Race Not Want Not

Sharing the trail with ??? on my long hike in The Gould Lake Conservation Area

 

Crossing over a babbling brook

A view from a snowy perch

 

A Snowshoeing We Shall Go

(Sing to the tune of “A Hunting We Shall Go) -EJ Murphy

 

A snowshoeing we shall go, a snowshoeing we shall go,

Over hill and dale, on lake and trail,

A snowshoeing we shall go!

Our Dions we shall wear, they’re good to get us there,

They’re light and small and fun for all,

Our Dions we shall wear!

Trekking poles we shall bring, we’ll plant them as we sing,

They’ve got a spike to help us hike,

Trekking poles we shall bring!

In layers we shall dress, we know we can’t wear less,

From our head to our toes to the tip of our nose,

In layers we shall dress!

We shan't forget our feast, not last nor is it least,

Soup and crackers, cliff bars in wrappers,

We shan't forget our feast!

One last thing we shall tow, then we’ll be set to go,

A bottle of water for when we’re hotter,

One last thing we shall tow,

 

A bladder of wine to pass the time,

One last thing we shall tow,

 

A flask of rum to warm our tum,

One last thing we shall tow,

 

A pint of beer to bring some cheer,

One last thing we shall tow,

 

A hot cocoa and a cup of Joe,

Then a snowshoeing we shall go!!

A snowshoeing we shall go, a snowshoeing we shall go,

Over hill and dale, on lake and trail,

A snowshoeing we shall go!

 

2013 A New Beginning

As I sit here I am dealing with an awful head cold which has been with me for the past 2 plus weeks. So I  begin 2013 on a bit of a down note and hope that things will only get better from here on out. I have been slowly ramping up my walking/running time since being diagnosed with the stress fracture of my right tibia although the bone scan done 6 weeks later did not show a fracture. The pain in my shin has all but disappeared and I am left with an aching  knee which is on the verge of stopping me in my tracks at any time, like it did last night 7min. into my New Year’s Eve run. But these little bumps on the road to my recovery can be expected as I increase my weekly hiking/running time.

 The problem now seems to be a weak right glute/hip muscle and once it has been maxed out the knee suffers the consequences. So having to turn a 30min easy run into a 20min. walk home is something I am use to and believe it or not walking has in some ways become my new running. Run, walk, hike, it’s all the same to me these days and I am just happy to be out there getting in whatever form of locomotion my body allows.

The strange thing about having an injured right leg is that I always considered it as the strong link in my chain with my left leg usually being the weak link.  So with my right leg being injured the left has now become solid and dependable and really without issues. No ankle/foot problems, no tight Achilles/calf/soleus problems. It may be that with the right leg having to slow down that the left leg has finally been able to catch up. I can only dream of a day when both of my legs are harmoniously working together, equally taking the burden placed upon them as I trod/shuffle/run along the trail.

In some ways being injured has calmed my nerves and refocused my energies. As soon as I realized that I would not be running for perhaps months I immediately began to think about walking/hiking. Losing running was not the huge deal I thought it would be. My mind was pretty quick to drop all of my past goals and set new ones. In some ways I suppose I look upon 2013 as, "a new beginning” for me although I know the training of the past few years will still be a big part of my mind, body and soul.

So the big goal that jumped in my head as soon as I realized that my running days were on hold was that I wanted to hike the entire trail which passes in front of my house. At first I thought I would do it in sections then when I was ready I would piece it all together and hike the entire trail all at once. The plan is to do this as soon as I am physically able and I have tentative dates for the 17^th & 18^th  of  February .  

 

 

 

Well my head cold is telling me to get some sleep this afternoon and keeping care of myself is as big a part of my training these days as the food I eat and the time I get in walking, running, snowshoeing or ellipticalling is. Yes, 2013 is going to be the year of taking care of what needs taking care of and making the most of, "a new beginning".

A Happy and Healthy 2013 to all of you,

Eliza