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Graffiti on the Edinburgh canal
I have no idea what this means, but it sounds deep ...

HAPPY 2013!

After a prolonged absence from this site, I am back. I've been running, staying vegan and looking after myself (and my loved ones) for the past couple of months. It's been a great time but I feel like there's a lot I still want to say. So, here I am.

I'm looking forward to this year. I'm planning a couple of different distances up to, and including, a couple of half marathons. Hopefully I can build a good base and have some fun while I'm at it (hint: I'm introducing costumes to my races - more on that later)

Here's my race calendar for 2013 so far (I've included a couple that I haven't signed up for - BUT I REALLY WANT TO - they're in parenthesis) :

March

Kilomathon (17th)

Run for Fun 1st Anniversary Run (31st)

April

Rock n' Roll 1/2 Marathon (14th)

May

Glasgow Women's 10K (12th)

(Edinburgh Half Marathon - 26th)

June

CATS 10K (8th)

(Black Rock 5 Mile - 21st)

August

(Tough Mudder 24th)

September

Great North Run (15th)

October

Great Scottish Run (6th)

(Great Edinburgh Run - TBA)

The gift that keeps on giving

Using my handy new Paul Ryan Time Calculator I just qualified for Boston! Awesome! This might just be my new favourite thing!

http://www.paulryantimecalculator.com/

GOP marathon time

Anyone who knows me will have an idea about the direction of my political leanings. But this isn't about that. It's about the obsessiveness of runners, especially those who run long distances, and their competitive natures as a whole. This is one of those things I love most about the running community: we are a fact checking, stats collecting, competitive bunch. While our political leanings may be as diverse as our personal bests, we are united in our commitment to one thing: not letting others lie about their accomplishments. You're only as good as your last run. And if this habit happens to bite the GOP vice presidential candidate on the ass, so be it.

In his political life Paul Ryan (the aforementioned GOP vice presidential candidate)  has made a number of claims about a variety of topics. He's not someone I'd vote for but then, to be honest, the whole GOP platform exhausts me. I can no longer tell crazy misogynists from Birthers from those that believe the earth is flat and global warming doesn't exist. Occasionally I try to read stuff and it makes me depressed. Even all the crazy rape stuff doesn't make me angry anymore - just really sad.

But back to Mr. Ryan - some media outlets have commented that he has a tendency to stretch the truth (or lie). But, by and large, there hasn't been a lot of comment on the mistruths. Until now. Because Ryan lied about something that really counts. That's right - his marathon time.

For those who haven't heard, Ryan made a claim that he'd run "marathons" and his best time was "under three hours". And, runners being runners, this was checked out. And it turned out to be false. He ran one marathon and did it in well over 3 hours. (JUST LIKE ME!!!!! WOOOHOOO!!!!! WE have so much in common).

It's pretty basic. Anyone who's every done a 10K Fun Run knows you don't make this stuff up. It's too easy to find out the truth. And someone always finds out the truth. I knew a guy who would DNF on races. He'd always find a shortcut and cheat. He'd cross the line, get the medal but, once it was discovered he hadn't actually run the race he'd get the disqualified. It was just so pointless on his part, and weird and kinda embarrassing for everybody else. BECAUSE EVERYBODY KNEW. Runners are like that, we read the stats and check up. Here's the link to the Runner's World article.

http://news.runnersworld.com/2012/08/31/paul-ryan-says-hes-run-sub-300-marathon/

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Yes, it's been awhile since I posted. I have photos and a bunch of other cool stuff to share about my adventures this summer once I have returned to the dark, damp and dour of Edinburgh. This story seemed too good and timely to pass on ...

Queensland, Nova Scotia

We had such great summer weather during our stay in Queensland, Nova Scotia. Nova Scotian weather can be as variable as regular Scotian weather, especially during the summer. So when we agreed to a week (in July!) on the South Shore with my parents I did have my doubts. But it was a fantastic week. Only one day of rain, with another day of meh weather - not meh enough not to go swimming.

The summer weather lent to some of the most amazing, and familiar, of smells: the boggy smell of the ocean combining with the sunny smell of wild rose and chamomile. And the scenery along the coast was fantastic. It was glorious running.

Halifax

I'm in Canada for the the rest of July until the middle of September: visiting Nova Scotia for over a week, Prince Edward Island for a couple days, then off to Ottawa for the rest of the time.

