3 – 2 – 1 … Done!!!

November 30th, 2005

Did not make it for a run today : (  Started counting at around 8:30 this morning, took a short break for lunch, and they were still at it when I left at 7:30 tonight.  They only had a few pages left though.  It was a long day!!  Picked T up after and we made our way home.  Relaxed for a bit with T before she went to bed and then it was time for “Lost”.

Have got Haley set up for swimming with T tomorrow night so will be out for the 7-Hills with the club.  Looking forward to giving the ankle a good test, will push it some on the hills and see how it feels.  I am running the Stewart Mountain 10 mile next weekend so hopefully will be close to 100% by then.

Some more Seattle pictures

November 29th, 2005

Here are a few more pictures from the Seattle trip.  These are from Erin W's camera.

A slow and steady Tuesday night – 54:20

November 29th, 2005

Went for a very nice run this evening.  Did two laps of the Gorge and then an out and back to the bus stop by Inez Drive.  Ran the first lap in 21:34 and the second in 21:31 then the rest of the time makes up the out and back.  Felt great to be out, the ankle feels really good.  Still not 100% but definitely feeling stronger each time I’ve been out on it.  Just cruised tonight, nice and steady, one of those therapy runs.  Tonight almost felt cleansing that way, I find that when I have a lot on my mind running gives me the time to work through it.  May need a few more runs like tonight to get it all worked out : )

Tomorrow is Year End at work.  Inventory time!!!  I have got T set up to go to her friend Haley’s place after school and then I can stay late and help with the count.  Hopefully we should have it done by 6 or 7 then will still have some of the night to relax with T before bed time.  I am looking forward to this count being over.  Will get to start on the computerization of the store, have already ordered the bulk of the hardware and have got Uncle Jimmy and Darryl M coming in next Wednesday to start running all the cables.  I am feeling very excited about this!  Not sure if I’ll get a chance to run tomorrow but am hoping too.  Might get a quick one in at lunch.  I am planning to head to the Hill’s on Thursday and see how the ankle holds up with a bit of a push on it.  I am not sure but the Sandsquinch may be back in town by then and could catch a sighting of him.

Youth Centre and Baking Extravaganza – 45:07

November 28th, 2005

Took T to the Youth Centre tonight, she took the camera again, some of the results are below.  Lisa L. joined me tonight and we went for a nice run along the Goose and Songhee’s to just past Spinnakers.  Took it easy again, the ankle was feeling very good, still swollen and felt tight but did not bother me at all on the run.  I will ice it some tonight and use some more of the anti-inflammatory cream that Pan gave me.  Will hopefully get out again tomorrow night after work sometime.  T and I made a quick stop at the grocery store on the way home for some essentials and some baking goods for the Choir’s bake sale tomorrow.  Now normally (okay maybe not normally, maybe only when I am feeling really daring in the kitchen) I would take the time and actually make something from scratch but tonight was pressed for time and went for the “Pillsbury” connection : )  Some pictures of the baking below as well…


Youth Centre action:

The Baking:

Two nights in Seattle

November 26th and 27th, 2005

We were joined by Erin W. for our trip down south, which was great, but it started off with some transportation problems.  The seas were too rough for the Clipper to make the trip across the Straight so they put us on busses took us across to Tswassen and drove us down.  Turned a two and a half-hour trip into a six and a half-hour trip.  Made for a long night, we didn’t get into Seattle until around 11:30 and by the time we got into the hotel and into bed it was well after midnight.

Woke up fairly early on Saturday and walked down to Pike Place Market for some breakfast and sight seeing.  We also walked down to Pioneer Square and explored down there for a bit.

Made our way back to the hotel for a short break and then walked to Key Arena for the game.  Made a few quick sightseeing stops along the way.

I had never been to a NBA game and was impressed.  There was entertainment throughout the entire game.

Between the Blimp:

The Players:

The Dance Team!!!!!

and Squatch:

There was always something going on, never a dull moment.  The game:

Some more dancing:

and some more dancing!!

then back to the game : (

Squatch reminded me a lot of Sandsquinch just a tad shorter and with more hair : )

After the game we wandered around the Seattle Centre for awhile and then hit a Thai place for dinner and then back to the hotel for some more rest.  We headed back downtown later and went to Gameworks for some arcade time.  Came across the Monorail accident along the way.  The two trains ended up colliding and caused some havoc downtown for most of the evening.

