Mer bleu

We hiked in a downpour and lived to tell the tale!

I had a quick snack after work, and then we drove to an area near Innis Rd that offers a network of trails and parking areas. Standing in the parking lot beside the car, we thoroughly soaked our limbs with max strength bug spray. "Once bitten, twice shy!" winked D, referring to our fly-infested outing at Murphy's Point last week. We hit the woods, excited as kids.

The path was a gentle walk for most of the 7-8 km. One of the first sights we met when starting off was of handmade birdhouses hanging from trees.

Homemade birdhouses swinging on limbs of an old tree

The path started off in the forest and led us into beautiful open fields that smelled of honeysuckle. We saw black eyed susans, and hopping toads - and then a bolt of lightning in a darkened area of the sky. About ten minutes later the rain fell. It didn't dip in a toe, holding back shyly and pondering whether it should enter our existence, which was nice and dry, thank you very much. It just fell, and all at once, as though gravity had suddenly given way. 

D calmly put on his rain jacket, while I, ever the city slicker, grabbed my little blue umbrella from my backpack. The rain was as thick as a grey curtain and made seeing the path signage more difficult. But we discovered the reason for the trail's name! All indications point to the massive puddles that form in the middle of the path. Blue sea, indeed.

Canada Day ride

Who doesn't love a national holiday star-crossed with a heat wave and topped off with a severe weather warning? I do, I do! I heard that, short of scaling the wall like Spider-man, it's nearly impossible to gain access to my office building today. I couldn't work today even if I wanted to! It's pretty great, unless you have to don your employee costume and go to work. Which is what D did a few hours ago. He is a trooper.

I finally washed down my bike and took that long ride I'd been promising myself since the flood a month ago or more. Small steps like washing the grime from the cogs and the chain, and then dripping a light coat of lubricant seemed more daunting than they actually were. Am I really this lazy? With a clean, smooth chain on my otherwise dirt-encrusted bicycle I followed the very populated bike path over the bridge. 

Arriving at the marina, I was taken with the sky, as the entire cloud cover - most of the sky - was moving preternaturally swiftly in a single direction. The clouds were still quite pale, so I figured I had sufficient time to take the break I had been eagerly anticipating. Biking is awesome and easy, but bike shorts and seats a little less so. 

I pulled up to a picnic table and munched a few almonds and a Clif bar while watching a small sailboat stripped of all its sails dance a demonic salsa upon powerful waves the colour of mud. It bobbed so harshly that I couldn't look away. It didn't seem to be anchored to anything more substantial than the mud floor, and appeared destined for mishap. Yet it stubbornly continued to hold on. 

It hasn't rained yet, and I wonder if the sailboat is still bobbing on the waves, biding its time until it is set free to sail around the world! 

The last day of June

I haven’t been here that often, but I want to report that I have been running. I ran four times last week – four! – but skipped yesterday’s long haul in favour of book reading and game playing on account of low courage in the face of high humidity. I’ve been doing some shoulder and back work. I ran this morning, too. My 5k felt more like wading then running, and I could feel beads of sweat form on my scalp under my cap as soon as I walked outdoors; despite this, I felt strong and good. I think running becomes more of a mental exercise at times like this.

I haven’t blogged since May. Last time I checked the calendar (which was roughtly two minutes ago) the date was June 30th. The last day of June. Given the time and opportunity (and possibly motivation) I would be showing up here more regularly. But at the very least, I don’t want to go a full month without posting so I am preparing to meet that deadline. I’m sliding the term paper under the prof’s office door in the early morning of the due date, and using up that last bit of spinach in the fridge before it rots. I’m entering the cinema just as the room darkens and the trailers come to a close. Sliding to home and getting tagged by a baseball-clenched glove. I love this place.

Toronto in October

I registered for the half-marathon at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon!

I think that mid-October will feature cooler weather to offset the heat of the crowds. I've heard this is a very popular race weekend in a very large city. I'm dedicated, but not so good with schedules. I hope I can make that work for me over the summer.

The sun and me

I had the path mostly to myself this morning. My best guess for a reason is that the runners I'd normally see around 6:00 are wisely sticking to their training schedule and tapering before this weekend's marathon. Tapering and sleeping. Good for them! And for me, too. I like the company, and the lively competition motivates me, but time alone is precious.

Three runs/week has been the pattern for the past three weeks.
Today's fun and games:

• 5k run
• Stairs to the 9th floor

Le bon hier

I ran 15k yesterday in the mist of the morning. I ran slowly and enjoyed the absence of greasy sunscreen which, on hot days, mingles with drops of sweat and lands in my eyes, smearing my contacts. Also cherished a long run without much thirst. This is freedom! 

Today was a bike day. I unlocked my bike from her basement shackles at the crack of dawn so that she could help me run an errand before work; biked to work and then home afterwards; then took a spin with D after he retrieved his freshly tuned-up bike from the shop. Now I can feel my triceps murmuring. It takes very little to get a rise out of them - they're sensitive. 

Windy

Yesterday: After stepping out of the dark, cold office building and into a bit of sunshine and warmth, I knew that a run would be just the thing to ease me into the day’s Phase Two: Being A Person Who Thinks And Feels And Not An Office Worker (my secret identity).

I thought about where best to work toward this transition. Should I follow a longer, slower route? Or grind out a 25-minute hustle? The middle ground–a loop to keep me in motion for 45 minutes or so–was the winning option. I’ve run this loop a gazillion times. It follows a path that is quick for me to access and get home from (about 30 seconds) and it’s only mildly visually appealing unless I happen to spot heron, which are famously reclusive, or a team of clowns in wigs and garish makeup and polka-dotted onesies running ahead, honking their horns out of sync with the slap slap slap slap of their long, red shoes on the pavement. Those sights don’t happen often. Once in a blue moon, really. We have a mostly-quiet city filled with mostly rule-abiding people who are not prone to running drunk, or naked, or in costume, and truly there is nothing wrong with that.

Anyway, it was windy.