Reaching For Rundle's - Week Naoi (9)

May 30 - June 5  Goal: 60

Monday -  Rest Day

Tuesday - 8km Steady
8.6km @ 209mG
Tuesday night crew run, with a huge group tonight!  Unveiling of the much anticipated crew t-shirts on a warm evening.  We sure looked good in our matching attire.

Red/Grey for the fast pack of guys! #DontRunAloneWithTheHioms

Lilac for the ladies, they look so PRO! Photo: Jon

Wednesday - 10km Steady
5.1km @ 138mG
Global Running Day!  Got out on the trails in Kenna to celebrate our love of running with friends! I know I shorted myself on distance a bit but the elevation was good on this little run.

Global Running Day!

This pretty much sums up why I run, I like to eat!

Thursday - Rest Day


Friday - 7km Slow
9.8km @219mG
A family run on a Friday night.  Brian and my father joined me for this nearly 10km of Juniper/Rose Hill trails.  I'm lucky to have these two guys supporting me, even if Dad calls me "crazy" for wanting to do this 50km in 3weeks.


Saturday - Rest Day

Sunday - 40km?
21km @ 731mG
TNF Dirty Feet 21km Trail Race in Kelowna
My original plan was to run the race and then with whatever energy I had left, help to sweep the course afterwards. The day did not go as planned.  For starters it was 25C at race start 9:30 in the morning and continued to climb to 33C by the time I reached the finish line.  Kelowna celebrated a temperature record breaking day and I was just happy to survive 3 hours of scorching hillside.  I went through all of my water in this race, and that included a refill at the 8km aid station and again at 18km filling a bottle to make it to the finish.  If the conditions in Canmore are anything like last year, hot & humid, I am definitely going to have a battle against dehydration going on.  Today however I had the option to waive the extra kilometres, so I did.

Photo: Dirty Feet

Week 9 Summary:

45km/60km @ 1297mG
Short by 15km this week, the encroaching reality of time running out is all too real.  While out on the race course this weekend I had lots of time to think about all the possible weather conditions that could really screw with my comfort zone during Rundle's and have adopted the "just keep running" mantra.  Because really, how comfortable do I think I'm going to be!?  In the heat I have to keep my bottles full (of water and nuun), there's no doubt about that after Sunday's run. #makeyourwatercount
Just 3 more weeks to go!

Reaching For Rundle's - Week Zeven (7)

May 16 - 22  Goal: 49km

Monday - Rest Day  

Tuesday - 7km Steady
Registered this morning for TNF Dirty Feet 21km trail race in Kelowna coming up at the beginning of June.  That ought to make a good training run, especially since it took me 2:51:00 last year to run it. As I recall the route is a whole lotta UP and down in the blink of an eye!

7.4km @ 174m elevation gain
Out with the DFTC in Pineview tonight, running hills and slapping mosquitos.  This awesome crew even brought shots and cupcakes to celebrate my birthday with me. I absolutely love my running friends.

DFTC in Pineview Photo:Jon

Wednesday - 4x 600m Hills
8.9km @ 370m elevation gain

3x 600m Hills
Those were ugly.  Thankfully, my trusted training partner Jon was there to endure the vertical flogging on Tower/Saskatoon trails.
Crazy part was, with each repeat my time decreased to get to the top.
4:59
4:44
4:42

Thursday - Rest Day
And rest I did!

Friday - 5km Slow
5.6km @ 136m elevation gain
A short run on the roads around home.  No sense in going fast or long today with a 20km run early tomorrow morning.

Saturday - 20km
22km @ 597m elevation gain
In typical long weekend fashion it rained.  And rained, and then rained some more.  If it wasn't for the fact that I was meeting Jon and others in the park for this week's LSD I might have stayed in bed.
I guess folks on the coast deal with soggy weather all the time, but it was definitely a novelty for me.

The Soggy Saturday Morning Crew  Photo:Tom

Glad I Brought Dry Shoes to Wear Home

Sunday - 8km Slow
More and more buckets of rain this morning.  I survived yesterday's run, but the princess in me could not bring herself to don the neon trail slippers and go out there again today.


Week's Summary:
44km/49km completed,  1274m elevation gain
This week was again incomplete for total mileage, however I did enjoy a few good days of rest, some great company in less than favourable conditions and I feel ready for the big week ahead.

Reaching for Rundle's - Week Cinco

Week 5 - May 2 - 8  Goal: 59km

Unbreakable - at least so far!

So the #BeastStreak and the December Challenge (#DFDC) are but a week old and even though I logged just over 57kms in that time I nearly broke on the second day. The aim of the two challenges is simple, motivation to cull that complacent tendency most of us have which takes over during inclement weather or stressful, busy days. A kick in the pants to give yourself 30 minutes of much needed fresh air and exercise. A chance to clear your head and appreciate a surge of rejuvenating energy whether you are at the beginning or end of your day.