Gameworks was a blast, tons of games and carnival action.

It was an early morning today, had to be at the Clipper terminal by 7 this morning to check in and board for the return trip.  The seas once again were rough but not bad enough to stop the ferry this time.  The Captain took the long route tho keeping us on the inside passage longer to avoid the rough sea.

We made it back at around 11:30 this afternoon.

Came home right away and unpacked and relaxed for a few hours.  This evening T, her friend Shawna, I went to see “Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire”.  We had a great night at the theatre, with pizza, popcorn, pop and candy, made a full event of it.

Did a lot of walking this weekend but absolutely no running.  Enjoyed the few days off but have been feeling guilty as well.  I will be out tomorrow night, try for 50+ minutes while T is at the Youth Centre.  Have taken a couple more shots of the ankle tonight.  It is not looking too bad, the bruising is almost gone but it looks like the swelling will take a few more days to completely come down.

Rainy day off

November 25th, 2005

Woke up this morning with all intentions of going for a run at some point today, but after giving it some thought, I think two or three more days off the ankle is probably the smarter thing to do.  All this rain might have had some influence on that decision as well : )  Unfortunately I do feel some guilt when I don’t run, it is probably another sign of addiction : )  Got T to school this morning then came home and packed for the weekend.  Met up with James R. this morning as well, for our last breakfast at “Mole” for awhile, I ran him out to the ferry after breakfast, he is leaving for another 5-7 months abroad.  I will be leaving at around 2:45 to go pick up T from school and then we will head down to the Clipper shortly after that.  I am very excited about this trip, it will be good to get out of Victoria for a weekend.

Will see how things go on Sunday but I am hoping to be back in Victoria early and maybe get in a run in the afternoon.

Timid running – 40:44

November 24th, 2005

Instead of heading to the 7-Hills tonight, T and I went to the Youth Centre.  I went out for a nice and easy run taking it very cautious with the ankle.  Wrapped it up nice and tight with a tensor and ran on some very flat terrain along the Goose.  It felt very good to be out, I had no significant pain but there was some soreness and by the end of the run I could feel the fatigue setting in the joint.  I gave T the camera for the night and she took some pictures while at the Youth Centre.

It was a small group at the Centre tonight, just Jacob, Tori, Haley, Marie and Carly:

Carly and Haley geeking:

I have taken tomorrow off work, have a few errands to run during the day and then T and I are heading to Seattle tomorrow night after she gets out of school.  We are going to a NBA game on Saturday afternoon.  The Seattle Super Sonics are playing the New Orleans Hornets.  Neither of us has seen a professional basketball game and we are excited about going.  We should be back early on Sunday.  I am hoping to get out for another short run tomorrow afternoon and test out the ankle some more.  Will have to see how the day goes.

Running in the pool – 45 minutes

November 23rd, 2005

Headed to the pool tonight.  Picked Mar up on the way and got to the pool a bit early, the swim started at 7:00pm, we waited for Rob to come then all got in the water.  Rob and I did 45 minutes of pool running and Mar took it easy, leisurely swimming circles around us.  Had a great workout, then went in to the hot tub for awhile before heading out.  After swimming I dropped Mar back off at her place and then raced home to watch “Lost”, and eat some Stoned Wheat Thins with peanut butter and grape jelly, I was starving!  I am always amazed at how good a workout you get in the pool.  Working muscles you don’t usually use when running normally.  Gonna have a great sleep tonight.

The night power went out.

November 22nd, 2005

Called the pools today and none of the close ones had a kids swim tonight : (  so we bailed on the pool.  Instead we were thinking of making it a veggy night and just lounge in front of the TV.

Fortunately the power went out and that forced us in a different direction.  We went for a walk down the Gorge to kill some time then came home, lit up a ton of candles, played some games, did some drawing and told some stories.  Power came back on just before T’s bedtime.  It was a very nice night!

A couple more pictures of the ankle.  The swelling is almost gone now but the bruising has definitely spread and deepened.

Even have some on the top of my foot, which I thought was kinda unusual.  Not much pain with it anymore, unless I give it a good push or bang it by accident.

T is at her Moms tomorrow night so I will head out to the pool after work sometime.

Crag X

November 21st, 2005

Well… another day of not running.  I know that it would not be a good thing to do with the ankle but I feel bad when I don’t run, probably a sign of addiction.  I am hoping to get out to the pool tomorrow night and get a pool run in – at least get some kind of workout in.  Will have to see what Commonwealth’s schedule looks like.

