Races, Camping Trips and Planning!

It's been another amazing and busy month with more camping trips, more races, and of course, fun times with the pups who never fail to put a smile on my face.

It all started when I decided at the last minute to do the River's Edge Ultra again out in Devon. Thanks to Covid, all REU races had been cancelled and I had forgotten that I had a race credit still to use up. With a trail marathon on my training schedule for the same weekend as the race, I decided to register for the 50k with the intention of using things as a good final training run for the Grizzly 50k a couple of weeks later.

We decided to make a weekend of it this year, and with free camping provided on-site, we headed over on the Friday evening to pitch the tent and spend a night under the stars. I tend to sleep really well in a tent even the night before a race, and after a really good night's sleep, I was pretty excited to hit the trails the following morning.

Race day dawned and after my usual bowl of porridge and a cup of tea followed by a coffee, I was all set to go. It was quite a chilly start, but things soon warmed up and I was glad I had started in just a singlet and shorts rather than the usual layers I'd be using on my runs during the autumn months. 

We were treated to one the best autumn displays I had ever seen here this year, and the colours were so vibrant. I had an awesome few hours slogging it out up and down the many steep ups and downs, and was loving being out on the trails in the fresh air. I was reminded once again why I do enjoy this event - the course is tough yet beautiful, and that river crossing is so refreshing and adds an element of adventure to the race.

REU - photo thanks to Beautiflow Photography

With making the decision to make a video of the race this year, I wasn't really focused on racing, but when I realised that another lady was trying to chase me down, my competitive instinct kicked in and I admit that maybe, just maybe, I did focus a little more on racing rather than trying to capture some of the stunning scenes on film.

I ended up finishing in around 5 hours 45 minutes, a little longer than I was hoping for, but given the filming, the change in course with LOTS more climbs, and the fact that the course ended up being closer to 53km, I was pretty happy with the result. I also finished 2nd lady overall and 1st in my age group, so came away with another of those awesome log awards that are so carefully crafted by the organisers.

We stayed the Saturday night too, and some of the 100k runners were still running late into the night whilst we sat around the campfire, sharing stories of our race with others and enjoying a good beer or two. Come Sunday morning, the organisers once again provided a pancake breakfast, and with bacon and sausage, hot coffee and lots of other yummy food, it certainly was impressive, and it was good to see that we weren't the only ones that had stayed the extra night to enjoy a hearty breakfast with other runners, volunteers and support crew.

Following the REU, I had a couple of easier weeks as I made final preparations for The Grizzly Ultra. This was meant to have been one of my goal races for the year, but whilst I was excited about racing, Andy had decided that we should try filming the race again which did kind of distract me from doing my own thing on race day. 

The Grizzly is held at the Canmore Nordic Centre and as with the REU, consists of different legs, with a central transition area where all the support crews and spectators hang out. It uses lots of the same trails, but also veers off onto some of the single track which provides some great views of the surrounding mountains. This year, there was a race on both the Saturday and the Sunday, and the two days couldn't have been more different, with the former having beautiful blue skies and warm temperatures, and the latter having a complete mixed bag of weather conditions!

Of course, I was racing on the Sunday, and we were greeted first thing my light snow and much cooler temperatures. The cloud shrouding the mountains sure added a dramatic feel to the venue, and there was certainly a sense of excited and anticipation in the air. Having started in damp, cool conditions, I found myself still warming up very quickly, and I really did not enjoy the first leg - Grey Wolf. I found it hard to get in to the right mental space and I struggled, and on arriving back at my support tent where Andy was waiting for me, I had a meltdown and cried. I certainly didn't want to quit, but having spent the past months desperately wanting a good race here, things were going tits up already.

Grizzly Ultra - Photo Credit the Grizzly Ultra

I managed to pull my together and get going again once I had changed in to shorts and cooler clothing, and whilst leg 2 still didn't exactly have me feeling my best, I was starting to settle in to the race a little better. It was leg 3 Odyssey that really got me back it to race mode. The field had opened up, I'd found my space, and with lots of single track running that was quite technical in places, I was starting to find my groove and actually enjoying myself. The remainder of the race went along a similar vein - I was much happier and feeling better with every step, and when the snow really started to come down towards the end, I was loving it!

