that kind of it once was because the mosses were who knows how old, very old. But um yeah, beautiful spot if anyone wants to. I feel like people just they like don't they'll go to like Prince Albert National Park, they'll go to Waskazoo, and then they'll they'll drive up to Missinippi to do a canoe trip, but like LaRange has just kind of forgotten about. Um, but yeah, it's a good destination for running, or if you want to go in the winter and you do cross country skiing and you want to do some cross training or you want to check on dice roads, yeah. It's a good stuff.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

It sounds like a good road trip. I do been up there a couple of times, and I agree, it's very nice. I've been years, but I really, really liked it too, for sure. While you were up uh in Laurence, did you visit any other cool places to the north?

SPEAKER_01 28:56

Not really. Like I was in Stanley Mission um doing some work at like the health clinic there, and then um drove up to Missinippi a couple times, um but didn't do because like anything beyond like that, like it's kind of more isolated, remote areas, and we wouldn't really get big into boating or anything when we were up there.

SPEAKER_04 29:21

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 29:22

Um, so probably had we, we might have done a big canoe trip, but um yeah, work kept us a little busy and we had to prioritize our hobbies a little bit more.

SPEAKER_03 29:32

So yeah, yeah, for sure. Sounds like a pretty fun experience. Yeah, so with all that training you did up there, what was um your next big thing you kind of aimed for coming out of the pandemic?

SPEAKER_01 29:45

Yeah, so I ran on like a more like a time trial style marathon on with Celeste and Tarrant Cross Trial.

SPEAKER_00 29:55

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

Um I think it was in June 2021. And we picked a spot in Saskatoon, like in the um I don't know which area it is. It's like a bit north of um one of the acreage communities, and it was just kind of a loop that we did, and unfortunately with such a windy, windy, windy day, it's really hard. I was pretty determined to run a good time, and it was just it's a really windy day. So I think I ran three minutes and 27 seconds, which was I was happy with, not quite what I had trained for. So that was like a COVID, you know, people were like a virtual race, yeah. Right, exactly. So I had a few people pace me the whole time, and it was really fun, but it was just like a the shocker of the day. Yeah, sounds like it was not not good, not good. So that's okay. I had good memories from it, but for sure.

SPEAKER_03 30:53

Was that like along the the river kind of like south of Saskatoon, maybe?

SPEAKER_00 30:59

Why can't I think of the area?

SPEAKER_03 31:01

Not that I'm a Saskatoon geography expert by any stretch, but trying to think here.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Yeah, south, probably. Okay, nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:11

Yeah, yeah. That's a nice area, yeah. So so that was 21, you said.

SPEAKER_01 31:16

Yes, and then I ran, I didn't do a marathon in the fall. I don't yeah, I think we were just weren't sure what was gonna happen. Okay. Like, you know, like we weren't sure if races actually were gonna go on. So I did a half at um Queen City. Okay, nice, and I lowered my PV a little bit, I think 123 something. That was a tough summer to train through, though, with all the forest fires in LaRon, and that was saying about it, like a lot of time on the treadmill because of the smoke and everything like that.

SPEAKER_03 31:53

So yeah, I could yeah, take years off your life running like you do, and inhaling that smoke up close like that would be a health risk for sure.

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Yeah, and then so that was in fall 2021, and then in spring 2022, I went to Vancouver and I actually ran the full marathon there, the BMO full, and I ran a 25859 or something, so I just snuck under 259. Nice, and the full marathon there is so hard, it's so beautiful. I don't think any like it's so hilly, like yeah, you the there's one hill, and you will look at it and you are actually running up this. Like, is this a trail race? Yeah, like yeah, so I don't think I did enough research. I kind of was like, uh, fit is fit, yeah, but yeah, so that was a tough race, but so beautiful. So that's why I'm going back for the half because it misses like that big hill. Like it just okay, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 32:57

Smart. It has a nice half course, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:59

Um, but the full is really tough, so yeah, did 258 there, and then didn't do anything to the fall, and at Queen's City that year, 2020 2022, I ran 120, uh 59, and that's the women's course record still. So oh nice, yeah, yeah. Um, and then did Toronto a couple weeks later and run 256.

SPEAKER_03 33:24

And oh great, and that's your PB at the that was the Toronto waterfront, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:29

Yeah, yeah, 256-16. So kind of just like slowly chipping away over the years. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_03 33:38

For sure. Yeah, so that took you to the end of 2022, and then when did you decide to start a family right around there, or did you sneak in another race?

SPEAKER_01 33:49

Well, we knew we were gonna what was it, 2023? Oh, 2023. I did run um in Winnipeg, I did the half marathon championships. Okay, oh nice, yeah. Um the Canadian ones, and I think around a 121.0 something, like it was low. Um, but that was a rough training block because of the smoke, and then I had to get an incision in my foot.

SPEAKER_03 34:10

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

Um, and it had it drained and stuff, so I really couldn't wear shoes and train for a couple of weeks, and then that was like a month before my race, so it was kind of a tough block, but it was a good race, and that was my last one before the girls came.

