A Blah Day

May 31st, 2006

Was just not feeling up to a run today, I had no motivation at all and was feeling very blaaahh!

Picked up T after work and we came home, T got her homework done, we had some dinner and have spent the evening relaxing.

Will be busy at work tomorrow so don't think I will be able to get out for a lunch run but will hopefully get out tomorrow night while T is at the Youth Centre.


Gobi March 2006
 - Stage 4 - 78.1km
It is almost complete, only a few runners are still on the course.  Sounds like they had a rough day.  The stage started with a drop down into a canyon with several river crossings.  It then came back up and out onto open plains for kilometers.  Throughout the day, fierce winds, turned to a sandstorm and then a brief rain storm.

A couple of shots from the course today:

Gobi March Live Update

Gobi March Stage 3
39.7km
+831m elevation

Weather
30C
and winds up to 80km/h

Macaulay at Lunch – 46 minutes or so

May 30th, 2006

Out at lunch again today, along the Songhees and around Macaulay.  Did not feel like doing a workout so left my watch behind and  just ran easy.

Picked T up from her “Girls Group” after school and we came home ate some dinner then went out for a bike ride down to Fisherman's Wharf, along Dallas, a stop at Starbucks for a treat and then onto Beacon Hill Park for some time in the playground.

Youth Centre Run – 30:00

May 29th, 2006

30 minutes of easy running from the Youth Centre tonight.  A gorgeous evening for a run along the Songhees, was surprised to not see many people out.

It has been a lazy evening at home, after dinner we lounged on the couch in front of the TV.

Stage Two of the Gobi is finished, another 37km stage.  Some great photos on the live site.

 - Gobi March Live -

Gowlland Tod with Packman – 2:23:13

May 28th, 2006

An early morning – a 6:00am meet with Packman at Caleb Pike for a great run thru' the trails.  We ran an out and back from the parking lot to just shy of McKenzie Bight, taking the Jocelyn Peak route on the way out and the inland route on the way back.  It was a beautiful morning for a run, little wind, not too cold (or warm) and we did not see anyone else out on the trail.  We took turns leading so that we would both get some of the cobwebs and wet brush slapping us   On the way back we both got quite soaked by running thru' some of the thicker bush overhanging the trail and by the time we got back to our cars there were little pieces of vegetation clinging all over both of us – we looked hilarious.

I came home after, got cleaned up, ate some lunch and relaxed for awhile before heading into work for part of the afternoon.  T spent the afternoon over at Shawna's, after I picked her up we came home and got dinner ready then T went up to the movie store and rented us a video for the night - Cheaper by the Dozen 2, we both had some laughs!

Checked the results from the Kool Half later this afternoon and saw that we had some great results, Hugh finished 3rd overall, Diva came in 14th and was the 3rd overall female, and I saw that Joanie came in 34th overall and was the 7th female across the finish line.  Great work you guys and everyone else I didn't see!

Stage one of the Gobi March is completed, 37km of running that went over a small mountain, across 14km of salt flats, and slogged  thru' thigh high mud – Woohoo!!!  Sounds like fun, can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

Check out the new look of my Race History page : )

Messing Around, Chores, and Molé

May 27th, 2006

The girls and I slept in this morning – it was great!  Ended up getting out of bed around 9:30 and then still lounged for awhile.  We did some errands this morning and then the three of us hit Molé for brunch.  Both the girls had the “Born in France” and of course I went with the “Wise Guy Hash w/extra sausage”.  T and Shawna came up with a plan to get them spending the night together at Shawna's place tonight and I dropped them off there this afternoon.

I spent the afternoon at Uncle Jimmy's place, he was in Nanaimo for the day so I borrowed his washer and dryer to get all my laundry done.  Then ended up spending the evening there as there were some good fights on tonight, UFC 60!

Got home not too long ago and will be heading to bed fairly quickly as the plan is to meet Packman at Gowlland Tod early tomorrow morning and get a good long trail run in and then still have the whole day to mess around.

