Wordless Wednesday (a day late - again!)

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!

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!

Nanowrimo - Day #10 - It goes...

I'm nearly a third of the way into my 2013 Nanowrimo journey and the best I can say is that it goes. Don't get  me wrong. I've sketched out a reasonably complex story that's unfolding nicely. It's just that I'm not feeling especially enthusiastic about it.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Maybe it's that I'm so focused on working out details of the plot that I've yet to become immersed in my make believe world in a way that lets me smell and taste it. Certainly, the text doesn't include much description, which is fine - I can go back and add colour later - but I like writing description and, to this point at least, I'm mostly writing dialogue. Guess I'll just keep plugging and hope I start enjoying it more soon.

It's a three day weekend for me since our offices are closed for Remembrance Day on Monday. To mark the day, I plan to attend the service at the local cenotaph and write a brief account of our trip to Normandy. The photo above is of one of the many beautiful monuments we visited at the Memorial in Caen, France.

What about running, you ask?  No, I haven't given it up altogether but, yes, I've reduced the intensity of my training since Cape to Cabot. My current plan is to run 3-4 times a week for a total of no more than 30-35 kms - enough to maintain a reasonable base for next season but not so much that it interferes with other activities. We'll see if I can stick to that. Yesterday, I went for an "easy" 8k and couldn't resist upping my pace to 6:20/km - not blistering, by any stretch but much faster than I intended when I set out.

I still haven't settled on my running goals for next year. I think I might like to focus to shorter distances and see if I can increase my speed. However, watching the runners in New York last weekend had me daydreaming about one final big city marathon so I may not be done with long distance events quite yet.

And motorcycling and photography?  I managed to get Patti running yesterday long enough to go for a quick trip up the river and back. She was a little grumpy after so many weeks sitting in the driveway but, once she warmed up, she enjoyed carving down the highway as much as I did. If the rain holds off, we'll do a longer trip out to the beach and back today.

Unfortunately, my camera stayed in the bag all week because I was too busy with work and NaNoWriMo but I hope to get it out before long to try my hand at street photography. I've started following a wonderful photographer named Valerie Jardin who's got me thinking a lot about why I like taking and sharing photographs. More on that when my thoughts gel a bit.

Speaking of photography, I was very moved by this photo essay, which a friend shared on Facebook this week. Such stunningly beautiful and moving images of fear and pain, love and loss. To my mind, it's an example of the best kind of photography - one that evokes emotional response, exposes unexplored aspects of the human condition, focuses attention on the beauty of everyday life, and/or challenges us to question what we know.

It's time I signed off now and got back to the novel.  I had a pretty good day of writing yesterday - thanks in large part to Janet who came by for a few hours to swap story ideas (thanks, Janet!) but didn't quite reach my goal of 3,000 words. Hopefully, I'll be a little more productive today. It would be wonderful to start the new work week a little ahead of the game.

Happy running and writing friends!

Weekly Update: Back in the Groove!

Okay, I still haven't totally committed to attempting a marathon in September but I'm getting closer. When I finally recovered from jetlag last week, running started to feel more natural again and, this past weekend, I ran two strong training runs - 13.5k on Saturday and 8k on Sunday. If my runs continue to feel good in the next week or so, I'll knuckle down and make a plan to train for 42.2k.

I got back into other grooves this week too. I hadn't been on my motorcycle ("Patti") for about six weeks so I got her out of the shed and went for a quick tour of Easter Passage and Cow Bay last evening. Since the weather was so perfect, I decided to take my camera along and stopped a couple of time to take photos along the way.





I'm still struggling to learn how to use my new camera. I almost invariably end up editing more than I'd like because I haven't got the exposure quite right or didn't frame the subject improperly. On the other hand, I find the process of taking and editing photographs incredibly relaxing. As I stood on the shoreline last evening trying to get a clear shot of this paddler, I suddenly realized I was completely "in the moment". I wasn't thinking or worrying about anything - just savouring the beauty of what I was seeing and trying to capture some representation of it.



Which makes me think I should spend more time riding Patti and taking photographs this summer. Hmmm. I wonder how I'm going to do that and train for two big races in the fall.

NaNoWriMo - Day #13

It was an awesome weekend - full of running, writing and riding my pretty red motorcycle. I mentioned in my last post that I ran 8k on Saturday. I followed that up with a further 16k on Sunday. I'd intended to run again yesterday but was feeling pretty tired so spent the afternoon on my bike instead. My last stop was, Green Bay, where I took the photo above. It felt good to spend some serious time with my butt in the saddle  I haven't made it to 80 kms/hr yet but at least I'm feeling more comfortable on the highway.

When I started my long run Sunday, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and the sunshine felt wonderful after the cool, dreary weather we had last week. I took this photo from Peace Park.

I can't say it was one of my better runs.  I think I was fighting a cold (successfully, it seems). Or maybe I was wearing the wrong shoes. Or maybe it was this weather system blowing in.

