Virtual Race Update

So today was day one of my virtual race for the 100 miles before Oct 10th. I went out for a run this morning along Cochrane’s pathways. I started at 530 this morning, and with thanks to person I work with, I was lent a headlamp.

Run details are here.

No pictures, cause I forgot to take them. Silly me. I followed up the run with at Crossfit workout. After all it is Wednesday. So needless to day, I am a little spent and quite ravenous.

Garmin Connect has a great tool for setting goals!

But my details to date for Barefoot Neil’s virtual race are as follows:

12.46km = 1:10:31 / 7.74 miles = 1:10:31

:-)

Run this winter

A few days ago, I posted about looking for Mukluks for running. Well I came across Manitobah Mukluks and I found exactly what I am looking for. I am to provide a bit of details and reports on running for them, so I will be doing that as I wear them this winter.

These are the boots. I ordered the tall one’s. They should be in by November.

I am SO looking forward to trying these out. The coolest part is that they have a Vibram sole, which is the same sole as the Five Finger shoes! Now I can pretty much barefoot it in winter, without the frostbite! Nice!!!

I have also accepted Barefoot Neil’s challenge of a 100 miles of running before Oct 10th in his first annual 2010 10-10 Virtual Race. Let’s see how it goes.

I have used the GOAL function on Garmin Connect so I can track on my watch just how far I’ve gone. It’s measuring distances for ALL activities, so I will have to be sure to only use my watch when I’m running.

Day 1 of Lorne’s Goals, 160km to go.

Wish me luck!

:-)

One of those mornings…

Well, I meant well when I found myself at the start of the run this morning at 530am in the Cochrane Farmer’s Market parking lot. I meant well when I said I would do a 12km loop up Big Hill. I meant well when I ran all the way up the hill. I meant well when my ankles started giving me grief. I meant well when I noticed my digestive system bouncing up and down. I meant well as I waddled over 2km back to the car. Uhg… one of the runs where things just don’t go well.
I started this morning at 530am in the Cochrane Farmer’s Market parking lot. I wanted up the hill to where I did my Wednesday run and then loop back down. I started off fine, setting a decent pace up the Big Hill in Cochrane. Then the batteries in my watch died. So no data.
Then I noticed my ankles weren’t bending as they should when I run. I stopped to check and found that my calves were unbelievably tight. Testament to improper stretching post run on Wednesday. So I plundered on in the early morning light, walking at a brisk pace to keep warm.
It sure was a beautiful morning though. Dawn was lighting up the skies to the east, and the twinkle of Cochrane below sure looked good. The mountains were fresh with a new layer of snow and lit up the west oh so well. If only I had my camera, my dear….
I started jogging again after walking on the balls of my feet and loosening up my ankles. It felt great! I got to the top of Big Hill, ready for my thrilling downhill. Then my stomach started sloshing and waves of peristalsis racked my body every 1-2 minutes. Gosh! It was over 2km back to the car, and there are washrooms at the parking lot. So I thundered down Big Hill’s trail as fast as I could and down through Sunterra Heights. More waves of bathroom desire. I had to start employing labour techniques that I learned from my wife when she was giving birth. All to prevent a rather embarrassing accident. It worked, holy smokes! I got down to the parking lot and, the washrooms were locked! Dang it! I hopped in the car and happily made it home.
But why the stomach thunking? It must be what I ate last night. Usually I run in the morning on an empty stomach and I’m fine! But perhaps whatever was in there was still lingering. So I need to work on my nutrition. Big time. The book I’m reading suggests eating like a poor person. So what, rice and beans? Corn and potatoes? I’m not really sure how to eat. I eat cause I’m hungry, and I usually prepare my own food. Isn’t that good enough? I’ll work on it.
No pictures today, I need my camera back. No GPS data today. My GPS battery lasts maybe 2 hours tops. Not the best start to a morning, but ambitious enough for my needs.
:-)

A Good Loop

I posted earlier about my 1/2 Tour de Cochrane on my bike. You can see that post here. Well my goal is to get that under 1 hour and I almost did. Last Saturday I headed out and biked it in 1:06:51. Data can be found here. It apparently took me only 914 calories to do. Mmmm, cheeseburger. Many of them :-)

This morning, being a Crossfit morning, we decided to head out for a run. I tend to follow the Marathon 250 blog, the fellow who is attempting to run 250 marathons this year. Well I noticed that he recently did the Retreat Road loop during one of his marathons. I knew there was a road there, but I did not know you could run it. So Mike and I did the loop.

Data can be found here. It is mostly gravel roads and tarmac, but at the end, it is an absolutely thrilling downhill as you run through the trees back to the cemetery. So much fun! I would have loved to have taken photos, but someone forgot their camera at someone else’s house. Ahem, missy :-)

Mike challenged me to enter the Crossfit games next year. In return, he is going to run the Powderface42 marathon next year. A good challenge. Crossfit will probably beat me up, but the full marathon at Powderface will be even more fun. I ran the half this past July, so the full should be even more fun!

Not too many photos to post today, but I will add a few from my trip last Spring to Yellowknife. Ahhh, memories.

Bullocks Bistro. Best fish I have ever had. Talk on your cell phone and they throw it in the deep fryer.

Flying over the old mines. So beautiful.

