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limejuicer1862 · 5 years

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Wombwell Rainbow Interviews

I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me. I gave the writers two options: an emailed list of questions or a more fluid interview via messenger.

The usual ground is covered about motivation, daily routines and work ethic, but some surprises too. Some of these poets you may know, others may be new to you. I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I do.

James Carter

is an award-winning children’s poet. He travels all over the cosmos (well, Britain), with his guitar (that’s Keith) to give lively poetry performances and workshops. James once had hair, extremely long hair (honestly), and he played in a really nasty ultra-loud heavy rock band. And, as a lifelong space cadet, James has discovered that poems are the best place to gather all his daydreamy thoughts. What’s more, he believes that daydreaming for ten minutes every day should be compulsory in all schools. His poetry titles include Cars Stars Electric Guitars and Orange Silver Sausage (Walker Books) and Time-Travelling Underpants and Greetings, Earthlings! (Macmillan). James was the major contributor to the recent Cbeebies TV series Poetry Pie. He lives with his wife and two daughters in Wallingford, Oxfordshire.

The Interview

1. What inspired you to write poetry?

It’s a number of things. I’ve always really loved words – reading everything from comics/non-fiction as a child to novels as a teen/young adult, and now mainly non-fiction/poetry/plays. I’ve always been a bit imaginative I guess, and as soon as I bought my first electric guitar at 15, I just started writing lyrics to songs. Actually, I wrote my first lyric/poem thing, The Electrified Spiders, aged 8 or 9. I played in bands all through my 20s, writing and recording music. But as soon as I went to uni aged 29 I knew I wanted to write, to be a writer. I tried fiction at first, but it was the poetry/non-fiction that took off.

I’m a bit of an outsider (I’ve often been called ‘contrary’, and I certainly do question everything), always have been, and poetry fits in well with this sensibility, as poetry should show you the world from a different/fresh perspective. In a poem I have to be as original as possible – I feel that I’m implicitly saying ‘Hey look at that – but look at it like this…’. Also a poem has to say something, communicate something, even simply present you with a thought, an idea or a single image.

I like writing for children as it disciplines me. I can’t indulge myself too much, I have to ideally keep my young invisible reader interested. For me, children for me are the best age group to write for. I have no interest in writing for adults per se, but if adults ever like a poem I’ve written with children in mind, then that’s nice! This happened with a kind of eco poem I wrote for a school for World Book Day last year – Who Cares? – it went on the National Poetry Day website (I’m one of their ambassadors), and it was picked up by Radio 3 for their prose and poetry series. I never saw that coming! As a writer, you never know who will read your work, or how it will be received. I even had an email this morning from a woman asking if her 9 year old child could read my poem Love You More (it’s at my website – www.jamescarterpoet.co.uk) at her wedding. How lovely is that? As a poet I couldn’t ask for more.

2. Who introduced you to poetry?

School – Macbeth / Canterbury Tales at O level, Philip Larkin at A level, then much later as a mature student, the lecturers at Reading Uni (on the B.Ed degree) were very passionate about poetry. It was the Craft of Writing course in particular that got me writing. In my twenties I went to a fair few John Hegley gigs. Great poet, great comic, and a wonderful person. He showed me you can write about literally a n y t h i n g…

3. How aware were you of the dominating presence of older poets?

Weird question! Actually, I’m now an older poet myself. And still I’d say the children’s poetry world is led by older poets – but thankfully we have lots of younger voices coming through. And crucially, I very much believe the poetry world is far more welcoming to new poets than it ever was. But I think that writing for children is not something that most people consider anyway until they have children / grandchildren or worked as a teacher or have been on the planet for a while…

4. What is your daily writing routine?

Don’t have one! I write anywhere, anytime. In a sense, I’m always writing. On trains, in cafés, on hilltops, in car parks. Depends what I’m writing though. If I’m writing a poem, I can even write/re-write aspects of it in my head, and then I’ll have to make a note of it on my phone or the envelope I keep in my pocket. (Worked for Paul McCartney when writing Hey Jude!) I often get obsessed with a poem as I’m writing it, and will run lines/phrases over and over in my head, chanting them, mouthing the words until they really flow – and every single syllable/word etc is just right. But if I’m writing a non-fiction verse book, say like Once Upon A Star / Once Upon An Atom, I need to either work on my laptop, or better still, on paper. I will take the manuscript with me wherever I go, making a great many tweaks/edits/changes.

5. What motivates you to write?

Two things – a) a love if not obession with words and the music of language, b) a fascination with the world – and a need to make sense of it, and I find writing a poem on a topic will help me to explore and express something on that subject / idea / memory. I’m always thinking about something or other, so a poem is a great place to put or distil my thoughts.

6. What is your work ethic?

I’m a workaholic. I’m always writing, at least always thinking about writing. Perhaps tweaking a line, refining a title, developing an image, or mulling over an idea for a new non-fiction book.

