It's Monday morning. The trail systems in Calgary are finally dry and I'm anxious to get off the road. I was signed up to run the Mother's Day 10k yesterday but after two 10ks and a 1/2 marathon all in the past two months, I just didn't have it in me to hit the pavement again. Instead, stories with my two wonderful little girls in bed, coffee and a great 90 minute run in Nosehill. It was my mother's day present to myself. Permission not to race and just be a mom. My 10k goal for this year is to go sub 37 but I knew yesterday wasn't going to be the day when I woke up and my legs felt like lead and not one cell in me wanted to run in the rain with 10,000 other people. Those are the days when you cut your losses.
The trails revived me. So much so that I was back out there with Maui first thing this morning, searching out the hills, focusing on getting my speed up and getting comfortable with the pain of up hill again after 3 months of running through city pavement. It felt great. It felt like being a kid. The trails just do that to you. It's like a playground.
My focus for the next two months is on Nationals July 9 in Canmore, my chance to qualify again for World Mountain Running Championships. I'd like to keep my endurance and distance up as I still plan to attend the Trans Rockies Run in August, but I'd like to see where I can go with mountain running short course again this year.
Next race this month is the Nipika Crazy Soles 25k. June is a 5peaks, K100 with my alumni University of Alberta xc team, and the Trans Rockies Rundle run at the end of June. All trail except for K100 where I get the 18km uphill. And so, whenever I get a chance I will be in Nose Hill, Bowmont, and within the Douglas Fir trails in Calgary, working on the hills. Weekends will be longer distances in the mountains with big groups of crazy ultra runners ;).
Finally... after a long long long winter and virtually no spring, I'm back in my playground.
Happy Trails!
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