Currently: September

Listening to silence...and the hum of the fridge.
Cooking with what's left in the fridge - trying to empty things out since we're going away next week.
Excited about the Chicago Marathon
Savoring the warm, late summer days - there can surely only be a few more summer days left?!
Planning for our trip next week
Working on my marathon playlist - 69 songs and 4.5 hours of music - the question is will I get to hear it all the way through or will I start getting repeats?!
Embracing Fall - have decorated up the mantle and coffee table, and ready to break out the soup and stew recipes and Ugg boots!! (but I think this will have to be postponed till we get back from Chicago!)
Reading Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv - talking about the importance of relationships between Children and Nature (which isn't like me - but it's for work - since I'm helping coordinate an event when the author is coming to our hometown! - but actually it's also quite interesting) But also slowly getting through Anne Frank's Diary
Wearing Skinny jeans, wooly cardigan and socks!! (It might be warm out but at work I'm always cold!)
Feeling anxious about running 26.2 miles next week
Needing to pick up the new Jack Reacher book from the library today (just in time for our trip!)
Wanting to get the garden tidied up
Trying to stop snacking so much
Wondering will I make it? 
Procrastinting about getting the garden tidied up 
Wondering if we'll miss the big yellow tree at it's best whilst we're away
Looking forward to seeing family next week 
Hoping that after several nights in her 'big girl bed' with no accidents is the sign of house-training success with Meli
Smiling at PSY's Gangnam Style - love that video - keep watching it over whenever I need a smile on my face!
Eating cheese and tomato sandwiches made with delicious toms from our garden

Playing along with Ali today with her 'currently...around here' list...

Top of the World!

I don't even remember when I first heard about Cathedral Provincial park. All I remember is that I've wanted to go there! And finally this weekend we made it! And what a weekend to have picked! The weather was truly perfect hiking weather - not too hot, not too cold, with stunning wide open wall-to-wall blue skies.

The Main Lodge and the Unimog transport parked in front! Quiniscoe Mountain in the background!

We booked to stay in the Cathedral Lakes Lodge. Chances are, you're encounter the lodge some way or other as the trek into this wilderness area is long, arduous and incredibly uphill. The lodge offers a campers shuttle service in their 1960's Unimog, along the 9 mile rough and ready access road track glorified goat trail. Or you can stay and the transport is included. We opted for a lodge room - and I'm sure we had the best room in the house - on the upstairs corner with windows on 2 sides of the room giving us panoramic views of the lake and Quiniscoe Mountain. It was pretty spectacular and not somewhere where you shut the curtains - we could gaze at the early morning sun lighting up the mountain across from us from the cosy confines of our rustic wood bed!

Our lovely little room. Bathrooms are just down the hallway - and my photography skills
to be able to capture the inside AND the view are somewhere else altogether - Mars perhaps?!

So just to make sure you all know how fab my accommodation was - here's the photo of the view
from our window!! - Sucks eh?!

Lodging at Cathedral Lakes is a full board affair - and I was blown away by how good a deal this was. They have a resident pastry chef there...do I need to go on?! First thing they laid out a 'lunch' table where you could choose from bread, cold cuts, cheeses, eggs, cookies and yummy condiments like feta spread, hummus, and herby creamed cheese - we loaded up and had the most fantastic packed lunch for our all-day hike! For breakfast....there was a full selection of cold stuff - cereal, granola, yogurt, fresh fruits, and the most delicious fresh baked, still-warm-from-the-oven breakfast muffins or biscuits. Then was a small hot buffet with bacon, eggs, potatoes and pancakes. Lunch (if you happened to be in the vicinity of the lodge) and dinner both started out with soup, bread and salads, followed by delicious entree and finished off with cakes at lunch and a gorgeous dessert at dinner - I was disappointed that Chris enjoyed the apple tart served on our second night - since I didn't get chance to have seconds like I normally do!! Leftover cakes from lunch are then put out on the table to help yourself to during the afternoon - which was perfect after getting back from a day's hiking.


