February has always been my favourite month, and even more so nowadays. When living in England, it was a sign that we were past mid-winter, and by March, the daffodils and crocuses would start to emerge from the ground, and we would be looking forward to the first day of spring.
Being in Canada is much different, and I'm pretty sure there may be some colder days and maybe even some more snow to come over the coming weeks, yet it doesn't change the fact that spring is on its way and with that will come lighter nights and warmer temperatures.
But it isn't just the weather that makes February my favourite - it's also the month when Wilson joined our family, it's Valentine's Day, it's my birthday, and it's also our wedding anniversary this month - so many things to celebrate and look forward to, even in these Covid times :) Add to that that I usually do my first race of the year by the end of February, it sure gets things off on a positive footing moving forward.
This year, I made the decision to do my fifth Frozen Ass 50km. I first did this race when moving to Canada several years ago and having won the event 3 times and paced a friend to a sub 5 hour finish for the other, I thought it would be fun to do it again. Of course, whilst things are slowly improving in terms of the pandemic, there are still restrictions on large gatherings, so this year the race went virtual. This event is organised by Gord Hobbins, owner of Gord's Running Store in Calgary, and as I'm always happy to support the smaller, independent, and locally owned businesses, I was keen to do this race this year.
Being a virtual race meant that we could run the 50k on any course in any location at whatever time we wanted, between Saturday February 13th and Sunday 28th February. With the event traditionally being held on Family Day weekend, I opted to do it that same weekend, running on the Saturday and following the actual out and back route in Calgary, rather than staying local and running loops around Telford Lake again.
We arrived in Calgary on the Friday afternoon, collected my race swag which included an awesome hoodie, and then got my things ready for race day.
Pretty much all of Alberta was still under an extreme cold warning for the weekend, and temperatures for my race day looked set to remain close to the -30 degrees Celsius mark including the wind chill, although it did look like we would be treated to beautiful sunshine and blue skies! It was difficult knowing how to dress given that the wind can chill to the bones but the sun could have me feeling over dressed and wanting to drop layers. It wasn't going to be quite as cold as the past few days so I did decide to drop a layer both top and bottom, hoping that I didn't live to regret it on race day.
Being a virtual event also meant there would be no aid stations, no washrooms, and of course nowhere to get warm for the duration of the race. This meant I would be carrying my own hydration and fuel, plus extra layers in my backpack just in case I did get cold. Andy would try to track me down on the route, but vehicle access would be difficult for most of the route, and with him not being 100% familiar with the course, he wasn't even sure if he would catch me in time. In the end we agreed that I would be self-sufficient each lap, but that he would definitely be at the half way stage for me just in case I needed anything.
I really wanted to start my run earlier, but it was almost noon before I set off on my 50km trot alongside the Bow River, before joining the Nose Creek Pathway. A quick start line photo at the canoe club, a few crew checks with Andy, and I was ready to go.
As per previous versions I've done of this race, I would be doing the out and back section twice. My start was pretty uneventful - I waved Andy a cheery goodbye, telling him to expect me back for the half way point in the next 2 and a quarter hours or so. With running solo, there were no other racers to blame on my early pace where usually I would get sucked along with the leading pack, and there was nobody behind to push me. I wanted to maintain sub 9 minute miles, but ideally wanted to run around 8.30 pace for as long as possible, and for the first 7 or 8 miles, that was exactly where I was, reaching the first turn around point in around 65 minutes. I'd been running comfortably and was feeling fantastic. The sun had been shining which brought some relief from the chilly air, and I was thankful that I had only worn one pair of run tights and had dropped one of my upper layers - crikey, I was even tempted to leave another layer with Andy when I saw him at half way!
The pathway was pretty quiet which allowed me to get into my groove and find a nice, steady pace. I felt strong and smooth, and I was genuinely optimistic of hitting my goal of a sub 4.30 finish. I passed a few runners who were all bundled up - apologies if I passed anybody that I knew and didn't say hi! - and when I approached the 5 mile mark, a group of runners were regrouping as I passed by and they gave me lots of encouragement followed by some clapping when they noticed I was wearing a race bib. They made me feel so good, but it also made me realise just how much I do miss having other runners in a race to spur me on.
