My first half marathon

Halfway through the summer I decided I was running long enough and frequently enough (3 times a week at 8-10km each?) that a half marathon would be totally feasible this season. So! I signed up for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon on October 20th. 21.1 km, I was going to run all those kilometres.

Admittedly, due to my schedule in the two months prior to the race, I started to get a little nervous about if I'd get enough practice time. There had already been one trip out to Montreal in September and another planned for right after the race to Brossard to do instrumentation on the Daigneault Creek Bridge. The TA position had lots of lab marking to do and I was to try and polish/practice my presentation for the INALCO aluminium conference that was the day after the race. I figured out that the schedule would be tight after I signed up for the race since the date triggered something in my mind; six months ago I waved it off figuring I'd just come up with a solution, which I did, where I just had to sacrifice sleep. I was able to increase my confidence on my running when I completed a 17 km run the Saturday before the race and it felt good.

Unfortunately for out-of-towners, race packet pick-up could not be done the day of the race since there were 25,000 people signed up for the event (8,000 marathoners, 10,000 half-marathoners, 7,000 5 km runners). My dad was awesome and drove me out to Toronto on Friday night for the racing bib and then again on Sunday morning for the race. Having only the option to leave Waterloo around 5pm, I'd say we got a medium level of rush hour traffic, so we still got there before the event closed. The runner's expo was held around the CNE buildings where there were booths for sports fuel, drinks, clothes, magazines, and charities; it was huge. At this point I changed my corral colour from the 1:50 - 2:00 pace group to the 2:00 - 2:09 since my pacing was pretty slow on my longer Saturday run. I was also starting to get pretty darn nervous.

Saturday was a quiet day where I had to pack for my conference, field work, and CCX swing exchange in Montreal for the entirety of the next week. Luckily, I could give Pampa and Patrick a bunch of the supplies and clothes I needed for the field work so I didn't have to pack them in my carry on. This was also a day where I was careful what I ate because I didn't want to have to make pitstops that can be so easy while running past the university. I went to bed early-ish, it wasn't a super exciting day but I needed to relax. The biggest event of the day was that I found Hello Kitty ductape at Rona on sale.

Sunday was race day! I woke up at 5:30am in order to get picked up at 6:00 am and Tim a few minutes later. I slept vicariously through him because he sleeps so wonderfully in moving vehicles when he's a passenger. Approaching Toronto was when reality started to hit; I saw road closure signs, officials on Lakeshore Blvd setting up barriers, and people walking down Queen St. in colourful runners and leggings. Oh yes, and it was also something like 2°C in the morning so I brought everything from t-shirt to my winter running jacket. At the starting line, music was blaring, crowds were warming up and stretching, it was such high and positive energy. Keeping my coat and pants on as long as possible, Tim and my parents keep me distracted until the first group left. As the national anthem was being played, I was stepping side to side to keep moving and warm, and I reminded myself of nearly every hockey player in the NHL. Councillor Doug Ford sounded the horn for each corral, people clapped, and the guy next to me cheekily said if we're allowed to boo. I asked if him and his brother are running as well. As the horn sounded for my group, we walked forward for some time until we approached the starting gate.

My run felt light and easy, which was welcomed; starting off the race well. Figuring I wouldn't push it just yet, I kept that pace, but then I realized the 2:00 half-marathon pace bunny that was well ahead of me at the start was now at my side. Needless to say, that was a comforting thought. The race started at Nathan Philips Square, up University, west on Bloor, south on Bathurst, out west on Lakeshore to High Park area, back on Lakeshore up to Bay and back to City Hall. The full marathon extended on the other side out towards the beaches which my starting line neighbour told me is a nice section of the race.

A few things I noticed; there were way more onlookers and supporters than I ever imagined, being in a huge running group was a new and awesome feeling, and the 13 km mark was the biggest slog for myself and everyone else who I asked ran the half marathon. People with posters had everything from "Go random stranger" to "You're running better than the government". As for that 13 km mark, I wouldn't say I struggled, I just felt less peppy; it was out at the extreme end of the Lakeshore section, so either the fact that you're the farthest from the finish line or the grade, it just wasn't the happiest for people. Past the half way mark, I was starting to look forward to seeing the kilometre marker signs, not that I was ailing, but more like a mental count down. As for normally singing songs in my head, I had less of that because there were so many new stimuli that I was just watching. I did actually start practicing my conference talk around the 13 km mark, maybe that's why it wasn't as easy! Towards the end I was singing Nyan Cat to the beat of my cadence. I developed a good technique for drinking those water/Gatorade cups by 1) making a mess of myself the first time (which I only took advantage of around the 10 km mark) 2) stealing the idea from a guy ahead of me. Pinching the cup to make a V-shape funnel makes for a more effective drinking. Now you know.

