Recovery? Ride

After the Chinook Olympic race on Saturday it was time to keep rolling on the road to Ironman.  That meant that a recovery ride was on the schedule!  How about a nice, easy 4 hour ride?  We rode out Highway 8 to Bragg Creek, then out towards Elbow Falls, aiming for a 100K ride.  My legs were feeling great!  Had I really raced the day before?  The last time I rode this route my legs were yelling at me on every uphill, this time I barely noticed those uphills.  Perhaps part of the reason for that was the great tail wind we had on the uphill out of town?

For this ride I carried my Infinit bike formula plus I also carried some sandwich wraps.  Kelly has turned me on to this concept – sandwich meat (turkey, ham), some cheddar cheese, all rolled in a corn tortilla.  We stopped in Bragg Creek an hour in and I had my sandwich.  We also ran into Angie out there so I was able to chat with her a bit about my race quickly.

The ride out to Elbow Falls was busy.  It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon so there were plenty of drivers on the road.  After we turned around the road got even busier with massive RVs as they vacated the campgrounds.  Some of them were so large and there were some crazy drafts off of them as they blew past us.

We also managed to see some great sights along the way – a deer and a group of wild horses including two foals!  Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me though.  At first I thought they were horses that had gotten loose and were crossing the highway, but the girls later confirmed that they were wild.

The head wind on the way back was wicked…  I was really tightening up between my shoulder blades.  I had to stop and stretch it out, but otherwise the ride went well.  Thanks to the wind our 100K ride was a bit short of the 4 hour goal, but we called it good for the day.

After the race I started noticing that I had some painful spots on my neck that were turning really red.  Check this one out: Wetsuit bite from Saturday’s race?

Hanging in the Hunter Valley

On Saturday (aka Boxing Day) I went for a swim, we went for lunch, and then we loaded the car up and hit the road for the Hunter Valley.  It is about a 2 or 2.5 hour drive from Sydney, and is another one of Australia’s great wine producing regions.  We rolled into our accommodations in the Hunter at Parrot Stump Farm just around 5 pm.  Just like the Barossa this place was a self contained cottage in amongst a vineyard.  The owner met us at the cottage just as we arrived.  He was quite concerned that with it being Boxing Day, and everything being closed, that we would be somewhat out of luck for dinner.  He was planning on having a few folks over for ham and he wanted to invite us over.  It wound up being a really fun evening full of good food, good wine and good times as we met a few of the locals from around the area.  Everyone was so nice and friendly that they wound up feeling like old friends by the time the night was over.  It was a great way to start our trip to the Hunter.

Rain, rain…and a bit of running

Sunday I had decided to take as a rest day, and I was definitely happy with that decision when I woke up in the morning.  It was pouring down rain.  It continued to rain all day and well into Monday as well.  Somehow or other I just wasn’t in the mood to slog through the rain.  I had thoughts of heading to the outdoor pool in Cessnock for a swim, but unfortunately I wound up missing the lap swim times in the morning so…another rest day it was.  By Tuesday morning there was a break in the rain so I figured I’d better hit the road!  Much like the Barossa the Hunter is quite hilly although the scenery is very different.  Rolling green fields for as far as the eye can see as opposed to the more dessert like scenery in the Barossa.  Vineyards still dot the landscape though. 

I headed out the driveway away from Parrot Stump and just ran along the road.  There was very little traffic, but there was plenty to see.  This little colt came running up to the fence as I ran past to check things out.Along the way there were also lots of other horses, and some cows, including one very amorous bull.  The area was mostly a few vineyards, olive trees, some houses and the odd bed and breakfast/cottage type of place.  I was hoping to spy some kangaroos as I know they sometimes are nearby.  But no luck…  I ran up the driveway to the cottage and just as I crested a hill I saw some brown lumps way off in the distance.  Could it be?  Might they be kangaroos??  I couldn’t tell directly, so instead I had to get the camera out so I could check it out via zoom and picture.Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have some kangaroos off in the distance!!  Just as I was taking another picture on of the air guns in the vineyard to scare off birds went off and the guy on the left gave a big ol’ leap.Success!  3.1 miles and a kangaroo sighting.

I was wavering on going for another run on Wednesday morning before leaving the Hunter, but as it felt quite a bit cooler and less humid out I figured I’d better take advantage.  I left the camera at home, which was somewhat too bad as I spied a few goats and alpacas out today.  No kangaroos, although I did meet a very boisterous and friendly (thank goodness, although maybe too friendly) sheep dog who was determined to keep jumping up on me and had me wondering if I was going to be able to make it home without him.  Luckily his owner was out checking his olive trees and he was able to grab his dog for me.  Then it was time to pack up and hit the road back to Sydney shortly thereafter.

And what about the wine??

