All Downhill From Here

We had a most excellent run from Gord’s store tonight. Someone in our group suggested that we do the long option tonight, and we were feeling pretty good, so we did. We ran down in front of the Ukrainian church, across the river and along the pathway to 14th street, and then back up a big hill with a great view of downtown.

At 10th St. we stopped for a bit of a break and stretched out some tight muscles. My left calf had tightened up and a little stretch was just what it needed. After that I was fine. I felt a little challenged and tired “in a good way” by the end. It was about 10C/50F out with a slight breeze, and the sun just started to set behind us as we returned to the store.

It took Tim and I an hour and seven minutes, and Yolanda, Linda and Krista weren’t far behind. Dawn did a modified version of the medium route with some hills thrown in, and beat us back. I figure we did something close to 10 km. It was pretty close, anyway. Close enough to round up if it wasn’t 🙂

Hubby’s working this weekend, but Princess had a birthday party yesterday afternoon, so I used the opportunity to go for my 16km long run. The sun was out and it was 5C/41F, but there was a blustery, cold wind, so I brought my jacket along. The wind was at my back for the first 5k, which made it tough going on the way home, but at least I was able to sort out my breathing at the beginning of the run, and I found a good rhythm right away.

I had on my NEW SHOES, replacement Brooks Addictions, that I used in my easy jog on Thursday. My feet had some hot spots on the run, but no blisters showed up, so I’m happy about that. It was my first run this long since October, and my legs were pretty tired in the last few km. It took me almost 2 hours. I’ve raced this distance much faster, but considering the wind and my training this spring, that’s fine.

It wasn’t an amazing run or anything, but I felt strong a lot of the time, and was able to keep running through the parts when I didn’t. That’s good enough for me.

This week much of my energy has been focused on my grandma’s funeral, in which I had been asked to “say a few words” and sing. I don’t get up in public on a regular basis, so I was nervous, distracted, and didn’t sleep well either. I still went to work, still ran with the group on Tuesday night, but much of my soul was focusing on Thursday’s funeral.

The funeral was in Camrose, a few hours from here, so we drove up right after work on Wednesday night and stayed over. After the viewing my cousins and a sister in-law practiced a hymn we were to sing at the end of Thursday’s service. It was good bonding time and I was glad for the help with the alto line – I don’t often sing alto.

I had some time for a run Thursday morning, and took the words to the hymn with me, in an attempt to memorize them. Hopefully if I wasn’t worrying about the words, I could concentrate more on the notes.

I ran out past Grandma’s house, about a km from our motel. She and Grandpa had retired to it in the 70’s, when Grandpa’s weak heart made it too difficult to farm anymore. Now there was a new fence around the back yard, and a hockey net and wagon in the front.

God be with you til we meet again
By His counsels guide, uphold you
With His sheep securely fold you
God be with you til we meet again

The hymn was comfortingly repetitive, with only the middles of the stanzas changing every verse. While I couldn’t sing and run at the same time, I did repeat the words silently in my head to a cadence, and they inspired me.

Neath His wings securely hide you
Daily manna still provide you

I didn’t have to learn the second verse, as my cousin was to play it as a flute solo, but it was still comforting. I jogged east, towards the senior’s apartment my grandma had moved into a few years back, when the house was just too much to keep up. Puddles on the sidewalks were frozen hard, so I stuck mostly to the gravelly sides of streets.

When life’s perils thick confound you
Put His arms unfailing round you

I took a fair amount of walk breaks. My legs were heavy and it was hard to find a rhythm that made my breath comfortable. I didn’t push it or worry about pace. I wasn’t out there running for the run, I was out there and the run was there for me.

Keep love’s banner floating o’er you
Smite death’s threat’ning wave before you

I carried on past the senior’s apartment building, past the cemetery where she’d be laid to rest later that day, the hospital, and the house where I think she was born, just down the street. I looked across the pond in the middle of town, to a nursing home where she had stayed briefly, and took a path back west along the shore towards the motel. I was mostly walking now, and smiled when I saw suet-laden pinecones and popcorn strings with cranberries hung up in bushes for the birds.

Til we meet, til we meet
Til we meet at Jesus feet
Til we meet, til we meet
God be with you til we meet again.

It was good to be with my extended family, share hugs, catch up on news, see how much the other great-grandkids have grown, meet the newest babe-in-arms. It was important to me that I participate in Grandma’s remembrance, that I express my love for her in a way that others could understand and share in, so I did my best, and I’m glad I did.

