Back Running

Well I took most of the summer off and tried to run. It was a relaxing summer no training for a marathon. As a result my level of fitness has taken a dramatic drop. Sensing that summer would end eventually I did mange to put on over 500 km on my Bike in August.
But with September comes a change of seasons and a change in my running as well. I have managed get back in the swing and increased my mileage and increase my fitness level. I just finished a 1/2 marathon on the weekend and while not a PR it was close in only 2 hours and 4 minutes. Too bad that does not mean I could run a full marathon in only 4 hours and 8 minutes.

A Non-Running Vacation

Well I would like to say that I actually ran while I was in Mexico. But that would be a lie. I did manage to drink a lot of Margareta’s. I had a good time I have included a picture of me and Kristina on a horse when we went horseback riding. The horse did a lot of running but we did not. I also have a great picture of a great hill to do hill training on. I thought about it at the restaurant/bar at the foot of the hill. (That is where I took the picture from. A lesson learned, things talked about at the bar get talked about but not much action actually happens.

Off to Mexico

I am off to Mexico for the next two weeks. I have not been running for about 3 weeks now. I have packed my running stuff so hopefully the inspiration will hit me and I will get out there and see some of the country side. I figure running is the only way to get a good look at the town.

We are going to a place called Lake Chapala. This just outside of Guadalajara, my parents moved there about 3 years ago to avoid the Canadian Winters. Mind you they lived in Victoria at the time and that is the mildest Canadian winter you can get. This will be my first time there.

I figure if I manage to get two runs in a week that should be good. I have been told that there are some trails around parts of the lake. They even hold runs there. Maybe I can find a run to join while I am down there.

A New Quest

Well the running has not been going so well since the Marathon. Here is a picture of the run that I did around Bunsen Lake. It was a pretty run but the trail is very hard. Brings out the true meaning of trail running. I have managed to do a half marathon. But a strange thing happened. I kept saying that it's "only a half" not that big a deal. In fact I have been managing to run about a half distance once a week. My mid week training runs have come to a crashing halt. It is only a matter of time before this crazy one to two runs a week catches up with me and I have an injury. I must find a new quest, a new goal. It has to be one that is not too great of a leap and one that I will won't to commit to. I guess I will have to mull it over on a long run and see what comes to mind.

What is a Bushtit??

The questions has been asked.. What is a bushtit? And as you may have guessed it is a bird. The description is below


Bushtit: Tiny, acrobatic bird with gray-brown upperparts and paler underparts. Eyes are dark brown, bill is tiny, and tail is long. Pacific coast race has brown crown.

Range and Habitat
Bushtit: Resident from extreme southwestern British Columbia, southern Idaho, southwestern Wyoming, and the Oklahoma panhandle southward. The Preferred habitats include coastal forests among second-growth alder thickets and edges of coniferous forests composed of maple, dogwood, and birch.

But what really caught our attention is the behavior.

Behavior
Bushtits travel in flocks most of the year. In these flocks they help one another with tasks such as nest building or defending their territory. These flocks, or bands, contain up to forty birds. The Bushtit is very active and doesn't stay in one area for very long. They stay close enough together that little chirps keep them in contact with each other. One can see these birds in an area and all of a sudden they disappear and re-emerge a couple hundred yards away from where they were last seen.

Like the bushtits we:

• run in flocks (groups) most of the year
• our flock can be large some points in the year we are over 40 people.
• We always help one another in our running.
• Our group is always cherping about something - it's too hot -- it's too cold -- Who decided we should run up this steep hill-
• We are known to travel a couple hundred yards

I Made it

Well the computer has been down for the last month so I have not been able to keep the blog up to date. I know you all have been waiting to hear how it went. The Marathon was great. It started in the typical Vancouver way- Raining- Not just a normal rain but one that gave the meaning to cats and dogs. About an hour and a half into the run the rain stopped but it was too late. I was drenched that was not so bad but the worse part was my shoes were gushing water.
The blisters started to form but I was not deterred. The training paid off and I managed to finish the run in 4:49:58 well below the magic 5 hours. !!!

23.5 And Still Going

As today is Good Friday I had the day off. I decided to do my long run today instead of on Sunday.
A friend of mine just told me about the 4 hour run that they did. I did not want to be out done by him so I took it to 5 hours. I am currently suffering the effects. I did the Trails around Port Coquitlam. They are great to run. Mostly along the dykes so it is flat. There is only one big hill at the end of the line for me. I traced the route on Google earth and found that it is 23.5 miles. This is short of the 26 that I was hopping it was. The question now is… will I be able to run that much faster during the marathon? I don’t know. I guess I will have to stick to the speed work on the midweek run to hope I get that much faster. Currently the 5 hour mark is not looking so good.