Tuesday 2 April 2013

The one where Stuart thought a moose was about to attack.



We were all sitting around the fire, our stomachs full from a true Island Pancake House supper, the sun was setting and I was so very grateful to be back at home.

The discussion was getting heated, iPads were appearing left and right so we could "Google" the correct answer. 

"Which one has the pointed ears? The Lynx, or the Bobcat?"
"I think its mountain lions that we have, not cougars"
"No, no, no a mountain lion and a cougar is the same thing"
"Which one has a chopped off tail? Must be the Lynx..."
"Just bring a knife and either way you will be fine"
"Spring is starting to appear, are the bears awake? The must be hungry..."

There has only been a few times in my short running career that the conversation regarding "tomorrow's long run" deviates from routes, toe nails and mid-run fuel choices.  This weekend was one of those few times. 

Stuart and I went home to St. Joseph Island for Easter weekend with my family. 
After several weeks of illness for me and the "go ahead" from my doctor I was eager to get a semi-long run in.  I have lost 3 weeks of training, in which time no running was done at all.  I am 1 month out from the Mississauga Half Marathon and really need to push hard to regain what I lost in my sickness.

So I was very much looking forward to the long run, and I personally did not care whether it was a lynx or a bobcat that had the pointed ears - they are all very large cats that I did not want to see on my run :)

One had been spotted on the Island this winter, and our discussion sounded like a group of locals at Anne's Café discussing the mystery sighting.  Either way, I knew at that moment I was definitely running up north, as my biggest concern during my Southern Ontario runs are where I can get the best shade from the sun.

Stuart and I did 12km on Saturday morning and it was beautiful.  There were no large cats, or bears - just a deer running through the woods that we startled heading down the highway in the early morning.



The views were beautiful, and my body felt good which was a great encouragement.  I was starting to be concerned that I may need to forfeit the Mississauga run only because I had lost so much time and fitness with my sickness.  Instead the run felt great, it was about a km slower than my normal time for 12k but I started out very slow allowing my legs to remember what running felt like.

For those of you who know the Island we ran from Richards Landing to Sailor's Encampment and back.  We got a few hills in (on the last hill Stuart said he was done and asked me to just run home and come get him in the truck lol he finished with a great time!) and just as we passed the "A" Line we could hear the loud horn of a ship coming into the channel.  It was a beautiful sight as we hit the halfway mark!



Stuart would only now say it was a beautiful sight as when the horn first sounded he was certain it was a moose charging us from behind.  The fright added a little increase to his pace and we sprinted to the halfway 6km mark.

I have a lot of hard work over the next 4 1/2 weeks - I will need to be running as much as possible, working out as much as possible and this will most likely mean early mornings and late nights.  It means I put away any lingering Easter candy and become even more acquainted with my juicer.  But it is just for 32 days - and than I will run my 4th Half Marathon. 


And I will finish strong.







PS - Stuart did bring a knife on the run, just in case ;)

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