Tag Archives: Marathon running

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BoxRun “Running for the Fight”: 90 Marathons in 90 Days

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There’s some good people out there, and Mike Strange, a three-time Canadian Olympic boxer, is one of them. Within a matter of a couple of days, he will have completed his personal journey to “Knockout Childhood Cancer” by running 90 Marathons in 90 consecutive days through the BoxRun Foundation. His journey began on May 8th in St Johns, Newfoundland and will end right here in his hometown of Niagara Falls, ON this Saturday, August 9, 2014.
Mike Strange is a local hero and mentor to many people. Besides being an 11 time Canadian amateur boxing champion, Mike started “Heater’s Heroes” in 2011 to honour his mentor Robert “Heater” Lavelle, an annual event held in Niagara Falls to help local sick children in need. His heart is as big as his physical strength with his will to help sick children and those with developmental disabilities.
In his own words, Mike says: “I have met so many brave children over the past few years who have been affected by cancer and other life altering diseases. After witnessing their innocence and strength I feel I have to do whatever I can to help. that is why I run, I don’t have a choice.”
It is because of this, that he started the BoxRun Foundation. Originally, the first BoxRun began in 2012 from Thunder Bay, ON. to Victoria, BC. and raised $100,000 for Childhood Cancer Research and this year he hopes to raise even more towards the cause and motivate, inspire and gain awareness along the way with every step he takes.
 The BoxRun mission:
To “Knock Out Childhood Cancer by raising funds through an annual marathon campaign within Canada. We are a volunteer foundation who place your generous donations directly with our charity partners, Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada and The McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research institute.”

Currently as I write this piece, Mike is running through Hamilton, ON., and to see how far he has run to date is one heck of an accomplishment. Running a full marathon of 42.2 km in one day is a difficult task in itself that statistics show only 4% of the population will do in their lifetime. Having run a full marathon myself I know first-hand how taxing it is on your body and mind after a certain point. Mike has done this everyday with no days off in the name of raising money for Childhood Cancer; a cause so near and dear to his heart, and to thousands of other people going through it themselves with their loved ones.
Here is a map of his daily accomplishments:

BoxRun has two primary charity partners: The McMaster Stem Cell & Cancer Research Institute. Donating to Boxrun is directly supporting their partners.
Dr. Singh from the McMaster Stem Cell & Cancer Research Institute explains where your money goes:

Upcoming Events! 
Mike Strange is being welcomed at several different events as BoxRun begins to draw to a close. Here is a list of a few different welcoming ceremonies in the final couple of days locally. Please come on out and support Mike and the BoxRun Foundation!
Grimsby, Wednesday, August 6, 2014

St.Catharines, Thursday, August 7, 2014 

Niagara Falls, Saturday, August 9th, 2014
This event is the grand finale! I encourage everyone to come out to Oakes Park and celebrate Mike Strange and his journey — and come out and unite as a community. It’s a family fun, all-day event with live entertainment for everybody to enjoy.

 

**If your business wishes to donate towards a raffle prize for the BoxRun Homecoming and Heater’s Heroes Run For Children, please drop them off at the Highland Tap on Lundy’s Lane by Thursday August 7th.**
Get Involved
Get involved in BoxRun “Running for the Fight”:
Mike welcomes runners along the way to help him “knockout” Childhood Cancer. Get a team together and get moving! You can join Mike and log in some miles along the way. Mike typically runs 5 legs a day of 8.5KM each, so if 42.2KM is too daunting for you, you may run 1 leg or 2 — whatever you wish. Just know that with every foot you place in front of the other, it is one step made in contributing to a remarkable cause.
To participate please email: info@BoxRun.org.
**If you wish to make a donation towards the cause, please click here. All donations of $20 or more will receive a charitable tax receipt from BoxRun Charitable Foundation.
Direct deposit donations can be made at any TD Bank: Account 151-5221082.
Follow and cheer on Mike Strange along the way to completing his journey via his Facebook page “Box Run”, where you will see daily photos, videos, his inspirational quotes of the day, and heart-warming messages and dedications to children, their families, and businesses that continue to inspire him everyday.


Christine Lynn
www.cliftonhill.com
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My First Marathon Experience!

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Yesterday I ran my very first full marathon and I want to share my marathon experience with you.

