Another Friday Off

I love taking Fridays off. I like the short week, and I like sitting in a coffee shop with my newspaper, and watching all those people running in, grabbing a coffee, listening to the barista chanting out the products - "one-shot, low-fat latte, with extra foam..." - and just taking in the world. If you get a table by the window, you can enjoy the sunrise as it lights up the room and warms you.

Nice thing about runs on days off is, you can go any time of the day. I still prefer the afternoon, but I can get out earlier than usual. I did my 10 km route today, along the river, bracketed by 14th and Centre Streets. The city seemed busy this afternoon, with lots of people and traffic. Perhaps it's because the summer is over and we're all back to work. The pace might be a little wearing, but the energy is there, and it carries and sustains even as it grinds.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.12 km. Time: 50:14. Average speed: 10.9 kph.
Rest distance: 941.3 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 10.07 km. Total time: 55:14

Weather: Cloudy and 12C. It started out feeling cool, actually. Probably because it was cloudy with a slight breeze. But really it was perfect running weather.

Poplar Leaf Shuffle

Fall is in full swing, with the leaves falling by the bushel. It's kinda neat to have the rustly, crunchy noise to go along with the sqeaky toy noise of my one shoe. And the GPS doesn't lose it's lock on the satellites so often now, since the leaves are below it and not above it.

Beautiful night, too. I did the Confederation Park loop, running all the way to 24th Street in a loop around Canmore Park, before heading back home. There must be a running club or something, cuz a lot of people were out running in closely spaced groups, and it was cool to see so many out. The golf course was busy, too, with lots of foursomes waiting at the tee boxes for the foursomes in front of them to clear the fairway.

Today's run:
Distance: 8.05 km. Time: 50:49. Average speed: 9.5 kph.
Rest distance: 559.6 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 8.61 km. Total time: 55:49

Weather: Partly cloudy and 17C.

Insomniatic Shuffle

After a few decent nights of sleep, I seem to have dropped into the old pattern last night. Awake at 3:30, and by 4:15 it seemed pretty futile to stay in bed, so up and out for a run.

This was a short one, straight down 10th Street across the river, back across Prince's Island and up The Path Under The Stairs, and home. A lovely quiet fall morning, all fresh and washed down by an early morning shower. I thought I'd see some of the early risers out from the Eau Claire Y, but maybe they're only fair weather runners. Or I was just really early.

Today's run:
Distance: 7.62 km. Time: 45:40. Average speed: 10.0 kph.
Rest distance: 453.7 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 8.07 km. Total time: 50:40

Weather: Cloudy and 3C, perfect for a run.

Use It or Lose It..

I ain't been using it, and I sure am losing it. Only my second real distance run in the last couple of months, and I notice how much I've lost. It's almost like I'm back at the beginning, and in a sense, I suppose I am.

Today I went to the river as usual, then east along the north side to the zoo. Across the river there to the East Village and along the south side, all the way to 14th Street. Then back to 10th Street, and home.

Today's run:
Distance: 15.51 km. Time: 1:27:03. Average speed: 10.7 kph.
Rest distance: 874.2 m. Rest time: 9:00.
Total distance: 16.38 km. Total time: 1:36:03

Weather: Sunny and 10C, climbing to 15C by the time I was done. Perfect fall day.

T. G. I. F. Run

Thank goodness it's Friday. It's been a challenging week, and tonight is the first chance I've had to get out since Sunday. Gorgeous night for it too, clear and sunny and a little cool. The only downer is the leaves are starting to fall. Where the heck did the summer go?

Tonight was the 14th Street - Centre Street route. Not busy out there, which is pretty normal for a Friday evening. There are always a few runners out though.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.61 km. Time: 52:20. Average speed: 11.0 kph.
Rest distance: 501.0 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 10.11 km. Total time: 57:20

Weather: Sunny and 11C. It's supposed to stay this way for a few days at least, maybe even get a little warmer. Suits me.

Slow Run, With Distance

Not up to running with any speed today, after yesterday's romp in the snow. But I am trying to get back into distance runs on Sundays. So today it was down to the river, all the way to Crowchild, then back to Centre Street and home. And slightly overdressed. It's getting to that time of year where I have some trouble with that.

