Earning Thanksgiving Dinner

24k. Long run #2. Done.

I started ridiculously early, at Dark O'clock, to get in 9k before I was to meet JS and T at 7:30am. 

All dressed up for safety - neon shirt and headlamp!

I didn't want to run the paths around the reservoir alone in the dark so I decided to to the 9k in residential.   It was a brilliant plan - even if my route plan ended up having a couple of faults.   Like disappearing sidewalks at the 4k point.

So, it ended up being 3k of trail running - though there weren't really trails per se.   Just grass.

When I turned onto 14 street again, I figured there would be a way to dip back into the residential...but there wasn't.   A lot of the trees had signs saying they were slated for removal...

Hopefully to make way for a sidewalk...

All of this trail nonsense made me a little late getting back and slowed my progress considerably.  But I got back shortly after 7:30, downed a gel and ditched my headlamp and then the three of us hit the pathway for a loop of the reservoir.

I realized as we passed Rockyview Hospital and then headed along the Glenmore stretch that I hadn't had a chance to fit in the Mojo Jar Challenge this week yet...so we made a quick pitstop at a playground and I hammered out a few tricep dips with the help of a triceratops (Triceratops Triceps?  A new fitness fad?) and some weak pushups on a springy thingy.

Then it was onto the rest of the loop. The reservoir was beautiful, though most of the leaves are down at this point.   It was really quite cold - too warm for a full longsleeve shirt but not warm enough to ditch it for a tank.  I ended up improvising a shrug.  Methinks I will be ordering a shrug or two in the very near future.  My core just gets too warm when I run.

We headed down into the weaselhead and, even though it is bear season, the only wildlife we saw was a teeny chipmunk who dared to scurry in front of us.  (No pic - he was just too fast)

I made the executive decision to walk the big hill out of the Weaselhead (JS & T both ran it, but they also didn't run 10k yesterday) and I paused briefly to take this really odd photo of myself...where exactly am I looking, anyway?

And then it was 5k left to go.   My adductor was giving me some issues.  Not pain, exactly, just twinginess.   I knew I should have iced it last night.   I definitely will today.

Have I mentioned how much I hate this sign?  Nothing more terrifying to me than the thought of encountering a bear on a run...even though I've never seen one down here.

So - 24k done in under 3 hours...

Look at those calories burned.  Safe to say I earned myself some Tofurky today!

The Garmin Geekery:

Look at that elevation...am I insane or something to attempt that on a second long run?

Overall, I feel good.  I stretched really well and am so happy to be done this early in the day so I can just enjoy the rest of the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!