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.