Seek the Peak

Yesterday Nicole and I took part in Seek the Peak. It is a 16km route that starts from Ambleside at the seawall in West Vancouver and ends at the chalet at the top of Grouse Mountain after gaining 1000m of elevation.

The event can be run as a relay and there are 4 different stages. We decided to register solo and run the whole thing together. The first stage was only 3.5km, which we ran. When we got to stage 2, which was 6km, we starting walking more, mostly because it was through the Capilano Canyon, which is so beautiful and we were really enjoying ourselves. I really want to go back and walk around some more. I loved the narrow canyons and deep, clear water.

The third stage started at the base of the Grouse Grind. We finished the grind in 58 minutes, which is our second fastest climb this year so far. It was great! I was wearing my running hat and it really helped to get in the zone and climb. With my head down, the visor blocked out everything that wasn't a step or two away and then all there was to do was to keep marching on.

The clouds were really low and so as we neared the top it started to get misty. It was very refreshing. Once at the top of the grind there was only one more stage to go! We followed a route marked by little pink flags over trails, dirt roads and sometimes uneven grassy areas to the very peak of Grouse mountain and turned around at the Peak Chair. As we headed down we realized we were very close to finishing in under 3 hours and although we hadn't felt the urge to rush and had no time goal, this seemed like a good opportunity. We were almost back and came around the bear area and both grizzlies were right there! But we had no time to stop! It is so cool to see those animals. They are huge. Only had time to glance over our shoulders as we ran through a mucky, uneven meadow and back onto the trail. Just down and around the corner and we crossed the finish line together into the little plaza area at the top. Hooray!

We agreed that this race is at the top of both our lists. The scenery was fantastic, it's a big challenge, you get to see bears, and Grouse Mountain is a fabulous place to be. :) We went inside the chalet and before catching the tram back down to the parking lot we shared a veggie panini and a huge plate of poutine. I was home by one and then barely an hour later Luke and I were out the door and heading to Buntzen Lake for Loranda's birthday. Busy!

Pampered Chef Sale!

I have a bunch of Pampered Chef products for sale. Some are brand new, some have been used as demos a few times. Let me know if you are interested! More product information can be found at www.pamperedchef.com.

Excited for summer

There's always something to be excited about. :) Now that running is over and the weather seems to be turning around summer plans are definitely taking shape. The marathon in Tofino last weekend (June 8th) was tough but it's done and I'm not afraid to boast that I have run 3 marathons and I've got the medals to prove it. :) Not planning on running any more for a while. Well, I guess until July 6th since Nicole and I have decided to sign up for the Seek the Peak event. You can do it as a team, relay or solo and since there's only the 2 of us, we are going to be registering solo and doing the whole thing side by side. It's only 16km (10miles) and having just run 42km I'm not at all worried about that part. I am, however, a bit worried about the 1000m elevation gain and the fact that it's a race and I don't really consider myself to be a "racer", but whatever. Says right on the website that it's not strictly for elite athletes. We're trained and we're suckers for punishment and Grouse has a special place in our hearts, particularly Nicole's since she was married up top last summer. :)

I'm so happy the weather has warmed up. We tried to hike Hollyburn Mountain on Saturday morning but there was too much snow. A few more days like today though and we should be fine. After the (aborted) hike we went out to Abby to help the Closs' go through Luke and Loranda's old stuff in preparation for their move. Luke and I came home and decided to finally finish our apartment cleaning and we hit the den like a tornado. We are not planning on moving for some time and we needed to make space and get rid of junk so a few weeks ago we started a major clean up. It feels so good to have it all finished. We've brought countless bags down to the trash and recycling, made a big trip to the Salvation Army and have 4 big boxes of stuff destined for a garage sale. We were ruthless, and have been rewarded with empty drawers and space on shelves that were jam-packed before. Things are neat and tidy and we are quite pleased with ourselves.

Nicole and I bought our passes for Grouse and have made 3 trips up the grind so far with Beth and Mel. First time this year took us (Nicole, Beth and I) 1hr12min, second time (Nicole, Beth, Mel and I) was 1hr30min and Sunday morning Nicole and I went looking for a good workout and finished in 1hr1min.

It was a great morning. I scooted to the grind and met her there at 7:40. The roads were empty and it was a beautiful day. It was exhilerating scooting over the bridges surrounded by and taking in the scenery and I was very surprised to get to the grind and see that the parking lot was more full then than it was on Thursday after work when we went up. Coming down the tram it was interesting to see the type of folks who'd just made the climb. Not everyone gets out of bed that early to climb 800m. On the trail there were two teenage boys that raced past us at the beginning. We caught up to them resting at the quarter mark and they took off again. Saw them resting again at the halfway mark and when they saw us they got up and reluctantly started up again. At the 3/4 mark they were sitting down and we passed them. I could see them a few switchbacks down as we neared the top and we muttered to eachother that we weren't going to let them pass us, perfect "turtle and the hare" demonstration. We pushed it to the top and swiped our cards just as they were coming out of the trees. What a workout! Normally my heartrate drops pretty quickly, but I had to walk this one off for a few minutes. Haven't felt that nauseous-bust-a-lung feeling in a while - it was great. :)

For Father's day yesterday Luke and I went sailing with mom and dad. We had clear blue skies and enough of a wind to sail for a while. Luke and I are feeling pretty confident that we could take the boat out on our own now. We went to Clark Island, bbq'd some dinner and sailed home as the sun was setting. I put some photos up on my flickr page.

We're planning a sailing trip for the Canada Day long weekend and I'm excited. Should be a lot of fun. I've also got lots of ideas for hikes this summer. We post those and our upcoming grind trips on our wiki. Check it out!

Adios for now amigos!!

Causing mayhem in the city

Luke, Nicole, Shawn and I joined the Critical Mass bike rally last night. It was the first time I'd joined such a ride and it was a blast. Here is the route that we took:



It was pretty fun causing havoc for Friday commuters. Some accepted the fact that they were going nowhere, many complained, a few tried to penetrate the masses of bikes and ended up being swarmed by cyclists and trapped. The parade of bikes was kilometres long. It was so cool to see the cyclists fan out when we'd get to an unblocked intersection to position themselves in front of the cars to hold the area open for the flood of bicycles (it's called corking). It was wonderful being able to ride on the road with no cars. We stopped in a few places to allow everyone to catch up. Once on the top of the Burrard Bridge and then again on the top of the Lions Gate bridge. We basically stopped traffic completely on the Lions Gate. We rode to the apex, stopped for a while and then turned around and rode back through Stanley Park and into the city. We even had the counterflow lane heading to the bridge along the causeway. :) It was so beautiful at the top of the bridge! The ocean was gold from the low sun and everyone was smiling. Even a few of the drivers got out to admire the view. They were so lucky to be stopped there!

There were thousands of bikes. It was so much fun. I especially liked it when someone would call out "We're not blocking traffic!" and everyone would shout back "WE ARE TRAFFIC!!" This week has been "bike to work week" and the weather was wonderful so the turnout was great. It is supposed to be even bigger next month since June is "bike month". I'm hoping to join that ride too. I left the group after Stanley Park when we got to Burrard. That was nearly 3 hours of riding and I was tired, hungry and had a pretty sore bum.

Vipassana

One week ago I returned from a 10-day Vipassana retreat as taught by S. N. Goenka. It took place at the Vipassana Meditation Centre of BC which is located off the Coquihalla 30km east of the tollbooth. I'd like to share my experience, but I'm hesitant because of the influence it could possibly have on future students' expectations and also because it's difficult to put into words an experience like this. Everyone's story is unique and here I will share some of my thoughts and interpretations.

I drove to the retreat with four other people; three of us were new students, one woman was returning for her second course and one woman for her third. It was reassuring to learn that people return to these retreats! We left the city at 11:30am and pulled into the driveway of the centre just after 2pm. Registration was from 2-5pm followed by orientation and a light supper. We were to gather together that evening for the introductory discourse to prepare us for the first day of the course.

The discourses were given every evening at 7pm and were video recordings of Goenka discussing the technique and theory of Vipassana. His discourses were always a pleasure to listen to. Questions I had during the day were often answered during the discourse that night. Goenka also introduced and concluded the led meditation sessions via audio recordings. I was already aware of this format going into the course but had I not known I can see how it would have been surprising to hear a strange man's voice come over the speakers while the teachers meditated at the front of the room in perfect stillness.