Tonight, Tori and her friend Jocelyn were treated to a night of climbing with Lisa L. at the Crag X gym.  The girls took turns climbing while Lisa belayed them.  It looked like all three girls had a blast.  Tori and Jocelyn did great, making almost every climb they attempted.

Some more pics of the ankle

November 20th, 2005

Had a wonderful massage earlier and got my ankle worked on for awhile.  The swelling has come down a bunch but now the bruising is coming out.  Looks kinda nasty but does not feel too bad.  Have got better mobility and range of motion with it tonight.

Think I will take another day of no running tomorrow and maybe see if I can get to the pool either Tuesday or Wednesday for a pool run.

Fogged out at Lambrick

November 20th, 2005

Had a wonderful evening at Hugh’s place last night.  A few drinks first then some singing, poetry and a limerick.  We all did a sing along to the sea shanty  “Barrett’s Privateers”, here are all the lyrics.  John C. recited a limerick he wrote about Hugh and read some D.H. Lawrence, Hugh sang a solo and I read a short poem by Tu Fu.  Was a very fun night, hopefully Hugh will make it an annual event.

This morning I drove out to Lambrick Park and joined Rob H. to watch two of our Ladies run the Lambrick Park Cross Country 4500m.  Mar and Shan both ran and did very well!!  It was very foggy at the park and kinda cool if you were just standing around.  I did my best to stay warm by working my way back and forth from one side of the field to the other and tried to get some pictures of Mar and Shan as they ran.

Here are some pictures of the girls:

After the race I met up with James R. and was treated to brunch at Mole then spent most of the afternoon at the laundry mat getting caught up to all my dirty clothes.  Will be heading back over to James R’s in a bit for some "Noodle Box" and a Thai Massage, I am getting spoiled today!!  Must be the injury : )

Here is how the Sandsquinch spent his day:

Misty at the Lakes - 25 minutes +

November 19th, 2005

There were four of us at the lakes this morning, Rob H, Helena W, Pano and I.  It was a foggy, cool, damp morning.  We started off with our normal warm-up then the plan was to do 2 - 10 minute pickups with a 5-minute break between.  Got thru the first 10-minute pickup feeling good and then during the break I rolled my ankle over pretty bad.

Walked for a few minutes with Rob then tried to run on it and did make it for another 5 – 10 minutes or so but then it got too painful.  Ended up walking the rest of the way, back to the road by the riding circle where Pano met me with his car and gave me a ride back to the parking lot.  Rob kept doing out and backs from me to keep himself warm and keep me company.  It really sucks, I was looking forward to some trail running around Thetis tomorrow.  Will take it easy for the rest of today and tomorrow and see how it feels Monday or Tuesday before I try and run on it again.  Will head out to Lambrick Park in the morning instead and watch the Cross Country race there.  Cheer Hugh, Mar, Shannon and the rest on while they scream around the park.

On to something different...  This past August a few of us from the club and some friends went up to Mt. Washington for the weekend.  We stayed at Alan’s place at Deer Lodge and used it as a base for our day hike up to the peak of Mt. Albert Edward.  Here are a few of the pictures that were taken.

Mt. Albert Edward is the peak almost dead center:

There were nine of us who made the trek, Joan was taking this picture and Wayne was supposed to meet us at the Lodge before heading down to the trailhead:

Unfortunately the buzzer at the Lodge was not working so we missed Wayne and he started with out us.  Our first meeting spot was to be Circlet Lake, about 10km into the hike.  I ran the first part pretty hard and caught up to Wayne about 1km short of Circlet:

Joan and Mar ran the first part as well and were about 10 minutes behind us.  We all had a nice break at the lake:

This is a shot of us at the top!!

On the way back down we all met up at Circlet Lake again and got some fresh water.  From there we kinda all went our own speed back to the lodge.  The entire hike took me 9 hours and 40 minutes from the trailhead up to the peak and then back to the Lodge, not sure of the exact distance but probably somewhere in the 30 - 35km range, I took the long route both ways : )  Was exhausted when we finished but had an amazing time.  We had a great dinner and tried to play some games after but most of us were too bagged to stay up much past dinner.

