Eight-one degrees F. at noon today. Whew...we jump from winter to mid-summer and skip spring.
The north side of the garage still has 3" if ice and snow on the ground in a swath three feet wide. On the south side of the property we stood and watched the daffodils and hyacinths open before our eyes. Not complaining, just saying. The forecast for tomorrow is for the mid-seventies. I have to do an eleven mile training run tomorrow in preparation for the 1/2 marathon I'll be running at the end of May in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Since I find it advantageous to run when it's cooler, I'll be on the road by 0700 when the temp should be in the high forties or low fifties.

Today's assignment/prompt for poefusion was to write a villenelle. I've written a villenelle about my training run tomorrow morning based on my 10 mile run over the same route two weeks ago. This route over the 4 rod road to Edwardsville is a particularly rigorous one. I describe it as ten mile loop, up-hill both ways. While technically untrue, it sure feels like it when your running it. ;)

The villanelle is a fixed form of nineteen lines consisting of five tercets (three line stanzas) and a quatrain (four line stanza). The first line (refrain) is repeated in lines six, twelve and eighteen while the third line is repeated in lines nine, fifteen and nineteen. These refrains (first/third lines) rhyme with each other and with the opening line of each stanza. The middle lines rhyme with each other to make the rhyme scheme aba.
The road rolls out; uphill everyway.
Eleven miles of macadam to go,
Counting cadence, in silence sway.

The morning is the cool of day.
Smoothly gliding, heel to toe.
The road rolls out, uphill everyway.

Breathing quickens, muscles bay,
Brain taunts and says: no, no.
Counting cadence, in silence sway.

Sips of water quench thirst away
Each and every mile or so......
The road rolls out, uphill everyway.

Reaching mile 5.5, mind in disarray,
Make the turn, feel confidence grow.
Counting cadence, in silence sway.

Almost there, at last I pray.
I've passed the test, I feel the glow!
The road rolls out, uphill everyway.
Counting cadence, in silence sway.

ON-CALL TODAY.










Training run this morning: 29 degrees F. with a biting arctic wind from the west coming across the river, stiff enough to etch the devil's icicles.
Run two poles walk one etc. ...thank you Jeff Galloway! Fortunately the wind was behind me for the first mile so that when I eventually turned into that wind turbine I was good and warmed up.

Did three miles today.... Six next Sunday in Lake Placid.

Much different than yesterday's balmy 45 F. walk. As Jason (The Clarity of Night) said, " the ghost were about yesterday" teasing us with thoughts of spring. Today the ghosts slapped us up-side-the-head with a dose of February reality!

While I run, my mind opens up and thoughts flow like water through an eight inch main. As I warmed to the task at hand an idea for a fall endeavor made itself known to me. I'm going to run it by Don P. and Leigh, and perhaps Chris and John David to see if they have any interest. The idea is this: To kayak from the 'Burg to Mo'town, then bike from Mo'town to the burg and back, and finish with a 10K run from my house to the Jacques Cartier Park and back (an exact 10 K). Sounds doable for the over 50 or greater crowd, whadda-ya think?
Anyone else whose interested is most welcome to join in. Just let me know; Jay? Kristy? Michelle? Josh? Bobby?
I know you're under fifty but I'm not going to hold that against you.

This will not take the place of the Adirondack 90 miler.