New Years Eve

December 31st, 2005

Went into work for a few hours today, did a bunch of upgrades and hardware installs, Uncle Jimmy came along to give me some help.  Went and did a bit of shopping after, got a late Christmas present for Uncle Jimmy and picked up a heart rate monitor for me, very exciting!!  I picked T up on the way home and we swung by the video store and got us a few movies for the evening.  She is going to try very hard to stay up till midnight, will see how she does.  Have to take her back to Mom’s tomorrow afternoon, and after that my day is open so will hopefully get out for a long run.

Songhee’s Solo – 49:54

December 30th, 2005

T and I had another Father/Daughter day at work.  It was pretty slow at work today so we had lots of time to mess around – we had fun!  Got out for a great run at lunch, did the Songhee’s route out past West Bay Marina and back.  It was pretty slow out on the walkway as well, not many people out and about today.  Dropped T off at her Mom’s after work and then spent part of the evening helping a friend move.  Made it home not too long ago, the plan now is to veg for the rest of the evening and then head back into work tomorrow for a few hours.  Will have T for New Years Eve and I think we will just be renting a couple of movies and having a fairly quiet night.

7 Ugly Hard Hills – 48:29

December 29th, 2005

T spent the day at Shawna’s today instead of coming into work with me again.  I picked them both up after work and we headed to the “Y”.  Got the girls in the pool and then went out with the club.  I had a rough night, my legs were very sluggish.  I think I am still paying for the punishment I put them through on Tuesday.  I was fine on the flats and down hills but every climb kicked my ass tonight.  I had started off the night with thoughts of some extra after the hills but once we got back I was done!  I went in to the “Y” and vegged in the lobby until the girls came out.  Dropped Shawna off then came home and ordered in some Il Greco’s pizza for dinner.  I will try for a nice easy run at lunch tomorrow, hopefully clean these legs out some more.

Two easy laps of the Gorge – 45:19

December 28th, 2005

Two laps of the Gorge tonight.  Ran a nice easy pace the whole way.  The legs were feeling pretty heavy after last nights workout but are feeling pretty good right now.  Have got T a swimming partner for tomorrow night so will be out at the “Y” for some 7-Hills.

A lap of the Gorge with T – 54:20

December 27th, 2005

It was a Father-Daughter day at work for T and I, there is no school this week and no day camp program either.  T was great she kept herself entertained all day with magazines, books, some drawing and some computer time.  We took a short break at noon and went downtown to grab some “La Fiesta” for lunch.  After work we came home and T joined me for a lap of the Gorge on her bike.  Taped a flashlight on the front and hung the rear blinkie from my bike onto her coat to keep her lit up.  I used the first 10 minutes as a warm-up and then started some intervals.  On the first lap I did 5 times 1min 30sec with a 30 sec recovery in between.  Finished my fifth one right in front of our place so took a break long enough to get T and her bike back in the house and then went out for another lap.  Did another set of intervals, got 8 times 1min 30 sec with a 30 sec recovery in between done on the second lap.  I did an extra out and back to Inez drive to give me a bit of a longer cool-down.  The legs felt really good but the lungs took a beating tonight, the shorter recovery time makes a huge difference.  Will get out for a nice and easy run sometime tomorrow, a good clean-out run for the punishment tonight.

Boxing Day shopping

December 26th, 2005

I slept in this morning until almost 10, very unusual for me, it was great!!  Picked T up from her Moms at 11 and then the two of us went to Molé for brunch.  I love going out for breakfast/brunch, have made a habit of it for the past few years.  There are a couple of regular spots and a few other places that are favorites.  Pluto’s and Molé are probably on the top of the list with Shine Café, Blue Fox and Floyd’s Diner right up there as well.  We headed to Canadian Tire after brunch and T got to pick out a new bike.  We brought it home and went for a ride right away to test it out.  Went cruising down the Gorge and into Kinsmen Park and then back.  Other than a quick trip to get some groceries and a couple of videos this afternoon has been lazy time.  Dinner and movies is the plan for the evening.  No running today, I have enjoyed the day off after yesterdays trot thru the trails at Thetis.  Will try and get out for some speed work tomorrow some time, probably after work.

