Sean's Visit

Weekend's are too short, they really are. Saturday morning I volunteered at the Gordon Head Summer Kick off Carnival. It was two really boring hours of greeting people at the door and giving them map, directions and other various info. It was chilly out too, which sucked as I was mostly outside. I met some cool people though and the kids had a blast. There was arts and crafts, a bouncy castle, a bbq, obstacle course, there were lots of things for them to do.

Sean showed up at 1:30 and I took him to the office, Uvic and then the scenic drive, as he really hasn't seen much of Victoria. We ended up at the breakwater, where Pete, Kristi and Jamie joined us. We had a nice visit with them on the walk and then went to Starbucks for some tea and more chat. Of course I took him to see the family in Langford and the girls played shy for about 5 mins and then decided they loved him. It was pretty cute. We didnt get up to too much, we rented 'Defiance,' which is pretty good and on Sunday morning we walked around Thetis, where it rained on us for a bit but it was warm and beautiful. I got some great shots, which are posted on this blog.

I hardly ran last week, it was a very tiresome week as I just couldnt sleep. I think Thursday night I was in bed before nine and just crashed. The girls ran Sunday morning at 7:30am but I Just couldnt bring myself to get up that early, especially after sleeping on the couch. So I just got back from a run on the Galloping Goose. I only meant to run 10k but the next thing I knew, I was at Vic General Hospital...so I turned around and headed back to my car. I decided not to run my hill tonight, it was brutal on my back last week. So I ran a fairly decent, if not slow, 13km tonight. Shannon is on holidays tomorrow, she will be in Ontario visiting her family for the next week, so it will just be Jan and I this week.

TGIF

Thank goodness it's Friday! It's been a long week. Despite the fact that the screen on my Nike sportband started to break Tuesday, I went for a run last night. I was supposed to run on Wednesday but I haven't been sleeping well so I skipped it and just read and relaxed. The run was good, I only went just over 5k, however I made it halfway up my hill! I'm so proud and it actually wasnt that bad. Helps that it was after a 5k run and not a 12k. The weather was warm but there was no sun, so that helped too. I really hope Nike starts the sportsband swap soon, my band isnt going to last much longer. I can only read the first half of the screen. I might have to call them today to find out what is going on. My back is terribly sore today from the run, I could feel the pain in my lower back as I hoofed it up the hill, so I will skip the hill on my run tonight.

I baked cookies for Georgia and Paige last night after my run. Today is Paige's last day of school so I will take them to her as a celebration treat in a bit. Sean is in Nanaimo tonight visiting friends, but he will come to Victoria tomorrow afternoon. I'm volunteering at the Gordon Head fair tomorrow morning, I hope it doesnt rain. I also hope they dont give me the job of face-painting. I cannot do that!

I talked to Janice last night and we're planning a long run on Sunday. We've decided to run the Galloping Goose again because I think her and Shannon run too much on the concrete and they need to run more paths. It's easier on your body. So that is the plan, I'm so glad its the weekend! I have to run, clean my house and then I can relax. I'm looking forward to Sean's visit, although it will be very short.

Yesterday was hot, another gorgeous day in Victoria. I came home determined to do my promised long run. I wasn't sure if the girls had run in the morning and if they hadnt, whether they actually would in the evening. So I made a guess that they wouldnt and I really wanted to go, so I did. Good thing too, when I talked to Janice later, she confessed her and Shannon bailed.

I left just before 7 and it was still hot out, but the route I picked was really shaded, it was perfect. I ran down my ridiculous hill and towards Colwood and the Galloping Goose trail. I love the crunch of gravel under my feet when I run, its a good rhythm. I ran just past Thetis lake before turning around to start back home. It was a good run, I had a great pace and I only stopped a couple of times for no more than 30 seconds (cramps). I ran with water, it doesnt bother me but I did struggle with cramps this time. There were quite a few bikers on the trail, but they were polite (for once) and didnt try to run me over or skim by me. I have a serious issue with biker attitudes towards runners. They are very arrogant and think they own the road, even with vehicles! I have been almost run over by a biker, I've been skimmed by a biker (not clipped but close enough that I could have been seriously hurt as I cant hear them approaching) and I've been snotted on by a passing biker. Yes, bastards the lot of them! Anyway, so I ran 12k and passed some sweet peas, flowers I havent seen in a few years. I remembered their location because I am determined to go back and pick some. At the end of my run, at the bottom of my stupid hill, I usually stop the clock and walk up as part of my cool-down. Well, I hesitated and looked up my hill to see a bunch of boot camp girls hoofin it up the hill. I thought, "if they can do it, so can I." So I gave it a go. I made it almost half way up my hill when I had to stop. Hey, I had run 11.5k by this point! I think its great though, last time I never even made it to the first street lamp! I stretched a bit and then walked the rest of the way up. I'm hoping next time I will make it to the half way mark. I don't feel any pain from the run last night (or the hill), but then I didnt expect too. I did have a very terrible sleep last night. I feel like a zombie today. Stupid nightmares.

Here for your entertainment

Man I love summer. I love that it is light out past 9pm, which is a good thing. I ran with Janice and Shannon late Friday night. Janice really wanted to go to DQ, but I pushed her into running with us. Shannon lead the way for the majority of the run while I kept pace with Janice. It was freakin cold down the hill to downtown Langford, but coming up the other side we were protected from the wind and managed to work up a bit of a sweat. We turned down Peatt Road off Goldstream and ran back to the house along Veterans Memorial. About .5 km from the house, I gave Janice the signal that we should sprint to the finish. FLASH, she was gone. I was shocked but sprinted after her. We startled Shannon as we sped past her, I have no idea if she joined the sprint or not, I was totally amazed at the speed Janice had in her, especially since we had already run 5.5km. Like she said, "I'm a short-distance runner." I am not, I could barely managed that distance at a sprint, something I obviously need to work on.

I'm afraid I never did participate in the 1km race on Saturday. I didn't run at all that day. Instead, I spent 3 hours putting together a microwave stand. It was easy to see that the directions had been created by men...they were just pictures. Luckily, everything was labelled according to the steps an the pictures weren't that hard to understand (IKEA could learn a thing or two from Canadian Tire). Anyway, I'm very proud that I put it together properly and that it actually does hold up my microwave. I went to a bbq at my cousins house later that night, for a well deserved glass of wine, and my uncle lectured me for not bringing the microwave stand to the house, where he and my cousin would have put it together for me. Yes, true, but I'm so proud of myself. My parents would best understand how terrible I am at assembling things. I have actually never assembled anything on my own. Even Jyo once chased me away from her nightstand because I was trying to help her assemble it and I ended up causing some major damage...

We were supposed to run 10k on Sun and none of us did. Shannon and Janice went golfing with the boys and I read a book in the sun (and slightly burned my right shoulder). So we will be going tonight to make up for it.

Jyo, her fiance Harj and her parents were in Victoria last night and we all went to dinner on the Harbour at the Wharfside eatery. We walked around the parliament buildings as Jyo's mom has never done that before and we took her inside the Empress as well. It was bloody cold out. Anwyay, Jyo is in town because today she graduates from Law School. Congrats Jyo!

Just another mountain

So I'm at a stage in my life where I must climb another mountain...or maybe several. I won't go into details just yet, but I will soon. I found this gorgeous picture of some mountains in Scotland and I just had to post it. I wonder what awaits on the other side? I asked my friends and I had one say "happiness" and another say "downhill" but downhill is over with so much sooner than uphill. It doesnt always seem worth it, the rush is overwith so quickly.

I've ran twice since Sunday, both just leisurely 5km runs. I discovered that my nikeplus needs to be calibrated. It's clocking me at 1km more than the run actually is. This is actually not a good thing. I knew the Elk/Beaver lake run was not 12kms! So I've been trying to calibrate the sport band (I forgot to when I got my new shoes), but for some reason it's not letting me, which is frustrating.

I'm taking today off running and I skipped lacrosse last night because I hadn't spent an evening at home in over a week and I had things to do. Phone calls to make, emails to answer and a mountain of laundry (see, another mountain). Anyway, I got it all done. I am planning an 8k run tomorrow night and on Saturday I joined a Nike online competition to see who can run the fastest 1km. I dont know why I joined because I won't win, but I do like to challenge myself.

Our weather is still really good. It's been 22-24 degrees all week, which is perfect for me. I ran during lunch at work this week, but no one joined me. The bosses are all in Ottawa for the next week, for the CAUBO conference, so I will be running alone next week too. That's ok though, I dont mind.

The new version of the Nike Sports Band has been released. I saw it and it looks exactly the same as the old one, however I'm rather pissed that Nike is dragging its heels on informing current recalled nike band owners how to replace their old sport bands. Mine works just fine but I want the new one!

That's all for now, cheers.

Elk/Beaver Lake

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, 24 with a slight breeze by the water. I spent the majority of the day at Jamie’s horse show, where she did very well. At 5pm, I met up with Janice, Shannon, Colin and the girls at the Elk side of the lake. The girls and I were going to run the lake and Colin was going to stay with the kids at the park. Janice and Shannon have never run the lake before and I was really excited for them because it’s such a beautiful trail.

Shannon and I were trying out our new water bottles, which attach to your hand when you run and you don’t have to worry about dropping it. We really need to learn to run with water because it’s necessary for the longer runs, especially in hot weather. Shannon said running with the water sloshing around really irritated her but I had no problems with mine. I almost forgot about it in my hand, and when I did remember it, I liked the rhythm of the water sloshing around in it. I took small sips throughout the run and had no problem with cramps.

The run was long, longer than anticipated. I’ve done the run several times and it is always approx 10k, but for some reason we clocked 12k. The run went really well for me, I wasn’t exhausted at the end of it nor was I winded. My calves hurt a bit and I felt like I was getting a splint in my left leg but today I’m fine. In fact, I felt like I could have kept going. This is probable because I ran at a slower pace than usual, which is good for me to do on the longer runs (at least until I get better). Janice had a tough go of it as her knee started to bug her around 5k but she’s a trooper and she ran through it. Shannon appeared to do great, although she said she was feeling some pain. However, at the end of it she said she was rethinking the half marathon. I think they both did terrific and I hope they want to run the lakes again next Sunday. I might be running alone…

For those of you who are not aware, Janice, Shannon and I have registered for the half marathon (21k) that takes place October 11th, 2009 in Victoria, BC. Yes, that is the day before Thanksgiving. It was Janice who talked me into it but I was the first of us gals to register. I’m nervous about it but I’m also confident that I can do it. That is why we are running together as often as we can, we are in training. We are also trying to motivate one another to keep up with our runs. It will be hard over the summer when the weather is hot and the beaches are calling. Not to mention keeping up with our runs when we are all on our respected holidays. However, I know we can do it. Four months and counting!

27 degree run

I love 27 degree weather; I would love everyday if it was 27 degrees. However…it makes it tough to run. I’m not at all conditioned to running in heat. I’ve read about people who run through deserts and the Grand Canyon and all that kind of stuff and I know I would never do that. But I had to run last night and I was in the mood to do a long run, well, long for me. So I ran from my house, down to Colwood and then back up on Goldstream Ave, past BP’s and back home. It’s about 8.5km and it was so hot! I’m very glad I drank 8 cups water at work yesterday; otherwise I would have died from dehydration. I need to learn to run with water. Janice said she saw an ad for a water bottle that attaches to your hand when you run and we’ve decided we’d like to try it out. I’m glad I went for the run though, I felt good after I got home and I can take today off.

I have to share my dream with you guys because it was so weird! I dreamed that I ran into Lance, Emma and Nicholas (Australian friends) at the airport. I have no idea why they were at the airport or why I was, but there we were. Anyway, they were heading back to Australia and I really wanted to go with them. So I did. I didn’t have my passport with me, just my purse, but the airlines let me buy a ticket. It wasn’t until I was on the flight that I started to panic. Oh my God, my parents are going to be upset and what about Millennium? It wasn’t very nice of me to leave and not give them any notice. That’s when I decided I would just go to Australia for a couple of weeks and then come back home. That’s when I woke up. I’m posting an aerial picture of the Great Ocean Road, south of Melbourne. It’s gorgeous and one of my favourite memories of Australia.