Weekend Recap

So...for starters I had 14 miles scheduled for Saturday. I met up with Giovanna at Baker Park at 6:30 for a run towards downtown and back. Running from Baker Park is kind of a tough run. The rolling hills over the first three miles are a killer, which you then get the benefit of running again on the way back. My legs were pooped. I'm not sure if it was because I ate so close to the start of the run, but I just was not interested in downing any gels on this run at all. Just Gatorade for me, and I don't think it impacted the run too badly. I stopped off at Starbucks, sat down on the couch to watch an episode of Shear Genius, then showered and left the house for most of the afternoon to run errands. No nap...which was maybe not a fantastic idea.

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At 5:30 it was time to meet up with some of the girls for dinner, then it was off to a friend's stagette. We got together at a house, played some games, had some drinks and some snacks, then headed off to Ranchman's for some dancing and general shenanigans. Sigh, get a few tequila, lime and ginger ales in me coupled with an early wake up, a long run and no nap...I was done by 11:30... Party animal Leana... The evening was a blast though!

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Sunday I thought about going for a long ride, but ultimately just decided to take it easy and finish doing a few things around the house. I figured my legs would appreciate a day off. This morning I got in a quick 3.3 miles around the neighborhood, then a ride in to work.

Hilly 6 at Baker Park

After purchasing my ticket to see Spirit of the Marathon and watching the trailer for it I was feeling inspired to head out for a run. I went down to Baker Park and figured I'd aim for 6 miles. It was a terrific run along the river. I headed west to start off with and figured I would turn around at the one mile mark. Just before I hit one mile I arrived at a series of switchbacks to take you up towards the neighborhood of Valley Ridge. I ran up part way, gaining about 100 ft and then turned around. This was the one portion of the path that still had some snow on it. Heading east it was reasonably flat until I hit 3 miles and then I gained almost 150 ft in about 0.3 mi. When I hit the top I felt just as out of breath as Shannon Elizabeth after she danced her jive on Dancing With the Stars, except I didn't have to sit down afterwards. It felt great to get the heart beating and I was feeling pretty strong. This was actually one of my faster runs - with the exception of slowing down at mile 3 I was consistently fast the entire way through. I paid for it afterwards as the cold wind brought back the coughing and sore throat but my legs needed that run.

The weekend in review

Ah, so today starts a new week and hopefully a chance to get back on track. I got in two runs last week - my disastrous 3 mi run on Thursday and a half decent 6.41 mi run on Saturday. Saturday morning I met up with the group on the north side of town. Some folks were going for long and hilly, other folks shorter and hilly and another group shorter and flat. I was going to try and run the hills but after we went up one big climb we ran into the group going the flatter route and I veered off to join them. One of the ladies we were running with is a walk coach with TNT and she just took a group to the Disney race. I told her about my shin problems - it seems to happen during my weekday runs but the weekend runs feel great. She wondered if I was overstriding by trying to go faster and if that was maybe causing a problem. I'll have to keep an eye on that. We wound up running a bit slower than my usual pace but the company was great. At the end I veered off to take a slightly longer path around the lake to our starting point and I picked the pace up for the final mile or so. Afterwards one of the group members had us all over for breakfast at her place and it was a great way to cap the morning run off. Yesterday the weather was too great to ignore so the pup Finlay and I headed out to Baker Park for a great walk around the Bow River and over towards Valley Ridge. Despite the warm temperatures there was still some ice and snow on the ground in the shady parts. You can tell folks have had cabin fever - it was incredibly busy out on the pathway. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the weather stays this way...

12 miles, a girls' night, and then a blogger meet up at a race

Saturday morning I had a 12 mile run scheduled. When I woke up in the morning there was sun peeking through the clouds, but it was still a pretty chilly 53F (12C). I was feeling pretty optimistic and I put on a short sleeve shirt and a skirt, laced up my green 2110s and headed out the door to Baker Park. I tried to pace myself and not start out too fast since I was heading out for 12 miles. I've never run 12 in a training run before so I wasn't sure what to expect. I eased into mile 1, but was confronted with some hills in mile 2 that made things interesting. By mile 3 I found my groove and it was feeling really good. The pathway I was following went along the Bow River and continued into Shouldice Park and Edworthy - two places that I have gone and run a fair bit. I hit the 6 mile mark at Edworthy so I turned around. Things were still good until I hit the second to last mile and hit those hills again. By that point in time my legs were pretty tired but once I got through it I cruised through the last mile to the finish. I didn't run as fast as last week, but I wasn't to far off. The temperature was perfect the entire way throughout the run and definitely nice and sunny.

