Life: Ursa in Winter

Oh yes, Ursa loves the snow. I don't think I've ever seen a dog more happy for snow than this dog. Aerin mentioned the strong arguement for nature over nuture in this case since Ursa was immediately excited about going out in the snow and just loving the chance to play in it. I will second that arguement since she was all energy and spunk on our walk Friday evening in the snow storm.

Again on Saturday evening when we went to Nose Hill Park to snowshoe she was having lots of fun playing in the snow. In the really deep spots I was breaking trail, not Ursa. On a few occasions I would try to step forward only to find Ursa standing on the tail of my snowshoe. It was also her first time out in her Ruffwear booties. The hair between her toes means time spent in the snow usually ends with ice balls forcing her toes apart. She certainly didn't like them when we put them on her the first time. She was doing ballerina imitations walking on her toes since she didn't quite understand she could put her foot flat if she puts her weight on them normally. Ursa has started to get used to them, but we need a smaller size for her back feet. In the mean time there isn't a trail of snow and ice across the floor mostly.

Saturday was our run around day to avoid having to be out in the cold on Sunday, so we also got Ursa a jacket for visibility and to shed some snow while out playing. A new UFO light from MEC on the purpose built loop on the jacket completes the early Xmas presents for our puppy.

The ice that forms around Ursa's mouth from her breath and snuffling around in the snow is pretty cute. Except it melts awfully fast to get a good picture of by the time we humans get in the door and undressed from enough cold weather gear to capture it in its full glory.

Running: Skyline Trail and Lost Soul Ultra

So with no runs longer than an hour undertaken once or twice per week since my dislocated rib in June, I knew I had to test myself in some way before leaving the starting line at Lost Soul. I had planned to run Skyline Trail two weeks before the race, and with the chiro and massage helping my back, Aerin and I loaded Ursa into the car, filled the trailer with gear, and departed for Jasper.

I started from the Morraine Lake trailhead about 8:30. I had asked Aerin to hang there for about six hours in case I needed to make a slow, painful retreat from the trail. Fortuitously I didn't need to exercise that option.

In the grand tradition of grinding out the distance, I did a fair bit of the trail at my "military" pace. This is about a 16min/mile, or 4mph/6kmph. I did run quite a bit of the level and downhill sections, but I wasn't out to push past wherever my limit was - I just needed a confidence boost before undertaking Lost Soul. It also gave me a chance to test changes to my nutrition plan that proved highly beneficial.

The weather was quite warm - about what it would be at Lost Soul it turned out. I stopped for about 80 minutes total for fixing the tape job on my heel, changing socks, ingesting lunch, stretching and some sightseeing. It took me 8:47 (if my recollection is correct) to finish the trail. Some real speedsters passed me, including the University of Alberta mens cross country running team, during the run, but most weren't spectacularly fast compared to my slow, undertrained ass.

So with this confidence builder under my belt I knew I could finish Lost Soul even if I was reduced to military pace for most of the race.

We arrived in Lethbridge on Friday afternoon to pickup my race package and unload the trailer. This was followed by a trip out to the Pavan and Peenaquim aid stations to walk Ursa and get our bearings as both the runner and the crew. I also got to check out some of the terrain beyond the hotel area. Despite the slightly grim description of the course in the race info I didn't see anything I didn't already expect or wasn't confident I could handle in the terrain. Certainly I wouldn't be breaking any speed records, but I knew I could handle it.

With most of my pre-race bag prep finished prior to leaving Calgary, I managed to refrain from too much craziness that Aerin would find amusing or annoying. (She did do all the driving so my distracted self didn't crash the car.) A nice pasta dinner and soak in the hot tub got us into bed in decent time for the 6:30am race meeting. I also taped my feet before bed to move things along in the morning.

It was cool in the morning, and I was quite happy to cover as many miles as possible before the rise in temperature forced me to slow my pace. I started out toward the back of pack of the 50km racers, and before not too long I was moving at about the middle of the field. Ultimately, that placing didn't change much over the course of the race. The south loop takes you down to the river from the hotel and then back up to the coulee tops before another descent to the river and a return climb to the hotel for the first transition area. At one point I got a little off track, but I managed to correct that error quickly.

