next . . .

well, seeing as how this adventure has come to an end, i think i'll resume posting on my other blob.

http://slowrunner9.blogspot.com/

thanks to everybody who followed along and made comments. it sure has been fun to say the least!

dora

what went wrong?

''if you never did, you should.

these things are fun and fun is good.''

georgie has already mentioned a bunch of stuff, so i'll just add my two cents - for what it's worth. i got to the airport with no trouble and in tons of time - thanks wayne !!!! no lineup at the american counter - this will be easy - until - oh no - we need the address of the place you're staying in dallas . . . oh for god sakes! I DON'T HAVE AN ADDRESS !! i don't even have georgies' phone number !!! panic call to the wellness center and the lovely michelle managed to calm me down and get me the address of the super8 motel in huntsville. whew! crisis averted! thanks michelle!

georgie was waiting for me at the airport, and after a stop for pizza, some blue bell ice cream - a litre each - and a couple of wrong turns, we made it to his place. he was in the process of tidying up his house, and had arranged for a bunch of stuff to be stored in the garage. no problem except we had to get the garbage bins out to the curb (oh, sorry, they call them 'trash bins' in texas). and rather than try to move the foosball table, 249 pounds of weights, 3 bikes and an 8-sectional couch, we opted for dragging them all the way through the house and down the front steps. no problem! and oh ya, me and christine had wanted to get a traditional 'canadian' souvenir for georgie, so we opted for the ever popular beaver. it was to become our mascot for the rest of the week.

on thursday georgie had arranged for a few of his friends to meet me at his favorite friday night hangout - 'mexigo' - and a few - good grief - i counted at least 20 !! super nice people, and i especially liked crazy michelle and the lovely rachel. oh ya, and there was the 'handsome alfonso'. haha! check out the totally frightened look on my face!

we had planned on leaving around 8 friday morning for the 3 hour drive to huntsville. watching georgie trying to get ready was like watching myself! talk about A.D.D. and he never did find his headlamps!! we eventually got the truck packed, set the gps, patted our beaver for luck, and got on the road.

and of course, a road trip just wouldn't be complete without at least one trip to the dairy queen!

we made it to huntsville just after lunch and decided to check out the race start. it was located at the state park, just a short drive from the motel. upon entering, we noticed the aforementioned 'beware of alligator' sign and got yelled at by the park warden for driving too fast. oops! sorry officer.

race kit pickup was fairly uneventful, and we stayed for the pasta dinner. best part was the large serving of german chocolate cake! mmmm! after stopping at the napa auto parts store on the way back to get a flashlight for georgie, we hit the beds early in anticipation of a 4am wakeup.

race day


'what could go wrong?'
or should i say
'what went wrong?'

loop one

we started in the dark at 6am. temp was about 5* and most of us were in shorts. i was able to turn the headlamp off by 7. at one of the aid stations, this guy grabbed my arm and said, 'now i know where i've met you - transrockies 2008. i ran behind you for 6 days. you had that bloody doll on your back!' haha! texas - long time no see buddy! at one point, i started following this guy with strong looking calves who just plowed through the mud. found out his name was dan and he was from georgia. anyways, the first 20 miles went smooth and took about 4:15. only did one face-plant and i felt good.

loop two

stayed with my new friend dan for a lot of this loop. was eating pb and j sandwiches and roasted potatoes. i think about 2/3rds of the way around my feet started to ache. i got annoyed, and pushed ahead. when i finished the second 20 miles i was feeling like shit. i sat in a chair and pondered going back out. one of the many awesome volunteers came over and started chatting with me. he got me a grilled cheese sandwich and told me to really think about it before deciding to quit. my hips were burning and my feet were throbbing. i stayed there a bit longer and was almost ready to turn in my chip when dan came across the line. he yelled, 'hay sinister sister, get up and get going - you're tougher than that'. well, okay then. the clock read 9:15 - i had sat for almost 25 minutes - but i got up, stopped feeling sorry for myself, and tucked in behind him. thanks dan !