Uncle Jimmy's Birthday Dinner and Gobi News

May 26th, 2006

Even with having Monday off it has felt like a long work week, 4:30 could just not come fast enough today.  When it finally did come around I was out like a shot, picked up T then we picked up Shawna who has joined T for a sleepover tonight.  We stopped in at home and got cleaned up before heading out again to have dinner with Uncle Jimmy and The Kay's at Sabri's to celebrate Uncle Jimmy's birthday.  You just have to love Indian Buffet, I had three plate loads plus whatever the girls could not finish on their plates

The girls and I came home after and then went out for a walk to Dallas and along the waterfront, hopefully  worked off a plate load or two.  Home again now and the girls are in T's room playing.

And in other news - The “Secret” is finally out...  I have decided to run the 'Gobi March' a race across 250km of the Gobi Desert in China with two teammates next year.  We don't know the exact date yet but it should be right around this time, end of May, early June.  Which means we have almost exactly one year to plan, train and prepare for it.  It is still a ways away and there is excitement building already plus some fears – lots of thoughts running thru the head.

Not much in the way of training today or tomorrow but I am hoping to get out with Packman early on Sunday morning for a long trail run in Gowlland Tod.

Busy – 21:02

May 25th, 2006

Last day of in store training today for our new system and it was nutty!  I did make it out for a run but had to make it a short one so I could be back in time for classes in the afternoon.  So to make up for the lack of distance I ran hard other than having to stop for two red lights I ran at 5km pace as much as I could.

T was picked up from school by Miss S who had given her a “Girls Time Gift Certificate” for her Birthday.  T and Miss S had made plans for tonight and they went on a shopping spree, spending some of T's Birthday money.  T came home with bags of stuff - clothes, shoes, trinkets, jewelry and even a bit of candy.

The rest of the evening was spent with some homework, a bit of geek time for T and a call to Uncle Jimmy to sing him Happy Birthday!  We will be heading out to dinner with him tomorrow night.

“Lost” - 54:38

May 24th, 2006

Work has been really busy for the past couple of days.  We are getting ready to go live with our new computer system and have been getting some training.  I am sitting in on all the classes and trying to soak it all in as well as trying to catch any errors I've made or changes that need doing before the big day.  We have one more day of in store training tomorrow and then will get the chance to play with it for a few days before we clear and start from scratch on June 1st.  I sure hope I can take a few days off sometime after we go live, definitely need the break!

Made it out to Coach Boob's work tonight and got in a great run with Wayne, Diva and Coach Boob.  We took off from his work and ran to Elk/Beaver Lake, on the far side of the lake, away from the highway.  Ran along the lakes for a few kilometers and then hit a side trail that took us up to Forest Hill Road.  We ran on it to Doyle then onto Old West Saanich and back towards Linnet Lane.  We turned on to Linnet Lane and ran back towards the lakes, found a trail head that connected back into the main lakes trail.  Took it and headed back to Coach Boob's work.

After the run Coach Boob had to take off right away but he let us into the gym, I did some stretching while Diva did some weights.

Came home after, cleaned up, ate dinner and then sat in front of the TV glued to the season finale of “Lost” - I am soo confused now........ and pissed that I have to wait months before the start of the next season to find out what happens next - ARRRRGGGHHHHH

Beach Wanderers – 43:53

May 23rd, 2006

Ran at lunch today, the Switch Bridge route.  Kept a steady pace, maybe just slower then my 10km pace, the whole way and felt very good - the legs felt surprisingly fresh after the hard trail run yesterday.

After picking T up from school we went for a quick grocery shop and then came home.  T got right into her homework and I started getting dinner ready.  We ate, cleaned up and lounged for awhile and then decided to go for a walk down along the beach, stopping by Starbucks on our way to pick up a hot chocolate and a mocha to enjoy on our wanders.

East Sooke Park and Lance's Birthday Dinner – 1:38:06

May 22nd, 2006

Met Pan-Pan at Il Greco's at 8:15 this morning and then we car-pooled out to East Sooke Park.  We were both slightly directionally challenged this morning so it took us a few extra minutes to get to the parking lot at Aylard Farm.  We snubbed our noses at the weather (the rain was coming down pretty good at this point) and after changing into our trail running gear off we went.  As we left Aylard Farm we got right onto the Coast Trail and started heading towards Pike Point – the end of the Coast Trail, approx 10km away.  We were moving at a pretty good pace for the first couple of kilometers and then hit the nasty stuff – single track that is rooty, rocky, slippery, and wild to push hard thru', have to be very wary of those ugly “Ankle Traps”.