I unloaded my vest, had some food and flat Coke before heading out for the next section. This is the second longest section with a few good climbs up and down the coulees, and I ran a fair chunk along the top side of things. There are also a few good steep sections, but being rested and relaxed I managed these without too much trouble. My methodical approach even moved me up a few places, but I knew I'd probably lose these spots at the transitions where I wasn't planning to take any less time than I needed to be prepared for the next section. I continued to push myself to run the level and downhills as quickly as possible.

At Peenaquim I fixed up the tape job on my heels, changed socks and my race bag. Things were going good, and I was happy with the pace I was maintaining.

Unfortunately, things slowed significantly when somewhere along the trail to Pavan aid station I developed a slight twinge in my left knee. It wasn't too bad on the climbs, but it definitely didn't like running downhills or over rough ground. So when I rolled in to Pavan I resigned myself to military pace the rest of the way.

The north loop is the longest section of the course at almost 16km. I quite enjoyed this loop, and was passing some of the 100-milers that were working on their last lap. It was darned hot, so I made sure to drink lots of water and refilled at the unmanned water station. (I was glad I did too.) They had put up ladders to climb over the barbed wire fences. I don't know if bending over to crawl through or using the ladders to go over would be worse after 100+ km, but I didn't really dwell on that one much at the time. In the end it took me less than 3 hours to finish the loop and change my socks and race bag again at Pavan before heading south. I did try running a little during the loop, but I was firmly stuck in my high rev walk.

From the north end of the course back to the start line was along the river for most of the way, and there were long stretches under the big trees lining the river. The shade and steady wind was a nice respite from what would otherwise be oppressive heat. A couple of steep climbs to surmount the coulees that butted up against the Old Man River made for some slow moments, but it also made for some nice views up and down the river valley. I never had a moment during the whole race that I didn't enjoy the views and scenery.

I arrived back at Peenaquim inside of an hour, refueled and reloaded my bag with more food before heading for the home stretch. I had maintained a 15min/mile pace for the last four hours, so I would arrive at the finish line with another hour of effort.

It was during this last leg that I wished my knee would let me run more, but every attempt was short lived. I certainly had the energy and spirit to do it, but my body just wouldn't cooperate. One gal commented that she'd never seen anyone that walked so fast. Apparently I had been in her sights for a while, and she didn't truly leave me behind until I was halfway to finishing that last leg. There was a lot of gravel, shale or paved trail to follow, so I just kept going. It got to be a little mentally stupid for a bit as I started fixating on how slowly the clock seemed to progress, but I got off it and I was flying again.

After passing through the Fort Whoopup park it was up the last big climb to the finish line. I kept pushing to keep up my pace on the hill since I knew I didn't need anything extra to carry over the finish. I ran the last 200 meters despite the sore knee.

I was finished. 9 hours 17 minutes despite the heat and a cranky knee. I certainly felt I could have done much better, but was happy with being able to finish with some strength. Pizza and much hydration later is was time to rest.

Running: Recovering... Again

Back in June my back went into major spasms when I was just getting into my long run at Dinosaur Provincial Park. It was another month before weekly massage appointments loosened the muscles enough to reveal the true cause. After each massage I would be doing okay, but then things would seize up again. My massage therapist suggested it might be a partially dislocated rib, and I was off to chiropractic to get things back into place.

That was the beginning of August that I finally got a regular treatment schedule underway. The relief wasn't quite immediate, but things have improved steadily. Things improved enough that I felt confident I could at least show up and complete the 50km Lost Soul Ultra in Lethbridge, AB.

In the end I did finish the race in 9:17. I walked the second half of the race at my "military" pace. I finished the race in pretty good shape, and didn't have much trouble walking stairs the day after. Monday was a little rougher, but I was back to work on Tuesday without too much difficulty. The fact I had maybe got in 20 hours of running between my injury and the race is interesting. Certainly it just goes to show how much the mental aspect plays in finishing a race like this. I will write more about the race later this week.

