Posted by: Karen | October 22, 2009

McHugh Bluff

Today I took some time out from work for a lunch run. I headed over to the square at Eau Claire first, in case anyone from the Start Line had decided to embrace the day in the same way. I waited 5 minutes and then headed out on my own.

It was a lovely day for a run. The sun shone and I chided myself for bringing a jacket and mitts. I ran along very comfortably in short sleeves. I headed up Center Street Bridge and across McHugh Bluff, where I enjoyed a nice view of downtown and the river.

View from McHugh Bluff

View from McHugh Bluff

Just as I was deciding which dirt trail to take down the slope, I heard someone call my name. A former running buddy, Sylvie, was out on her bike and recognized me. We shared a big hug and a nice chat. After that it was all downhill from there as I bounded down the goat trail into Sunnyside, back across the river, and back to work.

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Posted in Calgary, Running, Running Friends | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: Karen | October 18, 2009

XC = Cross-Creek

2009XCRvrPk190, originally uploaded by Dawn – Pink Chick.

I splashed through this stretch of water twice at the Calgary Roadrunners River Park Classic XC race a couple of weeks ago. Well, I splashed through some of it. A few yards of it were up to my knees with a current over slick big rocks, so I was more careful there.

It was a chilly day and I’d seen airborne snowflakes enroute to the start, but we layered up before and after the race. For a laugh, I donned my swim goggles and joked that I should have brought my wetsuit. We got to run a nice warm-up loop before hitting the water, so it felt quite refreshing by the time I got there.

On the way out we got to climb up that steep bank on the other side, then worked our way left and right through the park, up to the top of the valley, and across a ridge. I high-fived Little Runner who was course marshaling with a friend, and screamed down the dirt path back to cross it again.

After that fun I settled in for the second loop, which involved a nice tree-lined loop through crunchy leaves and a challenging climb up to a plateau. I ran a loop around a meadow about the size of a football field, and then it was all down hill from there to the finish.

I felt strong and pain-free. It was my 43rd CRR Grand Prix race in a row, and I was 43 years, 34 days old. I was aiming for 43 minutes, 34 seconds, but contented myself with 46 minutes, 13 seconds.

Dawn the Pink Chick took this shot and has more photos of the race on her flickr site.

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Posted in Puddles, Running, Running Friends, XC Races | Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Posted by: Karen | September 20, 2009

Invigorating

One of the best things about autumn running is that all that slogging I put in over the summer finally pays off. When I’m running in warm weather it always feels like so much work to get through a run, but take that same fitness and effort into a perfectly cool, breezy day and I feel nearly invincible.

Today I ran my usual route of single track dirt paths through the doggy parks near home. It had rained earlier in the morning, but by the time I got out the precipitation had ceased and there was only the cool wind to whip my face and hone my focus. I didn’t run up every hill, but I ran up several that I usually walk, and felt stronger for longer than I usually do.

Upon entering one of the parks I was greeted by a huge, golden german shepherd with a lolling grin. He bounded up the hill beside me and his owner at the top said “I think he wants to run with you.” I grinned back “They all do!” I don’t think I’ve ever run across a grumpy dog in that park. They’re all just so happy to be off leash.

On the way back I ran through some gravel alleys that still held puddles. I jumped in a few for fun. We haven’t had much rain this year. I must enjoy the puddles before they all freeze over.

After the run I ate some leftover pizza and then set to baking. I filled the cookie jar, made bread, and cooked up a beef burgundy in the slow cooker.

The Little Mermaid was very patient while I played domestic diva in the kitchen, so we headed to the pool for an hour before dinner as a reward.

Good run, good food, good time with the kiddo this weekend – I’m going to sleep well tonight.

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Posted in Running, Swimming

Posted by: Karen | September 20, 2009

Bikefest

Yesterday Little Runner and I went to a Bikefest by the river path near the Pumphouse Theatre and had our bikes tuned up for FREE 🙂 while we ate apples and muffins and chatted with local vendors like Mountain Equipment Co-op and Community Natural Foods. Little Runner enjoyed test driving a folding bike, and she won a Cocoa Camino Espresso chocolate bar by doing a barrel ride exercise on her bike in under 30 seconds.

While we were out on the pathway, we rode to Angel’s Cafe in Edworthy Park in the west for ice cream, and then east all the way downtown to see lion statues on the Center Street bridge before heading back to the car. It was a good long ride together and a perfect day for it.

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Posted by: Karen | September 20, 2009

Bubbles and Curly

Tuesday I was on my own for a lunch run, so I covered a slightly different route from the usual. Near Prince’s Island Park I settled in behind a couple of runners I thought I would try to keep up to, whom I nicknamed “Bubbles and Curly”. Bubbles had a tank top with a bubbly pattern, and curly had a big thick curly ponytail.

Bubbles and Curly were faster than I initially thought, but I did my best to keep them in sight as they headed up up up the Center Street bridge. I lost them near the top, but they’d served their purpose, which was to pull me up the hill.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run back down the satisfyingly steep Curling Club hill, along the south side of the river, and across the 10th St C-Train bridge before heading back to the office.

