Every day I'm shufflin'

..and it hasn't been doing me a lick of good.

Though it brings me to views like this, and that definitely does me some good.

I know it's only been 5 weeks since Sunburn Solstice - which for some strange reason took quite a bit out of me - but I've been riding the struggle bus on runs an awful lot since.

Though it's difficult to complain when this is on the bus route

My training paces have been super slow, my ongoing high hamstring issue has not been improving - as a matter of fact, my other leg seemed to be developing similar damage. My calves have been tight as a drum, my feet and ankles are still grouchy, and I've generally been feeling awfully beat up. I can blame some of it on the superlative heat and humidity we've had, and some of it on deep-seated fatigue from running for more than 15hrs on a hot, sunny day, but even a few weeks later and with some relatively mild weather I was still concerned about the lack of oomph in my legs.

Wednesday evening, I had a bit of a revelation.

*cue choir of angels*

I was about a mile from my office, easing into a stiff, awkward, please-make-this-hurt-as-little-as-possible 5-ish mile run. On a gentle downhill on a sidewalk, I saw a couple of ladies pushing strollers side-by-side ahead of me, with a herd of small children on foot around them. Knowing it would be nigh impossible to get everyone to move to one side to let the sweaty dork pass, I spotted a driveway and did that careful spatial calculation with which most runners are intimately familiar: how much faster do I need to go in order to pass this lot at the driveway where I'll have all sorts of space to do so?

The answer was "a fair bit", and I braced myself for the consequences - I fully anticipated that opening up my stride would cause an angry yell from my hamstrings, but I went for it anyway.

..think pleasant thoughts..

Much to my surprise, it actually felt GOOD to run faster!

I suddenly realised that the running I've done since Sunburn Solstice has all been with a mindset of going as easy as possible, which has essentially led to me doing the "ultra shuffle" on training runs for the past 3.5 weeks. I've been locked in a pattern of short strides and landing with a nearly straight leg - I'd swing my knee forward as usual, but would straighten my leg to meet the ground in a misguided attempt to reduce impact forces.

Look at my shadow on the ground - my leg is barely bent at all

Basically I've been trying to pull myself along with my hamstrings, like scuffing your shoe on the ground to remove something stuck to the sole - do that a couple of times and see how it feels, then imagine doing that about 1,400 times per kilometer for anywhere from 5-50+km at a time. The only thing really launching me off the ground into my next stride has been my calves.

Force vectors definitely not to scale, but gee - I wonder why my calves are tight and my hamstrings are angry?

This also sort of explains why I've oddly felt somewhat better while running uphill - I'm forced by the angle of the ground to put a bit more bend in my knee, and to use my glutes a bit more for propulsion. A little counter-intuitive for just feeling generally sore and run down, but fits perfectly with my poor running form theory.

As I continued to run on Wednesday, I tried to be conscious of swinging my leg forward and keeping the knee bent, while sort of sitting into my stride a bit to engage my glutes. I even got a bit of forward lean going, rather than keeping my torso completely upright.

You know - like you're supposed to.

This transfers the work to larger muscle groups: I was now powering myself forward with my glutes, and launching by engaging my quads to extend my knee. This also provides more shock absorption, as the bend of my knee takes the brunt of the impact of the road instead of my poor, maligned ankles.

I'M FARTING PURE POWER

Getting the larger muscle groups involved means I'm able to generate more force, and they should fatigue less quickly. I move faster at a similar effort, and my hamstrings really like offloading some of the work! However, it's not without a cost: those big muscles demand a lot of oxygen, so it becomes more aerobically difficult to sustain, and more challenging to keep my foot turnover high.

I may draw myself as a stick figure, but those massive legs and butt are the reality.
(And yes, this is the -improved- stride, so you can imagine how stiff and upright I was before..)

However, my Wednesday evening run is a point-to-point with a significant net downhill, plus several stoplights along the way. I basically ended up doing an interval run that saw me running fairly hard (while paying close attention to form) until I'd hit a red light to recover, then givin'er again once it turned green.

There was also a slightly more substantial aerobic recovery on the rocks in Cooksville Creek.

The end result was less hamstring soreness after the run than I'd had in a fair while - PROGRESS! Who knew that improved biomechanics might mess me up less?