T and her new bike:

Merry Christmas! – 1:33:37

December 25th, 2005

It was not too early of a morning today, T got up around 7:30.  We were expecting Uncle Jimmy by 8:00 and he was not late.  As long as I can remember it has been our family tradition to have a cup of hot chocolate first thing Christmas morning while we are emptying our stockings, so this year was no exception.  T waited patiently while I brewed us all a cup of the yummy beverage.  We then started on our stockings and finally into the presents, all three of us were treated very well by Santa.  After the present opening we had a big breakfast and some lounge time before I had to get T over to her Mom’s.

I headed out to Thetis after dropping T off and went for a very nice run through the trails.  The trails were very wet and muddy today which made for some slipping and sliding but it was a blast.  After the run and getting cleaned up I met up with Chris and Jennie at Silver City to catch a movie, we spent 3 hours with “King Kong”.  Have just got home and now am planning to lounge for the rest of the night.

Here are a few photos of the day:

The next two were actually taken on Christmas Eve over at the Maestro and Diva's place:

Christmas Eve

December 24th, 2005

T and I had a very relaxing and somewhat social day.  Started the day off with breakfast at “Pluto’s” with Miss S, enjoyed some good food and had a nice visit.  We spent the afternoon lounging at home and were paid a quick visit by Lisa L.  We finished off the social activities with a trip to Maestro Joey and Diva’s place for a visit, some mulled wine and snacks.  This evening was spent with dinner and a couple of movies.  T has set out the eggnog and cookies for Santa and gone to bed, with firm instructions for me to not stay up too late and scare him away.  I’ve got one more movie to watch and will hopefully get to bed before he shows up.  Will see how the day goes tomorrow but right now it looks like my afternoon is empty so I might head out for a long run around Thetis to fill it up – can’t think of any better way to spend Christmas afternoon

IRR Christmas Party

December 23rd, 2005

There was no running for me today.  I actually slept in a bit this morning and then ontop of that I had a short workday, we stayed open until noon.  After shutting the doors the bosses had a lunch catered for us and we did a small “Secret Santa” gift exchange.  T was going to be at Day Camp all day so after the lunch I blazed over to Hillside Mall and got a bit more Christmas shopping done, I am finished now.  Wanted to get a little something for me as well but the store I went to were all sold out of what I was looking for, I’ll have to wait a week or two to get it.  Came home after shopping and did some wrapping, have pretty much finished that as well.  Will have a nice relaxing day and night tomorrow.

I picked T up around 4 this afternoon we came home and got ready for the IRR Christmas Party.  This year Tony Y hosted the gathering.  It was a potluck and there was no shortage of good food or drink.  Had another gift exchange and then it was time for T and I to come home.  We took a few pictures of the party.

Dinner at Sandsquinch’s – 43:17

December 22nd, 2005

Got out for a lunch run this time with some motivation for a workout.  I ran the Switch bridge route, had to shorten up my warm-up to fit in the workout so only got in 6 minutes.  I ran 5 times 5 minutes with a 1 minute recovery in-between.  My cool-down was shortened as well probably only another 6 minutes.  Was a great run, felt good for all 5 intervals.  I am only working half a day tomorrow so will try for one more run from work before I go pick T up from her Day Camp.

Tonight T and I went over to the Sandsquinch’s place for dinner.  We had a wonderful meal and got to spend some time with the Sandsquinch’s family, as well as Pan and Diva.  After dinner Diva kicked some butt in a game of UNO much to the chagrin of Pan and Sandsquinch.  Here are a few pictures of the evening.

Steve (Sandsquinch's Brother) and the Sandsquinch hard at work:

Diva makes her entrance:

Diva can't beleive that Pan beat her to the house:

Underneath the calm/happy exteriors all three are bursting to throw out a dig:

Some more hard work:

Pleasantries at the dinner table:

T and Diva:

The looks of defeat:

Off to the IRR Christmas Party tomorrow night, should be another night of good food and great company.