SPEAKER_03 34:26

Okay, and then for the national championships, is that like you qualify for that obviously, or yes, yeah, kind of like an invitational kind of thing, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

Exactly, yeah. Canadian house marathon chat, so it's a cool experience because you're treated like a pro, like you get your own bottles and you get you know elite, you know, experience. So kind of fun. Yeah, yeah, awesome. Uh and yeah, and then we moved to Prince Albert for my husband's work in um yeah, fall 2023 and kind of got pregnant with the girls not long after and really couldn't run throughout my pregnancy. It was high risk. Um, they shared a placenta, so it was just a lot okay, like the craziest, like would never would have expected that life turn, but yeah, kind of that's where we are.

SPEAKER_03 35:18

So yeah, and then you're just kind of building back up, so you're still a fairly young marathoner, then really.

SPEAKER_04 35:26

I think so, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

Yeah, you kind of started COVID and then a little bit more and family, and then kind of back on your third try now.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

Exactly. So, yeah, I'm 31, and I'm just like, I feel like I have like 10 years to improve still for sure. Um, and I kept telling myself not on the days I was like going for my little walk and like could barely walk without my heart rate going to 130. Um, but yeah, I just like can't see myself, you know, not improving in the next 10 years. Um so that's exciting, and yeah, I feel like carrying around like 70 extra pounds made my legs the most.

SPEAKER_03 36:06

Just just rucking for for nine months.

SPEAKER_01 36:09

Well, exactly. And yeah, it's just yeah, a different perspective and different gratitude.

SPEAKER_03 36:15

So for sure, yeah. So looking into the future, do you have any big goals, like any times you want to hit, or like a destination race, or what do you got in the yeah, yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_01 36:26

So for this next race, um, Vancouver in two weeks. Um when I started training, I was like, maybe I could go for a PB and I'm just or like sub-120, and I was like, uh we'll see. So I think I'm probably in like I might be 120, 121 high shape. It's hard to tell because I haven't like I've done a few workouts outside, but as you know, the spring has been challenging to like gauge.

SPEAKER_03 36:52

Yeah, never mind.

SPEAKER_01 36:53

And then when you can run outside, it's 50 kilometer wind gusts, so yeah. Um so yeah, I think that will be a good starting point. And then I have I'll probably do the local summer run here in um 10K in June, which is a good race for anyone who has a fast 10K. They usually have it in June sometime. It's I think a Saturday race, so okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 37:17

Yeah, I was looking into that one. It looks looks like a function.

SPEAKER_01 37:19

Yeah, it's it's a great event. Um, and then I'll do likely Queen City half. I've also signed up for Beaver Flat, but I I I might do both, I'm not sure.

SPEAKER_03 37:30

Okay, nice, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 37:32

Because we have the little red um trails here, and they're great for training. So um we'll see what our schedules allow us to do. And then for the big one, I'm doing my first marathon postpartum, I'm doing Victoria in October.

SPEAKER_03 37:48

So oh, that'll be awesome, yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 37:50

Yeah, so it's a definitely a hillier marathon, but yeah, that kind of was what it was. My sister lives in Power River, so I'll be able to visit her when we're in BC, and it's kind of uh no expectation. Like if I get really fit, I'm gonna be kind of like, oh what didn't I pick a flatter course? But I think it'll be good. I have lots of lots of time to to do that, so yeah, that's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 38:13

Yeah, but what uh distance are you gonna try at Beaver Flat?

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Oh, I did the like the 20.

SPEAKER_03 38:19

Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_01 38:20

What is it, 20? I think.

SPEAKER_03 38:23

The damn hard 20, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

Yeah, yeah. Maybe I did a 50, I did a 50k on the road in the Ranch for fun during the pandemic. But yeah, the fifth maybe in a couple years.

SPEAKER_03 38:36

Um yeah, for sure. It's cool. I've had a few few of my guests have were actually transitioning from road to trails, and I know one of them, Brandy from Saskatoon. I don't know if you know her or not, but she uh oh yeah, I think it was her first trail run, and she ended up winning the 50k female. Yeah, so it seems as though really good roadrunners transition well to the trails.

SPEAKER_01 38:56

So yeah, she's transitioned a few times. She was smoking fast on the roads, like 250 marathon or I think. Um, but yeah, I would need some practice, like yeah, just for a little more familiarity. Yeah, yeah, but uh yeah, maybe you're seeing if I can get there, there's only so many weekends we can kind of like both of us can take off call.

SPEAKER_04 39:19

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 39:20

And it's usually when Carson, my spouse, is off call. I'm I'm on call, so we don't have a ton availability, but yeah, for sure. We can make it happen.

SPEAKER_03 39:31

So yeah, does your husband enjoy running as well?

SPEAKER_01 39:34

Um, he's a good runner, he played soccer actually in university. Okay, um, he's more into like strength training and stuff. So we have a like a really nice garage gym, but um, he's a good runner, but he just like the bigger guy, so it's as you can imagine, it'd be harder to yeah, for sure. But I think probably anything like 5k in under, he's probably faster than me. Um, just the longer maybe need to be convinced to train for.

