Wow March, Really?? That's the last time I've updated? Sigh...

Nothing to really update. Heart is doing really well, i.e. it's normal. I've been working up my caffeine and wine tolerance for our trip to Europe in 2.5 weeks (!!) with no ill-effects.

I've been running more consistently, though I don't think I'll be ready for Boilermaker in two weeks since the longest run I've had recently is 11k. And it sucked. I honestly thought once my heart was fixed it would come easier, but it's harder. Oh well, I just need to keep at it.

In other news, I got my eyes lasered a week ago, and can already see 20/20. It's amazing. Because I'm 42 they decided on monovision, one eye for distance, one eye for reading, since in 3-5 years I would need bi-focals. Now I won't need to wear reading glasses until I'm in my late 50's or early 60's. Or I can get the right eye touched up. So cool!!

Before I forget, the link to our travel blog for this vacation!! http://una1967travels.blogspot.com/

We interrupt this period of silence...

to report the best running song ever is.... What is Love by Haddaway. Cracks me up every time. And brings me right back to this:



And whatever whining I'm doing is gone for 4.5 minutes. Thank you Haddaway. And Will. And Chris.

The next song on shuffle I believe to be the second greatest running song of all time. And it has nothing to do with running either. And that is I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred.



I'm really embarrased by my playlist suddenly. I'm an alternative music fan! Ok, I have a ton of Britney on shuffle too. I guess running makes me think outside the box.

I'm going to take our new puppy to school now. His name is Modesto. Mo won't get a heck of a lot bigger than that. I have a chihuahua. I think I'm losing my mind.

Fitness

So that's my goal. Again. Wouldn't it be nice to lose 20 lbs this year? It would still have me overweight, but think of how much better I'd feel? I lost 20 lbs last year, but gained back 6. That loss was as a result of my gallbladder problems though. On the upside, I kept 14 off. Anyway, I'm feeling optimistic that streaking is the way to go. I've said it here before, but any off day really gets me wanting to take another, and another. It's easier for me when there's a routine block of time every day that I exercise. So I commit to doing some form of exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes every day. Unless I'm really really sick. Which I don't plan to be because I spent all Fall sick! I'm done with that.

I was hurting after Ray's workout last week, whenever that was (Jan 1?). My upper body was sore, but I felt nothing from my legs or abs, so need to work those a little harder. I don't want to be in pain longer than a day though, but I'll find the right intensity within the next couple of weeks.

On Saturday Steve and I finally tried out the snowshoes! I was so excited. We went to a popular greenbelt trail, stuck to it for about half the way, and blazed (relative term!) our own the other half. Since these are running snowshoes that's exactly what we did when we could. It was weird at first, but after a while we didn't even notice the snowshoes. What's great is you wear your running shoes with them, with gators. I need to get warmer socks though, since I had ice toes for the first 15 minutes or so. Oh and I fell once. I teetered into a hole and bonked face first. It was funny. At least Steve's expression said it was.


Oh not that expression, though it's funny too. This picture was taken just before I fell down.

And this is me running, but it doesn't look like I'm running. And I'm twice the width of the skier next to me. Now THAT's not good. In my defense these pants have pockets that puff out. And I have an arse that does too. Maybe that skiier is a 6 year old. I'll just tell myself that. Do I really lumber along like an ogre? Yikes.

Yesterday Steve and I went to the canal to run. I brought my new Garmin - oh my lord it's so great! Locks in to the satellites within seconds. It took me some time to get used to it, and I couldn't hear the interval beeps very well (though I was also listening to music, but low) but it fits my wrist so well, something that I had problems with my old one! Back to the run. Since I ran what, twice since October, I thought it best to do as I've done the past several years, and start right over at square 1. Run 2 walk 1. Now last year when I did this I found it too easy, and this was after sitting on my butt for 6 weeks after major surgery. I thought I'd find this 2/1 business so easy that I'd be skipping along to 3 or 4/1.

Um. No.

It was brutal! I couldn't believe how hard it was. Now I was able to do the intervals for the planned 45 minutes, but it was a slog. The path was snowy and there was slip back with every step, but COME ON, I should be fitter than this!! It kicked me. Yes it did. But it's in the books, and I'm proud of it. I'll be running again twice this week at 2/1, most likely on the treadmill though, due to work commitments, lack of parking near run paths (transit is still on strike) and horrible sidewalks near home, because the plows don't seem to consider our neighbourhood streets worthy. Don't get me started. And we're getting snow the next few days, with 15cm on Wed. Snowshoes here we come!!

Citizens of Ottawa? That 25cm of snow we're expecting overnight? My fault. We bought these pretty babies last weekend, and I've been dying to try them out. They are made to run in!
My running is still sporadic at best, and I'm struggling to get a decent 5k in. Still coughing, getting over the flu from 5 weeks ago. It's a lulu. To hopefully guard against any other nasty flus this year I got my flu shot yesterday. My arm hurts. Wuss.