7. How do the writers you read when you were young influence you today?

As Morris Gleitzman so nicely expressed it, everything you read / think / observe / experience goes into the ‘mulch’ from which your writing grows. Specifically, I know that many rhyming things I write are to the rhythm of lines from Macbeth, or my favourite picture book Where The Wild Things Are (a massive influence on me) or even Tom Waits’ spoken word piece ‘What’s He Building In There?’ But I’m sure I’m influenced by lots of things I’ve read without even realising it.

8. Who of today’s writers do you admire the most and why?

As poets go, I really admire the Americans Billy Collins, Mary Oliver and Lilian Moore. As children’s writers go, I like Shaun Tan and Oliver Jeffers – and a great many others. But in the main, I try and read more widely, away from poetry so I can be inspired by other things – so it’s often plays and non-fiction.

9. Why do you write, as opposed to doing anything else?

I have done other things from teaching to lecturing to office work, but writing / working in schools as a work shopper and performer is by far the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I so enjoy working with children and teachers and librarians. Performing – all that showing off is fine, it’s great fun, but for me it’s all about switching children on as writers. I love the finales we have at the end of a visit, where the children read their poems. I was actually very close to tears yesterday when we had a Year 6 finale in one of my very favourite schools, in Newbury. The poems were quite brilliant. I feel that what I do now – my writing / workshopping and performing – is a culmination of all I’ve ever experienced, plus my two degrees – my teaching degree and my Masters in Children’s Literature.

10. What would you say to someone who asked you “How do you become a writer?”

Write. Write. Write. Write. Read. Read. Read. Read. DON’T expect to get the first/second/third thing you write to be published as chances are it won’t be. Only JK Rowling was published immediately, everyone else pretty much has to serve an apprenticeship of years of writing in the wildnerness. Don’t be too inspired by what you read as a child, look to see what is published right now. If you are writing for children, make it modern. Don’t trust your own children as readers/listeners – of course they’ll love it as they will want to please you. Even more writing, even more reading… Find out through trial and error, not only what you want to write, but what you are best at. I thought I’d be a novelist, but I’m actually a poet/non-fiction writer – and I’m more than happy with that!

11. Tell me about the writing projects you have on at the moment.

A kind of best-of poetry book for 7-11s – Weird, Wild & Wonderful – to be published Jan 2021 by Otter-Barry Books and illustrated by the fantastic Neal Layton. I literally just finished the final new poem to go in the book. The book is a round up really of all the most popular poems I have written, published and performed over the last twenty years. But there’s a selection of brand new ones too. As with all my books I’m aiming for a real range of poems in terms of forms / tone / topics. What I want from one of my poetry collections is a book in which a child reader will not know what they are getting next. I want my collections to read more like anthologies, as if they were written by many different poets. WW&W is divided into three loosely-themed sections Weird (more upbeat humorous and daft poems) / Wild (nature/animal poems) / Wonderful (memory poems/quiet, reflective pieces) – but even within those there is a range.

When I began writing in the late 90s (1990s, not 189s, obvs..) there was too much emphasis on humorous poetry I thought, and I’ve tried to resist that in my books. I want a real range. And actually I find it’s often the quieter poems that really stick with children, and mean more to them. When I perform for 7-11s I’ll mainly do the more serious poems, but I’ll also do some improvised comic stuff in between, even some music – piano, melodica and guitar. I still write instrumental music to this day.

Apart from Once Upon An Atom (Caterpillar Books/Little Tiger Press) – a book on science in verse for 5-8s, I have another book in that same series (as yet untitled!) which is being illustrated right now and that is on the subject of palaeontology – going back in time, exploring various extinct creatures from the past – from woolly mammoths to trilobites to T.Rexes. I really love writing non-fiction. Researching a topic for months, and then finding an interesting angle to tell the story of that subject. I don’t want too many facts. Other books do facts, so instead I try and establish a narrative thread of some kind that takes a reader into or through a subject. Once Upon An Atom is slightly different in that it has three sections – Chemistry / Physics / Biology, and in very simple poetic language explains/explores each of these. It was probably the toughest book I’ve ever done – explaining science to an infant isn’t easy! The illustrations by the Brazilian artist Willian Santiago are just brilliant – very vivid, slightly retro sci-fi at times.

12. Why did you write Once Upon An Atom?

I’ve always been fascinated by science. Biology was my favourite subject at school – until I did a week of it at A level and decided it had effectively turned into chemistry and physics, which I wasn’t happy about it, so I dropped it! Instead, I got into English big time – Shakespeare, Larkin etc. And later at uni I studied English with education – but I’ve always had an interest in science, particularly natural history and anything space-related.

I’d already written six or so books in this series for Caterpillar Books, and each one, though non-fiction – and in verse – told a linear story – eg Once Upon A Star (the Big Bang/formation of our sun) / Once Upon A Raindrop (the story of water on this planet, including water cycles) / Once Upon A Rhythm (the story of music). This time I wanted to write about Science, but however I thought about it, there was no actual simple and direct story, just a very complex/interconnected sequence of inventions/discoveries etc from the last 10,000 years, and that wouldn’t do for a younger children’s picture book. I’d read – rather tried to read – Bill Bryson’s (and I’m a massive fan of his usually) impenetrable The History Of Nearly Everything. I couldn’t read it. It was too dense. Too clogged with facts. I don’t gravitate (ho ho) to facts, as essential they are – for as a reader, I like some kind of coherent narrative. And I had that book at that back of my mind for the many months I was writing this one.