Today's run:
Distance: 11.80 km. Time: 1:11:16. Average speed: 9.9 kph.
Rest distance: 685.9 m. Rest time: 7:00.
Total distance: 12.48 km. Total time: 1:18:16

Weather: Clear and 4C. Beautiful sunny morning.

Raspberry Ridge

I've moved this post here.

End of the Week!

Holy cow, it's been a couple of stessful weeks at work, and I am so glad to be over them. There's no promise that the next one will be any better, but the weekend's here and I can maybe get a little renewal time in.

Usual route down to the river, around, back home. Much quieter on the promenade tonight, probably because it is a little cool, and it's Friday night, and summer is practically over.

Today's run:
Distance: 8.59 km. Time: 48:15. Average speed: 10.7 kph.
Rest distance: 545.1 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 9.13 km. Total time: 53:15

Weather: Cloudy and 9C. Just a little cool, but no wind, so really quite nice for running.

Threatening Clouds

All the way around, there were some dark, heavy looking clouds, but it never produced a drop the whole time I was out. Nice cool night for running. Everything felt good, so my extra attention to stretching is paying off.

The local running club was holding a 10K along the south side of the river from Eau Claire west, so I ran into a lot of traffic after coming off the 14th Street bridge. They passed pretty quick, since they were all going the other way.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.56 km. Time: 50:28. Average speed: 11.4 kph.
Rest distance: 524.5 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 10.09 km. Total time: 55:28

Weather: Cloudy and 9C, so the temperature dropped a little from when I left work this afternoon. But just about right for running.

Bunny Run

Up early again. No sense laying awake, and staring into the darkness, so I'm up and out the door. It's rather nice to run down 10th Street right at 6:00 a.m., as the coffee shops are just opening up, and the smell of fresh baking is all up and down the street.

Across the river and along the promenade are lots of runners. The Eau Claire Y is a busy place, and a lot of runners start out there at this time of day. It's just as busy at lunch time and late afternoon time too.

But what was cool was all the bunnies! There are rabbits all over these inner city neighbourhoods for some reason. A few scrawny wild jackrabbits, but lots of stray domestics, too. And they all look well fed. Guess that explains the coyotes I heard along the river across from Chinatown last spring.

Today's run:
Distance: 7.51 km. Time: 44:27. Average speed: 10.1 kph.
Rest distance: 340.6 m. Rest time: 4:00.
Total distance: 7.85 km. Total time: 48:27

Weather: Partly cloudy and 5C. Very nice morning.

Hard run

I've been feeling really good lately, so I've been pushing it. Not consciously, but I seem to cover a lot of distance on every interval. Same route as last time, again. I like it for the atmosphere, as there are always lots of people out when the weather is nice, like it is tonight.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.78 km. Time: 51:13. Average speed: 11.5 kph.
Rest distance: 507.2 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 10.29 km. Total time: 56:13

Weather: Partly cloudy and 20C. Warmer than I thought, sweaty and fun.

Holiday Monday

Love the long weekends, cuz I can get stuff done. And go running after.

Tonight, I went down to the river and did the 14th Street - Centre Street loop. Nothing special, but fun none the less. I had a bit of a tussle with the inner brat to get going, but once out the door, there was no more arguing. And it felt good, too. I think I'm finally getting out of the after-effects of the marathon.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.21 km. Time: 49:55. Average speed: 11.1 kph.
Rest distance: 487.6 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 9.70 km. Total time: 54:55

Weather: Partly cloudy and 15C. Actuall quite a nice evening, though there are some thunderhead-like clouds building all around.

Mt. Indefatigable

I've moved this post to here.

It's Friday!

Wotaday! I survived, but man it was crazy, especially for a Friday. So I was really glad to get outa there and home and into my running gear.

It wasn't a hard run, or particularly fast. It's a little warm but not too warm. Just a nice evening. My speed was a little variable, but even so, it was a solid 10K run.

Today's run:
Distance: 9.43 km. Time: 51:44. Average speed: 10.9 kph.
Rest distance: 507.8 m. Rest time: 5:00.
Total distance: 9.94 km. Total time: 56:44

Weather: Sunny and 24C. That would be a typical late summer afternoon, I believe. A great evening, and lots of people out and about, which gives it great energy.