Summer

It has been a very busy but very enjoyable summer so far this year. Things have been going at quite a pace at work which is a good thing; I have been really getting into and enjoying my running. It has been a challenge to step up my level of training to get ready for the Army Run half marathon this September; and I have a new kata I am working on for my karate. Besides all of this, there is vacation time.

Right now we are in Calgary visiting with my brother and sister-in-law. This has been a real treat. They are truly spoiling us and I have to admit, I love it! I am still keeping up with my training and kata practice. This morning I did an 8K interval run and then spent some time in a small park across from my brother's house doing my kata practice with a view of the Rockies. OH MY! It is hard to imagine feeling more at peace.

Still, there are challenges to meet and obstacles to overcome. Life would be too boring if there wasn't a bit of acid in the mix. My last long run was up to 17K. It felt good to be able to get that far but I ended up with a VERY sore knee. I-T band issues, I believe. This means I have to back off on my long runs a bit until my knees are ready for it. Not a big issue, and if this is as bad as it gets, who can complain.

The other issue or acid in the mix is having to go back to work after a vacation. It has been just over a week now since we came back from Calgary and from when I started writing this post. The re-entry back to working for a living was, as usual, a bit of a challenge for the first few days. I find that I am easily frustrated and a bit overwhelmed until I can get back into the swing of things. Oh, I do so look forward to retirement. For now, weekends will just have to do. So today I did my long run and now, I sit out on the deck with a cup of tea, keeping an eye on the hot sausages that are on the barbecue and writing. Not really too bad in the scheme of things.

One of my most recent interests is hiking and trail running. I've always enjoyed getting outside. I did do some hiking in the past, but it was always done with the kids or when I was a kid myself. Now we are going to get back into it ourselves, for ourselves. We are going to be going to a place just outside of Calgary called Drumheller. This town refers to itself as the dinosaur capital of the world. The trails around Drumheller don't sound like they would be anything extreme but it does look like it would be interesting and fun for beginning (or re-beginning).

It never ceases to amaze me just how many more things are possible with a body that is willing to at least try. So far this year, I have run over 520 kilometers. I can hardly believe it. This is one of the bigger pluses to our more active lifestyle these days. Life is just more interesting and more fun, and isn't that what it is supposed to be?