Switch Bridge – 47:54

December 21st, 2005

A slow easy run today along the Goose to the far side of Switch Bridge, just kinda zoned out and ran.  It felt great!  Was a solo night, T was at her Moms for the evening, so I got a ton of Christmas shopping done, almost completed.  Only have to grab a couple more things, probably on the 24th and then will be finished.  I am going to try for another lunch run tomorrow, with some longer intervals thrown in.  Will try to do the five times five with one minute rest between but once again will have to see how I am feeling tomorrow.

My ass is still sore, I didn’t think I needed this much reminding!

2nd Annual Dave Smart Tribute Beer Mile – unofficial 9:41

December 20th, 2005

It was a double day today.  I ran a workout at lunch, covering just over 10k in 42:41.  The workout consisted of 9 times 2 minutes with a 1 minute recovery jog in-between.  Did about an 8 minute warm-up and the same for a cool-down.  Had a great lunch run, did get a bit wet though as it decided to rain for the last 10 minutes of the run.  Tonight I headed out to the Oak Bay track to participate in the Beer Mile.  The Beer Mile has only a few rules, the first is that there is a designated drinking area near the start/finish line, you must start off with a unopened beer in your hand, once the gun sounds you can open it and start drinking.  The race is four beers, four laps of the track, and if you puke during the race you must run a penalty lap.  Tonight there was an amazing simultaneous beer opening at the start and off we went.  I didn’t get a great count but there looked to be about 20-30 runners taking part.  The "Flying Finn" took top honors finishing in approximately 5:12, he was drinking Guiness from a bottle!  There were only a few IRR members running, Irongirl was out as well as Tony Y.  Tony took second in this race last year and once again finished near the top – he can sure down that BEER.  I had a blast, took a couple of minutes off my time from last year, it might have been the type of beer or maybe just a better training program

Here are a few pictures of the event, not sure if they are in the correct order but you’ll get the idea…

And one shot of Tony and I at the finish.  I am not sure about Tony but I was a wee bit tipsy at this point.

I owe a great big thank-you to Shaun M. who was my support person, T watcher, photographer, and official DD after the run.  Couldn't of done this without him!!!

Glowing Clouds - 48:04

December 19th, 2005

Did another run from the Youth Centre with Lisa L. tonight.  We did an easy out and back along the Goose and Songhees.  Ran past Sylvan S. a couple of times along the route tonight, he looked nice and relaxed.  It was a very nice evening, warmer than the last few days and seemed much brighter.  The low clouds were glowing from all the lights downtown, a very neat effect.  I think I hit the ice a lot harder than I originally thought.  Lots of stiffness has been creeping out through the day, back, neck, shoulders and my butt which has been especially sore all day and the run did not really help it any but the pain is a good reminder to not be such an idiot   Won’t be trying to jump thru any icy bogs in the near future…

Lots of running tomorrow, heading to the Oak Bay track to run the Dave Smart Beer Mile tomorrow night, and will try and get a workout in at lunch.  Will send off an email to Coach R in the morning and see what he suggests.  I am hoping for something shorter, like some 2 minute repeats, gotta work on that speed some.

Tundra Trails – 1:42:53

December 18th, 2005

Six of us braved the frigid trails around Thetis this morning, it was a cold one!!  Lots of ice on the ground made for some crunchy trails, a very neat sound!  We took a different route today, taking a left by the power line fence and going up Stewart Mountain instead of hanging a right, jumping the fence and running towards Munn Road.  We followed the same course as the race last weekend, the flour arrows were still visible.

Now…  There is a fairly big bog/pond to cross at one point and I was gung-ho to run through it.  When we got to it, it was iced over but not thinking (this is a key phrase) that it could be too thick I ran right at it and jumped on the ice with both feet.  The ice did not give, but my feet surely did slipping right out from underneath me and sending me ass over tea kettle to land squarely on my back at which point the ice decided to crack!  Needless to say after I pulled my totally embarrassed, wet, cold, sore butt out of the icy bog - we used the bypass trail and went on our merry way.  Thankfully there was little or no teasing from the gang, I think they could all sense the chill coming off me.  I blazed home after the run and hopped in the shower to warm up and discovered a couple of scrapes from the fall, they woke me right up.