Will be heading to Hugh's home tonight for his first (hopefully annual) "Performance Improv" party.  I'll drag the camera along and see if I can capture some of the festivities.  May even get up the nerve to read another poem...

Picture time!

November 18th, 2005

I finished up all the pre-write for inventory today!!  In celebration I jetted out of work early, left around 11 this morning.  Have spent the day at home messing around with stuff and just relaxing.  Last time I went down to visit my Dad he gave me his old digital camera and I have just now gotten around to taking a close look at it.  Spent an hour this afternoon getting it all set up and working so now I can be a little shutterbug.  Will hopefully add some more colour to this blog : )  No running for me today, a very nice day of rest for the legs.  Will be out tomorrow tho’ just not sure where yet, will see if anyone from the club is going out and hopefully join up with them.

Running with the Sandsquinch – 1:24:10

November 17th, 2005

Started the day off with a 45-minute massage from Sally, downtown at the Metro Massage Therapy Clinic.  There are many different types of massages but this one was one of those knot kneading, muscle stripping, make you say ouch types.  It was painful at times but the after effect is amazing, I felt incredible!  The only downer to the whole experience was having to go to work after.  Work was another day of stock card writing, I think I may have only a day or two left and will be done with them – finally…  Picked T and her friend Haley up after work and headed to the “Y”, got the girls in the pool and then met up with the club for the run.  15 of us left the “Y” and ran the hills, Brent B. met us about halfway through and ran with us for a bit as well.  It’s not too often now that I get to run with the club but on the nights that I do it is great to see the Sandsquinch out, he sometimes does not make the appearance.  Like last week when he decided to drive the 7-Hills instead of run them, but then it was the day before his birthday so I guess that can be forgiven.  I think all had a good run tonight, it was a very nice night.  I finished the 7-Hills in 53:55, continuous running, no stopping at the top of the hills just keeping a slow jog going until we were all regrouped.  After finishing the hills I had some time to kill before the girls were done swimming do did a little extra, an out and back thru' Beacon Hill Park and along Dallas Rd., for another 30 minutes or so.  No running for me tomorrow will take the day off and get out for some long intervals on Saturday hopefully.

Circles of the Gorge – 52:41

November 16th, 2005

Ran the “Gorge Loop” tonight, 2 loops plus an out and back.  Did the first loop in 21:09 the second in 21:06 and then did an out and back.  Lengthened the out and back a bit from last time by stretching it out to the next bus stop, the one by Inez Dr., added an extra couple of minutes.  Ran nice and steady tonight, felt very good.  Had a very relaxing night after the run, T and I enjoyed some dinner and then just lounge time.  A new “Lost” was on tonight, very exciting!!  Have got T all set up with a swimming partner for tomorrow night so will be out with the club for the 7-Hills.  Then will probably take Friday off and try and run with the club on Saturday and Sunday this weekend.  Have signed up for my next race, the Stewart Mountain 10-mile Cross Country Challenge on December 10th.  Ran it last year and had a lot of fun, I think this year it will be even wetter, and slimier, I can't wait!

“Poetry Nite at Burnside” – 43:54

November 15th, 2005

Sent the coach an email early this morning and he got back to me before lunch with a workout.  I am still doing all the pre-write for inventory, so getting outside of the store and running this afternoon was amazing.  I ran my “Switch Bridge” route.  Used the first 9-10 minutes as a warm-up and then started the workout.  A descending ladder; 5-min, 4-min, 3-min, 2-min, 1-min with 1-min rest between each.  I finished the intervals with quite a lot of ground to cover on the way back and didn’t want that long of a cool-down so decided to toss in a few more.  I did 4 more 1-min intervals with a 30-sec rest between, really got the legs and lungs burning with those!  Used the rest of the time as a cool-down, maybe about 9-10 minutes.  Had a great workout and a wonderful afternoon back at work.

Tonight T’s class held a poetry reading at her school, both T and I recited a poem.  We went to T’s classroom with me thinking it was going to be a fairly small audience, just the Poetry Club kids and a couple of teachers, but it turned out to be the whole class as well as all the parents and I was one of only three parents who were reading a poem.  Not being much of a public speaker I was a bit nervous but did muddle my way through it.  T actually had her poem memorized, I had a cheat sheet to read off of.  We did a quick grocery shop after the poetry and then home a quick dinner and relax time.

