All Downhill From Here

Yesterday I packed up Little Runner and shipped her off to the inlaws for an overnight visit. Then I whipped up a grilled cheese sandwich and handed it to my son in the devil costume as I drove him to his school’s Halloween dance.

I came home, cooked up 3 more grilled cheese sandwiches (1 for me, 2 for Hubby)and watched some Survivor on an eastern satellite channel. I settled right in and watched most of CSI while I was at it. As I drove to pick up the boy from school at 9 pm I realized that I had completely forgotten to get out for my Thursday night run.

Fine. I set my alarm early this morning, even though I didn’t have to get Little Runner up for school, and went out then, instead.

I am not much of a morning runner, but marathon training taught me that I can do what I need to do even at that time of day. I was only out for 29 minutes, but I made it worth it.

I ran in a very fine mist; the kind of precipitation that doesn’t fall, it just hovers until you run into it. It feels neat on my skin, especially since Calgary is normally such a dry place. The challenge when running in conditions like this is to see. As my face and therefore my glasses move through the mist they collect all the little droplets hanging around. After the first bit I get used to seeing past the drops.

I think I’m really going to like running on Sunday – forecasters are predicting we’ll wake up to a nice blanket of snow.

Tuesday night I showed up half an hour early at Gord’s, so I’d have time to buy some shoes before the group run. I’ve been alternating the two pairs of Sauconys that I used for my marathon way back in July, and the cushioning was getting pretty thin in both pairs.

I wasn’t sure what exactly I wanted, except that the Sauconys I’d been using seemed a little too roomy now that I wasn’t doing regular 20k long runs in hot weather. Gord had me try on some more Saucony’s, a pair of Brooks Addictions, and a New Balance line that I’d tested earlier in the season. The New Balances were wonderfully light, but I was concerned about ankle support in snowy conditions, and went with the Brooks’ deeper heel cup. I picked up a nice, fresh pair of Yaktrax Pros as well and now I’m set for the winter.

My birthday money from August helped pay for part of the purchase (thanks Mom and Nana), AND Tuesday was Gord’s birthday!

We had a friendly, new-to-Calgary runner (Giovanna) show up for the group run. She has a charming South American accent and runs much faster than me. I look forward to introducing her to my swifter Calgary Roadrunner friends. Dawn was totally m.i.a., and I didn’t find out why she didn’t make it until afterwards. She’s missing from her blog lately too, but don’t worry, she’s just having a very busy week.

I had a nice chat with Tim as we ran the medium route. We stopped twice for walk breaks. The first one was “just because” and the second, on the way back was because my form was falling apart and the knee was clicking again. It was nice to work out some of the kinks from Sunday’s Confederation Park race.

After the run we had apple pie and apple crisp made by Regan, in honour of Gord’s birthday. I like birthdays.

Exercise
My non-running husband works in a big box home improvement store and his position requires him to work with most of the departments every day. Last Saturday his pedometer after work read 17.1 km, and Sunday it read 13.5. Did I mention the man works in steel toed boots? No wonder he goes through socks so fast.

Guides
Little Runner was formally enrolled in a Girl Guide ceremony last night, and her troupe is working on their hostess badges. (So that’s the Girl Guide handshake…) It was fun letting them practice their hospitality on us parents at their enrolment. Oh yeah, and while I’m here, would you like to buy a box of chocolate mint cookies? $4 a box. Limited time offer.

Back on the Indoor Field
Friday I cheered on Soccer Boy to a 5-2 loss, which didn’t suck as bad as the previous week, when they lost 8-1. More on his attitude and the coach’s in an upcoming post.

I don’t do triathlons (yet), but some of my favourite people do, and two of them are signed up for the full Ironman Florida distance to be completed two weeks from today. I’ve been trying to think up some ways to encourage them in their incredible journey up to and through this formidable challenge. 

I don’t run with an ipod or anything like that, but I have been known to tuck away a few scribbled lyrics in my mitts, or play a certain song over and over when pumping myself up for a race.