Ah yes, we did do a wee bit of wine tasting in the Hunter.  This region produces some really great Semillons that age nicely in the bottle, along with some good reds too.  We had some fantastic tastings in the area, but the highlight was probably at Keith Tulloch’s.  When you walk into his winery you head upstairs, are given a tasting glass and told to find a spot to sit down.  There are comfy couches inside along with tables on the veranda overlooking the vineyards below.Some of the other places felt a bit like a zoo as you tried to find a spot by the tasting bar to stand, but at Keith Tulloch’s it was so quiet and relaxed.  Every few minutes someone would come by to pour a tasting sip in your glass.  It just so happened that the owner Keith was outside on the veranda that day.  He came by to say hello and we chatted about Canada (like the differences between importing to Alberta versus British Columbia) along with some of the spots that he and his family have skied at in Canada.  And all of his wines were absolutely fantastic.  Lucky for me that he imports to Alberta!

With that the trip to the Hunter is over (along with all of the wine touring) and we are about 20 minutes away from Sydney at the moment.  It is so hard to believe that the final day of 2009 is TOMORROW!!  How did that happen?  Where did the year go?  I am looking forward to spending a few days around here playing tourist and going for some great runs.  Thanks to the lovely Mel I have a few ideas for some great pools to check out too.  I hope everyone is enjoying their final days of 2009 and have a safe and happy New Year!!

A Good Solo Ride and a Bad Run

On Thursday the weather was too nice to not do something outside. I rushed home from work, changed, and threw the bike in the back of the car. I made my way out to Cochrane for my own solo ride on Horse Creek. As soon as I started riding my legs felt tired from Wednesday night's hills. Since I didn't have to worry about catching a group I figured I'd just ride and not worry about things too much. I figured I wouldn't get too far because I didn't want to be out on the road as the sun was setting. I opted to ride to the same turnaround spot as on Tuesday so that would give me a 15 mile ride or so. The leaves are changing colour up here already and it was absolutely amazing out. I wish I had thought to bring my camera to take a couple of shots. If the weather cooperates next week for another ride I'll try to snap a few pictures. On my way back there were a bunch of deer out, including one that was standing right in the middle of the road. I slowed down since I wasn't sure which direction he would want to go and he wound up bounding off into the field on my left. I finished up just in time as the sun was getting lower in the sky. When I uploaded my Garmin I realized that I actually rode faster on my own than when I was in the group trying to catch up on Tuesday. Weird, eh?

I had to move my long run to Friday, but considering I only had 45 minutes on the schedule I didn't think it would be too bad. I had planned to run in the afternoon, except that I forgot how much running and Friday afternoons don't agree with me. Of course, I hadn't had a day off since the last Friday, so no wonder my legs were tired. Those 45 minutes felt like they took forever, and it was some of my slowest running in a long time. I was approaching almost 12 minute miles. After the run I showered and ran out to meet a friend for sushi and some Kirin Ichibans which helped to make me forget about how bad of a run it was luckily!

A Tale of Errant Wildlife - Part 1 - Attack of the Killer Yorkie

It is another amazing day here in Calgary - sunny and 6 deg C. I suited up in a pair of capri pants and a long sleeve top and headed out for a run over lunch. Claire, believe it or not, I actually felt overdressed at times out there today! I was aiming for 4 miles, but I didn't feel like running the exact same route I ran yesterday so I hit the pathway by the river, crossed over Prince's Island Park and ran up the hill to McHugh Bluff where I go for most of my hill training. Instead of running hill repeats I opted to continue running along the bluff. I marvelled at the sight of the downtown buildings sparkling in the sunlight and the snowy Rockies off in the distance. It was amazing. I followed the path along until I hit SAIT (Southern Alberta Institute of Technology), then start running along the sidewalk towards downtown into trendy Kensington until it met up with the river pathway. I followed the pathway for a bit, trying to get a bit of extra mileage in because I wasn't ready to head back yet.

I pass a few runners and just ahead I see a lady out walking these two tiny little fur balls. One looks like a Yorkie and I can't tell on the other one - all I can say for sure was that this other little one was wearing one of those vet lampshades that indicates a recent surgery or an attempt to stop vigorous scratching or licking of some spot. Anyhow...I digress... As I run past these two little dogs the Yorkie decides pull on his retractable leash, bare his teeth and charges and growls at me. I know...he's just a little thing... But seriously, as a dog owner I don't let my dogs charge at runners, and small or not, this guy has teeth. And this also pinpoints another reason why those retractable leashes are a bad idea, because you don't have the best control of your dog. Anyhow....no big deal really so I keep running on, across the 14th Street bridge and back towards the pathway. Lo and behold under the 10th Street bridge I meet up with the lady and her two dogs again, and again the little tiger snarls and charges for my ankles. Sheesh. Luckily I come out sans bite marks on the second encounter and I keep running for the office. I run all the way to the place with good donairs and baklava across from my building and come out with 5.14 miles for the day. And it felt great the whole way.

***Thanks to Google pictures for the above shot of an exceedingly cute (and I'm sure very friendly) Yorkshire terrier.***