First Long Run Of The Year

   I set out this morning to do my first long run in almost a year. I had begun doing long runs on Saturdays about this time last year on my way to being able to say I could run for 10k without stopping.


Just a quiet, little wintery run...

   Now, a long run for me is anything over 5k and you need to understand this. For most runners, a long run constitutes anywhere from 10k to 50 miles and distances in between. Today, my long run was 6k.
   I was kind of glad it was my long run day because runners all over the world today were logging megsmiles in their runs, to honour Meg Menzies, a young mother of three who died  earlier on this week in Richmond, Virginia. She had been out on a morning run and was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. Although it seems appropriate to talk about this at length in this forum, I have reserved this for my other blog, "Neanderings", as it really doesn't feel like simply a running issue. At any rate, Meg and her surviving family members were definitely on my mind today as I ran.
   It was another one of those cold and snowy runs many of us have gotten used to over the last two months of deep chills and massive snowfalls. We had had a couple of inches overnight and the temp was -9C (16F) when I set out. Once again, I wanted to avoid dealing with traffic, so I headed to Springbank Park.


What a merry-go-round looks like in Canada in the winter

   Fortunately, the roadways in the park had all been plowed and this made for a more-than-acceptable running experience.
   The first part of the run was into a nasty little headwind but knowing that I was soon going to be making a long, sweeping turn and heading in the opposite direction made it a touch more bearable.
   Not only was it a long run, it was a long, slow run--I had no illusions of worrying about my time, all I wanted to do was to be able to handle the extra distance without stopping. Round about the second kilometer, I knew this would not be an issue.
   Regardless of the weather, Springbank Park always seems to be in use and I came across quite a few other runners and walkers. Part of my run took me past Storybook Gardens which, in the winter, puts in a meandering skating rink experience, sort of like a lazy river made out of ice. I could hear the skaters having a great time.
   I had planned another out-and-back route today so I simply ran until my Garmin told me I'd done 3k and then I turned around and headed back.
   At this point, I stopped for about five seconds each time while I took the odd pics you see here. At no time did I feel the need to wrestle with whether I should stop and take a walking break. This was likely due to the pace I was running at (about 7:30/k) but this was fine with me.
   At the end of the run, I definitely felt as though I could easily have just continued and this was a very gratifying sensation. Tomorrow, it's off to the gym for a little cross-training!