A Wet, Sort-Of-Distance Run

I wasn't up to doing the full run I had planned this morning. I was going to try for 3:20, but I was up too late last night. A friend called at the last minute, who had a spare ticket to ¡Bulla!, so I figured why not? Then after, there was a friend of a friend whose son's band was having a CD release party next door, then dancing at the Conga Room until the band shut down. Umm, got a little carried away, I guess.

So I was late getting up and slow getting moving, but I eventually did. This time down 4th Street, to the The Path Under The Stairs (might as well capitalize the whole thing). Down Memorial to Crowchild, across to the other side of the river and back to Eau Claire. At that point I was going to decide whether to go more or head home, and the knee felt so good I kept going. This time to the zoo, where I crossed the river, then back along Memorial again to The Path, and home.

I think it wasn't the descent down The Path so much as the climb back up that was the danger to the knee. Last Thursday when I ran Confederation Park, there was a lot of up and down, and I tackled the climbs pretty aggressively. I think I may have stretched something. So I took today's climb pretty easy. Felt way better.

About the fourth interval, near Eau Claire, the skys opened up, so I ran for almost an hour and a half in a continual downpour. It was actually quite nice, and I like running in the rain anyway. But I definitely needed a hot shower before writing this. My fingers were a bit stiff.

Lots going on down there today. The Ride for Heart was going in Cresent Heights Park, and the MS Super Cities Walk happening just across the river on Prince's Island, so lots of people out, even with the rain, and that made it fun.

I almost took a swim by the zoo. I had just come around a corner screened by a big bush, and found a huge puddle that I was too close to stop for. I tried to go around by staying to the side, but ended up off the path in ankle deep water, and a good ten yards before I could get out of it, so so much for dry feet. And it was a great day for agility training, between the goose poo and the earthworms that come out to drown on the sidewalks when it rains like this. Yecch.

Today's run:
Distance: 17.08 km. Time: 1:40:20. Average speed: 10.2 kph.
Rest distance: 1.57 km. Rest time: 11:00.
Total distance: 18.65 km. Total time: 1:51:20.

Weather: Light rain and 11C. Just nice.