Cancel that miracle!

Well, I guess a few days of rest and Stampede DID make for an improved run last week, but I should have known it wouldn't last. Another week goes by complete with a zillion beers, more mac and cheese pizza (carbolicious!!!) and more cowboys than you can shake a stick at.  I didn't run once (chasing the bus doesn't count) and as far as nutrition went, only deep fried things fueled me and only beer hydrated me.

These were full length jeans a week ago??

So, it should come as no surprise that I've gained a few pounds and gotten a little slower.

Nonetheless, I LOVE Stampede, and while my body could sure use the break, I'm going to miss it. But back to training! It was warm this morning (already nearly 20C at 6am) when I headed out for a 5K. My only goal this morning was to run the whole 5K without walking. I had put some new music on my ipod and was ready to go!  Sure enough, I felt great. The sun rose as I ran out on the usual airport path, and there were no bugs. AND sure enough, I was able to run the whole 5K without much trouble. In fact, I felt pretty good and darn fast, in spite of the bowl of jelly I seemed to be carrying around my midriff.  As the ipod announced I was done, I eagerly grabbed it, sure I had broken records or at least come close.

The ipod said it had taken me just over 34 minutes. I checked again...surely that couldn't be right??? I had been awesome! I felt good, my music was awesome and I thought I had really booted it the last half km, surely today was the day I had finally broken the 30 minute mark I've been striving for. But no, I guess when I run alone I'm lazy as can be and will be as slow as a turtle!

Nonetheless, I did what I had set out to do by running the whole thing with no breaks, so whatever, I'm back on track with a mere 40-something days left.

Oh, and yesterday I started the Insanity regime, diet and all. So, I dryheaved through the Fit Test yesterday and did the first workout today...I bet my body is totally confused by all the lean protein and vegetables I've eaten and I'm pretty sure there's no more beer or fried food residue in me anymore based on the amount of sweat I lost in the past 24 hours.

Stampede Miracle!

I spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth which was awesome. Not only did I get my rodeo and beloved chuckwagons in, but I was able to be Second Greatest Show on Earth...me pigging out on the midway for 3 days. Here's but a mere  sampling of what I enjoyed on the weekend...

Maple Bacon Ice Cream = Delicious? Who knew???
The good people at McKays, that's who!

Donut burger....MAPLE GLAZED donut burger..mmmm

Deep fried poptart goodness=breakfast of champions

Mac and Cheese Pizza---Carbo-licious!!!

Ummm...there may have also been corndogs, mini donuts, poutine, deep fried cheese, sausage rolls, smokies, deep fried mac and cheese and a few beers thrown in for good measure, but a girl can only document so much shame.  So, YES, on Monday I felt like a giant bag of horse manure.  And barely managed 30 minutes on the elliptical at the gym, a run was out of the question.  I ate nothing but vegetables and grilled meats and drank endless cups of green tea in hopes of soothing achy liver.

Tuesday rolls around and Princess Crys and I head out for a morning 5K, both dreading what is sure to be a slow and painful run. In the rain.

It is our fastest run since March.

It felt OK. Actually, a bit better than OK. I felt good and like I could have run more. More like I used to feel in the winter when our training was umm...a bit more structured.

In short, now I'm somewhat convinced my all-deepfried weekend only enhanced my running performance!   I celebrated today's findings with not one, but TWO pancake breakfasts. YAHOO!!! 

Be nice to me, I gave blood today!

After my soccer practice was cancelled last week, I opted NOT to be lazy instead and rallied one of my buddies to go for a run with me at the Reservoir. We headed out around 730, and it was (once again) GLORIOUS. The sun was shining, everything smelled great, and it was just awesome. Plus, my buddy hadn't gone through the Weaselhead before, so I was able to point out all my previous victories (beating Sinewy legs, peeing in the snow, running up THAT hill) as we went.

About halfway out, we started noticing the bugs were bad.

Like...really bad.

Like, REALLY REALLY bad.

By the time we realized we were getting lightheaded from blood loss, we were already 3.5K away from the car and there was nothing we could do but bravely huff back, slapping each other on the shoulders and arms as we went. We were much faster coming back in an effort to outpace the skeeters. At some points, a slap would kill 5-6 bugs at a time.

