What a summer it has been.

Been, is that the right verb?

Ugh.

It's almost over.

I spent the summer paddling, mostly, and running, more than usual, but nothing really structured.  Which to be perfectly honest, is the way I like it.

My memorial day race, the 70 miler in Cooperstown NY, was pretty much a bust.  The weather was high...flooding...and I'm a nervous nelly.  I don't really like anything dangerous.  And in my humble opinion, paddling a 23 pound tippier than fudge boat down a flooding, twisty turny, sometimes deadly river...is dangerous.

We finished third in our class, not horrible, but we had never done anything but win before.

And as much as one would think that should make it easier for me to quit paddling and do some serious running for awhile.  It had the opposite effect.

I then did the Ausable Michigan canoe Marathon with Gloria.  She and I finished 17th out of around 80 boats and had the closest percentage winning time to the male winners ever!

And I HAVE been running.

A track workout here and there, mostly a lot of lunch runs, and a few long runs on the weekends.  On running with the "woofs" Whiskey and Rye, my too chocolate labs.  Thats mostly out of necessity though, when I hit snooze one too many times and wake up and realize that if we don't go for a REALLY Fast walk, I'm going to be late for work!

But nonetheless, Running.

Rochester Marathon in 3.5 weeks? Doable? 3:30?

Let's try it...what do you think?

Charlie McMullen Mile and Turkey Pot Pies!

Last night I volunteered at the Charlie McMullen Mile.

Charlie was one hell of an athlete his very impressive resume can be found here.

He was a 2:15 marathoner, and also a sub 4 minute miler.

Our track club every year puts on a race in his memory, its very moving, his brother and wife come to hand out awards.

I've never participated, and I've never gone before.

So go figure, the year I decide to go, it was a torrential downpour all day. Seriously, the inside lane was an inch deep with water.  It was a 1 mile unintentional steeple chase.

I got there at 4, the races didn't start until 6, and by then I was fantasizing about food, about ready to eat my shoe.  I scavenged my car and found this:

Thank god I'm unorganized.  If I were organized I would have scarfed that bad boy up weeks ago!

Then I went grocery shopping for this weekend (we are going camping!! Woot I'm so excited) so I had to pick up some hot dogs and hamburgers etc.  I had bought turkey when I went grocery shopping with the intention of making turkey pot pie for dinner.  But it was already after 7.  So I bought some pie crust (how not like me...I'm a make it from scratch kind of girl!) And made the turkey pot pies when I got home.

I will have to give you the recipe.  So friggin good.  Although that might be because of the starving state I was in, I did mention contemplating eating my shoe right?

Track Practice!!!

I'm a card carrying member, or at least a singlet wearing member, of our local Running Club the Genesee Valley Harriers.

I affectionately call it "track practice".

I hated track practice in high school.  I was horrible. I wanted to love it, but I hated it.  I would run home during our runs through town, play Super Mario Brothers, and drink a pepsi and then walk back.

Sorry Mr. Wight.

But I know you knew.  One practice, we were indoors due to inclement weather, doing circuits, you said, "I don't give a fat rats ass if you cheat, it doesn't effect me at all".

You are classy Mr. Wight.

And you are right Mr. Wight.

I didn't know that I was doing it for me, I didn't know that if I stuck to it I COULD be better than horrible.

I'm better than horrible now, I might even venture to say I'm pretty decent, and now...NOW...I LOVE track practice.  I love the slightly uneasy feeling I have when I start the workout.

Coach writes on the dry erase board the workout, and no matter what it is..

Oh my god that sounds hard.

Then I do the first interval.

Oh god that hurt that hurt that hurt. only 2 minutes recovery !#$!#@#

Towards the end of the second interval

Ok, Ok, this isn't so bad, just one more lap around the track, ok. ok I got this

At the end of the third interval

@#$ it.  Only half way done...Oh my god...

