Kahshe Barrens Trail

This Saturday I pulled myself out of bed bright and early to make a trip to Gravenhurst, about an hour and 40 minutes north from where I live. I want to say it was with all the best intentions, that I wanted to get outside, go on a hike, be active, and enjoy the weather... all the good things that were actually secondary to my true plan - I wanted to visit my favourite brewery.

I've been dying to make a trip to Sawdust City Brewing for weeks now, ever since I saw their Oktoberfest releases. However, as much as I love their beer and they're my favourite brewery, it's hard to justify a trip. So, on Friday, I started searching trails in the area and settled on the Kahshe Barrens Trail.

Even wearing my Sawdust hat

It was incredibly easy to find. If you're coming from the Toronto area you take Highway 11 North and get off at the Muskoka Tourism Office, between Washago and Gravenhurst. You can't miss the building and there's lots of parking. The trail head, as well as the rest of the trail, is clearly marked.

The trail consists of two loops and I believe it was just under five kilometers in length. With the ground slick with wet leaves from rain the night before I was glad I wore trail shoes instead of my usual running shoes. I also found that because the entire path was covered in leaves I had to be a little more cautious about my footing as there were lots of rocks and roots to trip over.

I brought Cooper with me and it took us about an hour to cover the trail, including stopping for a few pictures. We didn't encounter any wildlife but Cooper picked up on a ton of scents. Even on an overcast, occasionally drizzly day, I thought the Kahshe Barrens Trail was beautiful and it was easy to forget we weren't far from the highway.

If you're driving through Muskoka from Toronto I highly recommend pulling off for a little adventure, even if you only complete the first loop.


Where have you hiked lately?

Busy Being a Big Sister

Long story short, my sister was diagnosed with appendicitis on Sunday and it's been a whirlwind of a week ever since. She went in for surgery on Monday evening and I took some time off of work this week to be with her. Yesterday I spent the bulk of my day with her, wheeling her from the hospital to her nearby apartment, helping her "take walks" up and down the hallway on her floor, heating up food, and brushing through the rat nest she created after three days in a hospital bed. I don't mind taking care of my little sister because as her big sister it's been in my nature to "mother" her (even though she's 23 and our mother is 120% around and nurturing).

Needless to say my mind has been elsewhere. Whenever my "excuses" arise (mental health, physical health, etc) I enjoy being reminded that there are so many things that are more important to me than setting some crazy running PR or losing 10 pounds.

So, here I am, spending a Thursday night with some takeout, snuggling my dog, and enjoying a show on Netflix. Tomorrow is a new opportunity to eat something better, make it to the gym, or choose water over beer.

The Race I Almost Didn't Run

First things first - I'm (almost) all better. I have a very slight cough that's lingering but it's really not affecting me anymore. My breathing is much better and I am sleeping through the night so this week I'm going to be back in the gym - finally!

Yesterday I ran the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Maraton race for the fourth time. The first three years I ran the half-marathon but this year I was doing the Army Race the month before so I made no plans to run STWM... until I saw the medal. I am never someone who runs a race for the medal or the t-shirt, but it was something I had to add to my collection. Instead of doing another 21.1K, my mom, sister, and I decided to run the 5K race.

I guess I've always been wrapped up in the half that I didn't realize how well executed the 5K is. First of all, the start line is actually in a different location from the half and full start lines. I guess I always assumed it somehow was set up like the other two races. The race begins at 8AM so shuttle buses line up along University Ave to take you to the start. If I hadn't stayed at my sister's place downtown I would have taken the GO Train into Exhibition Station, not far from the start line at Ontario Place.

The 5K itself is fairly flat and flat. After not having run for over three weeks due to my chest infection and cough I was definitely out of shape and almost five minutes over my average time, but the course had me feeling pretty good. It was a great alternative to the half I wouldn't have had my heart in.

Other things I like(d) about STWM:
- there were on-going shuttles to the expo from downtown
- great location; the heart of Toronto means incredible race views
- besides the food tent, there was a McCafe truck and a Liberte truck, and Volteran was giving out samples like crazy
- lots of bathrooms
- always the best spectators
- amazing selection of elite runners, Ed Whitlock broke a World Record, and J.P. Bedard is always blowing minds

The Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon is always one of my favourite races and I'm glad I registered for it.


Have you ever run a race for the medal?
What's your favourite distance to run? 

Some Statistics & A Chest Infection

Statistics are to-date and come from the whiny Courtney Robert Inc.

Days sick: 15
Days spent coughing: 11
Cups of soup: 5
Bottles of cough syrup: 3
Hot tea consumed: Too much
Containers of Vapor Rub: 1
Packages of Halls: 3
Days off of work: 1
Episodes of Grey's Anatomy watched: 26 (all of season 12 and the first two of season 13)
Complaints made to boyfriend, mother, co-workers, random people on the street: 1,000,000
Times exercised: 1 (big mistake)
Time spent in Urgent Care: 1.5 hours.
Diagnosis: Infection in lower, left lung.
Medications: Antibiotics and a puffer.

What started with a flu after the Army Run progressed into a cold I just couldn't shake. I was coughing so hard that I would dry heavy and break out into the clammiest sweat, and it had been a while since I slept through the night. I finally went to Urgent Care and was diagnosed with a chest infection. Today I'm taking my second dose of antibiotics but I already feel so much better. I toyed with the idea of going to the gym today but I think rest is still important. Maybe tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I'm signed up for a 5K in less than two weeks and I really don't think I'm going to be able to run. Even if my cough is gone by then I've lost a lot of endurance the last couple of weeks. I was supposed to run it with my sister, and funny enough it seems like she might also have a chest infection and won't be running either. Something is going around because I haven't seen her in six weeks so I'm fairly certain I didn't infect her.