This morning started at about 6:30 am, with me gently admonishing my daughter for quietly collecting all the Easter eggs she could find, before her brother had a chance to wake up and search with her. She and I put them all back, I returned her to her bed, and tried to doze for a bit. After an hour or so, we woke up her brother and father and I gave sleepy-boy a little head start in collecting eggs before letting early-girl at ’em, too. Sleepy boy was very gracious, and left every other egg for his sister to find. No one told him to do that… Aw.

Then we set in to figuring out our clues. In our house the Easter Bunny leaves paper clues, like a treasure hunt, that lead to a basket for each of us. I have on occasion called the Bunny who leaves my clues Psycho-Bunny, for the nasty, un-solvable riddles he’s left me, but this year I was actually able to work my way through them without much trouble.

After one Lindt milk chocolate ball and a cup of coffee I was practically vibrating. I hardly drink coffee in the mornings now, having switched to ginger-mint tea in January, and I hadn’t realized it would affect me so much. I whipped up a batch of waffles for breakfast, and we relaxed together for awhile.

We had a very relaxed day planned and I got dressed for my long run. I dawdled and found one distraction after another before finally getting out the door. Last week’s hard 12km in the snow and wind on whiny legs was still fresh in my mind, and I was dreading attempting 14km. After all, I’d run 8km already the day before, with hills!

Once I got out there, though, it turned out to be the best run I’d had in weeks! The snow was gone again, there was a light breeze at 5C/41F, and I had a lot to think about again. I set my watch to run 10minutes/walk 1, as I felt I needed the structure to keep me going. I told myself I only had to run 10 minutes at a time, and if I didn’t feel good I would turn around and go home. I was very forgiving to myself, and thought about the meanings of Easter and how forgiveness fits into it. I also thought about new life, rejuvenation, and joy.

My legs felt far better at the end of this 14k than they did after last week’s 12k in the snow. I came home, ate peanut butter toast, had a big glass of milk, and showered before getting ready for Easter dinner at the in-laws’.

My Grandmas have a very special place in my life. They have been a source of love and inspiration, and a grounding factor in my life. I have, on difficult days, thought of their perseverance and struggles, and used my images of them for my own inner fortitude.

Friday night, Good Friday, I received a call from my father that his mom, my Grandma Likness had just passed away. She was 88; 50 years and 30 days older than me. Grandma L. was a woman of strong Christian faith. I learned a lot from the way she lived her life, loved her family, and served God. She had been slipping away from us very slowly over the last 5 years or so. Sometimes I referred to her affectionately as the Incredible Shrinking Grandma, as injuries, the weakness of age, and disorientation took its toll on her body, emotions, and mind.

We had a close bond and I am truly thankful for the opportunities I’ve had to be with her and share my family with her. I will miss her, but balance that thought with the relief that she is in a far better place now, with no pain, and with Grandpa.

Saturday I went out to run hills with Grandma L. on my mind. I did not think of her the whole time, but images of her wandered through my thoughts. As I plunged downwards to the bottom of the hill, I thought of how she might look in her casket, how sad I am that I miss her, and how I will try to handle my emotions at the funeral. On the way back up I thought of the hymn my cousins and I will sing at her service, and how I will have to say something on behalf of the grandchildren.

The remembrance of my terror of public speaking totally took away any sensation of cresting the hill and I barely realized I had climbed it. Suddenly hill running seemed much easier than the week I have ahead of me!

I consoled myself with the memories we’ve made together over the years. Making cake donuts or lefse together, doing the dishes after a meal of meatballs and gravy, when I snuggled up to her in her hospital bed last winter and made her tell me about how Grandpa courted her before they were married, and what my dad was like as a little boy. I thought of how my daughter has told me she is sad, and feels bad about Grandma L., and how I’ve told her it’s okay to feel that way, because that means my daughter has loved her so much.

I hardly noticed the second hill. I’m not saying the running was easy, but I was quite distracted from the physical world for awhile. My hamstrings and calves were glad to get home and stretch, but it was a good ache, a reminder of how alive I am, and how grateful I am to be so.

I went out with the group last night for about a 7ish km run by the river. The ice is melting, yay!

Kelly was back for her first run (she was only allowed 15 minutes of running) after major abdominal surgery in December, and we were all happy to see her. Yolanda and I jogged along with Kathy and her border collie for the first bit, until she turned back on her short course. I wanted to turn back too, as I was cold and had to pee. A chilly wind blew through my woollen mitts, but Krista lent me her fleece ones and dragged me on towards the medium turn around point.