Here is T’s poem:

The Mist and All

I like the fall
The mist and all
I like the night owl’s lonely call
And wailing sound
Of wind around

I like the gray
November day
And dead, bare boughs that coldly sway
Against my pane
I like the rain

I like to sit
And laugh at it
And tend my cozy fire a bit
I like the fall
The mist and all

by Dixie Willson

And I did this one:

Alone Looking at the Mountain

All the birds have flown up and gone;
A lonely cloud floats leisurely by.
We never tire of looking at each other-
Only the mountain and I.

By Li Po

Chapter One Review – 49:43

November 14th, 2005

After dropping T off at the Youth Centre, Lisa L. joined me for an easy run along the Songhee’s.  Almost a full moon and some neat clouds made for quite a view while running past the Ocean Pointe and looking towards the Inner Harbour.  I picked T up after the run and came home to a couple of pages of math homework, the End of Chapter Review.  T is struggling with math a bit so it took us awhile to get through it all but she did it.  She spent the rest of her evening geeking on the computer.  Will not make the track tomorrow and have a school function to get to after work so will hopefully get a workout from the coach first thing tomorrow and get out for a lunch run.

Thetis Lake Relay Photos

Here are a couple of photos taken at the Relay

A happy before the run shot:

Starting line:

I am not sure there was an after the run shot, probably would not of turned out any good, I was shivering so much the camera couldn't of focused on me anyway : )

Stinky Fish

November 13th, 2005

T and Karlie were slow to get up this morning, they had a late night messing in T’s room.  When they finally did wake up we had a big breakfast and hung in the house for awhile then ran Karlie home just after lunch.  We met up with some friends this afternoon and went to Goldstream Park to watch the Salmon Run.  Did the walk along the river and then wandered around the Nature House.  T and Enya did the fish print so now I have a multicoloured picture of a dead fish : )  Will have to find a suitable spot in the house to hang it up.  After Goldstream we all went back to Erin and Patrick's house for some hot chocolate, treats and a thrilling game of UNO.  We came home after and relaxed some more, T had a bit of homework to do and we both read for awhile.  Another day of no running for me, kind of enjoyed the second day of rest.  I am planning on running tomorrow night while T is at the Youth Centre, probably an easy 50 minutes or so.

Here are the Island Road Racers Thetis Lake Relay Results:

IRR #1                    (Senior Men)        1:09:18  6th overall/5th division
IRR #2                    (Senior Mixed)      1:18:20  21st overall/4th division
IRR #4                    (Senior Mixed)      1:18:43  25th overall/5th division
IRR-Senior Women   (Senior Women)   1:19:20  27th overall/1st division
IRR-Jarhead             (Solo Runner)      1:27:12  56th overall/4th division
IRR #3                    (Senior Mixed)      1:30:24  70th overall/21st division

A great job by all!!

No pictures yet but will post some in the future

A Lazy Saturday

November 12th, 2005

I made up for not sleeping in yesterday and did it today.  Have had a very lazy day, slept in till almost 10 then had another pancake feed for brunch.  T and I just hung out watching the tube and messing on the computer for most of the morning.  I had went to lay down for a bit and read my book but ended up falling asleep and had another nap from about 1 – 2:30.  T woke me up and we met up with Chris R. at SilverCity to watch a matinee, Zathura.  All three of us really enjoyed the show, it was very entertaining, in the flavour of Jumanji.  After the movie we went and picked up T’s friend Karlie, she has come for a sleepover.  Right now the girls are watching “Josie and the Pussycats” and I think we may pull out a couple of games later to end up the night.  Not sure about running tomorrow, will have to see how the day goes.  Unfortunately no results for the Relay yet so will have to do a more detailed write up for that later.