Here are a few pictures, the first couple are of my left arm, a nice little scrape and the beginnings of some bruising:

I didn’t think that everyone wanted to see my butt so the next couple are pop-ups, they are as “PG” as I could make them, look at your own risk

"Butt Shot #1"

"Butt Shot #2"

Spent the afternoon at the laundry mat again, thought about getting some Christmas shopping done as well but just couldn’t bring myself to do it.  Grabbed a movie for tonight and was planning on just lounging at home but got an offer for dinner and could not pass that up so went and joined Shaun and Dini for the evening.  Had a wonderful meal and we watched the movie at their place.

Will have to wait and see what I feel like in the morning after today’s fall but I am hoping to get out tomorrow night while T is at the Youth Centre.

ACME Bowling

No running today, spent all morning and part of the afternoon at work setting up the computers, Darryl, James and I were there till about 3:30pm.  James treated me to some Quizno’s when we were done and then I came home for a quick relax and some chores.  Tonight I met up with a bunch of work mates at Mayfair Lanes and bowled a couple of games.  I bailed early (10:00) - they were still going strong when I left, it looked like they had a couple of more games in them.  To bed fairly quickly for me, I am hoping to hook up with the club at Thetis tomorrow morning and get a long run in.

Here are a few pictures of bowling:

Another Songhees run – 45:30

December 16th, 2005

Ran at lunch again today, the same exact route as yesterday.  I was feeling pretty good as I left work and by the time I had crossed the Johnson Street Bridge had decided that I would do some longer intervals.  Used the first 10 minutes as a warm-up and then did 2 times 10 minutes with a 5 minute recovery run in-between and the rest as a cool down.  It was another gorgeous day today, the weather was amazing and I was in a state of bliss out there - you just can’t beat days like today!

Stayed at work for awhile tonight, got all the computers set up on the desks and ready for configuration tomorrow.  James, Darryl and I are going in tomorrow morning to get them all up and running.  Will take a few hours and then will have the rest of the day to play, see what kinda trouble I can get into.

On the Songhees again – 49:56

December 15th, 2005

I had went to work planning on doing some intervals today but as soon as I started running and saw how gorgeous it was I decided to bag it and just enjoy a leisurely run down the Songhees again.  I did the same route as last night only from work instead of Burnside School.  I had the pleasure of some company today, Ased caught up to me just as I was past Spinnakers and we ran together for a few minutes before he had to turn around and head back.  I had a great run, nice and easy, the legs were a bit heavy but that may have been from the massage I had this morning

Will head out again for lunch tomorrow, am planning on doing those intervals again but will wait and see what the day looks like first before making myself any promises…

West Bay and Back – 1:05:33

December 14th, 2005

T had a “Pizza and Movie” night with the choir tonight and I got a very nice run in.  Ran from Burnside School down to the Goose, onto the Songhees Walkway to West Bay Marina and then a bit into Esquimalt and back.  A nice steady pace, probably covered 14-15km.  When I got back to the school to pick T up they were in full pillow fight mode, it was chaotic!  Don’t think I will make the 7-Hills tomorrow night so will hopefully get out for a run at lunch, maybe try to do 5 times 5 minutes with 1 minute recovery.

Slippery at UVic

December 13th, 2005

Was able to make it to the track tonight, first time I’ve been since spring.  Did our normal warm-up routine and then right into the workout.  We did 2 sets of 4 times 300m with 100m recovery and then 1 set of 3 times 300m with 100m recovery.  We had a 500m recovery between sets.  The track was really icy tonight, Coach R tried to work our 100m recovery into the most slippery section and told us to put our watches away and not worry about times tonight.  I had an excellent run, it felt great to be on the track again!  The Sandsquinch and I ran our sets together, side by side most of the time but we ran a couple taking turns leading.  We was again not in his “Super Tights” and I had brought the camera just for that occasion so was very disappointed.