People had made a big deal about the hill at the end of the race up from Lakeshore to City Hall on the race site forums, but it really wasn't bad if you're used to Waterloo. I'd say it was equivalent to heading north on King from University to Columbia. Having the last kilometre marked out every 100 m, I began sprinting at 300 m so that I know I ended strong. I was pretty darn happy. Took me a while to find my parents and Tim again because apparently a full marathoner came at about the same time as I did and everyone was going nuts because he broke the record. That's great and all but I broke my own record, 1:56:15, so...there. :P I got lots of hugs once I did find my awesome cheering squad, which was the best feeling of the day :)

Hiking to Eugenia Falls and Old Baldy

On the Saturday of Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, Tim and I drove out for a hike along the Bruce Trail. Knowing that he got a nice DSLR camera recently and had been playing with it lots, it was an opportune time with the fall colours to get outside. I also kept the location secret until we were driving!

Parking on a little street north of Eugenia (had to go a few places to find out that the parking was just on the dirt road where there was a bit of a clearing), we packed up out stuff; Tim with his camera, tripod, and binoculars, and me with the food, water, med kit, and map.

I'm just there for scale and light balance

Using the tripod!

The trail starts off at the 54.1 km mark going down the valley from the road, passing by a small empty green field along the left. Hooking to the south to go along the valley, the forest area was really colour above and underfoot.

The tree's on fire!

There was no one on this part of the trail, so it was very peaceful and we had all the space we wanted to take pictures. On either side of the lookout, there are two stone culverts that were used in an attempt to make a hydro station in the early 1900's.

I was throwing leaves and stuff in the air while Tim was doing something meaningful with the camera settings

Gotta love that 10 second timer :)

Needless to say, the lookout point was spectacular...

Going down after the lookout point was a bit funny because we lost the trail, we tried going down this gravel hillside that was a bit slippery, but then we heard voices and saw the other culvert arch so all went well. On the return I'm sure we lost the trail again, but it was easier to see the destination. Regardless, we may have cut off some distance to Eugenia falls that way, helped by the fact that the water is low from the dam and the season.

Looking at the edge of Eugenia Falls

Probably shouldn't step back

To the right of Eugenia Falls,

To the left of the falls, with the secondary waterfall

Looking down from the edge was really cool, I took off my glasses first

Tim looking pensive and wise

The falls  from top to bottom

Despite the lack of people in these pictures, there were many people at Eugenia Falls, most of them with really big nice cameras too. One of them offered to take this picture, but too bad you don't see more of Tim.

Just enjoying the view

Playing with long exposures

The trail continued downstream a bit to get a better whole view of the falls. That leg to the right is the whole part we skipped by going down the steeper hill on the way in.

It used to be much larger before Eugenia Falls, Hoggs Falls, and a few others were harnessed for hydro

This was my photo because when I asked for Tim to focus on the spider he thrust the camera in my hands

History of the dam

A really successful long exposure shot upstream of the falls

At the most upstream point on the trail, you cross a pedestrian bridge. I decided to test how it vibrates. Conclusion: it doesn't, well not that much. It was a wood deck/railing bridge with a few steel girders underneath. You could tell there was a lot of redundancy.

This one didn't want to come out of the water

Walking along the north shore near the falls on the way out

Knit by my mom, this little one was for my trip to the Rockies and has hung out on my current backpack wherever I go

We returned the way we walked in, but we got a couple of different shots along the way.

Tim found a nice rock where he did a few poses, but this was after he stopped posing. My favourite

After getting back to the car, we decided to go check out Old Baldy. I was hoping it wouldn't be paid parking because the map had a red P instead of black, turns out it just means a larger parking area. When looking up pictures of this place the week before, it seems this place is popular with climbers.

The climb up the hill by car was really darn steep and less than 1-1/2 cars width. We saw this cyclist on the way up and we both had so much respect for this guy.

This guy's such a trooper!

The walk to Old Baldy was really short so there were lots of people around not with intense hiking gear. What surprised Tim and I was the lack of signage warning of the steep cliff...even BC had signs when ridges and drop offs were coming. At its highest, Old Baldy is a 150 m drop, pretty darn sizeable!

No warning signs, but the view was excellent!

Holding onto the branch for some stability (I'm right on the cliff edge)

Tim was chasing some turkey vultures with his camera and then he got a few nice shots of Beaver Valley Ski Hill.

And the tall, skinny trees that look like they're on fire

Adventure pose!