loop three

dan and i stayed together for almost all of this loop. it got dark with about 6 miles to go, so we threw on our headlamps. it was also getting chilly, so we added an extra layer. we were still running pretty good at this point. my feet actually hurt less when i was running. one of the aid stations started serving hot chicken vegetable soup - man that was good! i recall the section by the lake as being somewhat amusing! i was hearing not only peeper frogs, like we have up here, but these other frogs that truly sounded like they were laughing at us. and the other thing playing on my mind was not to step to far off the trail for a whiz, as there were alligators in the park, and i could hear rustling in the grass!!! we finished this loop (60 miles) in just under 15 hours, so that made it 9 at night. and, i actually felt better after this one. it was getting even colder, so we threw on some more clothes and headed back out.

loop four

after 20 minutes out on the trail we ran into georgie. he was about to finish his very first 50 miler! we both hollered and gave him big congrats! he was one happy guy! both dan and i felt okay up until the 3rd aid station. we then had a long stretch up a section of jeep road. he didn't feel like running, and i was getting really cold, so i just kept pushing. unfortunately we got separated and that was too bad. maybe it would have turned out different if we'd worked together. regardless, all i remember is getting colder and colder. my teeth were chattering and i was down to a walk. my feet were screaming at me and i was cringing with every step. so many thoughts were going through my head. do i quit, or do i try and keep going. lots of stuff played with my mind. i remember digger saying, 'pain is temporary, a dnf is forever'. stoopid digger! i thought of all my friends who just assume i can do these things. i thought at one point that i didn't fucking care what anybody thought. i was so cold. i wasn't having fun. i couldn't run anymore. it had been over 22 hours. i could maybe make the last loop by noon, but i'd probably have to walk most of it. i didn't want to walk the last 20 miles. i didn't come here to 'walk' a hundred miler. oh, thank god, finally, there's the line . . .

some will win, some will lose

some are born to sing the blues

but the movie never ends

it goes on and on and on and on.

'journey'

My Weekend with Wonder Woman

Why Wonder Woman ? Cause I wonder sometimes how lucky I am to know people like Kendra.
This young woman is a combination of tenacity, sensitivity, humor, encouragement and class !
I can't imagine a better 6 days than to share an experience such as an ultramarathon with Miss Kendra..... a true Wonder Woman.

I wish you all could see an injured ( feet ) Kendra suck it up and run for 22 hours in freezing cold, in the woods.... no complaints, no excuses, encouraging others on the way.

We both learned that encouragement from this band of 700 Ultramarathoners came in two words... " Nice Job ". It is efficient, heartfelt and totally on message. As you pass the toiling runners, there is no How are you.... looking good..... keep it up......good luck etc. It is simply a short phrase..... " Nice Job ". Try it when you run, at work or in the home... " Nice Job ".

Well, this whole endeavour had it's highlights as any experience normally does.... but of course when you're with Kendra... there is plenty of fun to be had. We learned to shout " SHUT UP " frequently... to the idiot in Valero Gas Station, to the nimrod that checked us in at the hotel, to the guy that was coughing on us the night before we left, to the fat slob that served us ( often ) at the Dairy Queen ! So if you really don't feel like listening to someone in the future just tell them to SHUT THE F UP !!!! and then laugh your arse off.

We drove by the most ominous prison in the United States and learned that if you " Kill someone in Texas.... we kill you ". Really spooky to drive by a capital punishment mecca... really, regardless of your position on execution Texas Style.

We learned to appreciate Rachel and Debbie for two reasons !

Kendra learned to gawk at the Handsome Alfonso.

I learned to gawk at Kendra.... and of course the giant statue of Sam Houston, whoever the hell that is !

We both got a laugh from a stupid Beaver gift shop called Buc-kees ! Kendra was delighted to buy a sling shot with a Moose on it for a special friend. I was delighted to buy my traditional chocolate covered raisins. I would have bought some traditional brownies, but the better half of the Knuckleheads wasn't there and I will save that purchase for another time.

George also Learned to gawk at the 300 lb guy who did the 50 miler..... seriously, frickin awesome !

We both learned to fall in love with the participants in the race...... the 300 pounder, the two 80 year old ladies doing the 100, the 78 year old guy that was eaten up with arthritis doing the 100, the " Ladies Man " reeking of after shave that you wanted to hate, but instead saw his grit and could only say " Nice Job ". There was the young lady who had severe facial burn scars smiling and laughing as she toiled..... The guys running with no shirt for 26 hours, the guy with the 3 inch back hair...... the guy that was gassed after 1 hour and limped in to the finish line 16 hours later, the Canadian couple that flew down the morning before the race and ran a sub 24 hour 100 miler..... the 24 year old Costa Rican girl with about 2 feet legs..... she must have taken twice the steps of others in the race, sounds stupid but think about it.

