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| Me at the fork. I took the path to the left. If you look closely, you can see the reflection of an overpass in my glasses. I'll explain in a minute! |
I ran 12k on the trail near my house. You know, the same one with the fork in the path. I decided to be a bit adventurous and see where one of the paths went. I took the windy path to my right and ended up...at the top of the escarpment! I don't know why I didn't realize I was at the top last week. The path ended about 400 meters from the fork and brought me to a residential neighborhood. So this is what I learned. It's exactly 6.5k from my front door to the top of the Niagara Escarpment via the Rail Trail. I took a few minutes to explore my surroundings and when I saw the intersection where the trail ends, I was quite far from home. I felt great though because even though I bitch and moan about going out for my run, once I'm out and about, I love the way I feel. I really do love running. I was just pissed that I didn't get my butt out the door sooner. I had a late start to the rest of my day because of all my procrastination.
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| Although we call the escarpment "the Mountain", It's not really a mountain. |
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| I took this from the overpass you see in the reflection of my glasses. That's my trail...heading back down the escarpment. |
Funny story to share. I did my long drive to Peterborough on Friday. All in all I drove almost 600k by the time my day was done. On my way back from Peterborough to Hamilton, I stopped at a rest stop to use the facilities and grab a coffee. As I walk into the Tim Horton's there are four young construction workers sitting at a table. The place was dead because it was in a pretty desolate area. I can tell by the way they're looking at me that they're talking about me and I immediately get all anxious. I hurry into the women's washroom and do what I need to do, then leave and make my way to the counter without making eye contact with anyone.
I order my coffee and just after I place my order, one of the VERY young men slides up next to me and says, "I'll pay for that". I respectfully decline his offer and he smiles and says he insists. I tell him again that I can pay for my own coffee, and he just looks at the confused girl behind the cash and says, "I'm paying for her coffee". So he pays for my coffee and asks, "Are you from around here?". I tell him that I am not, and I am on my way home to my son and husband. I quickly thank him for my coffee and leave in haste while his friends start laughing at him.
So I get home and tell my husband this story. I've been getting attention from men lately, and most of them are very young men. Like in their 20's young men. I'm shocked and a bit confused. My husband tells me that when he was in his twenties, he also went with older women because they were easier to "score". Well I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted. Did the construction worker think I was younger than I am, or does he think I'm desperate? After much deliberation and thought, I've decided to not care because I got a free coffee out of it! Score for me! And as a side note, I wear my wedding band 24/7. Some men have no scruples.
I love eating the way I do now. I love winter vegetables and have forgotten how much I loved brussel sprouts, rutabaga, parsnips, turnip, squash. And my crock pot is being used almost everyday. I'm making roasts, curried chicken, Bolognese sauce, stews and soups. I swear that I eat better meals now than I ever did when I was my heaviest. My husband concurs. Every time I make something new, he says it's his new favorite dish. He's mastered the making of the ratatouille and is ready to move onto something more complex. Perhaps we will do the curried chicken with parsnips tomorrow. This was his new favorite dish two weeks ago.
Last week a nutritionist came to my clinic to discuss nutrition for runners. She said that runners needed to have carbs for fuel. She was talking about pasta, cereal...those kinds of carbs. I didn't say anything, but I run 40k per week and I only eat carbs that I get from veggies and fruits. When I started running, I ate even less carbs than I do now. I'm full of energy and don't feel tired or sluggish on my runs. Something that I have thought about that makes me a bit nervous is once I start getting into longer distances and I have to fuel during the run (ie: Gu), it may not sit well with me. I haven't had anything like that in my body for 14 months. I'm scared I'll get the runs while I'm running. And that would be truly shitty!