For those of you that have been following my blogs (1,2,3,4,5,6), I have been writing about my nutrition, training and general experience in marathon running from the time I signed up for the Niagara Falls International Marathon in July, until now. To sum things up, I have only been running for a little over two years, and since then I have run numerous 5K and 10K races, one 10-miler, seven half marathons and one 30K race — but this was to be my very first full marathon experience. I was never nervous signing up for this race surprisingly. I felt confident in my training and my abilities as a runner. I run often, and I run strong. As October 27, 2013 crept closer it started to hit me — but the nerves were stemming from everything leading up to getting to the start line. Will I sleep through my alarm? Will I forget my passport? Will I miss the bus? Will the lineups to the washroom be too long and I’ll have to run 26.2 miles with a full bladder? lol, these were my legitimate thoughts.

Friday, October 25th I had the honour of being invited to the Elements on the Falls restaurant for a VIP Reception held by the Niagara Parks as a thankyou for those that have helped piece together this year’s event. What a beautiful restaurant! I was the second person to arrive and within half an hour the restaurant was full of about 200 guests, speakers, bloggers, sponsors and (my personal favourite) the CEO and Founder of the Running Room, John Stanton was there. I was in awe! Elements on the Falls is located inside the Table Rock complex and is literally just feet away from the Horseshoe Falls. I quickly found the best seat in the house, giving me a gorgeous view of the illumination of the Falls. Hors d’oeuvres were passed around and a fantastic buffet was set up. I started my carb loading weekend in style!

*Me at Element on the Falls — feeling nice and toasty with a belly full of good food and white wine!*

Fast forward to race day! I did NOT sleep through my alarm. I had visions of the Seinfeld episode where Jean-Paul the Marathoner slept through his alarm because the volume was too low and I was afraid this would happen to me:

Our bus arrived at the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, USA  at 8:45 am where the start line is located. To my delight, there were about 20 port-a-potties set up and the lineups were painless. We were allowed to warm up in the art gallery and check out the exhibits before the start time at 10:00 am. This gave me time to sit back, relax, return some texts from friends and check my Facebook. I decided to throw caution to the wind and run without my Nike+ GPS. I knew my battery life wouldn’t sustain a 26.2 mile run, so I decided that I would find my pace bunny and try to keep up with him. The minutes quickly went by, and before I knew it, it was time to begin the race! It’s do or die!

Before you line up at the start line, you need to make sure that you place yourself accordingly. Assuming everyone has done their training already, you should generally have an idea of your finishing goal time and from there you find your “pace bunny” (the experienced runner assigned that knows what time he/she will finish in. They are decked out in bunny ears and they hold a sign with the goal time). I knew going into my first marathon I wanted to sub 4:00. It would be a feat –even for some experienced marathoners — but I felt it was doable and achievable when I factored in my last half marathon at a time of 1:42:05. Assuming my pace would slow down a bit past the 13.1 mile mark, I felt if you doubled that time and allowed time for slowing down and stopping at drink stations that would buy me a half hour to play with….so I found the 3:30 pace bunny and lined up behind him. Little did I know about the humbling marathon experience I was about to have…I am going to break this down in kilometres (42.2km) instead of miles as the majority of us Canadians are used to training in this way):

I was maintaining a great pace in the first 3 kilometres. So good in fact, that I passed the 3:30 pace bunny and stuck with the 3:20. Suddenly, I felt my legs starting to get tired so I slowed down a bit knowing that I still had 39 kilometres to go. I watched the 3:30 pace bunny go by, but decided to keep him within vision. It was around the 6th kilometre that we tackled the only fairly decent “hill” I would say in the whole race. This was when we went over the Peace Bridge into Canada. We passed customs before the race started, so NO we did NOT have to run through customs and declare anything haha. It was a surreal experience running over the bridge from one country into another.

*Running over the Peace Bridge. Photo cred: Corey Larocque, Niagara Falls Review. Read article here*.

I’m not going to lie, I went into this run almost too confident. The furthest I had ever ran up until this point was 30K, so I figured what’s another 12K? Those previous runs, I took electrolyte tabs that dissolve into your water bottle before the race and that’s all I would take throughout the run. No stopping at water stations, no electrolyte supplements along the way, no Gatorade — nothing. I thought I had it in the bag. The wall was coming — I just didn’t know it.