I was impressed by the absolutely beautiful girl from California that knew she was going to have blisters on her feet...... she brought her own smiley face bandages and sat at the aid station patiently as others lanced and patched her up before she again went on her way, uncomplaining and simply trying to do a " Nice Job ".

It is incredible to watch the determined plodding of head lanterned folks of all ages and occupations in the totally dark woods at midnight. Slow or fast doesn't matter.... they are moving forward, in pain and totally uncompensated, unrecognized and totally happy !

I really am not trying to be dramatic..... I wanted to share a bit of insight with our readers.
It's downright emotional seeing the slice of humanity ... white, black, American, Canadian, European, Mexican etc. pursue a stupid belt buckle, quite alone but yet quite a part of a special family of runners.

Next stop..... Pike's Peak Marathon on August 22nd. I hope that those reading this will join me and Wonder Woman !!

let's take the elevator

well, it's over. georgie is the true hero of the weekend. he pulled it all together and completed his first 50 miler! what a machine! as for me, i only managed 80 miles. my feet were screaming after 40, and i actually sat there for 20 minutes before heading back out. struggled through 40 more and finally decided to pull the plug. my body won out over my brain.

so we're both really stiff! but, we stuffed ourselves with mcdonalds and dairy queen today and are now watching the super bowl. will post more once i get back to canada.

am having a great time!! georgie is a blast!!!

if you kill someone in texas, we kill you . . .

a few highlights so far . . .

well, we're here. we got registered and had our pasta dinner - complete with german chocolate cake! mmmmmmmm !! got together with some of georgies' friends last night at 'mexigo' restaurant and met the handsome alfonso - photo to follow!!! drove to the race start and happened to notice a sign that warned of alligators in the park. oh for god sakes???!!!! we came afraid of snakes and wild boars, and now we have to worry about fucking alligators!!! made a phone call to freddie (other half of team knucklehead) so georgie could call him a 'panty waisted, toe sucking ex-knucklehead hombre' for not showing up to run with us. oh ya, almost forgot - did some shopping at 'buc-ee's beaver on the way to huntsville!! hilarious!

so, race starts in less than 12 hours. some last minute packing for tomorrow and we're off to bed.

'what could go wrong?'

done!

okay - got the clients trained. moose managed to unlock my pelvis a little - ow - but thanks - it feels a lot better! had a short visit with homey while he was laying on the chiro table having his calf electrocuted - mooooo - stoopid calf!! wish he was coming with !! and then back to the treehouse to load up my stuff.

hehe - just kidding! am leaving the dions at home!!! good one derrick!

so, as you can see from above pic, i'm done packing! with 40 minutes to spare! just have to shower and wait for wayne to get here. next step - the stoopid airport! i'm more freaked about that whole kerfuffle than the actual run!!

thanks again for all the hugs and 'good lucks' and 'have funs'. hopefully i'll be seeing crazy george in about 9 hours!!

'what could go wrong?'

and so it starts . . .

well, it's 9:02 on tuesday night. i just got home from work, and am farting around on the computer. i should be packing. i have to be at the gym tomorrow morning for 7 to train doctor joe. i then have an hour to get over to see the moose for some last minute muscle tweaking before i leave. back to the gym for a couple more clients - little-short-and-cute, and mr. satin pants - and then finally home to the treehouse by hopefully 11:00. wayne's picking me up at 12:30 - SHIT! - I HAVEN'T EMAILED HIM YET! better go do that.

okay, i'm back. where was i . . . haha, georgie has already emailed me once to remind him of my flight time. ARGH! i haven't done my timesheets for this week yet! stoopid paperwork. better go do that. this is what i have set aside to pack so far . . .