Trying to get some depth perception on that edge, but it's difficult

Now we get to see the actual cliff part

Of course, sitting right on the edge of the lookout

I found the climbers! There are signs advising not to throw stuff off the edge

Big Ann, tiny trees

Perfect weather. Perfect scenery. Perfect company.
:)

Backpacking to Berg Lake/Mount Robson in the Rockies

This year I had the opportunity to join Nigel on some of his backpacking adventures back home in Edmonton. Having been told he'd be "slightly disappointed" (being such a chill person I knew this would not be a line to cross) if my plane arrived during an act he may really like at the Edmonton Folk Festival, so I arrived the next day. It was the same weekend at the Kitchener Blues Festival, so I had made the best of that here. I'd tell you something interesting happened on my flight or a funny story, but I suppose an uneventful flight is a good one. Getting to Nigel's parents' home, I immediately wanted to take their yard home with me; gigantic sunflowers, raspberry bushes and cherry trees everywhere. From their place, I had a very good view of the refineries, which really reminded me where I was. The day was pretty relaxed, packing stuff up and getting things organized for the trip, which Nigel and his dad were clearly experienced at and helped a bunch. I was also sleep deprived from the blues late night a few days before and waking up at 4am for my flight so I was ready to start catching up on sleep.

Starting the trip

Thanks to my mom for the knit portable Totoro, it got lots of likes at the airport

Mountain sheep!

Starting the hike

Nigel captured the sunny rain

Kinney Lake

View from Whitehorn campsite

Suspension bridge!

You can see the two colours of glacier water mixing (or lack of mixing)

Me on the suspension bridge

Tuesday we headed out at a reasonable morning time, threw our packs in the car and started the 5-6 hour drive along the Yellowhead Trail through to Jasper National Park. Jumping just over into BC, we get to Mount Robson Provincial Park where we had an almost comically grumpy park lady. The first 4 km are a wide, very well packed, and a constant shallow grade increased trail that is used by day walkers, hikers, and runners alike. The trail follows the creek (read: very fast and high flow creek) to Kinney Lake, the first of the available camp sites. It was around here where we got our first little blip of rain. Since it was large enough drops, we suited up, but the rain stopped not long afterwards and sunny skies broke through. Getting past the 6 km bike parking point, the trail gets hillier and the steep cliffs and drop offs start (but still in the trees). Crossing the flats at the head of Kinney Lake and collecting our first water from the creek (and me learning how to chlorinate it), we cross to the other side and onto a medium-level steep portion. We crossed a suspension bridge which lead to our first campsite at Whitehorn at 11 km. The site was in the valley between Mount Robson and Whitehorn where little white trickles of water were all individual waterfalls (and likely really large you just couldn't tell). The sites are apparently very well set up, even by Rockies standards, with lock boxes instead of bear poles, washbasins, and greywater pits. The din of the super active waters of the creek at our campsite was relaxing. Each dinner was the same but still really good; macaroni, a tomato veggie basil soup mix, and beef jerky. Tuesday night was the only clear night and we stayed out to watch the stars and the last days of the Perseids. Even though it was early in the night, we saw a few meteors which was awesome.

Wednesday morning was our second hike day with another 11 km, but this is where it got steeper. Walking upstream, we crossed the waters again and then made our climb through the Valley of a Thousand Falls (I hesitated telling my mom the name of this part of the trail before I left). Switchbacks took us through the trees with strategically placed lookouts for White Falls, Falls of the Pool, and Emperor Falls. All of the falls were impressive, but Emperor Falls wins by far. Being able to walk right up to them, there was less wind and mist standing right next to the falls than being 20 ft away. There was a very nice rainbow and secondary bow but we missed the photo op. Once we spent a bunch of time around the falls, we walked on to reach the downstream end of Berg Lake, where Mist Glacier was readily visible. It's the dirtier of the lake-side glaciers but the colour between the seracs (the almost pillars of ice formed by cracks) was still deep blue. As we walked alongside the edge of Berg Lake, Berg Glacier became more visible. Our lunch spot was right on the lake's edge (~9 km), with the unseasonably warm temperatures preventing us from feeling cold whilst in t-shirts and shorts. It was in the timeframe for a few hours that the peak of Mount Robson was visible, which made for very awesome pictures. Walking 2 km further, we got to the Robson Pass campsite, where we spent two nights. Since we arrived at the campsite early afternoon, we went on a short day hike up to Mumm Basin. We didn't get to the caves but we got as high up at the trail goes on Mumm Peak. There were fantastic views of the surrounding mountains and we had crossed the border between BC and Alberta. After dinner we ventured out to Adolphus Lake, which we had seen on our hike up Mumm Peak and it was much more colourful (greens and blues) than Berg Lake (a blue-milky colour).