The rest is always pretty blurry...until:

End of the last interval (and beginning of the slowest easy miles ever recorded)

That wasn't so bad, man I'm fast, that didn't even hurt at all.

I'm pretty sure that is why I'm a decent athlete, my short term memory SUCKS! But I love the feeling of accomplishment, and improvement!

The Canoe Season Intermission

Our big canoe race of the spring is the general clinton canoe regatta.

aka The 70 miler
aka New York
aka Cooperstown.

It is one of three triple crown races, The General Clinton, The Ausable River Canoe Marathon and The Classique.  I have done the prior 11 times, including this year, I have done the middle 4 times, and will do it again this year, and the Classique, i have done once, and will never.do.again.  Thats a story for another day.

Anyhow, I like shallow water, I may have mentioned before (and I guess now I will mention again) I like shallow water.  It takes skill, it takes stamina, and generally lighter people have an advantage.  The 70 this year was deep. REALLY DEEP.  I also am not the strongest swimmer in the world.  I can swim, but I'd really prefer not to. So it was 7 hours of..."god, please let this  be over soon"

As perspective, the fastest Clinton I had done before last week was 8 hours.  This was a full hour faster, thats some fast, squirrely scarey water.

A father daughter team that I have A LOT of respect for, dominated the race this year, and I couldnt' be happier for them.  Marc and I got outsprinted at the end after a failed short-cut attempt.  But I didn't flip...and it''s OVER! Thank goodness!

So now, a bit of "Post Race Let Down"; and some soul searching to find out what's next on my schedule.

Besides the Ausable (aka Michigan, aka the marathon).

hmmmmm

This is a tradition when we are at the race a few days before. A three mile* run to the stop sign. You must touch the stop sign. 

*its totally not three miles. We pretend it is though 

We Won!

We won.  (Mixed that is, one male, one female, another canoe term for you! although, obviously, tennis stole it from us). That's me.  When I see a cameraman in the water, I try to look as ignorant as possible.  And No, i don't think I'm using that word right.

I could look up ignorant in the dictionary to see if I even come close to any sort of true definition, and if not, could then proceed to try to look up the word that I DO mean, but instead I'll just tell you my definition, so you can all change your vocabulary.

Ignorant: adverb  Pure determination, inability to feel pain or feel tired, eye on the prize. example: Towards the end of a race, I don't get tired, I get ignorant.

I think in this picture, I have perfected the look.  No smiles. no glamour. just grit.

Canoe racing...say what?

Just got back from my paddle.

I told y'all I was taking a break didn't I?

Well not yet. You just can't quit paddling cold turkey.

The truth is, I have two of my biggest races of the year coming up.  On memorial day, the General Clinton Canoe Regatta which is a 70 mile canoe race from Cooperstown NY, to Bainbridge NY.  I'm racing with my significant other Marc. (i detest the word boyfriend). And then the end of May, the Ausable canoe marathon which is a 120 mile canoe race that starts at 9 at night and goes til approximately 1:00 the next afternoon. Thats the end of July and I'm racing that with one of my idols, Gloria.  So my canoeing hiatus will officially start after Ausable.

But I will be weaning myself off canoeing after the 70 (ie the general clinton, you all gonna be down with the canoeing lingo soon!)

Today was C1. (one person canoe C2 is a two person canoe, K1 is a one person kayak..K2 is... - see you're learning!) I sucked major ..ly.

Thats ok, i had a tough weekend of racing last week, and for some reason this week has just been hard on me all together. You'll have that right? right? I'm not the only one?

Lunch run

I often go for a run during lunch. In an ideal world I'd get up and run in the morning, but in an ideal world I'd be a billionaire and not have to get up in the morning to go to work. 

But I digress. 

I had an interesting run, which had to do with my clothing - I'll save that story til I know you a little better. But I made a friend on my run! Hello little painted turtle! 

Also today was new shoes day! Woot! First run in the new brooks pure cadence. I love these shoes !