Goodbye PC I''l be back soon

Just finished up an quick and easy 20k run to say goodbye to the mountains and Park City. Really a perfect trip in every way you can imagine and exactly what I needed. After the Around the Bay race at the end of March I felt broken, and defeated. Taking time off to nurse my injury was agonizing. Stress levels were definitely on the rise with final exams around the corner not to mention interviews for physiotherapy schools in the coming year. After receiving news that I had not been accepted into the various programs, I felt like all that hard work I did in university was a waste, since I had absolutely nothing to show for it. In fact, I recall on the plane ride over to Denver, the kind gentlemen in the seat next to me, with whom I had a nice conversation throughout the flight, asked me at one point what I plan to do next year after I had told him that I was graduating June 16. When he asked me that, I paused for a moment, and actually had to think for moment of a decent answer, because I was uncertain and really had no clue what the future would hold. And for me, there is nothing in the world that I hate more than having no direction. That goes for my studies, and for my running. It is why I always need to have a race on the calender to give my training some direction, some purpose, and therefore some meaning. Not only was I uncertain of what my academic future held, I was nervous and unsure of how my training would go in Park City. After the slew of injuries that lasted essentially from mid-November until May 16, I knew that there was a definite possible of the entire trip being a disaster. I was running again after the injury sustained to my right tibia sidelined my for a few weeks, however, my left tibia had actually begun to give me some issues and discomfort during my short runs at the end of April/early May. As a result, my mileage was quite low hovering anywhere from 70-90 kilometers. This was in fact a running trip, and I had an overwhelming fear that I may not be able to run very much, and what if I try to run a lot of mileage because after all I am here to run, and as a result I aggravate my fragile tibias, once again leaving me sidelined for the entire trip. Well my first day here I ran three times, and everyday after multiple times oer day for 10 straight days. Took one day off and then ran 17 straight days, overall running around 800 kilometers, climbing the equivalent of about two-times up Mt. Everest, and training for over 90 hours for the 27 day period. My legs survived, and really I couldn't have dreamed I would have been able to run that much without re-injuring myself. In fact, I wouldn't have thought I would have been able to run that much even 100% healthy. Great workouts throughout, and I feel stronger than ever, especially after yet another huge workout Friday morning which was lightning fast. As I imagine most people experience, yesterday afternoon I felt a little blue while packing up my stuff, and thinking that Sunday I would be back to running the flat concrete streets of Bathurst and Dufferin with nothing but suburbia surrounding me. But then I decided to for a long walk around Park City, not really going anywhere specific, just walking, thinking, breathing in the clean mountain air, and soaking in the beautiful views of the mountains. I ended up walking for an hour and half and realized something that really made me feel better and reinvigorated. Most people go on vacation and buy some souvenirs to remind them of the good times experienced on the trip for years to come. For me I realized that my souvenir was much much more. My souvenir was literally a part of me. I am taking a part of Park City back with me, and that is the blood running through my body, the new mitochondria, new heavily networked capillary beds integrated into my muscles, my fatigue resistant, powerful yet light and speedy leg muscles, and a new sense of mental toughness, not to mention a new idea of what a hill looks like. A great trip, and I am more than excited to test out my body and mind in competition in the coming weeks. Plus, I got an email from McMaster saying that I have in fact been accepted into there physiotherapy program to start in September. Basically, everything is great right now. The schedule for the next coming weeks is graduating Summa Cum Laude on Monday, then defending my course record from last year at the Barrie Waterfront Half Marathon on Saturday, then a few days later a fast 10k in Grimsby, then a 15k back in Barrie the next Saturday, then a 5k in Belleville, followed by either another 5k in Beamsville, or a 10k on the track in London, or a longer trail race in Collingwood - Apparently they advertise the course being tough and technical on Blue Mountain, I laughed and thought Blue "Mountain" and tough, I've summited the 9000ft Bald Mountain, Murdock Peak, Bald Eagle Mountain, and more on rocks, roots, and with mountain lions nearby watching my every footstrike. Until next time, here a a couple pics from that walk around PC,

Enlarge to see the PC sign on the hill.