That stuff slowed us down considerably but we were still going fast, took a short vista break at Beechey Head and watched all the boats drift by on the current as they were fishing.  Heard some yelling from one boat, sounded like they must of caught a big one!  Once again we found ourselves directionally challenge and it took us a couple of minutes to get back on the right trail. But once we did we were back into the more technical trail so it was lots of trotting with spurts of running and the occasional scramble up some rocks.

Running with Pan-Pan was a blast, we both love this type of running and were chatting the whole way, reveling in how great it was to be out and be the only two people on the trail.  Every once in awhile you would hear one of us with a groan, oomphf, ouch, or some other expletive as we would snag a tree or get hit by one of those really huge rain drops – the kind that soak your entire head.

After a short break at the shelter just past Beechey Head we pushed on to Cabin Point, which is just past the half way point on the Coast Trail.  Took another break there and decided to take the Interior Trail back to Aylard Farm.  This trail was more developed, much faster and also fun to run on (other then the odd ugly hill), we made good time on the way back and only had one more challenge.  We had run up to a “Y” in the trail and both ways lead back to the Farm so it was decision time.  One trail was the nice big wide fast running trail and it was starting to head downhill, and the other looked like it turned into some more single track and it was going up hill.  Of course Pan-Pan and I were of differing opinions on which direction to go so we had to “Rock, Paper, Scissor” for it and Pan-Pan won – we took the uphill single track route

My disappointment in losing the game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” did not last long as this trail was gorgeous, a very short uphill section then into an old creek bed that lead down into a small forested valley, huge trees over our heads and greenery everywhere on the ground – the smell was incredible!  After a few minutes on this trail it ended up hooking back into the main Interior Trail that was faster running and we got back to the parking lot in no time.

Here a a few pictures of our run:

Corn Pop time for Pan-Pan, excellent energy food!

Eating a Cliff Bar and staring at the ocean.

One of the more nasty sections.

Woohoo!! Beach!!!

After our great morning run we headed back to Il Greco's and then after a short tour thru' the kitchen and an introduction to Pan-Pan's Dad, I headed home.  Spent the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon cleaning up some, I finally got the last couple of boxes unpacked in T's room.  Have just a few things for T to look at and figure out if she want's to hang to then we will be completely unpacked and moved in

Spent the evening with a large group of friends having dinner at the Canoe Club where we celebrated Lance's Birthday.  It was a night of good food, great conversation and amazing friends!

Breakfast at Molé and a Tasting at Venturi Schulze

May 21st, 2006

Was able to sleep in a little this morning, made it until almost 8:30.  Met up with James R at  Molé for breakfast, will be our last get together for awhile as he left today for another ten months abroad – Guiding tours thru' France and Ireland for a couple of months, off to Berlin after that, then Thailand and then a few months in India – gotta love that!  Back to breakfast...  I had the regular

I spent a bit of time after breakfast wandering downtown then after I got home had a quick visit from Miss S who had come by to see the new apartment.

Maestro is out of town and this afternoon I was on Diva chaperoning duty so had to drag her with me to the wine tasting at Venturi Schulze (or the other option for that scenario was that I was too pathetic to get a date and Diva was kind enough to accompany me )  Either way... Marilyn and Giordano treated us very well, took us on a quick tour of the vineyard, then had five wines for us to try as well as some locally baked breads, a few wonderful cheeses and an amazing balsamic vinegar.  As well as getting a teaspoon of their current release of balsamic, Marilyn gave us the extra special treat of tasting their original “mother” balsamic which is over thirty-five years old and blew my taste buds away!  After the tasting Giordano took us on another tour, this time through the vinegary.  I have been to their vineyard a few times and every time I go I am amazed with their wines - they are purists using no pesticides or herbicides and do not compromise in the vineyard or winery.  Diva and I both left the vineyard with a few bottles of wine.

After the tasting I still had chaperoning duty so we decided to head out for dinner, we came back to Victoria and went downtown to Ferris's Oyster Bar.   Tried to get Squintch, Pan-Pan and Linds to join us but they had already eaten.

