Currently...redux!

Blogging's felt hard lately, though I can't say why exactly. There's plenty to write about - running, politics, food, travel, photography - but somehow I don't feel motivated - which is why, in an effort to get some creative juices flowing, I decided to revisit a blog prompt from last year. 

Time and place...

Tuesday evening after the long Heritage Day weekend, I'm wrapped in a warm blanket, sitting by the fire, sipping red wine, with husband reading contently beside me.

Cooking...

Not at the moment, but I cooked lots over the weekend - homemade biscuits for breakfast, pork tenderloin with mustard and wine cream sauce for supper on Saturday, squash and risotta cakes (to accompany husband's yummy BBQ lamb chops) on Sunday, and lemon and thyme "beer can" chicken on Monday. It felt good spending time in the kitchen for a change.

Awaiting...

A city crew to haul away the snow piles in front of our driveway after the last week's monster storm. It's a good thing we don't need our second car, since it's still completely inaccessible. These photos were taken after the big storm but before a second one, which dropped another 20 cms. The pile in front of the car is at least two feet higher now.

Experiencing...

A strange mixture of fear, sadness, anger, determination and euphoria in response to the spectacle unfolding south of the boarder and people's responses to it.

Working on...

So. Many. Things. For starters, various projects at work, which has been more hectic than usual lately. Also, my training for Cabot Trail Relay, which was interrupted by a nasty flu last week, and knitting a wool hat to replace the one I lost last winter. Oh, and selling our country house, and working on a special birthday present for Husband, and figuring out what I want to be when I grow up... amongst other things... 

Reading...

Several books at once (as usual). I'm nearly finished Virginia Woolf's Orlando, and just started Laura Bates' Everyday Sexism and Margaret MacMillan's Paris 1919. Last week I finished Donna Morrissey's The Fortunate Brothers, which I highly recommend. Next, I hope to reread Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Orwell's 1984.

Listening to...

A wood fire crackling in the fireplace. Also Nemmie the cat, who's more talkative than she used to be - and somewhat more willing to having her picture taken. I grabbed these shots while she was lazing on our bed last weekend.

Craving...

Warmth and sunshine. It's hard not to with so many friends posting snapshots from their vacations "down south", but I'm determined to stay strong and save my vacation days for later. If the country house sells quickly enough, we'd like to head back to Europe in the summer or fall.

Hating...

All things Trumpist - here in Canada as well as in the US. And, yes, I do mean Kevin O'Leary, Kellie Leitch, and their nasty little friends. 

Loving...

The hope, optimism and determination that's springing from the ashes of the US election. Need proof? Check out this video, and this article. And there are plenty more where they came from. Here's hoping love and compassion triumph in the end. There are millions working hard to make it happen.

Also, the mild weather we've been having. It was so runny and warm on Saturday, we stopped to sunbathe for a bit after snow shoeing at Risser's Beach Provincial Park. It was glorious!

Anticipating...

A provincial election call. No one knows when it will come but the government seems anxious to return to the polls asap. Also, a long weekend in Prince Edward Island to celebrate Husband's 65th birthday in March. We haven't been to "the gentle island" in a couple of years so are keen to get back and visit some dear friends there.

Watching...

My waistline. I'm determined to drop a few more pounds before tackling my fifth Cabot Trail Relay in May and, so far, my efforts seem to be paying off. Reducing my alcohol consumption, eating fewer sweets and more leafy greens, and running regularly appears to be having an impact.

Promoting...

The causes that matter most to me - environmental sustainability, feminism, social and economic justice, human rights - on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and this blog. And, no, I don't care if it makes people uncomfortable. As a species, we're headed in the wrong direction and running out of time. Many more of us need to take a stand - fiercely, peacefully, and with openness and compassion. 

Avoiding...

Thinking too much about CTR - now just 13.5 weeks away. On Saturday, I managed to run up and down Logan Street hill 5 times but it felt harder than I hoped it would and I took more walk breaks than I intended. I'd like to think it was because I was still recovering from the flu and running conditions weren't ideal, but the reality is I'm a long way from ready to tackle North Mountain. Here's hoping 13 more weeks of training will be enough.

And what about you, dear readers? What and how are you doing...currently?

Because it's there...