I passed the halfway mark (21.1K) at a time of 1:46:16. I was pacing right on track and I was feeling great. At this point we were well onto the Niagara Parkway and running alongside the Niagara River. This is when I started to really feel the effects of running against the wind. At 23 kilometres I lost the 3:30 pace bunny entirely, but the 3:40 bunny had yet to run by me, so I was still feeling good about my progress.

Then the wall hit. I have never felt the wall before. It sneaks up on you like a thief in the night. I wasn’t feeling pain, but my legs were starting to deflate. I knew my pace was slowing and I was starting to get tired. This was at the 31st kilometre. One kilometre past what I had ever done before, and 11.1 kilometres left to go. I felt like I was crawling — but I was still running. I knew my pace has substantially slowed down, but I was unsure of how much because if you remember, I was running watch naked.

The 35th kilometre was when I knew I was going to blow a 3:30 time and most probably a 3:40 time. I still hadn’t seen the 3:40 pace bunny fly by me, but at this point I didn’t care. I felt that achieving the sub 4:00 marathon time was still going to happen, but a Boston Qualifying time I knew wasn’t going to happen — and I was okay with that. This was my first marathon after all. For the first time ever in a race, I stopped at the drink station and had some Gatorade. My legs were heavy and I needed to stop for a moment. Thirst was setting in, and I needed it! Then I was off again.

From here on in until I saw the beautiful sign that read 40K, I stopped at every drink station for water. Coming up to the 40K marker it felt like I was running towards the volunteer holding out the cup of water in slow motion. I literally thought it was a mirage. I sputtered out “I feel like you are so far away”, and to my surprise even my words were slurred. It was like I was spewing out drunken words, but this time I was just drunk on running an insane distance and not on alcohol. I walked for about 100 metres after the 40K drinking station and then that’s when it happened. I saw the 3:45 pace bunny! Where the **** was the 3:40 guy?? I didn’t come this far to go neck-to-neck with the clock about to turn 4:00 — so I trucked it!

I had a goal in mind, and I hate to lose. Yes, yes, I know just finishing a marathon is amazing. Apparently only 4% of the population will ever be part of this elite group of runners — but I hate having to admit to myself that I failed at something that I truly wanted. So this was by far the toughest part of the run for me, both physically and mentally. I gave it all I had left in my legs (which was totally barren) and everything that I had mentally to give…which was also a total washout because I was all dizzy and inebriated. I wasn’t prepared for that.

When I saw the finish line and the people cheering me on, suddenly I ran like a Kenyan on a hot tin roof to the finish. And I did it. My finishing time was 3:50:02. I beat my goal time by 9 minutes and 58 seconds and only missed a Boston qualifying finish by 10 minutes and 2 seconds. So, of course, that is my next goal. So will there be more marathons in my future? Yes. Yes, there will be.

Thank you to the Niagara Falls International Marathon for such an organized race. I will definitely run this one again. Lastly, thank you to all my friends and family that have helped support me along the way — especially to my husband who is left home alone with a hyperactive two-year old little boy for an hour a day/5-6 days a week while I do my nightly training runs.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my first marathon experience — and if anyone else has any stories to share about their first marathon experience, I’d love to hear them. Please leave a message in the comment section of this blog.

 

*Me in my car just after I completed my marathon. Sore and HUNGRY lol*

 

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My Marathon Training: Only 9.5 weeks to go! Oh My!