I was also refuelling pretty well and I got through a full 500ml bottle of water due to sweating so much, and took on board a couple of energy gels. Everything was go perfectly and I was feeling awesome! Even the footing was good with clear pathways and no ice, and whilst some sections were still covered with snow, it had been trodden down and my road shoes had no problem gripping on things.
But then I made the turn to head back to the canoe club, and wham! That's when I really did notice how windy it was, how cold it really was, and how much hard work the next 8 miles was going to be.
I tried to ignore the wind, tried to relax into it and not fight it, but my face was getting really cold, and when I tried to cover it with my balaclava and a buff, both were frozen solid and just kept slipping off my face. I started to think I was going to get frostbite on my nose and cheeks and I had to keep hiding my face in the jacket I was wearing to warm things up.
I was still quite thirsty and very hungry - it was of course well passed lunch time by now and I'd had nothing to eat since breakfast (that's why I wanted the earlier start ... grrr!) - but when I tried to drink some Tailwind and take a bite of my G2G protein bar, they were frozen solid. I tried to melt the mouth piece on my bottle by holding it in my mouth as I ran, then I tried tucking it up my sleeve and then in my pocket, but nothing would melt that layer of ice. I managed to break off a piece of the protein bar and held it in my hand to allow it to defrost, and it tasted so good once I was finally able to chew it.
Undoubtedly my pace had also slowed by now as I fought to take onboard fuel. I'd now dropped to around 9 minute miles which was still on target, but I knew that I'd lose time in the second half too, and my initial goal was already slipping me by. I decided to just soldier on and not worry too much - let's just see what time I arrived at the half way point and reassess if necessary.
I'd been so focused on trying to defrost everything that before I knew it, I had arrived back at the canoe club. Thankfully Andy was there so I was able to grab a banana, eat a protein bar, and gulp down some warm water that we had kept in the car. Andy managed to defrost one of my bottles and break away the thick layer of ice at the neck, but the fluid inside was like a slushy and as I tried to drink it, I could instantly feel that cold water hitting my stomach.
The clock was on 2 hours 18 minutes when I started off on my second lap. I was definitely behind schedule so I revised my goal to breaking 4.45 instead. My pace picked up again as I headed north along the pathway, but unlike earlier when the sun had felt warm, I was now feeling much, much cooler and was glad once again of the extra layers. I'd also decided not to carry my backpack on the second lap - my drinks would only freeze again and I didn't see the point in having the extra weight. I did take a handheld which I stuffed in my jacket pocket to keep warm, along with another protein bar. I hoped that this would keep me going for the next 15 miles, but not surprisingly I was unable to make full use of either of them as they too became too chilled to be effective.
The icy cold drinks were now giving me a stitch, and I could feel my throat drying out as I was getting more and more dehydrated. I was also starting to feel a little light headed - I really did need to eat something but eating was taking too long as I waited for it to thaw in my mouth and release some calories into my body. I started to think how happy I would be to see the usual aid station in another couple of miles, where I could grab some soup or a hot drink, grab some chips or jelly babies, anything that wouldn't be frozen solid - but this was a virtual race, and I was on my own.
I was just telling myself to get to the turnaround then I'd be in the finishing straight so to speak, so I put in a surge, vowing not to walk but being forced to do so when my legs now started to tighten up and I lost that flow in my stride.
Surprisingly I was still running around 9 minute miles, but it was feeling much harder than it should have been, and once again, making that turn to head back to the canoe club brought a strong headwind and the biting cold.
I had less than 8 miles to go at that point - sub 4.45 was still possible, maybe a little quicker, so I pushed as best I could despite feeling flat and lacking energy. My mind was in the game, and I know for sure that had there been other racers there, it would have helped tremendously in making me dig even deeper than I already was. Jeez, how much do I take "normal" race days for granted!