Now that I've recovered from the race and gotten back to the gym, my back is doing well with the increasing demands. I will continue with massage and chiro as needed, but I think I'm on the way to being 100% again soon.

I find it odd that my running setbacks have never been directly related to running. Neither my massage therapist or chiropractor can say how the rib came to be partially dislocated, and Aerin and I are just as much mystified. I've pulled leg muscles, but that has been slipping on ice or mud while walking to and from work or while backpacking. I've had colds - overtraining or something else?

But it's recovery and rebuilding again for now. Something I've been getting good at. Luckily I seem to keep coming back stronger each time. There's the Frozen Ass to run in February after all.

Life: So It Has Been a Long Time

As some anonymous person was kind enough to mention, it has been some three months since I posted something here. I guess I'd better get things updated then.

I guess the big thing is that since I wasn't running pretty much at all, and still not much at all since I'm working back into things quite slowly, trying to write about not running seemed more than a little depressing. Though I didn't specifically set out to talk about running when I started this blog, I do enjoy going out to run and no being able to and then talk about the enjoyment and successes was down right disheartening.

Summer was also pretty busy for other things we enjoyed. There was lots of time to spend with Ursa in the nice weather. Trips out of town to take.

I guess I should start getting things caught up. And I will start with the running part.

Running: Troubled Training

I have to say that I'm kind of glad that the trouble has started this early. It seems like that trouble has usually occured nearer to race day, but not this year.

Part of the trouble is that I haven't really managed to maintain my training pace since we got Ursa. The time demands of puppy are pretty high even now that she's settled in. This has slowed things a little, but that isn't the major cause of my troubles.

The real trouble has been the muscles spasms in my back and shoulder. I'm not even sure what could have caused it. But it has slowed down my training since it has made long runs very difficult to complete. In the last couple of weeks I've only managed one run longer than 2 hours without the spasms bringing things to a premature halt. Even that single long run was on the edge of something painful in my back.

So training up the curve is on hold while I work with deep tissue massage, shiatsu, and more core workouts. Shorter runs have not been a problem, so I will try to get more of those into the schedule. In a way the shorter runs have been lots of fun since I don't have to worry so much about carrying myself for more than an hour or so. It's also been a great way to get back to basics by working my form some more. The shorter runs also mean I can run faster.

So overall there are pros and cons to the situations. I'm just happy I can still run.

Life: Ursa @ Home

Time flies when you're having fun - or running after a three and a half month old puppy. Thankfully things have started to settle into a routine.

I won't post the photos of Ursa here, but you can check out the Flickr Photostream here. I have more photos to go through and upload. Of course, there will be many more photos to come. Ursa is kind of hard to photograph well sometimes with all that puppy energy.

The time spent in on the flight was obviously one thing Ursa didn't like all that much. She wasn't at all happy the first couple of night about being back in a kennel or in the dark by herself. Eventually it worked out that I slept in the living room where I was visible from the kennel, and also that there was a little more light coming into the house from the street lights. She's still not always willing to go into her kennel when we need to leave her home alone for a few hours, or even just to keep her out from under foot or safe while unobserved. But she is slowly adjusting.

Our Solstice party was a hit by all accounts. I have no doubt that we will make this an annual event. We had lots of kabobs to grill, so between manning the grill and keeping an eye on Ursa I had my hands plenty full. Thankfully the Blackie temperament put in a stellar show as she was quit calm and at ease despite all the people and activity. She had little reaction to the kids running around or the noisy conversation.

The following weekend it was off to Dinosaur Provincial Park. The drive out was uneventful, and the highway was downright deserted for a Friday evening when compared to the QEII heading to Edmonton. Ursa got to meet many other people and a few dogs during our trip. Everyone was curious about her breed, amazed at how calm she was, and awed by the fact that she was only three months old at the time. Ursa also managed to collect all sorts of dust, grass and tree fuzz in her coat over the weekend. She was downright dirty, and it wasn't all going away without a bath later that week.

