Blown away

Zdenek and I are both suffering from illnesses at the moment, and when the alarm went off this morning in the dark hours before sunrise, my head throbbed as though I had been punched repeatedly throughout my sleep. We stumbled out of bed to brew our usual cup of Tim’s (stores have been replenished following our trip to Canada last week), but questioned whether a run was really the best idea.

We live on a rather gusty block of the Upper West Side due to our proximity to the Hudson River. In the summer the strong breezes off the water offer a welcome respite from the otherwise stale and humid air, but wintertime typically finds us running to the shelter of our doorstep to avoid the icy chill blowing through us. This morning, however, we were greeted by an unseasonably warm wind (18 degrees Celsius!) as we stepped outside, and my shorts and t-shirt seemed strangely appropriate for December 3.

The skies above hung low and dark, but in the East -- towards Central Park -- the first rays of the morning sunrise poked through. The clouds, tinged with silver, moved eastward at a formidable clip; we chased them, the wind at our backs. And then, ten minutes into our run, I looked up to find that half of the sky had cleared. By three miles, the sun had risen and the clouds were entirely blown away. Manhattan was bathed in blue skies and fresh, warm air -- as though the rain clouds had never passed through at all.

Today’s 10k turned out to be respectable but too difficult (and hours later, I still feel like crawling back into bed). But bearing witness to this morning’s skies -- and the extraordinarily quick turn of events overhead -- made it worth the effort. I treasure runs like today’s. If only my sickness would change course as quickly.

Timbit*5=Donut

I feel as though the summer is quickly coming to an end and I have a limited number of days on which the weather will be warm and the sky bright enough to cycle. I'm trying to make the most of every weekend we have left, and since we'll be out of town beginning Saturday, I was looking forward to a long and enjoyable ride with Zdenek and his bro this past weekend.

I find that my body gets the best deal by cycling on Saturday and saving my long run for Sunday. For some reason, it's much easier to run, rather than cycle, on tired legs. Perhaps it's because I'm a better adapted (and therefore more efficient) runner, but more likely it's because I'm rather immune to the inconveniences and pains of running (e.g., it is difficult), while I can always find things to complain about in cycling: too much traffic; my butt hurts; my hands hurt; too many pedestrians; my helmet is too tight; my glasses fog up; my toes hurt; my pedals are too stiff; my knee hurts; my gears are shifting funny; my butt hurts (again). The slightest bit of fatigue is bound to make a cycle seem like much more of a chore than simply zoning out and plodding along, no matter how bad the weather or how tired my body.

New York City has been hot, muggy, and afflicted with impromptu thunderstorms over the past several days. On Friday, we carefully studied the weather.com forecast and determined that we had a better chance of clear skies on Sunday than Saturday. We thus reversed our usual order of events and put in a solid 11 mile run under Saturday's sticky conditions. It never did rain that day. On Sunday (after I made the classic set-the-alarm-for-pm-instead-of-am mistake) we woke up slightly too late for any ride in Central Park that would be unimpeded by hundreds of wandering tourists and meandering pedicabs, but because a risk of thundershowers made a ride to and from Nyack a bit of gamble, we opted to take our chances in the Park. My brother-in-law bailed. While we managed 36 miles at a respectable pace, the road was a bit of a zoo by that hour and my legs were far too tired from the previous day's run to fully enjoy the ride. After Zdenek dropped me for the umpteenth time and I pedaled as hard as I could to catch him, he turned to me and said, "You must be really tired today." I'll try to pretend that he meant that in a sympathetic way. (And to add insult to injury, the promised thunderstorms failed to materialize.)

After so many raw deals, Zdenek and I finally visited a New York City Tim Hortons location on Sunday afternoon. But from the logo on the storefront, to the inside decor, to the selection of food and beverages, it simply wasn't what we were accustomed to. Nevertheless, we purchased one pound of coffee, which, much to my surprise and annoyance, cost over a dollar more than up north. Because we had walked almost 20 blocks to get there, I rewarded us with the purchase of two Timbits. They were dry and flavourless (what is going on here?). On the upside, we didn't have to pay anything for them, and the kind man behind the counter even threw in two more, no charge. As he explained, the cash registers have "no buttons for one Timbit, two Timbits, three Timbits...,"nor any quantity of Timbits less than ten (but if you buy five, they charge you for a donut). So as far as I can estimate, the best deal I got this weekend was worth $0.68.

