The races continue.

 The Friday before the race it was sunny and warm and so at the last minute I bought a bib from a friend who was injured and unable to run. The morning of the race it was anything but warm and certainly not sunny. This wasn't my best run as I struggled with both the cold and the running. I may have walked a few kilometres this morning. 

Another great run with Brad! 

On the Friday night before the race I asked Skylar if he might be willing to run a ten k with Mama (me) on Sunday. While he hadn't trained, he was heavily  involved in sports and lets face it, I run really slow. Skylar was up for the challenge and agreed to run with me. One km into the race he commented that it was very difficult for him to run so slow. "Could we run a bit faster please?".  Somehow he managed to stay at my pace and together we sprinted over the finish line. I was so proud! How many grandmas get to run with the grandsons? 

Next the Coutts / Ashley clan travelled to Kelowna to participate in the BMO event. Jenn and I enjoyed the 10km race, while Randy and Skylar took part in the 1/2 marathon. Again I was so proud of Skylar for running his first 1/2 marathon at 12 years of age with a very respectable time of 2 hours 6 minutes. 

 

When Lori put out a call for someone to keep her company at the Disney World half marathon for some reason Randy thought I should go, and so I did. With little to no training it was the slowest race I have ever run, but then again it was a beautiful warm morning with lots of entertainment along the route. Disney characters lined the path and running through Magic Kingdom was truly magical.  Another really fun run followed by an afternoon at the park.  We even did space mountain twice.

 The Calgary Marathon is the longest running marathon in Canada, celebrating 50 years of racking in 2014. This year Skylar ran his own race competing the 10k in 57 minutes while Jenn and I enjoyed the 10kmrun at our own slightly longer pace. It was a gorgeous day in Calgary for a run!  

While really out of order from a timeline perspective I did try one sprint triathlon with Randy's support back in 2010. A 500 meter swim, which I struggled through the entire distance.  Really I am not a good swimmer and did not enjoy one minute of the swim. Then a 20km bike ride, where  I rode my mountain bike. Getting off the bike my feet felt like bricks. They were heavy, they hurt and didn't want to bend properly, so the first 3k of the 5 k run was painful and slow. Crossing the finish line I was proud of myself for just finishing.  Might stick to running in the future though.  

The running becomes addictive!

This was the first race I ran totally alone. While I did the half Randy completed the full marathon. I was getting stronger and enjoyed the event.

Melissa's in Banff was a tough run for me. The wind worked against us during the first part of the race blowing sand from the golf course into our faces. At times I felt like my legs were moving forward but the wind was pushing us backwards. It was hard going and not so much fun but we were on pace. Once we got out of the wind we encountered the hills. For more than five km we ran straight uphill. All I wanted to know was where was the turn around point  so we could start running downhill and finish this darn race. Randy was not impressed with my performance that day and crossing the finish line was simply a relief. Certainly not the celebration I hoped for but then again another race accomplished.

 

If you are a runner in Calgary, you get comfortable running in the cold and occasionally the snow. The night before the Calgary Police race it snowed all night. The snow and slush was so deep it felt like running through deep sand on the beach. Plus it was very icy. Running down the hills along Glenmore reservoir was extremely icy. Fortunately I only fell once but didn't hurt myself. It was slow going and Brad entertained numerous runners as he kept pace with me. I think he could have run the race in half the time if he had been on his own, but we had a lot of fun together.

In  2011 I ran my first and to date only full marathon. Unfortunately Randy broke his ankle in February 2011 and wasn't able to train with me, but I was lucky enough to meet two amazing ladies that ran with me every Tuesday & Wedneday evenings and Sunday mornings. It is their friendship and support that kept me committed and motivated through the training program. They will be friends for life. Randy healed in time to run the race with me and together we completed the full marathon with a smile and sense of pride. 

The Energizer Night Race was my best run ever. Running at night with headlights to show the way 1500 runners lite up the path. It was so much fun and I felt strong thru the entire run. Jenn completed the 5k comfortably and was waiting for us at the finish line, ready for a beer. It was a great night! 

 

Once again we were Vegas bound. This time we would be running down the strip at night. Randy dressed as Elvis and Jenn and I both dressed as his backup singers.  A blonde Afro wig and Black sequinned tops and shorts covering our running tight we looked hot and kept warm. It was a riot as spectators yelled hello to Elvis and Chris, dressed in his polyester blue suit and cowboy hat, cheered us on at several locations along the route. Truly the most fun I have ever had during a run. The next morning Jenn, Randy and I all got two dice tattooed on our legs as a memory of running the 1/2 together in Vegas. 