Today's run was lousy, which I think had to do with the flu shot. I've been feeling draggy all day. I still ran 75% of my run today, and I'm happy with that. Tuesday's run in the snow/rain was brutal too! I should have worn my Elmer Fudd hat. That would have made it much more bearable. It's too bad I ran through puddles up to my ankles not once, but twice. Yay me!

On the sched for this week - work, hopefully a couple of runs, a little strength training, a movie (colleague invited me to one she won passes for) and some Christmas shopping. I did a little online yesterday and that's about it.

I'd better get to the kitchen and make some breakfast bars, prep some carrots and celery for lunches, then iron my clothes for the week. Tomorrow, while Steve is playing with our new snowblower, I'm a-goin' shoein'! Wheeeee!

I had a great weekend! Went to my brother's girlfriend's BBQ on Friday night, it was a lot of fun. Nice people, her friends and visiting family! She's a keeper - makes the BEST dahl (dall?) I've ever tasted.

Saturday evening we were at my brother's for the August family birthdays. Since there are three with birthdays then, it's just easier for all to get together. It too was a lot of fun!

Sunday morning Steve was a little sore in the head (self-induced) and in need of a greasy breakfast so we checked out a new to us place, the Baker Street Café. I found out today their specialty is cinnamon buns. Didn't know that going in! I ordered eggs florentine, Steve had eggs benedict, and both were excellent. The plate was huge though, and I couldn't finish it all. Nice to have so much real fruit on the plate and not a slice of orange though! I wished I'd had my camera because I would have snapped a photo it was so pretty. Needless to say, there was no LSD yesterday!

So this morning was it, time to run that 16k. It was cool (14C/57F) and windy, but sunny. Brrr! We had a warm weekend and this was a bit of a shocker! The first km was tiring, and unfortunately, the top of my left foot hurt from the get go :(. And I felt really fat. My lungs felt good though! By 6k I was trying to run on my heel to take the pressure off the front of my foot. Needless to say, by the end of the loop (14k/88.6mi), both feet were hurting a lot, so I opted out of the extra 2k. I was disappointed, but as of right now, the feet aren't hurting much :). I also just visited a few health sites and all said that metatarsal breaks can be home diagnosed by pressing on the bones - if you want to pass out, get it checked out. If not, loosen your shoelaces! So my feet don't hurt at all when I press, tried squeezing, everything. So not that. But I did put speedlaces in a couple of months ago! dun dun dun.... I think they might be putting pressure on the area. Next run I'm going to loosen those suckers and see if it helps!

News on the job search - got a call on Thursday from a recruiter I'd never seen (but submitted my resume online to their company) and they had a VERY interesting opportunity they wanted to talk to me about. Not going to blog about it, because the systems involved you need to have the highest of security clearances to work on apparently. Sounds cool to me! I've been submitted and have my fingers crossed I'll be called for an interview.

Better hit the books! Today is a refresher on UML. Never had formal training, and found a great book/cd :)

I guess it's time for an update!

Steve and I had a great great time at the cottage, though the weather wasn't always too great! Steve's Mom and my sister and her hubby came for the weekend and we had a nice visit. Sadly it had gotten cold by then, and we could only swim on Saturday for an hour.

Last weekend my daughter KT and I went on a shopping trip to NY for her birthday. We havn't had a road trip in a few years, and this is what she wanted for her birthday - she paid for her shopping, I paid for the two nights at the hotel, the gas and the meals. We had a great time. I'll post pictures once she loads them.

Running: I came down with a cold last week after the cottage, so I didn't end up doing my 16k until Thursday. I've been busy since, so the plan is to run this week's 16 tomorrow.

Job: I had an interview for a contract position on Monday last week. I did not think it went well at all, but got called for a second interview for this past Monday. This interview went much much better, but I found out today that I wasn't selected. The feedback was good though, I interviewed very well, and the two 'negatives' were 1. no experience working with the government (this is a common theme, which is really hard to get around since no one will give you that first 'in'!), and the other candidate had more web development experience.

I'm disappointed, it was an opportunity to learn about other ECM systems. C'est la vie. Yes, I've been working hard on bringing my French back too ;). I was submitted for two other jobs, but haven't heard anything so assuming that I wasn't selected for interview. So back to square 1.

I don't think I have anything else to report! We'll see how the 16k goes tomorrow ;)

Long time no update!

I registered for the 1st annual Army Half Marathon (dog tag medals people!) a couple of weeks ago. Then ran 12k and buggered up my hip - last weekend it hurt to put weight on it, but after several steps it was fine. Strange stuff. I have no idea how I hurt it. :(

I was supposed to race in my second Du of the season yesterday, but because my hip was still constantly sore (but not bad like last weekend) but definitely aggravated by the bike as I found out last weekend. So skipped the du :( (congrats to Steve and Karen who both came in 3rd in their age groups), instead opted to stand around for 5 hours on my leg. Smooth move there chicky.

