I have been struggling for the last two weeks or so.
First came my period. Then came some stomach virus. Add this to the backdrop my foot issues and the usual tiredness.
Just when I thought the end was in sight, I get conked in the head with a baseball-sized chunk of hail. (Yes you read that correctly). Then later that same day I get some questionable leaf lettuce.
I have had a raging headache for two straight days. Monday morning I also woke up to that feeling of when you are on roller coaster – my stomach was doing all sorts of somersaults. Not a great way to start a new week.
Rachel put the fear of concussion in me so I headed straight to the doctor on Tuesday.
Diagnosis: A bad headache stemming from the impact of the hail. Minor food poisoning. Odds were very much in my favour that I would live.
Let me tell you, it hasn’t been a great two weeks. But as they say, I will survive. Actually it’s been good timing for all this chaos. Normally I would be freaking out because I haven’t been running. But since I am a few weeks away from Lost Soul, I am taking it all in stride. My legs need the rest anyway.
It is now Wednesday and I have turned the corner. My headache is all but gone and my stomach issues are ebbing. I haven’t blogged in awhile so let me give you an update on what I have been doing in recent weeks.
East End of Rundle (EEOR) and Ha Ling
One fine Monday, I headed to Canmore for some vert. Last year I did EEOR for the first time as part of the Triple Crown. I didn’t particularly remember much about the trail except that it was tricky finding the actual start of the trailhead from the road.
Because time was not an issue, I decided to start with EEOR then cross the street to summit Ha Ling.
I will spare you the details. I got a little lost just before the scramble to the summit. I couldn’t remember exactly the most common path to access the rock face. After some self-loathing and extra distance, I found the right track. Let me tell you, there were moments when I considered just turning around. I didn’t want to quit so I stopped for a bit and took a deep breath. Stuff happens.
The views from East End of Rundle were outstanding – well worth my minor mishaps. It was a weekday so I didn’t share the peak with another person. Truly, it was magnificent. Fortunately there was little wind at the top so I had ample time to take photos and embrace the views.
As expected – Ha Ling was remarkably busier than EEOR. It wasn’t crazy busy but it was busy to the point where I would come across a group of people every few minutes. I enjoy this hike as it is short, gruelling with fantastic rewards at the summit. It was windy as always at the peak. I chatted with a few hikers before I hustled my butt down the mountain.
Sweeping at Iron Legs
Recently I volunteered at Iron Legs. It’s a wonderful but gruelling race in Kananaskis. I volunteered to sweep two legs (25K and 12K) throughout the day. Basically as a sweeper you run the leg and pick up the course markers/flags behind the last runner.
Slight drama aside, this was a run day. It felt really good to connect with the running community after the last year and a half of no races in a pandemic world. Good to see some familiar faces. It was a longer day than expected but the fun made up it.
Right now I am trying to get over this bug and trying not to stress out about my upcoming race.
Thanks for reading my update. I would love to hear what you have been up to this summer. Please comment in the link below.