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT

I tried it again last night (Thursday), and I felt like I was better able to sustain the modifications to my stride. Tanker rode along with me, so maybe he'd be a better judge of whether or not things looked any different; I'd expect I look a little smoother, though given how awkward I am (I honestly run like someone who read about the concept once in a book with no pictures, or like a horrible live-action version of QWOP) he may not have noticed anything except a marginally faster pace.

Since I was in booty shorts he may not even have noticed I was running..

Ok, I actually asked him a few minutes ago, and he said he did notice that something was different but couldn't quite put his finger on it; definitely that I was quieter, with my feet slapping down on the sidewalk less. This is something I'd noticed recently - that I was running very noisily - but despite my best efforts (which I now realise were coming entirely from me trying to change the angle at which my foot struck the road by essentially pointing my toes), I'd been unable to return to the quiet foot plant to which I'm accustomed.

*elephantine footstep noises*

I will give a caveat that I can't be sure all of the improvements I'm seeing are due to stride adjustment - I've also started some different approaches to treating my hamstring woes this week, including the use of heat and some extra mobility work. However, I have no doubts the ultra shuffle was part and parcel of the ongoing problem.

Hopefully 

In any case, this provides a good example of why it can be an excellent idea to do a bit of a self-check from time to time to see if you're getting locked into any detrimental movement patterns, while running or doing anything else. A few seconds worth of faster running - known as "strides" in training parlance - may suffice to open your eyes to some deficiencies, and are generally worth doing to improve your running economy anyway. If you're in really dire straits, consider booking an appointment with a physiotherapist for a stride analysis to see where you may be going awry.

Which can, in turn, help you enjoy beautiful places even more.

So, it looks like I've got something figured out...just in time to end up doing the ultra shuffle again at Tally in the Valley tomorrow. Or at least, in a way I hope so - I'm not sure if my still-kinda-messed-up feet, ankles and hamstring will actually let me go for the full 6 hours for which I'm registered, so I may not actually get to the point of shuffling again. In any case, I'll be heading to the start line and running - paying as much attention as I'm able to my form - until my reasons for stopping outweigh my desire to continue, or until the end of my event.

Stay tuned to see which happens first!

Mastery

It was a somewhat significant week.

Cue dramatic photo

I started off worried, because my adorable little not-a-kitten-anymore Fionn (who turned 1 year old last week) managed to hurt his leg and has been on the limp since Sunday.

Though he did get to enjoy some sun and fresh air anyway,

I finally got to see a sports medicine doctor on Monday the 15th about that click in my foot at Sunburn Solstice. On the bright side, it doesn't seem to be a stress fracture - on the less bright side, I didn't really get any answers about what the click might have been. He had me rise up on my toes and walk around a bit, squeezed my foot in a couple of different ways, and was slightly dismayed at the difference between my two feet after the catastrophic injury last year. It seems the transverse/metatarsal arch on my left foot is collapsing, and it was suggested that I try an orthotic (which is not really a road I want to go down), or at least some metatarsal pads. I mentioned that I had seen a taping application for a midfoot injury, and the good doctor was very supportive of me trying it. Other than that, I was told to go see my favourite physiotherapist (for which I'm out of insurance coverage for the year) and not much else.

The taping application.

I ended up taking Monday off running, then was back at it with my taped-up foot on Tuesday.

When it rained sideways for the first 5mins, then the sun came back out to ensure it stayed unbearably hot and humid.

While the tape felt kind of nice - sort of like a hug for my foot - it didn't actually seem to do anything helpful. I stripped it off before I showered that evening, went to bed...and then woke up 40 years old.

I didn't really do anything to mark the day I became a Masters athlete, though to the surprise of probably no-one I did go for a run on my favourite Mississauga trails after work.

Water levels were a teensy bit high for creek yoga this week - you couldn't even see the rocks I usually stand on!

My birthday present from Mother Nature was the discovery of a massive bush absolutely dripping with perfect, ripe wild raspberries! Despite being right on a paved pathway behind a residential area just north of Burnhamthorpe, it seemed completely untouched - not even the squirrels or bunnies looked to have been nibbling.

I filled my hand bottle's pocket and still left loads of ripe berries behind!