Fortunately, as ominous as the cloud bank looked, it didn't bring nasty weather and, by yesterday, the skies were clear and it was 17 degrees again - perfect for motorcycling.

I've been thinking about setting some new running goals lately. I'd like to do the Cabot Trail Relay again, and think I might tackle the 10th Bluenose Marathon. Since they're both tough races and take place just a week apart, it would be a good idea to run the Hypothermic Half in February as a warm-up as well. Before making any decisions, I'll have to confer with Husband to see what he thinks about me getting back into serious training mode. He might prefer that I focus on our various renovation projects instead. :-)

For those wondering about the writing project. It's going well. I hit 21,000 words before leaving for work this morning, and so far the plot still makes sense. I'll try to post another snippet tonight. The story is getting pretty dark and twisty but, then, it is a murder mystery. And I must say there seems to be something very cathartic about the exercise. I've been sleeping better in the past week than I have in a long while. Go figure.

A big thank you to my friend, Janet, who's training for her first full marathon and participating in NaNo as well. When we got together for our "write-in" on Saturday, she suggested I consider writing in shorter blocks of time, and it really seems to be working for me. Last week, I needed 2-3 hours to write 1,667 words. Now, I'm writing the same number of words in about half the time. The trick is to focus and stop myself from revising as I go. As I keep telling myself, there'll be lots of time for editing when/if I get the first draft done.

Have a great week, everyone! I'd love to hear how your running is going. Any big races planned?  And, if you're NaNoing too, how are you feeling on Day 13?

Happy 5th Anniversary! Blogging, running and preparing to write my first novel

I realized early this week that I've been blogging for 5 years now - well, five years and three days to be exact - which kind of amazes me. I started "Figuring it out" at the suggestion of a friend who wrote his own blog, but I had only a vague notion of what I wanted to write about and posted pretty erratically the first few years. In the past couple of years, it's become a running blog more than anything else, with a fair bit philosophizing and occasional poetry thrown in for good measure.

In the next year or two, I hope to post more about other topics that interest me - books, travel, writing, photography and motorcycling, to name a few - but my muse may have other ideas so we'll see how it goes. In any case, congratulations to me for sticking with it this long!!

In other news, it was a hectic week at work and at home so I didn't do as much running as I'd have liked, though I still managed to get out three times and had a spectacular 16km run today from our home in Conquerall Bank along Highway #331 to LaHave.  It's terrible having to run in such ugly surroundings.  :-)

My ultimate destination was LaHave Bakery where I was meeting husband for brunch and pastries.  The Bakery is a fun and interesting place and we enjoyed delicious eggs benedict and coffee, followed by a melt-in-your-mouth mincemeat tart. Hubbie was feeling pretty mellow after his own 9km run.

Here's me checking out the pastry selection.

I didn't stop to take a lot of pictures en route because I was too busy noodling about the plot of my first novel.  (No, I'm not kidding - see below.)  But I couldn't resist grabbing two shots.  The first was of a dilapidated VW Beatle parked by the edge of the road next to a body shop.  I loved how its colour popped against the blue water and sky, echoing the autumn foliage across the river in Dayspring.

The second was of a piece of folk art parked by the side of the road further on made me laugh out loud because it reminded me of my little red Rebel.  

See the resemblance?  The artists's name is Norman Veinott and he does some wickedly funny stuff with old car parts.  

Speaking of my little red Rebel, I went riding twice this weekend. In fact, in the few weeks I've owned it, I've already logged more than 125 kms - which is pretty impressive given that I haven't really gone anywhere.

Yesterday, I drove down the east side of the river 10 kms or so, stopping en route in Peace Park, where I sat at a picnic table in warm sunshine for an hour or so sketching out the first few scenes of my first novel.  That's right. My novel. Crazy as it sounds, I've decided to try to write a novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).

I've wanted to sign up for NaNoWriMo since I first heard about it a couple of years ago but life always seemed too busy. It still seems too busy but, since that's not going to change anytime soon, I've decided to just go for it as part of my 50th birthday year celebrations. Whatever comes out the other end will be crap but first novels are always crap and - as the old saying goes - "you gotta start somewhere". I figure if nothing else it will keep me out of trouble when Husband's away in a few weeks.

Anyway, it's time I signed off and went to bed. I've another busy week ahead - which will include tackling the piles of work on my desk and dealing with whatever Hurricane Sandy decides to send our way.  At the moment, it looks as if she may pass us by but I expect we'll get heavy rains and wind at least.  Thoughts and prayers are with folks in the US and elsewhere who have been or will be more seriously affected.

Autumn colours and reflections on why I want to ride

There's not a lot of time to blog today so I'll mostly let the pictures speak for themselves. Yesterday was an awesome day for running - mild and a bit foggy to start, with autumn colours making the route even prettier than usual. Husband joined me for the first half so I took advantage of the opportunity to get a photo of myself on the foot bridge.

