Burning Man added to the Bucket List

I don’t always have time to read all the great things that flow into my inbox but this morning I received an update from Patrick Latter’s website http://www.hiking photo.com and since he always posts some amazing pictures I decided to invest the couple of minutes to take a look at them.  At first I didn’t know what I was looking at and thought maybe I was seeing pictures from a movie but no they were from a real event that he attended back in 2013, called Burning Man.

I was intrigued, awestruck and bewildered by what I saw.  The Burning Man is an annual event held for one week at the end of the summer where tens of thousands of participants gather in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert to create Black Rock City, dedicated to community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance.  As per the web-site, all participants depart one week later, having left no trace whatsoever. From my initial research an individual entry ticket is $380.00 and although thousands attend there is a limit on the tickets that are sold.

Anyone who knows me would not put me at this event and would be surprised, no SHOCKED that I would even be remotely interested in attending but I am.  I don’t think this is simply a whim of interest. There was something in those photos and video clips that resonated with me to the point that I needed/wanted to find out more.  I think once my husband reads this he will wonder if I am having a mid-life crisis now that I am 40 or wonder if the ‘real-me’ has been abducted by aliens or whether I have simply lost it. Time will tell 🙂  In the mean-time I might need to find some new friends to share this adventure with, any takers?

 

 

Trio Hike

A little rain or cool weather (9 degrees Celsius) wasn’t going to deter us this morning for a hike. I packed mitts, hats and extra clothes and when we set off I left them all in the car thinking we would warm up in no time.  Much to surprise we could have benefited from them for most of the hike.

Hike: West Bragg Creek

Distance: 9.1 km

Hikers: Trio – Mike, London and myself

Pictures: Lots of interesting mushrooms, cows within the provincial park and beautiful foggy scenery

2nd Annual Calgary 10k

The Scotiabank Calgary Marathon event was celebrating its 50th year and as much as it would be nice to collect a huge belt buckle for my collection, my training only positioned me to run the 10k, especially since I am running a 19.1 km leg in the Banff to Jasper relay this coming weekend. Last year I ran the Calgary 10k event for the first time as a visitor to Calgary, as this event fell on the same weekend I was here buying a house, this year I was running as a local proud Calgarian.

A month ago I ran the Sport Chek 10k in 54:31 and although I wanted to better my time by a least a minute this race I purposely set my watches virtual partner for 55 minutes for I needed to be smart about this race. Unfortunately two weeks ago over the long weekend, my left calf seized up completely and after consulting the internet I realized after the second run of the weekend that it could mean a tear to the muscle. Petrified that I would be sidelined for both races I stopped the stretching I was doing thinking that the muscle was just tight and hung up my running shoes until I could get further guidance.  When I phoned on May 20th for an appointment at the recommended sports physio clinic nearby they couldn’t get me in until the 26th, I nearly freaked at the delay but I didn’t want to just go anywhere.  So I did no exercising all that week and babied my calf like my life (/sanity) depended on it, which it kind of did.  As the week progressed my calf greatly improved and by Monday, May 26th I thought I should test the waters and go for a little run before my physio and to my great relief it was still tight but a fraction of what it was the week before.

At Physio, she couldn’t confirm whether it was a tear or not but there was definitely an issue. She asked whether I would be receptive to Medicinal Acupuncture. I said I wasn’t familiar with this type of acupuncture but if it is covered I am game for almost anything.  Since it was covered, she went ahead and inserted a needle(s) within my calf muscle, glutes and lower back and let’s just say I have some tight muscles all over.  She warned me that it might be difficult to walk on my one leg for 1-2 days after and she was right.   I was worried based on the after effects of the treatment whether I would recover in time but by Wednesday I was feeling like I had a new leg and I went out for a cautious 7k run.  No issues.  I then ran again on Saturday morning for an easy 5k with and again no issues.  Let’s just say I am a believer of this type of acupuncture and would highly recommend it to other athletes.

Even though I was part of a small healing miracle I wanted to be  safe running this past weekend.   The great thing about this year’s event is that I have met many people and I somehow convinced one of my new running friends to run this event as well.  Although we agreed to run our own races it was great to be at the start with a familiar face.

The Marathon and Half Marathoners started at 7.00 am, and the 3000 of us in the 10k group started at 7.30 am.  The first 5 k felt great, I didn’t have to resort to any mind strategies to get me to the next kilometer mark but then by 5k the running flow that existed for the first half of the race was gone. It left me, I looked around and it was no where to be found.

1k – 5:17; 2k – 5:09, 3k – 5:18, 4k – 5:26 , 5k -5:37, 6k – 5:40, 7k – 5:11, 8k – 5:35, 9k – 5:33, 10k – 5:08

I can see now looking at my stats, that I started off too fast and then was all over the map, no wonder I had a not as great back half to the 10k.  There is no question I need to work on my pacing!!!