Found out tonight that the "Dave Smart Beer Mile" is happening again this year, next week, excitement reigns!!!

After the track I picked up T and Haley from their climbing excursion with Lisa L.  Sounds like they didn’t have any fun at all   They both got in a ton of climbs and T even did a 5.7 wall all on the right colours – not quite sure what that means but she was really excited about it!  We dropped Haley off and then came home with enough time for dinner and homework before it was T’s bedtime.

Silent on the Songhees – 49:37

December 12th, 2005

After dropping T off at the Youth Centre, I met up with Lisa L and we went for a nice and easy out and back run along the Goose and Songhees Walkway.  Lisa seemed to have a lot on her mind so I just shut up and listened, she needed a good ear tonight.  Although at most times I don’t say “s**t” if my mouth is full of it, so it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for me to not be talking…

Looks like I will get to join the club at the track tomorrow night!  T has talked Lisa into taking her and Haley climbing tomorrow night after school.  Hopefully I will be able to get T quickly organized for the climbing right after work and make it to the track in time for a quick warm-up before the workout.

Daughter’s and Dad’s

December 11th, 2005

I picked T up from Shawna’s this morning, we came home for a bit and relaxed and then headed over to our friend Patrick's place to hang with him and his two daughters.  The five of us played some games, went for a walk and just hung out.  Patrick had to head to work for awhile this evening so I stayed with the girls while he was out.  I made up a scavenger hunt to keep them busy and then we had some hot chocolate.  T and I ended up staying for dinner and to watch the season finale of Survivor.  Erin got home right around dinner time with her sister and they grabbed the girls and had them help bake some cookies.  We had a great day of mostly just Dad and Daughter time!  No running today, will get out for a run from the Youth Centre tomorrow night.  Need to run off all these cookies I have been eating

Here are some pictures of our day:

Pancakes and Stewart Mountain – 1:24:57

December 10th, 2005

T and I made our way to the Pancake Breakfast at Burnside this morning.  She had to head into the Music Room right away and get dressed for Choir.  I was starving so did not wait and ate breakfast as soon as I walked in.  Pancakes, sausages and fruit with juice and coffee made for a great pre-race breakfast.

The Choir sang Christmas Carols for about 20 minutes, they all did very well!

Chris and Jennie came along to watch T and hang with her when I had to leave for Thetis.

Patrick, Erin, and her mom Bonnie were there as well.

Santa even paid a visit.

My race was good.  Pan and I ran the first half together and then he really started to pull away on the downhills after the big climb.  I really slow up on the downhills, I haven’t mastered the letting go-flailing arm running technique yet, it looks a bit scary.  I tried to catch him on some of the flatter stuff and could keep him in sight but there was just too much downhill on the second half and I think he got a good couple of minutes on me by the end.  I do love trail runs, you never lose focus, I am always concentrating on my footing and the path ahead of me, cannot just cruise these runs – very mental.  Was definitely fatigued by the end and my ankle was a bit sore, it held up very well tho’.  I had taped it but I think all the water loosened it up some.

Chris, Jennie and T met me at Thetis after the run.  I did a quick change and then T and I headed over to Miss S’s parents place so that T could help Roz, Miss S, and Linds decorate for their party tonight.

Christmas Girls.

T got some hang time with the girls and then we headed over to her friend Shawna’s place to drop her off for a sleepover.  I came home cleaned up and a got very quick nap in and some chores done then headed to a late movie with Chris.  Now it is time for bed!

A Movie Day

December 9th, 2005

Another day at home with T, she was still pretty sore this morning when she woke up.  Got her set up with breakfast and some medication right away, then she let me go back to sleep for a couple of hours.  Think I am all caught up on the missed sleep from Wednesday now.  We spent most of the morning just lounging and then ran a couple of errands this afternoon.  Picked up the race package for tomorrow, stopped in at work quickly to visit, and picked up a few movies to watch.  T had a craving for McDonald’s Fries so we got us a large and a Sprite before heading home to start our movie afternoon.  Watched three movies this afternoon, Sky High, Fantastic Four, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, then took a break for dinner.  After dinner we decorated our Christmas Tree and got in a few games of Cranium Cadoo before T’s bedtime.  Will be heading to the Pancake Breakfast at T’s school tomorrow morning.  I will be able to hang for awhile before heading to Thetis to run the Stewart Mountain 10-miler.  Two days off and I am feeling pretty guilty and sluggish, am looking forward to the race tomorrow.