Then, because my life is nothing if not full of annoying twists, I got myself trapped in a construction site.

Who could resist that gap in the fence?

Crap - ok, I guess I'll go back and cross the bridge to come out by the community centre..

CRAP

I ended up having to go back out the way I'd come, message Tanker to meet me in a different spot than we'd agreed on, climb a *bonus hill* up to Mississauga Valley Drive, and all told run an extra kilometer (and take almost an extra 45mins) on top of what I'd planned.

I did eventually make it to my mum's to visit and share my bounty of raspberries.

Not to mention the dairy-free Haagen-Dasz ice cream bars I picked up, as I ended up meeting Tank at a grocery store.

So apparently I haven't got any smarter with the conclusion of another trip 'round the sun - I may now be a Masters athlete, but I don't really feel like I've mastered anything. Nor do I feel any wiser, more settled, or in any way like I expected to as a 40 year old woman.

Hell - I even wore booty shorts for last night's still-hot-as-balls run.

On the bright side, I also don't feel as dull and stodgy as my middle aged status would suggest. I may be a bit more of a weenie about hurting myself than I was in my teens and twenties, but that's not to say I've lost my sense of adventure entirely.

I tried a new route through the singletrack trails on the way to the market on Saturday, which included some bushwhacking and doubling back.

..and I dangled my feet over a ledge high above the Grand River.

I may have a few more aches and pains than I did when I first began to run at age 29, but I've also seen and experienced so many more beautiful things along the way.

Like this bit of perfection in my own backyard.

I don't feel obliged to act my age - I'll keep on paddling my board and rocking a bikini if I damn well please.

My ink needs to breathe sometimes, y'know.

As hackneyed as it is to declare that "age is just a number", I figure the time to start acting like an adult will be when I actually feel like one. While I do have to take care of responsible things on occasion, I've not yet come to a point where the allure of calm predictability outweighs the temptations of chaotic, messy, and possibly risky diversions from the straight, narrow path of adult life.

I'm not over the hill, but I'm willing to hike up it.

So just like my little Fionn - who doesn't seem to realise he's not a kitten anymore - I'll keep chasing whatever seems like fun at the time, until it doesn't seem fun anymore.

And hopefully just like him, I'll bounce back from my latest injury.

Have a great weekend, folks!

A Grand Adventure

..with a LOT of silliness thrown in!

What a way to spend a few hours!

Back in April, I saw an article in the Cambridge Times about a new business that was just getting started in town called Tubing the Grand. For $35 per person (plus HST) they'd provide an inflatable "steerable kayak tube" with a paddle; a PFD (lifejacket); a drybag with a small towel, a rain poncho and a map of the Grand River; and transportation from their extraction point at the Cambridge Pollinator Preserve back to your vehicle at Moyer's Landing by the Blair bridge.

The fleet preparing to move out

The launch site is just down the hill from the house, and the ~7km section of river you traverse is one that I know like the back of my hand - I've run along it on both sides, on the Bob McMullen Linear Trail and Living Levee Trail to the East, and the Walter Bean Grand River Trail/RARE trails on the West. There are some features, though, that are impossible to see from the banks, so I relished the opportunity to take a look from a new perspective. It would also provide an unparalleled chance to scope out the river itself - I've had designs on using my stand-up paddleboard as transportation to Galt, but also had my doubts about the depth of the flow through town given my 10" fin.

Tanker was just in for some kicks!

We'd originally booked through their online system for Saturday at 2pm, knowing the forecast looked like rain but confident in their assertion we could cancel or re-schedule at any time without penalty. Friday evening I received an email stating the departure would likely be moved up to 11:30am to avoid thunderstorms, which wasn't ideal - I wanted to run down to the market Saturday morning and have a solid brunch after, and didn't want to have to get up at 5am to do so. I was told to watch my email around 9am Saturday, and I let them know we might well need to reschedule.

Launching just below the Blair bridge

When I got up Saturday morning, I woke Tanker up to discuss an alternative plan: we could drive down to the market, do a lightning shop, then come home for a quick brunch and take the 11:30am departure (though the weather wasn't looking great when I peered outside at 8am-ish). I could always run in the afternoon instead. Just as we'd decided, I got another email from Tubing the Grand offering a special evening departure at 6pm - PERFECT! I replied saying we were very much in, then got my butt in gear and did a total struggle bus run through sudden hot sunshine down to the market.