So for a structure for Once Upon An Atom I ended up with three basic parts, which were effectively chemistry, physics and biology. Initially I explained what they were without actually explicitly naming those disciplines as I thought it would be way over the heads/comprehension of 5-8s, the target audience of this series. It took ages to get it right – to find simple enough concepts for each scientific area without losing the real essence of what each is. I finally handed the manuscript in and the wonderful editors at Caterpillar said that they liked it, but that I HAD to include the terms physics, chemistry and biology. I tried to fight my case, but lost! I’ve learnt to trust editors 99% of the time, as they have the objectivity that I don’t, and crucially, they know the market. So a massive re-write followed and unfortunately, Pat and Isabel at Caterpillar were totally right – once again! – and I think/hope it became a better text for it. For the illustrator, they chose Willian Santiago from Brazil. (All the illustrators for the series are from around the world – Spain, Japan, Italy, Northern Ireland…) I was thrilled. His bold, bright exuberant style brought so much to the book.

I’ve since written a related book on inventions for the series, which I didn’t have space to cover in Once Upon An Atom. My editor Pat gave me the challenge of writing a book on materials (wood / glass / metals .. etc.) as her daughter, an Infant teacher, had told her that that is what she’d need for her class. And actually, that was an easier book to write as I simply wrote about the sequence of materials that homo sapiens have used over the millennia – and how each of these have helped us to build the modern world. I would never have thought to have written a book on inventions in that way – ie through the prism of materials – but it gave it a fresh perspective.

When you write for younger children, you can never lose sight of your reader. I simply now try and write books that I would have wanted to read at that age. I had a few nature books – typical 60s fare – The Observers Book Of British Birds/Mammals etc.. – but nothing on generic science. The two things I try and consider when writing this series are – is the language inviting enough? Am I enthusing / entertaining my reader somehow? And is this interesting / relevant enough? How can I make it more enticing/fascinating? To this end, I often find I spend more time on the first few pages than any other in a book – to get the tone / feel / voice / music of the language just right. You have to grab your reader literally from the first syllable… and that’s a challenge I really enjoy!

I visit a lot of schools, and I see a lot of non-fiction books in school libraries and in topic displays in classrooms. Apart from books like the Horrible Science/Histories series, I do wonder to myself how many of these books are actually read. I know that many non-fiction books we dip in and out of anyway and wouldn’t dream of reading chronologically, but with every non-fiction book I do I love the idea that the reader might experience the book from beginning to end, and follow a linear thread. The books in this series are short, snappy and meant as a taster books for a subject. (If a reader wants to know more, there will be many other books that go into greater detail.) And this certainly affects the way I structure and shape what I am writing. It’s all about the story for me – though I do always have a factual acrostic at the back to include a few dates, a few figures and background information. Facts can get in the way of a good story, so where better to place them than at the back of a book?

And oddly, I’m probably one of the least knowledgeable people I know. In theory, I shouldn’t be writing non-fiction! As a person, I have my own limited interests, but as a writer I’m into E V E R Y T H I N G. It’s not WHAT you write about, but HOW you write about it. And what I do have in abundance is enthusiasm! I’m absolutely hopeless at retaining facts, and because of this I have to do a lot of research. But I guess it does mean I come to every subject as a non-fiction writer reasonably fresh, and I’m literally learning as I’m researching and then writing – and I try to then distil that initial fascination/passion for learning into the text of whatever book I am working on.

13. How did you collaborate with Willian Santiago?

Apart from my forthcoming poetry best of collection Weird Wild & Wonderful (Otter-Barry Books, Jan 2021) – for which I cheekily requested – and got! – the utterly fabulous Neal Layton – I never get to choose illustrators. Caterpillar books are brilliant at trawling the world for new talent and matching my text with an illustrator’s images. With every book they have found e x a c t l y the right person. And this must be the case as the second book in the series, Once Upon A Raindrop – the story of water – illustrated by the incredible Nomoco – is longlisted for the Kate Greenaway award! And I’m absolutely over the moon for Nomoco, Myrto (the book’s designer) and all the wonderful humans at Caterpillar Books. They really deserve it as their books are so fresh, vital and innovative. It’s a real honour to work with such a creative/dynamic team.

And I never have contact with an illustrator during the process. I may have a few very occasional responses, but in general, I trust the editors/designer/illustrator. Visuals are not my area. I’m primarily and solely concerned with the words inside. Plus, too many cooks…

14. Page or Stage?

Although I do strongly believe – as a white, 60 yr old middle class male – in the craft – I’m very much into page rather than stage poetry, but I equally love the fact that there are younger poets coming through, a variety of ages, a wide mix of races.

15. Accessibility?

I also enjoy stage – but that comes much, much later in the process. I’ll often write a poem and not actually ever read it for months/years. I write primarily for readers. Also, I try and make my work so simple and uncluttered and direct that it is as if it has just flowed out…craft is trying to make it look easy. Which it certainly is NOT!!!!

