Every single day I am reminded of how lucky I am to live in Canada. Just click on your favourite news site or pick up a newspaper (please, save my job) and you will see what I mean. The stuff that is happening around the world is indescribable. My heart aches …
My pal Yvonne went to the Justice film festival this weekend. She texted after to say how lucky she felt to be a western, education, “rich” woman. Yup, we have it good. I’m not saying Canada is perfect – far from it.
Two examples come to mind:
- Our country has turned a blind eye to the Aboriginal women that are murdered or go missing every day. Where’s the inquiry? I invite you to read this excellent article in Macleans that sheds some light on Canada’s racism problem.
- Our environmental footprint is embarrassing. Sure everyone loves Canada’s landscapes with its forests, mountains, trails and water. But did you know Canadians produce more garbage per capita than any other country on this planet? Don’t even get me started about pipelines and Canada’s “supposed” action on Climate Change.
Grrrr … can you tell I’ve had a lot on my mind this week? Sorry sometimes I just feel so silly writing about my “running problems” after reading about more Ebola deaths, a police officer being killed on a job or the latest fucking move by the extremist group ISIS.
But I know you came here to read about running so I am done with my rant (for now) …
I knew my iPhone would not die so I brought it along on both days to capture some of the winter beauty this weekend. I ran 16k on Saturday and another 13K on Sunday. I did not sleep well on Saturday night so I skipped the run with the RR group and ran later in the day.
What a difference this January has been compared to last winter. It was nearly +8 in Red Deer on Sunday. I usually wear sunscreen in the winter and I applied an extra layer. I even wore one of my running skirts. It was so nice to feel the breeze on my legs. I didn’t think I would have that feeling again until at least May.
Some of the trails were shaded so the ice hasn’t completely melted. I had to be careful in those spots. Sometimes I would just end up walking because it made no sense to attempt running. Other spots were completely mud. I have the mud on my rugs to prove it. Oops!
Once again the “spring-like” weather called people to the trails. It was nice to see the smiles and the shiny happy people out and about. I won’t hold my breath that the rest of the winter will feature warmer than seasonal temperatures. Regardless it’s been a great winter so far.
I feel good with where my training is right now. I am still taking it easy. I want to ensure my foundation is strong before I start the serious hill workouts and ramp up my mileage.
Happy Monday! I hope my lead in didn’t depress you too much. We have a lot to be thankful for in Canada.
What do you love most about your country?