13

Number of Tim Hortons stores said to be opening in NYC on Monday, July 13.

Fortuitously enough, we neglected to bring back any Tim's from Canada this time around, incorrectly assuming there would be a shop at our gate in the airport (there was not). The timing of this announcement therefore could not be better.

It's a small world!

Today Zdenek and I ran 10 km. The entire time, my stomach sloshed back and forth like the Bay of Fundy (you need to visit to get the joke). It's been only four days, but I have been ingesting insane amounts of food (most of it greasy and/or carb-laden) and an equally insane amount of drink. Isn't that what vacations are all about?

In any case, it's been a spectacular day, and this trip is getting better and better. We had a last hurrah in New Brunswick (through Hopewell Rocks and Moncton) and then headed into PEI. Wow. This island is simply stunning. At every turn we are amazed, and I just can't believe it took me 31 years to see this part of my country.

After checking in to our accommodation tonight, we took our 10k run down a lonely, deserted road (which basically describes most of PEI). It was tough and hilly and we felt like crap (and my stomach sloshed the entire time, which may have been due to the beer and pizza in Moncton three hours prior, or could have possibly been caused by the Tim Hortons I enjoyed along the Acadian coast just before crossing Confederation Bridge). Although it rained most of the time, it was completely cleansing. We both felt refreshed upon finishing, so we rewarded ourselves with another bottle of wine, a pound of PEI mussels, some Newfoundland cod cakes, and a bowl of fresh mussel chowder.

Did I mention that we're eating and drinking an awful lot?

Upon returning back to our B&B tonight, we arrived to find two lovely ladies who, of course, are friends of friends. Canada is small country. It is also a wonderful one. Tomorrow, we'll pay homage to all of it!

Having fun in Fundy

We're currently on the Princess of Acadia ferry taking the crossing from Digby, Nova Scotia, to St. John, New Brunswick (sorry, folks, no hyperlinks today; this internet connection on the ferry is much too slow and unreliable to be looking up other webpages). Zdenek and I keep saying to each other that we just don't have enough time! There is so much to see and do and we are barely hitting the tip of the iceberg.

Since I last made my half-drunken post on Sunday night, we enjoyed a great sleep in Lunenburg at the Ashlea House and then headed across the province to Annapolis Royal. We're certainly getting our Canadian history lessons in! Annapolis Royal was a bit of a sleepy town (I think we were one of about 20 people in town), but we had the chance to visit one of the first settlements in North America at Port-Royal, where we practically had the place to ourselves. We also stayed at the most ridiculous Victorian mansion, the Queen Anne Inn, built as a wedding present from a father to a son in the 1800s. Wow, did that bride marry right!

The Annapolis river basin, which opens into the Bay of Fundy, is expansive, lush, and beautiful. We explored a bit by foot yesterday afternoon, taking a five or six mile run around a Ducks Unlimited wetland marsh. Zdenek and I both felt heavy and tired -- it was a run that was sorely needed, but left us feeling pretty sore, too! It's amazing how just two days of booze and heavy food can leave you feeling tired and sluggish. The surroundings were lovely, though -- in addition to the many ducks and birds, we even spotted the Canadian mascot, a beaver, swimming alongside us!

Today we are headed across the Bay of Fundy -- home to the world's highest tides -- to visit the next Canadian province on our itinerary. There is an interpretive program on board and we're told that we may spot several species of whales along the crossing! That would make this $180 ferry ride (no joke) well worth it. We'll spend the rest of the day exploring the Fundy coast, taking a hike in Fundy National Park, and then overnighting at our own private suite in Hopewell Cape. Tomorrow we'll walk on the ocean floor at Hopewell Rocks during low tide (the tides rise 16 meters in six hours) before heading to PEI for some Canada Day fun!

The weather thus far has been drizzly and overcast, but we haven't been stuck in a downpour -- yet! Fingers crossed. While I miss the sun, I'll take anything but rain. I had my first taste of Tim Hortons this morning, and it was as just as good as what we brew up at our place on the Upper West Side.