At Falls of the Pool

Emperor Falls 

Me being silly right next to the falls,  and yes that's all water

Mount Robson, clearly this is my wallpaper now

It was really cold water

Berg Glacier

The top of the summit, the ridged part of snow to the right progressively turned to ice throughout Wednesday

Duckies!

Our campsite at Robson Pass

There was a little rain overnight, but nothing too major. It still looked a tad cloudy in the morning, which lead us to bring our rain gear with us in our packs for the day hike to Snowbird Pass. Luckily, the clouds lightened up and past the 1-2 hour mark, there were only happy clouds. The trail followed the creek upstream of Berg Lake around Rearguard Mountain (attached to Mount Robson). Then you're scooted up a moraine on switchbacks (the most intense of the trip) and on the ridge that runs above Robson Glacier. So for about an hour, you're walking alongside a giant glacier. Apparently, the easiest way to summit Mount Robson (and it's not easy what with requiring expert ice climbing experience for the end) is going the long way around the back of this glacier and jumping over the crevices. At the end of the ridge we were walking along, we turned left and instant alpine meadow! It was so sudden and beautiful it was great. The super clear stream made for a great lunch spot, which was also an optimal spot to take off the hiking shoes and cool (really cool) off the feet. During this trip, we would pass and get passed by the same subset of campers from our campsite, which was silly and awkward at the same time. In the meadow, we saw marmots and golden ground squirrels, which look like giant chipmunks. At the end of the meadow, there were some small patches of snow and the skree started. The path at this point was a suggestion but kinda a guaranteed route up the skree to the pass. Getting to the top was a nice break in the climbing, and then walking just a little farther into the pass you realize why people do this trail. Standing on the edge of a skree cliff, the view opens onto an expansive icefield which I had never seen before. The huge patch of ice was scratched into by rocks and crevices emitted the burbling noises of under-ice creeks. In the distance were other large mountains, some capped with the remains of snow. We spent a while there, climbing the skree on either side of the pass to see just a bit higher (one of the guys, called Big Dave, from other group went down the skree cliff to get to the level of the ice). While hanging out there, we met a couple that were from the Netherlands and another that was moving to Edmonton, both of which were nice to talk to and share the experience with. When we finally decided to turn back, the climb down in some places took as long as the climb due to tricky terrain (dust-covered gravel was difficult for my shoes to grip onto). Coming back for dinner, we took a leisurely stroll to Berg Lake where Nigel and I made a game of trying to steer a stick on the water by the waves from a rock thrown in the water.

Marmot!

Me standing in snow between the meadow and the skree up to Snowbird Pass

Reef Icefield at Snowbird Pass

We made it!

Back down!

Robson Glacier

Friday morning was our last day there and we were going all the way down and out in one go. Of all of our days on the trip, we naturally woke up the earliest on this day, which gave us lots of time to get down the trail and drive back. I suppose we were one of the first groups on the trail that morning because we saw the most wildlife on this morning. I spotted a pika (pie-ka), think large cute mouse but part of the rabbit family, in the skree and was chirping. I spotted a grouse and as I turned a corner in the woods I came within a few inches of one and I didn't notice until I was beside it. Like the day before, the downhill climb was more technical than the physical grunt of getting up. Going down the mountain and seeing the same sights over again was somewhat of a farewell victory lap, which was nice. My trail shoes, not the same ruggedness as everyone else's hiking boots, held up great but my feet were started to give up 1-2 km to the end. We got back, changed, and drove back to Edmonton to be welcomed by a very excited Nigel's mom.

Saturday Nigel slept in, but I think I was still riding an energy high from the trip so I woke up super early (I'd pay for this lack of sleep later). Picking some raspberries from the garden, Nigel's mom and I made smoothies for breakfast. Once we finally got ourselves in order for the day, Nigel and I borrowed his parents' bikes and we travelled along the river path to the Old Strathcona market where the Fringe festival was also taking place. We walked around there and on Whyte Ave. Along the way we found a band, Great North Blues Band, that was playing some swing tunes so we danced which was awesome. Oh ya and we got gelato! Mmm pistachio. I got a tour of UofA where I got to see their campus that is clearly better than UW's (sigh). We started biking downtown and then we got caught in an intense hail storm where the hail was splitting in two when it hit the ground. It made a crazy loud sound hitting my helmet and hands so we found shelter near the provincial legislature where kids were running around in the fountains. Making the rain break into a food break, we ventured out again as the rain lifted, stopped by to look inside city hall which was super pretty and had a glass pyramid on top. We headed back through the downtown and we were back in time to pack up the rest of our stuff for our flight and have dinner.

I can say enough good things about the trip, I was super fortunate to have lovely hosts!

Oh and I had estimated that there were 25 bridges and Nigel said 30, I counted (honestly) 24 :D