back atcha

So I've missed another week of running due to having an awesome summer.
I am not too bummed about it, but am ready to get back on track and even have the opportunity to get some runs in on new ground. Today's 8 was a 4, but I tacked on a few to help me catch up. In my head I've got a thousand km goal for the year, and I've got to stay on track if I am going to make that. What a great feeling that would be!
I threw on the Black Keys and let my mind wander.
Some things I thought about:
The new shoes Paula and I found for me at the Running Room. I'm in trouble with these. They'll be nearly $200 after tax, and we only went there to get sized properly, find out why I lost my toenail. They gave me these to put on and there really is no turning back now. My glass slipper. My whole body relaxed as the balls of my feet sank into the cloudy cushy softness and my toes spread out to hug the shoes. I had to fight against my body to get them off my feet and hand them back to the salesperson. My plan was to find the most similar shoe to the one they suggested, at the half price sport market. But as I tried shoe after shoe on, looking for the best match, it became clear there was no comparison, I am screwed. Sold. Shit.
Second thoughts: Today I am in Langley, very near Aldergrove, where I grew up. I ran towards the Evergreen Market, a marker I used to pass every day on my 20km drive to my special fundamental school; we travelled far to learn our three R's like pro's! I also remember deciding to go for a long distance bike ride to this market when I was six, from 256th and 48th, to 242nd and 56th. I brought my neighbor, my best friend, and her parents found us along 242nd, after we'd already spent our entire allowance on candy and were heading home, so we were set, and all the shit we got in was worth it. I was trying to expand on this memory, but all I could recall was the Sour Lemon Blasters, and that when we got home, we set up a stand at the end of the driveway to try and sell them.
Other thoughts: Golden Ears. I am going camping there later, and am looking forward to doing some running up there. Kerri mentioned a 5Peaks run, so I am looking that up to find a trail. Ow my knees. The whole first half of this run was a gradual uphill, and when I turned onto 242nd, I was faced with a crazy wall. I swore at it and took it on like a champ. No problem. I've come far.
I thought of Paula at home with her screw in her ankle, and ran faster, farther, and kept an eye on my path.
When it told me I was halfway, I went a little further, the red flashing light at the 4 way stop was calling me. I never noticed the market, I was thinking hard about taking the twisty route back down the hill, coming around back to Sam's house by way of 232nd. I hurried back but I didn't see a sidewalk or much of a shoulder, so I kept to what I knew. It was a good and quick trip home, my pace increased thanks to the easy downhills, and I made up a little time. At 2k to go, my toenail started hurting me. For the wedding I went to, and just for a fun outing with the girls, I got my ruined big toenail remade by technology, and the girl made it longer than usual. It looks very pretty again, no longer black and yellow and in half, ut it was hitting the front of my shoe, pushing down onto the rest of the toe, I had to scrunch it up to keep it from doing that, but I made it.
Somehow the distance didn't work out evenly, I finished at just under eight, sweating from everywhere, even my shins and elbows were sweating, and it felt awesome.
Till tomorrow! On a mountain!

Wildfires

The sun was just a glowing copper coin behind white curtains all day. Smoke hung in the air at the edges of the fields, at the edges of my vision. Looking across the river, I couldn't be sure if I was really seeing smoke, or...was it a storytime mist, as if someone was about to tell all about Once Upon A Time In A Kingdom Far Away...or It was A Dark And Stormy Night...
At one point when I looked toward the hills I could barely see the glacier. The only fire I'm aware of is burning in the Okanagan...seriously a good five hours east of here, if you could drive across the Georgia Straight and through the Coast Mountains. What the hell is going on? I debated whether running in it would wreck my throat or hurt in my lungs. After a disappointing workday with too many cancellations, two swims, and a fair amount of sunbathing at the riverside, I felt I ought to accomplish something.