The first evening we were all to agree to the five precepts and we repeated them aloud to the teachers. The five precepts are as follows: abstain from killing, abstain from stealing, do not tell lies, abstain from all sexual activity and abstain from all intoxicants. Old students had three more precepts to follow: abstain from eating after midday, abstain from sensual entertainment and bodily decorations and abstain from using high or luxurious beds. Agreeing to these precepts and requesting in unison to be taught Vipassana from our teachers marked the first of three parts to the training. By laying this ethical framework we were establishing sila, or moral conduct, onto which we would build samadhi, or concentration of the mind through Anapana meditation. Thirdly, panna, or wisdom, follows through regular Vipassana meditation practice.

Noble silence was instated at the end of the discourse and at 9pm we went to bed. Lights out at 10. Noble silence is silence of body, speech and mind. There was to be no further contact with those around us. No speaking, no gesturing - we were to act as if we were completely alone. If a problem were to arise we were to address the teachers or the designated management personnel. There was one individual for the men and one for the women as men and women are separated. The silence was relatively easy. Everyone co-operates and it really wasn't difficult. There was the odd time you'd want to hold a door open for someone, say "bless you" when they sneezed, or let them pass in the lunch line, but everyone understood, as far as I could tell. Silently my 2 roommates and I got into our beds and went to sleep, not really sure what to expect over the next 10 days.

Day 1:
At 4am the gong sounds. It's a nice chime, but it's so early. At 4:25 it sounds again and by 4:30 we are to be meditating in our rooms or in the meditation hall. The first day, everyone went to the hall. I went into the hall and sat down in the space designated to me the night before, not knowing what to expect. The first 3 days we learn Anapana meditation. Today we are simply observing the breath. The natural breath, unregulated. We are learning to be aware of the inhalations and the exhalations. When my mind wanders... I am to gently, kindly bring it back. It's ok, the mind wanders, come back to the breath. We meditate from 4:30 to 6:30. The schedule every day went like this:

4am - wake up
4:30-6:30 - meditate in your room or in the hall
6:30-8 - breakfast and rest
8-9 - first group sitting in the hall
9-11 - meditate in your room or in the hall according to the teacher
11-noon - lunch and rest
noon-1pm - interviews with the teachers
1-2:30 - meditated in your room or in the hall
2:30-3:30 - second group sitting in the hall
3:30-5 - meditate in your room or in the hall according to the teacher
5-6 - tea
6-7 - third group sitting in the hall
7-8:15 - evening discourse
8:15-9 - final meditation in the hall
9-9:30 - questions for the teacher or rest
10 - lights out

The breakfast bar was the same everyday: oatmeal, toast, granola, fruit, herbal tea. Most days I would either go outside or take a nap after eating. At 7:55 the gong would sound and we would head into the hall for the first of three group sittings. We would often receive new instructions in the previous night's discourse and then work on those things during the subsequent sessions. Goenka would chant and talk us through the first few minutes and then it would be silent. After about an hour his voice would come in over the speakers chanting "anicca....", which is "impermanence" in Pali. This word was repeated many, many times throughout the course. The sitting would conclude with him chanting in Pali "May all beings be happy" three times. We all agree by repeating "sadhu" three times.

I meditated in the hall for the first couple days and then started staying in my room when it was ok to do so. Our window faced east and it was so nice to see the sun rise and fill the room with gold. My room was also more comfortable and I felt more relaxed, sometimes too relaxed though and I'd have to get up and walk around from time to time to stay awake.

The first day went by quite quickly and I fell asleep pretty easily, despite it barely being dark out. In the first few hours of the day I'd already meditated more than ever before in my life. It wasn't easy but it wasn't hard either... yet. Focus on the breath, I can do that. I do that in my yoga practice all the time. Sitting comfortably was harder, but there were shelves full of cushions and other props to try. Some people built themselves elaborate supports but I managed to get by with a backrest, my meditation cushion and 2 small cushions for under each knee, as well as a blanket for the chilly mornings. I was impressed by those who could sit with hardly anything and not move an inch throughout the sittings.

Day 2:
Today we are focusing on the triangular area encompassing the nose and nostrils and the top of the upper lip. Noticing where the breath touches and observing it. At first I didn't feel it very much. The mind chatter would get louder, I'd notice it, come back to breathing and then feel the touch again. Already my mind feels clear. I'm rocking this. Then, as a defense mechanism, my mind fought back and I became completely distracted. Our minds build walls for protection and habit patterns are developed to help us react, but these reactions often lead to suffering and the habits must be broken. I had trouble focusing for the rest of the day and into the evening. I had a hard time falling asleep and when I woke up the next morning I signed up to speak to the teacher to see if she had any advice on how to deal with a mind that was trying to sabotage my efforts to reach enlightenment.

Day 3:
Today we narrow our focus and become mindful of the area below the nostrils, above the upper lip. We are concentrating on smaller and smaller areas to further sharpen our minds. I talk to the teacher today after lunch and she tells me that what I had been experiencing the previous day and throughout this morning is very common and she tells me to keep coming back to the breath. These thoughts, however distracting are impermanent. They won't last. I'm feeling much better by the evening. It's very quiet here. After 3 days of Anapana meditation, tomorrow is Vipassana Day and I'm looking forward to it.

Day 4:
Vipassana Day! The morning carries on as usual but there are no midday interviews and at 2pm we are summoned to the hall by the gong. We are to undergo our first "sitting of strong determination." Here we sit completely still for the duration of the session. For our first Vipassana meditation we are led through for 2 hours by Goenka. We start at the top of the head and move down to the tips of the toes observing any and all sensations that come up. We are to observe the sensation (heat, cold, tingling, prickling, itching, throbbing, pulsing, etc). Observing the sensation without feeling any craving or aversion and watching it arise and pass is essential to fully understand the physical nature of impermanence. It becomes habit to react without thinking to our environment and as we develop cravings and aversions to these stimuli, our habit patterns become more deeply ingrained. Everything passes, everything changes; it is senseless to wish it otherwise because that is impossible and to wish it so only causes suffering. How I choose to react will determine whether I suffer or whether I am happy. It is only up to me. In the discourses, Goenka would talk about the importance of experience. It is easy to read books, to learn theory, but to actually practice and learn through experience is essential for complete understanding. And complete understanding is essential for liberation from misery and suffering. I feel like I have a lot of work to do.

Sitting still for 2 hours is HARD. First it was my knees that started aching, then my back. I think I moved once or twice. After the 2 hours I stood up slowly, feeling the blood rush back into my legs and feet and I went outside. During our breaks or rest periods we were free to walk the paths through the forest outside. The men had their designated paths and so did the women. The areas weren't very big but it was so nice to go outside. I'd felt pretty good the previous few days, sometimes finding it difficult to keep from smiling. The evening of day 4 though I couldn't help it. I went out walking in the forest with the biggest grin on my face. I was so happy! Everything made me smile. The food was delicious, the air smelled so fresh and clean, the absurdity of all these people coming together and sitting together so closely in complete silence nearly had me laughing out loud on occasion. I felt so free clear and I think without really realizing it at the time I was so looking forward to day 5 and the halfway mark that it represented.

Day 5:
As of today the three group sittings are sittings of strong determination and we can't move for one hour. I've figured out a way to sit comfortably by now and today when the closing chanting starts and I move for the first time I feel refreshed. Today we are observing sensations from the top of the head to the toes and then back up from the toes to the top of the head. Up and down, up and down. Equanimously. Observing, not reacting, observing, not reacting. Going to bed I am so happy to be halfway over. I'm glad I'm here, but it is hard and already I'm looking forward to going home. Hooray for halfway!!

Day 6:
Ugh, only halfway. Still day 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. That is so long, I can't meditate any more. I woke up a bit sour. After the first group sit at 8 my roommate and I returned to our room for water and we were surprised to see that our third roommate had packed up and left. Her bed is bare, her things are gone. I didn't even know her name. Strange to live with someone for 6 days and then suddenly have them be gone. I'm restless the whole day and I sign up to speak to the teachers at lunch. I can't possibly meditate anymore. Come back to the breath I'm told. When the mind wanders, forget the sensations for a while and just breathe. Find the quiet, don't crave it. It will come. Just breathe. In the discourse we are told that day 2 and day 6 are often the hardest for people. That's exactly what I have felt and that is comforting. All will pass.

Days 7, 8, 9:
We continue to observe the sensations, we go up and down and up and down the body, observing larger chunks together at a time. The areas that were previously blind start to awaken. I can feel where I couldn't feel before. On the mountain across from the centre I see a face in the hillside. The mountain man becomes my friend and I talk to him and look at him exasperatingly when I open my eyes and realize I've been imagining brand new episodes of The Office and House in my head. The days go by and I can keep my focus for longer and longer stretches of time. By the end of day 9 I'm so excited for day 10 and how it will unfold. I miss Luke, I miss my friends and family and I miss my snuggly orange cat. I can't wait to go hiking and camping and to read and write and sleep past 4am and eat dinner and cook and bake and do yoga! The yoga! I miss it!

