Fitting in the mileage

At one point, I'm going to keep track of how many miles I've run so far this year. Suffice it to say, the past month has been ultra busy and I'm pretty lucky to have been able to fit in running.

Of course, that's silly since I must run. Must. I was just sitting at my computer almost two hours ago mulling the choices between crashing on the couch or going for a short run. 45 minutes later, the better part of my won out and now I'm unwinding with a 3 miler in me.

So far this week, I've run four out of five days, but put in a pretty low 15 miles. Man, in my training peak, I put in a 15 miler on a Wednesday. I guess that's for the summer months.

So ahead, I plan to hit a 13 miler, maybe even a 15 miler, on Sunday. Tomorrow, a light 5 or 6 miles. And if all that goes well, then I'll have hit my target for once. Marathon training begins in two weeks.

Bringing the quality back

So a little warmer temperatures meant I could shed a few layers for my run this evening. Had only room for 30 minutes so instead of doing a run of the mill run, I upped the intensity just a little.


Started the 3+ miler with a 5:04K pace and by the end, was doing 4:08 ish kilometres. Clearly I'm not where I should be when it comes to fitness.. man those first steps can be awfully hard.

Winter running, a video

Saw this great video by Christopher Shulgan in Toronto. He's running in much the same trails that I do every day so you can get an idea of how awesome it is they've cleared it this winter of snow.

And back to business

Runners are a hearty sort, I like think. Too hot a day, and we'll toss off the layers , go out well before dawn to tackle the roads. Too cold, like today, and we'll pile on clothes and head out into the streets with the belief that just a little extra movement will turn our bodies into heat factories, keeping frostbite and the winter's chill at bay.

I love running in these winter days, especially the ones that are like today: A sunny, blue sky but bitterly cold. It really is breathtaking to run beside the lake and stop, in the middle of the run, and admire the ice that's bobbing in the water, or frozen over concrete. It's nice to have the lonely road interrupted by a fellow runner -- some with full ski masks or others who clearly were intent on warming themselves with effort.

Running feels a lot harder at this time of year. The clothes are a weight, the facemask makes breathing -- well, challenging.

But we run on -- some for fitness, some to escape to wide open spaces, others for future races that will be run on a much warmer days.

Me, I run for all of the above. 10K in 56 minutes

The day after the inauguration

Washington, D.C. -- Last night, just hours after Barack Obama walked up Pennsylvania Ave., and as he took his first dance while galas and balls were under way, things were quieting down in the district's Penn Quarter.



I visited a few restaurants for drinks. Nearly empty. Other establishments that were previously advertising 3 a.m. closings were dark by 10:30 p.m. The temporary inauguration superstore had more goods than they could even give away because there was no one left in the area. The mass exodus, it seems, began early.




This morning, even the National Mall, where hundreds of thousands gathered just 24 hours before, was empty, the evidence that there was a big event was the crews tearing down the portable sidelines and the trampled grass.




But it still was buzzing. At the White House, protesters were back to remind us about Guantanamo Bay, school trip lines were making their way to the back of the White House for pictures and in my back alley, where the Ford Theatre's back exit, also known as the escape route that John Wilkes Booth took, filled with school kids taking pictures.





Nothing has changed but everything has in a way. I went into a convenience store to snap up newspapers -- USA Today, New York Times and $2 collectable Washington Posts -- and they were being snapped up in big quantities. Local residents had Obama gear on and tourists were making their way out of the city.




My favourite moment was, while walking away from the front of the White House, a mother and her child were walking away. The little girl was saying the names, "Bush, Obama." One hand, she was holding her mom's, in the others, she clutched an action figure of the new President.