  Ice road to Detah. I just loved hiking around the on the lake. I was out till 930 at night and the sun stayed up the whole time! I love the north!

  Flying over Ft. Simpson along the McKenzie River. The closest I have ever been to the Nahanni. Someday Lorne, someday…

Bought me some snowshoes up there. Too bad when I got home all the snow was melted.

That’s all for now!

:-)

The Hunt Begins

So winter is coming up on us. Much to the dismay of others, but I for one delight in the arrival of winter. I love the cold. I love the snow. I love the perfectly clear nights. Nothing on earth can compare to a good winter. And the best part of all, when I’m done frolicking in the cold, there is a nice warm house and good of cup of tea waiting to warm me up. Ahhhhh…..

Manitobah Mukluks. Made in Winnipeg. Priced for New York.

Anyway, the hunt I am is not for animals nor things like that, but for a way to continue barefoot running in the sub zero temperatures, even all the way down to –40!!! I know, it sounds crazy, but those who know me know my love of winter. And being one who loves winter AND running, I would like to combine the two. Now I know if would foolishness to head out in sub zero temperatures in VFFs, so I am going for the next best thing; mukluks.

Redvers Mukluk. Made in Saskatchewan. Made of suede.

The natives have used them for centuries up north and all over North America, so why not me? They are perfectly made to run and hunt in the winters while keeping the feet warm in cold temperatures. The problem nowadays, however, is the fact that mukluks are made as a fashion accessory and therefore not very practical for taking a beating on the trails. Not to mention the price! Yikes!!! $300 to $400 for mukluks! Crazy! So I am hunting for mukluks, and if anyone who reads this blog (all 4 of you!) knows of mukluk retailers, let me know! I would love to keep up my barefoot running in winter. Trail running shoes and boots are out of the question.

Tecumseh Mukluk. Made in Calgary, I believe. Non-existent store-front (I think), and they too look like suede.

The mukluks need the following:

-soft, flexible sole

-full lacing up the calf

-wool lined

-moosehide or equivalent. No suede as it’s not durable and no canvas as it does not breathe

-some aspect of coolness, but this isn’t important.

I would even consider making my own pair if it came to it. Leather is easy to come by, and a needle and thread could probably go a long way. I’m trying to preserve my love of running and winter, both of which will never fade.

:-)

Le 1/2 Tour de Cochrane ala Bike in the AM before work cause it’s awesome to do yay!

Catchy title huh? I like it. It pretty much sums up my Thursday morning ride. Now that K country is swarming with bears and they are getting ready for hibernation, I figure it’s best to not to solo it in the morning. So out the front door I go to see what I can get done in the morning before work.

GPS data can be found here.

Exactly 22 km, so just over a half-marathon. Hmmm, to run this in under 2 hours would be a good accomplishment. I’ll try once the gash in my foot is healed.

The neighbourhood sleeps while Lorne prepares for his ride.

  In the dawn, there is light breaking the horizon, but barely enough to make out the surroundings.

Looking west, towards my beloved mountains. I know they’re out there somewhere.

Within minutes from the last photo, dawn is upon me and now I can see my surroundings.

At the southmost part of my ride, the sun is preparing it’s triumphant entry into a beautiful morning.

At the northmost point of my ride, the sun is up and the town awakens.

  My beloved mountains and homey cows. Good morning good ladies.

Within 10 minutes I would be home and getting ready to go to work. *sigh*…

I ride because I love to ride. It is a means into itself. No goals, no reasons, no motives. For the sake of moving, I suppose. Same goes for running. Just to feel the earth beneath my feet and the wind on my face. I’m in the right place!

:-)

Crossfit Wednesdays

This post was supposed to written yesterday, but my lunch involved eating about 2 pounds of lasagne at Van Gogh’s in Calgary. Highly recommended.
Anyway, to offset that energy intake, I do more than just run and bike. Once a week, I do Crossfit workouts. I met the owner of Crossfit when I first moved to Cochrane and before he even started the club when he was teaching spin classes at a local fitness facility. Push came to shove, and eventually he started Crossfit Cochrane and wanted someone to do workouts with (or with whom to do workouts). There actually was no pushing or shoving, I’m just being weird.
So yeah, here I am, putting out a shout out to the Crossfit club in Cochrane.

Generally, Crossfit clubs are usually garage-type gyms. None of that fancy stuff you see in other clubs. I like that.

The club is complete with squat racks, kettlebells, jump boxes, kids play area (nice touch M)…

…sledgehammers (still trying to figure out how to apply those to my workout), big overhead door…

  …rowing machines (gack!), medicine balls, climbing rope, chin up bars and rings. Notice that there are no mirrors in the gym? It makes you concentrate on your form rather than watch it. What a difference that makes! It’s weird to use mirrors after not using them.

  Owner M attempting a very heavy squat.

Good form! That’s 255lbs me thinks. We were trying to find our 1RM squat.

If you want to find out more about Crossfit, check out M’s site. I was intimidated by Crossfit at first, thinking that it is just hardcore-lift-until-you-die type workouts, but it’s not. Sure there are some that do that, but the exercises are very functional and very effective for everyday living. Under the right guidance and with proper technique, form and progression, it is a very effective workout style. I like it. M likes it. You may like it. Dunno who I’m talking to.

:-)