Day 10:
Morning schedule as usual. After our 8am sit we come back to the hall to learn metta bhavna (loving kindness) meditation. Goenka often uses the metaphor of performing deep surgery on the mind by practicing Vipassana meditation. We are extracting deeply rooted sankharas and metta bhavna will now act as a soothing balm for our wounds. I don't really feel like I've undergone surgery, but it's hard to tell in such a peaceful, supportive, loving environment. We are guided for about an hour by Goenka and for me this was one of the most powerful sittings. We are instructed to once again tune into the subtle sensations we have sharpened our minds to feel and then infuse these sensations with love and send them outward. Love. Goodwill. Peace. Happiness. May all beings be happy, may all beings be peaceful. The audio stops, the teachers get up and leave the hall. I was a bit confused. What do we do now? Slowly people start to leave the hall. I get up and go out. At the end of the hallway is a sign saying "Noble silence is now over...". I avoid looking at anyone and slip out the door to find someplace quiet to sit. We can talk now, but now is when I feel like I need silence the most. Love brings happiness and peace. Ill will brings misery and suffering. The choice seems obvious. Everything seems so clear and I feel very peaceful outside listening to the nearby creek. I go into the dining hall where people have gathered and are chatting excitedly. It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear everyone's experiences. We all had crazy dreams, we all had doubts. Day 2 and 6 were hard for many. We all peeked when our eyes were supposed to be shut. Many of us wanted to run halfway through (one woman I spoke to had silently wished for a passing helicopter to stop and scoop her up and take her away). I realized that the silence isn't just to make it easier to clear our minds but also so that we wouldn't compare experiences as we were going through them not to influence them. "I feel tingling do you feel tingling? I don't feel it! Oh no! I've failed! I'm doomed to be miserable forever!" That kind of thing.

After a few hours we were back in the hall at 2:30 for the regularly scheduled group sitting. The evening went by quickly and we were fed a light dinner (what a treat!). By 9pm everyone was exhausted. Talking is so draining and my head feels like it's spinning!

Day 11:
I have never been so happy to be woken up at 4am. At 5:15 we were summoned to the hall for the final discourse. Breakfast was at 6:30 and by 8 we were on the road heading home. It was quite a shift from the slow, peaceful, quiet life we had been living to suddenly be merging onto the Coquihalla. It was a beautiful day. The snow was melting along the highway and waterfalls were full and gushing with the spring thaw. Everything was so bright and green. As we exited off the freeway in Vancouver I started to feel a little overwhelmed. There were so many people, so much noise, so much busy-ness. It was so wonderful to walk in the door and see Luke and Jebus. As I reconnected with friends and family that day I was surprised by the culture shock and how sensitive I was feeling. This week has been busy and full of distractions and while I have felt very refreshed and alive, I'm also slightly sad as the chatter in my mind picks up and the quiet starts to fade. I'm looking forward to re-establishing my yoga practice and including Vipassana in my routine. I think the two practices will be very complimentary.

This was an amazing experience and obviously a life-long process and is something that I can see helping so many people. I've been asked if I feel like I've changed and the answer is definitely yes, but it's impossible not to change. We change with every breath, every moment of every day. I've thought about those 10 days and what I learned every single day since I've been home. While I was there I couldn't wait to come home and there was no way that you could convince me that I would ever go back, but on the 10th day something changed, and now I know that I'll definitely return. I'm happy to talk to anyone about the course if you have any questions and I have some books that I'd be happy to lend out. I know it's not for everyone, but who doesn't want to be liberated from misery and live a life of happiness and peace? Everyone deserves that.

Marathon day

First of all, happy Cinco de Mayo and happy birthday to my superstar orange cat Jebus, who is 7 today!



Well Nicole and I ran the marathon yesterday. The weather was wonderful, maybe a bit on the warm side, but that made the cool ocean breezes that much more refreshing. In order to mentally tackle such a huge distance I divided the race into 4 chunks. First was the out-and-back to Granville Island from BC Place along 2nd/6th/4th. Granville Island is where we first met up with our amazing husbands on their bikes. Michael was taking photos and they showed up along the route many more times than we expected and were so supportive. It was getting quite warm already at 8am and I was relieved to see some clouds coming in as we made our way to the 2nd chunk along Prior nearly to Clark and back through downtown along Cordova. There were quite a few stations set up with music and I thought it was pretty hilarious how loud it was cranked for early on a Sunday morning. Get out of bed everyone! Come to your window and cheer us on!!

Soon we were heading into Stanley Park (3rd section) and past the halfway mark! Stanley Park is such a nice place to run. The marathon has always had a huge hill that is in Stanley Park but it was taken out this year and swapped for a slightly less long and steep hill. As we made our way to the top and could just make out the crest of the hill we spotted Luke and Michael. Soon we were passing the 16 mile mark - only 10 more to go! This is where I started to feel tired. I think from the beginning Nicole was feeling stronger than I was, but this is where it stopped being "easy" for me.



My parents were waiting at the Burrard bridge and it was great to see them. At the other side of the bridge we saw Camilo, Lindsey and Beth who ran up to greet us and passed on some of their energy and enthusiasm. This 4th leg was incredibly difficult for me. We saw Neil and Jen a little further down Cornwall and shortly afterwards my legs started cramping up. At first it was my left calf and right quad, mostly the muscle on the inside of my right knee. It wasn't painful, it just completely refused to fire. I noticed it mainly going uphill so I started to bargain with myself... "you're almost at the top, finish the hill then walk." Then I'd get to the top of the hill and keep running because running downhill isn't too difficult and it's nice to let gravity pull you along and also the longer I run, the faster I'll get to the end. I did walk a couple times and was so incredibly thankful to reach the turnaround point at 4th and NW Marine Drive. Heading back was a bit better if only because it was becoming more and more obvious that we were getting sooo close.

I walked a bit at Macdonald and Cornwall and Nicole kept running - she was so strong and having a great day. Thinking back now, I think that I was hitting the wall, or at least coming as close to it as I ever have. There was no more internal banter and suddenly I would just be walking, my legs having decided on their own that they weren't going to run anymore. That's when I saw my parents again and resumed running only to stop once they were out of sight. I looked up and there were Jen and Neil again so back to running - I seriously may have walked the rest of the way if it weren't for seeing those familiar faces at that point, so THANK YOU!!

I had to look away from the 25 mile marker heading back over the Burrard bridge. I would make me emotional and my breathing would get a bit irregular. There were a ton of people gathered along the roads by this point and it was a bit overwhelming and the magnitude of the distance and exertion were starting to sink in. I walked a few more times, just to flush out some of the lactic acid. Chris and Mel were by the Roundhouse and I ran past them. Only a few more blocks to the finish line. So many people, I can hear the announcer at the end. I usually have enough juice to really kick it to the end but at this point I had nothing. I ran across the line at 4:51, 5 minutes after Nicole. Hooray! I finished my previous marathon in 5:23 and my goal this time around was to finish under 5 hours and I did it!!

I took 4 gels during the race, maybe another one would have helped but after 4 gels, 2 with caffeine, a bunch of gatorade and 2 advils, my stomach wasn't feeling like it could handle more goo.

Mom and dad had ordered a sushi tray and so we headed back home and sat on the patio to eat. My legs were feeling tired but fine at this point but after an hour or so of visiting I stood up and the stiffness was definitely setting in. I tried to have a nap after everyone left but I couldn't get comfortable. Last night was the same, even after a hot bath. It hurts to roll over. I can't lift my legs without burning muscles. Getting up to standing I have to rely completely on using my arms. Standing straight is enough to stretch my calves. I'm shuffling around today, icing my knees and looking forward to another hot bath. There are more photos on my flickr page here.

So 8 months of training and we did it! We've got 5 weeks to fully recover and get motivated for the Edge to Edge marathon in Tofino on June 8th. Thank you so much to everyone who came out! You made a huge difference! Thank you Larry and Linda for the sunflowers and mom and dad for the carnations!!

The final countdown

There are 5 days until the marathon. Holy. I haven't run since my disappointing attempt last week, but I'm over it and will try a short jog tomorrow. I saw my chiropractor yesterday and he did some major work on my IT bands. I'm black and blue but that man is a miracle worker and I think I'll be ok for the race. I'm going back tomorrow and then I'll be resting up until Sunday. I've got some super meals planned this week in preparation and I'm so much more jazzed about race day this time than I was when I ran my first marathon in 2005. Or was it 2004??

