First marathon training day, so nice!

Friday I tried keeping up with Katie in the pool. I lasted 50 m front crawl, and lost her on the turn. A bit later in the swim I was doing pull, and kept up for about 150 m, working hard. Both times I was trying to draft close, and not succeeding very well.

Overall it was an excellent swim, in the water for about 50 minutes. After a chunky start I busted out a 20 minute K in the long course pool, dodging a floatie, and trying to keep up with 4 or 5 other people. Lots of kick and pull. 100 m aiming for 100 seconds, almost flat out, fading badly about 75 m in.

Saturday was my first marathon training day, only 10 K LSD. It turns out that it's 5 K from Anderson road up to just the bottom of the little gully before the South Glenmore park boat launch parking lot. It was a perfect day, nice and warm. No really, warm, above 10 C. I was in shorts and tech shirt again.

I ran really nice and easy, trying to keep the pace even and did pretty well. The slow time at 6K is for this selfie. Sorry, no tusks. Maybe next time, it's supposed to get cold again.

Here's the splits.

I'll be doing long runs on the weekends, either Saturday or Sunday depending on weather, other scheduling constraints, or when buddies can run. As you can see, a 7:30 K pace is nice and easy. Next week is 10 K again, then 2 weeks at 13 K, then 2 at 16 K, then progressively longer distances, topping out at 32 K. Get in touch if you'd like to meet up for a run!

Just lately I've been noticing big black pick up trucks, and their ignorant bullying drivers. I've had a couple close calls with them cutting in and out of traffic. One of them I'm quite sure never saw me, but then again, he didn't look either.

Friday afternoon my neighbor and I were out chipping some ice trying to get the water draining. Yes, we are out on the road, in the space that would normally be parking, but right now it's an icy no-mans-land. We looked up to see this guy swerve into the flowing water, deliberately trying to splash us. We didn't get wet only because we moved pretty briskly. I was thinking of throwing my shovel at the truck, but the moment passed.

On the bike, it's either pickup truck drivers, or BMW's. Both have given me several close calls and made my heart go pitter patter. I suppose I should be grateful that BMW doesn't make a pickup truck. I don't know what it is.

In the one parking lot I use occasionally, I see big trucks parked badly all the time. One guy took up two spots deliberately. Someone had already written in the dust on the drivers window, "Learn to park, dickhead!" I added "What, couldn't find a handicapped stall?" I only hope other people added to the commentary, or someone with a small beater car wedged it right in there.

And those swinging balls hanging from underneath the trailer hitches. Like this.

So classy. One morning, same parking lot, where someone with those on their truck usually parks where their trailer hitch juts out into traffic turning from a ramp, I happened to see a young woman draping a small sock over the top metal trailer ball. The effect was uncanny. So little in comparison, but still visible. I gave her a smile and a thumbs up. I wonder how long it was driven like that. Lots, I hope.