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It has been just over 1.5 months since I decided to take the plunge and begin marathon training for my first ever full marathon. To do a full marathon has been on my bucket list since I began running only 2 years ago, but I actually assumed it would be 4 or 5 years down the road, even after completing a few half marathons and the “Around the Bay” 30K road race just this past March in Hamilton, ON. The reason being? Running has become a lifestyle in that I have followed the same routine of running to stay fit 5 days a week, 10K at a time. I have never decreased or increased my mileage — even on the days leading up to my big races! Last year, I saw pictures of the Niagara Falls International Marathon and vowed to do the half marathon. Then I got thinking about it. I love the feeling of crossing the finish line…the rush, the excitement, the sense of accomplishment. There’s no time like the present right? And so began my marathon training. This is my third blog pertaining to my marathon training for the Niagara Falls International Marathon. Here are my first two:
Niagara Falls International Marathon: My Journey to take on 42.4 Kilometres
Niagara Falls Running: 14.5 weeks to go until the big day!
As you may have already read on my previous blogs, I loosely follow marathon training guides. I will say this though — when I ran the “Around the Bay” 30K road race I felt like walking by the 26K mark. When I crossed the finish line my legs cramped right up and I needed help to get up off the ground. It was then that I discovered the importance of staying hydrated to avoid muscle cramping. When you run any kind of great distance it is inevitable that you will be sore, but in long runs you need fluid (whether it be from water or sports energy drinks) to keep in optimal performance. The warning signs of dehydration include muscle soreness, feeling faint or light-headed with standing, rapid heart rate, sunken eyes, dry mouth, feeling very thirsty or a dull headache. Here is a tip that really helped me, that I will share with you in determining how much water you roughly will need to consume during your marathon training:
*Estimate your sweat rate by weighing yourself nude first and then run for 1 hour at your expected race pace. Do not drink during this run, so keep it within 10K or so. At the end of the run, strip down, towel yourself off and reweigh yourself nude. The difference in your weight in ounces is your estimated sweat rate. No more than that amount of water that you lost should be replaced within each hour of your race.* For me, this advice has helped a lot. I am fueled adequately, while not over-fueling either. There is nothing worse than water sloshing around in your stomach during a run.
Since my previous post a couple of weeks ago, I have added a few more tweaks to my marathon training. Firstly, while not completely adjusting my diet as I already eat fairly clean, I added chia seeds into almost everything that I cook. The chia seed is a high quality protein source, and if you are a vegan or eat primarily a diet composed of fruits and vegetables (like myself) they are an excellent addition to your diet. It contains soluable and insoluable fiber, which aids in digestion. It is also highly rich in antioxidants and is one of the most concentrated sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. It has been labelled a “superfood” for many reasons, and click here for an article via Huffington Post that breaks down 10 benefits of chia seeds. I get my seeds from the Bulk Barn. 2 scoops cost me $16, but it’s a small price to pay for the benefits of the wonder seed.
I do not use the fact that I have a wild and crazy 2 year-old at home get in the way of my marathon training. Sure you have to make sacrifices such as perhaps shorter runs than you anticipated or more cross-training days than running days that you can do from home, but I do what I can, when I can do it. For me, I have been doing 10K-12K runs 4 days a week in the evening when my husbands gets home from work. I set aside approximately 1 hour to get this done — with most runs averaging between 45-55 minutes long. Sunday mornings at 7:30 am when everyone is still asleep, is when I do my long run of the week. One day of the week I do weight training. I don’t have a gym membership, I simply use free weights at home for approximately 45 minutes.
Again, this is what works for me. The Running Room has an excellent customized training program for every distance you are training for, if you wish to follow a set training guide and can stick to it. I just found that between my work schedule, my husband’s work schedule and juggling a very active toddler, I became my own personal trainer.
I leave this blog with a little inspirational video that was sent to me from a friend that I loved. I hope for anyone thinking of registering for the Niagara Falls International Marathon or any race for that matter — 5K to an Ironman, that it helps put a little mojo in your step too.
If you have enjoyed this blog or feel that it may help to encourage someone to give running a go, share this blog!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing my marathon training experiences with you.


Christine
www.cliftonhill.com
Facebook: Clifton Hill – Niagara Falls Fun
Twitter: @cliftonhillfun
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Niagara Falls Running: 14 weeks to go until the big day!

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Well, it’s been 1.5 weeks since I decided to take my Niagara Falls running to the next level and register for the Niagara Falls International Marathon. My previous and first post on this subject gave a little history on how I began running two years ago, so I won’t go into any depth about that except to say that the reasons that have kept me engaged with running have gone further beyond wanting to lose the baby weight — it is now part of my almost daily routine. Ask anyone that knows me about the two things in life that I can’t live without, and they will tell you a) my son, Kaidyn and b) running. I am addicted to the endorphin rush and the sense of utter relaxment, calmness and euphoria when I finish on empty. This is why I truly believe in the term “runner’s high” — because it happens to me on every single run. Niagara Falls running is a key motivator that keeps me from getting bored because I happen to live in a region with one of the most beautiful backdrops to run by — the Niagara Falls. Running on the trails in Niagara-on-the-Lake, little towns within the Niagara region (such as Jordan), and finding my “happy spots” as I call them in my hometown of St.Catharines keeps me focused, engaged, and challenged every time I step out the door.
I would be lying if I told you that during this past week and a half that I made the decision to jump to a full marathon, that I decided to stick to a specific marathon training plan. I did not. I am stubborn in that I like to train my own way and I kind of took on the notion that I am my own personal trainer. I refer to the book “Running: The Complete Guide to Building Your Running Program” by John Stanton as a general resource for my training. If you read my first post, you will know that I have done several half marathon races, and this book that you can purchase at the Running Room is an excellent tool for the beginner runner and for the seasoned athlete. My favourite chapter in the book breaks down a training guide for whichever type of race you are planning on doing (in this case, a full marathon) and even caters to whatever time you aim to finish in! I love this because my average half marathon finishing time is at the 1:45 mark, so you can up the ante and follow a 1:40 guide.

