Clearing

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I've been away at a large conference for the past week.  It took a lot of energy and being "on."  For this introverted extrovert, it means I come back a wee bit exhausted and feeling like I need a massive vacation.

This popped into my inbox today courtesy of Kris Carr, and despite it not being a real vacation, these are exactly the words I needed to see today...

Clearing by Martha Postlewaite

Do not try to save

the whole world

or do anything grandiose.

Instead, create

a clearing

in the dense forest

of your life

and wait there

patiently,

until the song

that is your life

falls into your own cupped hands

and you recognize and greet it.

Only then will you know

how to give yourself

to this world

so worthy of rescue.

The Long Run

I'm in full training mode these days.  I've got two marathons - one in the mountains and one in the city - and one 50-miler planned for the remainder of this year.  That means a lot of lonely stretches on the road, feet pounding the pavement, energy chews fueling my belly and legs and large expanses of sky - both sunny and rainy - to move under.

For the past two weekends, I've undertaken "brick" workouts of runs.  Two weekends ago, it was a 19-miler followed by an easy four with a friend the next day.  This past weekend, I did a 10.5 followed by another 19-miler.  I'm getting the miles in while I can.

Running is my meditation.  I tune into my surroundings, breathe and think about the randomness of life going on about me.  My brain peruses my marriage, work, racing, food, relationships with friends, the future and everything in between.  I sometimes feel lonely, but more often than not, I feel content while on the road and trail...me, myself and I.

Two weekends ago, the running was wonderful.  My 19-miler was motivated under thundering skies that drenched me with refreshing rain until the halfway point.  Dave had an errand to tend to and along the way, he stopped by to check in and give me some motivation to keep going.  I don't think I will ever say I run completely alone...I've got a pretty awesome support system of family and friends that keep my head in the right place and remind that I CAN do it, even when my legs are saying "quit."

The next day, I met up with a friend and we took some time running through a very muddy Wakamow Valley.  It was awesome chatting and having company and the best way to recover after 19 miles the day before.

This past weekend was a different story.  I decided to hit my 10.5 on Saturday.  It was a breeze and I felt awesome.  Strong legs, breathing was paced and my body felt like it could take on another 10 at the end.  Just the way I like it.  Sunday was a different story.  I laced up for another 19 on the trails and roads and my legs would not fire.  I felt as though quicksand had enveloped my body and mind.  I couldn't focus and had a hard time getting into a groove.  That groove finally came around mile 8.  I was running in Wakamow and decided to avoid a muddy section of trail.  In order to hop back onto the path, I needed to hop a chain.  

That did not turn out as expected.

I hit the chain with my shin and got caught up and tossed up on the grass beside it.  My shins immediately turned a nasty shade of red and swelled up.  In tears, I called my support system at home and he came to retrieve me from the trail.  Embarrassed, snotty and pretty upset with myself.  My brain took over and said - not your day.

Dave was having none of it.  After assessing that I was okay enough to walk, talk and breathe, he turned my head around.  With a pep talk, a drive back to the site of the chain incident (side eye - Wakamow Valley), he sent me back on my way.

5 hours after I started, I completed the run.  Sore, swollen, bruised and exhausted...I had done it.  Along the way, I got encouraging notes from a good friend and another friend who was driving by stopped and we had a nice chat that kept my spirits up.  Today, I was emailing my brother-in-law about the run...he is another piece of the arsenal that is my support system for the distance.

I never run alone.

I needed that run.  I needed to know that not every run is awesome and that I will feel defeat.  I needed to know that even when I feel as though I can't go on, I really can.  I also needed to know that I have support and love from those that know and care that I run.  From those that know how much running means to me.

In the end, it was the best run I've had to date...because it taught me so much.

An Expat 4th of July

Living as an expat gives you a different view of holidays, festivals and other such events.  

Today being one of those days.

Canada celebrated it's independence with Canada Day on Monday.  People had the day off, there were fireworks and barbecues and generally Canada-i-ness going around.  While others enjoyed their day off, I was working from home (I still work for a U.S. nonprofit) and pondered what I would do with my day off when it came time for Thursday to roll around.

So, while others are working, I get to lounge - although my version of lounging consists of two yoga classes, a long run in the morning and making lists of things I need to do in the future!  It's been a lovely day off so far and to celebrate my home country's Americana goodness...

well, I'll have Jimi do the talking.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Canada Day!

Today is Canada Day.  As such, I wanted to leave you all with a couple of pieces for the country's celebrations today.

I am very proud to call Canada my home.

Lyrics O Canada (English version)

O Canada!

Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Lyrics O Canada (French version)

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,

Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Car ton bras sait porter l'épée, 

Il sait porter la croix! 

Ton histoire est une épopée 

Des plus brillants exploits. 

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée, 

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits. 

Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

Canada Wine Country & Mountain Anniversary - Part Three

From pizza in Kelowna and back to the open road.  We were outta there in order to tackle the mountains we love so much.  The original plan was to backcountry camp for the remainder of the week outside Canmore at Ribbon Falls, but, alas...due to poor time and a lot of snow up at elevation, our dreams were dashed.  