Here is the course map. I've pasted on my estimated times and corresponding mile and km markers. If you are in the area and feel like checking out the runners please do! It makes such a difference to have someone cheering you on. I'm not only talking about cheering for me, but for all the runners. We've all worked so hard and put in a ton of hours for this one event and it has not been easy. I get chills when I think about crossing the finish line.



You can also access the map from my flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jebusthecat/2447793817

The teacher training finished on Sunday and I'm still buzzing from meeting so many cool people and from learning so much. We had some awesome discussions and every single person always had something insightful to add. It was a very cool dynamic and I'm stoked for the 2nd session in Ucluelet in the fall. This summer I'll be assisting in Eoin's classes - not sure which ones precisely but it will likely be once a week for a month or two. It's a bit difficult to put to words everything experienced and learned in 100 hours and I likely won't write much more about the training specifically. All I can really say is that it was a transformative experience with lasting effects (hopefully).

So, marathon on Sunday and then a couple days to rest and then I'm off to the Dhamma Surabhi Vipassana Meditation Centre of BC just west of Merritt for 10 days of silence. The Vipassana experience I had on the beach during the teacher training really has me excited for this next retreat. Although I'm really not sure how I'll cope with intense meditation of this type, I'm definitely ready, or at least as ready as I'll ever be.

I'm headed back to work in early July and between now and then I've got 2 trips to Tofino/Ucluelet (one of which is to run another marathon) and a super camping trip up to Nairn Falls for Canada Day. Go here for more details and to sign up. It's going to be a blast! Come for all or just for a day and some marshmallows and veggie dogs over the fire. :)

I'm hoping to do a few hikes in the Whistler area while we're up there and also thinking about potentially heading east to Chilliwack to camp along the river and then hike Mt Cheam for the summer solstice (June 21-22).

On another note, I'm nearing the end of my holistic nutrition studies. I've got 2 courses left (of 17), my case studies and then the final exam. I've got 15 case studies to write up so if you are interested let me know. All it involves is filling out a detailed form and questionnaire and then I'll do an evaluative write-up that would hopefully set you on the right path to take control of your health. I've enjoyed this program immensely and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in holistic health. The accompanying books have been very informative and I'm happy to lend them out to anyone who is interested.

I'd like to thank you all for following me along the past year and for your support and encouragement. I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful network of family and friends. I would like to continue posting about yoga, food, love and wellness, eating and living sustainably and my adventures in the outdoors but I'll no longer be "jen@home" so there will have to be some changes in the next few months. Much love to you all! Shanti and namaste.

Yoga teacher training - halfway!

I'd like to post a full recap once the 10 days is done and I have more time but here's a brief summary so far:

- Friday morning at 4am Luke leaves for the airport to fly to Palo Alto. He's away until Wednesday. I go for the first session at 8:30. The teacher training is happening at the Jericho Sailing Centre. Wonderful location looking out over the water. Home at 8:30pm.
- Saturday we're upstairs at Lululemon - nice to be so close to home! We're learning the postures for 2 full routines - this will take most of the 10 days. We're also getting pretty deep into some amazing discussions - yoga philosophy, life, following your bliss... etc.
- Sunday morning class with Eoin - nice to not be running! Met back at the sailing centre for a full afternoon - more poses, more discussion, then back to Eoin's for dinner and more talking.
- Monday at the sailing centre. Poses in the morning after tai chi on the beach, then spent the afternoon drinking chai and reading the Bhagavad Gita and discussing. A perfect afternoon. Class at night was optional so that's when I went for my run. Apparently there were over 100 people in the class!!
- Tuesday started with a big long discussion on life, energy, karma and more Bhagavad Gita. Yoga outside in the sun, lunch on the beach. Afternoon spent learning more postures. Great class tonight - seeing the sun set over the mountains got me aching to get out there and do some hiking! If only the snow would hurry up and melt!

So we're halfway! The days have been long (8 or 9am to 8 or 10pm with an hour for lunch and an hour for dinner) and I haven't had much time to do anything but eat and sleep. Sorry if I haven't replied to your emails, I'll get to them soon I promise. :)

The plan for tomorrow is more poses in the morning then in the afternoon we'll head up to Pacific Spirit Park for an afternoon of silence - Vipassana style. I'm looking forward to that. I'm hoping it'll give me a bit of an idea as to what I've gotten myself into for the 10 day Vipassana retreat I've signed up for after the marathon. More on that later. Must eat and sleep now and give my poor attention-starved cat some love.

2 weeks! OMG!

I ran last night after my teacher training so I was pretty tired. Here's the route:



I couldn't finish the whole thing though and turned back a block or two past Macdonald, so it was probably closer to 8 miles. I suddenly had some major knee pain because my right IT band got super tight. The week before it was the left side that was bothering me... shoot. I sure hope 2 weeks is long enough for them both to loosen up.

The run started out great. I got chills down my spine going over the Burrard bridge and seeing the Vancouver Marathon banners. Not too long until I'll be running over that bridge with only a mile or so to go to the finish line! Very exciting. Running around False Creek was great. This is such a beautiful city. I feel so fortunate to live here and be able to enjoy it as much as I do. There were so many people on the seawall. It was very invigorating to see so many active people enjoying the beautiful evening. The sunset was fantastic and I stopped at Kits beach to watch it dip below the horizon. Very lovely.

I didn't run at all last week. It took nearly all week to recover from the 24-miler and then my teacher training started. I likely won't run this week at all either and hopefully that will be enough time for my IT bands to loosen up. So close!!!

3 more weeks!

We are marathon-ready. We had our last long run yesterday and we made it to the end feeling that if there were people lining the streets cheering and a finish line a couple miles away, we'd be able to make it. We ran about 24 miles and it took 4 hours.

Because of a commitment in the early afternoon, we started early - 6:40am. Met the group at the Y and continued on. Here's a map.



My knees were really sore at the end - tight IT bands. Took 4 gels, 2 advils, 20 oz gatorade and 30 oz of water and although I was very tired at the end, I could have gone farther. My legs are sore today - mostly my quads. Lower back area feels bruised. Not sure if it's from my water belt or what. Nicole as the same thing. Strange.

Next week is a super short 10-12 mile run and the following week is only 7-9. We're tapering now before the race. It's very exciting to think that we've made it all this way. 6 months of training! 6 months of getting up and running ridiculous distances on Sunday mornings when everyone else is sleeping peacefully...

I went to my first yin yoga class on Saturday and I think that style could be very beneficial for sports like running. We only did about a dozen postures, but they were all held for up to 5 minutes so the stretch is very deep.

Signed up for a 200hr yoga teacher training course. It's two 10-day sessions, 10 hours each day. The first session starts at the end of this week and the second session is in October in Ucluelet.

4 weeks to go!

Today we ran just over 13 miles and it took 2hrs 15min. When I woke up I could hear the rain and as I was getting ready it was COLD! I nearly wore my long fleecy running pants but instead opted for capris. As we were leaving downtown we could see a few patches of blue sky and as the run went on it got nicer and nicer out - it was a beautiful morning! We ran through Kits and Shaughnessy and out to Kerrisdale - so many nice houses to look at. :)

It was a hilly run, but the Dunbar hill (from 41st to 16th) didn't kill me this time as it did when we ran it a month or so ago. I felt pretty good, but as usual was tired at the end. I took 2 gels, about 40 minutes apart. That seems to be what works best for me. As we were coming back into downtown and only a few blocks from the Y it started to rain. Perfect timing! Had a wonderful hot shower at the Y and then out for a cheap $4.50 breakfast - the best kind! Here is a map of our route...



Next week is our longest run and the last big one before the race. I've got some preparing to do this week. I want to get out for a few good runs and I am going to eat well and drink lots of water and really try to mentally prepare for a good 4 hours straight of running. Yikes!

I guess I'll have the tofu...

About a month ago I read a big article in the Globe and Mail about farmed vs wild salmon (I can't find the article online but here is the reference - Time To Veto The ''Virtuous' Choice - Focus, Feb. 23, by Cameron MacDonald). Ever since I can remember it being an issue, I've always gone for wild over farmed salmon. My reasons were based purely on the health benefits I receive from eating salmon and wild salmon generally contains more omega-3 fatty acids than farmed salmon. I didn't really think much of the issue but generally disagreed with lice-filled pens, sea lions caught in nets and pink-dyed flesh.

In the 15 or so minutes I spent reading and then re-reading the article I completely changed my mind and suddenly now when I see wild salmon on a menu or a bumper sticker proclaiming "Go wild or go home" I can almost feel myself getting angry about the ignorance of those blowing the wild salmon horn. Let me explain. (Warning!! Long-winded rant follows!)

