Another Sunday and we received another great sunrise! The start to our morning was dark, but it is really something else to watch the sun rise and get higher as the run progresses. We had a great s-l-o-w run as we stopped to appreciate the view along the road, encouraged by a herd of deer as they would run and stop to see where we were then went a bit further, stopped to check our progress, and so on for a little while. (I'm choosing to NOT think they were teasing us, or having a laugh at our expense!)

I have never been out to Beaudry park before, nice! There was a time last year we had planned a bike there and a run around the trails, but we didn't make it that far before turning home. The run this week was not to far as we are getting the body used to doing the 15-18 mile distance, without injury! So this run was about the 13 mile, and we are going back up to a 16-18 mile on Sunday.... So is the plan...... that may change?

Some humour along the route? This was seen at the map site... yes! that is a hand poking through the ice!

The beauty of the park is definitely worth another trip back one day soon!

Wishing you all a great week!

Nicole

Long Run Sunday March 28/10

   We'll meet at Tim's for 6 am and head out for 17-18 miles.  There will be some new trails.  No need to eat breakfast prior as we will be having a potluck mini picnic at the half way point. I'll bring granola balls.  We are not increasing mileage this Sunday as we feel  a need to settle in at this distance before bumping it up.  My apologies for the early start time. Most of us have to be home at a decent hour due to young families needing our attention.   Some of us will be at Tim's a little before 6 sucking back some pre run caffeine.  Feel free to join us.

Gail

Again I have arrived at another Friday. Safe and sound, mostly.

Last Sundays run was a nice 10km around the zoo. I initially found the thought of doing 5 laps around hard, but it got easier and I was able to scout the trail/road/paths better. My husband had some swim shoe issues which hurt his feet, something inside rubbed a huge blister into his heel, but he was incredibly brave and went completely barefoot for at least a full km. This of course caused me to feel that I had to keep up and loose the shoes as I went along. Admittedly though it was a bit too pebbly for me and I don't think I did half the distance that he did. Being completely barefoot did slow me a bit as I was carefully watching where my feet landed. I don't do well with pain, we are not friends. I did have a great run with a personal best, and a personal joy of having the opportunity to race with my husband!

The morning started off with a beautiful sunrise and a half awake teenager greeting us with some grunts at her door as we dropped off our kids on our way. A huge THANK YOU to our awesome niece O for the 2 hours we had to go and run together, without her one of us would have had to sit and watch with the kids. This is a thought that one day I think I would like to take the kids to see my husband run one of these races....... We'll see.

This weekend is still on the discussion table... who wants to run 3hours? 4 hours? trail? road? so many questions, so little time...... ooooooo then there is always biking somewhere to run? Let us know your thoughts...

Nicole

Long Run Sunday March 21/10

Sorry for  the late notice.  There won't be a group run tomorrow due to the Polar Run.

Yesterday I  found myself in the town of Stonewall and decided to slip away for a run in the middle of the day.  The sun was out and the town was beautiful,  but what struck me most were the people that crossed my path.  Every single person I ran by looked right at me and said hello or good afternoon.  It was a wonderful feeling to acknowledge each other's presence on a beautiful sunny day.  One day it might be nice to run there and back  just to experience it again.....

The cancelled run

Last Sundays' long run did not go as we had originally planned. The Polar Bear Run needed to be cancelled at the last minute and so we were left disappointed. Waking up Sunday morning for me was incredibly hard, I had felt so deflated from the cancellation that I could have slept the day away. Thanks to G and C for getting me up, out, and throwing a new experience at me. I had been looking forward to a bit of a spiritual experience along the way, usually finding lessons and all as we go. The lesson I experienced was not the one I thought. Instead of endurance (although that was there), I found that G was the one to recognize that the lesson had changed, it was now about going out in the face of disappointment and doing what we had wanted to accomplish in the first place, 17 miles!

So I'm going to tell you about a trail run today. Let me first tell you that not all trails are created equal! I have been encountering some very nice trails in the city, as there are more being paved with asphalt and still more with the gravel. Winnipeg is really adding to their bike paths around the city and it is great to have the ability to get 'off road' experience. Although I was not aware that I will no longer consider this a 'trail'! Not after Sundays run.

Trail now, in my mind, consists of more dirt, trees, tree roots, brush, and sometimes finding (making) your own trail along the way! Sometimes you can not see a trail and yet you will find that getting from here to there will create one in your mind and that is the trail at the time. Careful where you step! The river was low and we ran along it in several places as we went from St. James to St. Mary's and Bishop Grandin. I think I enjoyed the new experience (I guess I'm not one for bugs and getting dirty) and am looking forward to trying that again. I would like to get over my not liking bugs and getting dirty. This is where we found a bit of dirt....

I did mention that we were trying out new gear today. For this Polar Bear run G and I had got platypus bags for the back packs. I think I like this way of carrying water. It seems easier and lighter than bottles of water. Not hat it is lighter but definitely easier to carry in form as the weight doesn't bang around on my back. I also had the gortex socks on for this run. They definitely kept my feet dry! I'm not sure though, I found them maybe a bit snug? I'm still undecided, but i did like the thought that bugs probably couldn't get through them.

Now, here is a TRAIL!>>>>>>>>>>
Notice a difference? Definately need to watch where you are going on this one!>>
I will leave you with a few pictures from Sundays' run.

This could be why the lake run was cancelled?

I guess you had to be there to get the full effect of me screaming "get them off me!" I don't like stuff stuck to me either! Another thing to get over in the future!

A nice pathway at the forks.







A beautiful finish to 17 miles!



