I've been so beat all week, that I haven't had the energy to blog. Wow...so, what have I been up to? Work, boot camp, work, boot camp...not so sure why I'm tired, but I am.
Good killer class on Wednesday, took Thursday to recover, followed by Tabata-Friday. After a little jaunt up Douglas Fir and back. Almost made it to the top (front runners "swept" all of us stragglers back) this time too...baby steps of improvement!
After class last night, I drove out to the small town of Cochrane, just outside Calgary, to pick up race package #9. I was running the Footstock Half today. It's actually a whole weekend of races, from a Tri for the kids (very encouraging to get the kids out and exercising) to he Half, 10k and a Duathlon...explained the very fit dudes running back with me when I returned! No way I beat them at all!!!!
Driving out, I hit rain storm #1. It was sunny in Calgary, then I hit the edge of the edge of the city and rain, rain, rain. Stopped in the town site, at the Expo (and where the start/finish was today). Whew... Went through the "Expo" - all 6 booths and picked up the cotton shirt (what the?!?!) and chip for your shoe. I've almost forgotten how to put those on, as so many races now use the chipped bibs but old school it is. Drove home, through yet another rain storm, which stopped in town.
Woke up this morning, donned my white cap and light coloured top (I was so not getting sunstroke again this race), slathered up with sunscreen (again, avoid a burn) and went out to the truck at 6:30am for the drive to Cochrane (38.9km door to door, in case you were wondering). Hmmmmm...it's dry, but those clouds to the west (over Cochrane) don't look so nice. Leave the city limits and the rain starts. And it was rain...not a mist, not a drizzle...sheets and sheets and sheets of rain!!! Good thing I keep a jacket in the truck for boot camp, because I was not dressed appropriately. Got to the rec centered and at 8am began what can only be described as the wettest run I have ever done!!! Two weekends ago I got sunstroke...today, hypothermia was more likely. It was a pretty, but interesting route...for starters we ran through a field. Not a path through a field, but a FIELD filled with knee high grasses, bushes, and mud. We then connected to the pathway system, which is lovely and extensive, but is red shale. There is something I hate...it is the sound of people who drag their feet. Makes me crazy...almost went insane in Hawaii listening to thousands of flip-flops shuffling along the sand covered sidewalks in Waikiki!! But I digress...there is only one sound I can make on red shale...shuffle, shuffle. ARGH! Okay, breathe... It switched up to paved asphalt at some points, but for the most part it was shale. And water...lots and lots of water! Half the time we were up in the side-brush, trying to avoid the ankle deep puddles everywhere. We ultimately ran through one of the neighbourhoods and then up the hill. Over 4km of hill...granted, it wasn't all up, but it was LONG. It lead us out of town, along the Morley reservation on a country dirt road. Want to know what a country dirt road is when it's been raining hard for the past 12+ hours?!?! It's mud...soft and muddy. But I pushed on, looking for the harder parts to run on (thankfully, very little traffic to deal with) and turned around and enjoyed the big run down! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE running downhill. Too bad it was only 4km worth! As an out and back, we returned the same way, but the puddles had grown and some you just couldn't avoid anymore. Okay...I'm already wet, my shoes are already squishing and are full of mud and rocks and such, so what the heck. I'm sure Caitlin, coming out of the lake portion of her triathlon today was dryer than I was!!!! I'm sure pictures would have been nice, as it was a pretty route, but there was no way I was risking my phone or camera in the rain. Lost an iPod that way...
Luckily we didn't have to cross the field again on the way back, and I tried to finish strong, but I was cold and wet and grumpy! 2:52 and change...thought I had made up time with the hill, but whatever. I finished. I always finish.
Finally came home (there were pancakes, but I munched on my cookies instead), where the rain STOPPED IN TOWN, about 5km from home....OMG, I almost burst into tears!! Stripped (my gear probably weighed 20lbs on it's own) and jumped in a HOT shower. Then into my warmest fleece and on the bed for a nap with the kids. Nothing like two purring, cuddly heaters to warm you to the bone again. Looks like the rain finally rolled it's way into Calgary, so guess I can't complain anymore.
Now I'm trying to decide what to eat for supper (don't want to get crazy, even though I did burn over 1800 calories this morning) and then I'm going to be a slug the rest of the evening.
Happy weekend, one and all.
Later,
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