Today I was to run 14k. My hip hurt the whole time, but doesn't hurt any more or less than it has all week, so if still ok tomorrow, I will be thrilled. Only 7 weeks until the race!

I didn't get the job I interviewed for. Oh well. I have another interview on Aug 11 for a different contract, and have been submitted for 2 other opportunities. Something will come my way soon enough.

I have been spending more time sitting on the deck, reading for study and for fun, listening to various podcasts on my iPod, and enjoying my time off. It's tough, the job search is permanently on my mind, as is getting my French back in top shape. Speaking of which, I've started taking novels I had on my TBR list out of the library which have been translated into French. Ooh la la. ;)

That's if for now. We rented a cottage for the week (before the layoff that is!) so we're going to spend the rest of the week reading, studying, getting interview ready, sleeping, swimming, running, walking... Can't wait!!

Steve's on vacation, so I'm not getting much done, but we are having a nice time! I've been out on a few runs, they weren't the worst, so that's hopeful. We've also had a couple of bike rides and I've come to the conclusion that my bike shorts that I've worn for years hurt me. I do much better on the skinny 2XU tri shorts I bought this year. So off to the giveaway bag the oldies go. They are in terrific shape (sadly, we haven't been biking as much as we wanted to the past couple of years).

Tomorrow is Canada Day. We have a race at 7:30 AM. Since we're picking up my sister in law too, it's out the door at 6:15. Eeep that's an early start. Going to take my breakfast with me, because that's just too early. There's no rain forecast for tomorrow, considering we've had rain every day but two in June, I'm hoping the tides are turning. Back to tomorrow, we're having the family over tomorrow afternoon for a BBQ and to watch the Snowbirds fly by. They have been doing flybys the past 5 days at least once a day, and tomorrow is the big day. We're close to the airport so they always fly over us too, but not so close that we hear planes. We might hear one a day!

Oh and in other news, there's been a Dell miracle. My laptop arrived today! It wasn't supposed to arrive for 3 weeks. I didn't think they ever shipped early!

I guess it's time to post something!

Running wasn't improving, so 10 days ago I decided to cut my beta blocker dose in half, to .5 pill twice a day. My heart rate is now averaging in the 120s instead of the teens. Not perfect, but much better.

I was able to run without a walk break last week for my planned 8k. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't horrible either. Today's 10k I had planned walk breaks, but my lungs weren't happy... someone was apparently sitting on my chest the whole way. But I got it done, with no nasty after effects.

Speaking of nasty after effects, I went out with a friend last Friday night, and considering we were in a pub, I ate what I thought would be decent before race food. The menu said: Irish nachos - layers of potatoes with jalapeños, melted cheese, onions and tomatoes; and Spring rolls - fresh locally grown vegetables with hoisin and sweet chili sauces. What did we get? Greasy drippy wedge fries for the nachos with what looked like cheese whiz on it (don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the whiz, but not on fries), and deep fried spring rolls (nothing in the menu about deep frying) stuffed with cabbage. Oh man, this was not going to be pretty. I ate some because I was starving, and no doubt ate too much. I felt pretty yucky, and spent most of the night in the bathroom. Woke up and back in the bathroom a few times, so needless to say, my race wasn't happening. I did go, and cheered Steve and my friend Karen, Steve won his AG, Karen placed second. Boo-urns, I would have placed in my AG too had I run it. Oh well, next year. I spent the rest of the day eating salty stuff and shivered. No idea if it was food poisoning, a bug, or just too much grease, but I won't be doing that again any time soon.

The job search is continuing. I met with a Gov't recruiter on Friday, and meet another on Monday. I'm more than happy to explore the consulting route.

Had to return my work equipment. Boy of boy do I miss my laptop :( And the one I bought from Dell? 5.5 weeks to deliver because they are out of batteries. How I hate Dell, there is always a problem. If I could have afforded a Mac, I would have gone that route. Until then I have to use the home PC. I'm tempted to move it to my office, it's so much more comfortable.

That's about it. Not great rides recently, it's rained all but 3 days (and so far so good today) in June. And not little showers either. Torrential downpours. Stuff you don't want to be on a bike for. I came home one day last week to what I thought was foam bubbles from my eavestroughs. Nope - chickpea sized hail. Garden survived though thank goodness.