The small inclines were now starting to hurt, but I was still managing to shuffle up each of them. I passed the marathon distance in 3 hours 58 minutes - if I could maintain this pace, I would get under 4.45 - the race against the clock was on as I put my head down and cracked on.
Before I knew it, I had reached the bridge over the railway line, I was running across the bridge across Deerfoot, and up ahead, I could see the red and yellow building (what is that building?!) that signified that the finish line was in sight.
The last mile has a few inclines that really take it out of your legs, and I ran those as hard as I could as I watched the seconds tick by on my watch. I saw Andy ahead of me - come on Del, you can do it - and then as I headed under the final bridge and around the corner for the start of the steep climb where we had started, my watch beeped to tell me I had completed the 50km.
I was so happy to be done, so desperate for food and drinks. I still had a side stitch, I had tummy cramps from the cold and the hunger, my face was freezing along with my hat and gloves, and as I started to cool down, I could feel the chill setting in.
Andy came towards me, asking how I'd got on and I realised I hadn't actually stopped my watch! I was a little frustrated at myself - being a virtual race, you had to post your elapsed time and I had finished under 4 hours 43 minutes but my watch showed at least another 2 minutes on top. Doh! I really missed those race day timekeepers that record your result!
But even with the time I posted, I was very happy with my run given the things I was up against - Frozen Ass 50km number 5 was now complete and I was allowed to relax, eat, and have a beer.
The following day, we had planned to head to Banff. The weather forecast said that things would be much warmer in the mountains, but on arrival, the car thermometer was still reading close to -20. It was a gorgeous sunny day though, and the mountains looked fantastic. We had originally planned to arrive in Banff on the Saturday - had we done so, we would likely have felt the earthquake that struck that day, that measure 4.3 on the Richter scale. Apparently the epicentre was right beneath Cascade Mountain and we did wonder if it had triggered any avalanches up on the nearby slopes.
Thankfully when we arrived, the ground remained steady and having taken the dogs for some off-leash time at the dog park, I had planned to hike Sulphur Mountain with Wilson. He's a much hardier dog than our two Mexican girls, although he is now 10 years old and isn't as fit nor agile as he used to be. Yet he was still excited to be going on a hike with me, so having left Andy and the girls at the gondola, Wilson and I made our way up the mountain.
It was really warm in the trees as they offered some shelter from the wind, and the footing was really good with compact snow and no ice whatsoever. It's always a pleasure spending that quality time with Wilson - he is my shadow and goes pretty much everywhere with me, and we had so much fun on the hike. The wintry conditions did cause him to lift his paws a bit - he started off wearing booties but couldn't grip properly, so ended up bare pawed - but once we'd warmed up his paws, he did a great job on the almost 3,000 feet of ascent.
We hit the top in a shade over an hour, and boy was it windy up there! We did the short hike across the boardwalk to the Cosmic Ray station on the neighbouring peak, and that seemed to be enough for both as us as the wind whipped things up, the sun hid behind the clouds, and the temperature started to drop. We whizzed back down the mountain in record time and thankfully Andy was waiting for us at the bottom. No matter how many times I've hiked Sulphur Mountain, it's always nice to go back up and enjoy those wonderful mountain views. It's also a nice steady hike for the pups, with no ridges that would make it dangerous for me to head up on my own with them.
After a quick drink and a bite to eat, we then headed over the Lake Minnewanka where we had a wander on the frozen lake, took a few photos, and reminisced about the numerous visits we have made here over the years and how things have changed. Thinking back to the day we got married there, it was so quiet without a soul around and yet this weekend, the parking lot was half full, and you bumped into people around every corner - I do miss that mountain solitude sometimes!
It was a flying visit to Banff again, but it made us all very happy and I felt so lucky to have had yet another awesome weekend. It was of course Valentine's Day this weekend which is all about love, and I sure felt the love throughout the weekend. I got to spend some quality time with the pups and Andy, I got to spend some time running, we got to visit the mountains, and we got to do a mountain summit - all the things I love and things that make me happy in life. It was a fantastic weekend, and I really can't wait for the next one :)
