All Downhill From Here

Our 9 y.o. Little Mermaid will be called Little Runner for the next while, as tonight we began training together for her YMCA Strong Kids Marathon. Over the next month and a bit she’ll cover 25.2 miles, and then on race day she’ll run her last mile to complete her marathon.

We did this last year, and we both had a LOT of fun.

Tonight’s mile entailed running and walking down to a path that is bordered by natural, ungroomed local flora. Lots of tall grass, wild rose bushes, etc. Today we brought home an abundance of buffalo beans and some purple flowers. We left the one sprig of bluebells that we found, for someone else to enjoy. We also found a large patch of blooming wild strawberry plants. I wonder if we can time it right to go taste one or two later in the month, before the birds get them all.

Little Runner wanted to explore several other paths, but I had other things to do this evening, so promised that we’ll save those for some of the other 25 miles!

Yesterday was GORGEOUS and probably our warmest day all week. It was windy, but a warm, dry wind, and we’ve got cooler, wetter weather forecast for the next few days, so it was good to get out and enjoy it while I could.

I picked up Dawn a little late after welcoming the neighbor boy to baby-sit our Little Mermaid and dropping Soccer Boy off at his game, while Hubby finished up at his work’s golf tournament. What a busy family! Good thing nights like this mostly happen only on Tuesdays.

Although we made it to Gord’s before the run, I didn’t leave enough time to sign up for Saturday’s Run Walk n Roll 10k race, so I hope I can sign up at package pick-up Friday. Linda and I are going to race together. I won’t be trying for a PR. I’m going to have fun, and try to keep up with Linda.

Anyhoo, back to our Tuesday run. I started out with Linda heading East on 8th Ave towards Tom Campbell’s hill, with Krista and Kelly right behind us. When we got to the hill, Linda and Kelly decided to head back on the flat route and Krista and I opted to try and find a route that the skinny fast folks call “the escarpment”. Apparently we didn’t find the whole escarpment, as it has seven hills, and we really only went down and up about two. Two really big, multi-stage ones, but definitely two.

I felt strangely strong and powerful on the hills, and tackled them with confidence. It surprised me, and I liked it. If I had done seven such hills no doubt I would have been cursing under my breath, but it was nice to feel some heart-pounding exhilaration without having to really exhaust myself.

Upon cresting the second hill we found Dawn running along the top, and she greeted us with a big smile. She ran on ahead while we caught our breath.

Krista trailed behind me, but this was her long run tonight – she’d run 30-some minutes to get to the store. We were out 46 minutes together, and it was good. At one point when we were running together I remarked about her water bottle holder, which she seemed to always carry in her right hand. “Do you ever switch hands?”
“Ugh”
Krista was definitely putting in more effort than I was. I should shut up and do the same.
“So, only when punching out smart-alec chatty running partners, then?”

The last 5 or so blocks I had to just buckle down and get the job done. I had wrapped my long sleeved shirt around my waist and just ran in my shorts and running bra. My pony tail was long and bushy, so it brushed my shoulder blades like a fuzzy duster as it swayed. I had to pull my cap down on my forehead so the wind wouldn’t blow it off. The warm, strong wind on my shoulders felt wonderful. I felt tired and yet strong at the same time. Challenged but up to it. Breathing hard, but it felt so good to reach so deeply into my lungs. Not sure why I like those mixed feelings together, but I do. Like salt and sweet together.

Tomorrow I need to get up early and do my run in the morning, as I’m going to the amusement park with the Little Mermaid’s school night in the evening. I wonder which rides she will be brave enough to try this year!

Yesterday was GORGEOUS and probably our warmest day all week. It was windy, but a warm, dry wind, and we’ve got cooler, wetter weather forecast for the next few days, so it was good to get out and enjoy it while I could.

I picked up Dawn a little late after welcoming the neighbor boy to baby-sit our Little Mermaid and dropping Soccer Boy off at his game, while Hubby finished up at his work’s golf tournament. What a busy family! Good thing nights like this mostly happen only on Tuesdays.

Although we made it to Gord’s before the run, I didn’t leave enough time to sign up for Saturday’s Run Walk n Roll 10k race, so I hope I can sign up at package pick-up Friday. Linda and I are going to race together. I won’t be trying for a PR. I’m going to have fun, and try to keep up with Linda.

Anyhoo, back to our Tuesday run. I started out with Linda heading East on 8th Ave towards Tom Campbell’s hill, with Krista and Kelly right behind us. When we got to the hill, Linda and Kelly decided to head back on the flat route and Krista and I opted to try and find a route that the skinny fast folks call “the escarpment”. Apparently we didn’t find the whole escarpment, as it has seven hills, and we really only went down and up about two. Two really big, multi-stage ones, but definitely two.

