Melissa’s Running Adventures: Chapter 1

I didn’t start out thinking that I was going to be a runner, and in fact swore that I would never run a half marathon! Then I found my people. And here I am, ten years later, still lacing up my sneakers and training for marathons. The amount of time I have spent running outdoors has given me amazing memories and some interesting running adventures!

Juggling Running & Kids

My daughters were still in elementary school when I first started running long distances. So were the children of some of my closest running buddies. I would laugh at some of the things we would do in order to fit in a run and still do all the other things that we had to do as mothers. 

It was like choreographing a complicated dance. “Well, I have time in between pick-up and the girls’ basketball practice.” “I can do between 7:15 and 9:45”. “How about after we tuck the kids in?” 

One morning in March, four of us decided that 6am was the only time we could fit it in. Since it was still dark at that time, we decided to run on the dykes to minimize running on the road. Well, if you think the roads are dark at 6am, the unlit dykes are even darker! Thankfully there was one more experienced runner with us, and she brought a headlamp. Lesson learned! 

Long Distance Adventures

While I often run long distances, especially when marathon training, I don’t always mean to! And let me tell you, when you have to run 34kms while training, you don’t want to run any further by accident. But it can happen.  

Even when you do your best to map out a route, you can turn at the wrong street or hit a dead end and have to keep running to find the route again. Friends of mine really got side tracked chatting one day and ended up running a full marathon distance  by accident. My personal favourite was when my friend looked at me on a 30 km run and firmly stated, “At 30 we STOP!” So stop, we did – and ended up with a 2km cool down walk home.  

One time, we did a 22km run over the Golden Ears Bridge, into Fort Langley and back in the snow. It was such a quiet, beautiful run into Langley, with little traffic, and the snow gently falling. At points, we could run down the center of the tree-lined streets and just soak up the scenery. The run home was a totally different story. 

As we turned back, the temperature rose and the snow turned to rain and sleet. The traffic picked up, and we were running through slush. Our feet were soaked and frozen, but that didn’t matter much after we got drenched by a flying wave of slush as a semi truck drove past us on the bridge. Ah, the memories. 

Expect the Unexpected

Another run in Langley, we came across a wallet.  Money, credit cards, and I.D. were strewn everywhere. Of course, my first thought was, “Please don’t find a body. Please don’t find a body. The runners are always the ones who find the body.”  

It was pouring rain (of course), and… No body. PHEW. I gathered up the cards, and called the owner when I got home. He was grateful for his wallet being found, but just could not understand how I had run from Maple Ridge to Langley and back. “So you RAN that far on purpose??” 

I like to think that when bad things happen on a run, then they won’t happen in a race. One day, about 20km into a 28km run, my friend got a bleeding nose. We were in the middle of farms, no bathrooms or businesses anywhere. After she had used her two tissues, she had to switch to her shirt. You can imagine the looks we made our way back, with one of us covered in blood. I wonder what running adventure people thought we were having that day!

Of course, no run would be complete without running into, or hopping over, wildlife. I definitely prefer being surprised by wildlife than having to dodge roadkill (gross). I’ve seen raccoon families, ducks, geese, herons, bears, deer, swooping crows, and even a seal.

The most startled we ever were was when a bear ran out of a ditch a few metres in front of us and into an apple orchard. We kept going, but ended up running much further than we had originally planned because we didn’t want to run past the orchard again! 

Life Long Friends

The social aspect of endurance running is huge for me. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, early or late, road or trail, if I commit to go running with a friend or a group I’m there. I’m much better at going on my own now, but still prefer a buddy.  

Running for up to 5 hours with friends gives you plenty of time to talk and connect. The conversations are all over the place. We talk about running, our other workouts, what you are going to have for breakfast, injuries and how to heal.  We learn about each other’s family, races, and push each other to try new things. 

Learning to love to run has added more to my life than I ever could have imagined. I’ve met new friends, travelled with them, and tried new activities with them. I even tried swimming for a year. Fitness is about taking care of your body, but also about your mind and soul. Running gives me all that, and more.