During her recent “longest swim evah!”, Nancy dredged up the song “American Pie” in her head to keep her motivated. She needs a better song or two to get her through her first Ironman event. Endurance-inducing songs should not speak of dying. Since there are still a couple of weeks left of taper-time before the big day, I thought she might enjoy socking some inspiring lyrics away for when she needs them.

Ellie has always got some song or another in head, but I thought I might see if I can plant a musical seed in her brain, so when the going gets tough she can remember a line or two and know I’m sending strong vibes her way.

Here, then, are a few of my selections for Nancy and Ellie:

High Hopes – this one’s long and peppy, and is a good reminder that each little stroke/breath/step gets you a little bit closer to your goal.

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Sing this one to your finish line!

The Bridge – I don’t know if you want this one in your head or not (it gives you an option to fade away), but it speaks to me of choosing to have courage.

Run to You – This one’s mostly for the run – another one to sing to your finish line.

Keep Right On to the End of the Road – You won’t find this on my favourite light rock radio station, but I was browsing through old Scottish drinking songs a while ago, and this one could keep you marching right along.

O The Deep Deep Love of Jesus – A hymn specifically for Ellie, specifically for her swim. This one has stuck with me since hearing it at a dear friend’s funeral way back in 2001. The tune goes in waves and the verses are powerfully comforting.

Mickey Mouse Club Song – I realize this song has nothing to do with running, or motivation, or triathlons, or courage, but strangely enough its beat keeps me plodding along through blizzards and other tough slogs. Yes, it’s a quirky choice. Take it or leave it.

You’ve Got a Friend – Because you’ll have friends there (and here) loving you to the end. I don’t usually get all mushy like this on my blog, but I just feel like it today.

There you go girls, once you’re done watching Kona, you can pick a tune or two and pack it away with all that other motivation you’ve got inside of you.

a) Show up.

With things so busy at home lately I wasn’t sure if I’d be going to this month’s Calgary Roadrunner’s Club Night, but Hubby had the day off, the kids were actually getting their homework done, and the laundry folding could wait one more day. We had supper early at home and the planets aligned. I made it downtown to the run right on time.

b) Leave all extra items in the car.

Put your wallet in the trunk if you need to, and only bring along your car key. You need to travel light to keep up with these folks.

c) Dress appropriately.

That’s a tough call this time of year, with the temps dropping as the sun sets during the run. The forecast was calling for wind and rain, but it was a delightful 11C/52F when I left the house. I opted for club shorts, two white shirts (one of each sleeve length) and my white running hat. I left warm fuzzy sweatpants and my lined windbreaker in the car for later. The two shirts seemed a little warm during the first couple of miles, but the wind picked up and the drizzle that fell on the north side of the river cooled me off nicely.

d) Get a head start.

Faster runners might chuckle at this tip, but Penguins take heed. Once I understood which route everyone was going to take, I headed out immediately. I set out at a fair clip for myself (10 min/mi), and covered about a mile before the faster runners in the group passed me. Shortly after that I was joined by Michele, Carla and Karin, and we all joined the faster runners in waiting for a couple of slower ones at Crowchild bridge.

Yes, there were folks running slower than I was. Yes, at least one was recovering from something. 

The girls stayed with me the rest of the run. We ran all the way to Prince’s Island and then back to the Key West Bar n’ Grill. I had to slow my pace a bit in the second half as my recovering knee was disconcertingly clicking. It didn’t hurt, it just felt weird, and did better when I went slower and didn’t need to straighten it too much. I had the option of turning back at the 10th St. bridge – Michele might have stayed with me – but I didn’t.

We all finished up in a pack of about 7-8 people, all chatting away. Cool. Very social, just like what Club Night was designed for. I personally covered almost 5 miles in about 55 minutes. Sweet.

e) Stick around afterwards.

I slid into a booth with Jim, Barb and Mike, and ordered iced tea. Since I’d already had dinner at home, I just nibbled on Barb and Jim’s nachos. We talked about reality t.v., Martha Stewart, the problems with blood clots and long flights after really big races, how you don’t have to be a really fast runner to compete in adventure races, recent races, upcoming races, jobs we’d held way back when we were teenagers, and how home made perogies are so much better than the ones you buy.

