I look way to serious…..and the grey hair is hidden!

That was a good day…and not because of the effort nor the finish, the race…it’s everything else.

Yes, it was a pleasant suprise…it felt effortless for the most part….I wasn’t expecting that, for a number of reasons.

I know I should eat before any effort, but circumstances sort of derailed my usual….away from home, I don’t normally run at 10:30, I’m usually done by that time…..and I hadn’t packed anything with me…a gel would have been nice…..all I had was a half a bottle of water, and that was it….my stomach was growling at me at the start.

The bouce, and ease wasn’t expected….you never know how the training is going until you do this stuff, and honestly my training, while I do follow a plan, can always be all over the place…..I like doing a lot of stuff…running, biking, swimming, strength…and just having fun.

It seems like the little things has helped.

Faster runs with faster people for sure….The Run Club Runs that I lead 3 times a week seems to have attracted a group of really strong runners…I can’t always keep up, but trying to has in turn made me stronger and quicker…….the body’s responded well.

And biking, not a lot of it, just short rides sometimes just to work and back….a few hills, always a good climb riding home at the end of the day…it seems like accidental strength training…..

and yeah, some strength training…..I don’t do a lot of it, but like today, it feels good…..

Now the day after….I hit the gym.

I have a pretty set routine, I can’t move huge weights (yet?) but getting older, I know I need it, and I know I need to train….I see so many in my gym just going through motions, I’m not sure what they’re doing or why they’re here……

I like it though….working every body part, throwing in some exercises for fun, sometimes focusing on others, adding this and that…..something that has helped has been my study time with Alberta Fitness…I now have a better understanding what each movement does, which works what, and how those muscles work….

The one thing I have to work at more is my core, my abs…I skipped the planks this morning, I’ll fix that as the week goes on…and today was higher reps to get the lactic acid out, not to do endurance, but just strength training…….and yeah, that all important smoothy afterwards….

The best part of yesterday? Seeing a lot of people I hadn’t for a long time..I love that.

Over the years you collect a lot of contacts, but just the nature of life you don’t get to see a lot of them…sometimes just in passing…but yesterday, you cheer as they go by, say hello after it’s all said and done……it social….so social…I crossed paths with people I haven’t seen for so long, and there were a few I really miss seeing, and a few where we just know each other thanks to STRAVA, Facebook, and connections; friends in common….

It was also special to see a few people that have taken clinics from me, one very recent, one from over a decade(s) ago…….

I have a few races coming up on the months to come, I’m in-between instructing clinics at this point..two more coming up soon…..and then there’s the Victoria Half Marathon in October…..could have I run a half marathon yesterday, probably, but the 10K was a nice test.

Now to recover from the strength training….

w