It was the first run I’d done on my own, at my own pace, since the Alberta Challenge triathlon back in August. It felt good.

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Posted by: Karen | September 20, 2009

Bowling, Terry Fox, and a Swim

Last Saturday the 12th, I had some fun organizing a bowling party for a bunch of us at work. We all had a good time and I bowled one of my best games ever.  Here’s a shot of me during the silly game, with someone else about to bowl between my legs:

Silly Bowling Game

Silly Bowling Game

Sunday the 13th in the morning, Little Runner and I showed up with some coworkers and family members for the Terry Fox Run. This is a fun, very casual event where one can sign up that morning before the run, or earlier on-line. There is no set fee to run, just give what you feel you can. One can still donate to the cause even now.

Little Runner and I mostly walked the 5k, with some fun jogs towards the end to see who would stay ahead. There were hot dogs afterward, and it was fun hanging out with happy runners and walkers.

That afternoon I thought we might head to the last day of Spruce Meadows horse jumping, but Little Runner wanted to become Little Mermaid again, so we went to the pool instead. I didn’t complain at all.

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Posted in Cross Training, Road Races, Running, Running Friends, Swimming

Posted by: Karen | September 8, 2009

Out and About

Worldskills 2009 Pastry Competitor

Worldskills 2009 Pastry Competitor

Little Runner and I enjoyed having a fair amount of time to ourselves this long weekend. We went to Worldskills on Saturday morning, and marveled at the arts of pastry chefs, cooks, restaurant servers, electricians, florists, dress makers, pipe fitters, manicurists, mechanics, etc. I didn’t get pictures of everything we saw, but I put a few up on my Flickr site if you’re interested.

The wedding dresses being made for auction were a big hit with her, as was the mechanitronic jellyfish near the heating, plumbing and refrigeration exhibits. She wasn’t interested in the Canadian Pipe Trades pavilion until I pointed out that they were letting kids braze with acetylene torches – totally tubular! She really likes the big map of the world we received at the Heidelberg booth.

Sunday morning we headed to the pool, where Little Runner is transformed into Little Mermaid. She did her first somersaults in the water, which is quite a feat for her. We found another new way to trust the water – she tried diving under the water on her belly from standing on the bottom. LR doesn’t swim or even float much yet, but bit by bit through play she is learning to trust her own buoyancy.

The rest of the weekend she played with neighbourhood friends in our house and theirs, while I tackled some long-overdue decluttering.

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Posted in Calgary, Canadian Content, Maps, Swimming

Posted by: Karen | September 1, 2009

Too Nice Out to be Inside

Tonight I got to ride with the Cyclo Bellas again. We did close to the same ride as a couple of weeks ago, only one of the other Bellas and I took a slightly shorter loop and the faster ones caught up with us later.

We had a blast zipping down Springbank Road. I got up to 60k/hr before my “what-ifs” got hold of the brakes. The climbs were good for me. Hills build character, eh?

Earlier today when I mentioned I was going to ride tonight, an un-athletic friend of mine remarked “But… I thought your race was done. You have another one?” Hey, I don’t just train to race. I race because I like to train.

It’s more than an event, it’s a lifestyle.

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Posted by: Karen | August 26, 2009

Next?

Yolanda asked me what’s next on my list, now that I’ve done my big race for the year. I’m not sure what challenge I will dream up for myself next, but it won’t be an increase in triathlon distance anytime soon.

My mom has always said I could do anything I set my mind to. The older I get, the more I realize how true that is.  I’m not entirely sure why I set my mind to achieving these kinds of things, but the pros outweigh the cons so far.

Last year it was the Moose, but that took a couple of years to achieve. Mind you, so did this olympic tri.

I might hang out with the Cyclo Bellas and see what a cycling race is like, or try some longer rides in groups. That kind of riding is a totally different focus from triathlon cycling, but my bike will manage.

I saw a sign advertising a water polo league this morning. I shook my head, mostly because for a few seconds I had actually considered it! I enjoy lap swimming in the pool, maybe I will just stick to my Monday night aqua therapy as an end to itself.

It would be very cool to try an adventure race someday, but that might be totally out of my league at my penguin level of fitness. Adventure races and triathlons cost a lot in entry fees compared to running. Triathlon is not just a race, it’s a lifestyle, eh?

Maybe I’ll go back to orienteering with with the Little Runner next year and throw in a 5 Peaks trail race for fun. I don’ t have to have a humongous goal every summer, do I?

This XC season with the Calgary Roadrunners will be my 5th in a row in my ongoing Iron Person (perfect attendance) Streak. 8 more races until I hit 50 of those in a row. Race #43 is October 3.

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Posted in About Me, Bike, Orienteering, Running, Swimming, Triathlon, XC Races

Posted by: Karen | August 25, 2009

Recovery Run

Today at lunch I went for a nice gentle jog with Dave from the Start Line group. At one point we ran for 10 minutes straight, a new record for Dave.

My calves were tight and my legs were heavy, but nothing hurt. Life is good.

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Posted in Running, Running Friends | Tags: ,

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