Grouse Grind

Grouse Grind: Three years in the making

Training

It was a climb three years and one week in the making. Last week, my feet, my legs, my glutes, my head, my heart finally returned to the Grouse Grind! Oh what a feeling! Three years ago, I had set a personal best of 56:38 and then clobbered that time three weeks later with 55:30!!! It was a glorious, muddy, sweat-stinging eye, Grouse Grind climbing season. One that I had been working towards for years; ever since mine and Big Ring’s first date/non-date in 2005. One that I was so super proud of. Pooped on the Grind 2011. I had no realization, that summer, it would take three more years for my return. Two years ago, I was yoga-ball pregnant. I did go to the Grouse Grind that year as part of mine and Big Ring’s annual Canada Day climbing anniversary, but sent Big Ring off on his own while […]

Grouse Grind: Three years in the making Read More »

Grouse Grind: Eight years of love-hate

Training, Uncategorized

The girl looked over at the boy sitting at the desk kitty corner to hers. “How hard could the Grouse Grind really be?” she asked. The boy was a good person to ask, she thought, after all he was an ardent climber of said mountain, going at least once a week, oftentimes more. And the girl, who’d only just recently been taking more of an interest in her health had been toying with the idea. She’d been going to the gym for awhile now, had started referring to herself as Queen of the Stairmaster, and the Internet told her the Grouse Grind was nature’s stairmaster, so really, she was practically made for. The boy paused. He looked up from the photos on his computer, let a smile form on his face, and asked, “Do you want to go? I’ll take you.” From 2010 That girl was me. That boy was

Grouse Grind: Eight years of love-hate Read More »

The big ‘C’

Diabetes, Pregnancy in Diabetes, Uncategorized

I’m not Brittany, and I’m not Christina. I’ve run marathons, half marathons, countless other races. I’ve ridden up the demanding hills of Horseshoe Bay on my bike, and twice in one day up Jericho. I can climb the Grouse Grind in a respectable 55 minutes. And I thought, as scary as the prospect is (just like all those other things once were) I could surely compete in childbirth too. The docs, however, seem to have other ideas. A couple weeks ago my obstetrician asked what my intentions were regarding childbirth. It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question, so I was prepared, and instantly said I wanted to go the natural way. She gave me a questionable look (apparently the size of my  hippopotamus thumb-sucking alien baby is cause for concern) but left it there merely saying, well we won’t know whether the baby will be able to

The big ‘C’ Read More »

Tradition with a twist

Pregnancy in Diabetes, Training, Uncategorized

When I woke up on that rain-soaked morning seven years ago, I didn’t know my life would forever be changed. All I knew was that it was super early, the rain was viciously pounding against my bedroom window pane, and that I was desperately praying for my phone to ring calling off the morning events to be. Thankfully, that call never came. Big Ring’s nonchalant offer to climb the Grouse Grind that July 2005 morning was innocent enough; we were friendly coworkers who enjoyed talking movies, TV, celebrity gossip, and making jest of our fellow colleagues. What more could there be? It’s not like we were going to get married or anything 😉 So, seven years ago I took my first trek up the Grouse Grind. It was not a pretty sight (despite me dolling myself up – shower, hair, makeup, the works… oh how times have changed). My breathing was so

Tradition with a twist Read More »

Eat dirt!

Diabetes, Training

Maybe screwing up the dates last week, and maybe getting a head start, and maybe battling the Grouse Grind in monsoon-like weather were the reasons for me totally rocking the mountain yesterday in near perfect Grind-climbing weather. OR maybe I’m just that awesome 😉 HIKE THE GROUSE GRIND WITH ICD TAKE 2: 9:30 a.m. BG before: 14.5 Temp. basal: zero Distance: 2.9 km, 2,830 stairs Elevation gain: 853 metres Time: 55:20!!! PERSONAL BEST BABY!!! 10:50 a.m. BG after: 13.5 BG correction: 2.15 units Did you see that finishing time? 55:20! One minute 18 seconds faster than my previous best three weeks ago, which was 37 seconds faster than my previous, previous best, and more than 20 minutes faster than when I first started climbing the Grind six years ago!. So what if I had feelings of upchucking, or had scratched the hell out of my hands, or looked as though

Eat dirt! Read More »

Start typing and press enter to search