And so it begins

-14 plus wind. 60mins run. Into the rising sun.  I've been trying to get started for weeks now but have been struggling to get out and run in the dark. The sun is now rising close to 7am, which makes this easier. 13 weeks till Vancouver marathon starts monday, so it is good timing.

The way the last couple of years have gone i've come to accept that I am too busy with gatherings and subsistence gathering in the summer and hunting in the fall to really train properly for a marathon in those season. So I am taking this winter and early spring as an opportunity to run a fast marathon. Although I am still very busy, it is a different kind of busy. When you are busy doing things that are dependent on the weather and growing season your schedule is dictated by those things; the warmth of the sun, amounts of rain, coldness of air, mating seasons, and optimal times of day to hunt, among other things. You must schedule around them. In the winter season time is spent in preparation, and doing other work that is mainly indoors, in a controlled environment with artificial light, which makes scheduling more flexible. So, that's the rationale.  This also helps with the motivation; it is the one chance I have in the year to get a good solid amount of training in and run a fast marathon. I will still run the Kamloops Marathon and attempt to defend my title, however it will be off maintenance of the fitness I develop for Vancouver and a few focused and specific workouts. Here we go.