Have a great week everyone!

Sunday March 14th

Tomorrow, 7am Tim's! Guess we should use this to test out some new equipment. Thanks G.

Nicole

Cancellation?

I guess this happens...

This is so hard to write....

It just doesn't seem real....

Tomorrow morning has been cancelled on account of the conditions!

Only in Manitoba could this happen, that it could be too warm in March to run across the lake! I will NOT put up with ANYONE complaining about our weather! So tomorrows run is on hold as we figure out where and when we are going out. I am currently deflated and will be looking for inspiration tonight, and tomorrow morning. There is a lesson here, I'm just not ready to see it yet.

Have a nice night and enjoy the weather!

Nicole

A new level of Insanity?

So here we are, coming to another weekend, another long run Sunday around the corner. We are very apprehensive about this run as we have signed up for a 'trail' run adding some mileage to our last weeks 16 miler. This run is about 17 miles, but it will be on some new terrain for us.

It is always nice to know you are about to have a new experience...... Although it can be a bit scary too!

So here it is, our starting point will be at Willow Island road and Snowman trail, one mile south of Gimli, 8am! We will be running to Grand Marais...ACROSS THE LAKE.

So I have this need to explain a sermon I heard this week, actually there were two on the same subject, Monster Faith and Getting in Over your Head. They seem appropriate for this weekends run. It is all about how when we get in over our heads we then seem to recognize the need for help. I think that is where God sometimes likes us to be, in over our heads, because we seem to rely on Him way more than if we stay safely on shore. Thinking this was a lesson I seem to keep having to relearn over and over, I realized that I just may need some more practice every now and then. Kind of a reminder that it isn't all me, and of course, how much more I can do when it's not all me.

So that's the plan, get in over me head (I'm still bringing extra supplies, water, clothes, compass, power bars) then hold onto prayer as we run across the lake. WooHoo. In checking with all my other senses, I am really at peace with the decision to go on this crazy ass run. Which really makes me wonder.....

Nicole

Updates

 Congratulations to C for completing the Hypothermic Half  sub 1:50!  We haven't seen him in a few weeks and look forward to running with, I mean behind ( way behind) him next weekend.

Word is that the ice on the lake will be fine for next Sunday's run, even though we are having warm weather.  We will be running on a skidoo trail which makes me very happy because I imagine it to be a nicely groomed path.    The only thing we need to worry about is getting back to the other side of the lake post race to retrieve our vehicles.

Gatorade ice cubes are working very well  and we plan to stick with them on long runs for the rest of this season.

Looks like we may be finished with the mukluks for this year. I am still going back and forth between ratty old running shoes and swim shoes. I only needed to use mukluks a few times as this winter has generally been mild. Nicole has been able to stick with minimal footwear this entire season, so hats off to her.  Heads up to others who may switch to old shoes for  winter running.  Old shoes may still provide some cushioning and you may find that you have to transition all over again when you switch back, which is what I am presently doing.

Happy  trails and see you next week!

Gail

PS:  If anyone is looking to  run the Polar Bear Run ( 30 K across Lake Winnipeg), leave a comment and we will forward the organizer's number to you.

Long Run Sunday March 07/10

Just a quick post as we are  busy with family stuff and all.  We'll meet at 5:30 am at Tim's on Westwood and Portage with the goal of running to The Forks and back.   It will likely be a winding route as we have to stretch it out for 16 miles.   We will have to mind our footwear as it might be slushy.

Hypothermic half 2010 Winnipeg

What an amazing week! So far?....

Sunday started us off with the hypothermic half marathon, and that was an amazing day. Along the road that was set for our race trail we found some inspiration to keep us moving, thank you to whoever did this as I was most impressed.....

This was seen as we were running by and I wasn't sure I read it right so I had to go back to see it again (only on race day!), and of course get the picture. As you can tell, timing is not our focus. We are considering distance and really trying for that rather than our timing. This particular race is also making sure we add to our consistancy for distance. 2 weeks ago we did 14 miles, last week we did 6 miles so this week we came back to a 13 miler and faired well enough to see what is up this weekend. Still focussed on a distance run of personal bests in the next month. How accurate this sign is. At this point in the race things were going well, and the other signs that followed kept us smiling as we carried on. Of course we couldn't just pass by and not acknowledge the work someone had put into this great event. It was my first winter half marathon.

This is my friend! This is an appropriate sign just for her........ think big! Our excursion in a couple of weeks is her idea, of course I didn't say no!....

I am finding it hard to run without a smile! I can't say thank you enough to whoever went to all this work! I had such a great day and this really topped it off for me....... and it was all before 10am!

This is what it says.>>

Definitely someone who runs was here. I find it interesting how running can parallel living.

And how true these signs are...

If you were out there you know they were placed along the trail on page 2 of the run map, to greet us and to inspire us along the way. Again, Thank You!

One last photo to show off what an extraordinary day we all had out there, this is less than 2 miles from the finish as we are almost home.

Of course in my mind I'm wondering where all these hills came from out here in Winnipeg?

Have a great rest of the week and we will hopefully see you out there.... Sunday?

Nicole

Vibrams Spotted

While in the washroom trying to preserve my dignity after completing the Hypothermic Half,  overheard a crowd of women cackling over a certain pair of shoes. Stumbling  out of the stall I noticed a woman wearing a lovely pair of vibrams,  surprised she can pull it off in February.  This is the first person outside of our little group I have seen wearing them.

Nicole snapped this gorgeous picture somewhere around mile 10.
We seem to see something beautiful on every  long run and it is a wonderful gift to experience it.