The history of my running adventures!

As I start to think about what to save, what to pack away and what can I carry with me as we enter into the next chapter of our life's, travelling the world to work, I am reminded by the mantra of Peter Welsh. Peter states that if you actual use items or have them displayed in an appropriate manner, keep them. Otherwise determine whether to sell, donate, create an appropriate display or send the item to the garbage. 

So when looking at my collection of racing bibs and medals (yes the medals are why we run), I knew an appropriate display is what is needed. Maybe I should capture my journey on my blog or on Facebook or both?

For years I had thought that running a marathon by the time I reached 55 was something I wanted to achieve. All it would take was getting started with a good pair of running shoes, a lot of motivation, a solid training program and time. So in August 2009, I signed up for a 10k runnung clinic with the 

Kensington Runnung Room. I now had a good pair of runners, motivation and a great program. All I needed was dedicated time and I was confident that being part of a clinic would help me schedule time for my training. Enrolling in the clinic was the start of a great hobby, lots of challenges, the occasional set back, frustration, a few tears, tonnes of fun and several new friends I will cherish for life.

My first race was October 2009. Starting at Eau Claire and running along the river path it was a cold morning and 10 k felt like a very long ways. However as we crossed the finish line I felt an amazing sense of accomplishment and was motivation to keep on training.

 Somehow while sitting in an Internet cafe in Thailand, skyping with a Randy, we realized we would be in Las Vegas during the "Rock & Roll" 1/2 marathon event. What better place to run my first 1/2 marathon?  Minutes later we were registered and committed to the race. 

 After 2 days of touring, eating way to much, going to an eleven p.m. showing of Cirque du Soleil "O" and getting hardly any sleep we were up at 5 a.m. Sunday morning preparing for my first 1/2. 

We had thought it would be warm in Vegas, but had been sadly mistaken. It was minus five and we had to purchase pants, hats and mitts for the race, replacing the shorts we had brought to wear. We finished the race and went directly to the airport for the flight home. I was fast asleep the minute I sat in my seat and didn't wake until we touched down in Calgary. A truly amazing weekend! 

Niagara Falls

Less than two weeks after returning from Niarobi we are off to Niagara Falls for the weekend. WINS Finance Manager is getting married in Hamilton this weekend and several members of the team decided to make the trip to share in his celebration. 

First stop, Niagara Falls.  We checked into the Sheraton Hotel and decided we would see if it was possible to get a falls side view. Just so happens with all the traveling we have done over the years that Randy is registered as a "Starwood Preferred Guest", and as luck would have it we got a complementary upgrade with a perfect view of the falls.  

Our room was gorgeous, not only overlooking the falls, but it also included a nice sitting area with a fireplace and a great view of the amusement park area.  I wish we were staying a few extra nights here as there is so much to do!

The first night was dinner at the HardRock Cafe, a walk around town and a hour in the Casino. Might have stayed longer but I had lost my daily allotment.  

Friday morning with our passports in our hands we walked over the bridge to explore the falls from the American side. What a difference in the two cities!  Niagara Falls, Ontario is filled with hotels, restaurants, activities for young and old and a huge waterslide, in addition to viewpoints of the three falls. Niagara Falls, New York appears to be a dying city except for the large natural park area around the falls. They have great observations decks protruding out over the falls and walking paths through the park including a route to Goat Island, but it is very uncommercialized. I am thinking that most people visiting for more than a day are visiting the Canadian side. 

Finding a place for a drink after walking around for a couple of hours was a little difficult and the restaurants they did have appeared to be closed. Finally we came across TGIF and rested our weary feet while consuming a drink or two.  Then it was time to head back over the bridge and through Canadian customs.  Fortunately the wait coming back into Canada was much shorter ( 10 minutes at most) than when we entered the States (1/2 hour or more) as it was starting to rain. 

Of course we had to stop at the Hersey's store before going back to our hotel. A chocolate milkshake and several bags of candy and we were ready for a rest.  

Tonight we would have dinner at the "Windows, by Jamie Kennedy".  We were in for a treat. A view of the falls and exceptional food was enjoyed by all. 

The City of Nairobi

We had heard there was supposed to be a great bead factory in Nairobi and thought that it would be fun to see. Our driver said "absolutely, he could take us there". Where we ended up was a small shop, that sold lots of Kenyan souvenirs.  I am sure our driver is somehow related to the shop owner..lol.  But what the heck, why not take a look?