Down along the very section of river we'd paddle later that day

Around 5pm we packed up our gear - which included our own PFDs and drybag, because we'd rather use gear we know is comfortable and not coated in someone else's sweat - and some snacks, and headed down the hill to Moyer's Landing for about 5:30pm.

SO MUCH STOKE

We signed our waivers, got our "boats", and everyone got loaded up - we were on our way just after 6pm after a refreshing shower of rain passed through.

Clouds clearing

Placid water below the old Blair bridge foundation

Due to the current, you can mostly just float along...which is a pretty good deal, considering the tubes are probably the most ridiculous form of transportation I've ever used. Far wider than a kayak and with the sides coming up to ribcage level on my itty bitty torso, paddling was far from efficient! The construction of the tubes focused most of your weight in the very back, and there were very minimal fins on the bottom to provide tracking - your legs would swing back and forth as you paddled, even with pretty solid core strength. I've been paddling most of my life, and never had so much trouble getting a boat to move in a straight line! The back being wider than the front also meant the current was constantly trying to turn you around backwards, so the whole business was really quite goofy.

Tanker attempting directed forward motion

We'd been told that the rain on Friday (the storms that had moved our departure time never actually materialized) had raised the river level a full inch, but even at that we were less than a kilometer along before things got so shallow that the rocky bottom was getting a bit personal with my bum.

You can see here how low the rear of the boat sits in the water

RED LIGHT TOUCH

I was able to paddle my way through, but Tanker got stuck for a bit. One thing was certain - I would not be bringing my paddleboard through here any time soon! The riverbed was formed mostly of the same pocked dolomite rock that I knew so well from running the RARE trails, so I was happy we'd never tried to paddle our kevlar canoe down this way, either; it may be tough stuff, but I don't need to go repairing a bunch of abrasions in the hull.

We'd happily stick with the silly inflatables

It was far from the only place where things got shallow, either - quite soon we both found ourselves (along with several others in our party) in flow of such little depth we actually had to get out and tow the tubes along to deeper water. The plastic-bladed kayak paddles made a decent walking stick to help negotiate the rocky bottom without falling, but we were very happy we had good, well-fitting water shoes to protect our feet. I would highly advise against trying to do this barefoot or in flip flops!

Just taking our boats for a walk..

The shallows formed the closest things to rapids on this stretch of the Grand

Back in paddle-worthy waters

You can just see other paddlers off to the left of a small island rife with giant hogweed

They had advised that the average time to paddle the 7km from the launch to the extraction point was about 3 hours, and if I'm going to be doing anything for that long I'm going to want a snack. It having been hours since brunch, we each grabbed one of our turkey wraps around an hour into our journey, having only traversed about 2.5km. 

Commence face stuffing!

Fortunately the tubes are incredibly stable - I'm not sure you could actually flip one (while seated) if you tried. So, we could happily much away while the current carried us along past the lovely sights along the riverbanks. 

Like these Canada geese with a late clutch of fuzzy goslings

The only danger was from your fellow paddlers!

As we paddled past Linear Park and the confluence of the Speed and Grand Rivers, we came to the most visually stunning portion of the trip - the white rock cliffs that are easily seen from the footbridge down below Preston Memorial Auditorium on the other side of the river.

Approaching the start of this section

What appears to be an animal den just above the water

A tree grows right out of an outcropping of rock

While I'd seen these many times while running along the Linear Trail, that was nothing compared to the magnificence of drifting slowly past the base of these towering cliffs.

I mean it's not Mazinaw Rock or anything, but not bad for our little borough.

Much more impressive close up

A spray of purple flowers growing inexplicably out of the rock, about 6 feet above the water

Tanker for scale, taking photos with our waterproof camera
(All of these were taken with my cellphone in a waterproof pouch)

As we paddled south past the cliffs, it began to drip a bit...then rain...then absolutely pour!

The river was alive with jumping droplets!

With the warm air and surprisingly warm water, though, we simply soaked up the precipitation and paddled along. It soon passed, leaving a faint rainbow arcing overhead.

It's there, if you can spot it..