(L) Walking through the Larch (R) Big Ass views! - and I did actually mean the views - of, like,
mountains and stuff - but DOES my bum look big in this???

We got the first transport run up to the lodge at 10am on Friday - it took a little more than an hour from base camp to finally pull out of the woods and into the clearing along the shores of Lake Quiniscoe. And we only had a 1/2 hour wait before lunch - what a welcome!! After our first sampling of the food we realised we'd be needing to head straight off on a hike to work it off! We took a beautiful 6.5km round trip hike to Ladyslipper Lake. The first part of the trail was along Lake of the Woods and then Pyramid Lake before we started climbing upward through the woods towards Ladyslipper. Once we cleared the trees we got our first glimpse of the huge expansive views. And endless woods, completely untouched. A little further on we caught sight of Ladyslipper Lake - and how blue it was! I enjoyed a brief paddle to freshen those hike weary tootsies before we headed back down the way we'd come.

My favourite! - Ladyslipper Lake

Our second day we picked the trail out to the Giant Cleft via Glacier Lake. Almost immediately leaving the shores of Lake Quiniscoe we had a hard uphill climb through the woods up to Glacier Lake. We followed the trail alongside it on a bit of a plateau before heading uphill again. The trail was sketchy since we were climbing up the side of the mountain but it was marked well enough by cairns - and really - it was pretty obviously which way 'uphill' was! Finally as we reached the rim the whole of the Cascade mountains welcomed us. It was jagged mountains as far as the eye could see - and not a speck of human existence apparent - it's times like this when you realise just how tiny we are in this big, beautiful world! We followed the rim trail along past Devil's Woodpile to Stone City where we took an 'out and back' detour to visit Smokey the Bear and the Giant Cleft. The cliff drops from these parts were dramatic and I'm reminded how little I like heights - I had quite the queasy tummy! The Giant Cleft is just that - a huge 'gap' in the rock, dropping hundreds of feet below. From here we headed on our homeward stretch - downhill to Ladyslipper lake. Except first up with had to traverse a horrible shale slope. Once down it was open trail across a plateau before heading down below the tree line and into the woods of larch trees. Contrary to our trail guide we reckoned this hike to be 14 km with around 2000ft of elevation.

But then this wasn't exactly shabby either...On the rim looking down to Glacier Lake.
You can see the trail we followed to the left side of the lake - it then disappeared
over that ridge and waaay down to the lodge.

(L) Views from the rim (R) Chris and Smokey the Bear (that profile in the cliff in the top right of
the photo in case you were struggling!)

Our final morning we got up and at it with a 'quick' out and back to Goat Lake. We were under pressure to beat the clock since we'd failed to pack a lunch bag we didn't want to miss out on lunch served at the lodge at Noon! The trail guide reckoned on a 4 hour hike - we made it back with minutes to spare in 2 hrs 45! Since we'd not really studied the map we were surprised to find this trail head downhill! And then follow Lakeview creek through the alpine valley to the end where a rather small, mud pond that was Goat Lake sat - a somewhat unimpressive lake compared to the offerings of the previous 2 days! The valley had not yet been graced with the sun that morning so the foliage was covered in a lovely crispy, glittery frost.  But what was spectacular was the mountains and peaks surrounding us - they soared above us just catching the first sunlight of the morning.

This was a truly magical getaway. I really did feel like I was a million miles away, and yet I'm here in my own backyard!! How lucky we are to be in beautiful British Columbia?!

Washi Tape Bathroom Makeover

This was my mini DIY bathroom makeover and an opportunity to put my washi tape to a completely different use!

Last month we finally got around to re-painting this room. With a natural tan throughout the house we're slowly but surely making it more our own and individualising some rooms! After I bought a $2 box of tissues with a lovely blue & green stripey pattern on them I was inspired to use that colour scheme for the 'new' bathroom. It's a tiny room with no natural light so I wanted to go really pale - in the end we chose Behr's 'Club Soda' (though I can't say I've seen many blue club sodas?) It's the perfect compliment to the bright blue & green but will also work if I want to change back to the old cream & brown accessories - maybe I'll be changing it up with the seasons!!

