16K Today

It was a perfect day for a long run.  I decided to just do it around the house - a great way to have lots of fluids and food ready on my pass bys.


My back was an issue for the entire run, so I took a few more breaks to stretch than I normally would.


I listened to my new favourite podcast - Marathon Training Academy - for much of the run, and I learned about the importance of grabbing carbs and protein right after your workout, to capitalize on building up your body's ability to store glycogen for future races.


First, though, a look at last night's amazing supermoon.  Unfortunately we have a lot of cloud tonight so I won't get another look.

The leaves are just starting to come out.  I hope that doesn't mean the black flies are going to follow!

The creek is still pretty high, even though we have had no rain for quite awhile.

And the stats for the day:

Tempo Intervals - Week 1

I did it.

I trained tonight.


It was a late night at work, but I put it together.


My plan was a 1 km warmup then a 6 km tempo run @ 6 min/km pace, then a 1 km cool down.


All went according to plan except I forgot that I have a back injury, and treating that right required a break after each tempo kilo.


So, all in all not bad for a midweek run.


I did the  8 km out and back down to the end of the Bass Lake Rd.  Not very exciting, but a few things to share.

This is just a shot of the cutest beagle in the world being his tired self first thing this morning.

Aren't my new trail running shoes just amazing?

Can you find the grouse?  Three of these out on the run tonight.

An supersized ant hill.

After that run, I wish someone would but pie and coffee in my mailbox.

The Stats:

145 Days to Go

On Sunday evening (April 29) I watched Spirit of the Marathon on RadX and it reminded me of how long I have been waiting to run another marathon - of all the aborted attempts and all the failures.


I need a win.


Was it fate that put me behind this truck on the way to work yesterday?

I couldn't get very excited about the Miles with the Giant marathon when it was a double half-marathon, but there is a new course this year that has no repeated loops in it.  It's exciting.

So I have hauled out good ol' Hal Higdon's best advice again, and I will give it another go.

Did my first 5K in the rain with the beagle tonight.  I saw two beautiful big deer between the bridge and the 4-way.  My back held up for the first 3 K and then it was tweaky and sore.  I need to take my meds before heading out to control the swelling.

Now, will I nail down day two tomorrow?

Getting ready for the 10 miler

No photos today.


After the most astoundingly early spring weather, we stepped back a bit today, back into a bit of winter, with strong winds and -1 at 4 p.m., as well as some snowflakes in the air.


I chose to do my 7 mile (11 km) run down on the east side of the Sibley Peninsula.  I was exploring, and once again I didn't quite get where I wanted to go, but it's all good.


Here are the stats.

Back on Track

Running has been hit and miss through the last few months.  My father's illness and death, combined with a new school and new responsibilities, have left me a bit crushed.  

It felt great to get outside on a real fall day today to get a nice 10K in along Superior.  This connection with the outdoors is what I love most about running.  Today the tamaracks were showing their change to yellow, and I loved all these little tamaracks along the road, mimicking their parents in the forest just beyond.

I also love the chance to listen to my favourite podcasts and music, and to just have some time to think while running.

I was so worried in the first few K's because my heart rate would not go down.  When it spiked at 200 I stopped and walked for a few minutes.  But, it came around after awhile.  I realize now that I have had a bad cold this past week and I am clearly not completely over it yet.

This was my coldest and windiest run since last spring.  I started at only 4C.  The leaves have all blown down over the last 48 hours in some unrelenting winds.  The fall clouds and low sun angles leave such a beautifully characteristic landscape.

This little inukshuk is ready for the colder weather!

A victim of the high winds this week:

A beautiful spot for my 5K turnaround:

And look!  I found the end of the rainbow!

No pot of gold, but the people building this place on Superior must have one!

And this shot just because this is what the ground looks like everywhere right now!

 I listened to this podcast while running today: The Hurried Child: CBC Radio Ideas.

 It is relevant for teachers who are involved in the new play-based kindergarten curriculum, and for any new parent or grandparent.


Overall, a pretty good post-illness run.  I need to work on just getting through a 10K without breaks at a better pace than this so I may take another week just to push the pace a bit harder before moving up to 12K.  

 

The Hurkett July 10K

It was a perfect morning for a run.  Sunny, 13 C, calm.  I had a 10K scheduled, just to see where my training is at this point.  I headed down the highway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jean Beliveau, who was walking in my area.  He had been spotted about 45 km NE of Thunder Bay the afternoon before.

I drove toward Nipigon, watching for him, and finally came to the spot near Hurkett where I hit a bear back in 2000.  I had never been to Hurkett in the summer, so I decided that today was the day, and I turned off the highway.  Hurkett is actually a little community on the rail line with a federal dock on Lake Superior.  

The last time I was at the dock was last winter.  Interestingly, one of the boats that was there in the winter (Donna 1) was still there.

I had to laugh, though, because the other boat docked was named "Jimmie N".

Too funny!  I headed out.  I decided to just run where I felt like running until I made up the full 10 K.  Running down all the little side roads always means that I have to keep track in my head of the distance I still need to travel until the turnaround, since I never want to do those little detours more than once.  

I learned very early in the run why little signs like this are so important!

You can see from the picture, though, how nice the road was for running today.  Too bad this was only a 1.4 km section out to the harbour (the rest was pavement).

The biggest problem I have with running is sheer boredom.  Luckily I love wildflowers, and the roadside flowers were gorgeous.  Lots of purple vetch....

Near the train tracks, I saw this rather rare clump of black-eyed susans.  I'd love some of these for my garden!

Out on the main road, near the turnaround point, a long section of fireweed, with a special place in my heart since my time in the Yukon as a teenager.

At the far east end of Hurkett, one of the largest flower planters I have ever seen!

One of the things I most loved about my time in Hurkett was how many really large tamaracks there are in the area.  I must come back here in the fall when they are in their full golden glory.

By the time I arrived back at the dock, the temperature had gone up 7C from 13 C to 20 C, so I was quite warm, and happy to get a cold bottle of water.

No sign of Jean Beliveau walking the highway on my way back either.  Perhaps we will see him when we head south next week.

Life Doesn't Stop and Wait

A month since my last post and while I am running - some - I have not been blogging. My work life took a wild turn in mid-June and I am finally recovering.  For the last while, everything in my life has had to take a back seat to my work.  I don't regret it or resent it, it just IS, and now I move on.


Heading out for a 10K, remembering that it's important to just LIVE your life.