David Barker
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nouspique.bsky.social
David Barker
@nouspique.bsky.social
430 followers 420 following 370 posts
Toronto based writer / photographer. Took up distance running at 60. Every decade deserves a new challenge. 🇨🇦
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nouspique.bsky.social
Went for a #TrailRun on this beautiful fall morning. When I got home, I had a serious runner’s lunch: goat cheese, smoked salmon, olives, & Gewurtztraminer! #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Wine
A leaf-covered trail through bare trees. Because this image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it’s overlaid with running stats and the words, “Trail Run on a Beautiful Fall Morning.”
November 23, 2025 at 6:23 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Test run after 10 days of doin’ nuthin’. I did the run but the calf still needs some tlc. Paused by a broken mirror. The shattered reflection looks the way my calf feels. #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #Reflection
Selfie shot in a broken mirror leaning against a stone wall. Posing reflected in the mirror is a runner in black shoes, colourful socks, running shorts, and a long sleeved shirt. The runner’s head is missing because it isn’t reflected in the mirror. Because the image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it’s overlaid with running stats and the words, “Testing the left calf.”
November 21, 2025 at 8:10 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Hiked the #SleepingGiant with my daughter & son-in-law. On the Giant’s head, the snow on the junipers was magical! On the way back down we built a fire & enjoyed a late lunch. #NorthernOntario #LakeSuperior #ThunderBay #Ontario #Canada #Hiking #Nature #Landscape
A man and a woman pose on a granite promontory overlooking a steep valley and a granite mesa rising on the far side of the valley. To the right side of the image is Lake Superior meeting a dramatic sky of banded greys. Because the image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it is overlaid with statistics and the words, “Hiking the Sleeping Giant with M & Q.” A rocky trail is flanked by low snow-covered junipers. The poster, warmly dressed in jacket, mitts, & toque, and wearing a backpack, climbs over granite rocks. Far below, and extending to the horizon, is Lake Superior. A warmly dressed man and woman tend a fire in a pit constructed of flat rocks.
November 8, 2025 at 10:31 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Flew up to #ThunderBay this morning and got right to it with a hike as temperatures fell thru the afternoon and are forecast to fall to -12C tonight. #Ontario #Canada #LakeSuperior #Hiking
On the left half of the photo, a woman walks along a trail into the distance. The image is bisected by a metal fence post and fixed to a chain link fence is a yellow sign with a black silhouette of a bear. The sign says: “Bear in the Area.” A wooden foot bridge lies across a stream and a trail continues on the far side into a forest. A forest of birch and pine trees stands to either side of a broad river.
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Won’t be posting any runs for a while as it appears I have a tibial stress fracture. Going to the gym instead to keep up conditioning with non-impact training. Going a bit squirrelly! #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #Cycling #Fitness #Exercise
The poster has taken a selfie in the mirror posing seated on a bench in a gym. He’s wearing a blue T shirt, black shorts, and cartoon covered knee high compression socks. His head is bald and sweaty. Because this image comes from his Strava account, it’s overlaid with Cycling stats and the words, “Morning Ride.”
November 5, 2025 at 3:01 PM
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Heading out for a run this am, Sikhs were protesting across the road in front of the Indian consulate, calling for an independent Punjab. Meanwhile a woman dressed as a banana was leaning against a post and smoking a cigarette. I love this town! #Toronto #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
A map from the Strava app indicating with an orange line a running route through Toronto’s Don Valley. The map is overlaid with running statistics and the words, “Running into a stiff headwind (both ways!)”
October 31, 2025 at 6:01 PM
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The last major sports win in #Toronto was on June 13, 2019 - the #Raptors won the NBA championship. That brought the best from our city which came out to celebrate in all its ecstatic diversity. Here’s hoping the #BlueJays summon that same spirit. #StreetPhotography #Photography #BlackAndWhite #BNW
A black and white impromptu portrait of a bearded man in profile wearing a cap under a hoodie with hands clasped together as if in prayer. A black and white photo of people charging up York Street from Bremner Boulevard in Toronto. They are in the underpass beneath the railway tracks where everything is concrete. A person near the front of the pack is holding up a big raptor head. A black and white photograph, a night shot at the intersection of Toronto’s Front and York streets. A crowd gathers around a utility pole supporting crossing lights and some people have climbed the pole and are sitting on the lights. A black and white photograph shot at the Yonge and Bloor intersection in Toronto. A young woman stands in sock feet on top of a car, arms raised, screaming into her cellphone.