OH!! before i forget, HAPPY GROUNDHOG DAY!!! especially to moose - he LOVES groundhog day! wiarton willie DID see his shadow, so we will be blessed with 6 more weeks of winter. stoopid rodent!!

oh yaaaa! JUST as i was leaving the gym tonight i spotted one of my very favorite redheads stretching in the corner. i dashed over and insisted he give me a 'long may you run' for good luck! after looking at me a little strangely, he managed to figure out 'what' i was talking about, and give me a 'palm five' and a 'long may you run'. thanks gordo!!

alrightee, it's now 10:05 and the above picture of the pile on the table looks pretty much the same. i DID manage to shave my legs - sheeeeeeeeesh! when was the last time i did THAT???? anyways, haha, check out the cool pic the captain sent me. this was in response to me hoping to find a rich texan while in dallas . . .

and hay! before i forget - big thanks to everybody wishing me luck this weekend!! it means a lot!!! will try to add more tomorrow before i leave!

(how am i doing so far trailman?????)

and you all wonder why i go crazy before a race

check out the emails i've received over the past couple of days . . .

from georgie on sunday . . .

'of course i can't find your plane reservations . . . you get in around 7pm on thursday, right? (i actually get in wednesday at 6:20pm.)

it gets better . . .

'send me your reservations again every hour on the hour so i don't lose them . . . btw, i have them somewhere . . . but this is easier for a slug like me. is the race this week?'

not race related, but quite amusing regardless . . .

'do you have the grammy award show in canada?' yes georgie, and we all live in igloos too!!!

and this one's good . . .

'on second thought ya better rent a car (to get back to the airport) cause i'll probably have been helicoptered out at mile 33, which is when i will have keeled over from deep anxiety attack cause my car will be 200 yards from the end of lap two.'

and one more . . .

'kendra . . . the weather here in texas has been absolutely horrible . . . inches of rain . . . grey and cold. if the rocky raccoon was this weekend, it would have been impossible.'

and finally, a really cute one from my sexy fast running friend ali . . .

'hey kendra, just been looking on the rocky racoon site after reading your blog. now i can not see your entry on the list and they are getting close to their limit. now i know you are super organized this time, your blog says so, (and the blog doesn't lie), but have you forgotten to enter or have you changed your name or am i blind?'

ask me how much i panicked when i read that one!!!

anyways, the next time someone asks how i get before i race, i'm going to make them read this!!!

0 weeks 6 days

got this from trailman today! kinda cool . . .

'after a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing, after all, as wanting. it is not logical, but it is often true'

spock

and then he informed me that the above picture, although good, wasn't from that particular episode. soooo, just in case there are more trekkies out there, i'll include the right one!! sorry kev!!!

anyways, less than a week to go. not feeling as mental as before previous races, but i'm sure that will come. i'm actually a bit more organized this time, having my e-ticket printed off, insurance purchased, and rides to and from the airport arranged (thanks wayne and christine). week of training was pretty tame - only putting in 20 miles. couple more short confidence runs monday and tuesday and then i'm off to visit my buddy georgie and hopefully run a hundred miles!!

what could go wrong???

Sunday Night..... New Orleans and the Vikings tied at 21 and instead of enjoying the game, I'm looking at reruns of Sponge Bob, frantically looking for an episode when Spongie plans to do something stupid and succeeds !!!

My 13 year old just set me up on facebook.... I plan to post my epitaph when the daunting Dorah comes to the great state..... I alway get confused how to spell " Dufus "... as in You wouldn't be dead right now if you weren't a Dufus to try to run 50 miles !!

Just heard from both Sat and Jo, the affluent world travelers from the Trans Rockies experiment. Awesome couple.... part of an awesome group of fellow runners that I would love to live proximate to so we could share local adventures ( and food, of course ).

Well, I ran 10 on Friday and 10 on Sunday..... I think this is pretty much it for runs of any distance. I'm gonna " Jog " some and do a little eliptical work and im[portantly, get a massage or two for Cary the Hun as previously " blogged ".... the 60 lb weakling that beats me like the Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys a week ago.

Unlike Kendra, who plans runs that are social events.... I run alone ( no insane friends )....so I am looking forward to hooking up with what appears to be a fairly large group at the Rocky Raccoon.
So far, there are over 650 runners and they are actually concerned they will top out at the maximum 750 authorized runners in the state park.

The Huntsville, Texas State Park appears to be fairly scenic in Texas Terms.... we will be basically running around a large Lake and is on a packed trail. Kendra, not to spook you... but the one thing that could " Pee on our Cheerios " is for us to have rain.... the Texas soil has a high clay content and if the Trail is wet, the clay sticks to your running shoes like glue.... heavy and mushy and just plain fun killing.