I've just done something that may turn out to be very, very foolish. I volunteered to run Leg 9 of the Cabot Trail Relay at the end of May. Here's how the organizers describe it:

17.84 km Rating 5 (start time: 1955hrs) Time to put on the reflective vest! This leg makes Smokey look like a piece of cake. North Mountain in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park climbs 385 km & reaches the top at 6.2 km then falls back to sea level. The route then levels off to finish at Mountain View Motel & Restaurant on the right at Pleasant Bay. Night will have fallen completely. The restaurant will be open and there will be two portables in the parking lot.

The road in the photo at the top of the post is a portion of the route. You can check out the elevation chart here.

I watched my friend David and 69 other runners complete Leg 9 in 2013 in total awe. How, I wondered, could anyone run up such a steep grade for 6.2 kms? Even more impressive were the downhill portions of the leg - more than 6 kms in length and just as steep. I was so damned proud of David. He did fantastically well and returned the next year to tackle the even tougher Leg 10 to the top of MacKenzie Mountain.

I've already run CTR four times - completing legs 1, 5, 12, and 14 - and my plan is do it just once more in honour of my 55th birthday in March. Given that it's likely to be my last CTR, I figured I might as well make it a good one, and running one of the mountain legs been on my bucket list since my first time out. I can't say why really. To quote George Mallory, "because it's there", I suppose.

That said, I confess to a moment of panic when the email arrived saying I'd been slotted in to run North Mountain. I've not done much hill training the past couple of years, and I'm a long way from being in top condition so it's not going to be easy. However, this isn't the first time I've taken on a big challenge. In the fall of 2013, I completed Cape to Cabot, the "toughest race in eastern North America". Comparing elevation charts for the two races, C2C actually has more ascents overall. And I ran C2C just five weeks after completing a full marathon, which made it more challenging.

Of course, the reality is that the hills on the C2C route are more spread out and I was three and a half years younger. Also, I ran it more slowly than I plan to run North Mountain. On the upside I've got nineteen weeks to train and three more years of racing experience. In addition, I'm determined not to let my teammates down.

I spent some time this week sketching out a training schedule. The goal is to run 4 times per week and include hills in nearly every run. For instance, two nights this week I changed my usual route so I could run up and down a long steep hill I normally avoid. I'll also do plenty of structured hill training as well as regular core workouts and yoga to keep everything in balance. I found some new strengthening exercises I'd like to build into my program as well.

For the rest of this month, my plan is to focus on solidifying my base and enhancing my diet to include more leafy greens and proteins. In early February, hill and speed training can begin in earnest. If the weather isn't cooperative, I'll hit the gym instead. Stay tuned for regular updates once I get underway.

In other news, Husband and I just spent an awesome weekend with two of our darling nieces. The girls live in the country and only get to the city now and again, so we had great fun showing them around and introducing them to the joys of public transit, the Museum of Natural History, the trampoline park (Get Air), the Emera Oval, and beavertails. They seemed to enjoy their time with us, but truthfully we enjoyed it more. They're at such fun and interesting ages, and were so appreciative of all that we did together. 

I offered to put her hair in a ponytail but she preferred to let it go wild

 

Showing off her gymnastics moves on the trampoline

With Husband on the ferry

First ride on a city bus

Littlest who skating on her own!

The weather here hasn't been too cold and miserable so far this winter. We've had a few brutal days here and there, but there have been lots of mild mornings like this too.

Hope winter's going well, wherever you are. Happy running and writing!

Race Report: Cabot Trail Relay 2015

The view from atop MacKenzie Mountain

Well, it's been a week and I'm almost recovered from my fourth Cabot Trail Relay. Once again, it was a fantastic experience that left me feeling grateful and awestruck. The incredible natural beauty of Cape Breton coupled with the energy of nearly 1200 runners challenging themselves to complete a grueling 24+ hour event is an amazing combination.

The very best thing about this year's race was having my sister-in-law along for the adventure. The second best thing was having the delightful Bev and Delia as our car mates for the weekend. Together, the three of them kept me laughing non-stop.

Sister-in-law, me, Bev and Delia

Because we'd signed up late, SIL and I were allotted back-to-back legs that started at 2:10 and 3:45 in the morning. Running in the middle of the night is challenging at the best of times, but a 20 km leg (16k for SIL) after 14 hours on the road and too little sleep, with frigid headwinds most of the way, was particularly tough. Needless to say, I failed to make the mat, finishing in 67th place (ugh!) with an unofficial time of 2:08.

