Banff Winterstart

A quirky finish to the season, my first Banff Winterstart. 

7pm start, out of town, up Tunnel Mountain Road and back again with a few flashing lights, the stars and hope to guide the way. 

My GoPro was unlikely to capture much usable film, though its strap was useful for carrying a glow stick. 

For the final time this year, A-Chang was there for logistical and other support. 

The dangling running shoes were a nice touch. 

Getting outside at the last minute, there were more people than I thought. I shoehorned myself into the crowd about one quarter of the way back. I picked up a glow stick on the ground in front of me. I can only imagine the pandemonium if anyone had tripped up at this packed start.  

Guy in singlet...

"Hmm, no warmup. Never mind, this is going to be slow regardless."  

As I was leisurely overtaking people, a few exaggerated toe-offs had me realize the earlier rain had frozen in many spots. 

It takes a few runs on snow and ice to get my winter legs. This was my first such run since about early March. In the dark. 20 or 30 would come piling past each time I slipped a bit and anxiously backed off. 

Up Tunnel Mountain Road following the line of lights, watching out for those stopping to walk. The occasional glance upward at the star show above was all too fleeting. 

A tentative turnaround, I took it slowly down the hill out of apprehension for falling. The light show on the way down was a great distraction. 

A favourite was the guy dressed as a shrimp with his 2 buddies in leopard costumes. 

One runner even brought his dog along, wearing glow rings. 

Memories of winter runs had me slow down at intersections, always the slipperiest. After the turn back onto Banff Avenue, I managed to drop my water bottle. "I don't want to have to buy another one," I concluded, so I went back for it, waving my glow stick like a drunk air traffic controller. 

Back under street lights again, 10 minutes slower than my PB for a 5 miler. A good recovery run though, in which I victoriously didn't fall over. 

Some great costumes around, though the icy patches on course made me anxious. Fun overall, and a nice workout to continue my recovery. 

That's it for 2015. Training for a PB push at the Calgary Half Marathon starts tomorrow. It never stops. I want it to never stop.