The article covers the highly controversial problems fish farms are faced with and reasonably explains how these problems are both blown out of proportion in the media and also are readily dealt with by the fish farmers. Antibiotics for example. According to the article, unlike other animals raised for food, salmon are not continuously fed antibiotics when they are not sick. In fact, the farm that was visited in researching for the article lies off the coast of Tofino and hasn't used antibiotics of any sort since 2001. Another issue that recently made headlines was the drowning of sea lions that were caught in the nets surrounding some fish pens. Certainly this is something that must be dealt with, but I don't think halting the farming of fish is the answer. Better nets and pens can be developed to keep predators out and safe from harm.

The article touches on sea lice, fish feed and a few other topics along with possible solutions but the idea that struck a chord most with me was the following: Commercial fisheries are absolutely and entirely unsustainable at the scale they are being carried out now. We are harvesting ocean life at a rate far greater than it can be replaced. We've developed methods to increase our yields at the cost of the entire ocean ecosystem. I have a feeling that the saying "out of sight, out of mind" fully applies here. We have this sense that the ocean is immense and separate from us, but the capacity we have for impacting the ocean and the life within it is huge. Nothing is separate and every system on this planet works in some way with another.

We've developed long-lining, which is devastating to countless ocean creatures. If you've seen the movie "Sharkwater", long-lining is displayed in all it's gruesome glory. If you haven't seen the movie GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW. Tens of thousands of sharks are are caught each year on long-lines (essentially miles and miles of line with 30,000 - 40,000 baited hooks hanging down). These sharks are hauled in, finned and thrown back into the ocean ALIVE where they soon drown. And the market that drives this ridiculous harvest? The fins are sold on the black market mostly for the production of shark fin soup. I'm getting off topic here, but this environmental catastrophe boils my blood. There is a belief that sharks live forever and don't get sick, that they don't get cancer and live healthily for a long long time. So we make soup out of their fins in the hope that these healthful qualities will pass onto us. IT'S NOT TRUE!!!! That a million dollar industry can be based on such a ridiculous, trivial broth is insane.

So the sharks are massacred. Sharks are ancient. There were sharks in the waters when there were dinosaurs on land. All ocean life today evolved under the selective pressure of the shark. What happens when you take away that population control?

But it's not just the sharks that long-lining affects. Dolphins, sea turtles and other fish species are caught and killed as well and they are just thrown away. Such a cruel, disgusting waste.

Not only do we have long-lining which by itself has a huge impact on ocean life, but we have bottom trawlers. Take a rake and drag it through your garden. Now imagine a rake many, many times bigger dragged over the ocean floor. It will catch crustaceans (because we have to have lobster with our steaks), bottom dwellers such as halibut and others, but it will also plow over reefs killing coral and essentially flatten a once diverse landscape. But we can't see this destruction happening so it's easy to ignore it, right?

Bottom-trawling "... drags the equivalent of an area twice the size of the combined lower 48 states each year" according to this article. In contrast, the fish farming article I mentioned above states that all of the fish farms in the world combined take up a total area of 12 square kilometres, and that includes a 100m buffer around each and every farm. The article suggests a ban of all commercial fisheries which would allow ocean stocks to replenish themselves and would also create a job boom for those in the fish farming industry. These farms are often located in areas with high unemployment and the jobs lost would be more than replaced. Sport fishing would also benefit and this increases tourism and an appreciation for the land and sea.

So, ok, no more wild salmon for me unless I (or someone I know) personally went out there with a rod and hook and caught it. Today however, I read an article in the Georgia Straight that reinforced my feeling that I'm left with no other choice than to eat vegetarian unless I can catch and kill my food with my own two hands (which is entirely impractical for most of us). I was left slightly troubled by the Globe and Mail article when they suggested that as an alternative to making fish feed with mackerel, herring and other small fish harvested from South America, that we supplement the feed with grain. Not just any grain but Canadian grain - that'll make Canadians happy. Making an animal eat anything other than what it has evolved over centuries to eat is not the solution. Here comes a bit of a tangent, but I feel really strongly about it and think it's something everyone should know...

As anyone who has read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan knows, trying to change the eating habits of a animal will cause a myriad of problems downstream. For those of you who haven't read the book (GO READ IT), I'm referring to the fact that due to the corn surplus in the United States it was decided that it should be fed to cattle. It's high in calories and gives steaks the marbling we have come to love. However, cows don't eat corn, they eat grass. They have a rumen that is a perfect grass-eating organ. When you feed a cow corn for a long time, their rumen bloats up and gets irritated. This provides and ideal breeding ground for bacteria. The cow gets sick and we are "forced" to give it antibiotics to deal with the infection. The cows are chronically sick and yet the cause of their illness isn't dealt with. We treat the symptoms. By the way, a side effect of this chronic illness and constant dose of antibiotics is the development of drug resistant bacteria, the development of E. coli O157:H7 in particular that will kill us if it gets the chance. We created this problem and instead of going back to the root cause and addressing it, we come up with new ways to make things go the way we want them to.

So, I was pleased to see the Straight article bring up salmon feed and discuss how pillaging the oceans adjacent to other countries (usually poorer countries) to feed our own rich tastes is not the answer and also address the issue of carnivores eating carnivores and the loss of energy that is involved. However, I was disappointed that there was no mention of wild salmon and the fact that it is equally unsustainable, although for slightly different reasons. Will the article and the points it brings up serve as one more argument to keep wild salmon in our stores and restaurants? Neither wild nor farmed salmon are sustainable choices (recently illustrated by the fact that the salmon didn't come back this year along the coast). It is becoming more and more clear that as food shortages increase, costs skyrocket and arable land turns to dust we cannot continue growing food to feed to animals we intend to eat ourselves. It takes 2-4 kilograms of wild fish to produce one kilogram of farmed fish. It takes 2-4 kilograms of grain to produce 1 kilogram of pork, chicken or beef. Not to mention the potential food crops that are now being grown for biofuel which is completely absurd when we produce enough waste oil (from restaurants and the like) that can be recycled and used for the same purpose.

I think that in the coming months and years we are going to have to re-evaluate our eating habits and that will most likely involve sacrifices made more-or-less by everyone (more for some, less for others). They will be sacrifices if we look at the situation and conclude that in order to make progress we have to lose something. Look at it the other way though and instead think of how much we have to gain in terms of our own health and the health of the planet and every living creature it supports. I think there absolutely needs to be a shift to eating more sustainably and eating locally is one way to do that. What is the real cost of the banana that was grown in South America (probably coated with pesticides rendering the soil from which it came sterile and thus requiring the addition of fertilizers which are essentially derived from oil), and shipped to us here in Vancouver by freighter or truck? It's certainly not $0.49/lb. Our food is coated in oil. When we run out of oil, or when it becomes too expensive for the vast majority of the people on this planet, will we/they run out of food too? Perhaps that seems ridiculous but it is becoming very obvious that something needs to change. We are each responsible for the impact we make, both good and bad, and we all have the capacity for both. That's enough ranting and run-on sentences for now. I have to go make dinner and it's likely it will be sourced from pretty low on the food chain, organic and relatively seasonal, which for Vancouver in early spring means I'll probably be having potatoes in some form. It's also pretty likely that it's going to be damn tasty. :) Thanks for listening (reading).

So long March, thanks for all the fish

End of the month already. How time flies! This has been a very busy month. The Easter weekend was jam packed with fun. Spent Tuesday preparing for another mini holiday and took off early Wednesday for the island again. Spent 2 nights in Ucluelet and it was wonderful. Yoga in the mornings looking out at the ocean where whales were spouting and a run along the Wild Pacific Trail. Delicious food, good books and lots of relaxing.

Went surfing on Thursday and had a blast. It was my second attempt and I was able to stand up several times. I never thought I'd like surfing but I really can't wait to go again. And again and again. I'm really looking forward to trying in Hawaii. It was mighty chilly on the beach for our lesson but once in the water I warmed right up. There was snow on the beach and it hailed while we were out in the water. Crazy weather! We had a few hailstorms mixed with sun, cloud a bit of rain...

Friday we went to Tofino to the Long Beach Lodge for a wedding and it was amazing. One of the best weddings I've been to from the location right down to the tiny details. Definitely one to remember. Our room was spectacular - king size bed, huge soaker tub and an amazing view looking out to the beach and ocean. The weather cleared right up and we had beautiful blue skies for the last two days.