This brought us to the last section where we'd have to get out and walk, which gave us a great opportunity to flip the boats over and dump out the accumulated rainwater.

Action Tanker with his kung fu grip!

I was still discovering new things about the Grand River as we slowly drifted along - because none of the trails run near the bank in this spot below Cambridge Memorial Hospital, I had no idea there were cliffs along the east bank as well!

It was marshy below them, though, so we stayed to the west.

The west bank also had some cliffs I'd never seen before.

Fading daylight

The final stretch of the journey is through a deeper, wider section of the river - the current fades to almost nothing, and you do actually have to paddle in order to make reasonable progress. I actually discovered it was just as easy to paddle backward, if not actually more efficient; I seemed to saw back and forth less, and it was no more ridiculous than the rest of the trip!

Calm water and still air

We hadn't brought lights, so didn't want to be caught out after dark.

We heard rushing water, and were treated to a unique sight - the hard few minutes of rain were draining off the edge of a cliff through a tangle of roots, making what appeared to be a lush weeping wall.

You can just make out the streams of water from the roots up top

I'm not sure that circumstances would align to provide that sight to us again if we paddled the river a hundred times - I felt very lucky and grateful to have the experience.

Not that the rest of the river didn't have its quiet beauty.

Especially as the sun dropped toward the horizon behind us

The next feature was one of the main reasons I'd been so stoked to go paddling in the first place (well ok I'm always stoked to go paddling, but on this particular ridiculous little adventure) - I'd finally get to see the bottom of Devil's Creek Falls!

Tanker was sweet enough to hang onto my boat while I clambered out onto the rocky shore to get a better view

I'd seen the miniature fall so many times - it's only steps from the Walter Bean Grand River Trail, and I'd usually stop by on my way down to the market.

I'd certainly done so that morning.

There's a bridge and a ramp that go over the top of the main fall, but the narrow, curving pathway it has carved in the rock through the millenia makes it difficult to see much.

About the best view you can get, between the bridge and the ramp

From the bottom the curved gully still keeps you from seeing the top, but you can watch the bottom two-thirds or so as the water rushes down.

Totally different perspective.

(Click for a short, high definition but poorly-edited clip)

I was mesmerized, but couldn't stay long - after just a few minutes I had to jump back into my little boat to continue the journey down the river.

Daylight was a-wasting.

For the final stretch, we had gorgeous, golden sunlight reflecting off all the beauty along the banks.

The last section of towering cliff

A low, rocky point to paddle 'round

There was still plenty to see, though, as wildlife came down to the water's edge to drink and feed before night.

Like this big heron, hunting in the shallows

Rounding one last curve, the rail bridge hove into view and we knew we were upon the finish of our adventure.

There's a dam beyond the bridge that wouldn't be much fun to shoot in the tiny tube..

Signage directed us to pull up at a gravelly bit of beach by the pollinator preserve, just north of the Ancient Mariners Canoe Club and Riverbluffs Park.

A flotilla of female mallard ducks had got there ahead of us.

Fun times!

It took us just over 2.75hrs - putting in a very minimal effort - to complete the voyage.

(Full data is here)

There had been one group ahead of us (obviously some over-achievers!), 4 other people who arrived around the same time, and another group well behind us, so it seems the 3 hour average time is about right. We were quite soggy from the trip, as the paddle drips into the boat quite a bit, but the evening air was still warm - I did throw on a light cover-up dress over my bikini and was glad to have it, but if I hadn't brought it I probably would have been fine with just a quick towel off (we brought a towel in our drybag). We had about a 10min wait while the shuttle van dropped off the group ahead of us, then returned down to pick us and the other two couples up to deliver us back to Moyer's Landing; that gave us a few minutes to devour the other turkey wrap we'd brought for each of us, which would be just enough to hold us until we got home. We also learned that the company essentially operates at zero profit; any income over and above their expenses is donated to the Grand River Conservation Authority and RARE for the protection of the river and surrounding wetlands - a great bonus!

Overall it was a really fun experience - I highly recommend coming out and giving it a try, even if it's a little further than your own backyard!

Though you may have to put up with dorks like us!

See TubingTheGrand.com for all current pricing and scheduling. I have no affiliation with the operators, and paid full price for our trip - I have not received any compensation or direction for this report.