I treated us to a new shower curtain (even though it's never been used as a shower, it helps make the room look a bit more finished I think), some new hand towels, and a vase & flowers. I wasn't able to find any artwork or pictures that looked right. So in the end, in desperation I grabbed a 12x12" blank canvas from Michaels to 'do' something with later...

But back to my washi project! Like I said we don't use this shower so the tape getting wet wasn't a concern - it was all about looks and effect! I just ran a couple strips of coordinating washi tape around the top of the bath enclosure - I'm still surprised that this effort didn't involve any measuring or spirit levels - I totally winged it but it worked out well!! Simple but pretty effective to finish off my mini bathroom makeover!

As for the canvas (you can see it in the mirror above the towel rail in the top photo!). I actually was super pleased how quickly that turned out too. I pulled out 4 different acrylic paints I already had on hand and just started painting very rough circles randomly over the canvas. I didn't even wait for the paint to dry or switch out or clean my brushes so the paint started merging together and taking on different variations of the colours. In fact I didn't even have a proper brush - it was a foam applicator! It was hanging on the wall within 1/2 hour of breaking it out of its shrink wrap!! and matches perfectly (how could it not?! - there's so many colours in it!) I got the idea from Elise on her blog - and frankly its genius in its effectiveness and simplicity - and it cost me $6!

And just for reference - here is the 'before & after' picture - you'll see it's not really 'that' different - just a little more colourful and summery! And it is so, so light to walk into the room now - amazing really how a little paint can brighten the space!

This is #4 in my washi tape projects goal for the year. You can also see my washi tape tealights, washi tape shelf makeover and my washi chevron wall art.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread w/Pecans

There are a million recipes out there on the interwebs, and I spent my fair share of time trawling through them!

In the end I pretty much did my own thing! I had plenty of zucchini to use and wasn't afraid of it tasting (lots of recipes seemed to be all about 'hiding' the veggie in them). Plus I wanted as little sugar as possible and substitute with applesauce. Plus I only had whole wheat all purpose flour on hand. Plus I love pecans, and, c'mon people EVERYTHING tastes better with choc chips in it, no?! So I tweaked and played and made it be what I wanted it to be...

This was a huge hit. Even Chris loved it - and he's not got that much of a sweet -tooth (though his preference for eating it was sliced, and then slathered in butter and marmite - I admit it was pretty darn good like this, but I was also determined to eat it au natural so I could savour it's flavour and pat myself on the back a little more for pulling off such a damn good bread!)

Zucchini Bread (makes 2 loaves)

• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2½ cups (packed) grated zucchini
• 1¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ¾ cup choc chip
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Prepare the zucchini (this is the tedious part - I used my food processor with the grating attachment which is easy enough - but cleaning the damn machine is the bane of my life!) Once grated you need to squeeze the f**k out of the zucchini to get all the liquid out - this will be way more usable for cooking. I scoop a large pile of the zucchini into a clean tea towel then twist it like a candy wrapper - it really is amazing how much liquid comes out! OK, actually I let Chris do that because I'm not strong enough. Or maybe it might cause me to work a sweat if I tried. Either way...SQUEEZE!
2. Put the first 6 ingredients into a large bowl (basically the dry stuff) and mix together
3. Then chuck everything else in to the bowl (except the nuts and chocolate)
4. Mix - I use my hands - but then I don't have a food mixer - that would be so much easier (but then you have to wash it up, whereas I can just lick clean ;-)
5. Fold in the choc chips and nuts
6. Drop into lightly greased loaf pans and cook at 350 degrees for 45-55 mins.
7. Use a cocktail stick to check when done. If you poke it in and it comes out clean you're good to go
8. Eat as soon as possible (hey, most recipes say to let sit and cool, but we all know we like to sneak a bite when its still warm from the oven. Sure it probably won't cut nicely but it's not about looks, it's all about taste!)