By the time we got back to the car, we were both covered in bloodsmears and carcasses. I'd hate to say it ruined an otherwise great run, but I think we can both agree it was the most memorable part of a 7k trip. I had to take a picture before bed so that I could remember yes, they actually WERE that bad!

Not chicken pox, but just as itchy!!!

At my soccer game two nights later, I was able to refresh them with a whole new batch of bites, particularly on my legs,  in spite of slathering self with bug spray. Let's just say, my increasingly pudgy body isn't the only reason I'm not baring much skin at Stampede this year!

BARNACLES!!!!

You won't like me
when I'm angry

Now, this is totally going to sound like I'm making excuses, but I swear I'm not! It's Sunday at 2pm and I'm not very confident I'm going to get the weekend long run in today. I'm supposed to run 14K this weekend. I tried to do it yesterday, but I'm still having tummy troubles and wasn't sure I wanted to be more than 5 minutes away from a bathroom at any point. This morning I crawled out of bed at noon (and only because someone had brought home Timmies breakfast, YAY!) and spent 30 minutes on the patio enjoying the sun and my steeped tea....until the wind started blowing and the clouds blew in. The Internet says the temperature dropped 8C in 30 minutes and now there's a severe thundershower warning. In short, it's not looking great for a run this afternoon.

Still, the day is young, so it could happen. Who knows, Calgary weather changes on a dime, so it could clear up in the next 10 minutes...then again, my brunch date is running a few hours late, so I might get waylaid by an early supper instead. And ribs trump long runs pretty much ALL the time, even when you only have 8 weeks of training left...

Mexico Runs

dónde está la playa?!

Now, before you jump to conclusions...I'm talking about sunrise beach jogs during my trip to Cancun last week, people. Man, I don't think I'll ever grow weary of running somewhere I can see the ocean. I woke up at 6am last Thursday for a 5K run along the beach. Now, you may remember I've gained some notoriety for getting lost, but this time I was ready! Well, sort of...I turned on my trusty Nike Plus and started jogging along the edge of the pool towards the beach, what should have been about a 2 minute walk. Well, I was at nearly a kilometer before my feet touched sand, but no worries, I made it! 

I turned left and started running, making notes of my surroundings to ensure I wouldn't have to try and learn Spanish should I get lost. Happily, the resort I was staying at had the only long dock around, so I had a pretty good marker even from a distance. I had hoped for a sunrise run, but was about 20 minutes too late (damn you, snooze button!!) Nonetheless, I happily plodded along the sand, occasionally misjudging the waves and soaking my feet and even tripping once when a tiny (but surely bloodthirsty) crab popped out of hole at my feet. Now, did I mention it was June in Cancun? Even at 615 in the morning it was already nearly 25C, and the sand running wasn't helping me either.  Long story short, I ran out nearly 3k before turning back and then quit at 4K instead of the five I had planned...I was exhausted and slow, but still happy with the run and totally proud of myself for doing what I did (not get lost, get up early, run in tricky sand).

Next day, I head out at 515 to try and catch the sunrise. Big mistake...while jogging in the dark along the edge of the pool, I missed the last step and landed nastily on my left ankle. I shrieked and stopped short, and in a panic over ruining the rest of my trip, walked for a few minutes. The pain subsided, but I was now leery of it happening again. Nonetheless, I walked out to the beach and up about a kilometer before meeting up with a few coworkers where I opted to quit and watch the sunrise from the beach loungers they had set up. I figured with 22 hotel inspections in 3 days, I would still get plenty of time on my feet!

Our last day was the only day we had any free time, so once again, the trusty alarm was set for 7am for a12k run along the beach...I woke up to buckets of rain and monsoon-like wind. After quelling my disappointment over not getting any beach or pool time on the last day, I went back to bed for 2 hours of well deserved rest (did I mention 22 hotels in 3 days??)  I did sort of make it up this morning out at the airport with a solo 10k route though, so I did get a long run in this week, even if it was a bit short and super slow.

PS...for the record, it turns out the port-o-potties at the construction site by my work running route aren't locked, which really came in handy this morning around the 9k mark when I wasn't quite sure I was going to make it back to the office in time to avoid a "Bridesmaids" type disaster. Crisis averted thanks to the good people of YYC, whew!


Funny in movies, not in real life