On to Happier thoughts.... we have confirmed our reservations at the spacious Super 8..... they are thinking about having a free breakfast in 2015, so we're staying at a facility with aspiration.
Doesn't matter, I'm bringing a bucket of Tylenol PM to help with the ambience.

Anyhow, I'm gonna sign off...... I'm getting excited to run and to see a good friend. I look forward to meeting all the other folks that will be there and hope to take a siesta from this crazy world and enjoy the run.

Oh, almost forgot to mention that the mealy mouth, ultra conservative, spineless, panty waisted Frederick the Apple, the infamous 2nd half of the world reknown Knuckleheads has decided not to come to Texas to be our NASCAR sharp support team of one. Fred, you have betrayed the Alphi pho code and are out of the Homo club forever !!

Back to the game, looks like Bret Favre has just been Terminally tackled...... this should be interesting.

2 weeks

the temp read -6 in the mazda as i drove over to coolis' to meet up with the guys. what a turnout! vents was back after a lengthy layoff due to injury - he looked kinda scairt! no worries baby - you'll never be last as long as i'm running! captain and digger drove up from the city, with digger amazed at how much snow we had up here 'in orangeville'. moose looked like his eyeballs were going to fall out and he smelled kinda sour, having left shoeless joes only 6 hours earlier! robbie came over from waterloo and brought a new recruit - what was his name??? and onions arrived sporting a pair of shorts and his new gps - a christmas present from the lovely lucy. this is the guy who didn't even own a watch up until now! hopefully he won't pull a 'laaaaaadies man' and disappear after a couple more runs! the plan was to run over to 9 and back, and see who was left standing. the trails were in amazing shape and we made for a decent pace. once back at the cars, me and digger stripped down to shorts, much to the captains' dismay. it took a bit of convincing . . .

but he eventually joined us for a picture.

vents figured that was good enough for him, so he headed out. the rest of us took off for k2 and met up at centerville creek, where we shared stories of running into low branches, falling on our heads, and dropping things on our head. we then came back up and opted to finish with the dingle, warning the new guy - what was his name - that it's uphill both ways! at innis lake we stopped briefly to discuss the tree that was hanging over the trail about halfway down - careful guys!

and got a picture of the new guy - we decided to call him steve.


as i was climbing the first hill on the way back, bringing up the rear as usual, i thought i heard someone yell 'duck', and assumed they were at that branch. once at the top, i found out that it was robbie who yelled, and that he had managed to run right into it, not yelling 'duck', but something that sounded almost the same! hehe! stoopid robbie! finally got back to the cars and after saying goodbye to moose and the new guy, the rest of us drove to timmies for a coffee. outstanding run! trails were in the best shape so far this year!

3 more weeks

i guess the surprise of the weekend was georgie finally getting around to posting on 'our' blob! about time mister!!! thanks for helping me guilt him into it mimi !! and yes, what georgie says about her is true! she's one of the few chicks i know who could wear one of those skort things, and still look stunning even after running for 5 hours! this is her on the left with 2008 TR team cheetah partner sjohn.

saturday was a beauty day out on the trail. parked on duffys and ran the humber valley at least twice. lots of people out hiking. even came across christine and kevin on their bikes . managed to get in a good solid 6 hours. spent the evening watching a few episodes of 2 1/2 men. love that show! might have had a bit of ice cream to replenish low carb stores . . .

sunday i got up feeling pretty stiff. wasn't sure what condition the rail trail was in, so i dug out my blue screw shoes just in case. i took my time getting ready and eventually got going by about 10. ran over to kennedy road before turning back and then kept going to palgrave to finish off my distance. it makes you wonder what goes on sometimes when you're out running for hours! now who could have done this . . .

wait a minute, i know those tracks!!! it seems homey was up to his usual tricks!!!


and so, i made it through my last weekend of big mileage. put in 10 hours and 48 miles.

we'll see in less than 3 weeks if i've done all my homework!! argh!!!

Well, I have been humbled into once again posting on this esteemed site..... prompted by the indomitable Miss Kendra and a mutual running buddy, the genteel fashion savvy Mimi !