Canada Day we headed to Cypress Hills in southeast Alberta before coming back to Medicine Hat for a family reunion with my Dad's side of the family. Again Ursa was a star as people wondered about her breed, amazed at her size and age, and surprised by her temperament. This made for a family reunion somewhat short on visiting because of puppy supervision, but she did well again with the crowd and the kids.

In between the trips have been lots of walks and play. It's downright hilarious to see Ursa's ears flapping away as she runs along beside me sometimes for a block or two. This and her happiness at ear scratches have garned her the affectionate title of "Floppy Earred Monster". Also on the funny side is her penchance for hiccups and snoring.

House training is going well for both Ursa and her owners. No significant accidents to report as of late, but vigilance is still required. We try to take her out every few hours, after meals and after letting her out from the kennel. We are also getting better at reading the signs for the need to make a trip outside. Progress is also being made to train Ursa to relieve herself on command. This will be especially helpful for traveling.

Progress is also being made in other areas. Except for being a puppy and having some lack of focus therein, Ursa does amazingly well when walked on a leash. She will often want to stop to smell or taste things, but can usually be coaxed into moving without to much delay. Ursa will usually 'sit' nicely if you have her attention, but 'down' seems to elude her even when attempting to lure her with treats. 'Stay' is again hit-and-miss dependent on her attention and energy.

Aerin and I both swear you can notice Ursa slowly getting bigger as the day's pass - or even in an afternoon sometimes. Such is the Wway of the Puppy.

Life: Puppy Arriving!

It's been a long while since I posted anything here. The weeks have passed, and we are finally going to the airport to pickup Ursa. Something happened -- we're not sure what -- to delay her departure from last week to this week, but she is currently crossing the Atlantic and soon to go "feet dry" over Canadian soil somewhere out east.

So tonight it's off to the cargo company to pickup paperwork. Then it's a trip to the Canada Customs office in the Arrivals Terminal at the airport. And then finally it's back to the cargo company to actually pickup Ursa. We're taking her some food and water for after the flight, and no doubt she'll be ready to stretch her legs for a bit before we load up in the car again to head home.

The remainder of the evening will be spent introducing Ursa to her new home - the backyard, the rooms she'll be allowed to roam, and her crates. It'll be an interesting night to see how she does in the unfamiliar surroundings. Luckily I'm taking the rest of the week off to help Ursa get settled.

We're having our Solstice BBQ (yes, we know we're early) this weekend, so that'll be the first real introduction to a lot of people. It isn't a large affair, so I think Ursa will do just fine with some close supervision of her and the small children.

More later this week. Of course, pictures of Ursa too.

Life: Puppy & Stuff

I would seem odd to mention our interest in getting a trailer for traveling in a post about Ursa, but it does have a connection.

Our major consideration is how do we travel with a large dog. A Kia Spectra5 isn't the biggest car in the world. So we thought about getting a car top carrier. I have a number of issues with this. Security and aerodymanic profile are my two big ones. I'm not sold on how you would keep things secured. Since we car camp we're pretty much stuck with reloading the car with a lot of our gear just to go somewhere other than the campsite. Any large enough to carry what we need would make the car significantly top heavy and high profile. This is on top of the relatively low cargo capacity of the axles when fully loaded. We'd likely still need space in the car, and then there's the matter of fitting Ursa in there too.

Thus, we come to the trailer option. While more expensive up front I think we do better for space and cargo capacity for the reduction in fuel efficiency. There is also the plus that the trailer we're considering is all aluminum construction. It will hold up pretty well over the long haul so long as we continue with vehicles that have a trailer hitch. We do need a trailer hitch for the car, but that is a relatively minor thing overall. A car top carrier may or may not work down the road, and, frankly, the construction is nothing by comparison to the trailer. I'm sure that Meg and Geoff could also get some use out of it too.

As for Ursa's arrival we have a tentative date of June 2 with departure on June 1. Exact times and cost are to be determined. This means we can hold off on a few final decisions (trailer, dog stuff) for another week. We will make the trip to Edmonton to volunteer at the Blackfoot Ultra without having to worry about Ursa. Our first official trip with Ursa will come in June when we go camping at Dinosaur Provincial Park.