Off to see some whales now!

Back to the old country!

After a solid 24 mile ride this morning (what a treat to get up at 6:30 am instead of 5:30 am!), Zdenek and I are headed to the homeland today!

I look forward to enjoying Tim's from the source, visiting my favourite Canadian drugstore, and the ability to look in my wallet and immediately tell how much money I have because the bills do not all look the same. I look forward to visiting a part of my country that, pathetically, I have never been to, and celebrating Canada Day on Prince Edward Island with my fellow Canucks. I look forward to visiting Cape Breton Island and the Cabot Trail (pictured above), and I'm betting this will not be the last time we go. I look forward to spotting whales, seeing the world's highest tides, and visiting one the UNESCO World Heritage sites in North America. And I am salivating at the thought of eating Digby scallops, PEI mussles, and lobster, lobster, lobster!

Off we go!

Complainers need not apply

One nice thing about running is that it requires no mechanical equipment. Sure, a watch or heart rate monitor might fail during a run, or even during a race, but this hardly impacts the quality of the run. The weather is a minor concern -- I’ve run in -36 degrees Celsius and +36 degrees Celsius. Neither is particularly fun, but both are do-able. For the most part, a runner doesn’t need to worry about anything except his or her body. And even if an injury or blister does necessitate cutting the run short or stopping altogether, it’s usually pretty straightforward to walk home (or even catch a ride if possible).

Cycling is not so straightforward. Part of what makes cycling so much fun is the ability to go fast -- sometimes very fast -- but this requires mechanical equipment. It also requires a litany of specialized and expensive attire and accessories: padded shorts, cleated shoes, gloves, a helmet, eyewear, etc. If it’s rainy or windy, cycling is miserable at best and dangerous at worst. If it’s snowy or icy, it’s downright suicidal. And because cycling involves going fast, it also means moving very quickly away from one’s starting point. It is not so straightforward to walk or hitch a ride home if the rider or the bike should malfunction.

The relative hassles of cycling were reinforced for my husband and me this morning. We got up today at 5:30 am, excited (sort of) to cycle together for the first time in over a week. We planned on a full 18 miles, hence the early wake-up call. It was cold, drizzly, windy, and foggy when we left the house at 6 am. This was less than ideal, but I tried to focus on the positive and use the opportunity to work on my drafting skills again! About three miles in, however, Zdenek got a flat. While he encouraged me to keep riding, it was sad to leave him and even sadder when I passed him on my first loop. It was a sight for sore eyes -- my poor husband at 6:15 am, about 1.5 miles from home, walking home in miserable weather wearing tight shorts and bike cleats. (His morning went from bad to worse when I returned home an hour later [after an awesome ride, but today I won’t gloat] and sat down to have breakfast with him. One tug of a placemat here, one movement of a laptop there, and suddenly Zdenek’s morning Tim’s was all over his pants and shirt.)

The nice thing about Zdenek is that he rarely complains (he has other nice qualities, too, but this is a particularly special one). I, on the other hand, have been told I can be a chronic complainer (whiner, some might say), and I'm not sure I would have handled a flat this morning with as much grace as he showed. It’s probably a good thing that I started as a runner and then moved on to cycling, because I may never have found my inner athlete if it had been the other way around.

I (heart) Tim

Recently I received a message from my very injured Canadian running coach, Kevin, describing the extent and impact of his running-related injuries. Here in New York, I have an American friend, Caitlin, who describes herself as a "running, swimming, biking, squash-playing, cooking, nature-loving, early-morning-rising" kind of girl. Caitlin has also recently suffered a string of terrible injuries. Only she can relay the series of events correctly, but I think it started with sciatica and ended with her in physio every other day for three hours at a time (I've been known to exaggerate, but this is no exaggeration), being treated for everything from a stress reaction in her foot to a bum hip. Because she's had to lay off the running (and even forgo a planned marathon this spring), cycling, and squash, her injuries have been the source of both physical and emotional distress. I can only imagine her frustration; the most serious injury I've suffered to-date is a swollen second toe -- apparently diagnosed as plantar capsilitus by my celebrity podiatrist (that is, a podiatrist to the celebrities of running), and which I will no doubt get to at some point in a future post -- and though I've had the occasional shin pain or sore knee or tight plantar fascia, I've never had to take a day off of running because of a running-related injury (which is quite amazing, all things considered).