Our Christmas Tree:

Tired today…

December 8th, 2005

Had to pick T up at 7:30 this morning then we had to kill some time before her appointment at 8:45.  We ended up grabbing a coffee then heading down to the Oak Bay Marina and wandered for a bit.  T’s morning was pretty hard for her.  The surgery was quick but the anesthesia lasted awhile and she had a rough time coming out of it.  The bottom two teeth just popped out, the Doc had to make a couple of cuts to get the top two out so she has a couple of stitches up there.

Have spent the day at home, T laying on the couch either sleeping or watching the tube.

She got a bit of energy this evening and painted a bit

The Doc gave T the teeth he took out and I could not pass up the opportunity, so here they are!!

She had some great support, her Mom, Miss S, and Lisa L all came by for visits.  The Sandsquinch, Pan and Diva called and chatted with her for a bit.  She was talking about trying to go to school tomorrow, will have to wait and see how she feels in the morning.

An Ugly Long Day – 44:27

December 7th, 2005

I did a run at lunch, a nice steady pace of the Switch Bridge route.  Not many people out running today, usually I see a lot of the same faces but it seemed like nobody was around today, I quite enjoyed having the Goose to myself.  T is spending the night with her Mom so I had planned to stay at work late and start the networking for the computers.  My brother James and another friend came to help, we started around 3:00pm and finally finished at around 3:00am.  Got it all done and now will get ready to start hooking up all the computers, probably have it finished  next weekend.  It’s time for bed, at least for a few hours… T has some surgery tomorrow morning, she is getting four teeth extracted.  Too many teeth and not enough mouth!

Craft Night at Burnside – 50:57

December 6th, 2005

Went to pick T up after work and found out on short notice that the Community Centre was holding a Craft Night at the school this evening, it was starting right after the Out of School care closed.  T really wanted to go, we were able to work it out so that she could go with our friend’s Patrick, Erin, and Enya and I was able to get a run in and meet them after.

My run tonight was great, did two laps of the Gorge and an out and back to Inez Drive.  The coach sent me a workout for tonight, it was a interval ladder, shorter intervals: 2 min, 3 min, 4 min, 4 min, 3 min, 2 min all with 2 min rest between.  I did a 10 minute warm-up then the workout and used the rest of the time as a cool-down.  Felt strong, though it is hard to tell sometimes when running by myself just how hard I am working, no one to compare my pace to.

Jumped into a quick shower then raced over to the Craft Night.  We made some Christmas crafts, got all gluey, and sparkly, had a very fun night!!

Patrick, Erin, and little Enny (hiding):

Tori and Haley:

Our finished crafts:

Songhee’s in the moonlight – 47:52

December 5th, 2005

After dropping T off at the Youth Centre, Lisa L joined me for a run along the Goose and then the Songhee’s Walkway, ran a nice and easy pace, felt relaxed the whole way.  I did still use a tensor for the ankle, probably more for my mental support than actual joint support on this run.  The moon was very cool tonight, a sliver moon hidden behind hazy clouds, looked amazing!

T got her report card on Friday last week, and I got to see it today after she spent the weekend with her Mom.  She did very well at school, mainly B’s with a C in Math (we still need to work on that subject).  Good comments from the teachers and principal made me very proud!!

Will not make it to the track tomorrow so will email the coach and get a workout for a run after work, looks like another solo run!  Kind of needing one at the moment lots on the mind...