And here's one of him.  Looking pretty darned great for a recently retired gentleman!

Though I was feeling good, I didn't make especially good time. The scenery was so lovely, I had to stop frequently to take photos.  There wasn't as much red as I like to see this time of year but the more subdued golds, oranges and yellows were lovely in the mist.  

And there were a few more intense bits of colour along the way.

Especially when the sun began breaking through the clouds.

I caught this image while waiting at an intersection for a light to change. Think it might be my Christmas card!  The red is holly and burning bush.

All in all, the run felt great and my left knee - which has been cranky since its encounter with a rock in June - feels fine this morning, so I hope I can get back to more serious training soon. I'd like to start thinking about next year's running goals. Another marathon? Another fund raiser? Another exotic locale?  Something to get my running juices flowing so I'm motivated to tackle hills a bit more often. :-)

On another topic entirely, I managed to ride my new motorcycle twice this weekend. It was a bit scary at times (who knew 70km/hr could feel so fast?!) but still lots of fun. I'm hoping the mild weather holds for a few more weeks. It would be nice to get in some longer rides before the cold weather arrives.

On the second half of my long run yesterday, I found myself pondering why I want to ride a motorcycle. I don't think it's because I'm having a mid-life crisis. I did that already. :-)  It's really just that I want to try something new - something that scares me a little, makes me laugh out loud and forces me to be more fully "present" in my life.

As Pirsig puts it in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:

In a car you're always in a compartment, and because you're used to it you don't realize that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You're a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame. 

On a cycle the frame is gone. You're completely in contact with it all. You're in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.

Have a great week! And happy running and/or riding, friends! 

Riding lessons: The importance of patience and re-framing

After another frantic week at work, I'd hoped to spend a chunk of time this weekend running and riding my new motorcycle. The running went fine. I did a mellow 8k with Husband on Saturday and 16.5k on my own today. The leaves are finally turning colour so there were some lovely views along the river and through Peace Park.  I covered the distance a little more slowly than usual but felt strong throughout - which was encouraging after several weeks of running "blahs".

Riding was another matter. When I hopped on my pretty red Honda Rebel late yesterday morning and attempted to start it, it wouldn't go. After checking switches, fuel, battery, and spark plugs, I finally gave up and spent the evening reading "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance".  I knew the book wouldn't offer a specific solution to my motorcycle woes, but I hoped it would put me in the right frame of mind to tackle them.  It did.  By 6:00 this morning, I'd boned up on motorcycle carburetors and chokes, emailed the woman from whom I'd purchased the bike with a short list of questions and developed a detailed plan for conducting further investigations and getting the bike trailered to the shop for necessary repairs.

Fortunately, all the research and planning was for nought. With the battery juiced up (thanks to my sis' partner, Paul, who had the gear to test and charge it), the bike fired up relatively easily this afternoon and I was able go for an inaugural ride around town.

Me and my bike, just back from our first little jaunt

The experience reminded me of the importance of patience and re-framing when things don't go as planned.

When the bike first failed to start, I couldn't help but feel frustrated and spent a few hours compulsively attempting to fix the problem - forgetting to eat lunch and becoming darned cranky as a result.  Fortunately, Husband recognized the signs and encouraged me to eat something and go for a run. With a bit of fuel and fresh air, I was better able to practice patience and re-frame the situation.

Yes, it was frustrating the bike wouldn't go, but it didn't really matter that it might take another week or two to get it on the road. After all, I'd already been waiting more than three decades, and with luck I'll have many years of riding ahead.

In addition, the delay was an opportunity to learn something about how motorcycles operate, become more familiar with my owner's manual and practice basic maintenance protocols.  As "Zen" points out, bike ownership isn't just about riding. It's about staying in the moment, being attentive and learning new skills as well.

The delay also gave me an excuse to head up to my sister's place when Paul offered to check and charge the battery. While there, I visited with my darling nieces, met their new kittens (Boots and Whiskers), and swapped stories with my sister - a pleasant interlude that lifted my spirits enormously.

Last but not least, my disappointment on Saturday made my first ride this afternoon that much sweeter. With my little machine rumbling beneath me, I was gleeful as a kid at Christmas and could hardly wait to play with my new toy - despite the cool, damp weather.

Of course, since this is primarily a running blog, I have to mention that patience and re-framing come in pretty handy when you're dealing with running issues as well. Too often, we runners are so impatient to run faster or farther that we don't take time to do the problem-solving required to address chronic injuries or limitations. Re-framing can generate the patience we need to step back, figure out what's really happening, and formulate a sound plan for recovery/improvement.

Hmmm.  Sounds like a pretty good approach to life generally, come to think of it.

“The real cycle you're working on is a cycle called yourself.” ― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values