Coffee tastes better after a run.

Since moving to sunny California 9 years ago, I have missed
Tim Horton's coffee. It's not that the coffee down here is
of bad quality or poor variety. But it feels too easy. In
Edmonton, I sometimes had to walk 20 minutes in -30
degree weather (and sometimes in a blizzard) to get it. The
hardship experienced to get the hot drink made it felt
exceptionally rewarding. To spice up the Californian coffee,
I've since found a couple of alternatives. In short, physical
exertions before consuming make it all the more enjoyable.

It was a chilly morning. I woke up at 6:00am and had to move
around indoors for an hour to feel good to run. The sky was
gray but the trail was lively. There seemed to be a
half-marathon event going on.

I went toward the hills, not sure if I should do some hill
work or bypass them to stay on the levee. Once getting
closer, I decided to do both, i.e., to continue on the levee
for another half a mile and come back for the hill loop.

My calves still felt a little pain after mile 2 but it was
nothing compared to what I had before. Over the past two
weeks, another blister developed at the ball of my left
foot. It was at the outer edge: I supinate, especially with
the left foot. Again, the Merrell would have worn out but
the Xero gave me the blister. With the latter, I had to pay
attention to landing.

It was an elevating run. I could feel that my lower legs and
my feet have become stronger as I maintained control to the
end. The grits and poor pavement didn't hurt as much now.
Overall, I was able to break the 8:00 barrier over 11 miles
and finish strong (7:47, 7:39, and 7:25 for the last three miles).

Now I can enjoy some home-made coffee. It's not Tim Horton's
but tastes almost as good ;-)