2009 Royal Victoria Marathon

2009 Royal Victoria Marathon
Jane, Me and Dee manning the shirt swap

Sunday, December 27, 2009

Man with gun

So, here I am, new to the Ottawa area and looking for running routes. I've found a running partner, April, who is also new here, having come from Cold Lake, Alberta. We head out from our neighborhood and down the Trans Canada Trail, heading East through downtown Stittsville bypassing the Golbourn Rec Centre. We turn north and head down a trail between the houses. It's quiet here and very pretty. Half a kilometre down the trail we run across a bridge over a small creek which I later learn is Poole Creek. The trail comes to an end at a neighborhood street which we follow across Hazeldean Road and continue north into another subdivision. We see bush ahead and I've noticed when driving that there appears to be an old road. We run over the heaps of dirt stopping vehicle traffic and end up on an overgrown dirt road. We run about a kilometre heading towards Carp Road. We round a bend in the road when April suddenly says "I'm not very comfortable with this". I then notice an adult male about 200 or 300 metres ahead of us. At first he appears to be walking and I'm thinking that there are 2 of us and just 1 of him. Suddenly he raises his right arm level with his shoulder and pops off 4 or 5 shots into the bush. We stop and I'm thinking "holy shit, is this for real". Yes, it is real. We back up, turn around and start running hard. I glance back as we reach the bend in the road but his back is still turned to us so it appears he is unaware of our presence. We run for another 5 minutes until a new housing development is in sight. We stop to catch our breath and then realization sinks in.

Follow-up: I later report this incident to police who advise not much can be done given the elapsed time. I know this but just wanted it put on the record. I've never run with a cell phone but perhaps it's not such a bad idea.

Freezing Rain


Just wanted to share some photos of what it looks like here. It rained last night and then froze. The driveway is a sheet of ice, as is the deck. Our icicle lights have turned into icicles.

December 22

Gear: Snow pants and ski jacket, boots, hat and scarf

Weather: -11C and windy

Workout: Walk on the Trans-Canada Trail.

It's cold one today, but bright and sunny. It was me and April, her sister and mom. We drove to the trailhead so "mom" could drive home as she only wanted a bit of fresh air. The trail was busy with lots of dog walkers and even a couple of snowmobiles. We were all glad of our heavy jackets and snow pants because it was cold with the wind chill. Great to get out and enjoy the sunshine though. Still hoping for that balaclava from Santa.

December 20

Run gear pretty much the same as last week--lots of layers. Today I added a light fleece jacket as I was walking not running. My trail shoes sure do the trick on the packed snow--no need for the yack tracks.

Weather: -5 Celsius

Road Conditions: Packed snow with bare spots.

Workout: 6.5 KM walk with April.

It was a bright but brisk morning. We walked down the street until we reached the Trans Canada Trail and headed west. It was easy walking as the snowmobiles had packed down the trail. What a beautiful day--everything covered in fresh snow! On our way back the wind really came up and we sure felt it on our faces. Sure hope Santa brings me a balaclava.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

December 14th

This is my attempt at blogging. I hope to get through the next 2 years in Ottawa sharing my running stories and maybe some family antics. So here's my version.

What I wore: Bra top-Nike, base layer-New Balance, Thermal layer-Drylete (This shirt is old and I mean really really old. I bought it at the Running Room in 1996 or 1997 and it is a favourite of mine. It's seen many races. And, yup, it's stinky but not too gross.), jacket-New Balance (the 2005 RVM committee jacket), base layer tights-Mid Zero by Sugoi, outer tights-Firewall by Sugoi, shoes-Asics Trubuco trail shoes, headband-Running Room and gloves from Costco.

Wow, all those layers take awhile. Almost makes you feel like you did as a kid getting your snowsuit on.

Weather: -4 Celsius

Road conditions: Cleared sidewalks (in most places) with slippery sections. Watch out for teenage kid using Dad's snowblower--almost too much for him to handle.

Workout: Ran 4km in Stittsville along Westridge Way. Just a short out and back tonight. Who knows how long it took because I forgot to start my watch. For those of you who know me, this will come as a surprise and a delight to those who either forget their watch altogether or fail to start it. It was a cold evening but crisp and great for running. I think a balaclava might be my next purchase so I don't have to move my headband from my head to my chin, alternating every 10 minutes or so.

A good start to the winter season and my blog.