She Is Free Jeff Buckley and Gary Lucas
I love this song, but it is a little sad for me. Makes me want to go home right now and happily surrender all so called freedom. It was a nice slow start to the run, down McPhee.
Oceans and Streams The Black Keys
Had to fiddle with the Ipod a bit, since I purposely set it to that song first, then no more. I forgot how much I liked this Sugoi top, it has a big, baggy pocket on the back, between the shoulder blades, which saves me having to wear my crappy sportband, or hide a key.
Pandy Fackler Ween
Running up the hill to the park, across the tracks on 17th, still taking it easy. Passed another runner coming towards me. We kept looking away just to miss saying hi. I waved anyway.
Absynthe The Gits
I felt my pace quicken to this song as I set up Cumberland Rd, but it didn't last very long, I got so breathless so quickly. Slowed my pace, sang along, and felt good.
Rude Boy Abroad Bedouin Soundclash
Coming back toward Lake Trail Rd on I don't know what street through the Willemar ghetto, I saw four, 4! drug deals going down, and got nervous since it was the same car each time, and it appeared to be following my path, or I was following its path...I really didn't want to see that shit.
Mr Freeman Skit Souls of Mischief
I finally turned the right corner to leave that shit behind, and laughed at this skit, that guy sounds exactly like him!
Rental Car Beck
This was such a perfect, mellow beat, that I just enjoyed it and paid attention to my footfalls, trying to roll my whole foot, trying to use even pressure on each step, and not absentmindedly limp as I have a habit of doing. I couldn't get that shit off my mind, though, so I recounted all of the awesome stuff in my life today that I have worked so hard towards, and imagined what my future will look like, so soon, when I get to say it's been YEARS since I did that shit. I practiced saying it out loud, it felt really good.
400 Bucks The Rev
Quicker pace, I was at the corner, and I wanted to get home. Just stuck with the beat. Remembered that someone owes me about that much, and laughed because it was so much like the song. He was so sweet that day.
Wurkin Fu Manchu
Yes! This was the last straw, last km. I am totally into Fu Manchu lately. I got my fists pumping and pushed with my feet. The only lame part about my Nike+ is that when I run faster, my stride length is longer, and my footfalls fewer, so it doesn't actually register that I am speeding with the wind blowing my hair back and the sweat coating my arms and legs and face and shoulders getting a cool breeze and actually chilling me. I concentrated on my breathing, keeping it even, but shallow, and not worrying about it. I did not tire like I thought I would.
Insecurities The Gits
Excellent. I kept up the pace, and even managed to sing along, rocking the last stretch home with
such grit I impressed myself. Sweat was pouring down my cheeks, I was labouring a little in my breathing, I felt like my face wanted to grimace, but I did not want to be seen making that gross face, so I kept catching myself and shutting my mouth...hahaha, sounds funny, but I noticed, and then didn't, and then noticed, and then forgot, etc...
I didn't care that my long strides would register as me slowing down, it felt great to have no pain at all and be rocking like that without dying from the effort. An amazing finish for me. No records beat, but definitely the best feeling run in a long time.
Awesome!

weird one

Okay, I couldn't write this in last night because I was feeling like a loony.
I went back out, to climb the 1km hill over again after I finished covering about 18kms of ground. My legs felt funny and my glutes were cramping up a little. I couldn't stop thinking of these hunks of yarn I ran past on my way up the hill. They looked like flowers that had been attached to a wedding car or something. That's what I imagined in my head when I saw them. Flowers. Made of yarn. Cool! I could not possibly leave them in the ditch! It was 9:56 when I left here, and the sunlight was fading.
I parked well back from the bottom of the hill. I couldn't remember where I had seen them. First I'd seen an autumn colored moth in the sand on the side of the road. They came after that.
I walked along the side of the ditch, scanning the ground in the quickly fading light. i found the moth, and picked him up, and thought, okay, one down, two to go, they were just past here. I hadn't started up the hill at this point. I carried this little moth by its wingtips, and kept thinking he'd come back to life. I set him in front of a stop sign halfway up the first hill, at Arden Rd. Still no flowers...I was so sure they were here. I kept on, up the hill. It was becoming so dark that I could tell when I was entering the glow of a streetlamp, and could actually see it fade away behind me, I had to hustle or these yarn flowers would be lost to the night!
This is where I began to really question my sanity, because, so what if they were gone? It felt like a big deal, I had to find them, rescue them. I thought, I should have found the first one by now, as I passed the school in between the two long hills. Maybe someone had scooped them already, damn! Then I thought, they wouldn't have noticed the second one! I will find it! And I trucked on, toward the start of the second incline.
My butt was killing me at this point. When I stopped my run to cool down in the river, I had not submerged my hardworking butt muscles, since I figured that would make the last 1.5 to my house unbearable, wet pants and all. So only my legs got the treat, and as my legs unwound, my glutes wound up, still collecting blood to distribute to the thirsty sinews that weren't drinking it anymore. What a gross picture in my head. I am totally bananas.
As I had just given up, and was now just going to walk up the rest of the last hill so that I would not wonder if I had only just missed seeing them, I saw it. A hunk of something in the dim light between streetlights that was not a clod of grass. I ran to it...or something like a run, a limping Humpback of Notre Dame type of run, maybe. Anyone seeing me in the darkness might have shot me at that point, in that neighborhood, when I bent and clutched the 'flower' in both hands, groaning with the effort of bending. I knew there was one more, though, and finished up to the top of the hill in the pitch darkness. There were no more streetlights. The light from the sky was only in the sky now, and behind the trees, a pale blue. I clumped back down in the darkness, feeling very strange to be seen holding a lump of ratty yarn to my chest like an eager bridesmaid. Because it wasn't fashioned into a flower of any sort, it was only a lump of yarn. And so my mission was a bizarre one, but as I came back down the hill, peering over the edge of the ditch into tangles of grass and thistles, I saw the other 'flower' and grabbed it up alongside the other one, and was infinitely glad. Such a fuckin weirdo. I completed a mission that for no reason at all, meant a lot to me to complete. Some midnight art project that I had to finish...
Fuck, it was a long walk back to the truck, though.
Here they are, my little yarn flowers:

yarn flowers

I got it into my head that I wanted to run a new loop for my long run today. I figured that maybe it would be nice to run up past Stokem to Forbidden Plateau Rd., over to Dove Cr., and back down to Condensory. I drove it in my truck to gauge the distance. The speedo rolled from something-something-something-598 to something-something-something-606. Yep, it's in miles, but that's about 13kms so I figured I would just walk more at the start and the end.
Yeah a new route!

I freaked out for awhile getting ready. Worried about my old shoes even before I decided to push it. It really is time for new shoes, the other day when I left them in my truck a piece on the back of the heel just peeled right off. I repainted them gold before I set out. They were on my feet already when I did it. It felt a little moist but cool and good. I was feeling like doing an extra awesome run anyways.

I set out and walked for half a km. Got bored, decided to run. Ran up both hills, and onto Comox Logging Rd. There was a lovely dead moth, and two sort of flowers made from yarn in the ditches...I might have to go back for those.
The Logging Rd. was sketchy, everyone speeds down there, and there isn't any shoulder for the first half. I trucked onward, it was nice, but the kms were rolling up there pretty quickly.
It fucking ruled to run across the bridge at the potholes with the sun shining off the top of the water. I really did want to jump in, and imagined flying down into the coolness.
The stretch between there and Forbidden was really long and hot. Things started to get achy, knees swelly. But there were golden fields full of sunshine and grass to look at.
At 9kms there was a nice downhill stretch. I rocked down there, and then nearly lost it at 12.
I was at 12k, feeling broken, pretty much, an still not quite at Condensory Rd. I know there is three kms at least to the bridge from there. I let myself walk, for as long as I want, I told myself. I took the One Spot Trail. I got a little wigged out, and decided to run the rest of it, kind of hurrying to get back onto the road. Ah, whatever works.
I kept allowing myself walks, but found after a bit of running, that it hurt less to sort of lope along kind of walk-run/ speed walk style, my heels were dragging a bit, so I got alot of gravel in my shoes, but I didn't stop until I got to the bridge.
Using the handrail, I lowered my stiff legs down to the riverside, sat on a rock, took off my shoes and socks, and waded in. I haven't felt that good in so long. Relief, cool waves of relief. I stood in it for five or six minutes, holding my shorts up and watching the tiny fish clear the surface all around, jumping out at the sky. When I got out, my legs felt so light, but that didn't last very long, an I slogged my way up through town to home.
I am brain dead right now. I forgot to save my music stuff. That was a long run...16kms.

little3

I couldn't breathe!
I don't know if it was the yogurt I scarfed when I woke up from my sun induced coma-nap or what, but I felt like I just could not take a deep breath in. But I kept trying to.
Fast Car- Tracey Chapman.
I remember that. I set out at sunset, nice beams coming out from behind the only bits of cloud in the sky. Same route, same stretch of road. Not boring, although I did manage to zone out. I don't remember the middle, just watching traffic, seeing the same yards go by, same trucks parked in same driveways. At The Drive-In....something.
The Kinks-a couple of songs here.
Turned around past the school, walked for awhile trying to catch my breath. Followed the single track path around the outside of the field, remembered the persistence hunters of the Kalahari, felt like one for a minute. Until I nearly barfed yogurt.
Another Beautiful Day In The Pacific Northwest- Big Business.
I love this tune, when it comes on I don't want it to end. There aren't too many songs I get that way about. It brought me home, down the side street with my eyes closed.
I stretched outside, pulling my calf muscles on the tires of my truck, enjoying the sweet smell of the summer fading into August. I feel it already, it's right on time. There's a chill, the crickets are calling, and everything seems to be tinted orange.

so hard!