Dropped Diva off at home after dinner then made my way home.  Have plans to run East Sooke Park with Pan-Pan tomorrow morning so will be heading to bed fairly quickly.

It has been a great day – Thanks again for the company this afternoon Diva!!!

Gowlland Tod, Car Washing and a Movie with Squintch – 1:10:59

May 20th, 2006

Made it an early morning and headed out to Gowlland Tod for an 8:30 start on the trail.  Ran to the peak of Jocelyn Hill again, pushing a bit this time.  Ran with a pack as well, maybe ten to twelve pounds of weight in it.  Took a nice break at the peak, ate a Cliff Bar and refueled with some water then back to the parking lot.

Here is a nice shot of the view from the peak of Jocelyn Hill:

On my way back towards home I hit the Starbucks drive thru and then stopped in at work and spent some time cleaning the car.  It had been awhile since I last washed the car so it took awhile to get it all shined up

Came home after and got cleaned up, ate some lunch and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

Hope to get to  a movie with Squintch later tonight...

Slacking Off

May 19th, 2006

Bailed on work a bit early today and came home to relax.  Have not got up to much this evening, rented a movie and ate some dinner.  No running today but will be heading out to Gowlland Tod in the morning.  Kinda tired so will be heading to bed soon...

Transition Day at Central – 45:00

May 18th, 2006

Took the afternoon off from work and picked up T and her classmate Sergio from school and took them to the Central Middle School Transition.  They each got a tour guide with a checklist and got to wander thru the whole school, on kind of a scavenger hunt.  While they were doing their thing the Vice Principal gave a few of us parents a tour too.

When they were finished we drove Sergio back to school and waited with him until his Mom came to pick him up and then T and I came home for a bit before it was time for the Youth Centre.  T got all her homework done when we were home so now she is free and clear for her long weekend with her Mom.

While T was at the Youth Centre I got in a nice run down on the Songhees, was singlet weather tonight, a great night to be out!

Runnin' to West Bay, Dinner with Squintch – 38:19

May 17th, 2006

Another lunch run today, ran along the Songhees to West Bay Marina, a nice easy pace today – made for a very enjoyable run.

After work it was another homework night for T.  Lots of homework, some Math from today and some Language Arts to get caught up on.  Neither of us felt like cooking tonight so we called Squintch to see if he was up for a dinner out – and of course he was!!  The three of us went to the James Bay Cafe for dinner, Squintch and I getting some Chinese food and T got the Fish and Chips.

Came home after dinner and had enough time to relax in front of the TV with T for a bit before it was her bedtime.

I am taking the afternoon off tomorrow, it is Transition Day for T.  She gets to go visit Central Middle School and check out what it's like.

1km Interval Lunch and Dallas after Dinner – 47:57

May 16th, 2006

Broke the work day up with a run at lunch.  Ran the Switch Bridge route.  Ran three 1km intervals at just a tad faster than 10k pace in the middle to get some speed work in and see how the legs would take it.  I took a 1 minute rest after each and the splits were very close, 3:52, 3:49, and 3:53 for the last one.  Was a good run, could really feel the warmth today, summer is upon us!!

After work T and I came home and had dinner right away then T had some homework to get done.  After dinner and homework we took a stroll down to Dallas and walked along the beach towards Clover Point just enjoying the evening and having some fun along the way...

Big Sisters, Rollerbladers and the Youth Centre – 30:00

May 15th, 2006

I had a meeting to get to right after work so had Fish hang with Tori until it was time for her to go to the Youth Centre.  My meeting was with Big Brothers Big Sisters, T has had an In-School Mentor for the past few years and really enjoyed that but it has come to an end, so we are taking the next step and trying to set her up with a Community Mentor/Big Sister.  Tonight was the parent orientation and things went well, just need to fill out the application form, get it back and then the process will be started.

I went to the Youth Centre after my meeting and had time for a quick run, 30 minutes.  Easy out and then more of a tempo on the way back.  Ran into Darryl and Sharon M (who were on rollerblades) with their little one (riding her bike) as I was crossing the Trestle Bridge so stopped for a quick chat and visit.