We had barely arrived on time for the run, leaving me no time to visit the biffy, so I found a bush at just after the medium half-way point. The nice thing about running after dark is that it is easier to find nice, private shadow for such things. We went a little faster after that 🙂

My new shoes that I ordered more than 4 weeks ago are still not in, and my feet are starting to ache when I run. Hope the new shoes come in this week! I was admittedly whiny last night, but Krista shouted out positive words as we climbed up all 167 of the curling club stairs.

As we had approached the big hill (that goes under the stairs) to go back up to the store, I had caught a glimpse of Dawn running up ahead of us. We caught up to her just as we all got back together.

Some of our Penguins, including Dawn and I were at the XC Awards banquet last night. We enjoyed a fantastic potluck dinner and a great summary of the winter season. I brought Broccoli bacon salad. The drive home was a little slippery but manageable, and I hit the sack at close to midnight.

Hubby had to work today at 10 a.m. so I was up again at the crack of dawn to have some toast and tea before heading out on my long run at 7:30. 12 km isn’t long on some weeks, but I haven’t run more than 10 km at once since the Tampa race February 5th, so I’m back to working up slowly again.

I was really glad I hadn’t planned on a longer run. Most of the run was in 2 inches of fluffy snow, some parts that hadn’t been shovelled earlier in the week were up past my ankles. My first km, which often takes me 6:30 or 7 minutes on a long run day, took me over 8 minutes. I stopped looking at my watch after that.

It was VERY nice not to have to hold myself to anything resembling a “race pace”, so I walked when I wanted to and eventually found some good rhythms after about the 7th km. Since I wasn’t using a speed-related effort, instead of pushing my breath out like I did in last week’s race, I imagined the exhalations sort of just falling out and then I picked up more air in inhaling. It was an interesting imagery and kept my mind occupied for a good while.

My body was not quite sure about all the food I’d eaten the night before, and told me in the last mile I needed to find a bathroom. I don’t argue with these messages on this kind of long run – it’s not like I’m on the clock or anything, so I popped into the Esso station bathroom. It was easier to tackle the last km with the deeper snow when I wasn’t worrying about whether I would make it to the bathroom! My knees had gotten wobbly by that point even with the bathroom break, but I jogged through the rest by promising myself french toast for “second breakfast”.

It took me about an hour and 3/4 to go 12 km – I’m glad I didn’t have my heart set on 14 for today!

I know the calendar says March. I know we just celebrated St. Patrick’s Day, and Valentines was a month ago. I just bought more eggs to decorate for Easter, but this morning’s run felt like February. Of course, several of my February runs felt like May, so I guess winter had to come sometime.

I got up early, had a slice of bread and honey with ginger-mint tea, and headed out the door at shortly before 7 am. I wasn’t really looking forward to running in the snow in March. In October it’s a novelty. In “winter months” it’s a necessity, but I’ve been awfully spoiled with lots of dry pavement lately, and I wasn’t relishing having to run with my jacket on again.

It really wasn’t that bad. The snow was fluffy and more than an inch deep. No nasty wind, but a playful breeze that blew big, wet snowflakes into my face no matter which direction I turned. The snowflakes tickled and made my skin itch as they melted on my nose and cheeks. The snow was deep enough to do that styrofoam squeak when I pushed off, but not slippery on the flat.

I was all alone on my boulevard, if you don’t count everyone driving to work. I counted 9 vehicles in line at the Tim Horton’s drive thru, 4 more out front, and one had just pulled into the lot and was deciding between the two. The scent of coffee and baking as I ran by was divine. On the way back I was fascinated by my footprints in the snow. It seems my toes turn out ever so slightly. I don’t feel like they turn out, but they do.

Last night there was a good turnout at Gord’s and we all headed out on fairly dry sidewalks for a flat run. The whole group ran pretty much together for a few blocks to warm up, until we got to the Edmonton Trail intersection, where the faster ones charged across on a stale green light. Our front-running Penguins slowed down a tad in our approach.

“It looks like it’s going to go amber. Oh look, it’s changing. Well, we’d better wait for the next one.” It was a nice rest, the back-of-the-packers caught up, and we were all together momentarily until the light changed back to green.

We had a pretty relaxed run – I didn’t feel like were pushing very hard. It’s kind of nice to have those now and then, especially after a race weekend. On the way back I think my legs got tired of the stride length I’d been using, and I needed to push the pace a little. Coach Dianne had encouraged me to try a few bursts of speed if my legs felt up to it, so I alternated a few short blocks of zipping along as fast as I could handle with walking about the same to recover. I only did it a few times, but it was enough to tire me out and stretch out those finishing sprint muscles I’d used on Sunday.

By the time Krista and Yolanda caught up with me I was quite happy to manage a slow cool-down jog back. We were out maybe 50 minutes.