I felt strangely strong and powerful on the hills, and tackled them with confidence. It surprised me, and I liked it. If I had done seven such hills no doubt I would have been cursing under my breath, but it was nice to feel some heart-pounding exhilaration without having to really exhaust myself.

Upon cresting the second hill we found Dawn running along the top, and she greeted us with a big smile. She ran on ahead while we caught our breath.

Krista trailed behind me, but this was her long run tonight – she’d run 30-some minutes to get to the store. We were out 46 minutes together, and it was good. At one point when we were running together I remarked about her water bottle holder, which she seemed to always carry in her right hand. “Do you ever switch hands?”
“Ugh”
Krista was definitely putting in more effort than I was. I should shut up and do the same.
“So, only when punching out smart-alec chatty running partners, then?”

The last 5 or so blocks I had to just buckle down and get the job done. I had wrapped my long sleeved shirt around my waist and just ran in my shorts and running bra. My pony tail was long and bushy, so it brushed my shoulder blades like a fuzzy duster as it swayed. I had to pull my cap down on my forehead so the wind wouldn’t blow it off. The warm, strong wind on my shoulders felt wonderful. I felt tired and yet strong at the same time. Challenged but up to it. Breathing hard, but it felt so good to reach so deeply into my lungs. Not sure why I like those mixed feelings together, but I do. Like salt and sweet together.

Tomorrow I need to get up early and do my run in the morning, as I’m going to the amusement park with the Little Mermaid’s school night in the evening. I wonder which rides she will be brave enough to try this year!

This bridge was our start and end point. Towards the end I thought about cooling my muscles in the river, but somehow forgot when I saw Angel’s ice cream menu.

Warning: long runs sometimes mean long posts!

Yesterday I think I got a little sun stroke running between the garage sales. I had a nasty headache in the afternoon that developed into chills and an overall icky feeling by evening. I hit the sack early and thankfully my sweet hubby tucked kiddos into bed later.

By this morning I’d had a good, solid sleep and got up in plenty of time to prepare carefully for my long run with Linda. I applied Body Glide and sunscreen in appropriate places, and loaded up my belt with cell phone, camera, and purple Gatorade. I picked up Dawn and we headed down to the Edworthy Park bridge to meet Linda. We were running kind of late, and then Dawn and I got talking and my autopilot brain steered my van down the Tuesday night route, instead of straight to the park.

Thankfully Linda hadn’t taken off yet, and Dawn set out to do her thing while Linda and I headed off at our pace. The Calgary Women’s 10k Race was taking place on the same pathway this morning, so we got to cheer on several racers coming back on the 10k route. Both Linda and I got a little caught up in the cheering and it was delightfully distracting. We both had to deliberately slow ourselves down as we found ourselves running a 10k race pace instead of long slow distance pace.

After we had gone out about 25 minutes we stopped for a walk break and I set my watch to beep at 10/1 intervals. I knew today was going to be a struggle after yesterday’s run and thought I would discipline myself better if I had a watch saying to me “only a few more minutes until the next walk break”. We came across a charity walk as we crossed Prince’s Island and headed towards Centre Street.

I was quite glad to turn around at Centre Street and head back, but it sure seemed a long ways back to Edworthy! When I whined, Linda told me to just “run along and enjoy the sunshine”. It was a good mantra to think on, but I was getting hot. I drank more Gatorade.

When I got tired and was having trouble keeping up, Linda took smaller steps and threatened to sing. She eventually had to make good on her threat and sang “This old man, he played one, he played nicknack on this thumb…” I picked up the pace. I wasn’t sure I wanted that song running round my head.

The next time I slowed down she sang “There were 10 in the bed, and the little one said “roll over, roll over”. I didn’t want to think of my nice, warm bed either, so I trudged on a bit faster.

At one point, when I knew I had slowed down and I saw her shortening her steps once again, I belted out “99 bottles of Gatorade on the wall…” and she laughed and chimed in.

Towards the end I started running on the dirt path next to the paved one, and felt I needed the strength from the earthy feeling under my feet. I thought of how much I struggled on ice and snow and frozen ground all winter, and tried to be grateful for sweet spring smells, leaves on trees and green grass.

Linda said what buoys her spirits is thinking of those who are too ill or injured to run, and those are the thoughts that got me through our last, really really long mile.

At the end Linda set the sign across from the ice cream stand as our finish line, and I was very, very spent by the time we reached it. We had done 10 hard miles in less than 2 hours.

I’ve run further and faster and felt better, but I am very grateful for Linda’s inspiration and company today. It was absolutely just what I needed.

I had a chocolate ice cream cone, sat and visited on a bench with Dawn and Linda, and took some pictures. I’ll have my pics up a little later, but Dawn has hers up and she’s done a lovely job representing our day.

Once I got home I whipped up an omelette to share with Soccer Boy, quickly changed my clothes and took him off to his game (didn’t get my shower until after supper!). The team played well today, and tied the team that beat them 8-0 a month ago. Yay team!