Given how little I'd trained, I shouldn't have been surprised by that result but I can't say I was terribly happy either. Naively, I'd hoped that excitement, coupled with my tendency to be just a wee bit competitive, would enable me to run something closer to a 6:00/km pace. I'd also hoped to take advantage of downhills to make up for a slower uphill pace. Unfortunately, Leg 14 doesn't have as many downhills as I expected and the wind made it hard to take advantage of those there were. Here's what my Garmin recorded after I remembered to turn it on 2 km or so into the leg. :-(

Fortunately, the rest of the team performed much better - despite cold, windy conditions most of the day and some crazy-ass weather overnight.

Tori, one of our youngest members conquered Smokey Mountain and completed the leg strongly, despite a nasty fall 500 metres from the finish line.

The view from half way up Smokey Mountain

Even with high winds, rain, sleet and snow, our fastest member, Tristan, ran the toughest leg up MacKenzie Mountain at an average 4:22 pace, finishing in 8th place. Needless to say, we were thrilled for him.

Sister-in-law ran well too, despite some nasty nausea she blamed on the nachos she'd eaten for supper the night before. I was especially pleased for Delia and Bev, both of whom did great. The smiles on their faces as they crosssed their finish lines made it all worthwhile. In fact, Bev's smile was so bright she made the front page of the newspaper.

All in all, despite inhospitable weather and challenging conditions, it was another successful CTR for the Smokey Mountain Daredevils. Sincere thanks to co-captains David and Crystal for their hard work, to our teammates for supporting one another so well and to race organizers for staging another fantastic event.

I said going into the weekend that it would likely be my last CTR. However, depending on how well my training goes next winter, it may be hard to resist taking one more crack at it - especially if SIL wants to go again! Given that she's already musing about how to improve her training, it seems she's caught the CTR bug too - which isn't surprising. It's a one-of-a-kind race that every runner should do at least once in their life.

Happy running and writing, friends.

The end is in sight, and CTR is just around the corner

The weather's been brutal the past few weeks - with heaps of snow and cold that's made running miserable. I've tried not to complain. After all, we live in Canada and we have winter. It goes with the territory.

However, it's hard to keep from getting a wee bit blue by the time late February rolls around. Post-holiday weight gain, short cold days, and poor conditions make running feel much more difficult than at other times of the year. It's easy to say "winter running makes you stronger" but it's hard to feel genuinely enthused when temperatures dip to -20C, sidewalks and roads are covered with snow and ice, and you'd rather stay warm by the fire.

Fortunately, the end is in sight. Spring is less than a month away and, while that's no guarantee the snow and ice will be gone anytime soon, it shouldn't be long before warm breezes blow often enough to make running outside easier.

Which is a good thing since race season will be upon us in no time. Husband and I have tentatively committed to running a local half marathon (Run Our Shore) in early May and I'm thinking about a fourth Cabot Trail Relay at the end of May. Former teammates David and Crystal stepped up to co-captain this year so I met with them today to share my experiences as last year's captain. I'd really love to run CTR again. It's a fantastic event! However, our our 25th wedding anniversary is the same weekend so I'm still negotiating with Husband. If I am running CTR again, I need to get busy doing hill and speed work. CTR isn't for the faint of heart or for the under-prepared. And, who knows, Husband's training is going so well perhaps he'll feel like running it too.

Speaking of training, I managed a decent 11k long run yesterday, despite challenging conditions and a wicked charley horse Friday night that left my right calf sore and tender. As I limped around the house last evening, I wondered if it has been a mistake to run on a sore leg but it felt much better by this morning so apparently no serious harm was done.

Today's run hasn't happened yet because it's been raining all day, which is a nice change but has resulted in my usual route being covered in ankle-deep slush. I'll head into town shortly to see if I can find a more appealing place to run 5k before we head back to the city.