16. How do you think being a musician helps your poetry?

Great question, Paul! Apologies if my answer comes over a bit pretentious.. it can get a bit la-di-dah when you’re talking about such things!

In a sense, a poet IS a musician. A poet orchestrates the music of a poem – using consonants, vowels, syllables, alliteration, assonances, rhyme/half-rhyme – line breaks/lengths – all this is linguistic music. And I do think to be a music-musician (guitarist/terrible keyboard player) for me is both a curse and a blessing. A blessing in that it helps me to feel my way along each line of a poem, to instinctively know what works/doesn’t work as I weave words/sounds, syllable by syllable. But it does mean that I sometimes procrastinate over even a phrase for many months. It means I tweak/edit/re-write obsessively. It means I find it very hard to read or even finish a rhythmical rhyming poem by another

Poet that doesn’t scan. A rhyming poem that doesn’t scan is akin to driving down a bumpy road. You keep trying to

Avoid the bumps, and you don’t quite know when/where they are coming. If a poem doesn’t scan, it isn’t finished.

If a poet ever says ‘Oh, it depends how you read it’, I don’t follow that. (But if it’s just performance stuff, spoken word that is not published on the page, just done in a live context, that’s very different). As a poet on the page you are giving your reader a poem that has implicit instructions on how it is to be read, and if they have to keep stopping to adapt/adjust because it doesn’t flow, then the poem isn’t fully doing its job. With my non-fiction verse series, I often imagine my readers as either busy parents/teachers/librarians reading aloud to a young child. If the text doesn’t scan, they have to work harder at delivering it to the child. And I don’t want that. I want it to be an easy, positive experience, so the words just readily sing and flow off the page. Also, if I have a 7-11 yr old reading one of my poems themselves, I don’t want them to struggle with a poem,I want them to enjoy it, to get it, to know what it’s about, and be moved/inspired/enlightened or whatever. Bumpy lines will not help this experience. Children more readily read fiction/novels, so I don’t want anything to deter them from reading one of my books. Instant readability is ESSENTIAL! But that doesn’t mean I want my poems to necessarily be superficial or lightweight all the time – which some indeed are, but I do want a great many poems to be re-read, and stimulate a bit of thought or reflection.

And overall, for this very reason I generally avoid reading rhyming verse nowadays and mainly read free verse, which I absolutely love. I try to start many of my poems as free verse, but invariably a rhyme, metrical pattern slips in. Some poems just demand to rhyme. Others will let me be more loosey-goosey and play with a free verse form, but even then I may play around – do free verse and make it into a midline acrostic as well. Depends on the subject/age group I’m writing for. With younger children, 98% of my stuff rhymes, for older readers, I’d say it’s about 60%. And in a sense, rhyming stuff is easier for me as I know how it should flow/sound, but free verse is not so obvious, is prose’s half-sibling, and has a quieter, subtler music. Writing rhyming verse is akin to a pop song in 4/4 in a major key. Free verse can be more like a very slow piano piece in waltz time in a minor key!

Whenever I read a poem (ie one by another poet) for the first time, I’ll be listening solely to the music, the soundscape.

I’ll trace the rhythm however blatant or subtle. I’ll listen to the vowels, the consonants, rhymes, alliterations, all of the tricks the poet is using. On second and third readings I’ll be processing the meaning, the message, the narrative or idea that the poem is expressing.

And that’s the same for writing for me. I’m initially concerned with the soundscape – but ultimately and clearly both are equally important. Above all poetry as far as I can see is language at its most musical and memorable – therefore the soundscape has to be well constructed. A poem built with craft is a poem built to last!

As daft as it sounds, when I’m working on a poem I will often carry it around in my head and I’ll be sounding the words out loud, all the while listening for opportunities to tighten the rhythm and the flow – but equally looking to see where I can include extra assonance alliteration and rhymes or half rhymes. All the while I’ll be ensuring that the poem says what it needs to say and I don’t care if it takes months because I want it to be the best it can be. I love words, so working with them like this is a real joy. I scrap far more poems than I keep. In one of my poetry collections I might write many hundreds of poems but keep only 40-50 or so. I want to minimise filler! In theory, I’d rather write just one single poem that I’m really happy with than thousands I have dashed off. This is why I won’t ever read a poem to an audience for many months even years as I want to ensure it’s totally finished. And even when I do eventually read it, I may well find extra tweaks I need to do!

And I’ve observed that children write in a very different way to adults. They’re far less self-critical and therefore they can write more quickly and freely. A child’s first draft will invariably be much better (relatively speaking) than an adult’s. Adults often write very slowly and cautiously knowing they can tidy it up later on. Not so children. Children I have discovered (having worked in over 1300 Primary schools!) write with verve and freshness and also very swiftly and will have no interest (unless without adult encouragement) in writing for any more than the 40 mins or however long that first version takes. Picasso said he wanted to paint like a child. I know what he meant. I certainly try to write is as openly as I possibly can in the first version. I tell teachers in INSET that you have an angel on one shoulder telling you ‘hey, you’re the best writer in world, go for it!’ but then later the devil on your other shoulder pipes up and says ‘Dream on, matey! What were you thinking of? What you’ve just written needs A LOT of work!’ And that analogy works for me!

Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: James Carter Wombwell Rainbow Interviews I am honoured and privileged that the following writers local, national and international have agreed to be interviewed by me.

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runningseason · 7 years

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Racing my way into shape

If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you will notice the hashtag I often use, #allracesnoworkouts. You may ask how a seasoned marathoner can expect to improve with no formalized workouts. There is a method to my madness. My race choices are not random; I put a lot of thought into my plan. Though I am restricted to the races that are available during my training cycle.

It is not easy to find races in January and February in NJ. Oftentimes, the ground is covered in a blanket of snow and the temperatures reach frigid lows. I am lucky enough to live near the Pennsylvania border and was able to start my year with the Ice Scrapers series hosted by the Lehigh Valley Road Runners. As luck would have it, it snowed the night before my first 5k and I was forced to race on a blanket of snow on a trail. Despite the conditions, I was very satisfied with my effort for my first race of the new year.

My next race was a 4-miler on Super Bowl Sunday hosted by Superhero Racing. I ran this same race last winter and mentally gave up when the hills started after the first mile. This year, I went into the race with a newfound sense of confidence. Since last year, I moved out to an area that hosts rolling hills. I do the majority of my weekday runs locally, so I have the benefit of running these hills several times a week. To prep for the race, I compared the elevation of my training hills to the race course elevation and I realized that the hills on the course are no worse than anything I run on a daily basis. This year I was lucky enough to run the first mile with my friends Reno, Bob and Ted; pacing with them helped keep me controlled on the downhill section. Once the uphills started, I pulled away from the pack and just concentrated on running an even effort. I felt strong on the uphill sections and picked it up on the down hills. I was able to finish strong and was very satisfied with my race.

Mid-February brought on another race in the Ice Scraper 5k series. The mild February weather gave way to great race conditions. Although the weather cooperated, I wasn’t fully satisfied with my performance. I had a little trouble on an uphill section, but was able to get it back in the downhill. Unfortunately, I followed 2 guys slightly off course and was super confused when we were running diagonally across a grass field to the finish. Although our little excursion did not add any extra mileage, my sheer confusion at the end slowed me down and frankly pissed me off. I got over it quickly as I knew I still had a good “up tempo” effort for the day.

An early spring was expected based on the warm February conditions, but mother nature had a different plan. March brought cold temperatures back to the north east. I was looking forward to the Run O’ the Mill 5k race in Clinton, NJ. The race was under a 30 minute drive and I performed very well last year. This year brought a sub-20 degree temperature at the start and a very cold headwind for half the race. Because of the headwind, the hill during mile 2 seemed exceptionally hard this year. I had a tough time at this race. I was disappointed, because I was looking forward to a fast time; but I quickly got over myself when I had the opportunity to talk to the winning female and realized that she would be a great local training partner. I’m looking forward to our first run together next week!

The end of March brought on the USATF-NJ Kick Off weekend. I chose the Ocean Drive 10 Mile race because it simulated the marathon I am training for - flat and at the beach. The added bonus for this race is that one of my boyfriend’s closest friends from college lives about 10 minutes from the race, so it was a great excuse to visit. Race day was overcast, chilly and very windy. I knew that I would have a tailwind for the first 5 miles, but I would be fighting the wind coming back. My goal pace was 6:25 per mile, so my plan was to go out in 6:20 pace and allow myself to finish in 6:30 pace. I ended up running faster than planned both out and back and was very satisfied with a faster than goal average pace of 6:23.

Coming off the momentum of the 10-miler, I ran the Scranton Half Marathon the following weekend. This race was planned back in 2016. I knew I would need a half marathon a few weeks before my goal marathon. I ran this race in 2016 and enjoyed the course; the prize money incentive was also a big draw. I convinced my friend Alyssa that this would be a good race for her goal half marathon as well. After a strong 10-miler, I had a lot of confidence going into this race. My plan was to start in 6:30 pace (knowing that the series of hills in mile 4 would slow me down), then gradually pick up the pace in the final miles. My goal was sub-1:25. I knew this would be a stretch because my previous PR was just over a 1:26, but I was feeling confident. I kept with my plan for the first 4 miles. Right after mile 4, I started running with a random guy (later discovered his name was John). We just fell into a perfect cadence. I felt good, real good. I looked down at my watch and saw that I was faster than my planned pace; at times I was creeping towards PR 10k pace. This scared me, but I felt so good. I knew that running with someone would help me, so I needed to see how long I could hold on. I was essentially running John’s race and just along for the ride. At mile 7.5 we entered the Lackawanna River Heritage Trail. At this point, I turned to John and thanked him. I told him that I was really enjoying running with him and hoped I could keep up the pace. I admitted that I was running faster than I planned, but I felt good. He reminded me that once we turn around the wind will be at our backs and had confidence that I would be able to keep up. We chit chatted for a short time about my upcoming marathon and goals. Then it was back to business. A little after 9.5 there was a turnaround. At this point, I started pulling ahead. I still felt strong. Soon enough I was at mile 10 and I was reminded of what the race director said at the start line, “you are only racing a 5k with a 10 mile warm up.” Well, I just completed my 10 mile warm up and now it was time to race! I felt good, and I only had a 5k to go. I could do this. I just focused on finishing strong. I started picking up the pace. I slowly started catching up to some men, but there were no women in sight. I knew the top 5 women win money, but I had no idea what place I was in. I was pretty confident that I was in the top 5, but wasn’t sure where. Finally, someone told me that I was in 5th position. I knew from the turn around that no women were near me from behind, but I wasn’t sure how far they were ahead. I kept pushing myself. My last mile was near my 5k pace, so I wasn’t sure if I could push it any harder if I saw a woman. I was almost thankful that I didn’t have to put myself into another gear, because I know I would have pushed even harder if it came down to it. I entered the track - 300 meters to go. I knew that I was going to be faster than my goal, but wasn’t sure how much faster. I crossed the finish line in 1:23:23 - almost 3 minute PR and 1 min faster than my goal. This race proved to me that I am ready for my marathon.