I even made it home in time for a phone conversation with a new-to-Calgary runner before settling in to watch Survivor. Ah, this is the life…

You know you’re a financially challenged trail runner when you show up for your Tuesday weekly run in the same muddy, burred leggings and mitts you ran in on Sunday. Hey, at least I wore my street shoes last night.

The Zen quote (look, I remembered it again) was “Do not like. Do not dislike. Be as a little child.” Some folks questioned if little children liked or disliked, and I joked “It depends on what you made them for dinner.”

This Tuesday I got to run along the river in the dark with TWO guys, Tim and Duke. Relax, they’re as married as I am, but they were good company.

Duke is a newer runner, and moved up from Houston earlier this year. He wears a LOT of clothing to runs lately, and of course we Canadians tease him a little. Tonight was the first Tuesday run with snow on the ground, and the temperature hovered around freezing. Tim remarked at how “fresh” it was out, and I responded, with a teasing sideways look at Duke, “Yeah, I had to put on TWO shirts tonight!”. It’s not cold enough for my lined windbreaker yet, but I did wear mitts.

Duke defended himself good-naturedly from under his toque, jacket, windproof mitts and sweatpants: “Hey, I’ve only got on a short-sleeved t-shirt under here!”

We had a good run for about 48 minutes. Two walk breaks – one for Duke to tie his shoe and one at the top of the big Bridgeland/Crescent Heights hill. The conversation ranged from places we’d travelled, to what services Calgary’s homeless are offered, to the Zen quote, and how to prevent/deal with side stitches. My knee is still happy.

Yesterday morning Dawn and I hit the trail bright and early. Okay, not exactly bright and not reeeally early – the rain was just beginning to let up as we got to Nose Creek Park at 9:45.

Dawn and I are to be the race directors for the Nose Creek cross country race in January (have I mentioned that yet?). We are working on getting to know the park, so we can work our race course around weather-related contingencies, should we need to. Calgary weather can be extremely variable in January – we could be running on dirt, mud, or 3 inches of ice and snow. We could be basking in above-freezing temperatures (will the creeks be frozen enough to cross without bridges?) or frost-bite weather (less ridge running, more deep-valley shelter from the wind).

We traipsed about and tried to recall where previous NC race directors have plotted. We hiked and ran up and down several hills, through grassy meadows and followed single-track paths through shrubbery. Nose Creek doesn’t really have trees – but we found some stands of wild prairie grasses growing taller than we are!

After about an hour of meandering we ended up back at the car with clay on our shoes, burrs on our leggings, soaking wet feet, a camera full of photos and big smiles on our faces. We’re still not totally sure where our course flags will go and how many course marshals we’ll need, but now we have a better idea than we had before.

Photos coming soon.

I’ve been a lazy runner and blogger lately. September was a good month to take off of running – there was so much else to do with getting the kids back into school and extra-curricular programs. Over Canadian Thanksgiving I lolled about, doing nearly nothing except rising to the occasion of having the in-laws over for turkey on Sunday. I am not the usual hostess of family dinners like this, but it turned out pretty well, I think.

With not much running going on, there has been not much writing going on. Fancy that. I did waste a ton of time last weekend picking out a blog theme or two I’m thinking of using to do a little redecorating. What do you think of this? or this?

I did run on Tuesday this week. Went to Gord’s and ran with Tim. He and I ran down the Ukrainian church hill (wheee!) and across the Langevin bridge. We ran almost all the way to the 10th St. C-train bridge before caving for a walk break. We waved to Dawn going in the other direction somewhere around Prince’s Island.

I like running with Tim. He seems to think I run a lot, and that I’m in shape. He’s good company and I don’t worry about my pace when I run with him. I just run along and we chat about life and death (he’s in the funeral business).

The recovering right knee is recovering nicely. So nicely, in fact, that my left leg got all crampy and jealous half way through the run. Eventually the legs worked it out between them and we ran all the way up the curling club hill. It felt really good to run up a hill. I don’t remember enjoying hills quite this much a couple of years ago. Total run time was just under 50 minutes, with only 3 short walk breaks.

I ran down. I ran up. My knee is happy, and so am I. I think I’ll go and do it again tonight!