Training update and life lately

My last post outlined my October marathon debut which was a fantastic learning experience but left me broken and unable to walk for days. So after taking seven weeks off for a sacral stress fracture I very slowly started back. This was certainly the most cautious build back to running of my life but I […]

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Spring races & Nutrition tweaks

I am back to full training and it feels so good and so tiring at the same time. I am running 3 workouts a week, with one of those workouts included in my long run, while keeping my milage relatively low at around 70 miles per week. I am finding that the half/marathon pace workouts […]

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Social Run – the Forerunners Half Marathon

Thanks to Karen & Peter Butler – the fantastic owners of Forerunners Vancouver for 30 years – and Coach Carey Nelson, the Forerunners Social Half Marathon became a reality! The run was promoted to the local running community – a free supported half marathon to ‘make-up’ for the First Half. It coincided with our usual […]

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First Half-Course Preview

Forerunners and Mile 2 Marathon coach, Dylan Wykes gives us a look at this weekends upcoming Pacific Road Runners First Half 1/2 Marathon… At first glance this course looks pretty easy and fast. A little loop around Yaletown and then out along English Bay, around Stanley Park and back. A lot of Vancouverites are familiar […]

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A new year and I’m back up and running…

So I’ve neglected this blog since being injured in September. Perhaps as the injury lingered for 12 weeks and I didn’t have a lot to report on in the running front, and I didn’t feel motivated to share all the joys of cross training (elliptical, cyber arc, pool and bike workouts just don’t seem as […]

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Join the Pacific Spirit Tri Club

  Established in 1996, the Pacific Spirit Triathlon Club is Vancouver’s longest-standing triathlon club. They have over 100 members with a wide range of experience levels, so there is room for everyone from beginners to veterans! The club members share the same enthusiasm during their workouts as they do in their social events throughout the […]

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How much racing is too much?

⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2017 is just around the corner and that has many of us setting new goals and picking races to conquer in the new year. There are so many awesome races out there that it’s hard not to want to do a race every single weekend. So where do you draw the line?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ There […]

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When to Hit the Treadmill

WHEN TO HIT THE DREADMILL Mother Nature threw a hissy-fit and hit the greater Vancouver area pretty hard last week. Those of you that are east of the rockies are laughing right now, but, it snowed, it was cold and our west coast butts were freezing. Dylan even broke out his Mizuno sleeping bag coat […]

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Celebrating 10 Years with Coach Carey

(video credit to Damian Frith, Carlos Chiu, and Lucy Chi) Happy 10 year anniversary, Coach Carey! It’s hard to believe he’s been coaching 10 years.  Recently at Forerunners, we were lucky enough to get our group of runners together at the Double D Pizza restaurant for a holiday party.  We had a great time with […]

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The big STWM recap

It has been almost seven weeks since the marathon. I have finally gathered my thoughts and I will tell you about the good, the bad, and the ugly! As discussed in my last post, prior to the race, I was feeling ready and workouts had gone splendidly. I flew to Windsor eight days out from […]

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Forerunners North Shore Honoured

  We were honoured with being awarded the 2016 Service Excellence Award at the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce 2016 Business Excellence Awards. A talented group from Capilano University made a short film that showcased what we do and who we are. Thank you for the continued support over the years – here’s the video […]

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Mizuno Running – Wave Sky Testing

Mizuno Running – Wave Sky Testing Nov 25-27, 2016 Thanks for your interest in helping the Mizuno Global Product Development team test a new product called the Wave Sky. You will be asked to run 3 kilometers (at your own pace) in 4 different shoes. After each trial you will need to fill out a […]

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Fall Classic – Social Run

Join our friends at the Vancouver Marathon Society for the Fall Classic Social Run on Thursday, October 20th at Mahony & Sons UBC. Be there by 6:00pm to join in the 5KM run, followed by one complimentary beer from Stanley Park Brewing and be entered in a draw for the chance to win exciting prizes! […]

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Free Running Seminar October 24th

It’s that time of year again! As part of their presentation of the First 1/2 Half Marathon, the Pacific Road Runners are holding their annual free running seminar on Monday October 24th at the Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown. This year’s speakers include: Chris Winter, local athlete and Rio 2016 Olympian in the Steeplechase, discussing […]

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One week and counting

One week to go until I toe the line at Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I am excited, anxious, nervous, petrified, and calm all at the same time! In short, this marathon build-up has been flawless. That’s a tough thing to say because in all honesty no one cares if you had the best or worst […]