On the second day I sequenced from work to dinner meet-up, to babysit for a friend. The daylight hours long gone my only hope was to now zip my coat up and take the long walk home, over shooting my residence by many blocks and eventually working back in the right direction. I wasn't going down on day two, no way.

So one week is, as they say, in the books. My craft beer advent calendar is lighter too! So cheers & good luck to all the other December streakers out there. 

Holy Smokes

The Running Week in Review: July 6 - July 12

38.6C with smoke from local wildfires creeping in the West over the hills.

Birthday Balloons and Wine

Last weekend I helped celebrate the 1st birthday of my run partners' little boy.  Wow, time flies! I can only imagine what that feels like to a parent.  The party took place under blue skies in the backyard of her new home, surrounded by friends and family of course. I discovered that not only is Elise a fast runner, but she's a pretty talented cake decorator too!

Little H and Elsie with his big blue owl cake.

Naturally after cake one needs to go for a run (eliminates guilt), so Sunday morning Val and Elise joined me out at Privato Winery in Westsyde for a run and wine tasting.  We parked at the winery and ran out-and-back along the undulating but mainly flat Westsyde Rd for a change of scenery.  Past sheep, horses, fields and great views of the N.Thompson River, even took a group "runfie" with an 8ft Cock.

Val, Icebox, Elise

After a brief stretch the 3 of us enjoyed a wine tasting at the winery, stocked up out home wine racks a little and headed home.
Feeling good after the run but hungry, I convinced Brian to join me for a walk downtown where I had a super yummy Salmon Taco at Motivo.

Motivo Brunch - sooo tasty!

Now all charged up on caffeine and good food it was time to hit up Dad for an afternoon of kayaking.   We made the short drive up to Paul Lake Provincial campground site and put our two kayaks in the water for a couple hours. There was a tiny threat of rain but turned out to be a mild relaxing afternoon.

Gibraltar Rock behind me.

I am trying so hard to make the most out of the beautiful summer days as we get them.  Really hate hearing myself say, "wish i had done more" or "why did I stay inside today".

How about you?  Are you making an effort to be outside and enjoy the long days while we have them?

"I'm gonna ramm'im!"

Thanks That Was Fun

What was fun?  This whole crazy busy week, starting back last weekend.

Saturday June 6, 2015 - Congratulations Alyshia & Bryn

I spent a very warm, sunny June afternoon surrounded by family and other beloved guests of the bride and groom, on a ranch in the Nicola Valley celebrating the marriage of my beautiful cousin Alyshia.

Myself and Family arriving at the ranch.

The Tequila/Taco 10km

No, I'm not kidding.  My friends like to run, some run fast, some often and some really really far.  So to meet in the middle we seem to keep having these Gastrocardio events.  First there was the Beer Mile, then the Fireball 5km, now here we are at the Tequila/Taco 10km.  On my 40th birthday weekend this crazy idea became a reality.

Young At Heart

Tuesday Night Run - the DF Crew

Each Tuesday evening I meet the DF Crew for an hours' length run on one of the local trail systems in Kamloops. Familiar faces and new faces mix to share trail running and socialize between hill grinds. These are the folks that get me off my butt and out running each night to keep up!

Icebox and Jen with BDay Cupcakes! Photo: Jon S.

Thanks for the Birthday cupcakes this week! That was an awesome surprise.   Fuelled by cupcakes!

Do you have a network of running friends that make life awesome and keep you motivated?

Everybody's Breakin' Up

Well not literally, just in the figurative sense. Have a grinding group run in Peterson Creek Park tonight. We really had to work for that 5.5km!

All Together Dead

Headed out for a long slow run with friend Misty Saturday morning. the parameters for the run were pretty loose, 1-3hrs, 10-30kms, or whatever we could handle.  Terrain preference was trail but we segued to and from on some roadways.
Had a great time out there on my longest run in several months.

LSD from DT to Tower

Just shy 700m elevation

Drinking in LA (or Brocklehurst)

A Taper Weekend?!

Sure we can call it that, or we can call it a weekend of fun runs with my hubby and friends.  Between Saturday and Sunday I managed to get in 23kms of mixed road and trail running under bright sunny skies.

Do What you Have To Do

Another Weekend, Another Long Run

With just 3 weeks left before my first TRAIL 21km I needed to get out and put in a solid effort on the weekend LSD run.   So after canvassing the group of awesome people I run with, Jon and Jen joined me with dogs in tow and we headed up to the Batchelor Hills over Kamloops.

Livin' La Vida Loca

Friday Group Run Fun!

Best way to spend a Friday early evening

What better way to cap off the week than a group trail run in the park?  Five fun folks and five feisty furries headed out on the trails of Kenna Cartwright this afternoon, enjoying the 10'C and windless weather.