The rain is good for another reason. A few weeks ago, ice dams formed on the roof of our country house and water began seeping into an exterior wall whenever temperatures got warm enough to melt the snow piled on the roof. Most of the water passed through without damaging anything but, with heavy rain in today's forecast, we were worried the situation might get worse in a hurry. Husband did some research and discovered he could break up the dams by cutting trenches in the ice with an axe and placing nylon stockings filled with de-icer to keep them open so that water would be able to find its way off the roof without detouring into the house. He got the job done but it wasn't easy since it meant manhandling a 28- foot ladder into and out of the thigh-deep snow surrounding the house. By the end of the day, the leaking had stopped, there was far less snow on the roof and the ice dams were considerably smaller so hopefully that's the the end of the problem for this year. (Have I mentioned lately how grateful I am to have a strong, handy and handsome husband who also enjoys running? Well, I am! :-) )

So that's it for this week, friends. I hope you and yours are surviving the last gasps of winter (assuming you have winter where you are). How's your training going? Are you looking forward to any special running or other events this year?

Race Report: Cabot Trail Relay 2014 - Everything according to plan…not!

It's Monday night and I'm still recovering from what turned out to be another great weekend on the Cabot Trail. 

The weather was cooler than expected but mostly good for running. The folks who ran legs 9, 10 and 11 had to contend with dark, damp conditions that made their runs more treacherous than usual but everyone performed well. My team, the Smokey Mountain Daredevils, completed all 17 legs of the 276km race in a total of just over 24 hours, placing 38th out of 70 teams. Not bad considering the team included so many newbies.

I ran my own leg (#1) faster than I expected, "making the mat" with an average 5:57/km pace - which I was pretty damn happy about given that leg #1 was just a tad hillier than I expected, with ascents totalling nearly 400 metres. 

Logistically, things went well too…for the first while, at least. Team members arrived in Cape Breton early Friday evening, enjoyed a community pasta dinner together, then headed up the road to settle into rooms at the Gaelic College before reconvening for our team meeting later that evening. Before joining them, I went to a local hotel to attend the mandatory captain's meeting, filled the car with gas, and stopped to take a couple of photos. As I drank in the gorgeous views, I was confident my plan was unfolding perfectly.

My confidence was short-lived however. The first four legs went well…

...but in the midst of leg 5, a caliper on Sarah's van seized and we were suddenly scrambling to make alternative travel arrangements for five teammates stranded on the side of the road.

The next couple of hours are a blur. I remember a lot of good ideas being thrown around as we waited for those who'd been travelling in the van to rejoin us (thanks to the kindness of other teams who offered lifts), and more than a few moments of panic as I tried to figure out the best alternative. However, by the time leg 7 was underway, we had a new plan and everyone was pulling together to make it work.

And, wow, did they ever. With little or no sleep, the two Sarahs and Gwyn ran great races in the wee hours of the morning with terrific support from Ruth and Krista. The late night crew, who faced some of the hardest runs, stayed focused and ran brilliantly with only minimal support from their driver/captain (me!) who was quickly running out of steam after all the unexpected decision-making and tough driving conditions. In fact, by the time we finally rolled into the motel around 1:30, I was so tired, I could barely string two words together and, to be frank, wasn't enjoying myself much anymore.

Fortunately, things looked a good deal brighter with a few hours rest. My teammates and I awoke to blue skies and beautiful views of Cheticamp harbour. As we sat outside sipping the hot coffee and tea David had thoughtfully popped out to buy first thing, we shared our favourite moments from Saturday before jumping in the car and heading up the road to join our teammates at the end of leg 16.

After a beautiful drive along the coast and through the Margaree Valley, we arrived to find them in good form - happy with their runs, enjoying one another's company and talking about "next year". By the time we reached Baddeck, we were all in full party mode, laughing and dancing as we waited for Julian to cross the final finish line. What a great feeling!

Looking back on the weekend, I realize that I'm already only remembering the good things - amongst them, my teammates welcoming me over the finish line at the end of leg 1, Jim gently counselling and Julian patiently listening while I struggled to rework our race plan, Ron and Hughie sacrificing their weekend plans to enable the team to finish the race, Deidre's strength as she climbed North Mountain, the excitement and fearlessness in "little" Sarah's eyes as she headed out into the darkness at 2:00 am, the joy on Tristan's face when he finished his leg in fifth place and on David's when he conquered MacKenzie Mountain, and Sarah's warm hugs and encouragement.

Did the weekend go exactly as planned? Nope. Was it terrific just the same? You betcha! Will I do it again? Well, the jury's still out on that one but I expect it'll be hard to stay away. The Cabot Trail Relay truly is a race like no other.