Labour Day 10 mile virtual run

I joined in with Laura at 'Mommy Run Fast' for her Labour Day Virtual run this weekend. With lots of activities planned for our weekend I thought I'd get a head start and get my run in first thing this morning - the first day of the run weekend (you can log your miles anytime between now and Tuesday!).

Now I have to say I generally have 2 speeds when it comes to my running - stop and go! I have plenty of good intentions to try and incorporate speedwork in my training and I totally get all the benefits but when I'm out there plodding along I often let my runs just take their own course. If I have a fast one or a slow run then I think it's just the gods deciding for me. Today I really wanted to try and treat this as a race and I pushed it. I knew I was pushing myself and got out of my regular comfort zone. For the last 4 miles I was consistently improving my overall average pace! Very happy with myself. This was the second fastest paced run this year!

Thank you Laura for organizing such a great virtual run and thank you for giving me a reason to push myself. Go and check out her blog - there might be still time to sign up!

Today I was also trying out a bunch of new togs - a sports bra, vest and running shoes had all made one previous appearance but today some new shorts too. How irresponsible of me! Changing everything at once!! Ha ha! Actually it's not as bad as it sounds. I'm a creature of habit so the Moving Comfort Juno sports bra is my third, and my Lululemon Turbo shorts are my second pair. Clearly I love both items. The Brooks PureFlow shoes are my first foray into a more minimalist shoe. With a heel to toe drop of just 4mm (compared to my regular Brooks Ghosts with a 12mm drop) I'm loving them. I've been working on my form a little since my injury last winter - these really force the point of a mid or forefoot strike because there's no rise to the heel. My first 9 miler last week in them felt a little weird and gave me a small hot spot on my little toe. But today's run went like a dream. I felt so light-footed and springy in them! And I'm comfortably keeping up a forefoot strike all through the 10 miler (before I've been changing my gait to my old style heel strike to change things up and give my calves a break!)

I'm linking this to Jill's Fitness Friday blog hop!

Foodie PenPals : August

Once again this month I took part in the Foodie PenPals exchange. Still love this idea, after giving it a break last month I was eager to join in again!

Charlotte was sending me my package of goodies which turned up mid-month (it's been tough holding off on the reveal till now!) It was a fabulous bundle of stuff - all of which has disappeared over the last two weeks - not a crumb remains!

I think she may have got the hint I liked chocolate and running!

Here's the contents of the package;

• Clif Shot Bloks - love using chews towards the end of my long runs, when I've had enough of the syrup-y gels
• Clif Shot Gel (chocolate of course!) - actually one of my favs already. Clif Gels are the gel of choice for the Chicago marathon so I've already been running with them in training.
• Vega 'Endurance' bar - loving the Vega products. Not a huge fan of the taste of some of their powdered drinks but I'm using them anyway as I beleive it's making a difference in performance and energy levels. But their bars are a whole other thing - love the taste! Hadn't used an endurance one before now, but I do like their recovery protein bar.
• Chocolate chunk cookies - One of Charlotte's favourites and I can see why. I love this sort of snack - reasonably healthy but full of 'good stuff', oh, and chocolate!
• Hot Punajbi Snack mix - Once I wrangled them away from my husband they were great! And Charlotte didn't even know how much I love Indian food!
• Snapea Crisps - these were such an awesome alternative to potato chips - and just as tasty. I was skeptical since I'm not a fan of kale chips which seem to be all the rage right now. But these were truly delicious!

__________________

Here’s a quick recap of what the Foodie PenPals program is:

• At the beginning of each month, bloggers and blog readers receive their penpal pairing.
• You have until the 15th of the month to send your package, and on the last day of the month you reveal the goodies you were sent
• Packages are to be filled with foodie related items with a spending limit of $15. The box must also include something written.
• As a penpal you are responsible for contacting your penpal regarding any dietary issues/concerns. (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, peanut free).
• Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian, and UK residents. US residents are paired with US residents. Canadian residents are paired with Canadians. And UK residents are paired with UK residents. That way there’s no delay dealing with customs and everybody (hopefully) gets their package on time.