Drove up to the ferry terminal and right onto the ferry to get home. I was dropped off at Nicole's and we headed out for the longest run we've done so far. Here is a map of the route we took:



It was so long! The weather was beautiful though and I felt fine until we were leaving Stanley Park. I started getting really tired and sore - mostly my feet. It was such a relief to reach Science World and start heading for home. We walked the last mile to cool down. The map shows 22.5 miles but I think I may have cut some corners when creating it because I'm pretty sure it was closer to 24. We basically ran a marathon which is only 2.2 miles farther. Yikes! I took 5 gels, about 40min apart. We were so hungry by the end... that's what happens when you run from 4-9pm and miss dinner. Thankfully our wonderful husbands had made pizza and when we walked in the front door it had just come out of the oven and smelled so good!!

All in all it was a very long day and I collapsed into bed after a hot bath with a Marathon bubble bar from Lush. Mmm, cinnamon and mint. Very soothing for tired muscles. I feel ok today, tired but not too bad. My legs are very tired but I don't think the stiffness has quite set in yet. I can still walk down stairs and my knees feel fine - they didn't hurt at all during the run. Next week is a short run (12-14 miles) and then we've got one more long one (22-26 miles). Two weeks of very short runs (10 miles, then 7 miles) and then it's the race!

Super weekend

A busy weekend and already it's nearly Wednesday! Had a cold last week but it didn't last long. Ran on Wednesday for 30 minutes with a stuffy heady, felt fine by Friday. Ran with Nicole around Stanley Park on Friday morning. We ran about 8 miles (1hr 20min) and it felt good.

Trying to cycle more now that the weather is getting better. Took my bike out of hibernation Saturday morning and cycled over to the farmer's market at Adanac and Victoria. Took the 10th Ave bike route and it took about 30 minutes. Coming home I took the Adanac bike route and then hooked up to the 7th Ave route. That took about 40 minutes... I think it might have been a bit longer that way and I was also pretty loaded down with goodies. So nice to have such nice routes to ride along.

The Vancouver cherry blossom festival is coming up and I came across this event. Can't wait!

Ran 13 miles on my own on Sunday. I ran the route out along the seawall to Spanish Banks, up to UBC and home along 16th Ave. I took 2 gels and not sure if it was the run on Friday, the bikeride the day before or maybe it was just an off day but I was pretty tired.

Using the goodies from the farmer's market I made a big Easter dinner. Made a double-crust apple pie first - it was so satisfying. We were given some lamb quite a while ago so I defrosted it the day before and roasted it with new potatoes, garlic, rosemary and dijon mustard and served it with mint pesto. It was so delicious! First time cooking lamb. We also had a salad with winter greens and roasted beets. Sauteed some mixed mushrooms with butter, garlic and sage to have on the side and also steamed some baby carrots - so sweet!



Monday morning woke up early and headed up to Whistler with Nicole to ski. I rented some awesome powder skis and with nearly a foot of new snow in the previous 24 hours they were so much fun. It was an amazing day. Cloud, sun, snow, wind... I love the new Symphony chair - takes you right up to the ridge we hiked doing the Musical Bumps a few years ago. We skied all day. My legs were so tired! You get good value for your tickets now that it is light out so long. We finally went in for food at the Roundhouse at 3:30 because we were starving and decided to download off the mountain to avoid the icy lower half of the mountain (so spoiled with the powder and awesome conditions at the top) and because we were so exhausted. See more photos here.



Spent all day today getting ready for our little mini holiday to Tofino and Ucluelet. Made a bunch of food to bring along for the first half of our trip in Ucluelet. We're going surfing on Thursday. I'm excited. Last time surfing was so fun. I think it'll be colder this time... Last week was the whale festival and I'm hoping to see some migrating gray whales while were there... I'll hopefully get a couple runs in and when we get home Nicole and I are going to do our longest run yet - 23 miles. Yikes! Then only 5 more weeks until the race!

7 weeks to go

We ran to Dundarave in West Vancouver on Sunday. Along the seawall in Coal Harbour, through Stanley Park (trails on the way there, causeway on the way back), over the bridge, down to the West Vancouver seawall to Dundarave and back again. When I mapped it out it was about 14 miles. Took us just under 2hrs 20min. It was a nice day and I felt pretty good, but I didn't really want to run very much further. I took 2 gels, after an hour and again about 45 minutes later. My favourites are definitely vanilla, apple cinnamon and strawberry kiwi by Carboom. So much better than any other brand. They are made with fruit puree whereas many others use brown rice syrup for sugar and I don't like the taste of it. I have a recipe to make my own gels... it's on my to-do list.

I ran last week once in Victoria along the water and through some old familiar neighbourhoods. I did a bunch of lunges after the run and they made my legs so sore!! Maybe I should be doing more of those!

I also found an ashtanga studio in Victoria and went to mysore morning practice while I was staying there. They have a really nice space in an old building right downtown. I used my new Manduka mat and I love it!! No bunching or stretching and it felt really solid.

Next week is a long run - 22-24 miles (a marathon is 26.2 miles). The group is running 12-14 instead and will go longer the following weekend (because of the holiday weekend). I'm away the following weekend and would rather do it here so I've got to figure something out.

I've signed up for the Edge to Edge marathon on June 8th. I'm really excited about it. It's 5 weeks after the Vancouver marathon (12 weeks from now!) which I think (hope) should be long enough to recover. Then hopefully it will be hiking season! Looking forward to the grind opening - I wonder if we'll be any faster after all this running.

Victoria run

We were in Victoria this weekend for a wedding and I was looking forward to a change of scenery for my long run. After drinking mezcal until midnight Friday night, I woke up bright and early on Saturday and headed out. I wasn't feeling bad, but it took a while to get into the groove. It was a beautiful day and running along the water was very nice. I have fond memories of Dallas Rd and the breakwater. We used to spend a lot of time there as kids when visiting relatives in Victoria. I had mapped out this run before we left Vancouver and it was a bit short distance-wise so after looking at the map I made a mental note to turn a block or two further than I had originally planned to increase the distance. The houses out along the water in the Oak Bay area were amazing!! Big yards with beautiful gardens. The streets were so quiet, it was very nice. When I finally turned on Lansdowne I was getting pretty hungry. I only brought 2 gels with me and took them both - the first one at about 50 minutes and the second one at about 1hr 40min. I was so relieved to be finally running through downtown and back on familiar streets. I felt so relieved to see the Parliament buildings and felt pretty accomplished too that I had managed to navigate the route without any trouble. I was a bit worried that I had been running too slow since by the time I was back at the hotel my watch read 2hr35min. A 14-mile run should have only taken me 2hr20min. Turns out it was a 15-mile run so I was right on time!

After heading out for breakfast (which was incredibly delicious) Loranda and I had a bit of a spa day in the hotel. We had foot masks, manicures and pedicures and face masks. My feet were very happy. I got some blisters on this run where I haven't had problems before and my feet were very tired and sore. No time for sore feet though! By 5pm we were all dressed up and happy to watch our friends on their special day. Dinner was delicious and then the dancing began. My legs were so tired and my feet were so sore!!! But it was still fun. We stumbled up to our room around midnight and fell asleep pretty soon thereafter.

Luke and I are now at the Saltspring Spa for a few days for some relaxing and pampering. We've got some visiting to do back in Victoria and then Luke will be going to the Victoria Juggling Festival this week and I'll be (happily) heading home. I'm looking forward to my next run for 2 reasons... first, it's another short 12-14 mile run, second, Nicole is home!! :)

Deering Island

Ever heard of it? I hadn't until today. 19.5 miles, 3hrs 15min. There are some crazy huge houses in Southlands. Everyone has horses. Deering Island is a strange little place. A short little stretch of land with VERY expensive houses. We didn't see a single person, but I know people were home since their Audis, BMWs, Mercedes and Landrovers were in the driveways. I took 3 gels today, 2 of them had caffeine. So far Carboom is definitely my favourite. Clif shots taste like the rice syrup they are made of with lousy flavouring over top. Power Gels are way too sweet. I tried a vanilla Goo gel for the first time today, but it wasn't nearly as good as the Carboom vanilla gel which tastes exactly like vanilla icing. Mmm. I felt really good today. Only 7 more miles in a marathon and I felt today like I could have done it. Maybe not today. Hard to say. I felt good at the end of the run and I could have gone farther - I can say that much. It was nice to go someplace new - I'd never been to Southlands and I was pretty amazed by the houses. House isn't the right word - estate is more like it. Huge mansions on huge lots with perfect landscaping. Anyway, this was a pretty hilly route but I felt strong. I actually felt like we were running a bit slow at times and I could have gone faster. All in all this run left me feeling ready for the marathon - 9 weeks to go!!