After the Youth Centre T and I made a quick stop in at Thrifty's to pick up something cool for dinner then came home, we ate, homeworked, geeked, and watched a bit of TV.

Molé and Trails in Gowlland Tod - 1:09:23

May 14th, 2006

T and I both slept in some this morning, a welcome change from the past few days.  After waking up we took our bikes out and rode to Molé for breakfast.  It was pretty busy but we got in right away and sat at the counter.  We both had our “usual”, T the “Born in France” and I had the “Wise Guy Hash with extra sausage.”  After breakfast we rode around downtown for awhile before heading home where we spent the rest of the morning.

T had a BBQ with her Mom this afternoon, I dropped her off there around 3pm and then headed out to Gowlland Tod for a run on the trails.  It was a gorgeous afternoon, sunny, bright, and warm.  I took it easy and just really enjoyed the scenery, took a couple of breaks at the viewpoints along the trail to Jocelyn Hill and stopped for ten minutes at the top to take it all in.  Not many people on the trails today and the ten minutes at the top solo was amazing, just the birds, bees and me.

Came home again after the run, got cleaned up, went for a quick grocery shop, dinner, and then lounged until it was time to go pick up T.  We weren't ready to head home right away so took a detour to Clover Point and explored the beach for 20 minutes.

We are home now and T is getting ready for bed, I rented another movie and will get to watching that as soon as T is all settled.

MEC is Officially Open!

May 13th, 2006

After our late night this morning was groggy for both T and I.  I had set the alarm so that we would have just enough time to wake up, get dressed and make it a bit early for the MEC opening.  Thankfully we were early, maybe 50 people in front of us, because by 9:00am the line was around the corner and halfway down the next block.  Saw a couple of familiar faces, Patrick D was out, as well as Colin C from my work.  Once the store opened we got ushered in and were able to each get a water bottle and T snagged a free Fox-40 Whistle with a lanyard.  We both found a couple of items we just could not do with out so picked those up and made our way outside.  Walked up to Starbucks and as we were crossing the street, Packman poked his head out Starbuck's door.  He and his girls were wandering the town while Mom was shopping.  We hung with them for a bit and then went for breakfast and a quick trip to Mayfair to pick out a couple of CDs.

Spent part of the afternoon at home, T geeking and I laid on my bed and read some.  For lunch T treated me to a smokie at the James Bay Community Market.  After lunch we just walked around for awhile then came home and relaxed.

Shaun McB and Dini joined us for pizza and a movie tonight and after T and I played a couple of games then it was time for bed.

We are going to head to Molé for breakfast tomorrow and then T is going to spend the afternoon with her Mom at a BBQ.  I may try and head out to Gowland Tod for some trail running in the afternoon.

A Week of Party's

May 12th, 2006

Took the day off from work today.  Had an appointment this morning to deal with and then ran a few errands.  Bumped into Hugh T while I was downtown, he was on a coffee break, we had a quick chat and visit.  He has got a really busy week ahead, off to Penticton tomorrow for a race, then back on Sunday and leaves again on Tuesday for a few days abroad for a seminar of some sort then back again and another race a few days after that – Nutty!

Spent part of my afternoon lazing down on Dallas along the beach, soaking in some sun and enjoying the ocean breeze.  I had a very relaxing afternoon, and really enjoyed the short time away from everything...

Tonight I volunteered to help out T's teacher, Miss Tessemaker, with a Choir party.  It started off with a free for all in the Music Room (very loud!), then dinner at Subway, play time at the park, games in the gym, flew some kites in the field, back into the school for more games and finished up with some ice cream cake back in the Music Room.  We had a blast and I took an absolute ton of pictures, here are a few – no captions sorry!

After the party T and I stopped in for a short visit with the Fisher's.  It was Erin's Birthday yesterday and they were having a BBQ tonight.  Stayed for a little while and then after both T and Enny looked like they were ready to pass out we came home

No huge plans for tomorrow yet, going to try to get down for the MEC Grand Opening and see if we can snag us a free waterbottle!!

