Spring Is Here!

   Yesterday was a glorious day for running!
   The temps were in the mid-teens Celsius, the snow (except for the one narrow strip I found) was all gone and you could

A stretch of sidewalk I ran a couple of
months ago

actually run with just one layer on!


The same stretch of sidewalk yesterday,
but from the opposite direction.

   I headed out for a run with no real firm plans as to how far and where to. The only thing I knew was that I needed to get at least 2K in and keep the #RunToCanadaDay streak alive.
   For the last few days, I have been bothered by an un-diagnosed, periodic pain in the upper leg-hip-groin area. There is occasionally a strong jolt of pain deep down inside, at the front pretty well where those three areas of my body join up. I have to pivot in just the right way for the pain to hit and then, generally, it goes away. The pain will cause me to limp a little for the first half kilometer or so and then just works its way out and I'm fine to run after that. This is what happened yesterday.
   The run yesterday was just fine right up to the 2 and a half kilometer mark and then I made the possible mistake of stopping to take a pic. When I turned around to start running again, the pain returned.

The only little skinny strip
of snow I ran across

   I have a race coming up on Good Friday this week and the fact that I occasionally find myself running in pain is a little distressing. I decided I would just walk the rest of the way home yesterday and not take a chance on aggravating anything. While walking I tried to come up with a strategy for being ready for Friday and keeping the streak alive at the same time. The rules of the streak dictate that 2K must be accomplished every day but a little leeway is given to people who might need to walk it, rather than run. I think I might end up making copious use of that little "loophole" for the coming week, in the hope that I can finish the 5K I need to run on Friday.


Bike Sale anyone?

   Along the way, I ran into all sorts of people who were taking the opportunity to dig into some yardwork and tidy up garages. When I got back from the run/walk, we were in the middle of doing the same thing. Doralyn and the boys were hard at sweeping out the garage, throwing out stuff and re-arranging for the summer.


Doralyn's look of disapproval---
scary, isn't it?

   In the process, Doralyn found a dustpan she'd been missing for months and, surmising from the circumstances in which she found it, figured I was the likely culprit. The stern look of disapproval was hard not to capture, digitally.
   I love this time of year and I think most Canadians do. After one of the most brutal winters ever, it is even doubly sweet! Round about this time last year, I was on the shelf with a medical condition I have sworn never to mention again and was unable to enjoy the Spring weather to its fullest, running-wise. Not this year!