Sunny with a side of geese

We were treated to double digit temps today! 

I ran along paths and in parks unvisited during the last six months of seasonal incarceration. Lots of happy people in this city today, and if they weren't biking or walking they were firing up the barbie and grilling animal slabs. 

All that snow was unmeltable in the course of a single warm day. Snow is still everywhere and the canal remains half frozen like a chunky brown margarita. I was running slowly, feeling sunshine on my bone-white legs (yup, wore shorts!), savouring the primal scents of said BBQ adventures, and...slipping on ice? A few geese have arrived to check out the ice floes, walking cautiously, a little to new to town to look the local humans in the eye and spit. All in good time. 

Despite a hangover and a low grade IT band issue on one leg my run went super well. After returning home I sat in a hot bath and thought about life.

18k.

Weekly total: 37k

Heron sighting

It's no Bigfoot, and way more elusive than a Yeti.

It's just a massive grey bird that stands statue-still in a canal waiting to catch something to eat. Big, grey and sensitive, it watched me watching it and freaked out. It waded through the brown water on its stilt-like legs, its ess-curved neck moving with the camel-like gait, one big eye trained on me as my small ones were on it.

It was breathtaking.

6k.

Rainy day people

I laced up newish running shoes and thought about how they'd be christened in the rain that was lightly falling. And they were. Thankfully the rain stayed light and fresh with no driving winds to knock me back. No big puddles either. Running cap is looking overused and frankly exhausted after maybe two years of summer training followed by seeing too much of the Portugal sun. Anyway, main thing is, it held up.

I enjoyed having long stretches of path to myself. Not everyone sees the appeal of running in the rain.

8.5 km

Training starts for reals

I couldn't let a sluggish spring season stop me from running outside this week. Treadmils are miles off my interest bulls eye right now.

Early in the week I got lucky with two warmer days for 5ks. And then today, which was not warm at all. Managed the needed 16k (bolstered by an updated playlist) and then I was happy to thaw in a hot bath. Today's run was chilly and rather windy. A scarf would have been helpful so it couldn't have been that bad.

After my core temperature had returned to normal, I cooked up a fry pan of blackened tilapia and ate the double serving too quickly to take pics.

Weekly total = 26k.

Lighter fare

:: Cuke slices, beans & carrots, baked tofu and buckwheat noodles ::

Ran 10k hamster-style, then came home to satisfy a craving for vegetables.

Isn't it weird that someone of the vegetarian persuasion could crave vegetables? It happens, trust me. (Wait until July when the truly weird craving begin: juicy steaks following 20+ km runs.)

Veggie craving over with, my mind considers the following joke: a two scoops of ice cream and a bag of choco chips walk into my mouth...

Weekly total

It's been a busy week! I wish I had more to offer than this:

Today: 15 km

Weekly total: 7 + 9 + 15 = 31 km

Birthday karaoke - coming soon

Skating in the sun

I woke up surrounded by sunlight. Dark and heavy curtains were still drawn from the night before, but they were clearly no match for the sunshine. My plants love it. To be honest, so do I.

Pumpkin maple oatmeal muffin
(with text)

I haven't decided against a southern holiday next month. The offer is still there. For now, I get my vitamin D kicks in cold weather excursions outdoors. This morning I revelled in the beauty of strong sunlight, blue sky and clear ice. The cold spell will break soon. This could be my final skate of the season!