Thanks once again to the organizers and the people of Cape Breton for hosting such an amazing event and to my teammates for making CTR 2014 such a positive and memorable experience!

One more sleep!

Another long silence. Well, that should tell you something. Let's just say keeping the team roster full has proven to be a bit of a challenge. Injuries and family duties have lead to about half our original members opting to pull out of the race. Fortunately, we've managed to fill their spots, but the chaos of dealing with so many changes means I haven't been sleeping or training well. And, given that, I'm not expecting much good to happen during my run on Saturday.

On the upside, I'm really pleased with our final roster. We've got a nice mix of ages, genders and running abilities. A few members are old friends and running mates, others are former Devils I look forward to racing with again and the rest are friendly, dependable folks - so I'm sure we'll have fun together.

The weather is cooperating too. After several weeks of grim long range forecasts, it now looks as if we'll get sunshine and perfect temperatures - cool enough for the runners, warm enough for spectators. Of course, it may also be perfect for blackflies but we Bluenosers are tough enough to handle a few bugs.

It's been interesting to watch my psychological and emotional reactions to the chaos of the last month. I've lain awake more nights than I care to admit planning and worrying. I mentioned to a friend that I found being Team Captain more stressful than doing my day job, which seemed a bit bizarre. I suppose it's because I tend to be just a tad type A  (no sh-t, Sherlock) so typically aim to perform whatever tasks I take on as well as possible. At work, that's relatively easy to do because I have plenty of control over how I do my job. However, organizing a team of 17 people to run a race 285kms long is a whole different matter. There are any number of things that could go wrong over which I have no control whatsoever, which is crazy-making for someone like me.

Anyway, as tough as the past few months have been, I'm glad I took on the Captain's role. It hasn't been easy but I've certainly learned a lot - about recognizing when I'm demanding too much of myself and others, about dealing with uncertainty, about asking for help, and about letting go. Now that the hard work is done, my goal is to relax and just let the weekend unfold. We've assembled a great team and come up with a decent race plan (see above - I'm pretty darned proud of it!), and the Cabot Trail Relay is a first rate event. Whatever else may go wrong between now and Sunday, I'm sure we'll have a great time. And, as long as my teammates have fun and run well (for them!), I'll be happy.

Look for a race report early next week and more regular posts as my calendar opens up.

Happy running and writing, friends!

CTR Captain Blues

My "long" run today took me to and through Shubie Park, one of my favourite places to run. There are lots of memories there - of happy times running with friends and sad times struggling to cope with life's challenges. It's a place my soul feels comfortable.

The run today was a bit tough. I barely slept last night because I was worried about my Cabot Trail Relay team. We lost three more runners this week so it's been a mad scramble to find replacements. Added to which, the team is mostly made up of newbies who haven't been able to provide much support so far. After a hard night tossing and turning, I spent the morning sending messages to try to get a handle on things so that I could feel less panicked. It worked but I felt really tired when I headed out the door and it showed. 

The other hard thing about today was that I was running "naked" - by which I mean without my Garmin. In fact, I've been without it all week because I left it behind in the country last weekend. It doesn't matter much since I know how long my regular mid-week routes are but I was only able to guesstimate my distance today, which I found unsettling. I told myself I shouldn't worry about how far or fast I went, and just settle into running for a couple of hours, but my inner control freak had a bit of meltdown. "What's the point of running if you don't know exactly how far and fast you're going?" she hollered. 

She's not completely wrong. With Cabot Trail Relay a month away, monitoring my pace is important. I only have four weeks left to get myself from winter slog mode to something approximating the preferred sub-6 min/km pace. The last two years, I managed an average of about 5:45/km at CTR but I was in far better condition. I'll be damned lucky to make the mat this year. My only hope is to train well for the next couple of weeks, then taper properly. A touch of bloody-mindedness will help too. Given that I'm the Captain of the team, there's no way I want to crash and burn in front of everybody. 

I don't think I've mentioned it but I ended up in the role of Captain accidentally. I offered to be someone else's lieutenant and, when she pulled out on account of work, found myself stuck with the job. I was thinking today about how often in my life something similar has happened - so often that it can't be just coincidence. I suppose it's because my over-developed sense of responsibility makes it hard for me to walk away when something needs doing, and people pretty quickly realize they can ask me to take stuff on and I will.

