The past month has really seen the miles increase, and not only have I been hitting the climbs, I've also had double run days which have really tested my resilience to keep going when I really am quite tired.
When it comes to running trails, I tend to head out to Devon which is less busy than the Edmonton River Valley, and I usually have the trails to myself, particularly in the winter months. The weekend following our winter camping trip in Banff, I had a good four hours of hilly trails in my schedule, so I drove out to Devon with the intention of doing multiple loops of the same route, enabling me to use the car as a base for refilling my water bottles and stocking up on nibbles.
The weather was still on the cooler side, but it was much warmer than the previous week, and with blue skies and bright sunshine, it was actually quite nice running on the trails with the trees sheltering me from the wind. The warmer weather also seemed to bringing out the wildlife, and the sounds of chattering squirrels and woodpeckers drifted from the trees, with birdsong joining in occasionally.
I headed out on the usual route past the gold course towards the campground, and it was then that I came across the newly built trails that I hadn't yet explored. Indeed, they had been open to the public for several months but I had completely forgotten about them, so today seemed the perfect time to head off in a different direction and try something new for a change. I was also drawn by the name of the trail - Rabbit Hill Stairs - and with today's session being about the climbs, I thought I could maybe do some hill repeats up those stairs to get in some elevation.
The trail was still covered in deep, soft snow, and the only evidence of life was the tire tracks of a fat bike which had gone the same way. A few small animal prints appeared sporadically on the trail, but in general there was no other evidence of anybody or anything heading up that way. I crossed a bridge and then the climb started, and that climb seemed to go on for quite a while which I was really happy about as this was exactly what I needed! It took a good 10 minutes or so to climb that hill, and then the pathway veered left, the snow became even deeper, and I followed along until I came to a viewpoint which gave some exceptional views of the river valley below. It was a lovely sunny day and those views were spectacular - the fact that nobody else was around made them seem even more special!
This particular stretch of trail was flat for about a mile, but I figured that the stairs wouldn't be too far away. A couple of deer bounded out of the trees and hopped into the nearby farmer's field, and I watched them run across the fields in to the distance, their white tails the only thing giving them away as they went/ I also started to spot Snow Hare tracks in the snow, as well as other small critters, likely mice or voles.
After about 20 minutes of running, I finally arrived at the stairs and it looked like this was actually the end of the trail too. I was a little disappointed, but then a few times up the stairs would allow me to spend a good amount of time running up and down, so it wasn't really a problem. The stairs looked long and steep as I peered down at them through the trees, leading down to the valley bottom through what looked to be a ravine.
I headed down the stairs, and as suspected, they were very steep/ Not only that, they were covered in calf deep snow, the steps were invisible, and ice was forming on them making them quite tricky to navigate. My plans to do a few stair repeats were diminishing as the conditions got much more tricky the further down I went. It was so quiet down there too - even the birds had stopped their singing - and I was becoming acutely aware of my own footsteps and breathing, and just how quiet it was. Another deer jumping through the trees startled me and had my heart pounding even more so from the running, and even when it had disappeared deep into the woodland, I had a feeling that I was being watched or followed or something.
I made my way back up the stairs saving the repeats for a warmer, less snowy day, and instead decided to do five repeats up the hill I had climbed earlier when leaving the campground. I'd measured it at just over one km, so it would be perfect for running up and down a few times, especially with the decent gradient it had.
I was running up and down the hill pretty consistently, my legs feeling strong and my breathing under control, and each time I went up, I was a few seconds quicker. There were again a couple of times where I felt that I was being watched, or I sensed something in the nearby trees, but I never actually saw anything and just figured it was overactive imagination.
I finished my five repeats, literally keeping a tally at the top of the hill so that I didn't lose count, and then headed back down to the campground before joining the trails that I was more familiar with.
As I was heading back out of the campground, I saw movement at the side of the trail, and then I spotted a female Moose jumping through the trees before coming to as stop about 10 metres off the trail where we stood just watching me. Such a huge yet beautiful animal, one that could do alot of damage if it was so inclined to charge at me, so having sussed out an escape route just in case, I slowly made my way past her, both of us watching each other carefully for fear of any sudden movement!
It was so strange that earlier I had been thinking that I hadn't seen a Moose in Devon for a while, and it would be great to see one, and then low and behold, she was there. I was surprised at how much wildlife I had already seen that day - to see a Moose really was amazing! I continued my run with a spring in my step, running the hills as much as possible, and really making myself work hard.
As I made my way up another hill, I came across the remains of a deer's leg, gnawed down to the bone and just the hoof remaining, and it was surrounded by fur. It was pretty obvious that this deer had been hunted, killed and eaten, and having seen coyotes in the area in the past, I figured that maybe a pack of coyotes had taken down the deer and had a good feed. I gave it no further thought, other than thinking how amazing nature truly is.
