Dispatches from Moose Mountain Road

I arrived at the parking lot just before 9 a.m. on Saturday. Several cars were parked with no sign of the owners. It was strangely quiet for a Saturday morning given the above seasonal temperatures and sunny forecast.

Running on autopilot, I quickly got my gear sorted and began hiking up Moose Mountain Road. I could tell immediately that I wouldn’t be hiking through a ton of snow. Thankfully the warm temperatures had melted all the snow from a couple of weeks ago. It also looked like the road was ploughed.

Dispatches from Moose Mountain Road.
Moose Mountain Road.

I strapped on my Kahtoolas over my sneakers to be on the safe side. The freeze-thaw-freeze cycle is no friend to this runner. Learned my lesson early on. I have so many bruises and scrapes from slipping and falling on a piece of an unassuming piece of ice.

I have to tell you there’s something oddly satisfying about running the same route over and over again especially in this winter is almost but not quite over season. I know I can get in about 17K from the parking lot gate to the turnaround spot and back.

It’s mindless running/hiking/whatever. Perfect for when you want to put in the distance and gain some elevation and do not want to think about all the logistics.

Dispatches from Moose Mountain Road.
Sun down on Moose Mountain Road.

I admit I get pretty stressed out when I try a new trail. Since I am usually alone I stress about finding the trailhead. Then when I manage to do this, I get paranoid that I am going in the wrong direction, and I will get crazy lost. It never ends. (Funny though I never get worried about encountering wildlife.)

So I prefer running along routes that I have done a million times just to get in the mileage while I work on my fitness and wait for the snow to melt.

No encounters with rifle-wielding hunters

Surprisingly I didn’t see another person for at least 5 kilometres. I half-expected to see some runners doing repeats. One guy in shorts came running by around my 5-K mark. Shortly after I crossed paths with a woman running with her dog.

Thankfully the road was pretty clear and barren in some spots. I was smart to put on my spikes – while some parts of the road were completely dry. At least I didn’t fall.

It was a very quiet morning. So quiet that when a gust of wind came up behind me I nearly jumped out of my skin. For the next few minutes, I had kept checking over my shoulders to make sure no one was following me.

My legs were a little grouchy moving up the road but after they warmed up I was good to go. I always look forward to the downhills but I am working on improving my hiking/running up hill. I have improved so much since moving to Calgary (and closer to the mountains) and there’s so much more room for improvement. Just have to stay consistent.

This week I clocked 15 kms and 600 metres of elevation. Next week I am going to run the full length of the road and bump up the elevation. I am taking it slow because I refuse to get injured just because it’s a nice day and I want to do it all.

Do you run the same routes because they are mindless? So you don’t have to worry about all the logistics?

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