Savouring the last gasps of summer

The weather hasn't been awfully reliable the past few weeks but we did get some warm temperatures over the Labour Day weekend. On Saturday, Husband and I took advantage of them by spending time at Broad Cove (pictured above). I drove my motorcycle there while Husband followed me in the car with all our gear. It was windy and cool on the beach but still quite wonderful. We pitched our sunbuster and read happily for a couple of hours before heading over to Best Coast Coffee for coffee and cake.

Lemon poppyseed cake with lemon curd and whipped cream, to be exact. Delicious! After our snack, I broke out my camera and we went for a walk around the cove so I could snap a few photos.

There's an old graveyard in Broad Cove with many stones dating from the 1800s.  It was sad to see how young some of the people buried there were they died.

The children's graves made me especially sad.

On Sunday, I tackled a long run of 16k from our house in Conquerall Bank to LaHave. I didn't stop to take many pictures but couldn't resist grabbing a snap of these sunflowers. Aren't they glorious?

Husband met me in LaHave because we planned to have lunch there. Unfortunately, LaHave Bakery was packed on account of a folk festival taking place just up the road later that day so we drove back to Broad Cove and had a delicious lunch at the cafe instead. (The cafe's now closed for the season, but I'd highly recommend a stop there if you happen to find yourself in Broad Cove next summer. Both the food and ambiance are terrific.)

On Sunday evening we entertained good friends who were up from the Valley and, on Monday morning,  I arranged to meet my buddy Dave for a mellow 8k recovery run along the river. By the time I was home and cleaned up, the sun was peaking through the clouds so Husband and I opted to abandon our chores and drive to Risser's Beach (my favourite place in the world) for a walk. Fortunately, we brought our gear with us (sunbuster, beach chairs, snacks, books) because, when we arrived, we discovered it was a perfect beach day.

Though quite muggy and hot, there were big waves to play in and enough wind and cloud cover to make the sun bearable. We swam twice and spent the rest of the afternoon reading and talking before finally heading home at suppertime.

En route, I asked Husband pull over so I could grab this shot.We're incredibly fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of the world.

All and all, my runs last week went pretty well. I managed four in total, including a longish 16k on a hilly route and two runs at a tempo-ish pace (for a total of 35k). Last night, after a long tiring day, I got myself out the door for my first hill training session, which felt remarkably good. Slowly but surely, my body seems to be adapting to this increased level of activity. I've even started to enjoy running again!

I've focused a lot on on my form lately, which seems to be helping. By the time I did my fourth hill last night, I was making better use of chi running techniques so it felt noticeably easier than the first three. In particular, my shoulders, calves and hamstrings were much looser and more relaxed. It was great to feel the difference good form can make.

The other thing I'm working on is my diet. It's time to get a better balance of calories in and out - particularly calories from wine and beer. With three weeks left to Rum Runners Relay, I'm hoping to drop a pound or two and ensure my body is properly fueled to tackle a fast (for me!) 13+ kms. I'll let you know how it goes.

There's not much else to report, so let me leave you with a video I saw this week.  Is it any wonder I love living where I do?

Happy running and writing, friends!

Running Lessons: Just Shut Up and Run

If you're a runner and you don't read Shut Up and Run yet, I'd suggest you start. Not only because Beth is hilarious (which she is) but because she often provides some incredibly useful advice. Last week, one of her posts really hit home. It was about some of the excuses people use to avoid running. I admit I've been guilty of using more than one in the past few months. Beth's post reminded me that running is supposed to feel hard sometimes - anything worth doing generally does. That's how we humans grow and learn - by challenging our minds, bodies and hearts to do things that are new and difficult.

Which isn't to say running always hurts. Very often, when I'm running with a friend or feeling particularly energetic, it doesn't hurt at all. It's a joy to feel my arms and legs moving, blood surging, heart pumping. But there are days when my legs feel like lead and my arms and shoulders ache and my calves get tight and all I want to do is sit on bench and weep.

Over the past 10 days, I've experienced both kinds of runs. On Sunday, David trekked to Bridgewater to run along the river with me and was so unrelentingly positive and encouraging that 12k went by in a flash and felt great. By contrast, when I ran Tuesday evening after a long day commuting to the city for work, my body was stiff and achey from too little activity and the run sucked.  Friday morning's run wasn't much better. It took a stern "shut up and run" to get me out the door.

This past Sunday, I tackled 14k on my own and I confess I was worried. Would it be another suffer-fest or would I to settle into a comfortable groove and enjoy it? Fortunately, even without David's good company, the run went well.  It helped that it was a stunningly beautiful day

- windless, sunny and cool - and that I was well-fueled and hydrated but I suspect the real magic was my attitude. I awoke that morning feeling deeply grateful for all the good things in my life - my husband, our beautiful homes, dear friends, loving family, a job I enjoy, the time and space to run - and that positive energy carried me until my cranky middle-aged body finally woke up. By the halfway point, I was really starting to enjoy myself. My body felt relaxed and strong, my eyes and heart were filled with the beauty surrounding me, and my mind was busy dreaming up plots for a new novel.  