This post is done with energy in that I just has a massage from one of Texas' finest.... Carrie, the Hun ! Yeehah..... she weighs about 60 lbs and beats me like a bad habit when I get on her table... Awesome massage especially now that I worked up the courage to remind her that glutes need to be rubbed at length to optimize a runner's massage. Yes, may I start by purging my need to let the world know that I like my butt rubbed.

So how is my training ? I have no fricking idea, is the honest answer. It is hard to benchmark now that I am almost 57 years young. I asked a running coach recently why I feel just as strong and just as fast as I did 25 years and yet my times are 60 % longer. She gracefully told me that there was too much sugar in all of my birthday cakes.... bitch ! She also confirmed that my hairline is receding on the left side... I maintain that it was a windy day.

I have run in excess of 15 miles about 25 times but have not done the real long back to back runs that my scripted training plan calls for. I'm listening to my body and intuitively think that a day of recovery is appropriate as opposed to a back to back. I am somewhat comforted by the fact that I did not follow the script for the Trans Rockies several years ago and " Survived ".... although the aforementioned Mimi the genteel told me the night before we began our adventure that she followed the training plan to the T and Freaked me out. Side bar..... the night before the Trans Rockies began a relationship with 8 other close friends that ate more food in 7 days than the Dallas Cowboys will eat in the next 4 weeks leading to the inevitable Super Bowl. Kendra, we have to find a way to get a DVR into our luxurious Super 8 motel for the Sunday football games.

So the honor of spending some time with one of the sweetest people on the planet is just 3 weeks away. I'm really looking forward to that as much as the run itself. Kendra has Texans to hug and I believe that her spirit could even solve the illegal alien problem here in the great state. She could have each side of the border hugging each other in just a few short days.

I would be remiss not to point out that the double dealing, lowdown, lowrent, lazy partner of the infamous knuckleheads is not participating in the Rocky Raccoon...... I will have a plaque on my casket reminding him that he has wimped out ! He will undoubtedly outlive me now that President Obama ( I never know how to spell his first name ) has given us National Health Care !

Anyhow, I am gonna try to be diligent in posting my thoughts through February 7..... I really would appreciate any thoughts / philosophies that folks have to help me plan and execute this stupid endeavour.

warming up and low branches

so be careful if you're out running on the humber in the dark, especially if you're over 6 feet tall. moose, our favorite chiropractor, was moving along early monday morning, not paying very close attention to the trail, when all of a sudden he found himself 'charlie browned' and not knowing how he got there. apparently he was dicking around with his mitts, failed to notice a recently downed branch, and brained himself quite nicely!

temps this week got a lot milder. ran in rolled-up tights on thursday on the humber. trail conditions were pretty good! did 3 hours wednesday from humber station to hwy 9 and footing wasn't too bad. got a couple of nice pictures of the haunted forest by the gore.

planning my last 'long run' weekend starting tomorrow. then i can taper and get my poor old body ready for this next big adventure.

rumour has it that georgie started tapering a few weeks ago. 'what could go wrong?'

resolutions

i guess i'd better put them down in writing. it seemed to work last year with the abs/no cookies thing! so, starting tomorrow, jan 11, i resolve to do a minimum of 150 pushups, 50 chinups and 3 days of solid abs per week. oh ya, i'll give up cookies again.

sunday

sunday is my sleeping-in day. meaning i get up when i want and i start running when i want. saturday i try to work it out so me and homey can run together, but sunday is usually just me. after a big bowl of oatmeal and fruit, i got myself ready and drove over to the humber valley trail on duffy's south. it was a beauty of a day and the sun was nice and warm. i had thrown the dions in the car just in case. trail conditions were amazing - it was like a huge pack of people on snowshoes had stomped it down - best so far this winter! i made my way over to the north end before heading back. just as i topped the homey shite hill and was approaching my car, i came across my good friend lexi-girl ! she was just starting out on her snowshoes. 'hay, wait up' i said, 'i'll go throw mine on and join you' !!

she had done the mega-day 3 hour bike training with greg pace on saturday, and didn't seem to notice how slow i was!!! we had a great time but eventually had to turn back so she could get to her nieces' birthday party. soooooo good to see her!!

i felt i still had a bit left in me, so i decided to run down to the tennis courts and back. again, footing was good and i made it in half decent time. another saweet day of training out in the snow for a total of 3 and a half hours. one more big running weekend left and then it's time to taper.