SPEAKER_03 40:04

So yeah, and you uh hop in and do some strength work with him once in a while too, or on your own, obviously.

SPEAKER_01 40:09

Yeah, yeah, I'm big into strength training, so I usually do about two hours a week or try to. Um, and it's probably good injury prevention stuff. And yeah, I really enjoy it, so I'll definitely do less mileage in return for doing strength sessions, and then I'm a big advocate for it. So yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 40:29

I I as well love the strength stuff, it's really helpful. Do you have some favorite uh um things you do or things you you recommend that have kept you healthy and kept your strength up and running specific muscles?

SPEAKER_01 40:42

I like to do a lot of like um one-legged stuff, and like I think you shouldn't discount like uh calf raises or like calf raises. I think a lot of Achilles injuries probably could be avoided if we just did more work on our calves.

SPEAKER_03 40:58

If you listen to the episode of mine called the Sin7 DNF podcast deletion, it was in July, and you'll hear all about my weak calves and how how it sort of DNF, yeah, it was totally exactly what you just said.

SPEAKER_01 41:12

Yeah, so like and it's just like such a simple thing to to add in. So um yeah, and I like um like a lot of body weight stuff, like back to my gymnastics.

SPEAKER_03 41:23

Okay, nice.

SPEAKER_01 41:24

So yeah. Yeah, I'll I'll lift it. I like uh hex bar deadlifts and stuff, things like that, where when my body's already aching, it's not not too bad on my back and stuff.

SPEAKER_03 41:37

So yeah, you do some squats and stuff too, or yeah, a little bit. Like I think those are important to add in squats and lunges and yeah, it seems that's kind of like the squats, deadlifts, lunges seems to be the uh prescription you get for most running and strength coaches, and yeah, seems to keep people on the right track.

SPEAKER_00 41:57

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03 41:58

Yeah, yeah, for sure. All right, was there anything else you wanted to chat about, or do you think we covered it all?

SPEAKER_01 42:05

Not really, no. I uh yeah, I just um big into like if if you're a parent or a caregiver to an animal, like I don't know, just taking care of yourself is don't be afraid to like sometimes I'm like, oh maybe I could be working full-time, or like I feel like, oh, should I always have the girls home with me if I have a day off? Like, should I take them to daycare when I'm home? And like it's only been beneficial to work on my training and for them to see mom working hard and having goals of her own. Um yeah, and just like not running around like a you're you know, you cut your head off. Like, I I kind of dug myself into a bit of a hole in January when I was trying to do it all, and I just got kept getting sick and stomach flu and everything. I was like, no, you need to you need to take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_04 43:03

So for sure, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:04

Yeah, if anybody is watching this, like how I can't do that. Like, I have a lot of support from my spouse, and the girls do well at daycare and they're good sleepers. So if you're not sleeping, you can't train. Um yeah, I just wanted to add that in.

SPEAKER_03 43:18

Yeah, no, I love I love love that advice.

SPEAKER_01 43:20

And yeah, or you know, even if you're a job that's really demanding, if you're not sleeping, you're not recovering, like you can't be having these big goals, you gotta something's gotta give. So for sure.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

Yeah, I always say too, a lot of people I know myself included, had parents pass away at a younger age, and then I always think if they, you know, maybe when I was a little younger, took time for themselves to be more healthy and active, and then in your later life, maybe you kind of can make up the time and be even a better example as you're aging and healthy and fit, and then as your kids are adults, they'll see that you know in the future too. So I think that's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 43:56

Yeah, yeah, precisely, and then the time that I'm with the girls, like tomorrow. I'll have the full day with them, so I'll I'll still get up at four and train and then have the full day with them. So um yeah, and they don't understand me racing, but take them to Vancouver and I'm excited to tell them all about it, and I'm excited once they realize that runs pretty fast. So yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 44:20

Do you foresee an athletic future in them too? Or a little early to tell yet?

SPEAKER_01 44:24

Hard to tell. They are like wild. There's a thing where people say like premature babies are just crazy. Oh they grow up. And I'm like, I don't know, like everyone's like, oh if we had two employees, it would be way crazier. I was like, I don't know, these girls, this the energy level is wild. So I'm hoping they're athletic. Like, I can't take the if we're outside, there's no way we're coming. Or if we're outside, there's no way we're coming inside. So they definitely enjoy the outdoors. Awesome. And yeah, I'm excited to see what they pursue and if they like the same thing or different things.

SPEAKER_03 45:00

So yeah, we'll probably have a good gene set too with your your speed and your husband's strength. They might be like the perfect mix.

SPEAKER_00 45:08

Maybe exactly. For sure.

SPEAKER_03 45:12

All right. Well, you enjoy your um Vancouver marathon and your your twins and your family, and thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 45:19

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_03 45:20

All right, have a good day.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

You too.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

You have been listening to the Saskatchewan podcast. Please subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to pods, and remember to get in touch at jasontburns40 at gmail.com for suggestions of who you think may make a great guest on this podcast, or for comments in general. And as always, thanks to this wonderful Canadian band, The Burning Hell, for the use of this song, Holidaymakers. Check them out at theburninghell.com. And until next time, keep putting in the work.