Don't get me wrong, the run still took effort. I had to dig deep to run up hills and my right leg felt tight and sore by the time I arrived home but it felt much better than the 10k run I did two weeks before - an encouraging sign that my body is still able to run longer distances so long as I prepare properly.

In the coming week, I have three more runs planned and hope to do four runs per week into the fall. Rum Runners Relay in just around the corner (our team finally has a confirmed spot!) and I'm giving serious thought to trying a half marathon later in the fall so I need to train a lot more regularly than I have been.

The other bit of running news is that I've been asked to speak to another Running Room group about chi running. This is the fourth or fifth time I've been invited and it's nice that folks think I have something useful to say. On the other hand, I feel a bit of a fraud since I'm certainly not qualified to teach chi running - something I stress at the start of each presentation. My goal is simply to encourage people to think about their form and consider whether chi running might be for them.

That's the running update from here. I'll try to write more soon. In the meantime, happy running and writing, friends. 

Chi Running, Part 5: Forget the time, focus on form

It was another good running week. I managed 56kms in total, including a long slow run of 29k on Saturday morning and a mellow 8.5k recovery run along two of my favourite beaches on Sunday. (The photo above is of Risser's Beach which I had entirely to myself for a change!)

I confess I dreaded the Saturday run. It was the first of a series of long runs I plan to run in preparation for the Wascally Wabbit 50k Ultra in May so I wanted it to feel okay.  To that end, I was especially careful about what I ate and drank last week, tried to get extra sleep, and double-checked my gear the night before. Which is why it came as such a nasty shock to discover the battery in my Garmin was dead as I was heading out the door Saturday morning!  To make matters worse, the battery in my watch was dead as well!!

As some of you know, I'm just a teensy bit "type A", so the idea of running a long slow run without tracking pace, distance and elevation and being reminded to take walk breaks at regular intervals was completely unacceptable to my inner control freak. In fact, she was so unsettled by the idea that I very nearly postponed the run to give myself time to recharge my Garmin.

Chi Running, Part 4: How to achieve a goal without setting one

This weekend I spent a lot of time pondering my big running goal for 2012 and whether it's possible to pursue it while still honouring my New Year's resolutions.

The goal is to run my first ultramarathon - a 50km event in Niagara in June - as another way of marking my 50th birthday.

The trouble is that the couple of training programs I managed to find on-line both involve a lot more training than I've ever done in preparation for a marathon. That might not be a problem any other year but, given all Husband and I have planned for 2012, the idea of spending four or five months in heavy duty training mode is daunting to say the least.  At the peak of training, I'd be running 86kms per week, including two long runs totalling 59kms on weekends.

Fortunately, I read two things today that provided a little guidance on how I might approach the project.

Chi Running, Part 3 - The trick is to pay attention

Over the past few months, I've continued working on my chi running technique. Some elements are coming along nicely - others, not so much.

For example, my "cadence" (footfalls per minute) has increased to something close to the ideal of 180, my core has gotten noticeably stronger, and, at the end of my long runs, my abdominals and hip flexors usually feel more fatigued than my legs. My biceps are stronger and more defined too - presumably as a result of changes in the way I swing my arms.

Still, there are some elements with which I continue to struggle - most notably loosening my hips so I'm able to extend my stride when running downhill or picking up speed, and being present enough to notice when things go awry.

It shouldn't be so hard to stay present. I deliberately keep distractions to a minimum. I don't run with headphones, I nearly always run alone and I do my best not to think about work. However, very often I can't resist "writing" while I run - developing themes for my next blog post or simply composing messages to friends and family.

A case in point: My long slow run last weekend was 33kms along a beautiful coastal road. The sun shone brightly but there was a stiff breeze compliments of Tropical Storm Irene. For the first half of the run, I did a good job of concentrating on maintaining my form while still enjoying the scenery around me. As a result, my body felt balanced and strong. At around the 26km mark, however, I suddenly noticed things had changed. My left shoulder was tight and had shifted forward and up, my neck and upper back were hurting, and my gait was lopsided. When had all that happened and why hadn't I noticed sooner?

Chi Running, Part 2

One of my sisters came for supper this evening but I managed to squeeze in a quick 6 km run before she arrived, and I'm soooo glad I did.  The weather was balmy - so much so that I went running in shorts for the first time this season.  Admittedly, I wore a long sleeved shirt with them but still.... SHORTS!... in March!! It was glorious!!

The other awesome thing about my run tonight was that I spent considerable time practicing my chi running techniques. They don't feel at all natural yet but, nonetheless, I ran 6 km at an average pace that was 20-30 seconds faster than my usual pace for that distance - and I wasn't even breathing hard by the end.  It felt like I could run forever. Seriously, I'm beginning to think chi running is going to turn out to be a very very good thing - not only because it may let me run faster, but because it may let me run faster and feel better doing it.

Chi Running, Part 1: Working with rather than against nature

I took a Chi Running workshop yesterday so, when I headed out for my long run this morning, I was determined to put some of what I'd learned into practice.