My final chip time: 54:35 

Based on my gun time I ranked 26 out of 270 in my age category (35-39), which puts me in the top 10%.  Next year I will be in the next age category and my goal is a sub 50 minutes. It is doable.

 

 

 

Currie Barracks – Running Photo Essay

Date: May 16th, 2014

Run distance: 11 km

Part of my run involved running through the section of Currie Barracks that is still intact.  Some of this land has already been redeveloped into homes, some of it has been temporarily repurposed (i.e different types of businesses, including a private school) but the rest of it is slated to be redeveloped into a new inner city housing community.

The history of the Currie Barracks dates back to 1933, when the Canadian Army opened  this base.  It is my understanding that it became a major military center over the years housing thousands of army personnel.  It was closed in 1999 and within a couple of short years, everything still standing will be torn done in place of fancy new modern dwellings.

Currie Barracks, guessing this was a whse dock

 

Looking south towards MRU. I believe there were homes here at one point, most of them have been relocated and updated in Garrison Woods community. Within a couple of years this land will no longer be empty.

Old weigh scale in one of the Warehouse facility side rooms

Currie Barracks C3

Currie Barracks, guessing this was a whse dock

Currie Barracks, guessing this was a whse dock

 

 

Killarney-Shagnappi Walk Photo Essay

Date: May 29th, 2014

Walk Distance: 5 km

I had a ladies meet-up scheduled last night but London also had soccer which Mike was taking her to using the car.  At first I panicked thinking how was I going to get to my event. Mike suggested using a Car2Go but then I looked up the location and realized I could easily walk there and back.  It helps that it doesn’t get pitch black at night until well after 10.00 pm.

I couldn’t help but notice there are a lot of old cars still being operated in Calgary, and I had to take a picture of a couple I saw.

Some people have Gnomes on their front lawn, others old cars.

Some people have Gnomes on their front lawn, others old cars.

Another beautiful old century home

Love the lime green door

Another oldie

Middle of the city, love the mix of century homes, 50’s and new modern homes in the same area

There were three houses side by side that all had a rock like this in their front with a religious reference. Weird.

Love the blue colour and the house in general, a nice oldie.

Couldn’t escape the sun but walking in this neighborhood I felt like I was transported back a couple of decades

Quite a few old Volkswagon campers in Calgary, love the orange colour.

 

 

 

Marda Loop – Running Photo Essay

Date: May 26th, 2014

Distance: 6 km * running to physio 😦

 

I absolutely love these little cottage homes, they can’t be more than 800 square feet.

Scarboro – Killarney Photo Run Essay

Date: May 13th, 2014

Distance: 9 km

I have decided it might be a neat experience to capture different images on my run as I become familiar with the streets of Calgary. The city is still going through a huge change as post-war time bungalows are being torn down in favour of large, modern homes.  I am drawn to the smaller cottage style homes and feel that my 1200 square foot bungalow is a mansion in comparison. It also fascinates me that large families probably occupied these small homes and rather successfully and now we are drawn to build big homes for smaller families.  At a price – financially and emotionally.

Steps leading up to Sunalta neighborhood

House in Sunalta, Calgary (Single home)

House in Sunalta, Calgary (Single home)

House in Killarney, Calgary (Single home)

House in Killarney, Calgary (Single home)

House in Killarney, Calgary (Single home)

House in Killarney, Calgary (Semi-detached home)
Estimated value: $1 million + each

House in Killarney, Calgary (Single home)

2014 Sport Chek Mother’s Day Run

It has been ages since I have last ran a race and Sunday morning I got to break the dry spell at the Sport Chek Mother’s Day Run.  My husband actually was supposed to run the 10k event but due to getting sick earlier and not being able to put the training in I had to step in and save the day, for you couldn’t leave a bib without a runner. Most runners would understand this 🙂

I know my husband will tell you that I sandbagged my target expectations but I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Although I did my best to run all through the winter it was not as stellar as it could have been because of the crazy winter weather we experienced and my pacing is slower than previous years due to a number of factors.  So I told my husband to I was targeting 58 to 60 minutes. Meanwhile when I was warming up by myself I thought long and hard on what might be realistic and I though let’s test the waters, so I set my virtual partner with a goal of 55 minutes.  This number put a little pit in my stomach wondering whether I was crazy or not.  I didn’t realize how hilly the run was going to be when I set this number. In the end ignorance is bliss.

There were approximately 9,000 runners/walkers in both the 5k and 10k event and I goofed before the race even started.  I spoke to another runner who said the 5k’ group goes before the 10k so I didn’t get into the corral but with 2 minutes to go I thought something was not right and tried to make my way to the front.  I made the right decision and there were going to be some 10k runners pissed they didn’t line up.  I felt a little panicked because I wasn’t as far front as I wanted to be and there were a couple of strollers around me and others who were just out for a run Sunday run.  Well 1 minute to go and then off we went.