In any case, with this book I personally use it to keep me on track, but I don’t follow it every day as a specific set schedule. Some people choose to, and that’s great, but I like to colour outside the lines a bit and do my own thing. This past week, Niagara Falls running has been a challenge with the heat. A few days in a row we saw temperatures at the 32-33c mark, with the humidity making it feel more like 40C, and in some cases even higher than that! This didn’t mean that I fell off my training plan though! I made sure to hydrate properly and I ran with water. I don’t like to wear anything around my waist when I run, so I don’t use hydration belts. I keep my water bottle in my hands the whole time. The first day of our heatwave last week I found that even though I kept myself hydrated, my muscles were sore and achy throughout my whole body. I violated one of my own running tips…in extreme heat carry ELECTROLYTES! An “electrolyte” is any salt mineral that carries signals between cells allowing them to react properly. It regulates blood pressure, heart rate, water levels and muscle movement. If we don’t have enough electolytes, our body doesn’t perform as well. In extreme heat this tends to suffer and products that carry electrolytes (especially on longer runs) will benefit your performance. Gatorade for instance, is a an excellent source of a drink containing electrolytes. Races will usually have water and Gatorade stations set up every few kilometres. I really like Nuun tablets. They are flavoured tablets that disolve in water and they are easy on my stomach. Other popular brands of electrolytes are Gels such as Gu, in which you swallow back a pouch before or during your run and it gives you the extra “lift” that you need to keep going. Practice your tolerance for an electrolyte source well before your big day to see which product works for you — you don’t want any unnecessary “surprises” the day of. There’s is nothing worse than having to make a pit stop at a port-a-potty when you are trying to beat the clock! That’s all I will say about that.

If you live locally to Niagara Falls and you plan on registering for the Niagara Falls International Marathon , I would like to share with you one of my favourite Niagara Falls running routes. With all the chaos of raising a two-year old and everyday daily stresses I find it relaxing to get out for a trail run and I love the nature. This route is in St.Catharines and it’s the Merritt Trail. This trail begins at Bradley Street in south St.Catharines and continues through to Martindale Road in west St.Catharines and connects with the Green Ribbon Trail. The length of the trail is 11 kilometres. In the past week alone I have seen a massive tortoise, three beavers and just last night when I turned the corner I came face-to-face with a gorgeous deer! I have attached the pictures below as I always carry my iphone with me on my runs to track my GPS route through the free Nike+ GPS app. Please excuse the quality of my pictures. I took the picture of the deer so quickly!


In general, my training this last week and a half has been more about a test of will and strength in this heat than focusing on mileage. I have stayed consistent with running a 10K distance on average while keeping 2 days a week open for crosstraining, in which I choose to lift light weights and stregthen my core through abdominal exercises, planks and squats. My advice to you is to not avoid exercising in extreme heat, but to embrace it, while of course taking the necessary precautions. It is training in weather like this that may give you an extra edge over the opponent if you are competitive, but will also make you a stronger runner because the only person that you need to compete with is the person that you were yesterday when it comes to improvement. That’s the whole point in marathon training, right?
If you have enjoyed this blog or feel that it may help to encourage someone to give running a go, share this blog!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing my Niagara Falls running experiences with you!