Los Taquito's Birthday Dinner – 31:03

May 11th, 2006

The Day After T's Birthday...  It was a long day at work waiting for tonights festivities, the easy run at lunch with Andrew G broke up the monotony of the workplace.  I bailed out a bit early and picked up T's Birthday Cake, dropped it off at the restaurant on my way to pick her up.  We came home and relaxed for awhile before getting ready for dinner.  I had not told T who all was coming so she kinda thought it was just going to be a couple of people and was very surprised to see all our friends and family keep showing up.  It was a great night for her! (and me )

The tables starting to fill up:

Jocelyn & Scooter:

T, Miss S & Lindsay:

James, Mark, Jon, Lindsay, & Miss S:

T with her Margarita, waving to another guest walking in the door:

Jocelyn, Scooter, Squinch & Diva:

Some more Mark & Jon:

Uncle Jimmy, Lindsay & Miss S:

Miss S (with the tongue ) & T:

T & me:

T & me again:

T & Diva both thinking they are not too sure about Squinch:

T  & Enny:

Food has arrived!

Fisher, what is that look?

There is another Fisher look...

Uncle Jimmy, Lindsay & Miss S (with more tongue)

The Rosalyn “Don't I'm eating” picture:

Joey & James

Another of T & Enny (who is still trying very hard not to smile):

Cake time:

That must be one good sucker Jocelyn?

Not much cake left but Miss S looks like she is eyeing it up:

The Birthday Shirt!

Jocelyn stealing a sip of T's Margarita:

It was just after 10 by the time we got home so it was a quick change into PJ's, clean-up and teeth brush then bed time for T and I think I shall be heading that way soon too...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY T!!!!!!!!!!! - 1:02:10

May 10th, 2006

Woke T up this morning with a soaring rendition of “Happy Birthday”, she of course loved it, I am a grand singer   Uncle Jimmy and I have been teasing T, we made up a new holiday, the “Dadiversary – The Celebration of Dadhood” and told T that it was no longer her birthday but my Dadiversary.  She didn't buy it at all...

It was T's Wednesday night with her Mom this week so I had a open evening.  I ended up heading out to Coach Boob's work and going for a run.  I took it very easy, seeing how everything felt after the punishment from Saturday.  It was a great group tonight, Coach Boob, Diva, Maestro and Wayne.  We decided to go for an exploration run, I ended up getting really turned around and found myself once again just following along hoping not to lose sight of everyone.  Maestro and I ran together for most of the route and let the fastees go.  They would come back, or wait for us every once in awhile to make sure we didn't get too lost.  I felt pretty good after the run, still some heavy fatigue in the legs but no huge soreness or pain, a very good sign

Did some stretching in the gym after then came home, got cleaned up, dinner, some prep for T's Birthday Dinner tomorrow night and now think I will veg with the TV once I am done with this.

Tomorrow the plan is to meet up with Andrew and Ased at lunch for another easy run.  Think I  may be able to drag Rob S out with me again too.

MEC!

May 9th, 2006

Got out of the office at lunch for a nice walk, wandered up to MEC and browsed the store again until I had to get back to work.  I do enjoy that store...

After school T had a “Home Alone” course to attend, trying to get her ready for 6th Grade where there is no after school care.  I came home and vegged until it was time to pick her up.

After the course we had enough time to get home grab a quick dinner, and then lounge.

Hello Calves!

May 8th, 2006

The calves have definitely taken a beating and are letting me know all about it!  Today was a very sore day at work.  I have a desk job and while it is a fairly new postion for me and I am enjoying it, all the sitting did not help work any stiffness out of the legs at all.  I was able to stretch the calves some while sitting but then that got uncomfortable while trying to type, the stretching didn't last too long.  Did get out for a short walk at lunch which helped some.

After work it was a Youth Centre night for T.  T and Marie (one of the YC Leaders) both have Birthday's this month fairly close together so on our way there we picked up a cake for the group to share, an OREO Cookie Chocolate Cake.  I indulged with a small piece – very tasty!

After the Youth Centre we came home and had some dinner then got out for a walk.  T brought her scooter along and we headed down to the Causeway and into downtown.

T ended the evening off with a bit of TV and some geek time on the computer.

Have already decided to not run tomorrow, will take the extra day of recovery and then on Wednesday head out for a easy run and see how things are feeling.

Stairs Suck!