All of which is good in lots of ways. It's satisfying to step up and get things done when needed. Except that there have been far too many nights when I've lain awake for hours worrying about how to herd all the cats in the same direction. It's exhausting being so responsible. It would be nice to get involved in something without taking on a leadership role sometimes. I need to figure out how to make that happen.

Too tired to think or write more tonight. Bedtime cocoa awaits. Hope it's spring wherever you are and that you all have a great week.

Happy running and writing, friends. 

I got 'er done...and then I went for a ride.

Easter flowers from our nieces

A quick update so I don't leave anyone in suspense too long. I did in fact manage to complete my planned 20k run yesterday - though I can't say it felt great. It was a perfect running day - sunny and cool - but my body just didn't feel ready tackle this...

...at least, not without being grumpy. Who can blame it? Ascents totaling nearly 600 metres would make most bodies tired, and then there was wine we had at Janet's on Saturday evening (not complaining, just saying...) In any case, I've planned two more trips up the same road before I start tapering for Cabot Trail Relay. Here's hoping all those hills pay off so CTR feels like a walk in the park. :-)

The rest of yesterday was spent mostly resting. Husband made a yummy supper on his new barbeque and we settled in for a quiet evening reading (him) and playing scrabble (me) by the fire, before going to bed early. Today was more of the same. I spent time writing a couple of emails this morning, listened to coverage of the Boston Marathon (was that exciting or what?), then got my butt out the door for my first real motorcycle ride of the season.  

Even with wind gear on over my leather jacket, it was cold on the bike so I was freezing by the time I got back. However, driving along this beautiful shoreline was totally worth it. 

And I was thrilled to discover that I actually felt more confident about riding today than I did last fall, which bodes well for the season ahead. 

When I got home, I whipped up a batch of guacamole and Husband and I sat on the back deck in the sunshine reading and snacking a bit, before I wandered inside for a long nap before making dinner. 

Sitting by the fire tonight, I'm thinking of two of my siblings who are hanging out in earthquake zones at the moment. My middle sister and her husband are in Ixtapa, Mexico celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, and reported via Facebook this morning that they were awakened by a quake! We haven't heard anything more so are hoping no news is good news. Meanwhile, my baby brother and his family are finishing a four month stint in New Zealand. They've been pretty sanguine about the risk of quakes down under but I'll be glad to have them safely home in a few weeks.

I'm also thinking about my TNT buddy, Brent, who ran Boston with a friend today. I can't begin to imagine what it was like for him. He was there last year, cheering near the finish line when the bombs went off, and he's worked tirelessly since raising funds for victims of the blast. In recognition of his efforts, the BAA offered him a spot in this year's race. From what I've heard so far, it sounds as if he and his friend had a great run. I'm so happy for him. He's a wonderful human being who's made it his life's mission to help and support other people. He deserved to be in Boston today honouring and celebrating the triumph of the human spirit over hatred and fear. 

That's it for now, folks. It looks like another busy week ahead but I'm hoping this long restful weekend has left me ready to deal with it. Hope your week goes well too! 

Happy running and writing, friends!

Race Report: Cabot Trail Relay 2013

6:30 am - at the start of leg 1

This report will have to be short and sweet. My week's far too busy to spend much time writing it.

I had another awesome Cabot Trail Relay experience this past weekend as a member of "To Gno-me is to love me". The Gnomes have been a fixture at CTR for many years so it was an honour to suit up for them, and the weather was much better than expected.

Watercolour landscape - taken with my phone at the start of leg 8

I'd opted to run the relatively easy leg 12 but it felt challenging nonetheless because it started at 12:30 in the morning and, by that time, I'd already been on the road driving, cheering and supporting my teammates for more than 10 hours. Fortunately, although I was very nervous beforehand and struggled to pull myself together in the first kilometre (when both sets of shoelaces came untied and I had to stop twice to adjust my headlamp and the light attached to my shoe), things improved quickly.

Once I'd settled into a good pace, it felt magical running through the darkness on such a warm spring night, even with occasional headwinds slowing my progress somewhat. By the time I'd completed the first section, winding my way over two good-sized hills and out of Cape Breton Highlands National Park, I felt relaxed and comfortable enough to savour the sight of the full moon shining above and the sound of waves breaking on the shoreline below.

