A New Trail - Burnaby Mountain

Against better judgement I headed out for a run today. My right Achilles tendon had improved over the last few days - thanks to lots of ice - and I was hoping for a miraculous recovery....

Alas, it wasn't meant to be. The Achilles tendon felt stiff right from the start and didn't limber up either.

Michelle, Pat and I had chosen to run the Burnaby Mountain Run course, a new CFA event, slated for 1 April. We were not at all familiar with the course and were relying on the course descriptions from Peter, the Event Host. The course description turned out to be flawless, with the exception of the start. I guess during the actual event, that is not a worry, as Peter will point us in the right direction. For us however finding a trail head proved impossible. Run west...yeah right, dang, I didn't bring my compass. Heading towards what we thought was due west, we crossed a big expanse of grassy parkland, but could not identify a visible trail. Via cell phone Ean pointed us in the right direction down along a fence high above Burrard Inlet.

The views of the mountains to the north and the city to the west were breathtaking. Most be stunning on a sparkly sunny day. The trail meandered downhill and via a few legs on the road eventually brought us down to the waterfront. We could see the look-out near the start way above us...Yep, somehow we have to get up there again. We followed parallel to the water and eventually turned uphill. And what an uphill it was. Peter made reference to an 8% grade and raising heartrates and stomach contents. Definetely a killer of a hill.

Running uphill proved difficult on the Achilles and we walked most of it. The last few km's the route flattened out again and rolling back into Burnaby Mountain Park we were even rewarded with a downhill stretch and more beautiful views of the North Shore Mountains.

Mark 1 April on you calendar for this challenging, but rewarding CFA run. You can do one loop of 11.2km or repeat the whole thing for a total of 22.4km. I will update the instructions so that anybody training on the course beforehand will be able to find the initial trail.

Chilie Con Carne - The Secret Ingredient

I love chillies. Comfort food. Easy to make, so many different possibilities. This one is my standart recipe. It always ends up tasting different because I don't measure the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• onions chopped


• garlic, minced


• red and green bell peppers, diced


• jalapeno peppers, minced


• lean ground beef


• can of red kidney beans


• can of diced tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes when in season)


• can of pureed tomatoes


• sugar


• chili powder


• paprika


• cocoa powder


• ground coffee


• salt

Brown the onions and garlic, add the peppers, add meat and brown. Add remaining ingredients. Add water if to thick. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for at least 1h. Serve with rice and corn bread

Book Club Meeting - 20 February 2006

Due to lots of other commitments we were a small group yesterday, but the discussions were good.  We seem to agree that "One Hundred Years of Solitude" was a book worth reading, even though we might have had a hard time with the magical realism and the confusion around the similar names and personalities.

Our next book as suggested by Debra is "The Continuity Girl" by Leah McLaren.  It's supposed to be an easier read.

Next meeting is on the 27th March.  Gabi volunteered to host, but requested a back-up.  In absentia, we "volunteered" Gayle (Gayle please let us know if you would be available as a back-up).

I still think we need a name for our group, don't you?

Injured...

How can an old injury that has been kept in check by regular stretching and specific strengthening exercises pop up out of the blue without warning?

If you know the answer to this I'd like to know if I can make this disappear as fast as it came?

This being my old and formerly chronic Achilles tendinitis. It plagued me for two years. Icing, stretching, strengthening, heel wedges...tried it all. In the end it was probably just time that improved it and finding the balance between too much and not enough running. The mean thing was that the heel always felt best about 1h and more into a run. Lately, it only reminded me with some slight stiffness if I ran too much or ran roads.

Last week, towards the end of a 1:40 trail run in the icy evening air, I noticed that my right calf muscle (or what I thought was the calf muscle) was quite stiff. I stretched and to my dismay could hardly walk on it the next morning. Stubborn as I am, I ventured out for a 60min run with Michelle the next afternoon, only to have to walk it in. I realized that this was the Achilles tendon and not my calf muscle. More ice and no stretching, as it hurt like stink.

Then of course there was the Capilano Canyon Night Run. Can't miss that! It's a tradition. It's my favoured run. So after much soul searching I toed the start line. On the whole the tendon felt fine during the run, just slightly stiff. The last 2k of gently uphill were a blur as the nice Mick family motored uphill and after guiding them through the dark canyon trails I didn't want to get dropped on the last meters.

Off running right now. I registered for the Dirty Duo in 9 days and hope to get rid of this inflammation by then. Wish me luck!

Cornbread

Made this last night for the Capilano Canyon Night Run potluck party. It’s an easy recipe and very yummy.

3 cups cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour
6 tsps. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cayenne
4 eggs slightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk or yoghurt
2 cups grated sharp cheese
2 cups creamed style corn (canned)
1 cup chopped jalapeno peppers
1 cup corn oil

Blend all ingredients well. Pour into a well oiled baking pan (large) and bake for about 45min or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.

Greek Salad

Spicy Squid Salad

Ingredients

• cooked squid


• onions


• ground fried rice


• lime juice


• fresh chili


• mint leaves


• fish sauce


• garlic


• sugar
  


• lettuce


• tomatoes


• cilantro
  

Instructions

Mix cooked squid, rice, onions, garlic, chilies, lime juice, mint leaves, fish sauce and sugar in bowl. Present on bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cilantro