Thursday, August 11, 2011

A Salute to the Trans-Rockies Run - a 3 Day Running Bender

As y'all know, I love my backyard.  I love the mountains.  I love the trails.  And, I love to share them.  So, when some of the Trans Rockies Run friends finally decided to come for a visit, I was thrilled.  It's always great to share my special places, with good peoples!!!  Keith and I had 3 days-of-fun with our very entertaining friends Deb Daehler Davies and Stephen Price of Colorado.  Also in the house, the lovely and divine, Ms. Erin Fields-Delude of North Idaho. 

The theme of the weekend seemed to be Poo and Farts.  Stephen being the token male on the trails was bewildered with all of this Poo Talk coming out of the mouths of babes.  So, here's to having good bowel movements and to having good friends!

But more to the point:  the running world is a small world of like minded folks. We've shared some good times on the trails with a LOT of good people over the years, especially at the Trans Rockies Run.  So, I salute you - people who like to run far and wide, people with a spirit of adventure, people who know how to have fun and people who just like to go out there and enjoy some quality time in pretty places.

Oh yeah, and I salute you Trans Rockies Runners and Cyclists alike!
 
Currently, Keith is pedaling his little heart out at the Trans Rockies Bike as we speak.  There's a whole bunch of sweaty cyclists out there - some of them with ear-to-ear grins and some of them in tears - but at the end of the day, it's all the same.  You finish and I finish.  We're all members.  Of the same family.

I'm giving you a photo tour of my 3 Days o' Fun- because I'm too shattered to do anything else.  Here's what the 3 Day Running Bender looked like:


Day 1 - Healy Pass, the Monarch Ramparts, Simpson Pass and Sunshine Meadows - around 33km


Day 2 - Yoho in a Day:  Yoho Valley, the Whaleback, Twin Falls, Stanley Mitchell, the Iceline Trail, Yoho Lake - around 42km


Day 3 - the Rockwall:  55km

Now THAT'S a good weekend.

Did I mention I have a race this upcoming weekend? 

It's a 50 Miler with 20,000+ feet of elevation.  While I certainly won't be running on "fresh" legs, I'm stoked to be participating in this event!  It's local, it's beautiful, it's ridiculously challenging - and I'll know everyone out there.  It's been a long time since I've been in a local race and I'm stoked to see everyone!  I'll know the race directors, the volunteers and lots of the runners.  Me, I'm planning on enjoying each and every moment of what is going to be a very long and wonderful day. 

Now, enjoy the photos and send some of those Trans Rockies cyclists out there you good vibes and good thoughts!


DAY 3:  The Rockwall Trail with Stephen and Liza Pye














DAY 2:  Yoho in a Day with Erin, Deb and Stephen












DAY 1:  Healy/Sunshine in a Day with Ed, Jen, Doone, Erin, Deb and Stephen





Fun in Banff - cruising Banff and Vermillion Lakes on the bikes...




16 comments:

mrf0rd said...

Speaking of TransRockies, will you and Keith be out there this year? I'll be slogging the RUN3 and then staying on and volunteering through the 7th stage! Hope to see you there! Love your backyard!

Dave

Paige said...

Heh, you said 'poo' :)

What a fantastic looking weekend!!

Helen said...

Fabulous weekend - such variety in terrain and the sun shining! Hope Keith is having a good race.

Leslie said...

Hiya Dave! Nope, going traveling this fall means no Trans Rockies for us. I sure will miss it! I've got lots of local friends going this year as well, I think they finally got tired of me talking about it. ;) Have a great week at camp! And good for you for volunteering!

Hi Paige, I also like to say 'Dink'. That makes me giggle. A lot.

Hey Helen! It was a fab weekend. I know Keith is out there having a good time where ever he is...!!

Kaz said...

Wow, wow and wow! Great weekend indeed. Best of British for your race this weekend.

Sara Montgomery said...

That's a serious bender, Leslie Woman! Good luck this weekend, and have fun! We will think of you at camp....I so wish you guys were there this year.





p.s. Dink dink dink dinky dinky dink ;)

Olga said...

Dude, your photos beat anything, I mean, how cool is that where you live? Keep bringing 'em up, I am psyched just looking and dreaming!

Angela said...

Wow, great blog. I am in awe of what you've done, having hiked many of these trails but taking up to triple or quadruple the time to complete them. I would love to run like that. Any training tips?

Rís said...

Love the blog!

Leslie said...

Thanks, Kaz!

Hiya Sarah! dink-itty-dink-dink funny girl. :) Ooooh, I forgot you guys were heading for Trans Rockies this year you lucky ducks. You're going to love it. Camp is so much fun! There will be a large contingent of the Calgary Trail Trash friends - make sure to track down Hugh and Allan and Monica and Charlie from Calgary. And give Nicki Kimball a hug from Keith and Leslie!

Olga - glad to be a provider of "running porn" for you. :) Next summer, just grab that man of yours and come for a summer visit. You'll love it. You can run for days, weeks, months....

Leslie said...

Hi Breandan - thanks and welcome!

Hi Angela - that's a big question! If you like to hike, that's a great starting point. Do you run already? That's the next step.
When I was a city girl, I ran a few marathons. I figured out how to run, got the body strong and got used to the impact of running. Then, when I moved to Banff I took it to the trails. The trails felt good and natural and I just started going farther and farther. It kind of happened by accident. I was surprised how receptive and able my body was. I just started looking at maps and revisiting all of these places that I used to hike when I was younger. The biggest surprise was realizing that I could go further and recover much quicker than any of my long runs on asphalt! In the beginning, I could only do one "long run" a week and it would take me all week to recover. It's taken a few years to build up to my current level of silliness. :)

I mostly walk the steep uphills and run everything in between. Shhhh, it's my secret. :) I'm also a helluva' hiker with poles - and only a moderately good runner. A good "power walk" can save you lots of energy and uses a different set of muscles so you need to be able to do both - running and power walking.

Most of all, I just love the mountains. And that's all the motivation I need - I just want to see as much as I can in a day, so, I run.

Barry said...

Excellent photo summary! That is one memorable weekend. Love your energy and enthusiasm. Stay safe and let the good times roll. Just had a great week in Waterton. Off to Yosemite in September.

Olga said...

Leslie, where is your 50M report that keeps popping up in links, but not for real!?

Leslie said...

I love that you're waiting for it. :) I'm home with the flu and can't even see straight yet alone write. My brain hurts. Haven't been sick in many years.

Cliff Worden-Rogers said...

Hey!
Great blog!
I'm going to be in Calgary for a wedding in early September. I was wondering if you could recommend a good 35-45k run in Banff or Canmore. I'd have to bus out so a trail head near a station would be awesome.

I'll take any terrain. Although being in the West, I'm an east coaster, I'd like to run some mountains.

Great blog and hopefully you or any of you bloggers have some suggestions!

Anonymous said...

hermes bags
giannis antetokounmpo shoes
jordan shoes
air jordan
hermes outlet
off white outlet
supreme hoodie
kevin durant shoes
alexander mcqueen outlet
yeezy supply