All Downhill From Here

I ran just short of 10 miles out east of Millet, Alberta yesterday.

My Uncle Carl got married on Saturday at one of our dear family hang-outs, Hastings Lake Bible Camp, and another set of relatives, Uncle Rolf and Auntie Grace, put Hubby, kiddos and I up in their guest rooms not far away, in Millet. The wedding was country-style, with lots of cowboy boots, jeans, and down-home local entertainment. We all met in the camp dining room and then upon a cue as the program indicated, “hoofed it” to the chapel. The bride and groom arrived in a horse-drawn sleigh (yes, there is STILL enough snow up there), and then after a lovely service we “trotted back” to the dining hall for pot-luck, country style refreshments.

An a cappella group called the “Chickadivas” were the highlight of the entertainment, and I enjoyed reconnecting with some family members I don’t get to see much. I had a great visit back at Uncle Rolf and Auntie Grace’s too, and I think pretty soon I’ll be referring you to a new and very interesting blog.

Sunday morning I got up at seven, had some peanut butter toast and coffee, caught up on a little internet reading, and headed out the door. The land around Millet is thankfully pretty flat, which was just what I needed. I’d told Uncle Rolf about how far out I wanted to go before I would turn back, and he said “just go east until you run out of pavement”. Wow, he’s good! I had wanted to run away for 55 minutes and come home, and it took me precisely 55 minutes to get to the end of the pavement.

The weather was close to perfect, at 0C/32F. It had snowed centimeter or two the night before, leaving everything pretty and white. The fresh, melting snow was great for keeping the dust down too – I had wonderfully clean fresh air to breathe. Of course, with my route being really flat and straight, it got kind of overwhelming to look at the horizon so far away, so I let my thoughts wander and only looked maybe 10 feet ahead at a time. I reminded myself that I LIKE the prairie, the big, wide open sky, the feeling of running on a biiiig ball, and that helped too.

On the way out I’d had the wind mostly at my back and shortly after starting out I’d pinned my mitts to my belt, tucked my ear-warmers around my fore-arm, and un-zipped my windbreaker, to let it hang around my elbows. I still had on leggings, a long sleeved and a short sleeved tech shirt, and a light tuque. I ate a Chocolate Power Gel at the half way point while I took a walk break that conveniently worked out with my 10/1 run/walk strategy.

Of course, on the way back I faced the wind. As soon as I turned around I put my mitts and ear warmers back on and zipped up my coat. I was glad I had remembered to vaseline the skin around my eyes, as this winter it’s been especially red and dry after outdoor runs. According to my watch, it took me a little longer to get back, but it didn’t feel like it. I did deek out on a side road for a potty break. You know, new snow makes for very refreshing toilet paper, when a) you’ve forgotten to bring some and b) there’s been some chafing involved. Think Wile E. Coyote and his burning tail.

I felt pretty darn strong in the last mile, but I think that’s because I was on a very, very slight descent. I thought about running up the small hill just west of town, but my watch reminded me that Auntie Grace was making brunch soon, and I didn’t want to be late for that. Yum.

After a quick shower I ate the second, cold pb slice of toast I’d not gotten to earlier, a banana, and then tucked into two kinds of quiches, a fruit and yogurt crepe and two glasses of orange juice. One of my cousins brought her family for brunch as well, so it was nice to visit with her, too.