Right now I'm in Nova Scotia right now, by the beach and loving it. The kids are loving the water and fresh air. We arrived in Halifax and hung around there for a few days: it was fun seeing the city with my family in tow. I always think of Halifax as the city I grew up in. I moved there when I was 18 and left when I was 25 - formative years for me And that was a place and time that informed who I am.

It's weird returning 15 years later. Even though so much has changed, and almost everyone I knew has moved away. I keep expecting to run into people. I keep looking, thinking "hey! is that...?" then I remember that the person I'm looking for is older. Like me! Somehow I expect Halifax to have stayed the same while I did all the changing.

I ran twice in Halifax. Since it was so hot while we were there I ran early to avoid the heat / humidity / pollution combination. The first run was around the Spring Garden - Quinpool area. It's so lovely with its tree lined streets and big wooden houses. I spent so much time in that neighbourhood as a student, it was a good way to reminisce.

My second run was in an area I didn't know on foot: over the MacDonald Bridge and into Dartmouth. That was a bit rough. I kept forgetting the layout of the city and would need to run a block or so out of the way to get on the right street. I love running over bridges and this was no different. I had a great view of the city and all the Tall Ships which were visiting the port. Once in Dartmouth, I ran through the Dartmouth Commons (which I didn't know existed) and through St. Peter's cemetery before heading back to the bridge. I finished my run at the Cabin Coffee
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cabin-Coffee/158288467523021 . I had a French Roast. It was so good.

I'll keep posting through out our time away from Scotland.Due to the frenetic nature of packing, I've left the USB port that allows me to download photos. I'll post pictures once I've got that sorted.

This month

June is o-v-e-r. The Summer Solstice has been and gone - it feels like

what should be a proper summer has started.

new boots

However, as I've complained before June has been wild! Tons of rain, soggy, and generally yucky weather. I have fallen in love with my hot water bottle and don't care who knows it. I finally caved and bought myself some wellingtons. They don't have the same feel as my running shoes and aren't as comfortable. But my feet are dry and that's all that counts sometimes.

decoration on canal

And I didn't get to run as much as I wanted to for the usual reasons - turns out chasing an active preschool while breast feeding 

really makes it difficult to get out of bed at 6 am. The weather has out and out sucked, leaving me with very little will to run. I hate making excuses, but sometimes they seem really valid, y'know?

sidewalk art

Another factor has been that Thomas hasn't been the healthiest of little people. He's been in and out of the hospital a number of times over the past month and I've had a difficult time organizing myself and my runs around hospital stays. T seems to be over the worst of it, he's such a happy little guy. We've had a bunch of drs appointments and have a couple more over the next couple of weeks. Hopefully everything checks out and we can head to Canada on a high note.

ain't she sweet?

For my last two runs, I ran with Emma. I realized how much I missed  running with someone the other evening when I went out with Emma (8.5 miles, thankyouverymuch) Not usually a fan of running at night - mostly because I can never quite get the whole what to east before hand right -  but Emma was going and I tagged along. Tagged being the operative word. I knew she was a powerhouse but sweet jasper! That woman can run.  I had fun and she asked me along for a second run this morning (10.5 miles). Running with someone is such great motivation - thanks, Emma! (On a side note, as we chatted about the news of the Tom Cruise / Katie Holmes divorce I realized that I remembered discussing this while running in Ottawa, summer of 2005. I obviously need a better quality of talking points.)

One change that I've made recently is cutting out the dairy products. I came to the conclusion that one of the reasons always feel so crap is that I eat a lot of dairy. So, that's gone and I'm eating a "mostly" vegan diet (occasionally eating some fish). It feels great. I find I have a lot more energy and my stomach isn't bothering me as much. Will I be able to give up seafood? I have no idea but I am seriously debating this. 

Lastly, I'm waiting for Scott Jurek's Eat and Run to show up on my door step. He's really inspiring and seems like a down to earth, nice guy. Compared to Dean Karnazes who comes across like a raging frat boy (have I ranted about Karno yet? If I haven't, I must ...). Anyhoodle, I hope to have the book in my grubby little hands by Tuesday and I am excited.

June's wrapped. 

the best awful

running in the rain

It's been a slog lately. The motivation hasn't been high. I don't have any races planned until October, the weather sucks, I've been cold, tired, miserable and my running has suffered.

This morning was pretty much the same. I struggled to get out of bed, couldn't find my buff to cover my head from the elements, and really didn't want to go. I even started running in the wrong direction!

But, somewhere along the way all the wrong things became funny. And fun. I felt strong, fast, and free; like a kid playing in the rain. A really great, awful run.