Running: Back in the Groove

I've been trying to get this blog written all week. It's about time I actually finished it.

It's been a month and a half since I did my run analysis. I'm very happy to report that it is really paying off for me. The strength and form are doing well from what I can tell on my end. My running pace has improved significantly without an increase in perceived effort. My runs have gone from an average pace with walk breaks of around 11:30/mile to 10:00/mile. When I'm actually running it's closer to 9:00/mile. And the really cool part is that my hill running has greatly improved. I can sustain the uphill much longer and go much faster on the downhill.

Last weekend I finally got in a run around the Glenmore Reservoir. Half-way around it started to drizzle and snow, and it kept up until I finished 9.45 miles after 1hr 35min. It was too cold with the wet and wind to take walk breaks on the second half, so I just kept plugging away. I felt really good through most of the run after some early tummy complaints. At the end I was very happy with this run. I'll certainly go back for more since it's a lot more interesting than the trail along the river valley in my locale.

It will be a few more weeks before I venture across the river to run on the escarpment again. The snow and ice on the trail will take some time yet to melt enough to be safe to run on. Or I might just go anyway with my crampons again - I just don't want to be constantly switching them on/off.

The arrival of June will herald weekends in the mountains for training runs. I hope to be out there every couple weekends. I need to sit down with a trail book for a bit to figure out where I want to actually go.

One thing I'm going to try is less frequent runs, but higher mileage per run. This deviates from what most training regimes would recommend, but for me it's a matter of getting in my miles in a way that I can enjoy. Usually the first 45 to 60 minutes has never been the best part of a run, but once I get past that I feel much more relaxed and ready to put on the miles. So I'll try this for a few weeks to see how things work for me and my body. In between I'll continue the core and strength training.

Life: Puppy Update

A little under four weeks to go until Ursa can be shipped from Sweden.

I went to the bank to wire transfer a deposit to the breeder, but found out that 1) I didn't have enough information for the transfer and 2) the banks are crooks. With a $15 fee plus 10% of the transfer for the shifting of a few electrons representing 1's and 0's is robbery in my books. Unfortunately something like an international funds draft or money order hits the breeder even worse with what is apparently a 33% tax. So now we are trying to find out if we can use another bank to do the wire transfer for cheaper. We are talking with the breeder about just sending the whole price of puppy and transportation as one payment, but we have to wait to see how big Ursa is when she ships.

Yesterday Aerin and I took in the Calgary Pet Expo. It was a relatively small, but busy, affair on the Stampede grounds. There were a lot of booths that we didn't stop at, but there was more than enough dog related stuff to interest us to make it a worthwhile trip. We got a sealed food container and some bio-degradable poop pickup bags for our walks. We also found out some interesting info pet insurance.

The fun find of the day was a group called Urban Mushers. They had some examples of dog scooters (or kick bikes) that Aerin could ride while Ursa pulls. This is something again that will have to wait for Ursa to finish growing, but it means both Aerin and Ursa can come along for some exercise while I'm running. We also hope to make contact with some people about dog drafting too through these guys.

Training options are an ongoing discussion between Aerin and I these days, but I think we've kind of settled on a combination of the purely positive training methods with corrective methods to give us the best results. Both have their pros and cons, but after a lot of research we're pretty confident we can maximize the pros and minimize the cons by taking a mixed approach. We will likely take in a puppy class for the socialization opportunities, but we will forego any additional training classes with the exception of some specialized training (scent tracking, drafting, PALS) that we need certifications or are simply outside our experience.

So there remains some dog gear to acquire for the arrive of puppy. Most of the additional gear will come next year when Ursa is finished growing to allows us to expand our activity choices.

[Edited at the behest of Aerin.]

Life: Puppies!

Just in case you were waiting for word on our progress towards getting a Black Russian Terrier pup, wait no more! The litter was born March 19th.

We'll be getting a female pup from a breeder in Sweden hopefully the middle of May.

You can see puppy pictures on Aerin's blog. We won't know which of the girls will be ours for a few more weeks.

Our parents will have to be content with the "granddog" instead of a grandchild.

