Richard Gibney's 365 Days of Fitness: Day 171

Day 171 The plan today was to do a nice light run to keep the blood pumping through my legs. I didn't want to do anything too taxing because I had my run in Kananaskis this weekend, but I did want to work just hard enough to keep my body active and prepared for something much harder in a couple days.

I was just about to go for my run when I got a call from work saying that the Glencoe club had been closed and evacuated due to a flood warning for the elbow river a few blocks away from the building. I wasn't too upset about having a shorter day of work but I do have quite a few clients that live in the area, so I was concerned about them and their homes.

For my run I decided to run to the club and check out what was happening to the river. I didn't push too hard but the hill up 14th st from my house was a challenge. However, the rest of the way to the club was relatively downhill. When I got to the Glencoe it was spooky how quiet it was. The parking lot was empty and there were no cars parked in front of any of the houses. All I could hear was a helicopter over head. The traffic noise was gone as Elbow Drive had been blocked off.

I ran to the river bank to check out the water level. It was incredibly high and moving very fast. I felt a deep sense of concern as I looked at the houses across the river bank. Many of the back yards were becoming submerged. I really hope that they don't sustain too much damage.

I made my way back home at a much slower pace. I kind of ran / walked my way up 4th st and 17 ave. I was trying to push just hard enough to get a sweat and keep the blood moving but not tire myself out. I stopped into Yann Haute's and picked up some macarons for dessert. Pretty much ensures being in Nicole's good books when I do that. She has a slight obsession with them.

When I got home I checked my phone for any messages. Last time I went for a run when there was a possibility of rain, I nearly fried my phone. So this time I left it at home. When I checked I had an email from my friend and K100 team captain. The Kananaskis Relay had been cancelled due to the severe flooding and mudslides around Canmore and the Kananaskis area. I have to say I was pretty disappointed. I felt really prepared and was looking forward to running my leg. Oh well, I got myself in decent shape which was pretty rewarding. I'll likely continue to throw some running into my workouts, but I think I'm going to refocus my energies toward getting really strong.

All my stuff aside, I really hope everyone affected by the severe rain stay safe and that they can return to dry undamaged homes.