I had the greatest hope for a good run on Wednesday morning. But it wasn't meant to be. It was a struggle from the get go, I just couldn't get any air in my lungs. Everything is in full bloom and perfumy, which I love, even though it causes me grief. It was windy, and there was a pollen storm. Never saw that before! The worst part of the run was a toss up between my dead legs or lack of heartrate. I mean, come on... max heart rate 111 bpm?!? I don't understand why the meds are so inconsistent, some days I can see 140's when I run, and others, not so much. Almost forgot! It did get worse, at 7k I discovered that there are no bushes by the canal between Carleton U and Hogsback Bridge. NONE that would hide my whiteness! I've never had intestinal issues before while running, so this was a shocker. So I tried to run, to get to the bathroom faster, but had to abruptly stop, to prevent an accident. So the last 4k weren't that great, but I got 11k on my feet at least. And made it to the bathroom in time :)

Today was Steve's day off, so after chatting with a recruiter we got the bikes and went to the Rockliffe Parkway. There was thunder in the air, and I had a splitting headache. So I started out easy, finishing the 22k with an overall speed of 26km/hr (16mph). I was really happy with my ride, it never felt hard, just a really smooth ride. LOVED IT! I hopped off the bike, locked it up next to Steve's, threw on my running shoes and started my run. My legs were a tiny bit wobbly, but not bad at all. I finished the planned 3k with a pace of 6:15/km. Best brick ever! Next week we're aiming for 25km/4km. The du is 5 weeks away.

No other real news to report. Working on my resume, and it's a struggle. I'm just not happy with the format. I have a few jobs I want to apply for that close next week so I need to get moving! My plan is to finish it tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

Thanks Ellie :)

Just wanted to report in, and send a quick thank you to Ellie - I fought my run, I really did. I was too hungry at lunch time to get out, then napped in the afternoon and woke up feeling all nasty, and got all 'snippy' with KT and Steve, because I really didn't want to go.

But I did. We had a bad thunderstorm causing our first humid day, and it hit me right in the lungs. I had the hardest time getting any air in, I hate that. Steve stuck by me for the first 1.5k, and then I sent him on his way, thinking I was going to turn back, which I didn't until another km later. I didn't get my 11k in, but I did get in 5k. I'll do the 11 on Thursday instead.

Thanks Ellie, for the kick I needed. I hope you're ride went well!

Kick me

I was just loading my workouts to the Buckeye Outdoors Training Site (great great great little tool!) and I noticed that I hadn't loaded a workout since May 4th. I was so busy with work that I had no time. Then I lost my job, and was busy doing job search and getting my head straightish that I didn't take the time to do it.

I noticed I ran once last week. I only biked once last week. I've had a horrible headache since getting laid off on the 20th which I know is 50% allergies, 50% stress, and the best thing to clear my head would be to get out for a run or a ride. I've been good in working on job search every day until 1pm or so, then the idea is to clean the house, read a book, etc, but what happened 3 days last week is I ate wrong, Steve came home later than expected and I would be starving, or I just fell asleep and felt crappy when waking up that instead I'd get takeout and basically curl up. Bah!!

Thanks Karen for the Excuse Amnesty Run. It got me out of the house last week for that one run.

Yesterday I had planned to run 10-11k, but plans changed (originally we were going to have the family over for lunch to hang on the new deck, and I could run in the morning) to breakfast at 10AM. Steve ran and met us there, but I get really sweaty, and I really need to buy new running shorts and bra (they smell funky after a few years), and I wasn't going to offend my family for 90 minutes! Nor was I interested in sitting in sweaty garb for 90 minutes. That's a yeast breeding ground!

The plan for today is job search starting at 8AM, then at noon head out for my 10-11k. If Steve decides to run after work, I'll go with him but take my bike for an easy ride. It's imperative that I get my exercise in order again. Steve signed me up for another 5k on June 14th (with my recent 5k time compared to last year's results I would place in my AG), July 1st I have the Canada Day 10k! Ok, I'm motivated now :)

Will report on my run later.

Well, it's done. After 7.5 years at my company, and I think the count is 15 rounds of layoffs (that I know of!), I received my notice on Wednesday. I am sad, because I really love my job and my company. I understand the reasons why, we are in trouble and it never seems to get better. But I don't want to go. I have 60 days where I can still apply for internal postings, and if anything suitable comes up, I just might. When the sting to the ego fades, I may just decide to walk away with my severance, and start new somewhere where (I hope) I won't be faced with layoffs every half. In that respect I'm relieved. After living in fear for 7.5 years, it's happened, and it's over. And I'm ok.

Lots to do in the coming weeks with the outplacement agency. Truthfully, I just want to take a break and curl up in a ball for a few weeks. :)

I had a terrible run on Tuesday, my legs were tight, but nothing compared to my lungs. It's been a long while since my lungs were bad enough that I thought I'd need to go to the hospital to be tented. So I sat on a bench (a spider family's bench apparently!) and concentrated on my breathing for a while, and that made it a little more bearable. I walked every 250 metres, I just couldn't do more than that. On the upside, because of these breaks I saw two deers in a field (so pretty) and baby duckies!! These were the smallest I've ever seen, they must have been only a few days old. They could actually run on water! Amazingly fast tiny creatures. I was beaming from ear to ear, and in near tears watching them. Just gorgeous.