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That fine balance……

It is funny how sometimes life repeats itself. A year ago I found myself in this same position. I was training for a fall marathon and as September rolled around I found myself injured. So what happened ? I was deep in my training for the TCSNYC marathon when I started to have a bit […]

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Fall Classic Pacers Needed

FALL CLASSIC PACERS Are you interested in becoming a Pacer for the 2016 Fall Classic on November 13th? We are looking for Pacers for the following distances and times: Half Marathon 1h30min ; 1h45min ; 2h ; 2h15min ; 2h30min 10KM 40min ; 45min ; 50min ; 55min ; 1h 5KM 20min ; 25min ; […]

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30th Anniversary Celebrations – Saucony Day

Come celebrate Saucony Day on Saturday September 24th at our West 4th Avenue location! Team Saucony will be hosting activities throughout the day to help us celebrate 30 years serving Vancouver’s running community. In addition to great Saucony deals in-store, we have fun activities planned all day: BBQ Party- We will be firing up the grill […]

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A Night with the Olympians

Join us on Tuesday September 20th at 6:30 pm at our 4th Avenue location (3502 West 4th Avenue) for a night with the Olympians. We’ll head out for a short run, then come back for a Q & A with local 2016 Olympians Lucas Bruchet and Natasha Wodak. Forerunners ambassador and London 2012 Olympian, Dylan […]

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30th Anniversary Celebrations-Mizuno Day

Join us for Mizuno Day this Saturday September 10th at our West 4th Avenue location. Mizuno Representatives will be on hand all day to help us celebrate our 30th Anniversary serving Vancouver’s running community. We’ve got lots planned for everyone including: Prediction Run-Stop in between 9 am and 12 noon.  Make your best guess at […]

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Forerunners is 30 Years Old

When Forerunners founders Peter and Karen Butler organized their first running clinic in November of 1986, about 25 people – and only one female – attended. Today, clinic sessions routinely attract up to 125 enthusiastic participants, across a wide range of abilities. Some 80 per cent of these runners are women. That’s just one aspect […]

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Olympic Track & Field Viewing Guide

Alright folks, Track & Field at the 2016 Rio Olympics is here! It’s only once every four years and these athletes have been busting their butts to be ready for this event. So lets get excited and get behind them. Here is our Guide for when to watch and who to watch out for, with […]

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A Couple Tips for the Marathon

Marathon season is fast approaching, with some of North America’s biggest marathons just over two months away. By now you should be well into your training for the big event. Whether you are tackling this beast of an event for the first time or it’s your 100th go at it, you have to respect the […]

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Eyes on the prize

After a rocky spring in which I felt like I was running with half my body, on very little actual running, it was nice to finally get it together and feel strong again for one more race of the season. I was looking forward to getting in a fast 10K at the Toronto Waterfront 10K, […]

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Moving forward and Back at it!

My last blog post mentioned the emotionally difficult times I was having in April. These emotional challenges increased in June with the loss of my mom. My mom had been unwell for a long time, 11 years in fact. She was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers at the age of 58 and had a very […]

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8 Running Tips from Coach Jerry

Dear Forerunners Runners, With the arrival of summer here in Vancouver and so many people out enjoying the vast landscape that our city has to offer, I thought it might be helpful to give you 8 easy tips to make your runs in the sun more effective and enjoyable. Below are just a few quick […]

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Join Our Team!

  Join Our Team Are you looking for a fast moving, fun-filled environment to work in?  Are you an energetic, self starter with a passion for running?  Are you eager to learn and push yourself?  Perhaps you’d like to join our team! Forerunners is looking for qualified applicants for both FULL-TIME and PART-TIME positions. We […]

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Darn Shin and Other Racing Recaps

Darn shin and other racing recaps. This always seems to happen to me — I put the whole blog writing thing on the back burner when running becomes a bit tedious. It’s not that I want to hide anything but sometimes it’s confusing when one day you feel good and then the next day not […]

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Emotional Stress and Running

Another long overdue blog post, but I think it’s because I have been wondering how to approach this blog. It has been a blog in the making for a while but it is one of those hard ones to articulate as although it’s my story to tell, it is personal and also involves others. The […]

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Back To The Runners Playground

We are now well in to 2016 and I have neglected my blog. I’m not sure why but it is now time to update. So far my running has taken a few steps forward then a step backward. Just as things started to get back on track this year I developed the flu requiring me […]

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Spring in Vancouver

This morning I stumbled across a photo from 9 years ago of the finish of the 2007 Vancouver Sun Run. The photo shows little (he was literally probably a foot shorter than me) Soloman Tsige of Ethiopia breaking the tape with me lagging a few strides behind after a furious sprint for the finish line, […]

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