The route

Here's yesterday's route mapped out on mapmyrun.com and viewed in Google Earth. So awesome. My quads are a bit sore today but otherwise I feel pretty good. I actually woke up before my alarm this morning at 6am feeling really rested. I'm trying to implement some of the principles discussed in Brendan Brazier's Thrive Diet. I really enjoyed reading the book. I'll talk about that more some other time.

10 weeks to go

I had a wonderful run this morning. Hard not to when it's so beautiful outside. I decided to skip the Y clinic and planned a route out on my own. Mapmyrun.com is a great site for mapping out routes. I planned a big loop - I much prefer loops to out-and-back routes. I left home and ran down Cypress to the beach and followed the water all the way out to Spanish Banks. I got up on the road, turned on my ipod and headed for the dreaded "UBC hill". That hill is a mile long! I felt really strong the whole way. Once at the top I ran along Marine Drive to 16th Ave and then 16th all the way to Cypress and home from there. In total it was about 13.5 miles and took me just under 2hrs20min. I took one gel before the hill at about 50min and then another just as I was leaving UBC at Blanca at 1hr40min. The second gel had caffeine in it for a bit of an extra boost.

I was so happy with the route. I like the mix of concrete, asphalt, and gravel trails. I can see doing this route again, maybe even after this training is over. There were good hills and very nice views.

This was a good week for training. I ran twice, about 4 miles each time, and went snowshoeing yesterday at Seymour. My legs were a bit tired this morning but it didn't slow me down. I got a new pair of runners this week and I love them! They are Mizunos - the Wave Creation 9. They are pink and orange and they make me feel fast! My old ones felt pretty flat in the race last weekend and my sore knees told me it was time for an upgrade.

11 weeks to go

A blast on Blackcomb
Had an awesome day skiing at Blackcomb on Friday after spending the night in a super cool room at the Hilton. It snowed all day and I think it was my best day skiing this year. I've been renting skis and have been very impressed with the quality of the rentals both at Big White and Whistler. This time they were freshly waxed, wide, and curvy skis. We skied the Blackcomb glacier and although there was zero visibility it was my favourite part. Surrounded by white, hardly able to see the tips of your skis, but floating on powder and it's soft all around you. It was fun. Ran into some traffic about 30 minutes south of Whistler that turned out to be quite a serious accident that closed the highway for the next 7 hours or so. We tried to make the best of it and were completely exhausted when we got home way past the middle of the night.

Fort Langley Historic Half Marathon (21.1km/13.1 miles)
Watched the sunrise as we left for the race this morning. Cold and clear. Started out feeling good and enjoying the scenery. Ran through foggy farmland with beautiful mountain views. Big hill. Through a nature conservancy with donkeys, wild dogs and other assorted animals. Another hill. Residential Walnut Grove. The Hill. Then 2 big downhills and flat to the finish. I got really tired around 15km but started feeling better around 18km (so close!). Not sure of my official time yet but it was around 2:10. I wanted to finish in under 2 hours - better luck next time!

Training
Ran twice last week. 5 miles in the sun on Wednesday, 3 miles Thursday. Good cross-training on Friday (skiing)! I think I may incorporate some hills into my training. The hilly runs we've done and the hills in the race today really tired me out. 11 weeks until the marathon!!

18 miles

We had our longest run so far this past Sunday - 18 miles. We ran out along Point Grey Rd to Blenheim, then up to 16th and along to Granville, up into Shaughnessy to 49th, did a loop around Langara golf course then down Cambie and back to the Y. Nicole and were feeling pretty good so we actually did an extra little loop downtown to add on a mile. I was quite pleased with the run and the fact that I felt so good. I had the usual achy-tiredness that I get the last mile of any long run, but nothing terrible. My feet were quite sore, but that wasn't all that surprising considering the distance we had just covered. I only took 2 gels although I could have used another towards the end. I wasn't nearly as stiff as I usually am while stretching immediately after the run which could be because it was quite a bit warmer outside than on any of our past runs.

The rest of the day was quite busy and there was no time for a nap. I was pretty exhausted all day Monday but surprisingly I had no muscle pain. Last week was the best training week I've had since we started. I ran twice and had some very intense and focused yoga sessions. I ate really well and drank a lot of water and it really paid off. The long run was great and I seem to have recovered pretty quickly.

Our mileage drops back to 12-14 miles this Sunday and I am actually running a half marathon race with Nicole and Beth. It's the Historic Half in Fort Langley and I'm going to try to beat my personal best time of 2hrs 3min. I'd love to break 2hrs.

I hate hills

That's not true, I don't hate them all the time. Today I did though. It's my own fault. I only ran once this week and the run today was tough. It was only 12 or 13 miles but my legs nearly quit. We left downtown and ran over the Granville bridge and up into Shaughnessy. I love looking at the big houses in there. I'm sure some of them have libraries with revolving bookcases and hidden rooms full of secrets.

We ran to 41st and Arbutus and then along 41st to Dunbar. Everything was great until then. I felt fine and was enjoying a nice run on a nice day. Turned around the corner onto Dunbar and there it was - the hill that would suck every last bit of strength out of me. It was about 18 blocks long and it felt like forever. I got a cramp near the top and slowed a bit, it was very painful but I ran it off. We turned onto 16th and then onto Macdonald. Ran along Cornwall and then over Burrard and back to the Y.

I only took one gel so maybe another would have helped. I'm very tired. This week will be different!! I promise I'll run at least twice, maybe 3 times! We've got our longest run yet next week... 18-20 miles and I'm going to be prepared. I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. It'll be a good test, mentally and physically.

The sickness - read at your own risk!

I became atrociously ill this weekend. After skiing all day I was enjoying (and winning) a game of Simpsons Monopoly when my stomach started feeling bad. I went to use the facilities and realized suddenly that I felt like I was going to throw up.

And throw up I did. This was about 8 o'clock at night and the next 12 hours involved sleeping in 1-hour intervals interrupted by trips to the toilet (thank God for ensuites!) and alternating chills and sweats. My body was obviously purging and after about 5 hours my upper GI tract was empty. That was some serious vomiting. By the end, it was just the water I was drinking that was coming up, so I stopped drinking and started wetting my mouth and spitting the water out to try and get some relief but to avoid any more hurling. Then the dry heaving, oh my.

I didn't quite realize it until Monday when I went for a walk outside and the cold air made me cough, but the muscles all around and between my ribs and around my whole torso and up into my neck were spent. Tired and sore from the most intense retching I've ever experienced. My throat hurt, but not in the scratchy kind of way. My reverse peristalsis muscles had obviously been overworked.

The rest of the night was spent ridding my lower GI tract of anything and everything. Enough said.

The next morning I started drinking mouthfuls of water every 10 minutes or so and gradually started feeling better. My lower back was pretty achy, but other than that, and the fatigue and dizziness I felt if I moved too quickly I was feeling ok. By dinner time I drank a glass of juice. Before going back to bed I had some soup. By Monday morning, everything was mostly back to normal.

I weighed myself when we got home and I lost nearly 5 lbs over the course of the weekend. I joked that I had finally gotten around to doing that cleanse I keep meaning to do. My system was clean!

I'm a bit concerned that my hands will swell up and blister since they have a tendency to do that after I experience any kind of nausea, but so far so good. Maybe my immune system will decide to give me a break this time. My stomach is still a bit sensitive and I'm still pretty easily fatigued, but I'm ok with spending a couple days reading and resting.

I'm so glad I did my long run last week. I'm not really concerned about missing any training days this week. I'll probably run on Thursday or Friday and I'm sure I'll be fine for our "short" 13-miler on Sunday.

I don't know what it was that I ate but apparently there's no such thing as a "24-hour flu" so I'm left blaming some anonymous mystery food and trying to ignore the fact that there was likely some fecal-oral contamination involved, as that is likely and usually the origin of such unpleasant afflictions. Ick.

Thursday long run

We're heading up to Big White tomorrow for the weekend so Nicole and I did our long run tonight. 16 miles - the longest so far! We left my house and ran around Stanley Park, then around False Creek and back home. Took 2hrs and 40min. Went for a delicious pasta dinner after at Anton's to celebrate Nicole's 30th birthday! What a girl!! Would you run 16 miles on your 30th? :)

We didn't stop nearly as often as we normally do during our long runs (usually every 20-30 minutes for a few minutes at a time). We didn't really think to stop aside from the two times we took our gels plus a couple other times when we started getting tired. It was too cold to stop for long without getting a chill. I didn't have any specific pains today, instead towards the end it was more of an ache all over. It was mostly my feet that were sore - the same way they felt coming down from our Garibaldi hike this summer after hiking 30km in a day. My legs are tired now and a bit stiff, particularly my left calf. I have a bit of a headache, so I'm trying to drink lots of water and will soon head off to bed.

