Gorilla's on the loose!

Well howdy folks. I sit here with a little bit of sickness in my throat. Don't get too close to your computer as you could breathe it in. I have a tough call for this evening. Do I trot and risk getting worse or do I trot and shake it off? I like the latter! So off to trot I go.

As for Saturday, it looks to be a little cool with potential rain or flurries so I think the default Eau Claire location will be the choice this week. Will we see you there? 9 am-ish? Help me lose my sanity and join me for a great morning.

Two weekends ago we went to Glenbow Ranch and had two surprises. First was a lovely day. I highly recommend the short trip out there to see the lovely Bow River Valley. Second was my peer pressure worked and resulted in Susan showing up for a morning trot with us, her first in almost a year. Thanks for sharing the day with Ally, Jodi, and me.

We had many of the gang do the annual Gorilla Run last weekend. What a lovely event it is. This year was 17 km of which the first third was all within the zoo. Three bouncy Siberian Tiger cubs, some howling Timber Wolves, a crouched Snow Leopard, and many more animals were at full attention as we all circled the zoo. I am pretty sure the one cub was looking at us all as their next great play toy. I guess a whack on the shins from a young tiger wouldn't be too hard? Ouch!

Speaking of ferocity, our little Westie Sadie joined Dave and I for a trip across the finish line of the race. I think she enjoyed being with uncle Dave AND all the animal smells at the zoo.

Uncle Dave and Little Sadie

John and Sadie

Good luck to Tamara who is off to the Niagara Falls Marathon this weekend. She said that the race will be a piece of cake, however the tightrope walk back to her car will be the challenge. Good luck Tamara!

As well, my Joints in Motion team for Lausanne leave one week today for their 10 km/half/full marathon options.

So many good people!

Hilary post race

The above girl is where I would like to take the story today. Seven years ago I started the Lausanne race with Willy, Ally, Christine, Elaine, and the rest of the crew. We were having a great time. Pictures, wine tasting, looking for the elusive WC signs (Do you know what they mean?) About the ten kilometre mark I came across this girl, hunched over and looking down at the roadside gravel. I thought "must be of interest" and wandered over. She had wondered the same as myself but had thrown up on the side.

Hilary McVey was a JIM participant from Regina, there with five of her girlfriends who all had trained together. She was new to the marathon distance and looked to her friends for support as they were faster/fitter than her. We continued down the road and chatted about her interest in rocks, she stopped a half dozen times to cover the pretty ones with vomit, but she could not figure out why she was so inclined to stop.

We went through a checklist of options; menstrual cycle, booze (wait, that was me), food, and finally liquids. It turned out all her fast friends had yogurt the morning of the race, something she had never had before. She surmised this was the reason they were fast. Well, she learned quickly that a change in habit can create a greater change in result.

We were able to calm the stomach down by the half and had a wonderful second half of the day. We crossed with bright smiles, arms high in victory, and a lesson learned. Habits are just that, something we are used to. It is important not to change things pre-event. If you have Tim Hortons coffee and a bacon breakfast sandwich ten minutes before you train everyday, then that is what your race should witness. Our training was where we experimented. Our race is where we show our perfection.

So good luck to you all these next two weeks. You have trained hard to reach these goals and will do well. Remember as well you are comparing your result to yourself. Did you take care of yourself today?

Harvesting a great weekend

Woo hoo! Long weekend is upon us! What to do? What to do? Run, hike, rest? I do know Friday will involve a jackhammer. Wish me luck! For those of you that wish to trot on Saturday why don't we do something we have never done? Yes, road trip! We will meet at Glenbow Ranch for a trot that includes *FREE* undulations! To get there, take Crowchild west toward Cochrane. you will see a big sign pointing left toward the valley. We will meet at the interpretive centre at a special time of 9:00am!

Who said training is all hard work?

Yes, it is time to head back to a later time so that Willy, Sharon, Susan, and the rest of the "I can't make it that early" group might have a chance to join us. We will keep 9 am through the winter months and lean back to 8 am around April.

Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park Foundation or Alberta Parks will help you find the way.

It has been 12 years since Ron from Telus wandered over to the Tech Shop to suggest a new event to be run in Fish Creek. He was looking for support for a half marathon in honour of Tracy Flagg who had recently passed away. Twelve years later Ron is still sweeping the course, ensuring those endurance athletes make it home from their tour of urban landscape, forest, prairie, and the largest swimming pool in Calgary.

I have trotted most of the Harvest Half events since then, skipping occasionally for trips to Budapest (wouldn't you rather too?) and beyond. But this race always seems to pull me back in. It is also my usual visit with two trotting pilgrims from Ontario, Mark and Susan, who were once part of our weekly brown pop and fatty foods group. Work and adventure pulled them away but you could always count on seeing them race weekend...except this one??? Did I just miss them?

This race was a little longer than the usual. If you were unfamiliar with the event you might have turned right vs. left at a critical junction of the race. Many of the endurance athletes unfortunately added three kilometres to their day and became a true 'Ultra-half-marathoner'. They seemed to enjoy the moniker and had little bad to say about the missing volunteer.

For myself and Tamara, we trotted her longest day to date, a 36 km meander through all parts of the park, eventually finding a willing dog in Sadie to welcome two sweaty individuals with licks-a-plenty. Tamara is off to Niagara Falls for the marathon in three weeks. She is well prepared to enjoy the day. Like my golf game, she will use the entire course to the fullest extent!

Christine is also off to another event, this one on Sunday in Chicago. Lucky bugger! She will be showcasing her best tinkerbell and leading Hubby D along the shores of Lake Michigan. And who can forget Carroll off to Portland to check out the city that her daughter almost moved to last year. Pamela, she wants you closer! Races all over this weekend including my favorite, the Victoria Marathon. Six times I have crossed that finish line, including my first in 1996. Forty-something marathons later it still holds a place in my heart.