Today was absolutely gorgeous and sunny outside, 20C/68F, and I headed out for a little jog around my neighbourhood. Today was also the day of our community’s “parade of garage sales”, so there were garage sales on nearly every block. I am not normally someone who goes out of my way to shop at garage sales, but today I used the sales to inspire me through my run. I certainly wouldn’t have run as long as I did if therehadn’t been “just one more” sale around each corner.

I did have an ulterior motive of sorts – I’m going to need a few things for the new house that don’t necessarily need to be new. In the end I talked myself out of buying anything, figuring that there will still be more garage sales after we move in July, and I really don’t need to buy more stuff to move.

There were tons of folks out enjoying the day. I stopped and talked to an old friend of ours while he tended to his lawn. At one point there was a woman and girl twirling a skipping rope for another young girl. Just before I ran by, the girl hopped inside the twirling rope and squealed with joy “I DID IT!” I smiled and applauded as I went by.

A nice thing about running on a sunny community garage sale day was that there were plenty of little tikes manning lemonade stands along the route. Even after availing myself of their services I was so hot by the time I headed home that I poured the remains of my water bottle over my head and neck. I’ve got a bit of sunburn, too. Time to start thinking about sunscreen as part of my pre-run routine.

I’ve been suffering from TELPA lately – Total Eeyore-Like Pathetic Attitude. Nothing to blame it on either, just a choice to sit back and not motivate myself to write or run, or do anything but play Solitaire and the bare minimum of chores. I realize it is a choice, and I am on the verge of choosing another attitude soon, but this is where I have been lately. I think I am preparing myself for another wave of very busy life – last month of school, last 6 weeks of half-m training, continuing soccer-boy support and oh yeah, we’re moving the same week as my half-m.

I have been off my duff a bit, though, in between Solitaire games. Monday was a holiday and I took the kids out to a nearby park in town. We hiked up and down stairs and on dirt trails for about an hour in the trees west of the Stoney Trail Bridge near Bowness Park. It was very sheltered from the wind, and pretty. There were a few wildflowers. After that I sat on big, sunwarmed rocks near the river and watched the kids throw rocks in the water for a while, and then we went to Dairy Queen on the way home, yum.

I have run a few times in the last few weeks. This Tuesday Dawn and I ran with the Gord’s group and it felt so good to get out that I managed a couple of extra hills amongst the honeysuckle and carragana bushes. My eyes and nose were running just as much as the rest of me by the time I was done, but the air smelled deliciously sweet. I felt very alive trying to keep up with Kelly on the hills and I was reminded of how fun it is to run with JOY. It was not a long or particularly tough workout, but it was just what my soul needed.

One more happy-run this week, and I think I’ll be ready to tackle another long run this weekend.

Thanks for your good wishes, everyone. I’m feeling much better. Last night I finally got out for that wee jog. I’m sure I went not much more than 3 km, but it felt good. Ran from the boy’s soccer practice to the library (less than a km, sort of up hill), picked up a book, made a pit stop. Jogged the book back to the van, and continued on downhill into the neighborhood and back up for another 20 minutes or so. Lots of blooming trees and strong, warm winds.

Heading out for supper tonight – it’s our 16th wedding anniversary and we have some celebrating to do. We’re going somewhere new (to us) and different. Going to try some Thai food.

I haven’t run since Thursday, unless you count the umpteen speed intervals I’ve made to the toilet on Sunday and Monday. Sunday I tried taking a natural remedy of activated charcoal capsules that usually works, but it didn’t help very much. I stayed home from work Monday, and managed a VERY quick trip to my NEAREST pharmacy to pick up some Immodium.

Immodium became a very good friend yesterday, but I was still very weak and felt icky. Today I felt much better and went to work, but I won’t be showing up for running group tonight – too much residual Mom-catching-up stuff to do after two days of being sick.

I’m looking forward to getting in a nice, gentle jog tomorrow.

Last night my son had a 90 minute soccer practice starting at 6:30, cutting into my satellite-aired early showing of Survivor at 6. I had Hubby drop the boy off, and changed into my running clothes during commercials. Right after the show I parked the van at the soccer field in Ranchlands and started running. I enjoyed running past what will be my new house in July. There were a bunch of little boys having a bicycle race in our crescent.

There were sweet springy smells all over the place and I enjoyed seeing new green leaves and blossoming trees, daffodils and tulips. A little shower blew over and sprinkled me with gentle droplets, just as I was getting warmed up. The rain was barely enough to get the ground wet, but it smelled WONDERFUL.

I wasn’t exceptionally energetic, but I did go doowwwn and uuuup a big gradual hill from the NW to the SE and back of the neighborhood. It only took me 30-35 minutes, and I chatted with a couple of soccer parents I knew until the boys were done. I might try to get in another run Saturday, before my long run on Sunday, since this one was so light.