Haven't run since, just don't have it in me. I'd better get it back soon though, I have a race on Saturday evening! Ooooh, I also got my bike back. They replaced my brake cable, did a complete tune up (I seriously thought it a new cassette and chain!). If it doesn't rain, I may take it out for a little ride tomorrow. I mean really, I have nothing else to do! :)

Today I felt the pain of weeding. Oh.My.God. My hammies and my rear. So tight! So sore. Allergies? Check. Full swing. Let's go!

My goal was to run 10/1 and have today be the start of my LSDs. I did the first 10 mins with Steve at my side. I was pushing it, any harder and my hamstring was going to snap. Quick air kiss and he was off, getting smaller in the distance. That's cool, one day I'll run next to him. Well maybe not, he's a lot faster than he used to be!

I decided on 6 10/1 - 66 mins. I started at Pretoria Bridge, ran out to the little bridge in the Arboretum! The trees were in full bloom, I was a sniffling mess, but it smelled so wonderful, and looked so pretty, I really didn't care. It's so worth it. This is the furthest I'd run on Queen Elizabeth side of the Canal. I passed the little marsh on the way, and there were several red-winged blackbirds sitting on cattails. I love how they sit there and sway. I debated whether to do the loop, or to turn back. Decided to turn back. And for the first time in a very long time, I had wings! By the time I reached the end I was only 500m to 10k, so I went for it. Finished in 1:08:18. I'm thrilled! I just checked last summer's 10k Canada Day race, which I finished in 1:11:01. Granted, the race is very hilly and congested, but I think I can beat it this summer. Actually, I'm going to kill it. Today was one of those great running days.

My hammies and rear are still very cranky with me. But they'll forgive me tomorrow when we go mountain biking in the Gats. Here's a shot I found on the web, off the trail we're going to be biking on. Which is the same trail as we ran on last week. Considering it's going to rain all night, should be good and muddy! Will report tomorrow.

I'm taking today off. I'm really tired, physically and emotionally. These 60 hour weeks aren't my thing anymore. And not so great news on the work front. Need to make some plans for the future now.

Been running, and improving every time. I can now run a solid 5-6km without stopping. Because of work and fatigue I missed two of my runs this week. TWO!! But the two runs I had were quality runs. Wednesday I went out after work to the canal and wanted to do 5km straight. That's it. And I did 6 something (I haven't uploaded my Garmin yet, so not sure!). I was tired and sweaty afterwards, had a little Wenckebach, but that went away within 20 mins.

Thursday my workday started at 6:30 and after all the OT, I felt no qualms about calling it a day at 3PM. Steve was off, so we headed to the Gats for another trail run. We opted for the trail we used to do - trail 1 > trail 3. There was no one around the parking area we were at, which has never happened before, but it was only the first official day of mountain biking. There were many cyclists on the road area though, climbing, climbing. So the run, my ankles are still pretty weak. I died on the first hill, because it's a killer. Actually, I died on all the hills on the way out! It was a lot wetter than I remember (a lot of marshes and a lake), we saw a beaver. I took my mini camera and took this shot of the beaver swimming, which you can't see. Trust me, he's there!


Yeah, seriously overexposed! It was really sunny out :)

There's a little area in the middle of nowhere where someone built a bench! how cute is that?!? I didn't sit, though I was tempted! We turned around at the 3.8km mark. The run back was so much easier, I was much more warmed up. Though I was getting hungry and should have had more to drink. I took this picture at 'Teenaged Snakeland', where they like to sun in the summer. This would also be where I scream like Flanders every summer. I'm scared of snakes. Very scared.


Anyway, it was a wonderful wonderful run, and really helped clear my head. It's a long weekend in Canada (Victoria Day), and Monday we've decided to take the mountain bikes to this trail :) It's not terribly technical, and will really test my skills (or lack thereof) and intestinal fortitude (again, or lack thereof).

Yesterday's training plan was a ride after work. From the first KM my bike felt strange. It just would not shift properly. At 4km I hopped off and took a look. It seemed to be working ok. I hopped back on, and I'm up-shifting, and suddenly I'm spinning, thinking that my chain fell off. I pull over again. Still can't see what the problem is. Steve comes back and has a look, he can't see a problem either, so he hops on and tests it. No problem he says. I've already made up my mind that I'm going home because something is definitely not right. Steve comes with me (even though I keep telling him to go on and get his ride in, we're only 5k from home) and after 2 or 3 minutes it happens again. I pull over and we see the problem. The rear cogs (I think it's called?) where the chain moves up and down have split from each other and are spinning on their own. It looks like it's the bottom 2 so we pick the middle gear, and decide I'll stay there until we get home. We don't get 1 minute done and it goes to. They are all pulling away from each other. So I hop off, and start walking. Steve rides home to get the car, because walking 5k in bike shoes isn't that comfy! We took the bike to the shop today, and it seems a spacer has fallen out. I think they are replacing the whole thing, since they are replacing my chain too. I'm going to get a proper tune-up while it's in there, since they need to fine tune it anyway. I can't wait to get it back and try it out!