Sandsquinch sightings – 1:31:12

December 4th, 2005

The rare Sandsquinch was spotted this morning on the trails around Thetis Lake.  Pan and I were tracking the Sandsquinch on the trails for awhile and noticed that he likes to take the occasional shortcut : )

Getting ready to go:

Had a good turnout this morning, 11 of us.  It was a great day to be out on the trails, the weather was amazing, we even had a little sun shine on us near the finish of the run.  There was still some snow left up along the power lines and a few of us were doing the slippy slidy going down the trail.  The power line trail is getting pretty overgrown, lots of blackberry bushes which can make running kinda hazardous.  I got snagged a few times and had some leaks on my legs.  My ankle felt great, I had taped it up this morning and tried to run cautiously on the single track and push on the more open stuff.  The tape gave it that little extra support that it needed and me the confidence to push it a bit.  I really enjoyed the run today!!

The Sandsquinch was spotted again at Brannigans where a few of us went for breakfast after the run.  We were joined by Diva who had gone to Elk/Beaver this morning to run with Shan.

My afternoon was spent at the laundry mat, as wonderful as T is she sure goes through a lot of clothes : )  I can’t wait till she’s old enough to do her own laundry…  Stopped by the video store on the way home and picked up another movie, it’s going to be a Zombie night with “Land of the Dead”.

Tomorrow will be a Youth Centre night for T and hopefully a 50+ minute run for me.

Not much on the go, a lazy day

December 3rd, 2005

I didn’t run today, spent a few hours this morning at work cleaning up the mess I made shuffling the office last night.  Tried to get everything back on the desks close to where they started.  Spent the rest of the day at home lounging, ran out quickly to grab a movie and now am getting ready to lounge some more.  Will be joining the gang at Thetis in the morning for a long trail run, will throw some tape on the ankle for some extra support and try to take it easy.  Tried to find some results from the National Cross Country races held today in Vancouver but no luck, hopefully Diva will post some.

Nice and Steady Friday – 45:01

December 2nd, 2005

Was able to get out for a run at lunch today, did the Switch Bridge route.  It was a bit cool and there was a slight breeze, made for toque and glove weather.  I am a short-wearing running person, not yet able to bring myself to wear tights.  I was the only person with bear legs on Thursday night, all the others had on their “Super Tights”.  I find that once I get going it’s not my legs that get cold, it is my hands.  I have on a few occasions had my fingers so cold that I could not untie my own shoes or get my key out of my inner short pocket (which if you have the right help is not really a big problem : ).  I will have to see if I can get a picture of it but seeing the Sandsquinch in “Super Tights” is an amazing sight.  One that should not be missed!

I spent a couple of extra hours at work tonight re-organizing the front office, doing a bit of a shuffle with the desks and dividing walls and then met Pan at my place after he finished at work.  He gave me some lessons on Web Page design.  Hopefully I will be able to put them to use and give the blog some more life!

Snowy Hills – 51:15

December 1st, 2005

Got to the “Y” on time tonight and got T and Haley in the pool right away.  There were about eight of us in the lobby getting ready to go when in comes Sylvan saying “It has just started to snow again.  This is going to be EPIC!”  The hills were covered with some snow, and were slippery in parts but it was a good run, no one bailed.  The Diva took off on us at the first hill, claimed something about just doing a warm up and needing some extra rest before the National Cross Country this weekend.  We were joined by Tony Y and Jim B along the way and our group was pretty tight for the whole route.  I pushed on the hills but did take a break at the top of each one this time.  After finishing the Hills I had started my way toward Beacon Hill for some extra and got about a minute into it then turned around.  It was stinkin cold!!  Too cold for a slow jog thru the park.  Ended up heading back into the “Y” to get warm and ran into Pan and Lins who hung out with me while I waited for the girls to finish up swimming.  T and I took Haley home and then made a quick pit stop at Il Greco’s for some take home, I thought ahead and ordered while waiting for the girls.  T and I made it a night in front of the TV with some pizza and Survivor.

The ankle felt very good tonight.  I was a bit hesitant to push left hand turns but other than that all was good.  I am thinking I may still tape it up for the race next weekend, just to give it a bit of extra stability.  Not sure about running tomorrow, maybe a lunch run if I can get out.