Spring in my step

I had an enchanting Easter weekend. Good Friday was spent hiking with Tanker on the Bruce Trail through Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, testing my legs out a bit to see how they'd react to some elevation change.

With a stop by a lovely waterfall

Thankfully, everything seemed to hold up fairly well, so on Saturday we hit the market and scarfed down some brunch before heading to Puslinch Tract for the afternoon.

For a bit more elevation change

It was the first real hot, sunny day of the year, and I took things super easy. I walked every hill, stopped whenever I saw something interesting, and just enjoyed being back out on the trail.

Along with the spring wildflowers just starting to appear

While I felt ok during the run, things got rather tight and sore afterward - I actually resolved on Saturday evening that I wouldn't run the next day. I didn't want to push things too hard with Pick Your Poison and Sulphur Springs mere weeks (or less) away.

This seemed tough to top for a run finish anyway.

Sunday morning, though, I felt 100% fine getting out of bed - I guess a short evening walk, a hot shower, running cold water over my left foot & ankle, rubbing down my sore muscles with arnica creme and sleeping in compression socks did the trick!

Or maybe just getting a decent amount of sleep for once..

It was a windy day with some rain showers blowing through, but another warm one. I decided it was time to knock the mud from my adventure through Hockley Valley off my older trail shoes, so popped them on and headed out to Crawford Lake Conservation Area to try a loop of the Iroquoia Trail Test course.

On some ever-so-slightly more technical trail.

It was there that I discovered my caution and rehab work had paid off - I was able to power-hike hills again without pain!

Ok, maybe not all the hills..

I also found I was more comfortable running on the very rocky sections than I had been last summer when I actually did the race, so perhaps all my time spent on technical trails in the past year has finally made a dent in my natural clumsiness. I didn't even mind the bit of rain that fell as I hiked my way out of Nassagaweya Canyon, and I had a lovely walk on the boardwalk around the meromitic lake with Tanker after I finished.

I've remained cautious, sticking to just a lunch run on Monday and Tuesday, but other than my inviolable Fridays off I've been able to run every day since the 6 day break I took near the beginning of the month. I'm incredibly grateful: for the gorgeous weather we've had, the beautiful & challenging roots and rocks of the trails I've traversed, the flowers and buds on the trees that speak of renewed life, and the health to enjoy it all.

It would be such a shame to miss out on this.

With almost a thousand kilometers in the bank year to date (996.7 as of yesterday, to be precise) and almost 60k in just the last 6 days, I know that I have the training in the bank to carry me through, but I'd like to make one last push if I can. So, the plan for this week is to keep building, culminating in the Pick Your Poison 50k next Saturday before a few days off to absorb the work and some light running just to keep things moving before Sulphur.

If anything feels off, I'll shut it right down in favour of rest and recovery, but I'd like to get one last big week in. I'll be taking things slow and easy, though, and you bet your arse I'll be stopping to smell the flowers along the way!

Or at least take a photo.