We bought a piece of art, an African mask (that now hangs at the entrance to our condo) and five beaded wristbands.  We later learned we probably paid double what we should have and somehow only 4 of the 5 wristbands made it into the package.  I am sure they were laughing at the foolish white people as we drove away. Oh well our contribution to the economy.

Turns out the bead factory we were looking for closes at 1pm each day so we wouldn't have made it even if our driver had taken us to the right place... Or at least so he said.

Next we were off to the International Conference Center for the best view of Nairobi in the city. Getting into the Center was like going thru security at the airport. We had to show our passports and go through a metal detector. 

Standing on the roof of the Center you get a 360 view of the city. It was gorgeous. Obviously looking like foreigners/tourists a guide quickly attached himself to us. He shared a detailed narrative of what we were seeing and some history of the city, including how poor his family was and pointing out the slums they lived in.  Can you say "tip me please"?  All in all we really appreciated his stories and guidance and were very happy to tip him for his efforts. We are not sure our new found friends tipped him though?

Next it was out for supper and early to bed. Tomorrow morning we would take in the Nairobi National Park safari. 

The Animals of Nairobi

Bright and early Saturday morning we were up and ready to visit the Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center of Nairobi.  I was so excited and could hardly wait to get started. After securing a taxi for the day (a mere 6000 schillings) we were off.

The elephant orphanage is a working farm, only open to the public from noon to 1 pm. 23 orphans ranging in age from 2 1/2 months to eight years live here. Each calf had been rescued from the wild, often orphaned at the hands of poachers and found guarding over the body of their mother. This is so sad! While poaching is totally illegal, it still happens way, way too often. I will never purchase anything made from elephant tusks.

Gallon sized baby bottles filled with milk await the calves as they come running into the observation area. The facilitator tell the story of each of the calves as they eat, drink and roll in the mud, while the spectators pat them, laugh as they play and take a boat load of pictures. Honestly the cutest thing I have ever seen. Especially as a baby elephant grabs hold of the leg of his keeper when the keeper wanders away from the calf's side for a moment.  The calves become so attached to their keepers that the keeper even sleeps with their ward on a mattress in the calf's stall. Working with the elephants is truly a 24/7 job. 

 

You to can adopt an orphan for a mere $50 a year. How could we refuse?

After enjoying the playfulness of the elephants for an hour it was time to go and we were off to see the giraffes.

The giraffe center is a true tourist park only 10 minutes away from the elephant orphanage. Once you pay your entrance fee you are directed up a flight of stairs to a landing. At the top of the stairs a park ranger provides you with a handful of pellets to feed the giraffes. You are entitled to two handfuls but only one at a time. As you work your way to the railing the giraffes are eagerly awaiting for you to feed them. Holding one pellet at a time the giraffe's slippery touch reaches out to grab the food from your hand. Your hand is sucked into their mouth or sloppered on by their tongues. Such a fun surreal experience. If you are brave enough you can even capture a kiss.

Bungoma to Nairobi

We were packed and ready to start the trek back home with a day and a half scheduled to take in the sights of Nairobi.  We just needed to turn in Randy's phone and wait for the taxi to show up. It was starting to get late and we wondered why Arnold hadn't said anything about turning the phone in? Knowing the cab should be here any minute we made a quick call to Arnold to say we would leave the phone with Gazy.

But there had been a mix-up. While we always had planned to leave on Friday April 4th, somehow the ticket was scheduled for Saturday April 5th.  The taxi wasn't on its way and we weren't booked on the 3 o'clock plane. While we could stay an extra day in Bungoma, that would mean we would miss exploring Nairobi and at this point there was no guarantee we would be back to Kenya.

Jumping on the internet we could see there was an 8 o'clock flight that night so we tried to switch our tickets. It looked like the switch was accepted as our visa was charged (twice) but before we received a confirmation the treaded "error message" popped up.  So we decided to grab a cab and head in to Kisamu early. Even if we had to sit in the airport for 5 hours at least we would be able to confirm our seats ( hopefully).

Now remember Kisamu ia a hour drive from Bungoma, and the driver needed to stop for gas, but no problem we had lots of time. We would again travel across the equator, which somehow seems surreal.

 We arrived at the Kisamu airport at 2:45 and went straight to the ticket booth. After explaining our situation the representative said if we hurried we could still get on today's 3 o'clock flight, but we would have to run. Getting to the gate, the agent said it was closed.  "But the representative just sold us a ticket, please let us on"!  Finally she gave in and we headed out to plane.  

A bit of a gong show and a lot of good luck but we were exactly where we had always planned to be. On the Friday April 4th, 3 o'clock plane to Nairobi, with a hotel reservation at the In Demi hotel.