May 7th, 2006

The day after has not been too bad, my legs are sore but as long as I stay away from walking down stairs it is alright

Met up with James R this morning for a breakfast at Molé, had tried to get Shaun and Dini to join us but I was a little late waking up this morning and by the time I called them they were already done with breakfast.  After our Molé feast James and I walked to Chapter's and browsed for awhile, we needed someplace to hang while waiting for MEC to open it's doors!!  We got to MEC right after 11 and wandered in awe around the store.  Ran into Squinch's roommate Scott in our store wanders and were able to chat with him for a bit before he had to get back to work.

Came home after and relaxed before heading out again to pick up Shawna T and drop her off at T's Moms place for T's Birthday party today.  T had about 8 girls over for her party and it looked like they were having a great time!

Spent some time this afternoon shopping and then had a team meeting at Packman's place.  We spent a couple of hours trying to organize our preparations for the next couple of weeks.

Came home again after and did not feel like cooking so went up to the Square and grabbed one of those BBQ Chickens from Thrifty's.  Ran into Squinch in Thrifty's, he was picking up some dinner too.

Stopped in at the video store on the way home and grabbed a movie for the night, will spend the rest of the evening on the couch!

Elk/Beaver 50K Ultra – 4:41:43

May 6th, 2006

It was a very early morning, up and out of bed by 3:45am, ate some breakfast and drank some more water then relaxed for a bit before heading out to pick up Rob M (Packman).  After picking up Packman we swung by Donna C's (Scooter) place and got her as well.  We got out to the lakes about an hour before the race and had time to relax and organize our stuff.

The races started exactly at 6am and there were four choices, 100K, 50 Miles, 50K and a 25 Mile Walk.  Scooter did the 25 Mile walk while Packman and I did the 50K.  Don E and Jen were out to cheer us on for the start

This was my first attempt at an Ultra and not having run a Marathon for a few years my plan was to stick with Packman for the first three laps and then see how I was feeling.  We did make it through our first three laps together.  Finished the first lap in 48:02, we both had to make a pit stop after our first lap and we also grabbed some water and a gel from the aid station.  Lap two was comfortable and we finished that one at 1:39:20, Packman made another pitstop and I watered and gelled again.  Lap three was comfortable as well, by this point the organizers had set up the aid station on the far side of the course, and we now had gels, gatorade and other food there too.  The far side aid station was convieniently located at just past the 5km on each lap, we made a quick stop there to fuel up on our third lap and finished the lap at 2:30:33.

After another refuel stop and quick stretch we started our fourth lap together, I was starting to feel the calves tighten up by this point but was still feeling strong.  We pushed each other well and didn't slow too much on the first half of the lap but by the 37km point my calves were starting to cramp, Packman slowed down for me at first trying to drag me along and it did work for a bit but the cramps started getting worse, it felt like there were little hammers hitting them really quickly and then they would both seize right up.  I finished the fourth lap at 3:26:20 a couple of minutes behind Packman.  I spent a few minutes at the aid station stretching and refueling (this time with some e-load - a little late ) and then started the fifth lap.

My fifth lap was a chore, turned into a walk/run, with me running until the calves seized up and then a quick stretch, some walking, and right back into it.  It was a difficult lap, I still felt strong but just could not get the legs to go quick without having the calves cramp up even faster.  I completed lap five with a  finishing time of 4:41:43.  Which put me at 7th place overall and 5th in age group.

Packman finished in 4th place overall and 3rd in age group.

Scooter won the 25 Mile walk in a time of 5:28 and change!!

I didn't stick around after the run, bailed right away, started getting cold so came home and hopped in a warm shower.

The afternoon was spent helping Lindsay R move, she got all her painting done a few days ago and now we just needed to get all her stuff over there.  I went by work and picked up a truck and then to Lindsay's, got there a bit early (weren't supposed to start until 1pm, I got there a little after 12) and got to it.  Lindsay had a good group out to help, Roz, Miss S, Leanne, Nick, J, Paul, Lance, her Mom and Dad.  We finished the move quickly, I had started to fade a bit at one point but Sweet Rosalyn ran across the street and picked me up a Coke, and after that caffeine and sugar fix it was all good

Have plans to spend the evening over at Uncle Jimmy's.  He has invited me for dinner and fight watching, some boxing and Pride fighting on tonight.  Sounds like he has got a very yummy meal in the works and I am looking forward to it – I am very hungry!!!!!