Gear: Dog Stuff

Yes, I do love my gear. Great gear just helps make an outdoor trip great whatever happens. I've experienced every kind of environmental condition during my outdoor adventures, but I always had fun no matter the conditions. Now Aerin and I have a lot of fun outdoors, and soon we'll have a four-legged family member along on our continuing adventures. Time to look at dog gear!

After a few hits and misses we're going to have a closer look at some gear at a local pet shop called Tail Blazers. The dog gear company is called RuffWear, and I must say that I'm very impressed with the thought they've put into their designs. Because Ursa will take a couple years to fully mature physically, we won't be doing any serious backpacking for a while, but we do have need or use for some items soon.

Ursa isn't a small dog. Aerin and I don't want her hauling the rain into the tent, so we'll get her a rain jacket. This will save us having to towel her off completely, and should help keep her a little cleaner on muddy trails.

For backcountry trips Ursa will need a backpack. The detachable saddlebags are great for giving her a break to cool off in a creek or when we reach the campground. It includes water reservoirs and lots of space for food and her bed.

We'd like to use a harness for walks closer to home and short hikes. Ursa is going to grow into a large, powerful dog, and both Aerin and I agree the harness is a better way to go.

Ursa having an injured paw in the backcountry (or any injury for that matter) is something I'd rather not have to worry about, so she'll have her own set of hiking boots. These make good sense for keeping her paws and pads in good condition with improved grip oven the varied and uneven terrain we'll travel through.

We do plan to buy a larger backcountry tent for the three of us in a couple years. Fortunately, Ursa is a working dog, and will love helping out with the load. In the mean time we will get a larger tent for car camping. Can I interest anyone in a solid little three person tent for car camping?

There is a lot of other gear to choose from too. No doubt we'll end up with a gear duffle just for Ursa. It would only be fair since her owners already have a head start.

Running: The Way You Run

On Monday I was over at TCR Sport Labs to have a gait analysis done. I've been sore ever since.
The major objective to the whole exercise was to improve my running efficiency, of course. Basically, it involves a transition from a gait with a lot heel strike to more forefoot/mid-foot landing with a lean from the ankles to use more gravity to proper myself forward. Unfortunately, this has brought into play more than few muscles which are not used to being used in this manner. The other aspect of the change is keeping a higher cadence with a shorter stride. I've put on a lot of miles as a heel striker, so I didn't expect this to be easy. It certainly has made for some speedier running with the same effort.

Unfortunately it would seem I've overestimated just how much my muscles are rebelling. I've been doing a lot more core strength and stretching than I have running miles since the gait analysis. With all the sore and tight muscles I didn't want to overdo things, but I have done so anyway apparently. My right hip flexor was giving me trouble after a couple laps around the U of C indoor track today, so I called it quits on the running and did more core and stretching. It almost hurts sometimes now. I guess this means I will be making very slow progress again for a while.

So in the mean time core and stretching is the order of the days.

I am considering my options for coaching too. There are a number of individuals I can approach about coaching in a variety of forms in the immediate area. I don't know exactly what to do about it at this point other than I will undoubtedly benefit from any coaching I get. The big thing is the amount ground I need to cover literally and figuratively to make it through until October 2010. A coach could only help in achieving my goals for the Alberta Triple next year.

More news to come.

Life: Running, Colours and Puppies... Oh My!

So it's been a while since I last wrote anything here. What exactly is going one these days?

We got permission from the landlords to have a dog in the house. So now the challenge is to find a breeder we can get a pup from without a docked tail - which seems to be common for the breed. The means we will likely need to have puppy shipped in from Europe, but at the same time it might actually be cheaper than getting a pup from eastern Canada. In the mean time we're spending time training ourselves with books on puppies, dog training, looking into toys, crates and food, investigating pet insurance, and otherwise deciding what we need that will help stimulate the economy.

The nice weather means I've been outside to run a few more times. Unfortunately there's little interesting terrain to run that isn't flat pavement or completely covered in ice. Running on the escarpment across the river with my crampons works well, but that's about the only time they are worth wearing. I'm glad to have them though since it means I can cross the ice flows on the trail with ease. I've increased my workout volume since the new year, and I'm looking forward to better weather to spend more time outside for longer runs.