Remembrance Day/Thetis Lake 20k Relay – 1:27:12

November 11th, 2005

Had planned on trying to sleep in a little this morning but got woke up by the rain early and then did the nod on and off thing till about 8.  T was in no hurry to get up so that gave me time to clean up some and get ready for the Relay this afternoon.  After T got up our friend Lisa L. joined us for breakfast, had a good pancake feed.  It was supposed to be (and was) an ugly weather day.  So I had arranged for T to go hang out with Shaun and Dini while I was running, she would not of enjoyed hanging out in the rain for that long, I dropped her off on the way to Thetis.  They spent part of the afternoon doing some whirlwind shopping.  I have been looking forward to the Relay for awhile now and I was not disappointed.  It was wet, sloppy, rooty, and muddy.  It is normally done as a team of four with each member doing one 5k lap of the lake.  IRR had five teams in it today, our Senior Womens team took first place in their division, not sure of the time.  I will write up some more results tomorrow when they (hopefully) get posted.  My run was good, I did all four laps, first lap in 20:15, second in 21:35, third in 22:24 and the fourth in 22:58.  It was a very wet run, totally poured down with rain during the third lap, got drenched and dirty and cold, had a blast!!!  I could not hang out after, stayed long enough to grab an apple and some hot chocolate then came home to jump in a hot shower.  Spent the rest of the day lounging at home, T got dropped off in the early evening and we ordered in some pizza from Il Greco’s to fill up our bellys for the night.  Will definitely take tomorrow off and then see how Sunday looks for a quick run maybe.  Hopefully will also have some pictures to go along with the results tomorrow.

A little late… - 53:04

November 10th, 2005

It was another night at the “Y” swimming for T and her friend Shawna and the 7-Hills for me.  Unfortunately we did not get to the “Y” in time for me to start the run with the club, we had some technical difficulties with Shawna’s swimsuit, she had forgot it at home.  So after a quick drive back to Shawna’s place and a dash in the house we ripped back to the “Y” and got the girls in the pool.  I took off thinking I could meet up with the club somewhere along the route.  Now… as far as the 7-Hills route goes, we do it the same every week.  Leaving the “Y” we get on to Quadra and head toward Fairfield, take Fairfield to Moss, then Moss to Richardson.  We hang a right on Richardson and hit our first hill at Robleda, up Robleda to Rockland to Lotbiniere, down to Richardson then to St. Charles, up to Rockland, to Gonzales, down to Richmond, then to Oak Shade, back up to Rockland then to Oak Bay Ave.  We hang a left on Oak Bay and go up Terrace back to Rockland, then down Oak Shade, along Richmond to Gonzales up to Rockland, to St. Charles down to Richardson to Lotbiniere, up to Rockland and then back down at Robleda.  We take Richardson to Moss and tackle our last hill going up Moss to Wilspencer.  We finish up by heading down Wilspencer then onto Pentrelew and finally getting on to Rockland, taking it all the way back to the “Y”.  That’s a ton of directions, much easier just to run it!!  I ended up meeting the club as they were coming down Oak Shade so turned around and finished the run with them, I ended up doing the 5-Hills route tonight.  Did have a chance for an extra bit after the hills while waiting for the girls to finish swimming tho’ so got in a nice run.  Had a special birthday evening to attend after the run, Dave M (The Sandsquinch :) had a small celebration at Il Greco’s.  There were about ten of us who all got to watch as Dave did his first “Muff Dive Shot”, unfortunately no pictures were taken.  Two rousing renditions of Happy Birthday were sung, the first when his Moussaka arrived with a candle in it and again after dinner when the cake arrived.  The Sandsquinch also received an amazing training journal, if you get the chance you should ask him about it.  A bit of a late night for T, but she was a trooper and we came home quickly after the cake was done.  Tomorrow brings Remembrance Day and the Thetis Lake Relay, looking forward to both!!

Something Extra!!

November 9th, 2005

T's Grandma sent me some pictures, a series of T at the computer, that are absolutely hilarious so I thought I would share them.  Just click on the text to see the picture.

Expression One

Expression Two

Expression Three

Grey and Drizzly – 45:45

November 9th, 2005

After spending all morning at work writing stock cards for our upcoming year-end inventory, running during lunch in the dreary, drizzly weather was a blessing.  I’ve got a few different routes for my lunch runs but probably do the one I did today more than any other.  From work (Government and Queen St.) I head toward downtown, take Chatham to Store, up to Pandora, then cross the Johnson St. Bridge and get onto the Goose, take the Goose to the far side of Switch Bridge (the pedestrian bridge near Wal Mart) and then back.  It is somewhere in the 10-11k range.  Made for a nice break in the day and then was able to get back to writing those stock cards with a clear mind.  Made it to the Parent-Teacher interview tonight and it looks like T is doing very well.  Her toughest subject is Math, and she struggles with it some. I will start looking for some ways to help her out with that.  Unfortunately my massage got cancelled, but will hopefully get rescheduled for sometime this weekend.  Instead I am going to relax with a book for awhile and then get ready for “Lost” – I’m addicted!!