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Saturday evening was a girls' night for a friend's stagette (also known as a bachelorette or hen party depending on where in the world you hail from). I am happy to report that either I'm wearing the right size shoes or the mileage isn't high enough yet, but I still have all ten toenails. And after the stagette they are looking that much prettier. It was a fun night of jello shooters, apple pie shots and other mayhem....so needless to say it was a short night before my volunteer gig at the Robert Hamilton Memorial 5 and 10 mile run.
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I was at the start site of the Robert Hamilton Memorial run at 7:30 am near Shouldice. It was overcast, threatening rain, and 48F (9C). Brr. I found the volunteer coordinator and was given a pair of socks for my effort. I was going to be working the finish line this time. This wasn't a chip timed race, so every time a runner crossed the finish line I pressed a button so a time was recorded that was later matched up with the racer's number. I ran into Dawn - a blog I read all the time, but a runner I had never met before. I also finally met Karen, another blog I read, and also one of the Calgary Roadrunners who heads up weekly runs. Karen recognized me as the girl who wrote about all the push ups I did! It was neat to finally meet them, and Karen, I promise that when I am back to running on Tuesdays I will be at the Roadrunner group runs. I also recognized Instructor S's husband who was running the 5 mile so I said hello. It was a pretty small race - around 100 people total registered for the events and it was a fast field. The guy who won the 5 mi race was minutes ahead of the 2nd place finisher. People who run that fast truly amaze me. It was a fun morning - after I was done it was time to grab a really big coffee from Starbucks to warm up and I headed out. Otherwise that's about it for the weekend. If any cross training happens outside of the housework variety I'll be sure to let you know.

Hello winter running tights...

The weather has been crazy in this town this week. Scorching hot on Monday, then overcast, cold and rainy through Friday, then a nice and balmy 6C (43F) this morning. I was up early (thanks to both my musical alarm and my canine alarm called Maggie) and running by 7 am. The temperature was a bit of a shock to the system so I had to dig out my winter running tights, a warmer top, my Smartwool socks, and even my gloves. I had to get my planned 6 miles in as quickly as possible so I opted to head back out to Baker Park. It was absolutely beautiful out this morning as there was a blanket of fog settled in just over the river. Thanks to the cool temps and some recent rain things smelled...fresh...and green. I warmed up a bit, then headed down the pathway for my run. It was pretty solitary out since it was still early and cold. No dogs down at the watering hole this morning. When I hit the first mile I ran into some folks setting up a water station for a race that was going to be happening along the pathway. Turns out it was the Cross Calgary Relay and Ultramarathon this morning that was also starting at Baker Park. I decided to go for a full 10K so after hitting the 5K mark I turned around and started seeing the runners. I said good morning to all of them as they went on their way. At the end I finished up 6.2 mi at a pretty decent clip. I got a few push ups in after the run and some upper body weights in the afternoon. Finally the weather has warmed up and is a bit more back to normal, so time to enjoy some sunshine outside...

A busy Heritage Day long weekend

TNT Coach Ken asked me what Heritage Day was... Coach Ken, I'm not sure. I think it is mostly a good excuse for a civic holiday (kind of like Family Day in February).

Sunday yoga was a bust since the studio was closed, and then I was so busy running errands that I didn't have a chance to get any cross training in before a movie-palooza Sunday night. I went to see the Bourne Ultimatum and Harry Potter which made for a very late night. I was going to allow myself to sleep in on my day off, however my dog Maggie had other ideas. Maggie is a morning dog, and come 6:00 am she's ready to be up and around, so you'd better listen to her. Unfortunately getting up early and getting out the door early are two entirely different things, so it was pretty warm by the time I arrived at Baker Park. I had 5 miles on tap for the day and I was feeling strong. One thing the running group I was with on Saturday did was run longer intervals - 10:1, where as I've been running 4:1. When I'm racing I really don't stick to the whole 4:1 plan, so I opted to try a 9:1 interval instead. It takes less math skills than 10:1 so that sounded like a better idea to me. A mile into the run I hit a big hill that has been pretty challenging on previous runs. This time I hit the hill strong and ran the entire way up, and continued running once I reached the top - no need for a walk break. I was feeling great. When I hit 2.5 miles I decided to keep going and went for 6 miles for the day. All in all, a terrific run. I kind of like the 9:1 interval thing too. I may try that out on long runs.