I'd been hoping all day that the skies would clear and make running at night easier so, when the moon suddenly appeared from behind the clouds and lit the road ahead, it seemed like a sign that all would be well. I ran the remainder of the leg feeling immensely grateful - for the good fortune to be participating in CTR again, for all that had inspired me to participate in the first place and, most importantly, for the people who had encouraged and supported my crazy running habit over the past 11 years - especially Husband.

A quick word about our team's performance. The Gnomes finished 47th out of 70 teams participating in the event with a total time of 25:39:02 and no penalties! (Penalties are tough to avoid so we were very proud that we didn't get any.) My own performance was less impressive. I completed 15.78 kms at an average 5:56/km pace - quick enough to "make the mat" but in only 59th place.

The last thing I want to mention is how well my friend David did running leg 9. For those unfamiliar with CTR, leg 9 takes runners more than 385 metres up and down North Mountain (approximately 6 kms each way), trashing every major muscle group in their legs before challenging them to run a final tough 5 kms through "rolling" hills in the dark. Until he signed up to run it last December, David hadn't been running all that consistently and, to be honest, I was concerned he might seriously hurt himself attempting to slay this Goliath. But, after months of hard training - including hill repeats up and down Signal Hill in his home town of St. John's, NL - he did himself and all of us proud by completing this very tough 17.5 km leg at an impressive 5:59/km pace and crossed the finish line looking strong and determined. Well done, David!

There's lots more I could say about this fabulous race - about the incredible volunteers, the breathtaking beauty of the Cabot Trail, and the camaraderie that only an event like CTR can generate - but I'll leave it to others to fill in the gaps. A huge thank you to my fellow Gnomes for making it possible for me to participate again this year. I hope to see you all back on the trail in 2014!

Headed for home

Race report (Part 2): Cabot Trail Relay - fun, fraternity, a challenging course... and a little too much drama

I've been thinking about this post for a few days, wondering how to capture what made my first Cabot Trail Relay experience so memorable.

To start with, I totally lucked out when I got the opportunity to run with the Smokey Mountain Daredevils.  As the photo above (taken just before we all headed home) suggests, they're a warm, supportive, fun and talented group of runners, who made me feel welcome from the moment I arrived in Cape Breton. The "spirit team" ensured we were attired so that we'd stand out in the crowd, uber-organized "Kaptain  Karen" prepared a detailed spreadsheet that detailed where everyone was to be and what they were meant to be doing throughout the race (which lasted nearly 27 hours), and teams members went above and beyond to help and support one another at every turn.

And the sense of fraternity extended beyond the Devils. At the start/end point of every leg, there was a "lock down" period when vehicles were not permitted on the course, which meant those who weren't running were stuck waiting until they could drive ahead to cheer on their teammates. I loved the lock down. With nowhere to go and nothing in particular to do, we had lots of time to soak up some sun, eat, socialize, offer encouragement and support to fellow runners, stand in line for the porta potties and just "be" in the moment. It was incredibly relaxing.

It helped that the weather was pretty fabulous the whole weekend. There was only a minor spattering of rain around midday on Saturday, and though it got chilly at a few points, there were long stretches when the sun shone and it was lovely and warm - occasionally a bit too warm for the runners.

The other wonderful thing from my point-of-view was that I finally got to see the Cabot Trail. Over the years, I've been to Cape Breton many times to visit friends in Arichat and Whycocomagh, and I've driven to Louisbourg and back a couple of times, but somehow I've never found time to travel around the trail.  It is - in a word - breathtaking.  Here are just a a couple of shots from Saturday evening to give you a sense of just how beautiful it is.

Of course, with hills like these, the course was a challenging one.  I ran leg 5, which was rated a moderately difficult 3.5 out of 5. I started a little too fast and I found it quite hot for the first 10kms but my teammates (and others) offered fabulous support, the views were lovely and my body held up well so I was able to run relatively quickly for me (17.5kms in 1:40:45) while still  leaving lots of room for improvement next year. :-)  Here are a couple of pics taken just a few kilometres from the end of my leg. (My tights are rolled up on account of the heat.)