As far as running goes the plan is to take the next couple of days off, will see how the recovery is going on Tuesday and decided then if I am ready to run and if not will do a very easy run on Wednesday.

To A Butterfly – 20:00

May 5th, 2006

Butterflys have plauged me all day, good ones though

I did make it out for a short leg warming run at lunch, 20 minutes along the Songhees with a couple of really short tempos to get the legs turning over.  It was good to get out and the run did calm the butterflys for awhile.  I haven't had pre-race nerves like these before, there is nervousness, excitement, and some fear all mingling together ready to bust out.

Right after work I stopped in at Frontrunners to pick up my and Rob M's race packets plus a couple of gels and some new socks.  Have spent the rest of the night relaxing at home, had a large pasta feed and have been drinking lots of water.  Have already got my gear for tomorrow organized and ready, now the only thing left is to get a good rest...


To A Butterfly (first poem)

Stay near me---do not take thy flight!
A little longer stay in sight!
Much converse do I find I thee,
Historian of my infancy !
Float near me; do not yet depart!
Dead times revive in thee:
Thou bring'st, gay creature as thou art!
A solemn image to my heart,
My father's family!

Oh! pleasant, pleasant were the days,
The time, when, in our childish plays,
My sister Emmeline and I
Together chased the butterfly!
A very hunter did I rush
Upon the prey:---with leaps and spring
I followed on from brake to bush;
But she, God love her, feared to brush
The dust from off its wings.

by William Wordsworth

Butterflys...

May 4th, 2006

Had planned on going for an quick run tonight while T was at the Youth Centre but she got an invite to go bowling with her friend Kaley so we had to do some quick running around to her to the lanes.  After dropping T off at Town and Country I had just enough time to get back home make some dinner, eat and then get back to the lanes to pick her up.  After getting back home Uncle Jimmy paid us another visit to work some more on the computers.

Will make it out for 20 minutes or so at lunch tomorrow and warm the legs up and then hopefully after picking up my race packet at Frontrunners will just have a very relaxing early night at home.  I am already feeling some of the pre-race butterflys...

Runs, Bike Rides and T's Room – 30:00

May 3rd, 2006

Met up with Andrew and Ased for a run a lunch today.  I was only with them for 10 minutes or so and then turned around and headed back to work.

After work T and I came home and went for a bike ride along Dallas and around Beacon Hill, enjoying the warm weather we have had today.

Uncle Jimmy came over tonight and got T's computer all fixed up and working so that she can have all her games, MSN and email.  T and I spent some more time in her room sorting and organizing all her stuff.

Will be heading to sleep soon and hopefully get the body use to an earlier bed time over the next couple of days to make things Friday night a little easier.

Painting with Lindsay and a Visit with the Fish's – 45:00

May 2nd, 2006

Ran at lunch today with my work mate Rob S, his first run in a long time.  We did a timed out and back along the Songhees just past West Bay and back, took our time and ran very easy chatting the whole way.  After work T and I ran a couple of errands and then went to help Lindsay paint her new place for a couple of hours.  Lindsay had started last night with some help and with the help she had today should almost get it done.  Miss S was helping for a bit before she had to go to work and there was Star, Gef, Michelle, and Roz helping out as well.  We had finished the bedroom (and almost the closet) and had started on the kitchen when T and I had to leave.  On our way home we stopped in at the Fisher's place for a visit, some tea and a few laughs.

Am planning on hooking up with Andrew and Ased at lunch tomorrow and will do the first half of my shorter run with them.

Continuing to Taper – 45:00

May 1st, 2006

After work it was a Youth Centre night for T and I went for an easy jog along the Goose and Songhees.  After that we came home made some dinner, watched a bit of TV and have just lounged, a very nice night.

Will do another 45 minute run tomorrow at lunch and then no more then 20-30 minutes for the rest of the week.  I am finding it hard to not run a ton, am feeling some guilt with the dropped mileage but am hopeful that with a proper taper I will do well this Saturday.