Running lessons: Some things are worth getting up early for

As my family and friends will tell you, I am definitely not a morning person. In fact, in my perfect world I'd stay up late every night and roll into work sometime between10:00 and 11:00 after a leisurely coffee (or three) to get me started. Which is what made my decision to set my alarm for 6:30 both Saturday and Sunday mornings this past weekend a bit puzzling to say the least - particularly since I wasn't registered to run a race either day.

A mellow misty morning on the harbour

Running lessons: Finding inspiration in my garden and the determination of others

I've not been posting much lately. I've simply been too busy with work and various summer activities to spend much time blogging. Added to which, I've not been running much because I've been waiting for my knee to heal fully. As frustrating as it's been to be side-lined, I was determined to avoid doing further damage by returning to my regular training schedule too quickly.

Fortunately, this past weekend, my knee was recovered enough that I could safely attempt a longish run so I headed up river following one of my favourite routes. The day, though warm and humid, was dreary and overcast so I didn't take many photographs. However, I made good use of the time examining the dozens of gardens I passed on the way in an effort to determine which perennials might do well in my own gardens. Judging by what I saw, hostas, day lilies, euonymus, daisies, brown-eyed susans, echinacea, irises and roses all seem like good bets.

Running lessons: Being grateful for what is

I'm still nursing a mildly sprained knee after my trail running mishap two weeks ago. Nevertheless, my chiro, Eric, told me it would be okay to run this past weekend so long as I ran slowly and walked when/if anything started to feel uncomfortable.

Heeding his advice, Husband and I found a window between torrential downpours Saturday to complete a relaxed 6 kms along the river trail. The damp weather helped keep us cool on what might otherwise have been a steamy run and ensured we had the trail entirely to ourselves.

Then, early Sunday morning, I met my friend David for an 8.5 kms run on a coastal road that runs from Prince's Inlet (pictured above) through Second Peninsula to Bachman's Beach.

I enjoyed both outings enormously but Sunday was a particular pleasure because David is amongst my favourite running companions and we ended our workout with a refreshing swim at Bachman's Beach - one of Nova Scotia's best kept secrets.  The water is much clearer and warmer than at Risser's, where Husband and I usually swim, and the beach was pristine so it was a wonderful way to cool down.

Both runs felt good but I have to confess that my knee was a bit cranky with me afterwards so I was careful to ice it well when I got home. Eric warned me it will likely be a few more weeks before things to return to normal so I'm doing my best to be grateful that the damage wasn't more serious and that I'm at least able to run short distances. With patience and regular icing, I should still be able to train for the Cuddly Coyote 21k this fall and, in the meantime, fewer shorter runs means more time doing other things I love. 

Like attending Nova Scotia's many music festivals. For example, husband and I joined another friend, Mike, at the Halifax Jazz Festival last night  for a concert featuring Paul Chiasson and Michael Occipinti (and their respective bands) playing jazz tributes to the Beatles.  Fabulous music on the waterfront under a clear, starlit sky - it really doesn't get much better.   

In my happy place

It's Canada Day weekend and I originally planned to do a couple of longish runs to mark the occasion. However, I was forced to rethink those plans when I had a little trail running mishap Wednesday evening.

After a few days' rest, my knee felt recovered enough to let me go for a mellow 5km run with my friend Janet early Saturday morning but it was sore again yesterday so, for once, I decided to be sensible and give it a few more days to recover before hitting the roads again.

Normally, being forced to skip a weekend run would make me grumpy (to say the least) but, fortunately, we had two days of perfect beach weather so I was mostly content to hang out with Husband and family at Risser's Beach, swimming, reading and listening to the waves.

What do you do when you can't run?