Gorge in the Dark – 50:37

November 8th, 2005

I knew that I could not make it out to the Uvic track to join the club for the workout tonight so got a workout from the coach by email first thing this morning.  He suggested 10 times 1 minute with 1 minute rest between, short and fast intervals.  Got home after work and ran the two and a half loops of the Gorge, used the first 10 minutes as a warm up and then did the 10 intervals.  I was still feeling pretty fresh so pumped out a couple more and then still had time for a good cool down.  It was really dark tonight, there were a lot of clouds in the sky and not much moonlight, made for some fun running, lots more thinking involved when you are concentrating on not falling down or running into something.  I am thinking of doing an easy 8-10k tomorrow during lunch and then take the evening off, have a Parent-Teacher interview to get to right after work and then hopefully will be getting a massage later, if I don't get a lunch run in there may not be much of a chance to run after work.

Clear and Cool – 40:15

November 7th, 2005

Another run from the Youth Centre tonight.  After dropping T off I headed down to the Goose and ran towards the Songhees Walkway, then along the Walkway to just past Spinnakers and a return to the Youth Centre.  Was a cool, crisp night – time for long sleeves, gloves and a toque.  Got back to the Centre a bit early so hung with my buddy Paddy while waiting for T to be ready.  Some news on the work front, I am slowly transitioning into a front office job.  My employers are finally going to computerize the business and I will be doing most of the tech work for it.  From getting the hardware and setting up the network to doing all the data entry once we have the software running.  It is a long time coming, we are still writing our invoices by hand and doing our inventory control by eye check.  I am very pleased and excited for the change, we should be live by late March or April next year – can’t wait!!

Brunch at Mole – 1:35:46

November 6th, 2005

A gorgeous morning for running, 7 of us met at the main parking lot of Thetis Lake and tackled the trails for a long run.  We skirted around the lake and went towards Stewart Mountain, then along the power lines towards Munn road, along Munn to Francis King Park.  Took a short break there for water and then headed back towards the lake taking the High Ridge Trail (I think – I just follow the leader).  The rain held off until the last 20 minutes or so of the run.  My run was good, my cold decided to rear its ugly head again today and I did have some heaviness in the lungs and a couple of coughing fits but nothing too bad.  That’s what I get for not taking enough rest I guess.  Came home after and got cleaned up quickly then met up with James R. for some brunch at Mole.  Today was laundry day so that took up most of my afternoon.  Have been home for a bit, had a quick visit from Miss S., she came by to pick up the wine for her parents.  Now I am going to run out to grab some groceries and a movie and then lounge for the rest of the night.  Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow but I am thinking of doing a nice easy run while T is at the Youth Centre, 30-40 minutes maybe, will see how I feel tomorrow.

7 wines at Venturi-Shulze – 54:51

November 5th, 2005

Started today off by picking Mar up and then joining Matt, Wayne, Pano, and Mike at Elk and Beaver Lakes for some intervals.  We did our normal warm-up, 15 minutes or so, and then did a descending interval ladder: 10min, 8min, 6min, 4min, with 2 minutes rest between each, used the rest of the time for a cool down.  Had a good workout, was feeling fresh after having yesterday off.  The last interval was tough tho’, the legs were starting to fade and the first few strides were a struggle but they cleaned out pretty quick and I was able to finish the interval strong.  Dropped Mar back at her place after the work out and then came home.  Had some time to rest and relax and then made the drive over the Malahat to partake in a wine tasting at the Venturi-Schulze Vineyard, I picked up Lisa L. on the way to have someone to share in the experience.  I have been going to their tastings for the past few years and am always impressed with their wines.  My favorite is the Millefiori, a gorgeous white that has flavours galore.  They also have an amazing red, their Pinot Noir, but they sell out of it very quickly so if you ever see a bottle snap it up.  Had dinner at the Pioneer House at Whippletree Junction after the tasting and then drove back to Victoria.  Have spent the evening relaxing and will be heading to bed soon.  I am looking forward to joining the club at Thetis in the morning for some trail running, with all this rain it looks to be a bit muddy!!