We located another backcountry camping spot, but again, due to poor timing, we weren't able to secure a permit in time.  And so, we pitched our tent at a drive-in site between the Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes (shudder) and made the best of it.  There was almost no one there due to poor weather conditions in Canmore at the time (Canada's May long weekend).

Needless to say, we had a great time.  We cooked with our new outdoor stove - the Trangia - we hiked the entire way around the Upper Lake, talked and just reconnected.  

In essence, we did what we set out to do.

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story.

I will say this, I love traveling with my husband.  He's an amazing human being and I'm so lucky I get to spend times like this with him.

In addition, we are thinking of those in Canmore, Calgary and the High River areas.  Mother Nature packed a one-two punch and reminded all of us just who is in control.  May the clean-up be speedy and may all get the help and assistance they need to make it through this challenging time.

Canada Wine Country & Mountain Anniversary - Part Two

So we had just downed breakfast at the B&B we were staying at and it was time to hit the road once again.  From Golden it was on to Kelowna, but not before taking in some more breathtaking scenery and enjoying a stop in the awesome mountain town of Revelstoke.

Let's just say this...I loved Revelstoke.

I could spend a lot of time there.

Beautiful scenery, lots of cafes and shops, and a lovely spot for Dave and I to take a break from driving and stretch our legs a bit.  We walked the neighbourhoods and just enjoyed being outside in the fresh mountain air.  

Revelstoke, I hope to see you again soon!

We pushed on from Revelstoke into Kelowna, passing mountains and then fields along the way.  At one point, we came to this awesome road-side market where "Dave's Goats" reside.  We had to stop.  You could feed the goats by putting some feed in a tin can.  When the goats hear you filling up the tin can, they pull up the can by pushing a pedal with one of their hooves.  It was a sight to see!  The market was full of all sorts of goodies including fresh-baked pies, salsas and chutneys.  It took a lot of self control not to purchase any of the goods on display!

A little further and we found ourselves arriving at our VRBO locale and heading straight out into town to do a bit of grocery shopping and planning for our dinner that night.  As readers of the blog know, Dave and I like to rent apartments in the places we go as opposed to staying in hotels.  This way, we can cook what we want, save a bit of money along the way and enjoy spending some quality time in the kitchen together (one of our favourite things).

We made dinner, ate it up and then headed out for a walk.  Kelowna is a lovely little town that sits right on this amazing lake.  It was a little chilly (still early in the season), but we enjoyed our time out and about.

Our first day out we toured a couple of wineries and did some tasting.  We purchased a few bottles and had a lovely lunch out on the deck of the Quails Gate winery.  We feasted on a lovely lunch of a light vegetable soup and some yam fries.  It was warm and breezy out and our service was fantastic.  

That evening, we headed up a steep hill near our rental with our new camping stove and gave it a first try by boiling some water for tea.  From the top of the hill, you could look out and far down the valley.  We also read about the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire that burned for many days (a read that would prep us for one of our next adventures in town).

For a special anniversary dinner, we dressed ourselves up and headed out to RauDZ Regional Table - a local restaurant that focuses on farm to table dining.  We had an amazing sample of their food and felt overly sated by the end!

For our anniversary, we always like to re-create a little bit of our special day.  As such, the next day we drove to a spot where we hoped to rent kayaks, but alas, there were none to be found.  Instead, we drove down to Penticton (site of the Ironman in Canada) and then up the other side of the lake.  We drove through little towns and passed vineyards, all the while enjoying each others company.  When at last we got to the end of the road (literally...we could not go any further), we had to figure out how to get back to town.

And so began our crazy adventure.  There are no pictures from this day as we were not expecting to be driving as much as we did (we didn't want to bring the camera on the kayaks).  We decided to take this other route over Kelowna Mountain.  The dirt path that ensued through tons of burned acreage was something out of a Tim Burton film.  Twisted and charred remains of old trees poked their way into the sky.  Swaths of land remained barren and just the faintest of life returning was visible.  It was a fascinating drive and our little old Chevy Cavalier did quite well...we certainly thanked her when we made our way back down the mountain.

Needless to say, after a long, unexpected day in the car, we were hungry and Dave wanted to take me to a place that had great pizzas so off it was to Mama Rosa's.  The pizza was delicious and we ate more than our fill!

I'll leave with thoughts of pizza and will be back with more soon!

Canon 6D Love

This year, Dave and I invested in a great camera...the Canon EOS 6D.  A nice, new camera had been on our list since my Canon point-and-shoot gave out last year and the iPhone photos just weren't cutting it.  It was something we had been talking about for a while and this year, we were able to make it happen.

We love it.

It is our new pet that we take everywhere with us.

We may or may not have given the camera a nickname.

The photos are awesome without us trying.

We still have a lot to learn.

I wanted to share a Friday Photo Post with you so you can see some of our adventures and take a look at what this camera can do!

Cheers and Happy Friday!