sat/sun

I actually didn't have any shifts this weekend! nice!

Saturday, though, was cold and I was stiff, and whiny...I'm getting more and more cranky about the sidewalks. Anyway, I ran about a mile on errands, and that was it. It was a little too cold to take the dog out, but I had hopes of cranking out a few miles maybe on the FitWalk, but it didn't happen. At least I made it to yin yoga.

Sunday, I felt like crap. It was a really bad gut morning, so much so that I was late to run club. This was ok, though, as I was really in poor shape and likely not able to keep up anyway. I just jogged around, to and then on the Canal. My first few miles were just under 12 minutes. My eyes were seared by little hard pellets hurled at great force. I was close to tears at times emotionally, apart from actually tearing up from the irritation. And my hands were freezing--I kept having to squeeze my fists, thumb in and then thumb out, or whatever was coldest tucked in, for much of the run. It was a damp cold so the sweat wasn't travelling through my mitts but chilling the inside. Plus, I was still negotiating the gut thing, and trying very hard to remember that the outer sphincter is a voluntary muscle. Yep, that's right. no reason for crapping my pants. Still came close, though. Plus, my right knee felt a little off because my quad was so tight. Etc, etc, etc. The first four miles were wretched and I don't know what it was that kept me going because I felt so close to just plunking myself down on the ice and bawling. Perhaps it was a sense of shame that kept me going. My discomfort was further increased by the two women with the least dulcet voices in the whole world trailing me for MILES. We first linked up at the Laurier end of the Canal, and they were ahead of me, on skates, but soon after, I passed them. Not meaning to, and they were on the opposite side of the Canal,anyway...they might have stopped to look at something or whatever, I'm not sure. All I know is that I unwittingly wound up in front of them and thus in the line of fire.

From about mile two to five, roughly, I endured it, their awful braying nasal voices and stutifyingly bland subject matter. Not that I'm especially erudite when running, either, but I try not to be loud, at least. Finally, we got to the other end of the Canal, and I figured that I would turn off towards the locks instead of to the pavillion (which seemed the usual way) so that I could get away from them. A few minutes later, though, I heard them. I glanced--it was them. And they wouldn't pass. Frig.

So I headed towards teh paviliion, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw them go a different way. WooHoo.....well, no. They caught up with me again and once again, I slowed down, but I guess they'd locked into me and that was that.

I was going to rest a while in the pavillion, but when I saw them duck in, I beat my retreat.

Free! I felt so much better. And my stomach was finally settling down.

At about the ten mile mark, I had a beavertail, and scarfed it down, much to the disgust of a few people nearby, perhaps. I tried to be discrete...then I figured who were they to judge? a few women who were wearing tight jeans to go ice skating?

Then I went back towards Dows Lake, met up with a couple of guys from the run club, and ran back with them. Had some coffee, and then ran a couple more miles.

Total, 17 miles in almost three hours. That was maybe my worst three hour run ever, but it ended ok. My legs are really getting trashed by this snow.

I also went to a yin yoga class---really needed it.