Tuesday run!

Met Beth and Nicole at the Y downtown and ran around Stanley Park on the seawall. Ended up being 9 miles which took an hour and a half. It was cold and dark but felt great.

I love Vancouver because....

The scenery is so beautiful - snow-capped mountains, ocean, beaches. The city sparkles and shines on days like today.

The people are friendly and active - there were so many people out this morning on the seawall and so often when we'd pass another group of runners they would all say hello. Runners, walkers, people with dogs, people with kids, people rowing, people kayaking, even people waiting for the bus with snowshoes and snowboards. How can you not go outside on a day like today??

Anyway, we ran 13 miles today. Out to the anchor and back - same route as a couple weeks ago when it rained/snowed/hailed. Sure was different weather today! I was distracted the whole way by the mountains that looked so beautiful with fresh snow and the sun shining down. From the Tantalus mountains in Howe Sound all the way east past Seymour... so gorgeous! Makes me very eager to get back out there to do some hiking and take some photos which might be sooner rather than later now that I've got some fancy crampons!

I was tired today and I felt slow and my legs felt heavy. I got better towards the end of the run, but the beginning was tough. I just couldn't find the rhythm. I took a gel about 40 minutes in and then half a gel about 40 minutes later and I really noticed the effect. Not sure if I was dehydrated, whether it was the Afghani food we had for dinner last night or the fact that I hadn't run all week until yesterday when I went out for 3 miles.

I have a bit of a headache now and I think it's from not drinking enough water today. Have to get better at drinking more water. Anyway, a good run overall - they are always good once they are over and done with. :) Looking forward to a week of sunshine... hope you get to enjoy it too!

The Perfect Morning

5:45am - alarm goes off and I get out of bed right away feeling rested (mostly)
6:15am - leave my apartment for the yoga studio only 2 blocks away
6:30 to 8:15am - led Ashtanga Primary series class (ekam, inhale!)
8:15 to 8:45am - chanting (today 7 of us sat in a circle, sang in sanskrit and chanted the yoga sutras while drinking hot tea)
9:00am - arrive home, drink lots of water, snuggle cat, eat a particularly delicious grapefruit
9:15 - search on the web for flights to Florida and try to come up with a scheme to go the the Ashtanga workshop there in March (anyone want to share accommodations with me??)
9:30 - LUSHious creamy bath with avo bomb and floating island (my favourite!) and a good book

Say no to injuries

I had a sore foot on Saturday on the bottom of my right foot between my arch and my heel. Felt like a cramp or a pulled muscle. I nearly didn't run on Sunday because I didn't want to make it worse. To test it out, I decided to run down to the Y. If it was bad, I'd just head home. But it seemed the more I ran the less it hurt so I decided to join the group continue on. Now, I thought that last week our leader said we were going to be running in the Kitsilano/Kerrisdale direction so running down to the Y would be perfect because instead of heading back downtown at the end of the run I could just come home.

We start running and we're heading east out of downtown so I ask "where are we running today?" The answer: "Central Park." Yes, the Burnaby Central Park - totally the opposite direction. Oh well. We followed the skytrain line the whole way - there's a nice path underneath for most of the way. It's all uphill though and my legs were burning and getting very tired - good hill training! At least my foot was fine though, and coming home was all downhill. This run wasn't as fun without Nicole. It was just me and 5 guys in the 40-70 year age group. :) When we got to the Main St station at Science World I left the group to head home along the south side of the False Creek seawall.

Downtown to Central Park and back downtown again is 14 miles (the schedule had us doing 13-15). My extra run down to the Y added on 2 miles so I was already at 14 miles when we got to Science World. I ran another 10 minutes to make it 15 miles and walked the rest of the way home to cool down. Actually worked out pretty well because I'm not stiff at all today and I think the walking helped stretch out my legs. So 15 miles, 2hrs 30min - the longest run so far! And no rain!! I was very tired and very hungry when I got home. Had a wonderful hot shower and a delicious breakfast and then a fantastic nap.

I think my foot was maybe sore because I did too much last week. I'm going to try to take it a bit easier this week. My IT band was a bit sore at times too so I'm going to get that worked on this week. Ouch! The treatment is often more painful than the injury itself!

Rain and more rain

Ran to my dentist appointment yesterday morning. Round trip was about 3 miles, took 30 minutes.

Tonight met Beth and Nicole and ran twice around False Creek - 12-13 miles, 2hrs 10min. I wouldn't normally run that far on a weekday/night but Nicole is away this weekend and will miss the long run and so she wanted to fit one in before leaving.

It didn't seem to be raining hard when we left but by my feet were pretty wet after the first lap. I rarely get cold while running once I've been at it for a while but I got a bit chilled tonight and knew that if we stopped I'd get cold really fast. Stopped trying to avoid the puddles near the end after running through one that was ankle deep. My clothes were completely soaked through and I squeezed out about a cup of water from my jacket when I got home. Once you're out there and in the rain it's not so bad - refreshing even. It's the process of going from dry to wet that isn't so much fun. I never used to run with a hat and only started doing so in the past few weeks but I was really happy to have it tonight to keep the rain out of my face.

Took a gel at about 45 minutes and felt really good for the whole run. My aerobic fitness is really good and I think that is partly due to all the hiking (yay Grouse Grind!) we did this year. Aside from the odd hill, we can chat the whole way and not feel out of breath. I think I'm probably in the best shape I've ever been right now, which is kind of funny because Luke feels as though he's in the worst shape of his life at the moment. I feel really good and I'm quite pleased with that. :)

Wild weather

~12 miles today. "Only" ran 1hr 50min. We left the Y downtown in the rain, ran over the Burrard Bridge and along the sea wall out to Spanish Banks. There's a giant anchor along the path and that was our turn-around point. I felt like we were running fast today, but we've got 2 guys with fancy gadgets that measure pace that said we were right on.

Running along Cornwall on our way out we had rain, wind, snow and sleet. We discovered as we turned around at the anchor that we'd had the wind at our backs the whole way out. It was blustery and cold by the water. We were all soaked and glad to be heading back. My feet had been squishing in my shoes since early in the run. I was happy to be warm even though my clothes were pretty soaked. On the way back I commented that at least it hadn't hailed! It couldn't have been 10 minutes later that the hail started. Running along Cornwall with the wind blowing hail in our faces was quite an experience. The ridiculousness of the situation was distracting and soon enough we were coming back over the bridge into downtown.

I felt pretty strong going back over the bridge and thought it may have been because I took two gels today. I usually only take one after about an hour or so. Today I took one after 40 minutes, then another one 40 minutes later.

I only ran once last week so I was happy with how the run today went. Have to get better at these weekday runs. My legs are tired now, but not sore. Knees feel good too. We went snowshoeing yesterday and I was a bit worried I would be tired today, but everything was good!

Raw

I got a few new cookbooks over the holidays, one of them being "Ani's raw food kitchen". I tried a few things for dinner the other night with mixed success. I found the two dinner dishes to be too salty and the soup too garlicky. The pie tasted good, but was just very different in texture than a regular pie. The dishes were all incredibly healthy, relying on fresh, vitamin and mineral packed vegetables and supplied more that enough omega-3 and 6 essential fatty acids in the form of nuts and flax.

The following day for breakfast I made the coconut breakfast cakes, vanilla syrup and coconut butter. The first few bites were delicious, but there was a strange, lingering aftertaste I wasn't too fond of and the texture was a bit overwhelming.

I'm interested in incorporating more raw food into my diet and am keen to learn more ways to do it than just plain old salad. I got my cookbook, thought about incorporating raw food into my New Year's cleanse and then Steve Pavlina's 30-day raw food trial came up in my feed reader - I always find it interesting when the universe brings seemingly separate but nonetheless connected events and ideas together. I think this whole raw food thing very interesting and know a couple other people who have switched to it and swear by it. I'm not convinced that people are "meant to eat" only raw food, but I can see that the health benefits could be significant, if only because this type of diet completely excludes the processed prepackaged foods that contribute to most health problems and emphasizes the fresh, organic, antioxidant, vitamin and mineral rich fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds.

The food was easy and quick to prepare. No cooking means dinner is on the table a fair bit faster. My little Cuisinart mini prep food processor didn't quite have the guts I needed to chop and puree without separating things into several batches (add Kitchenaid 12 cup food processor to wishlist...) and I found the nut based recipes quite expensive, but I'm still looking forward to experimenting with the ideas and combinations in this cookbook and with raw food in general.