Runner Leana

...sometimes with a little swimming and biking thrown in...

Turning 37…Weekend in Review

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This weekend was a special one because it was my birthday!  That’s right friends, I turned 37.

Celebrating 37

My actual birthday was on Sunday, but I figured a birthday on the weekend should mean an entire weekend of celebrating.  Right?  Neil was in Vancouver all week and he managed to get on an earlier flight home on Friday afternoon.  That meant he got home early enough that we were able to go out for dinner once he landed.

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We had a great dinner at CHARCUT.  Their share burger is always a winner!

On Saturday morning I drove out to Canmore to meet some friends for a bike ride through Banff.

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It was a chilly start to the morning but we were set to warm up to 25C!!  We parked at the Canmore Visitor’s Center and rode out to Banff on the Legacy Trail, along Vermillion Lakes to the Bow Valley Parkway.  The trail was quiet on our way out, but I knew later in the day it would be teeming with people.

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I needed to make a stop at bathrooms at Vermillion Lake.  I rolled into the parking lot, unclipped my left foot but wound up tipping to the right and crashed.  Doh!!  Luckily apart for getting dusty and losing a layer of flesh in a couple of spots there was no harm done.  Thankfully I was wearing bike gloves otherwise I think I would have hurt my palm a bit!

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Riding along the Bow Valley Parkway was so beautiful.  We spotted some big horn sheep and an elk.

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Fewer animals (and no bears) than last year’s birthday ride in Banff though!  It was a really nice, low key ride on a beautiful day.  Many thanks to my friends for meeting me out in the mountains!

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After a short but sweet brick run…

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…we went out for beverages and a bite to eat at a pub in Canmore.

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The patio was lovely, but sadly the service was disappointing.  It took more than an hour between putting our order in and our food arriving.  By the time our food did arrive I didn’t want to eat very much because I didn’t want to be too full for dinner out with Neil.

Neil had planned a special birthday dinner at Model Milk on Saturday night.  He had organized a multi course tasting menu complete with wine pairings.

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The food, drinks and service were outstanding!!  It was a very special night out, so thank you to Neil and the staff at Model Milk for a wonderful evening!

On Sunday morning Peat woke me up at his usual time of 5:30 am.  Hello 37!!  We went for a nice walk along the river, I came home and had a breakfast, then I headed out for a 1:45 taper run in preparation for next weekend’s Calgary half marathon.  It was a busy morning on the pathways.  The Calgary Run for Women started at Edworthy Park as I ran past.  The path was crowded for a bit, but on the plus side I got to say hi to Ange as she zoomed past!  Farther along the path the Calgary MS Walk was taking place.  It was great to see so many people out, being active and enjoying the nice weather.

My run was a tough one.  I haven’t gotten in as many workouts in the last two weeks as I would have liked as this cold/ear infection has really impacted me.  I had pace targets I was supposed to hit and it really became a struggle.  I brought a full Camelbak of Skratch with me and I ran out early.  I don’t know if it was the heat, the ride the day before, or being sick and less active lately or a combination of all three.

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This was not a confidence boosting run at all sadly!  I told myself that I had a terrible run the weekend before Tinker Bell and I still had a great race so I shouldn’t take this crummy run to heart.  Apart from a less than stellar run I still had a wonderful weekend celebrating my 37th birthday with Neil, Peat and my friends.  Thank you to everyone for making it so special!!

How was your weekend?  What did you get up to?  I’m linking up with Tara from Running ‘n’ Reading for her Weekend Update Link Up.

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Comments

  1. 1

    Sounds like a great birthday weekend! And way to rock the Betty kit on a gorgeous ride! We visited Banff last summer, and I’m incredibly jealous of you! What an amazing place to ride.
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  9. 17

    Happy birthday!!! I am so excited for Calgary for my first marathon this weekend. Hope it’s not hilly, nervous

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