Tomorrow I'll be running 10/1 for 60 or 70 minutes. I was supposed to run today, but after popping dandilions in the lawn for an hour, my hamstrings were screaming. And I really didn't feel like it to tell the truth. Work is weighing a little too heavy right now.

Happy Mother's Day to all! I'm including Mom's of human, fuzzy, scaly... to whatever babies you nurture and care for. Shout out to the boys out there who fit the Mom role to a T as well.

I've been searching around for a small camera that I take running/biking with me. I used to carry my regular digital camera, but it's a little big/heavy/awkward. And I don't want it damaged. A couple of weeks ago Steve comes home with a mini digital camera (actually, one for each of us). I realize the pictures are not going to be great, but I'm willing to make that sacrifice :). Yesterday's run on the trails in the Gatineau's was to be pinky camera's maiden voyage. As you can see from the photo, it's wee. And I'm about to run out of ink in my pen.

I also tried out my new trail shoes, that I bought on clearance several weeks ago. I tend to feel rocks and stones that I step on through my shoe, and after an hour my feet get really tired. I was curious what the difference might be to regular running shoes. I also tried out my new Dirty Girl Gaiters! I don't know how I do it, but the minute I walk out the door, I get a pebble in my shoe. I thought they would be a good investment (at $13? you can't lose!) for a more comfortable run. I chose the pink leopard print, since they match my running shoes too. And now my new mini camera!

There's a Cross Country Ski group that meets up all summer long for trail runs in the Gats. We've always wanted to run with them, but we can't make it out there in time for their Tuesday night or Saturday morning runs. But in the event we can we were curious as to what they consider a 3/10 difficulty (based on hills and technicality). Since they post some details of their runs, we decided to do the run they did yesterday, but 4 hours later! Here we are at the start, testing the new camera. Nothing like a nostril pic.

We got to the Gatineau's at 1:30. We were late because we both blanked on where we were going and took the scenic route. We forgot our trail map, but thankfully there was one posted. We knew the morning run was to park at P7, then take trail 17. Hmmm... Trail 17 doesn't join up to P7. But if we take #30 to #8 we can get to #17!

The first minute of the run was on a slight uphill and beautifully maintained 5 person wide packed trail. GORGEOUS. I could run on this all day. Hold that thought. We turned a corner and it was all up hill. I ran for another minute straight up, and then walked, gasping for air. That first hill was too much too soon. Steve made it to the top, and discovered there was another hill right after what we thought was the top. He ran to meet me and tell me this, then scampered back up. I thought this was going to be rough. By the time we got to the slight downhill, I wasn't able to find my footing, and my sunglasses (prescription) were bouncing because the arms touch the back of my hat (if that makes sense) and the ground was moving under my feet. I was sure I was going to tumble. Another hill and we hit #8. This trail was much more technical. I think there was only 50 feet or so that was smooth, the rest was tree roots, sharp rocks, rocks to leap over, fallen logs, stream crossings and hills... tons of hills. I thought we were on a different trail than the running group, or I never want to know what they consider 10/10 if this was a 3/10! As tired as I was, and I still walked a lot of the steep hills, I was having a blast. Especially when we made it to the top! We stopped to snap these photos from the lookout.




We continued on, which was downhill for another 10 minutes, and we still hadn't seen #17. At 35 mins I suggested we turn around, since we didn't know when 17 was coming up, nor how long it was before reaching the other side of 30. I was only at 2.85km on my Garmin, LOL. In 35 mins! On our way back we met a group of hikers. Steve was a little ahead of me (of course!) and I heard the hikers talk to him as he was running by - uphill. I got there right after and one of the women said "oh good for you, you're keeping up with him!" I laughed and said "I'm trying, but I'm really not!". She then commented on my shirt, my race shirt from "Dances with Dirt". She thought that was adorable. Steve met me at the top and was laughing, he said "I hope you realize how lucky you are to be with someone so famous". Sure enough one of the men hiking had said to him while he was running by them "aren't you from CBC's Gotta Run?" hahahahahah! Steve told him he was from last year's. (This year they are training a group of men in Recovery). I thought it was a hoot that a year later, in the middle of nowhere, he's recognized. Most of the run was downhill now, though still so technical we didn't gain much by way of time. We finished in 1:05 or so. We checked the map again, and looked at the legend... oh... trail 8 is a black diamond trail. Sheesh, no brains I tell ya! But we did it, I slowed Steve down so he ran back a few times to find me, and in total he ran almost a km longer than I!

Shoe report - I noticed a HUGE difference with running in trail shoes. Much 'grippier' than running shoes, didn't feel anything poking at me on the underside at all. I LOVE them.

Gaiter report - Not one stone to be had :D Completely forgot I was wearing them, they are that light and comfortable. I'll definitely be getting another pair when these get grungy.