In the afternoon I celebrated Heritage Day down at Prince's Island Park where they were having a multicultural festival going on with musicians and dancers of all different heritages and a few food kiosks as well. In the evening was the final event in movie-palooza - a showing of A Mighty Heart. All in all it was a good weekend. I was able to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, plus I was able to catch up on movies as well. Tonight is BBC, and I've heard rumours that it is a core heavy workout this evening.

Firsts and lead balloons

Last night I wanted to get back on schedule and I had a 5 miler on tap. So...for the first time ever I had back to back runs. I went back out to Baker Park - check out the view from the pathway in the pic above. Let me tell you, it wasn't pretty, but I got 'er done. I don't think it would have been so bad if I had thought a little bit more about the whole dinner thing before I went out. When I get home at 5 pm, I'm hungry. I picked up this really fantastic "souvlaki for two" kit from 2 Greek Gals at the Calgary Farmer's Market this weekend (you get 4 chicken souvlaki, 4 pita bread and a small container of tzatziki). Let me tell you, it was yummy. I figured chicken, bread, some veggies, that can't be that bad. I ate, watched The Two Coreys that I had PVR'ed on A&E the night before, and gave myself about an hour before heading out. (By the way, that show, what a debacle... I used to have such a crush on them in their "License to Drive" days, but wow, this makes you think twice about having a crush on that teeny bopper, Tiger Beat star. The best thing about it was realizing that Corey Feldman lives in Vancouver and I could recognize places they were going.) Anyhow, that dinner felt like a lead balloon in my stomach almost the entire run. Oh well, at least the miles are in the bag.

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So I'm curious how to handle this whole nutrition thing. When I run in the evening I generally wait until later right now, so that I can beat the heat. But eating a full meal beforehand is now obviously not a good idea, but I don't want to eat too late after the run either. And while a PB&J works great for morning runs, I'm not sure that I want to be eating that for dinner too many times (considering I have one for breakfast every morning). Any advice?

A change in plans

I had Saturday all figured out. The alarm was set to go off at 5:30 so I could get out the door nice and early and knock my 9 miles out before it got too hot. Things changed around 2:30 am when my pup Maggie got pretty ill. A trip to the emergency vet and a hospitalization later and I just wasn't feeling up for it. Instead the other pup, Finlay, and I spent some quality time one on one together at Baker Park. He had a blast and climbed some of the hills like a real trooper. By the end of it all, he was pooped. The afternoon involved the Calgary Stampeders vs. the BC Lions in Canadian Football League action and a visit to check in on Maggie. She was able to make it home Sunday evening so the good news is she is doing better.

Baker Park and the Doggie Swimming Hole

I've been feeling really fortunate lately, because Calgary is definitely a beautiful city, and a great city to run in. Last night that feeling was so profound as I went out for my 5 miles starting at Baker Park along the Bow River. I waited until 8:30 to run since the temperature was still holding strong at 30 deg C (86 deg F). It was pretty quiet out on the pathway for the first 3/4 of a mile or so. Baker Park then transitioned into Bowmont Park and all of a sudden there were a ton of people out on the pathways with their dogs. I rounded a corner and found the local doggie swimming hole and tons of happy barks and yips punctuated the air. Past the swimming hole the terrain started to change as the trees disappeared and the pathway started to climb up hills. It broke out on to a ridge that overlooked the Bow River and offered amazing views of the river valley. The pathway continued up along the ridge and offered some great hills in places. Before I knew it, it was time to turn around, just in time to catch the setting sun. I definitely need to come out here more often, and is one to remember for when my runs start getting really long. If you keep going along the pathway it continues to Shouldice Park (where I was running regularly in June) and it takes you all the way downtown.
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In the continuing spirit of trying new things (routes, running gear, etc.) I dug my Skirt Sports Marathon Girl out of the closet. I got it months ago through their Convert to Skirt program, but had never used it, partially because it feels so much shorter than my other skirts. Well, it still feels short, but it definitely felt breezy out there last night and I surely appreciated that. The Marathon Girl shall now enter the rotation.