"Jarhead" - the Movie

November 4th, 2005

I did not run today, totally enjoyed a day of rest.  Had a quick visit with Miss S. after work, she dropped off some money and an order from her parents for some wine from the Vineyard that I am going to visit tomorrow.  The other thing I did tonight was go to the movies, I went and saw “Jarhead”.  It is a movie based on a book written by Anthony Swofford describing his time and experiences in the Marine Corps before and during the Gulf War.  I have been anxiously awaiting this movie, wanting to see how it compares to the way I remember the Gulf War.  I served in the US Marine Corps from 1988 to 1996, the first four years on active duty and the latter four being on a reserve status.  I went to bootcamp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego and did my advance training with the Assault Amphibian School at the Camp Del Mar area of Camp Pendleton in California.  Now this will sound cushy and to tell the truth it was an amazing experience, I ended up getting stationed in Hawaii at Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay.  There I joined Alpha Company, 3rd Assault Amphibian Detachment, 3rd Marine Division.  During my time in the fleet I did get deployed for both Desert Shield and Desert Storm, spending just over eleven months in Southwest Asia.  During Desert Shield I was attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade.  In the early part of the deployment our primary task was to unload and prep all the vehicles and equipment that were brought in-country.  Later we were more of a full time training/show of force unit to keep the Iraqi’s from moving south out of Kuwait into Saudi Arabia.  In Operation Desert Storm I was assigned to the 1st Battalion/5th Marine Division and was a member of Task Force Ripper, the primary maneuver element in the attack to penetrate Iraqi defensive positions located between the Al Wafrali and Umm Gudair Oil fields.  There is a great article on Task Force Ripper here: "Sparking the Ripper War Machine".  As for my take on the movie, I found it to be a very real depiction of life in the Corps, I could relate to many of the scenes and found that they very closely resembled my experiences and memories of the Marine Corps and the Gulf War.

Raining in the hills - 1:20:28

November 3rd, 2005

It has been a very wet and cold night of running!  I brought T and her friend Haley to the “Y” and they went swimming while I joined the club for the run.  There were about 15 or 16 of us who braved the 7-Hills tonight, nice steady pace between the hills and always regrouping at the top of each hill, a very social run.  I made a point of not stopping at the top of the hills and at least keeping a slow jog going while we regrouped.  My total running clock time for the 7-Hills was 55:34.  Did some extra after the hills while waiting for T and Haley to finish swimming.  I went down Quadra into Beacon Hill Park then up around Circle Drive towards Douglas and down along Dallas for a bit, then turned around and headed back to the “Y”.  The girls took their time getting out of the pool so that gave me a chance to warm up in the lobby, it felt good.  Also had a bit of time to stretch, something I don’t do enough of.  This morning I double checked my “out and back bus stop” and it is the one near Heath Dr..  Not planning on running tomorrow will rest and join the club for the Saturday and Sunday workouts.

Stratus Clouds - 50:52

November 2nd, 2005

It was another night of running the Gorge Loop.  Nice and steady tonight, did the exact same route as last night.  Ran the first lap in 21:15, the second in 21:17 then an out and back to the bus stop near Heath Dr. (I think, I’ll have to check it in the morning, was kinda dark).  Started to rain pretty hard about halfway thru the run, had a blast running in the puddles in the dark.  I don’t know why but I have really been enjoying the solo runs lately, lots to think about I guess…  Another homework night for T, tonight it was Science.  Her class is doing a section on Weather, she had to describe three different types of clouds and then she has a Weather Observation Chart she has to fill in for the next seven days.  We found T a swimming partner for tomorrow night so I will be able to join the club at the “Y” for the 7-Hills route,  I am looking forward to it!

Yoshi's Spreadsheet - 51:20

November 1st, 2005

Had a good solo workout tonight, started off with a 10 minute warm-up then did 6 times 2 minutes with 1 minute rest between and used the rest of the time as a cool down.  I am running a loop around the Gorge Waterway in between the Tillicum and Admirals bridges with a shortcut thru Kinsmen Gorge Park, I think it is pretty close to 4.5km.  Made it around two and a half times tonight.  I felt strong during the intervals and had some thoughts about doing a couple extra but did not want to push it after the Half on Sunday.  It has been another night where running solo has not been a chore, another “therapy” run.  Now… I don’t really remember what I did for math in Grade 5 but I am sure that it did not involve anyone named Yoshi or spreadsheets.  Tonight while helping T with her homework I discovered that she is learning math spreadsheets, made by some kid named Yoshi, it was kinda surprising yet very cool.  We also sorted through Halloween candy tonight, what a haul!!  It’s gonna be tough to resist that temptation, far too much for T to eat all by herself :)