Christine
www.cliftonhill.com
Facebook: Clifton Hill – Niagara Falls Fun
Twitter: @cliftonhillfun
Google+: Clifton Hill Niagara Falls
 
 
 
 
 

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Niagara Falls International Marathon: My Journey to take on 42.2 Kilometres

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If you had asked me 2 years ago if I would become an avid running addict, I would have told you that you were crazy! I just gave birth to my son and had zero motivation. I had post-pardum depression, I had 35 pounds to shed and a newborn baby that drained all of my time and energy. Now I’m just 15.5 weeks out of running 42.2 Kilometres (or 26 miles to my American friends) in the Niagara Falls International Marathon on October 27th, 2013.
I had my son, Kaidyn, on March 27th, 2011 and it was on August 1st, 2011 exactly that I decided enough was enough and it was time to get moving. I went out and bought a good pair of running shoes — Asics Gel Nimbus 13. To this day, I swear by those shoes. I began walking with Kaidyn in his stroller after 2 months, so by August 1st when I decided to step out the door, I felt I was ready to do the next step — run. I didn’t realize then that I would be documenting my experience leading up to the Niagara Falls International Marathon just a couple of years later, nor did I know that I would shed all the weight plus an additional 16 pounds, improve my health and fitness and find a natural remedy to overcome post-pardum depression, without any kind of medical intervention. I downloaded the Nike GPS app for iphone — it’s a completely free application in which you enter your stats (height, weight, sex) and from there is tracks calories burned, mileage, your route and your speed. You have the ability to share it on social networking, which I do on Facebook. If you are competitive by nature — like myself haha — you can also race against your friends and try to beat their mileage week by week which is a further push to try and nail the Niagara Falls International Marathon.

Here is a video of the exact shoe that works for my foot specifically that I swear by, right down to the colour — but please have a professional assess your feet and running stride for the best shoe for your specific foot type! Places like your local Running Room will do this for you.
http://youtu.be/0odUtsBcfp4
The first thing I did to avoid the temptation to give up and stop running completely, was sign up for the Road 2 Hope Half Marathon on November 6th, 2011. That gave me 3 months to prepare. I slowly increased my mileage from 5KM runs to 10KM runs. I went from running everyday to running 5-6 days a week with one day devoted to Jillian Michaels. For super cheap, I bought 2 DVD’s: Jillian Michaels: No More Trouble Zones and Jillian Michaels: Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism. I bought free weights in 1 lb, 3 lbs, and 5 lbs and got to work. Each DVD is 45 minutes. I learned that strength training is vital to maintaining proper form and increasing speed, stamina and the core strength needed for running. At the time, in preperation for this race, it was more important to me to finish the race than to garner a great time. I finished in 2:08:25. I was beaming! I felt accomplished, I felt like I could conquer the world. It was at that exact moment (without sounding poetic) that I fell in love with running. So here’s my first tip to keep you motivated….sign up NOW for the Niagara Falls International Marathon! By doing this, you will keep yourself accountable to keep moving. When you constantly sign up for races, you are continously staying on top of your game. You can only get better.
Here is my photo after my first race — the Road 2 Hope Half Marathon in November, 2011:

Fast forward to now — I have done 16 5K, 15 10K races, 6 Half Marathons, 1 30K race and the Warrior Dash. I have 34 medals — 25 of which I placed in the top 3 in my age group. My most recent Half Marathon was in a time of 1:43:17 — shaving off a considerable amount of time from my very first Half Marathon due to determination and persistance. I also have it in the back of my head that I am doing this for my son as well…to be the best mom that I can be by staying healthy enough to keep up!
My goal with this series of blogs leading up to the Niagara Falls International Marathon is to not only further motivate myself, but to encourage other runners and new runners that signing up for a full marathon doesn’t have to be as daunting as it seems. I am not a professional runner, I have NOT been doing this for years, I have lack of time, I have lack of sleep and I sometimes eat things that I shouldn’t, I get injuries, I run too late at night, I suffer from embarrassing running issues that no one ever wants to admit or talk about and I have no idea why Kenyans are so fast and why barefoot running is beneficial. I am just a regular runner looking to achieve something that statistics say that only 4% of the population ever acquires — to run a marathon!
Please follow my journey with me over these next couple of months as I document my personal experience and hopefully motivate you to give running a try! I will also write about my experience at the Niagara Falls International Marathon afterwards. The good, the bad, and the ugly! I will share my mileage, my nutrition (keeps me accountable!), trails and routes that I like and anything else I choose to talk about. I will leave this blog with my favourite running quote, made into a tattoo on my wrist:

If you have enjoyed this blog or feel that it may help encourage someone to give running a go, share this blog!
Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you!

Christine
www.cliftonhill.com
Facebook: Clifton Hill – Niagara Falls Fun
Twitter: @cliftonhillfun
Google+: Clifton Hill Niagara Falls