Note: not my foot

It is therefore with much sympathy that I've been following Caitlin's injury rehabilitation. So when, a few days ago, I received an email from Kevin describing his litany of injuries and the associated sadness/pain/frustration/anger that goes with them, I thought Caitlin might like to know that she's not the only one out there who is suffering. I excerpted a part of his email to show to her, which included the following line: "I can't do ANYTHING without intense pain--inline skate, elliptical, cycle...even a 1 mile walk to Tim Hortons has me in tears (from the pain, but also from the hopelessness and powerlessness of not being able or allowed to even TRY at anything)." While Cailtin replied that she could most definitely relate to Kevin's pain and frustration, she added at the end, "I like that he walks a mile to eat donuts at Tim Horton's, hehe." But as any Canadian reader would have already understood, it's highly unlikely that Kevin was trying to walk a mile for donuts. Though I haven't confirmed this with him, I'm guessing that he was attempting the trek for the sake of Tim Hortons coffee.


Tim's is something of an institution in Canada. It's eponymous Canadian founder was a former NHL player for teams that included the Toronto Maple Leafs and the New York Rangers, but, for most Canadians today, Tim Horton's is synonymous with deliciously wonderful coffee. It has an earthy richness to it that goes down like a warm embrace in your belly, and, in my house, Tim's is all my husband and I drink. About two years ago, we began hauling it back with us to NYC every time we visited Canada, and we now try to buy a sufficient number of tins to hold us through to our next planned trip. (Canadian visitors to our humble abode are encouraged to bring a tin, too.) My family, who are also Tim's devotees, drinks several cups of the stuff each day. Last summer, on vacation with my parents in Ecuador, it was amusing to find my java-loving dad drinking only tea for two weeks: they don't have Tim's in South America.

While I normally enjoy my Tim's after my morning run and before heading to work, there have been an increasing number of studies over the last few months documenting the positive effect of caffeine on athletic performance. Apparently all one needs is about one mg of caffeine per one kg of body weight to see a beneficial effect on endurance and performance; five or six mgs/kg is probably okay, but nine mgs/kg can actually be detrimental. Since the average 12 oz cup of drip coffee contains about 200 mg of caffeine, that means I'm pretty much good to go with one cup of coffee before my run. So over the last few months, I have changed my Saturday morning long run routine to include rolling out of bed at 7 am to brew half a pot of Tim's (I don't have time to brew, drink, and let the "gastrointestinal effect" of coffee kick in before my weekday runs). Every 50-60 minutes during my long runs, I also typically ingest a chocolate-flavored Power Gel that contains 25 mg of caffeine (I recommend Power Gel, not GU, because the former has a 4:1 sodium:potassium ratio while the latter does not, and I've read that this is the optimal ratio for achieving optimal performance).

I can't say that the extra caffeine has had much, if any, positive effect on my performance, but I don't think it's harming it, either. I do remember a few long runs over the last few years, though, on which I was so tired that I thought I might be able to shut my eyes and doze off for a few minutes while still plodding along. I haven't felt that way this season, so maybe the caffeine actually is doing something. (This would make some sense, since I often run on Saturdays until 11:30 am, and by this time of the morning on any other day I would already have two cups of Joe -- excuse me, Tim's -- under my belt.) On the other hand, back when I was young and foolish and first started running routinely, I typically partied away my Friday nights and would roll out of bed hungover and on a few hours of sleep to begin Saturday morning's run. Over the last year, I've become a bit of an old fart, and I'm now pretty vigilant about 10:30 pm bedtimes on Fridays. So it may not be the caffeine at work, but rather the extra dose of prudence.

The jury is still out on whether my pre-run cup of Tim's is actually helping me to run faster, further, or stronger on Saturday mornings. It does, however, provide a good incentive to get out of bed on a weekend morning. And I imagine that, God forbid I should ever end up as injured as Caitlin or Kevin, walking to get a freshly brewed cup at the nearest store will provide a good form of cross-training -- especially if I have to walk all the way to Canada!