only 4 more weeks

pretty quiet week. had bootcamp twice with my CDS kids - lots of lunges and pushups! did a speedy snowshoe run with barb in palgrave on tuesday. managed an hour in semi-deep stuff. wednesday the captain was in town so he joined me and homey for a couple laps of the forest. followed that with lunch served up by homey! also discussed ideas for our pylon spring road trip - i've never been to tennessee before . . .

friday was steady with clients, but still fit in an easy 90 minutes.

the weatherman was calling for chilly-cold temps on saturday, but me and homey ventured out regardless at 8am. it was -25. but, after about 30 minutes, and the arrival of the sun, we were pretty comfortable. homey had domestic duties to attend to , so he turned around just past centerville creek. the snow was all crystally from the rising sun as i was trudging up k2, so i had to grab a couple of pics.

AND even better, the groomers were out and coming my way just as i approached the dingle! yep, our friends the japanese hikers, about 2 dozen of them, were in the process of stomping me an awesome path from innis lake all the way down k2. thanks guys! sure made my life easier for a few kms.

i turned back at innis lake and had another nice surprise when i reached the gore - snowshoe tracks - lots of them - making a nice, smooth path! my ankles were happy! i got to duffys and opted for one loop of the forest to fill in some time. despite the cold temps, it was an amazing sunny day to be out on the trail for over 4 hours!

busy first weekend for 2010

well, after reviewing the weekend weather, i took a gamble that friday would be the best day for a long run. thank bloody hell i was right. despite the snow north of 9, it was a good temp and the footing wasn't too bad. i parked on duffys, and got going just after 10. when i hit humber station, i saw a black toyota parked by the road, and some big footprints on the trail ahead of me. just as i started up k2, i met the moose coming back down. after a few words, and a new years' hug, we said goodbye and carried on our respective ways. i slowly made my way over to the 7th before turning around. i found i felt better with every km i did??? on the way back, i stopped at hwy 9 to change sox, as my feet were pretty wet from all the snow i'd plowed through. when i finally hit duffys, i opted for a few more km in the forest so i could up my time for the day. i finished just before 4 with a running time of 5:48. not bad!

i woke up saturday feeling not too bad, but stiff through the calves. temp reading was about -26 with the windchill. after putting on a good 4 layers, i drove over to cooli's and had in my mind i would try and get in at least 3 hours. it was realllllly cold at first, but once i got going, it was actually quite invigorating! i again made it to the 7th before turning around. i just kept thinking this was so much better than laying around doing nothing. once i got back to the car, i refueled and made my way down the dingle, which proved to be in amazing shape! i could actually reach stride for the first time in 2 days. and with one last side trip down k2 and back, i had managed almost 4 hours. after a quick photo, during which i almost froze my hands, i jumped into the car and drove home a very satisfied runner! 9 1/2 hours in two days!

oh ya, in case any of you are wondering about georgie, remember him, the guy who is supposed to be blogging with me?? well apparently he is training, and he is serious about this race, as the email i got from him on saturday would indicate.

"so this friend of mine from brazil wants to go out to dinner tonight, drink wine and have a pyjama party! how do i explain that i can't cause i have to run 27 in the morning and more importantly, i am doing 3 loops for psychological reasons. she doesn't speak english that well! my portuguese is limited to one word . . . boa, with i think means 'good' ! i am such an idiot . . . but i'm already in a zone to run a marathon so once again, i'll blow my opportunity for a latin experience !!!"

way to go georgie! keep up the good work!!!

on sunday, kevin drove up from mississauga, (where there was very little snow) for a hike. i warned him to bundle up, put on his magic jeans, and be prepared for some major windchill. once in the forest though, it was actually quite nice. i made him email me once he got home, just to make sure he got there! he said i didn't have to worry, as the snow wasn't even staying on the roads down there.

AND, just because i hadn't done quite enough exercise yet to satisfy me, i managed to drag christine and october out for a snowshoe in the forest.

not quite sure what christine's doing here . . .

after 3 tries with the timer we finally managed this pic . . .

some last shots before we bundled ourselves back into the car.

thanks ladies for a great end to my weekend of playing in the snow. i think i'm happy in my head and am now mentally prepared for rocky raccoon. less than 5 weeks to go! ack!!