Oversize Load

 No, I'm not referring to my bum.

..though it's a generally accurate description.

I'm thinking, rather, of the crushing weight that feels like it's getting on top of me a bit lately. My job has been demanding even more time and energy than ever lately; it feels like being stuck on a treadmill at ever-increasing speed, with no emergency stop in sight.

I've seen a lot more sunsets than usual recently, or missed the sun entirely by the time I get out to run.
Not encouraging when it's been the longest few days of the year.

All of this is happening while I'm desperately trying to push my mileage back up to at least the level required to comfortably run a 50k, despite having something unfathomably longer drawing ever closer as the days fly by.

Beautiful trails help - being exhausted does not.

Twice this week I've had to cut down planned distance for a run because I was starting at - or after - 10pm, and still hadn't even had lunch yet. When it's all you can do to drag yourself out the door (while ignoring your Garmin's oh-so-helpful suggestion to "Rest instead") and you know you still need to cook dinner, or shower, or make sandwiches for tomorrow's lunch when you get back, 8km becomes 5-and-a-bit instead. I drop a balance board workout. Morning weightlifting goes from a solid 30mins down to 15 so I can have a bit of a lay-in.

Every extra minute of sleep helps

The worst part is that it's not just the exhaustion - my body is rebelling against me, too. Both of my ankles have been increasingly cranky, despite finally chucking a few pairs of rather worn shoes and busting out some brand new ones.

Well, for the road anyway - I still can't find a new pair of trail shoes I like

Despite trying to work with a chiropractor & ART practitioner on it, my lower back/hip issue seems to be getting worse, too. I don't know if it's something about how I'm sleeping, or if my mattress needs replacing, or some other thing, but I have real trouble getting comfortable in bed and sleep poorly even in the hours I'm able.

I feel like I might as well be trying to nap down there

On the brighter side, we're finally going to get our first camping trip in ages next weekend! We're not going far - less than 30mins outside of town - but I am greatly looking forward to getting away from the desk that lurks just past my bedroom door. Working from home is certainly convenient, but it does make it difficult to call it a day, especially when there's just so much to be done.

But, as much as I may be struggling, I'm still out there trying.

Because time spent running is never time wasted, and I won't let anything take it from me

May you all have time to catch your breath this weekend, and show yourself some kindness!

En-June-ment

 Oh, June..

With your extra dramatic sunsets

I can't say that spring or summer is my favourite season, but I think June might actually be my favourite month.

Something I've only just realised - you'd think I'd have known!

Snow is finally a thing of the past, and you can peel off all the layers that can feel so restrictive during the colder months. 

You can often find some natural accessories for an outfit, too

You'll seldom have to worry about getting chilled after a run, either, so can forego needing to bring along a change of clothes if you're running place-to-place.

Though I do recommend a change of shoes if you go for a cool-down dip at the end

I love that there are flowers everywhere..

Along the trailsides

Carpeting the riverbanks

In the catwalks

Even in gardens around the city, helping our native pollinators as they do their important work

The air is scented with ever-changing flower fragrances: first the lilacs and lily of the valley, then phlox and peonies, and on to roses and clover and blossom-laden trees.

I have no idea what this is, but it smells divine!

The trees that don't burst forth with luscious petals - or that have already dropped them - stretch canopies of leaves overhead to shelter you from the scorching sun.

Nothing more pleasant than some cooling shade on a hot day.

Once barren-looking, monotone brown trails explode into a riot of green.

This was nothing much to look at  a bare few weeks before.

With it still being spring until the latter third of the month, you can feel the whole summer stretching out in front of you, full of possibilities. 

Though I'm not sure anyone will enjoy it quite as much as Esme

The best part of all (as long as you're not a goofy kitty who just wants to wriggle in the grass), though?

It's the start of TRAIL SNACK SEASON!

Awww, yiss!

I was just bopping along a trail I'd only recently come to know, and was midway down a steep hill when I dug in my heels to come to a screeching halt. I'd spotted that patch above and needed to investigate more thoroughly. Sure enough - hundreds of perfectly ripe, wild strawberries!

I only ate 4, but you can bet I'll be back for more!

The raspberries along the singletrack to the pollinator preserve - not to mention the ones that suddenly showed up in our backyard last year - are coming along nicely, and should be ready for mid-run munching within a week or so. As the summer presses on, I hope to get myself further north or to higher elevations where I might find wild blueberries as well!

In the meantime, you'll find me with a flower in my hat, just eating my way around the landscape..

..and completely unable to wipe that smile off my face.

The solstice is this Sunday, so happy summer to all of you!

Old S-cool

While I'm a big fan of modern technology and what it can do for us, I do dearly love a simple, oldschool solution when it works.

Especially if it can help preserve beauty like this

Last weekend was a scorcher - it was hot as balls from the time I rolled out of bed on Saturday, so I threw on a cooling shirt (one made by New Balance of their "NB Ice" fabric) to run down to the market.

The daisy behind my ear, however, was purely for aesthetics.

As the morning was relatively dry and windy, the shirt helped a bit - I still suffered greatly in the heat, but it was probably better than nothing. 

And of course, running through this - even with it punitively hot out - is still better than not running.