I have a recap I started writing on the Army Run but I've felt so awful that I can't muster up the energy to go back and edit it..

So hello and goodbye. I'll see you when I'm feeling better.

I'm a Blonde + Other Thoughts

First off, last Thursday I made a drastic change by dyeing my hair and chopping off quite a few inches. I'm blonder than I expected to be but I love it. I'm also super happy I got rid of the length because it's so much lighter, easier and faster to style, and I feel like I actually look like an adult, now. I'm just having some phantom-hair issues and can't seem to grasp that I need way less product than before.

This weekend might have been my laziest in existence. Besides a little shopping I did a lot of sleeping, eating, and catching up on my huge Netflix list. I really felt like I needed it because even today I feel like I'm coming down with something. However, the highlight of my weekend was ordering these fish tacos when Michael and I went to lunch on Sunday.

I started taking an iron supplement last week and I have to admit I did not do enough research into taking iron because I was caught off guard by the symptoms I was experiencing. The worst of it was being so bloated it hurt - I even woke up bloated! After complaining on Twitter someone suggested I eat an orange with the supplement because the vitamin C and fibre helps. I don't know if it was placebo or science, but it seems to have worked. The only downfall is that you are supposed to take it on an empty stomach to ensure it gets fully absorbed in your intestines.

Last night I think I might have sleep walked. I woke up at 3 in the morning, my television off (I always fall asleep with it on - bad habit), my computer had been put away (I was using it as a charging station because I ran out of plugs), and half of my clothes were off. I have no idea what happened but I have zero recollection of doing any of these things.


What are you looking forward to this week? 
Do you have any funny tricks, like oranges and iron supplements? 

Getting Rear-Ended AKA My Recent Excuse for Skipping the Gym

I had the most wonderful long weekend. Michael works a lot of hours so we finally got to spend a large chunk of time together. We barbequed, watched the entire second of Scream, ate 1.25 pies, and even took a road trip to pick up a beer being released for my favourite brewery's - Sawdust City - birthday. AND I fit in an 18K training run.

I thought I was setting myself up for a happy, short week but that came crashing down Tuesday afternoon when I was rear-ended. The details of what happened are not as important as that I've learned a lot about people, my insurance company found me not-at-fault so it won't cost me anything, and that even though things don't cost money you can still stress and spend a lot of time doing things which is almost just as aggravating.

My experience with my insurance company was luckily very positive. After taking all the details they assured me that my deductible is waved, my insurance costs won't go up, and that they take care of a lot of little details - they sent my information to a local shop and to a rental car company so both could expect me and will bill my insurance directly.

However, like I mentioned I still have to spend my time and energy organizing everything. A major accident happened yesterday on the highway and it down for a few hours. This affected me trying to get to the repair shop before it closed even though my boss let me leave early. I managed to make it there right when it was closing but thankfully the staff was extremely nice and spoke to me, took pictures of my vehicle, pulled off my bumper panel that had been hanging, and booked me an appointment to come in next week. I also had to contact the rental car company to let them know about the details of my appointment so they can get a car to me. All positive things - just time consuming.

I'm also a little sore. Nothing major - just a little muscle pain and headaches I'm dealing with. Plus the stress of the week is taking a lot out of me. The last two nights I've been in bed before 9PM and I'm sleeping until 6:30AM, the latest I get up for work. This week has me worried because I carefully constructed my outline to lead up to my next race, and now I'm less than a week and a half out and my schedule has been thrown upside down. Basically, I know I'll finish the race but I have zero confidence in what my time will look like. I'm trying to look on the bright side - all my costs for my car are taken care of, I'm safe, healthy, and relatively uninjured, and I still have a race planned for March that I can focus on if this one goes badly.

Life is funny.


Have you ever been in an accident? 
Any fall races on the agenda? 

September Goals

Happy September 1st!

As much as it's a little scary how fast this year is flying by, I'm excited we're into September. October is probably my favourite month but the lead-up is nice, too. Last month I did better with achieving my goals so I thought hard about what I wanted to accomplish for September. A lot of great things happened to me professionally and mentally last month so it's not a surprise that a lot of my goals are fitness related.

1) Finish strong.
The Canada Army Run is on September 18th. I want to finish my training plan strong and run a solid race. I already know it's unlikely for me to PR but I want to enjoy the run, especially since I'll be in my favourite city in the world - Ottawa.

2) Buy a new foam roller.
I mentioned in my August recap that it became difficult to foam roll because it's getting out of shape. I've already started doing some research and I hope to pick up a new roller before race day.

3) Decide on my fall/winter goals and make a plan.
I don't have another race until March, meaning I don't start my next training cycle until Christmas Day (yes, I already mapped it out). That gives me three months to decide what I want to focus on. Strength? Flexibility? Endurance? I think I'm leaning toward strength but we'll see how I feel after race day.

4) Become a morning person - again.
Before my scheduled changed I loved being an early riser. I'm slowly getting back into it and my goal is to start going to the gym in the morning like I used to. I love getting a workout in first thing and having a gym all to myself at 5AM. This means I need to start getting myself to bed at a decent hour.


What are your September goals? 
Do you goals usually follow a theme?