I have to say that I think the leg rating system is a bit wonky though. Given that leg 5 was rated 3.5, leg 4 - which includes a long hard climb over Cape Smokey - should be rated 10 at least! And legs 9 and 10 which take runners over North and MacKenzie Mountains (where I took the photos above) should be rated 15!! I'm in total awe of the runners who completed them.

Me and some of my team members atop Cape Smokey

North and Mackenzie Mountains are especially challenging because they're much higher than Smokey and it's dark by the time the runners reach them.  In addition to the physical challenge of running steep ascents and descents that are kilometres in length, runners have to contend with darkness, very little support (sensibly, team vehicles are not allowed to stop along the most dangerous stretches of the road), possible encounters with coyotes, bears, moose and other wildlife, and late night traffic travelling curving, narrow roadways cut out of the mountainside. Did I mention I'm in awe?

Two "she-Devils", Sandi and Deidre, ran North and MacKenzie for our team. These women are machines! When they finally arrived at the motel to grab a few hours of sleep around midnight on Saturday, they were pale and obviously exhausted. Nevertheless, they were already talking about next year and discussing whether they might swap legs with one another. Crazy!!

At the banquet after the race, all the runners who completed leg 10 were presented with an aerial photo of MacKenzie Mountain - a well-deserved tribute!

Unfortunately, our team also had to contend with a fair bit of drama when one of our bravest and toughest team members ended up in hospital. Just after completing her leg in a smokin' good time, she collapsed and needed oxygen. When she came around and was feeling better, we walked her up the hill to our van intending to go for supper, then join our teammates back on the course. Plans changed however when, soon after arriving at the restaurant, it became evident she was more ill than we'd first realized.  The intense effort - perhaps coupled with the ibuprofen she'd taken earlier in the day to ward off knee pain - resulted in nasty GI bleeding - the symptoms of which are intense cramping, excretion of blood (yes, I do mean she was pooping blood) and vomiting.

Fortunately, we were less than an hour's drive from Cheticamp by that time so John, who stayed cool, calm and reassuring throughout, jumped behind the wheel to drive our team mate and me to the hospital there, where she got wonderful care. The two nurses on duty immediately phoned the doctor on call who quickly arrived to assess and admit her for the night. John headed back to join the team who needed the van to support our other runners and I stayed on at the hospital until I knew she was okay, then walked to the motel. By the time Kaptain Karen and other members of the team arrived around midnight to grab a few hours sleep, schedules had been rearranged so I could stay on in Cheticamp when the van left at 6:00 Sunday morning to accompany her back to Baddeck.

Despite an awful, sleepless night, our team mate was up and ready to go when I arrived back at the hospital. We piled into the car shortly after 9:00 and drove to Baddeck where we joined the rest of the team to watch the last few finishers cross the line, then walked up the hill to the arena for the closing banquet.

Of course, the banquet would have been a pretty sombre affair had we known that a runner from one of the other teams, Steve Dunn, collapsed and died shortly before the race ended. I never met Steve but, from what I've heard since, he was a terrific guy who died doing what he loved and will be remembered by the local running community for many years to come. My sincerest condolences to all his family and friends.

Since the sad news about Steve hadn't yet reached us, our team was obliviously celebratory as we scarfed down our lunches and cheered individual and team accomplishments.You gotta love a race that ends with lobster!!

It was incredibly moving and inspiring to help celebrate the relay's 25th anniversary and meet people who'd run every year and completed all 17 legs! A massive shoutout to the organizers and volunteers who've made it such a class A event.

For the running geeks out there, the winning team, the Maine-iacs, completed the relay's17 legs in just 16:39:32 - considerably faster than any other team. The fastest local team, the Cape Breton Road Runners, came 3rd, completing the race in 18:57:04, while the Smokey Mountain Daredevils finished in 16th place, completing all legs in 23:37:23.

I have to admit that, as I headed to Cape Breton last Friday evening, I kind of expected that my first Cabot Trail Relay would be my last. Though determined to enjoy myself and scratch "run the CTR" off my "bucket list", I wasn't sure I was up to participating in such a challenging event.  Now that I've experienced it, I'm determined to train harder than ever so that, hopefully, I can join the Devils again next year and contribute a little more to the team's success.

For a few more pics from the weekend, click here!

P.S. I almost forgot to mention the water stations. Outstanding!! Unfortunately, I didn't get many photos but here's one of my favourites.