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Monthly Archives: June 2009
Run 48, 2009
My first run since my 5Peaks race last June 13th and my second since the marathon May 31st went not too badly but certainly below par. I started out pretty good but tired very quickly. I guess I have not yet recovered completely from my last two races, not to mention that rather difficult grading I went through to get my blue belt in karate last Saturday. All in all I’ve been pretty tough on myself, not letting myself heal up from those events before just diving into more. It was a hot and windy run. The water levels at the bird sanctuary were very low. Most of the ponds were bone dry. The geese and other water birds are not very happy about it. When we first moved here 20 or so years ago there was water everywhere, lapping at the banks of the local country roads, even! Since … Continue reading
Posted in Training Notes, Training Runs
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Karate 110 The last class of the season…
We had a lot of fun today, beginning with a warm up then we did some x patterns. After this we celebrated the last class of the “winter/spring” season by dividing up into teams and we played Calvinball. There were two balls and no rules except that we were not allowed to cross the center line into the opposing team’s domain. If we did we had to drop and do push ups while the game went on. The balls could not be caught but always had to remain in play. We were to use karate kicks, blocks, and punches to keep the balls in motion. There were no winners or losers, and it was quite an aerobic workout and a lot of fun. We then all quit class a little early so we could all go to the local Dairy Queen for an end of season treat together. Next class … Continue reading
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Karate 109 Grading to Blue Belt
Before, I had my Green Belt of Adequacy, now I have been awarded my Blue Belt of Mediocrity. The grading got on my nerves even before I started. MM and I were the only ones grading today so we had to be up front only 10 feet from the judges. It started out well enough but in spite of my efforts to not tense up until it counts, and to relax at all other points, the sweat was just pouring off me like Niagara Falls. It was hot. I really got lost on the shutos and cat stance, but in other basics I think I did pretty well. It seems that the more tired I get, the stupider I get. Nevertheless, I still managed to hang on until a short break happened. I was pretty low on blood sugar by that time so I was grateful for the break. In … Continue reading
Posted in Karate, Training Notes
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Karate 108
It hurts to be back. Oh my aching quads! I’ll tell you running up all those hills in my last trail race was hard work and my quads are still really sore. But after I got warmed up a bit the heat dulled the pain so I could do what I had to do. Which is practice my kata and also yakushoku for the grading this Saturday. I’m not planning on running again until after the grading. I think I will succeed in this grading after all. My concern was that I did not remember all the kumite and yakushoku I am supposed to know and it has been a struggle to catch up. I still need to review these frequently on a daily basis until the time comes, but I am not as worried now as I was before. I think I look better in blue than green anyway. … Continue reading
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Run 47, 2009 5Peaks Trail Race Devon
Here we go! 14.3 kilometers of hill climbing in boiling, sweltering, muggy conditions. This year’s Devon race course is new and totally awesome. It begins innocently enough, on the flat. But only for a half kilometer or so. After that it’s up hill for I don’t know, 3 kilometers? These aren’t nice hills. They are blood sucking evil vampire demon hills from hell. The sports class only had to suffer those hills once. We suckers in the Enduro class had to suffer them twice since we had to do two laps. But once you were past the hills the rest was a long downhill lark and very enjoyable. Elevation changes totaled 450 meters and you can get the race details here. You can view the map and elevation profile here. I had the option of starting 40 minutes sooner than the elite Enduro runners, who started at 10 AM, so … Continue reading
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Will this be coyote or badger food?
I was working in the yard today and also maintaining the trails I have throughout my property. I never noticed this while I was mowing the trail, but MM and I found a dead fawn while walking the trails this evening. I don’t know why it died. It seems in rather good condition, other than the fact that it is quite dead. It does not look like predation, besides, a predator would have finished this tasty snack in no time. The carcass is not even bloated so it can’t have been dead for more than a day. It was not still born because there is no evidence of a placenta or any other signs of a recent birth. It is a mystery why this fawn died just off our beaten path. It looks like it just lay down for a nap and never got up again. We will be leaving … Continue reading
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Run 46, 2009
My first run since the marathon was 11 km at a 7:39 pace. It was run in 15 degree C heat and was hard enough that it tells me I am not quite yet 100% recovered from the marathon 10 days ago. Still, it felt good to be back out there. This Saturday is my first 5Peaks trail run of the season at 12.4 km in Devon. Unfortunately I will be running that race while MM is off to karate class. I don’t like missing a karate lesson just a few lessons before grading, but what the hell, I can’t be everywhere at once. Fortunately, and this is great news for us, summer time classes won’t be happening in Edmonton this summer, but they will be happening in Devon! Better yet, they will be happening Tuesdays and Thursdays, freeing up our Saturdays! Fan. Tas. Tic. I like it.
Posted in Karate, Training Notes, Training Runs
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