it’s better to feel pain than nothing at all

I took off to Regina as soon as the girls were off school on Friday. Solo road trips? Not so shabby.

The sky was a perfect blue, with perfect Simpsons-like clouds. I wanted to stop and take photos, but Kami had dinner waiting for me and I was hungry. I haven’t used my camera in so long. There was a huge tidal wave of birds that took off from a field, though I would have been too late to capture it even if I had stopped. The sunset was absolutely stunning, but I was already in the city by the time it was picturesque.

This is the third race Kami and I have done together this year. We only ran one of them at the same pace (she slowed herself to run at my pace because she’s a fantastic friend), but it’s nice to have a partner in this running thing. I’d intended this to be my third 10k of the year, but my knees had other plans so I switched to the 5k at the last minute.

I didn’t have high hopes for my time, as a pinched nerve in my back on the same side as my sucky knee has been bugging me pretty fierce, so I set myself a very reachable goal of 35 minutes. The first 3k flew by, but I couldn’t even feel most of my right leg by the 4k mark. I had no idea how it was not buckling on me. I felt like I was running slow, but my final time was 31:41. I’m pretty sure that’s my 5k personal best, to which I credit my lucky rainbow socks, obviously. I don’t think I’ve ever done a timed 5k race, just fun races. And yes, Kami, I booked myself a massage.

I took off right after the race, as Jay & Kami had other things going on, and Noah was at home with four kids and I figured I’d best relieve him. Before I left, though, I hung out at Wascana Lake for a bit. I miss it. Our race went around the lake as well, which was such a fantastic surprise. The route was right by our old apartment, one I used to run almost daily.

I was hoping for the blue skies the forecast had promised, but the ominous clouds weren’t so awful. Clear skies will always be my favourite. I love living on the prairie where they happen often, and where I can see them unobstructed by mountains.

I wanted to walk a bit further around the lake to find more red trees, but my knee had had enough and wasn’t going to get me very far. The yellows and oranges are nice and all, but they’re nothing compared to red.

My camera/lens is so dirty. I really need to stop procrastinating and get it cleaned. It’s not so bad for close-ups, but landscapes are atrocious. I cleaned up the photos as much as I could.

On the way home I wanted a hay bale shot and an old building shot, but then I saw this house in the distance and it instantly reminded me of Green Gables.

The prairies are so beautiful in the fall. If you would ask me what my favourite season is, I’d answer “Summer” nine times out of ten, but I think the last full month of spring (May-ish) and the first full month of fall (October-ish) would be my favourite, view-wise. As long as October does not mean snow, though I’ve forced myself to find the beauty in winter as well, since it takes up eight months of the year.

I was kind of tempted to check out the old buildings I came across, but there was that little thing about trespassing, and that other little thing about what I’d find when I walked inside. Though maybe I’d find a turkey vulture and finally get a shot of one. I also told Noah I’d be home by 3pm, and didn’t want to go back on that.

There’s something quite therapeutic about travelling alone. I’ve always loved it. Nobody’s yelling at me, I’m not yelling at anyone, and I get to pick the music.