Want to join? Head on over to Lindsay’s blog and you’ll find more details and a sign up form for the Foodie Penpals program.

Ironman Canada

Last Saturday we decided on a whim that we would get up very early Sunday and drive the hour and a half down to Penticton for the last Ironman Canada. I am so glad we did!

Just a quick recap of exactly what an Ironman entails;
2.4 mile swim - 112 mile cycle - and just a quick marathon (26.2 mile) to polish off their gruelling competition! These athletes are A-MA-ZING!

(L) The calm before the storm....the athletes packing out the beach waiting for the starting horn.
(R) Looking out over a serene Lake Okanagan

Huge areas of Penticton were shut to traffic so we parked up and walked down to the beach where the athletes would be starting their first event - the swim in the somewhat 'fresh' waters of Lake Okanagan. The pros set off with a 15 minute head start and the main event started at 7am after the National anthem. The water came alive! If you've never seen an open water swim - especially the start it is just crazy - like a school of piranhas is on a feeding frenzy! They swim so far out you loose sight of them and from a spectator point of view it gave us some downtime whilst we waited until they headed back to shore. They were expecting the pros somewhere around the 50 minute mark so we slowly wandered along Lakeshore Drive towards the transition area.

Aaahhhh! It's alive!! with 2800 swimmers!

At this point I must just mention our little princess. We took Meli with us. Beforehand I seriously questioned my sanity about this decision but I think it was a great move. She was perfect! Obviously there were lots of crowds and lots of noise, but as we're reminded we should be exposing our pup to as many different experiences as possible whilst she's young. She certainly was a star, and was in danger of drawing attention away from the REAL stars of the day - the 2800 athletes out there competing!! Everyone loved her, and she made so many friends. We had people come up to us asking to pet her and we met lots of other Vizsla owners from all over the continent - those who'd had to leave their dogs at home to travel to the event. It was great for us to be able to chat to other Vizsla owners too! She took it all in her stride. If they were excited (and many were!) she was excited, but on the whole she just sat down and accepted the petting! Such a good girl! She walked to heel really well and basically gave us huge confidence and hopefully an insight into what a great behaved dog she's going to be! (She also LOVES the car so any excuse for her to snooze out for a 1.5 hour drive each way and her day is complete!)

Is someone a little tired after the 5am start this morning?!

The pros started coming in just over 50 minutes, and the first of the age-groupers was not far behind (pretty amazing job since they started 15 mins behind!) It's incredible to me that these athletes were running through transition - but of course it's a race for them!! (I'd be like, oh where's the toilet?, slap on some sunscreen, eat a bit of breakfast, tie my hair up la-dee-dah - ok maybe I'll hop on my bike!!). We watched for the next 1.5 hours as the bikes came pouring out of transition and up main street. The swim course closes at 9.20am (2 hours, 20 minutes after the start) so we watched right through till the last atheletes were heading out on the course for their bike event. I think in many ways it was those athletes at the back of pack that inspired me the most - their determination and commitment to something that is obviously incredible tough for them. And a never-give-up attitude - loved it!

Cyclists setting off down main street, and at the transition area - starting the 112 mile ride

Being a spectator is so humbling. These people are truly incredible (and for sure a big bit crazy!!). As I ran my longest training run on Monday morning I reflected on what they do. My legs were horrible and heavy and I struggled to get in my distance - but when I stopped at 21 miles they'd have had another 5 miles to go, and that's after having done the swim and bike and quite likely been competing for 10-12 hours already!

Major respect!! And so happy to have seen the last Ironman Canada, as they announced just last week that the event held in Penticton will no longer be part of the Ironman series.

I'm linking up with Jill's Fitness Friday blog hop;

Fitness Friday