This morning I was feeling a little out-of-the-loop, due to learning  today, that since the winter of 2009, the city has been clearing the Toronto’s Martin Goodman Trail. I have been running through the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, over the bridge to Ontario Place and then east along the old path by the lake which is partially a parking lot ending with an uncleared section of ice and snow.  Noticing that there seemed to be runners emerging near Strachan with regularity, I googled the question, “Is the Martin Goodman Trail being cleared in the winter?” and found an article in the Globe and Mail called, How clear was my running trail by Christopher Shulgan to finally be in the know, that indeed snow clearing is being done on a priority basis.

Here is an excerpt from the article . . .

Winter running tends to be full of such (bad) moments. It’s bad enough that the activity forces men to wear tights. When these are paired with the bright hues that grace the jackets manufactured by Nike and New Balance, even the most masculine runner resembles a medieval harlequin – whose feet slide out from under him at icy corners, whose shoes get soaked in frozen puddles . . . READ MORE

For someone who has spent decades running east from Strachan through condo city, in the winter months, the option to run along the lake west of Strachan is big news.  So I enjoyed a groundbreaking run, out to High Park and then down Colborne Lodge drive to the lake.  I saw a number of other runners, walkers and cyclists enjoying the trail.

My workout was an invigorating 9.5 miles with 40 minutes of tempo running.  Aware of the strong west wind, I ran west through the city and High Park, relying on buildings and trees to take the bite out of the wind, hitting the wide open of the lakefront to head east, with a strong tailwind.  Nothing beats tempo running with a tailwind.  The sun peeped out while I ran along the most scenic lake view sections so I stopped to take a few photos.

Thank you City of Toronto for a wonderful winter running experience.  I hope (gulp) that MGT snow-clearing is here to stay.  Better write a thank you letter to City Hall!