When Sunday came up even hotter - with increased humidity to boot - I decided to try an experiment. I'd recently got a free hand-printed cotton bandana with an order from Runyon Canyon Apparel, so I soaked it down and tied it loosely around my neck before diving into the woods for an evening romp.

Along with my awesome all-mesh Runyon hat
(I was wearing another cooling shirt, too)

Time for a little Seems Like Science: People are generally advised not to wear cotton for outdoor activities, because it tends to hold moisture rather than wicking it away from the skin. This makes it a terrible choice for camping or hiking, as it won't keep you warm if it gets wet - on the contrary, wet cotton will actually pull heat out of your body through evaporative cooling. This is the origin of the old saying "cotton kills" among outdoorsy folks: many inexperienced hikers, campers, paddlers, and backpackers have had nasty bouts of hypothermia brought on by wearing cotton that got wet and failed to keep them warm. Some experiments have actually shown that wet cotton will chill you faster than being naked!

You have my word that - should I ever put that to the test - I will not post photos.

So how did it go? 

Other than really pretty, as I danced through the phlox-scented forest?

The experiment was a rousing success! The bandana felt cool around my neck the whole time, which was a first for me. I've tried wearing cooling tubular neck gaiters in the past (I actually ran with one around my wrist on Saturday), but they always seem to end up trapping warm air against my skin - basically the exact opposite of what you want on a hot day. The bandana, though, really seemed to help!

I realize this was not the most controlled of experiments, but this isn't exactly PubMed.

If you're interested in doing your own testing with cotton for its evaporative cooling properties, I'd love to hear about your own experiences. The best part is that these bandanas are cheap and plentiful - I have a bunch of them that used to be constant companions on my motorcycle, before I learned how much better synthetic tubular bandanas are for those applications (like covering my hair under a helmet, or to cover my face in rainy weather; easier to put on, and the knit polyester isn't as difficult to breathe through when wet!). If you don't have one and want to try, you could do a lot worse than the excellent ones offered by Runyon Canyon Apparel in a multitude of colour combinations; they'll even toss you a free one if you order more than $50 of stuff, and will donate $1 from every item sold to preserve wild spaces! 

Also suitable for post-run wades in the river - beer optional

So rather than placing my faith in the latest, greatest fabric technologies to beat the not-even-summer-yet heat, sometimes it pays to try an older, simpler solution. I'm sure there are generations of cowboys and farmers all laughing at me and my pricy, delicate cooling fabrics - they've known for a century that a simple square of cotton will do the trick.

Stay cool out there - however you choose to do so!

Note: I have no affiliation with Runyon Canyon Apparel, and receive no compensation from them for this post, nor any sales arising from referrals. They're just an awesome company that deserves a shout out!

Grace Period

 I wasn't really that beat up after the big, stupid thing I did a couple of weeks ago.

Well, compared to what I expected, anyway.

With some major work stress and long hours happening, though, I took a full week off running, and almost all training. 

Though I'm told my approach to elevating my legs is a bit non-traditional

I walked a fair bit, did a couple of gentle strength workouts, and even made some use of a rather dusty contraption I found in the back of my livingroom.

I had to get to the bank to do some work-related deposits anyway..

I had my first Pfizer vaccine on the Friday, and kind of braced myself for the side effects - having seen how Tank got knocked flat by the AstraZeneca shot, I was concerned what impact it might have on me with a rather suppressed immune system from all the running and sleep deprivation of the weekend prior. Things didn't look great on Friday evening, and I arrived home feeling exhausted and mildly buzzed - the reason why the post about the 4x4x48 idiocy didn't make its way onto the internet by the usual Friday deadline.

If you want to complain about it, feel free to go phlox yourself.

I worked through some fatigue and lethargy for most of the weekend, finally feeling back to (what we'll call) normal by Sunday afternoon...coincidentally when I finally managed to get that post published. With that out of the way, I was able to do the one thing I'd hoped to be up for:

And it actually went really well, on a truly beautiful afternoon!

By Monday I was itching to get back out for a run, so went for a short, easy trot 'round the neighbourhood once I finally finished up work. I ran Tuesday as well; a little longer than I'd meant to, but just for pure joy.

The trail was only a tiny portion of it - it's only ~1km - but it was delightful!

Wednesday I worked super late again, and wasn't going to run. I had decided to take another day off, especially as it was pissing rain out. Then, however, I popped into instagram for a minute just after 10pm and realized I had to go.

Two slow, soggy miles later.

I ran again yesterday, because why not? But let me tell you, either the post-idiocy fatigue or the post-vaccine effects have definitely got me feeling a little more sore and tired than I ordinarily would from the volume and intensity of running and strength work I've done this week.

I'm on the path to recovery, but I haven't arrived yet.

So I'm going to try to continue to offer myself some grace, because I've quite enjoyed being able to just do whatever feels good, and I know that the siren song of longer, harder training will call me back before long.

For now, I'm happy to just walk in sunshine and let my body heal. I ask a lot of it at times, so it's only fair I should give back here and there.

It might not be the one I'd choose, but it's what I've got and it does its best.

I hope you all remember to offer yourselves the opportunity to do what you want instead of simply what you feel you must this weekend - you're pretty awesome, and you should honour that awesomeness!