The single track trails across the upper ravine were still deep in snow, and nobody had been along there except for either coyotes or a dog as they were the only prints I could see. It felt good to be breaking trail, but it was also hard work, and I was glad to be back on teh more compact snow where I could pick up the pace again. I headed back to the car to refill my water bottles which had by now frozen somewhat, and then planned on doing another loop of the trails around the campground. The Moose was still there, the squirrels and woodpeckers were still busy doing their thing, and I was having a great run. I ended up finishing the four hours with just over 20 miles in the bank which I was more than satisfied with.
A couple of days after that run, a friend posted on Facebook that there had been a cougar sighting on the trails that I had been running one. I'd had a sense that I was being watch or followed, and then there was of course the deer kill on the trail - had there been a cougar watching me that day, and was it a cougar that had hunted the deer rather than a pack of coyotes like I'd originally thought? I'm not sure I even want to know!
That particular weekend, I did another couple of runs, one of which I tried to do with Wilson. He loves his running and I had a 10k to do, but for some reason, after just 3km he didn't want to go any further. I wondered if it was the cold air getting to him - he's been coughing alot recently and we think it's a mix of the cold air outside and the warm, dry air inside - he's getting older and we worry about him so much, so I took him home as that's what he seemed to be telling me. I haven't ran with him for a few days now and his cough seems to be a little better, but I so, so miss running with the little man, and I think he misses his runs too!
I had a couple more longer runs to do, and this time I did them with friends - a 10 mile recovery run around Telford Lake, and another 4 hour run with friends who I joined up in Edmonton just last weekend. Everything had been feeling great, although the legs were starting to get quite tired, achy and tight from all the hills. I was also starting to get a little bit of pain in my left foot, and no matter what I did, it just didn't seem to be easing. I thought maybe it was just tightness from a lack of stretching and massage, but it was also being aggravated by doing hills. It wasn't painful, but it was aching, so I booked myself in for a massage in case it was just my calf muscles or something that needed a bit of manipulating. The massage helped, but the foot issue was still there, so of course I needed to take things easy for a few days and not put too much pressure on it.
Last week, the hubby was travelling for work, so I was home alone trying to cram in my runs whilst also trying to keep my little pups happy. It's certainly been a hectic week toing and froing and being really busy, but somehow I have still managed to get 100km in the books.
I was meant to have done another four hours of hilly trails yesterday, followed by 13 miles later on, but that would take a huge amount of time out of my day meaning the pups woudl be on their own. They've already spent alot of time on their own this week compared to normal - it wouldn't be fair for the weekend to pass by without them having some company and some fun times at the dog park. So, instead of doing double runs, I opted to just run a marathon which would likely take me to around four hours anyway, and then I would run the extra on the Sunday.
I decided to just run loops around Telford Lake again so I didn't have to think too hard about a route. It also meant the car could be used for an aid station, and I would grab food and drink each lap to keep me moving. It was around -20 when I started the run with light snow falling, the pathways were snow covered, and if I'd taken a drink in a backpack it was bound to freeze. Having the car was much more handy, although I did waste time having to faff around grabbing things, but it was better than having nothing at all.
It remained cold and windy for much of the run, although the sun did come out and melt things a little. My legs were feeling good to start with, but after about 18 miles they really did start to feel fatigued and tight, something that I put down to dehydration as I really was thirsty and VERY hungry! I also noticed that my foot was starting to get far more achy and whilst still not painful as such, I was becoming more aware of the discomfort. I knew I would need to rest it over the next few days otherwise I would end up with a more long term injury which I really could do without.
I pushed on, and eventually finished the run after being on the move for 3 hours 43 minutes or thereabouts. I was terribly hungry and needed a drink, but in general I was feeling pretty good, despite the tight legs that definitely needed to be stretched out and massaged by now! I spent the evening using the roller on my legs and trying to ease some of the tightness, and I focused a little more on massaging my calf and trying to loosen up the foot ready for the next day's run.
I awoke this morning and the legs were feeling ok - clearly the stretching and rolling had helped - but there was no doubt that the foot was not happy. I decided to wear my Hokas today as they provide better cushioning, and I definitely noticed the difference after today's 13 miler. The run felt relaxed and smooth, although the wind was still nasty and made things feel much harder than they should have been. It wasn't a fast run, but then it was only a recovery run anyway - pace didn't matter, and I was glad to just get in some decent mileage again and give me that 100km for the week.
As I sit here typing, my left foot is still a little tight and achy, but I have also been stretching things out a bit tonight which is probably why I can feel it more right now. I'm obviously going to take a painkiller tonight although I do usually avoid doing that, and then I have an easier week scheduled in which should give it chance to settle down a little. I haven't done the elevation I wanted to do this week, but the miles are still there, so all is not lost.
Of course, I have made sure to get out with the pups this weekend too, and those walks help to loosen things up. The pups are also great stress relief and help to take my mind off things - spending an hour with the pups walking around the dog park is great therapy for me, sometimes more so than running, and I'm so grateful to have them in my life. I just wish Wilson could still run long and that the girls didn't mind the cold as much as they do - I would love to do my long runs with them all, as that really would be the bestest run ever!
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