October 30, 2025 at 7:25 PM
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Out on an urban #TrailRun this morning, thinking of Jamaica & listening to Peter Tosh when one line stood out: To the bald heads, respect the Rastaman. It’s like he was talking directly to me. #RunSky #TrailRunning #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
Selfie of a seriously bald runner posing on a golden leaf-covered trail in the forest. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “To The Bald Heads.”
October 29, 2025 at 4:36 PM
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Cool autumn run in Toronto’s Don Valley. You’d think, given her running-friendly name, I’d be listening to Taylor Swift. But no. Today I ran to the more age-aligned stylings of David Bowie & Mark Knopfler. #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Toronto
Abandoned train tracks recede into the distance. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Running to David Bowie & Mark Knopfler.”
October 28, 2025 at 4:54 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
A shot I made early in 2016 overlooking Bloor St E in #Toronto. Firefighters put out a fire in a van that had pulled onto the sidewalk. No one was hurt but it was dramatic all the same. #Fire #Smoke #FireFighters #Photography #StreetPhotography #Urban #UrbanPhotography
A view from above of a van parked anglewise on a sidewalk. There is snow and ice along the curb. Smoke billows from the van’s engine. On the right side of the van, two firefighters attend to the scene but one is mostly obscured by the smoke. On the left side, a pedestrian is making to walk around the van. A yellow hose curves from the top of the image and disappears in the smoke.
October 27, 2025 at 5:32 PM
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Did a progression-y long run this afternoon. It’s like a New Year’s resolution: I promise myself that I’ll practise starting slow instead of starting out like a 6 yr old and screaming whee! #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #ProgressionRun #LongRun
A string of concrete barriers curves through a parking lot and disappears into trees in the middle distance. Behind the trees stands a big apartment building. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “A because-I-can long run.”
October 26, 2025 at 8:38 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
What a beautiful cool fall morning! Perfect for a recovery run in the Don Valley where the colours are glorious. #Toronto #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
An iron train trestle spans a river and is reflected in its water. On the far bank, trees rise up beyond the trestle and their leaves exhibit all the colours of a brilliant fall morning. Because the image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Oh what a beautiful morning…”
October 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Completed the #Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Not well. But I did it! Now I’m rewarding myself with a local blended red that’s absolutely brilliant. Icellars! #Wine #Marathon #Running #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
A bottle of Wiyanna Wanda Bordeaux style blended red wine from Icellars Winery in the Niagara Region. Beside it, in the centre of the image, is a decanter holding the wine and, in front of the decanter is the cork and a corkscrew. To the right side of the image is an empty crystal wide bodied wine glass waiting for the wine in the decanter.
October 19, 2025 at 9:32 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Ran the #Toronto Waterfront 5K as a shakeout for tomorrow’s #marathon. Maybe I pushed too hard? We’ll see. Ran it in 22:50 & placed 5th in the M60-64 category. Ran it with other members of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto. #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
Four runners posing for a selfie at the finish line after a race.
October 18, 2025 at 5:07 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
People go on about the importance of the tapir leading up to race day, which is all well and good except pets aren’t allowed in my building. #MarathonTraining #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky
A tapir in profile with a black head and limbs and pale body.
October 16, 2025 at 5:09 PM
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I See You - ambiguous words I stumbled on in Toronto’s Cottonwood Flats. They could be taken as a statement of surveillance, or of empathy. You can’t control how others choose to see you, but you can control how you choose to see others. #graffiti #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Toronto
Two feet in trainers standing on a rock painted red with a white line drawing of a face and the words “I see you.” A map of Toronto’s Don Valley and an orange line showing a running route. The map is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Keeping Limbs Limber & Feet Fleeter.”