Okay, summer doesn't get any hotter, here. It's nine at night, exactly as humid as the rest of the day was. I got off work early tonight, I had every excuse not to go for my 5k tempo lined up and executing themselves through my loudspeaker. It's too hot, I worked too hard today, I already taught a skate lesson, I got my cardio chasing my mower, I sweated too much, I will dehydrate, my shoes are worn out, my feet are worn out, my knees are worn out, my toes are sore from the harsh manicure I gave myself, I'm so stiff, I'm so tiredddddddddd, I'll just add it onto tomorrow's/next day's/next week's, no biggie, I wanted to scale them back a bit anyways.
I threw some popcorn into the micro, and started planning my crawling into sleep rituals. As the corn was popping, I found myself gathering up my Ipod and armband, putting my shoes on, setting the distance, putting FU Manchu , the "Go For It" live album on to play me through, and then I was in the road, groaning, "Nooooooo, I don't wanna gooooooo."
But I was off.
It was hot.
Everything hurt.
I had no energy.
The aches and swellies came on before the first km was done.
I was tired.
My mouth was so dry.
I was so sweaty.
I hated most of it.
But I had a moment or two where I was so glad I went.
Now sitting typing and listening to the new Gwar that plays like a funny comic book in my head, I can't wait to go crawl into bed and sleep satisfied that I made my way today the hard way.
I won.
I think my popcorn tastes better for it.

make that 260!

Long run tonight. Was dreading it by the time it was go.
Hottest day of the year so far, and I worked through the thick of it, bent over tugging out Shasta daisies and blackberry roots. Sweating buckets. I tried to swim when I was done, but although the river was a perfect cool, it smelled like wet dog and piss. I got half way to my sunny rock and quit, floating back down to the rock ledge and leaving before I got my fill.
So I set out.
Strange Times Black Keys
Down the Main Strip, always a little embarrassed to be seen.
Be Stiff Devo
Over the bridge, into the park, I like running to this song, it has a good, stiff beat.
Nobody's Fault But Mine Ben Harper
Junesong P Coheed & Cambria
Two Kms. I got to walk. I was on Headquarters Rd, just past the old folks home. Everything okay so far. I was thinking about how Michael gave my number to someone who was traveling. I hope he calls, it's been awhile since I got to show this place off, and I always enjoyed being a skate tour-guide. It gives me an excuse to go to parks not in my town, and someone to go with. Plus it just feels good that someone passed my name along as good peeps.
Countdown Black Keys
ONEtwothreefourfivesix.seven-EIGHT-nine! My total today! Lucky song.
That'll Be A Better Day Old Crow Medicine Show
TV Set the Cramps
Haha, eyeballs for dials, I always picture it clearly, I can feel them like grapes. What can I put eyeball dials onto?
Are You Ready for the Country Neil Young
This was funny, I was just coming up on the left turn that leads out from the high school and busy road, to the country fields and one lane bridge.
Death of a Clown the Kinks
Hello to the pretty horses. I think they must be deaf, they did not return my greetings.
Love Like Laughter Beth Orton
Eek, a slow song! I debated skipping it, but I tried to make myself zone out instead, off of the music, out into the world around me. Birds were chirping, but only halfway which made me think my knees were creaking. It was almost in perfect time with my old joints movements.
198d At The Drive-In
The turn towards home, ahhh. It was just at 6 my foot started to feel out of whack. Like, as if things were out of place., I had to limp a bit, favor it, which is no good. I considered walking, but I had just done my walk...fuck it, it had to go away.
Remember When Black Keys
New Kind of Kick the Cramps
No Trust Black Keys
Coming up on the corner, my foot issue went away at 7! But my knees started doing their owes about then, so...
Save It the Cramps
NY State of Mind NAS
Down the last stretch of Condensory. I startled a raccoon that was hiding in the deep ditch grass, and it startled me launching up and away from me, into the woods. I launched away from it, into the road. Glad that wasn't a skunk, and that there wasn't traffic.
Slaughter of Bruce The Gits
Coming over the Condensory Bridge I was considering getting in the water. Soaked. My knees were complaining like hags.
Apocalypse World Split Saviours
This got me up that last hill, grunting, moaning, gritting my teeth, pumping my arms and shoving with my chest. That was fuckin' hard today, I wouldn't have run it without this song on, I would have fully wussed out without the metal to anger me on.
It All Dies Anyway The Gits
Past my new favorite downtown house with the wrap porch, and I was done. 9K. Fuck yay.
I Got Mine Black Keys
Walked me home.