Indifference

Good morning for running, even thought it looks not so great. We got a good snowfall overnight, and it covered the ground and the paths completely, but not deeply. I changed, dressing lightly because it didn't seem all that cold when I was out earlier, except I had toque and gloves and an extra layer under my fleece. The first couple of kilometres were chilly.

By the time I started to warm up, I was also starting to hurt. My shins were aching. That lasted about half way through, when I crossed the river at Crowchild.
L n K
At Eau Claire was a small crowd, some in safety vests, standing by orange traffic cones. From there on down the promenade was a constant stream of runners with racing numbers pinned in various places. Near the C-Train bridge, I asked someone in a safety vest what was happening. "It's just a race," she said. OK.

At 14th Street, another volunteer was cheering wildly as the walking  contingent came down the ramp off the bridge. So must be a 10K run, 5K walk kind of thing. I continued on, passing runner after runner heading the other way. Beside a small sign announcing 3 km, was another volunteer, in a safety vest, completely absorbed in a book, oblivious to the parade of runners passing in both directions. So I guess it was the Apathetic Volunteers Race.

On the other side of the river, it was much quieter since the race course went farther west from Crowchild. I wasn't fast at all, but by then the soreness was easing in my shins. At 14th Street I could hear the one volunteer still whooping wildly.

Getting close to the foot bridge that would take me back over Memorial to The Path Under The Stairs, I suddenly felt a sharp little stone rattling around in the toe box of my left shoe. Amazing that I didn't feel it work its way down between my foot and the wall of the shoe. Mostly I was able to keep it bouncing around in front of my toes, but occasionally it would dive under my big toe. A couple of limping steps to shake it out of there again, and it would rattling around again. To stop to shake it out, was to risk losing balance and stepping in wet snow with a sock foot, or having my knees seize up from sudden lack of movement. I kept going, thinking I could stand it for the last kilometre.

And that was it. The big puddles were mostly gone, and the snow wasn't that bad. But slow. Just really slow.

Today's run:
Distance: 10.50 Time: 1:09:45
Average speed: 6:34 min/km. (9.03 kph)
Shoes: New Balance 769 (Blue)