October 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM
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The Ylied - the Welsh translation of Homer’s epic poem (about a runner whose GPS malfunctioned while he was on a trail run back from Troy). #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
A yellow poster promoting a COVID conspiracy theory web site rests against a rock while behind it stands an abandoned bicycle. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “The Ylied - the Welsh translation of Homer’s epic poem.”
October 14, 2025 at 3:58 PM
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A morning run up and down a few hills with a pause at Chester Hill Lookout for a view to the northwest over #Toronto the #DonValley & Evergreen Brick Works. Overcast with dramatic clouds but perfect conditions for #Running #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
A view from Chester Hill Lookout overlooking Toronto’s Don Valley with the Don Valley Parkway in the foreground, a train trestle and the Evergreen Brick Works in the middle distance, and beyond that trees of Mud Creek and Governor’s Hill. The sky is overcast and filled with dramatic looking clouds. Because this image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it’s overlaid with running stats and the words, “Fun With Hills.”
October 12, 2025 at 4:24 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Final long(ish) run before next weekend’s #Toronto Waterfront #Marathon just going easy to the end of the Kay Gardner Beltline Trail & back. #LongRun #MarathonTraining #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
A combination lock hangs from a chain link fence overlooking twin sets of railway tracks passing underneath. To the left and running parallel to the tracks are high power transmission lines suspended from tall metal pylons. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Short Long Run (or Long Short Run).”
October 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM
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Cottonwood Flats! The city of #Toronto has installed a new sign. So now I know where I am whenever I run here. How did I ever manage before? #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #MarathonTraining
An orange vertical sign on a 6 by 6 wooden post saying, “Cottonwood Flats.” The sign is set to the side of a path amidst trees and low growth. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Lunch Run to Cottonwood Flats.”
October 9, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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At about the 25 km mark today, gaps started to appear in my vision. Then a woman ran past me and her right leg was missing. At which point I realized I was having a migraine headache. Ah, joy! (I suspect it’s a hydration issue.) #Migraine #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #LongRun
A view up the paved path beside Toronto’s Rosedale Valley Road. A woman is running past the camera towards the arch of the Bloor viaduct which spans the road. In the foreground is a yellow bollard and there are trees to either side of the path. Because the image comes from the poster’s Strava account, it is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Long Run cut short by a migraine.”
September 30, 2025 at 6:17 PM
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Six hills that haunt my dreams. But not just *my* dreams. Something about them has seized the writerly imagination & so they’ve found their way into Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, Timothy Findley’s Headhunter, Vincent Lam’s On The Ravine, & Paul Quarrington’s Ravine. #books #Running #RunSky
A trail through the woods (Mud Creek) is bounded by a temporary blue fence. The image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Six Hills that Haunt my Dreams.”
September 26, 2025 at 5:41 PM
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Typical start to a run in downtown #Toronto: my starting point is at the foot of stairs where two guys have spread out all their paraphernalia for their morning high. Thanks but I’ll get mine #Running! #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #MarathonTraining
This is a map exported from Strava and showing with an orange line a running route through Toronto’s Don Valley and Taylor Creek. The image is overlaid with running stats and the words: “Morning jaunt @ MP to Taylor Creek and back.”
September 24, 2025 at 5:51 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Today’s #HillSprints left me feeling rapturous! Fortunately I ran fast enough that I didn’t feel #LeftBehind (tho a little sore in my right behind). On a more apocalyptic note, can anyone tell me what good is a padlock on a porto potty? #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning #Toilet
A portable toilet stands in front of a concrete wall. The door is teal and the sides are yellow. The door has been padlocked rendering it useless to desperate runners like myself. Because the image comes from my Strava account, it is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Hill Sprints.”
September 23, 2025 at 5:17 PM
nouspique.bsky.social
Long(ish) #LongRun this morning along the Tay Trail in #SimcoeCounty. Should have had a proper breakfast first as I ran out of gas along the way. Ah well. Still got to see some brilliant fall countryside. #Ontario #RunSky #RunnersOfBlueSky #NeverNotRunning
Round bales of hay wrapped in white plastic lie in rows behind a weathered wooden fence post with farm fields in the background. This image comes from the poster’s Strava account and so is overlaid with running stats and the words, “Long Run thru the Wyebridge/Midland (old Wendat) area.”
September 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM