Yesterday I ran my 45th consecutive CRR XC Grand Prix race. I *heart* this series. All of these races begin at noon, so there’s time to sleep in, have a nice breakfast, warm up a pot of soup or bake some cookies, etc. before heading over to the parc-du-jour. I baked chocolate chip cookies and even remembered to pack my bowl, plate, cup and spoon for post-race lunch.

There was a long sign-up line-up in the parking lot at 11:35, but Leana kept me company and the line moved quickly. Check out her race report. It was her first time at one of our beloved soup races and we’re looking forward to having her back for more.

I started the race behind Dawn, with the usual penalty of having her snap a couple of photos of my backside as I passed her in the first flat loop at the top of the park. Les and I continued together through the dipsy-doodles of single-track dirt trails along the ridge.  Eventually I settled into a brisk pace between Julie and Barb, with Liesbeth close by and Helly a ways ahead.

We kibitzed back and forth as we negotiated the first switchback descents, and I tried not to think about what would happen if I fell on some of those roots and broken-off stubs of brush sticking out of the ground. In the trees half-way through the flat stretch along the bottom I said aloud to nobody in particular “This is where I usually get lapped.” As if on cue, the three front runners appeared behind me with a “HUP” and I made room for them to zip by.

I walked up the very steep hill, pulling over briefly for other faster runners to lap me along the way. I gasped for breath as I climbed and crested the hill, and then crazily headed back down through the switchbacks for more. Why just run one lap when I could enjoy two!

Halfway down the second time I remarked that I’d just died and gone to heaven, or was about to. Someone asked if that was because I was enjoying the race or suffering so much. I answered “Both.” You know how Calvin and Hobbes have those great conversations in the wagon as they careen off cliffs? Yeah, it was like that.

Near the bottom of the descent I had picked up a lot of momentum. I ran right over the single patch of ice without missing a beat and let out a whoop of joy as I barreled down the rest of the incline. Helly heard a couple of us coming and nearly pulled in front of me in a valiant attempt to get out of the way. I hadn’t given her any guidance as I was going too fast to decide, but thankfully I missed her.

Mowing down my role models is not a practice to which I aspire, but it’s happened before. Thankfully we all remained upright and I carried on with renewed motivation. I was sure that Helly would pass me back on the hill or up top on the plateau, but I still tried double-hard not to let her pass me back. She’s one heck of a competitor and stayed close on my heels. At one point I wasn’t sure which way to go due to ambiguous flagging. She caught up but pointed me in the right direction and off I went again.

The winding route along the top of the plateau back to the clock always kills me. I’ve always used so much of my breath and mental energy surmounting the hill that I feel like the race should be DONE! Just DONE! but it’s not. I chided myself with “Run now rest later” and worked as hard as I could to put a gap between Helly and me.

If Helly had fallen off the ridge or something, I would have gladly stopped to rescue her, but no, she dogged me mercilessly and I gave it more than what I thought I had left. We finished within seconds of each other, totally spent, grinning and grimacing with immense satisfaction.

Photo Courtesy of Dawn Henry aka "The Pink Chick"

Julie cheered us in, and we welcomed Barb and Liesbeth before heading over to the hall for soup, stories, and snacks.

Thursday night I showed up with my favourite motley crew for a run. I haven’t run much lately, so was happy to have the opportunity to get out with the gang. Only four of us met at the University’s Olympic Oval, but that was enough.

It was a gorgeous night for November, the high earlier that day having reached 20*C/68*F. It was dark and closer to 11*C/53*F by the time we met, so I wore shorts and a long sleeved shirt. I didn’t even bring my mitts or coat. The ground was dry and the wind didn’t pick up until I got home.

I had brought my headlamp for fun. I didn’t really need it, as we’d be running in well-lighted conditions, but I want to get used to the feel of it for when I do need it. As we ran south from the University I entertained Liesbeth by demonstrating the headlamp’s fun colours; red, green, white, blue, white strobe and red flashing, plus it has a rear red light that can remain solid or flash as well. It doesn’t have brake, reverse, or signal lights, though. It was very comfortable to wear. Several times I forgot I had it on.

We headed down to Hospital Hill by the Foothills Hospital and the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and proceeded to run repeats. Speedy Sander mentioned he was aiming for four hills, so I set my sights on two, in order to be ready to head back when he and Mike would be.

I was faster than I thought, or Sander took it easy, because mid-workout I realized I could fit in more than two straight hills. I got the bright idea (was that the headlamp talking?) to do a triple after the first climb. A triple involves climbing up 1/3 of the hill, then running down. Then climb 2/3 of the hill and run down. Then climb the whole hill. Oh yes, lots of fun. I even tacked on another half hill towards the end because I had time. I’m not sure where all that energy came from (maybe too much Halloween chocolate), but it felt good.

In the last couple of years, I’ve gotten in the pool in the weeks leading up to triathlons mainly because I had set race goals and needed to make sure I’d survive the water course before getting to the fun part of the race. Now I have no triathlon looming for several months, but I’m still swimming at least once a week. I like it.

Last week I swam, but didn’t feel particularly strong. I still enjoyed the water, and the stress relief of moving through it.

It’s becoming less and less of a challenge to survive from end to end. I make less breathing mistakes and concentrate more on form.

Last night I decided it was time to incorporate flip turns into my laps. Flip turns are not a necessary skill for open water swimmers, but I have a long winter of pool swims ahead. Since reading Leana’s flip description I’ve tried to flip once or twice per swim session, but last night I flipped about 50% of my turns. Out of those, I estimate 50% again looked and felt successful.

All of my flips still feel like they’re in very slow motion, and for many of them I get totally discombobulated, but I’m learning to keep my eyes open and remember which way is up. I whacked my ankle bone against the top edge of the pool once. Ouch. Didn’t do that again.

When I flipped in a way that felt good, I flew to the other end to do it again. When my flip didn’t turn out so well, I still hurried to the other end to redeem myself with a better one. My laps became less of a long slog between ends and more of a short interval between the challenges of flipping. I also had the added benefit of not being tempted to rest at each end, so I swam more continuously throughout the 50 minutes in the pool.

I toyed around with flippers, a flutter board and one of those peanut-shaped leg float thingies in between regular laps. I’m looking forward to next week.

Creek Crossing - Photo courtesy of Dawn Henry

This weekend we got to run one of my favourite races, the CRR XC 3 x 4k relay. I know I said earlier that the River Park Classic is one of my favourite races; so is this one. In fact, nearly all of the Grand Prix series are my favourites most of the time, except Nose Hill and Fish Creek, but those are growing on me.

This race is the shortest of the series, with most folks running one leg of not quite 4 km. The course seems deceivingly easy, as it is in a groomed, mowed park. We run on grass more than dirt and there’s only one particularly steep (but mercifully short compared to other courses) hill. I most enjoy the creek crossings, which come close to the end. The first crossing has rocks placed so that you can stay dry if you’re careful. I treat second crossing like a huge puddle and plunge on through.

This year I pushed strong and hard through the whole race, but still ended up with one of my slowest times. There was an extra dip somewhere out there, I think. The ground was damp and the air was chilly, but not really cold. I had two great teammates, Derek and Sander. They breezed through the course and we had a great time.

I had two bowls of soup afterward; one of Derek’s curry zucchini soup, and another bowl of something hearty with beans and peas and carrots in it. Yum. I love “soup races”.

Today I took some time out from work for a lunch run. I headed over to the square at Eau Claire first, in case anyone from the Start Line had decided to embrace the day in the same way. I waited 5 minutes and then headed out on my own.

It was a lovely day for a run. The sun shone and I chided myself for bringing a jacket and mitts. I ran along very comfortably in short sleeves. I headed up Center Street Bridge and across McHugh Bluff, where I enjoyed a nice view of downtown and the river.

View from McHugh Bluff

Just as I was deciding which dirt trail to take down the slope, I heard someone call my name. A former running buddy, Sylvie, was out on her bike and recognized me. We shared a big hug and a nice chat. After that it was all downhill from there as I bounded down the goat trail into Sunnyside, back across the river, and back to work.

2009XCRvrPk190, originally uploaded by Dawn – Pink Chick.

I splashed through this stretch of water twice at the Calgary Roadrunners River Park Classic XC race a couple of weeks ago. Well, I splashed through some of it. A few yards of it were up to my knees with a current over slick big rocks, so I was more careful there.

It was a chilly day and I’d seen airborne snowflakes enroute to the start, but we layered up before and after the race. For a laugh, I donned my swim goggles and joked that I should have brought my wetsuit. We got to run a nice warm-up loop before hitting the water, so it felt quite refreshing by the time I got there.

On the way out we got to climb up that steep bank on the other side, then worked our way left and right through the park, up to the top of the valley, and across a ridge. I high-fived Little Runner who was course marshaling with a friend, and screamed down the dirt path back to cross it again.

After that fun I settled in for the second loop, which involved a nice tree-lined loop through crunchy leaves and a challenging climb up to a plateau. I ran a loop around a meadow about the size of a football field, and then it was all down hill from there to the finish.

I felt strong and pain-free. It was my 43rd CRR Grand Prix race in a row, and I was 43 years, 34 days old. I was aiming for 43 minutes, 34 seconds, but contented myself with 46 minutes, 13 seconds.

Dawn the Pink Chick took this shot and has more photos of the race on her flickr site.

One of the best things about autumn running is that all that slogging I put in over the summer finally pays off. When I’m running in warm weather it always feels like so much work to get through a run, but take that same fitness and effort into a perfectly cool, breezy day and I feel nearly invincible.

Today I ran my usual route of single track dirt paths through the doggy parks near home. It had rained earlier in the morning, but by the time I got out the precipitation had ceased and there was only the cool wind to whip my face and hone my focus. I didn’t run up every hill, but I ran up several that I usually walk, and felt stronger for longer than I usually do.

Upon entering one of the parks I was greeted by a huge, golden german shepherd with a lolling grin. He bounded up the hill beside me and his owner at the top said “I think he wants to run with you.” I grinned back “They all do!” I don’t think I’ve ever run across a grumpy dog in that park. They’re all just so happy to be off leash.

On the way back I ran through some gravel alleys that still held puddles. I jumped in a few for fun. We haven’t had much rain this year. I must enjoy the puddles before they all freeze over.

After the run I ate some leftover pizza and then set to baking. I filled the cookie jar, made bread, and cooked up a beef burgundy in the slow cooker.

The Little Mermaid was very patient while I played domestic diva in the kitchen, so we headed to the pool for an hour before dinner as a reward.

Good run, good food, good time with the kiddo this weekend – I’m going to sleep well tonight.

Yesterday Little Runner and I went to a Bikefest by the river path near the Pumphouse Theatre and had our bikes tuned up for FREE while we ate apples and muffins and chatted with local vendors like Mountain Equipment Co-op and Community Natural Foods. Little Runner enjoyed test driving a folding bike, and she won a Cocoa Camino Espresso chocolate bar by doing a barrel ride exercise on her bike in under 30 seconds.

While we were out on the pathway, we rode to Angel’s Cafe in Edworthy Park in the west for ice cream, and then east all the way downtown to see lion statues on the Center Street bridge before heading back to the car. It was a good long ride together and a perfect day for it.

Tuesday I was on my own for a lunch run, so I covered a slightly different route from the usual. Near Prince’s Island Park I settled in behind a couple of runners I thought I would try to keep up to, whom I nicknamed “Bubbles and Curly”. Bubbles had a tank top with a bubbly pattern, and curly had a big thick curly ponytail.

Bubbles and Curly were faster than I initially thought, but I did my best to keep them in sight as they headed up up up the Center Street bridge. I lost them near the top, but they’d served their purpose, which was to pull me up the hill.

I thoroughly enjoyed the run back down the satisfyingly steep Curling Club hill, along the south side of the river, and across the 10th St C-Train bridge before heading back to the office.

It was the first run I’d done on my own, at my own pace, since the Alberta Challenge triathlon back in August. It felt good.

Last Saturday the 12th, I had some fun organizing a bowling party for a bunch of us at work. We all had a good time and I bowled one of my best games ever.  Here’s a shot of me during the silly game, with someone else about to bowl between my legs:

Silly Bowling Game

Sunday the 13th in the morning, Little Runner and I showed up with some coworkers and family members for the Terry Fox Run. This is a fun, very casual event where one can sign up that morning before the run, or earlier on-line. There is no set fee to run, just give what you feel you can. One can still donate to the cause even now.

Little Runner and I mostly walked the 5k, with some fun jogs towards the end to see who would stay ahead. There were hot dogs afterward, and it was fun hanging out with happy runners and walkers.

That afternoon I thought we might head to the last day of Spruce Meadows horse jumping, but Little Runner wanted to become Little Mermaid again, so we went to the pool instead. I didn’t complain at all.