Category Archives: Running

Team 50km Ultra Marathon Race Review

  By Crystal Clarke | October 23, 2011 - 2:59 pm | , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Yesterday my training buddies, MellowJohnny and SpeedyK, and I ran together in a team effort for Saskatoon’s 50km Ultra Marathon event. It’s a great fall season event and it was really lots of fun! The three of us had had many discussions about who would take which “leg” of the race. We didn’t know the distances when the discussion began, so we tentatively set it at me doing the first, SpeedyK doing the second, and MellowJohnny doing the third. It ended up going exactly like that! This meant that I would take the longest leg at 17.4km, SpeedyK would take … Keep reading →

Running in Relationships

  By Crystal Clarke | October 1, 2011 - 12:08 pm | , , ,
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My boyfriend, MellowJohnny, and I decided to do a team relay with my bestie, SpeedyK, for the upcoming 50km Saskatoon Ultra Marathon. We thought it would be fun to train for something together and it would keep us accountable to our “team.” Sure enough, all three of us have kept true to our plan of running at least twice a week and doing our long runs with all three of us. It’s funny how making it a team effort has made us all commit just a little bit more. I am the first to admit that I’m not the fastest … Keep reading →

Who Needs Music

  By Crystal Clarke | June 11, 2011 - 8:54 am | , , ,
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This weekend I am spending my time at my parent’s farm in the Middle of Nowhere (aka Smeaton), Saskatchewan. We are getting the farm ready for the big auction sale that so many small farmers have had. It is an estate sale for a farm, except everyone is alive. Changes are abound in my family with the simple fact that there will be no farm machinery running from spring until fall. Usually at times like this, this is a step to there being no farm. While it is sad, it is the way of the world right now. My dad … Keep reading →

Race Report: Brainfreeze Half Marathon

  By Crystal Clarke | March 9, 2011 - 8:28 am | , , ,
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This past weekend I ran my first race of the year, the Saskatoon Brainsport’s Brainfreeze half marathon. It is organized by the U of S Huskie Cross-country team, which part of the entry goes to. It is a great cause and it is a great winter race. All that being said, it was a brain freeze, indeed! All week leading up to the race, my friends and I kept checking the weather. “What’s the forecast now?” “What’s the wind like?” The forecast changed almost every day between -17 and -18C. In Saskatchewan, we are pretty famous for our prairie wind … Keep reading →

When Exhaustion Tries to Take Over

  By Crystal Clarke | January 22, 2011 - 5:31 pm | , , ,
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With last week’s post in mind, focusing on discipline, I was well-disciplined this week. It feels good, but it also feels exhausting. Thursday was my day off and ever since then I’ve been wondering how I’m possibly going to make it. That being said, I know that the first few weeks of training can be difficult to get through. My body is just not used to be stressed in this way and it is telling my brain to quit. This is where a strong mind comes in. It is imperative to stay positive and know that I can keep training … Keep reading →

Farewell December!

  By Crystal Clarke | January 1, 2011 - 11:04 am | , , , , , , , ,
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December is always a difficult month to be motivated to train. It is busy with parties and family gatherings, not to mention buying presents and preparing for the holiday season. This December I was working in retail and it was BUUUUSY! Also, I had two clients have babies in the early part of the month and it really messed up my sleep schedule. Both births went really well with minor complications and both moms and babies are happy and healthy after their natural birth. I did manage to get in the odd run thanks to my good friend, Kelly. She … Keep reading →