One question. Where the heck did summer go? The days are shrinking and the temperatures have cooled somewhat, particularly in the mornings and/or evenings. Over the next few weeks the leaves will briefly burn bright oranges, yellows and reds before falling en masse to carpet Ottawa lawns and streets. Read More »

October 2012

Find out why so many runners say, “I love this race!”

So, let us reflect for a moment on this past spring and say, wow, Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 2012 was pretty dang amazing! Indeed, we witnessed another entirely fantastic weekend full of athletic feats, gutsy performances, a community of runners coming together to celebrate sport, and an electric race atmosphere powered by legions of enthusiastic supporters and spectators. Read More »

Register early to avoid a disappointing result!

Now it’s time to look ahead. Because so many runners love these races and look forward to Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend each year, events tend to sell out early. For example, last year the 10K and Half-Marathon events were completely sold out by the end of February, and the 2K and 5K events were sold out before the snow was off the ground. That’s early. Meaning if you want to secure your place on the starting line, you need to move fast. Registration for Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend 2013 is now open, so best not sleep on it! Read More »

October 2012

True Confessions of a Pace Bunny

This month, avid marathoner and occasional pace bunny Dave Emilio shares what it takes to pace a race and why he loves running the Ottawa Marathon and the entire Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend experience. Read More »

Celebrating Canadian Distance Running: 2012 Olympic Edition

There’s already been plenty of ink spilled about the London 2012 Olympics, and we certainly don’t want to flog a dead horse (or a live one for that matter), but it’s worth pausing to reflect again on how amazing it was to have three upstanding young Canadian dudes (Reid Coolsaet, Eric Gillis and Dylan Wykes) competing in the marathon – not to mention other young runners like Mo Ahmed and Cam Levins tearing up the track in the 10,000m and 5,000m events. Read More »

October 2012

Recommended Reading: Float On

Reid Coolsaet’s blog, Float On, is definitely on our daily reading list. As you probably now know, Reid is a marathoner, a member of Canada’s 2012 Olympic team, one of the top distance runners in the world, and an all around swell guy. As it turns out, he’s also a stellar scribe. And when he writes about training schedules or race day or life in the Olympic village or travelling in France or even cleaning out his parents’ attic, we pay close attention. Read More »

October 2012

Eating for Peak Health and Performance: Pay Attention to Your Gut

Is your gut causing you distress? Gastrointestinal discomfort (heartburn, bloating, gas pains) and upset (diarrhea, constipation, vomiting) can interfere not only with your performance but also your enjoyment of being out for a run. There are a number of risk factors for these types of gastrointestinal problems, including high-intensity interval or pace training, not having the fitness required to support the volume or intensity of your effort (i.e., overtraining), moderate to severe dehydration, and consuming high-risk foods before or during your training sessions. Read More »

October 2012

Eat and Run: Chicken Not Pie

You need food to fuel your body – to help you push further, to run faster, to perform at the highest possible level. But food should be more than just fuel. It should also be a pleasure to prepare and eat. Each month, we share a simple, nutritious recipe to help stoke your energy for the race, or help replenish energy spent during long training miles. Read More »