Aerin and I are past the halfway point for our Colour Theory continuing ed class thankfully. We're both very glad we get free courses as part of our benefits because the cost of materials and the time necessary to complete the assignments has been significant. Unfortunately this wasn't communicated very well, and some of our classmates are having a heck of a time with it. Even I'm not particularly thrilled, but once it's done I'll be happen to take the knowledge I've gained an move onto something else. Our next class in digital photography starts the end of April so I/we can use the Powershot G10 Aerin and family got me for Xmas to the fullest.

Running: Back to the Outdoors

I ran outside for the first time since last November (when I started in with the three week cold) on Sunday. What a rush! Since I was last running outdoors I've been trying to work on strength and core in the gym, spending time recovering from illness (some more), and generally getting my brain back into training. Getting back outside was so enjoyable even with the -10C and sunny weather.

I started out from home heading east before crossing the river and heading back west. The south side of the river isn't the best below the escarpment between Crowchild Tr and Edworthy Park, but I had packed my Kahtoola crampons knowing this from last year. Not a single problem with traction was had. I crunched through packed snow and ice with ease.

I got home in just over an hour. I had run 9 minutes, walked 1 minute for most of it except for a few minutes I had to wait for a train before crossing the tracks. And was I ever in for a shock when I got home and checked my Garmin. My average heart rate for the run was 84% of max HR! I could hardly believe it. It didn't feel like I was working that hard. I certainly wasn't running a blazing pace. But I was enjoying myself and probably running an adrenaline high.

Whatever the reason for the high HR I had a blast and really enjoyed the run. I didn't feel burned out afterwards or the next day. There was some stiffness the next day in my legs because I haven't run on an uneven surface in a while, but other than that I felt great and went to the gym on Monday for a light workout. More core and stretching between now and my run on Thursday on the gym. The weekend is looking great, so I'll definitely be out again on Saturday and probably Sunday too.

Yeah fun!

Life: A Dog's Life

So Aerin and I talking seriously about getting a dog - financials, care, training, breed, grooming, feeding, etc. The breed we have zeroed in on is the Black Russian Terrier. This is not a small breed by any measure. They are a cross between Rotteweilers, Giant Schnauzer, Airedales and Newfoundlands. After much reading about Blackies, we've been very impressed with their list of attributes: intelligence, sociable, great strength and endurance, even temperment, protective, and loyal.

We wanted a dog that could do a number of things. One of the first things was a dog that we could take backcountry without worrying her (yes, we want a female puppy) taking off after every little movement. A Blackie is also big and strong enough that we can put a dog pack on her to carry her own food and bed. The sociable aspect is important since we don't want to just leave her in a boarding kennel, so her ability to be around people is a definite plus. Her endurance is also great as a working breed, so I can take her running for exercise too. There's lots of things we want to do in terms of training, so her intelligence is a great plus.

Last Sunday evening we talked to a breeder over the phone, and she was kind enough to hook us up with someone in Calgary with one of her dogs. So on Sunday morning we get to meet a Blackie for the first time since neither of us has seen one in the flesh before.

And just for fun, who doesn't love video of cute puppies?

Games: One Era Ends. One Era Continues.

On Sunday I sold my complete collection of BattleTech miniatures and books to one person for the sum of $850. This was a great relief to me (and Aerin too). I had feared I would just end up having the lot picked through until all I had left was the hard to sell stuff, but now it's all taken care of. It's going to a good home, but I've been ready to move on for a while now.

Of course, I've already made plans to spend some of the proceeds to further expand my Flames of War collection. While there are still a ton of options for armies that I could buy, I've tried to keep myself focused on purchases that will actually see the tabletop at some point. For all that I want to actually see everything painted, I've decided to mainly work on just getting everything together. I know I keep changing the plan, but at least if it's not sitting in blister packs I can actually get something onto the table to play with.