We raced home, showered, and arrived an hour late for my brother's birthday parter at my sister's. We ate too much, slept like the dead, and here we are Sunday morning!

I'd better get back to work, lots to do before tomorrow morning work-wise, but I also want to get my Sunday run, which, now that I've officially graduated from my self-imposed learn to run program, Sunday's are 10/1 LSD. If my legs can handle it (they are tired!), I'll be running 60 mins, or 6 repeats (66 mins). I haven't quite decided yet! Each Sunday run I'll be increasing slightly. I also want to visit Mom and Dad at the cemetery. It's been a while.

Have a great day all!

I forgot to report on my run on Monday, THE DAY AFTER. Ok, tried to make that dramatic. I was cold from the get go, hungry, and just wanted it done. I was flying! I was averaging 6:15/km for the first 2 repeats of 10, until the 28 minute mark, where I apparently discovered teleportation. I know in all my years of running, I've never, EVER, a 4:53 km. Ever. There was a tail wind, which I noticed from the water which had peaks, and then of course when I hit the turnaround and it was full on. My pace slowed to 6:51/km until the end. Which was fine with me.

So yesterday's run was day 5 in a row of leg stuff, and I was tired. My legs were tired from this week's activity, and sore from my little bike spill (left knee and right ankle felt loose so I had to focus not to trip or turn out). My cut has turned to bright red road rash, which I found interesting, considering there was no road to be seen. Anyhoo, I didn't want to do it, but forced myself too. Within the first 5 minutes I knew it wasn't going to be good. Headwind on the way out this time, and my average pace was 6:51/km. Not a great start. But my heart rate was nice and low, so I decided I would give myself a break, and run only 5k for a change. I love it that 5k is now my cop out distance! It was never easy, and my pace got progressively slower over the run. I didn't care, because I decided it would be a good day to run it straight, with no walk breaks. And I did :D With walk breaks I was running at least 15 sec/km faster overall. But I had no legs, so I know it's not a true measure. Or it's a measure of my performance with dead legs!

Tomorrow we're going to do some trail running in the Gats, if time allows. My brother's birthday bash is in the afternoon!

We'll, I'd better get to work. It's going to be another long weekend. :(

Phew it was a busy week! This week will be about the same, and I'm really not complaining.

Work - love my new job. I'm now getting into the soy of it (I don't eat meat... ok, lame joke). I just hope I can keep it. Next round of layoffs by end of Q2. Hate my workplace sometimes.

But now for the fun stuff! Last week was run 6 walk 1 repeats - each run I found my pace increasing. I didn't feel I was pushing it any more than normal, it never once felt easy, but never once did it feel too hard to continue. Yesterday marked the beginning of 8/1. And it was awesome! The weather was in the 20's (Celcius) all week, and yesterday no different. The wind wasn't too bad, there were loads of people out, it was just so nice! The 8's never felt overly hard, except for one repeat (3rd last I think) where my heart rate got a little high (ok, considering I'm on meds to keep me from going into SVT, I shouldn't be seeing 180's!) and I knew it was happening before I looked at the watch, because I could feel my pace slow dramatically, and effort increase at the same time. It righted itself after my next walk break, and it felt great again. I was almost at the end, and there were two women running behind me chatting away, who never overtook me, and I wasn't about to stop to walk at 8 mins when I only had about 2 mins left, so I ran through it to 10 mins. I know I'll be able to do 10/1 next week. I'm BACK! :D Oh, and I passed several people. That hasn't happened in years!

On Friday we went for a ride along the Rockliffe Parkway. I realized I never got there last year once. How sad is that. They paved it last year, and they paved a little shoulder! There's one part that was redone a few years ago, and isn't that great (and my speed dropped accordingly). My bike fit was so worth it. My speed increased on average by 7 - 10 km/hr. It was really windy and a little cool (the storm hit just as we finished) so in perfect conditions I should be about 15km/hr faster. That's crazy talk! I loved it. And my flat repair held :D This Sunday is the Tour Nortel. We're doing the 35k and hoping for no rain!

So got all my runs and bikes in, but for the third week in a row, forgot to do strength training. I have a serious mental block there! I even asked Steve to remind me and he said he did, however we were in the car at the time.

Weight loss down 2.8 lbs. But the week before I was up. Taking the last two weeks into the equation, I'm down 0.3 lbs. LOL. But my body is changing rapidly. My post-surgery skinny legs are getting muscle tone back, and my hip bones and ribs are starting to be feelable again. :D I still have my big belly, but it's shrinking. The city - the daffodils came up on Tuesday and are in full bloom everywhere. Saturday Steve had to get a run in, and I came along to the Canal and went for a 40 min walk. I saw my first tulips of the season - most beds are still green, but the two that weren't are a beautiful shocking red. It was so gorgeous out!

I'd better get to work. Not sure if I'll run today or not, I have three more to get in this week, but I'm feeling a little piriformis since last night, which is normal for me after an increase in pace/distance the day before. A slow treadmill run usually works it out.