As expected it took me about 1km to weave my way through the crowd to find a comfortable place.  I am always surprised at how stupid people some people are when going at the front of a large corral when they know they are real slow.  It has nothing to do with faster people being better than slower people but rather it comes down to safety and creating the right flow all along so it is a positive experience for everyone.

Once I found my space and everyone else was more or less at the same pace I tried to find that flow where I was focusing on one kilometer at a time.  I have employed different mind tricks or strategies over the years and this year I dedicated each kilometer to a different person I love. It is a little corny but I have to say it helps.

As you can see this was not a flat course and if I wasn’t training for a moderate leg in the Banff to Jasper relay I might have been pissed at the elevation changes but instead I chalked this up to great practice. I must say I was also impressed at how few people I saw walking up the inclines.  The people around me were strong and even more so motivating to keep up with them.

In the end my pacing was pretty consistent and the anomalies were consistent.

Laps: (1) 5:25 (trying to weave through the crowd), (2) 5:18 , (3) 5:17, (4) 5:19, (5) 5:21 , (6) 5:29,  (7) 5:36 (the hill) , (8) 5:08 (downhill),  (9) 5:30 (fiddling with the right music I wanted for the last kilometer – doh!),   (10) 5:16

Mike and the girls were watching me in the final stretch towards the finish line and as I saw them he pointed to London. So I ran over to them as London was ready to run the final 100 meters in with me. We have never done that before but it was fitting for this race.

Final Time: 54: 31 Yahoo!  And the first word that came out of Mike’s mouth was ‘Sand Bagger.’

I was definitely pleased with this time but couldn’t help but think to myself. I wonder what I could have done if I was 10-15 pounds lighter. If only I could win that battle.

 

 

 

 

What I want for my daughter

London turned 7 years old back on March 10^th and I wanted to write a post about the dreams and aspirations I had for and what I was hoping to accomplish as a parent. Although I had a lot of great ideas and thoughts turning in my head, I never could get them on paper.  I wanted to get it perfect but in doing so I came up with nothing, when I should have realized that when it comes to showing your love imperfection would have been better.

Lesson learned.

I started to read The Optimistic Child: A Proven Program to Safeguard Children Against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience by Dr.Martin Selgiman and he addresses how we are experiencing an epidemic of pessimism and hence depression, even in our children, which needs to be addressed. In doing so he reminds us of ultimately what we want for our children and that is ultimately a life of success, physical and mental – overall well-being.  I have slightly modified his words to address what I am aspiring for my daughter.

• I want more for my daughter than simply a healthy body.
• I want my child to have a life filled with friendship and love and high deeds.
• I want her to be eager to learn and be willing to confront challenges.
• I want my daughter to be grateful for what she receives from us, but to be proud of her own accomplishments.
• I want her to grow up with confidence in the future, a love of adventure, a sense of justice, and courage enough to act on that sense of justice.
• I want her to be resilient in the face of setbacks and failures that growing up always brings.
• And when the time comes, if she wants children I want her to be a good parent.
• Our fondest hope is that the quality of her life will be better than our own, and our inmost prayer is that she will have all of our strengths and few of our weaknesses.

My ultimate goal is to parent London in whatever way is need to promote resilience and a lifetime of optimism and well-being, where she can truly overcome and setbacks or challenges.

Things change when you are 7, apparently!

 

Although London is very proficient at Grade 1 math, I started to do some math exercises with her back in the fall using the IXL online program. My intention was not to advance her unnecessarily but rather to stretch her brain a little to off-set the time she wants to spend on the ipad.  We got into a great routine up until Christmas and then totally got off track without doing any exercises from the holiday season to now.  I don’t know how she got off so lucky, lol.

So this Saturday, I mentioned to London that I would like her to do a 1/2 hour of math. This was her response, with one hand on her hip:

First, she looked at me in horror, as if I just asked her to clean the toilet.

Then she said, “When I was 6 I loved math. Things have changed, I am 7 now and don’t love it. So…” and then silence.

The “So” and then silence meant that it is not her problem but mine and implied we had to move on now that she 7.

Of course I looked at her in disbelief with the attitude demonstrated but had to laugh at the same time.

I inquired cautiously “so, now that you are 7 you don’t believe you need to do any more math?”

She said “right, things have changed now.”

I told her that although things might have changed when she is 7, there was still lots to learn and I still wanted her to do some math exercises.

She stomped off.

I needed time to figure out how I was going to still coax her to do these math exercises without making her hate them, so I backed off temporarily.

Later in the day, she proudly went to her father to show how she created her own math problems – 4 pages worth. Not only did she create all the questions on the sheets but she answered them all.  Although her questions weren’t exactly the ones I wanted her to do, I was impressed by her initiative and also the creativity she showed in some of her questions.  Phew, we are still moving forward in the right direction.