One short week later, yesterday, I ran my final race of my training cycle; a local 5k. I was excited for this race because it was close to home and I heard the course was flat. I wasn’t sure how fast I would be able to run because I just came off 2 weekends of long races. Though my PR was 18:26, my goal was to simply break 19. I was having difficulty running much faster than 19 (if at all) this training cycle, so I found this to be a realistic goal. As soon as the race started, I clicked into a good rhythm. I was 3 seconds faster than I planned to go out in; but I was ok with this. I got stronger as the race progressed. There were only 2 men in front of me. I overtook one of them (a high school boy) a little over halfway. I felt strong; so I kept pushing my pace. I continued to push my pace in the last mile. I was approaching the finish and saw the clock was still in the 17s; I couldn’t believe my eyes! I knew I was too far away to finish under 18, but I knew this would be a PR - 17 seconds to be exact! I crossed the line in 18:09; smashing the previous women’s course record by over 2 minutes. I couldn’t believe it, sub-18 may be in my future. This is unreal to me, because 3 years ago, I couldn’t believe that sub-19 was in the cards. For the third weekend in a row, I gained even more confidence going into my marathon and feel that my goals are within reach.

These races have helped me build a foundation of speed, endurance and confidence to work towards achieving my marathon goal. I planned all of my long runs around these races. This means that some days I was doing a 12-15 mile run the day before a race. Other days, I was doing up to a 20 mile run the day after a race. I learned to run on tired legs, but always push myself in my key training runs. I have not been doing any formalized workouts, but there are some runs where I have felt good enough to drop down to near marathon pace at the end, just to see how hard I can push myself. I always did a mid-week long run of 8-10 miles in which I always tried to push myself beyond training pace. The few weeks that I didn’t have a race, I strategically reached out to my friend John to run because I noticed he’s been running extremely fast; I knew if I ran with him that I would be pushed to a faster pace. You may consider these workouts, but they were mostly unplanned and not formalized. If I felt good, I would run fast; if I felt tired, I would run slow. I learned to listen to my body. I learned to take 2 days off a week. I forced myself to do yoga as often as possible - even if was only for 10 minutes. I highly recommend doing a YouTube search for “Yoga for runners,” there is a wealth of videos to choose from that are specifically designed for endurance athletes. I continued to do 5 minutes of core every weekday. I started to do 5 minutes of glute strength after my core workout. I made sure to roll my glutes almost everyday. I religiously go to Physical Therapy once a month for maintenance.

As you can see, there are a plethora of reasons why this training cycle is going seemingly well for me. I may not be doing formalized workouts, but I am sure as hell working hard towards achieving my goals. I love to race, so this plan works well for me. The true test will be 2 weeks from today at the Coastal Delaware Marathon. My planned racing partner Huan and I are very well matched as far as current fitness. We took very different routes to get here, but we have the same goal. I look forward to working with him and sticking to our race plan. See you at the finish line!

#marathon marathontraining marathonready marathontaper nuunlife allracesnoworkouts njracingproject coastaldelaware fueledbydoughnuts

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gunboatbaylodge · 8 years

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Things To Do In Vancouver This Weekend: Jan. 12, 2017

This weekend the winter festivals that began with Solstice and Yule in December continue with Maghi on Friday, celebrated across India for the winter harvest. Friday the 13th is looking anything but unlucky, with art shows, a film festival, a drag show and a virtual flight with a dragon starting up. You can end the weekend with some comedy, symphony, or hockey on Sunday with some David Bowie tributes and wrestling in between on Saturday.