I don't know what we did to deserve this, other than put up with several 60cm+ snowfalls, but as of today, there is no more snow on our lawn! Not that I'm surprised, because once again we had a day in the 20's... 23C/74F to be exact. SERIOUSLY!! The normal high is 12C. We've been doubling that. We're having summer!

Nothing much to report, other than we slept in until 8:45AM, raked the very flat from the heavy snow lawn (filled 2 leaf bags), cleaned up the back yard a bit, and planned our deck. At 1PM we went to the canal for our run. Oh, and we had to buy gas, at $1.21 (rounded up) per litre (approx. $4.80/gal). If our road to the canal was safe enough to bike on, we would have. And it will be in about 2 years, when the reconstruction is finished. As it stands right now, it's a death wish. After getting over the shock and pain of paying $0.10 more per litre than a week ago, we made it to the canal.

Today marked the first of run 6 mins, walk 1 min. The first 6 mins were horrible. My chest really really hurt, my shoulders were tired and stiff (from raking?) and I contemplated stopping. My heart rate monitor was acting up again (I even bought a new battery for the strap, might help if I put it in) showing insanely high numbers (220) but while I felt it was really hard, I knew the numbers were wrong. So I tried to ignore it and went by feel. By the time I hit the turnaround, it all came together. So much so that I added another set at the end. And I felt great. KT came with us so that she could study under a tree, and I met up with her and we walked while waiting for Steve to finish. It was amazingly beautiful out.

Came home to have chocolate milkshakes (chocolate frozen yogurt and skim milk) and bean/corn quesadillas. Yum!

The rest of the week looks just gorgeous, even with the couple of rain days forecast. Must take advantage!

Oh, and moron that I am, completely forgot sunscreen, and now have a sunburn. When will I learn!

It hit 23C today! It was warm, the wind off the ice and snow was cold. I LOVE spring! The snow, at least in the city, should be gone by the end of the weekend. Steve and I were contemplating a run or mountain bike ride in the Gats this weekend, until I found these photos... I think we'll wait a week or two!

I had a dentist appt. this morning and the tooth with the filling problem actually has a hidden cavity underneath! Hot dentist said it's not really visible by the naked eye (yes, he said naked :D) but the x-rays confirmed it. And he even found another little tiny one. Sheesh. So that's two more appts with hot dentist. Um, if I must. On the upside my gum exam was stellar, even better than last years'. Let's hear it for being anal about flossing (I almost wrote anal flossing, which is a whole other ball of wax! Sometimes I crack myself up).

I wasn't really feeling a run today, but it was 23 degrees! So we toddled off to the canal after work and my legs were a little cranky. 5/1 - not a problem whatsoever, though I was 3 sec/km slower than Tuesday's run. And I really wasn't pushing it at all. Actually, had I not taken an extended walk break thanks to a phone call from my sister, I might have even been faster! Food for thought. I was feeling a little ache in the PF region so I'll be using the golf ball the next few days. My shin is a little tender too - but it's only Thursday, and my 4 runs for the week are done, so two rest days from running coming up.

Yesterday we took out the road bikes. It was beautiful out, but windy, and with still too much dust on the roads and paths, I was grateful my sunglasses wrap as well as they do. I'm such a boob, when we were half way to where we were going to bike Steve remembered he'd forgot to swap out his inserts for his orthotics on his new shoes. It took me 10 minutes before it hit me... I forgot my orthotics too, but I didn't have inserts. I was going to bike foot to shoe. Ouch. This is why I'm feeling the PF today :). This was my first outing since my bike fit, and oh wow, what a difference! There were a lot of people out (it really was the first nice day) and I swear, some are stunned stupid. A whole group of runners blocking the path staring right at me as I'm coming at them at 30 km/hr, shouting "HELLO" repeatedly, until finally one of them woke up and grabbed another to give me room to go by. I was worried he was going to go the wrong way and I'd hit him. Thankfully, no. Sadly, this scenario repeated itself a lot.

We cut the ride short at 31 mins, because my feet were screaming, and Steve needs to make some adjustments on his new bike. Tomorrow I'm going to work earlier than normal because at 3PM I'm bolting and we're going to hit the Aviation Parkway. There will no doubt be a lot of cyclists as it's one of the preferred training grounds for the Ottawa Bicycle Club, and with good reason. Hopefully the traffic won't be too heavy (it will be Friday afternoon in this gov't town!) and the wind off the river too strong.

One last note - I received a letter from the Heart Institute today - one of the Doctor's reviewed my file from the Cardiologist, and because it's not life threatening and they prioritize, I can expect to hear from the Doctor in 9 months or so. I hope they will do the ablation in 9 months, and that it's not just the preliminary appt! I'm ok with having it done in mid-winter, I won't be training too heavily. The recovery is next to nothing anyway.

Well, I'm off to bed.