Once again, I finished in a much slower time than I had hoped for with around 5 hours 45 minutes, but I was still happy to have made my age group podium, coming away with third place in my age group. I really do think the Grizzly is a fantastic event, so well organised and you certainly get lots for your money, but I also find it far too popular for my liking and I think the crowds at the start were a little too much for me this time around. It's crazy thinking about it. I used to love doing the city marathons and larger road races, but in recent years, I have become so accustomed to having my own space and running solo that having all those people around me in a race stresses me out. I guess I need to get used to having people around me again, especially if I plan to do another marathon again next year.

Race Day goodies from the Grizzly Ultra

The Grizzly was my last race for 2021, and in a way I am glad about that. I haven't had a bad year of running, but not of my races have really gone as planned, and whilst I'll agree that it's been another funny year thanks to Covid, I am also a little disappointed and feel like it's been a bit of anticlimax.

But I'm one of those people that doesn't look back, and I am looking forward to next year with far more optimism. I've already registered for the Red Deer Marathon in the hope that I can break 3 hours 15 minutes and qualify for the Championship event in London, England. I also have Rundles Revenge in June, and the 5 Peaks season pass for northern Alberta. As yet though, I haven't thought much beyond June and I really don't know what I want to do race wise. Part of me wants to do the Javelina Jundred again or at least another 100 miler, and I am also tempted by trying a 72 hour race or even the 6 day event at Across the Years, but I really can't think that far ahead right now. Needless to say, I will of course update you once I have made my decision :)

One of the good things with planning on doing another marathon is that speedwork has made an appearance in my training schedule again. I've not done speed sessions for quite a while and I do find it difficult running at a faster pace. 

Feeling happy and motivated with my running :)

Back to the trails and loving my running again :)

One of the things I have started to do again is the River Valley Park Run in Edmonton on a Saturday morning. My best time on that particular course is 22 minutes which I set last year when I WAS doing speedwork. Admittedly it was during the winter months and I could probably have dipped under 22 minutes on a better day, but it is what it is. Anyhow, my recent goal has been to crack that 22 minutes with eventually going under 21 again, although that is quite a ways away right now. I headed to Park Run last month with no really expectations, and I was well chuffed to have ran 22.13 as my official time that day. I went back again this weekend to see how I got on, and was once again very happy to get an official Park Run time of 22.07 despite struggling with a bad back and tight glutes again right now. I didn't get a course PR this weekend, but it was still an improvement on the one I did a month or so again, and that is progress :) I am pretty sure that the sub 22 minutes will be mine by Christmas.

River Valley Park Run - PC Coral Weibe

Talking of Christmas, whilst I say I have no races now until next year, I have registered for a couple of virtual events with Sinister Sports - Runnuka and the Advent run. The swag looks very festive and I love the thought of "ugly Christmas running shirts", and I am hoping that taking part in these events will give me the motivation to run over the coming weeks and move towards another new year.

Of course, outside of running I am still making my YouTube videos and we have been doing tons of camping this year. A couple of weeks ago, we made it out to Ghost PLUZ and spent a night in a hot tent, utilizing a woodstove to see how it would cope when the weather really does start to cool off and we finally get some snow. It was a great weekend out in the wilds with Andy and the pups, and with barely anybody around with it being the end of October, it felt like we had the entire area to ourselves. We are hoping to do more winter camping this year and will be spending more time outdoors, and I am really looking forward to the things we have planned.

Camping at Ghost PLUZ

Night time views at Ghost PLUZ

Then there's our pups - Wilson, Tillie and April - who all bring such joy, happiness and laughter to our family. The three of them are little stars and they have shared those camping trips with us out in the great outdoors, they love their visits to the dog park every week, and since the weather went much cooler, Wilson and April have been joining me at the running group every week for an easy 6km run (Tillie doesn't like cool weather so has stayed home snuggled up in her bed). Some of my videos are about my pups, as well as running and camping, as they make up a huge part of my life and make me who I am. I love them to bits and don't know what I would do without them.

Local run group and puppy jog :)

Fun times with our furry gang :)

So there you go - a very quick catchup on what's been happening over the past few weeks. Things have certainly been hectic, but I'm hoping to get back to more regular updates on here so that I don't fall behind quite so much again next time :)

If you fancy watching any of the videos mentioned above, you can of course check out "Del's Jogs with Dogs" by clicking on the link. It's been almost a year now since I started the channel and I'm really happy with how it's growing and with the number and variety of videos on there.

Until next time, happy trails and happy running, and of course, happy waggy tails to all those pups out there!