There are a few things that still need reorganizing. I still have a bunch of Heavy Gear mins from Dream Pod 9. I really like these minis, and I definitely want to use them again at some point. However, it will probably be with another game system in all likelihood. I haven't even seen a set of the Blitz! rules, but I like the Flames of War game mechanics too much not to try a conversion.

So that's were things stand.

Life: Sleep...

I just reread my last blog entry, and it's odd to think I'm writing another one at this late hour due to my inability to fall asleep.

I'm really not sure exactly what it is that's left me with a whole week of poor quality sleep. I've been waking up hungry from any number of stupid dreams. This hasn't happened to me often in the last year since I started taking fibre before bed to fill my tummy up. And not just stupid dreams either, but ones that get my heart rate up and the adrenaline flowing. This just makes it even harder to fall asleep again.

One oddity that has me wondering what's really going on in the dusty recesses of my brain is how I can feel so tired all day, and yet when I finally lay in bed I suddenly feel wide awake and ready to come sit at the computer to write a blog or work on the Flames of War proposal for a couple of hours. I lay down and suddenly all the things I would have liked to think about or ponder during my day rush to the front of the stage with a full orchestra and chorus.

I think about running. I think about work. I think about Aerin. I think about what to do in the backcountry this summer. I think about the future. I think about the past. I think I might just go crazy or have some dangerous lapse of attention at work. Sigh...

Aerin tells me I seem to be doing that a lot lately. The sighing that is. My body seems a bit uptight about something, and is forgetting to breath. Maybe I could hold my breath for a bit until I pass out, and then I could wake up in the morning when the alarm clock goes off again...

Something is there. I'm anxious or worried about it. What 'it' is I won't figure out anytime soon probably. I wish it was something simple like the unfulfilled desire to hold Aerin in my arms for a long, long time while the world goes away. But it's probably something to do with the job, running or my apparent inability to sit down and work on my large stack of unfinished minis. Or most likely at this moment my inability to quickly fall into a deep, restful sleep.

Or maybe I just can't wait to see the first episode of the last half of Battlestar Galactica.

Let me know if you have the answer. 42 doesn't seem to be it.

Life: Welcome 2009!

Didn't we just celebrate New Year's 2008?

I have to say, that from my end of things, the passing of 2008 was definitely NOT slow. I will always remember an episode of Daily Planet a few years back about how a person in 2004(ish) perceives time passing eight times faster than someone in 1904. That would mean we haven't even made it to my birthday before we're celebrating New Year's again. Talk about getting the short end of the stick!

I'm happy to be back on the road to running after few months of nothing much leading up to Christmas. Between injury (not running related) and illness (damned 6 week chest colds and my second this year) I got in little running between October and few days ago. Even a minimal amount of core work hasn't done much to keep me sane or maintain any level of fitness. The stress of moving and lack exercise was a horrible combination. So it's back to building, and I have some time to do that properly and with some enjoyment that was missing from this year's training.

Aerin and I are both pleased with our new place, and invites to the house warming party will be going out to friends in the near future. We'll probably never move into anything smaller than a two bedroom apartment now that we have all this space. Unfortunately I think we may be a little beyond future living area with the items we've purchased to make our place truly functional, but I don't foresee any great need to depart anytime in the near future unless under duress.

I've been doing some life inventory to spend time on the things I really enjoy doing. So there's time with Aerin, friends and family, being outdoors with running and backpacking, and building and playing my Flames of War armies. I'll be spending some time exploring industrial design related classes through Continuing Education, and Aerin and I will take the digital photography course to get the most out of my Christmas present, a Canon Powershot G10 (essentially a professional-grade point-and-shoot). That's all I have on my radar for the coming year. I still won't have as much free time to spend on these as I'd like short of winning the lotto, but I'll be happy to be able to do it.

Another Flames of War player and I are also collaborating on a writing project for a campaign book for our shared interest, but that's still in the development stage. Our plan is to have a proposal submitted by the end of January. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

I'm having a little trouble getting to sleep, but I'm getting closer to sleepy now. I hope everyone had a great 2008, and that you're looking forward to another great year in 2009. I know I am.

Happy New Year!