Friday | Saturday | Sunday | Ongoing

Friday January 13

Flight of the Dragon

Flight of the Dragon Where: FlyOver Canada What: For a limited time, FlyOver Canada presents Flight of the Dragon, a flight ride experience that takes you over the breathtaking Chinese countryside and renowned landmarks. FlyOver Canada invites all guests to come and enjoy both FlyOver Canada and Flight of the Dragon; two virtual flight rides for the regular admission price. Runs until: Sunday February 26, 2017

STOMP

STOMP Where: The Queen Elizabeth Theatre What: The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight. Runs until: Sunday January 13, 2017

It’s Just Drag! Where: The Commodore What: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5 All Stars 2 “thick and juicy” queen Roxxy Andrews, and Season 8 “all legs no dairy” queen Naomi Smalls join Vancouver queens Rose Butch, Carlotta Gurl, Jaylene Tyme, Coco Klein, Adam Zapple, Peach Cobblah and more for a glamatron evening of make up, sarcasm, and oh, the outfits.

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival Where: The Cinematheque What: The year’s best Canadian films are in the spotlight in The Cinematheque’s annual presentation of the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. Established in 2001 by the Toronto International Film Festival, this celebration of excellence in our national cinema showcases Canadian achievements in feature-length films, short films, and student short films. Runs until: Sunday January 22, 2017

Strong Female Character Where: Hot Art Wet City What: 3 female artists look at feminine identity, both past and present, as defined within Western culture. Runs until: Saturday January 28, 2017

Herd Where: Kimoto Gallery What: Within the confines of a farmers field, the animals naturally form a hierarchy of responsibility in the herd. We, artist Kevin Boyle argues, also live in a controlled environment, and assume our own conditioned roles in society, though the controls are much less obvious than a barbed wire fence. Runs until: Saturday February 4, 2017

The Fighting Season

The Fighting Season Where: VanCity Culture Lab What: Inspired by his father’s deployment in Afghanistan, Sean Harris Oliver’s searing new play investigates the Afghan war through the eyes of a Canadian field medic, a doctor, and a recovery room nurse. Runs until: Saturday January 21, 2017

Haroon Mirza

Haroon Mirza Where: The Contemporary Art Gallery What: The Contemporary Art Gallery presents the first solo exhibition in Canada by British artist Haroon Mirza. Runs until: Sunday March 19, 2016

Saturday January 14

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Bowie Ball Where: The Rickshaw What: Celebrate the life and legacy of the great David Bowie and to support the fight against the disease that took him last year. Local talent will be covering some of their favorite Bowie music.

ECCW Ballroom Brawl VII

ECCW Ballroom Brawl VII Where: The Commodore What: It’s wrestling. Kind of like theatre, but with more testosterone, body building, and a lot of touching. You also get to yell a lot and probably do a pre-game crafting project with glitter to make a big sign.

Symphonic Dances Where: The Orpheum What: Outstanding young conductor Otto Tausk makes a return visit to the Orpheum stage, conducting a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Shostakovich’s stunning Violin Concerto No. 1, performed by violinist Simone Lamsma in her VSO debut.

Electro Swing Circus Where: The Imperial What: Live circus show and dance party with stilt walkers, side show, acrobats, juggling, strong woman, clowns, contortionists, burlesque/boylesque and other circus performers.

A Live Band Burlesque Tribute to David Bowie Where: The Rio Theatre What: In honour of both the day of his birth and the day of his passing, Kitty Nights presents a new version of their sell-out 2014 Live Band Burlesque Tribute to the incomparable David Bowie.

Lost Girls Burlesque Where: The Fox Cabaret What: A burlesque show that will possibly involve poetry.

Stanley Park Eco Stewards Where: Stanley Park, 10am & 1pm What: Natural habitats in Stanley Park are being overtaken by invasive species. Learn about the ecology of the park while working with other volunteers to help conserve its biodiversity.

Image courtesy of Gluten Free Expo

Gluten Free Expo Where: Canada Place East What: Discover, sample, and save on hundred’s of gluten free products while learning from leading experts. Runs until: Sunday January 15, 2017

Sunday January 15

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The Anxiety Show Ep. 1: F**k Fat Shaming Where: Guilt & Co. 8:30pm What: A dark comedy variety show exploring different mental health disorders, as told from those who experience them firsthand. The first half features stand-up, sketch, music, and storytelling by comedians; and the second half is open-mic style to the audience, giving the chance to share their own stories.

Symphonic Dances

Symphonic Dances Where: Bell Perfoming Arts Centre What: Outstanding young conductor Otto Tausk makes a return visit to the Orpheum stage, conducting a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Shostakovich’s stunning Violin Concerto No. 1, performed by violinist Simone Lamsma in her VSO debut.

Vancouver Canucks vs. NJ Devils Where: Rogers Arena, 4:00pm What: Watch some hockey, drink some beer, yell when you are pleased. Or displeased. I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure it’s OK to yell in general at this.

Ongoing

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STOMP

STOMP (this weekend only) Where: The Queen Elizabeth Theatre What: The eight-member troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments – matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps – to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, with some sections of the show now updated and restructured and the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing props like tractor tire inner tubes and paint cans. Tickets available at Tickets Tonight. Runs until: Sunday January 13, 2017

STOMP Out Hunger (ends this weekend) Where: Red Truck Brewery What: Everyone who drops off a cash or non-perishable food donation at the Red Truck Brewery before January 13th will receive a coupon good for $ 5 off a ticket to see the touring production of STOMP during its January 13th-15th run at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. In addition, Red Truck Beer will donate $ 1 from each pint of its seasonal beers sold in the Truck Stop during the month of December to the Vancouver Food Bank. Runs until: January 13, 2016

And Bella Sang with Us

And Bella Sang with Us (ends this weekend) Where: Firehall Arts Centre What: A stylish play with a dark and wicked sense of humour with a shot of song that celebrates two of Canada’s unsung pioneers: Constables Lurancy Harris and Minnie Miller, Vancouver’s first female police officers. Runs until: Saturday January 14, 2017

Image courtesy of Gluten Free Expo

Gluten Free Expo (this weekend only) Where: Canada Place East What: Discover, sample, and save on hundred’s of gluten free products while learning from leading experts. Runs until: Sunday January 15, 2017

The Fighting Season

Walker Evans: Depth of Field

Walker Evans: Depth of Field Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: The American photographer Walker Evans (1903–1975) is among the most influential artists of the 20th century. Covering the full arc of his career, Walker Evans: Depth of Field presents the most comprehensive look at Evans’ work ever mounted in Canada. Runs until: January 22, 2017

Strong Female Character Where: Hot Art Wet City What: 3 female artists look at feminine identity, both past and present, as defined within Western culture. Runs until: Saturday January 28, 2017

Alexine McLeod

Alexine McLeod Where: Monte Clark Gallery What: The artist presents wall-mounted abstract compositions that combine everyday materials including plastic, fabric, found objects, and light. Runs until: January 30, 2016

In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man

In the Footprint of the Crocodile Man Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology What: The Sepik River of Papua New Guinea is one of the largest river systems in the world, extraordinarily beautiful, but seldom visited. It is here that the Iatmul people, who live along its banks, have created internationally renowned works of art primarily inspired by stories of the majestic crocodile as the primordial creator. This unique exhibition will showcase the most comprehensive collection of contemporary Sepik art in North America for the first time. In addition to highlighting the exquisite carvings of Papua New Guinea’s latmul people, the exhibition will delve into their economic, cultural, and spiritual connections to the river system, drawing urgent attention to the logging and mining operations that pose environmental threats to the region. Runs until: January 31, 2017

Juxtapoz x Superflat

Juxtapoz x Superflat Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: A manifesto for new creative practices that can no longer be adequately described by the traditional categories of art and production. Presenting the work of more than 30 artists from Japan, China, Korea, Europe and the United States this remarkable exhibition offers a unique insight into contemporary art and its place in cultural life. Runs until: February 5, 2016

As Heavy as a Feather

As Heavy as a Feather Where: Centre A What: Indigenous Taiwanese artist Chang En Man is having her first exhibition in North America. Chang’s practice is characterized by a dynamic interplay between story, tradition, and the struggles of indigenous peoples in the face of ongoing experiences of colonization. Runs until: February 11, 2016

Robson Square Ice Rink

Robson Square Ice Rink Where: Robson Square What: Ice skate for free or rent a pair for $ 4 on this outdoor, covered public rink right downtown. Runs until: February 14, 2017

Judy Chartrand, What a Wonderful World Where: The Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art What: Her beautiful and provocative work presents her own personal history and insights into life in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, and commentary on racism and post–colonial relations between Indigenous and non–Indigenous cultures. Runs until: February 19, 2016

Flight of the Dragon

Haroon Mirza

Haroon Mirza Where: The Contemporary Art Gallery What: The Contemporary Art Gallery presents the first solo exhibition in Canada by British artist Haroon Mirza. Runs until: Sunday March 19, 2016

Layers of Influence

Layers of Influence Where: UBC Museum of Anthropology What: This stunning exhibition will explore clothing’s inherent evidence of human ingenuity, creativity and skill, drawing from MOA’s textile collection — the largest collection in Western Canada — to display a global range of materials, production techniques and adornments across different cultures and time frames. Runs until: April 9, 2017

Vancouver Special Where: Vancouver Art Gallery What: The first iteration of this series and it features works by 40 artists produced within the last five years—Vancouver’s post-Olympic period. The exhibition includes many emerging artists as well as those who are more established but whose ideas were prescient. Some are recent arrivals to Vancouver, while others are long-term residents who have already made significant contributions. Others are nomadic, less settled in one place and are working energetically between several locations. Runs until: April 17, 2016

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market

Nat Bailey Stadium Winter Farmers Market Where: Nat Bailey Stadium What: Don’t fret the summers Farmers markets packing up – winter is here, and you can still shop local for fresh produce, preserves, baked goods, and crafts. Runs until: April 22, 2017

Hastings Park Farmers Market

Hastings Park Farmers Market Where: Hastings Park (near the PNE) What: The Hastings Park Farmers Market features a great selection of local produce; nursery items, fish, meat & dairy; artisan prepared foods, baking and treats; local crafts, and of course, food trucks. Runs until: April 30, 2017

What are you up to this weekend? Tell me and the rest of Vancouver in the comments below or tweet me directly at @lextacular

Inside Vancouver Blog

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