Sunday, April 30, 2006

Last Big Run Before the Big Run

Pretty much the same run as last week, down to Edworthy, back to Edmonton Trail and home. A little more goose poo to dodge, a little less ice on the path below Spruce Cliff. I did forget to reset the intervals from my run with Nony last Monday, so the alarm went off after four minutes instead of nine. I stopped and reset things, then started over, so there's four minutes unaccounted for off the beginning.

It was a nice reflective run this morning. I thought of all the people who have cheered me on in the last year. Nony, for sure, and now Tru, too. The acting class. My kids. The rest of my family. The Rebuilders. Wow, quite a list. If any of you read this, my heartfelt thanks. I'll be thinking of all of you next week.

Today's run:
Distance: 18.81 km. Time: 1:45:34. Average speed: 10.7 kph.
Rest distance: 1.09 km. Rest time: 11:00
Total distance: 19.90 km. Total time: 1:52:34

Weather: Light rain and 2C. Actually it was snowing a little for the last half of the run.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Too Much energy

I needed to get out and get some running in, just to burn off some energy. Not that it was a rough day or anything, but I was a little hyper.

It's so nice to get out, and there are a lot of people out running, and on blades and bikes. I headed down to the river, then to 14th Street and back. I had great energy all the way to the end, and even got a little agressive climbing The Path Under The Stairs, which was fun cuz I passed a cyclist on the way up.

Today's run:
Distance: 7.45 km. Time: 37:54. Average speed: 11.8 kph.

Weather: Sunny and 16C. Very summery.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Reservoir Run With Nony

It was supposed to be a recovery day, but Nony asked if I'd like to join her for a run at the Glenmore Reservoir. I can't refuse Nony, and anyway, it was nice to reconnect and catch up with each other.

We started at the parking lot at the south end of 36th Street, and headed west down the hill. It's such a beautiful area, and looking down on the forest just before we decended into it, you can see the first hints of green on the trees.

We did an easy run/walk down the hill and through the forest, running 4 and walking 6. We did that for 20 minutes before turning around to come back. I think Nony thought we were doing 3 and 7, but she can handle a little more running, and the timing of our intervals ensured that all the running was either downhill or on the flat.

Today's run:
Distance: 2.43 km. Time: 16:58. Average speed: 8.6 kph.
Rest distance: 2.33 km. Rest time: 24:00
Total distance: 4.76 km. Total time: 40:58

Weather: Sunny and around 13C. But windy.

Easy Distance

I'm a little late getting this in as my computer died over the weekend, and I haven't had a chance to fix or replace the damn thing yet.

I was thinking of doing one more long run Sunday, but I thought, if I can already do 30+ km, I can do 42, right? So what's to prove?

Still, I went out for a couple of hours. And this time I thought I'd do the scenic route. I headed down to the river and across at Prince's Island, then west to Crowchild where I crossed back to the north side of the river. By then I was warmed up and cruising nicely.

At Edworthy Park, I decided to cross again and take the path back eastward under Spruce Cliff. This were only a couple of places hwere there was still ice. Natural springs from the bluff run across the path all year, and in the winter, there can be a lot of ice buildup on a long stretch of the path. But the morning sun reaches down there for a long while early in the day, and it's now mostly clear.

At Croschild, I crossed back again and headed east toward the downtown on the north side again. This was just straight through, and I went all the way to Edmonton Trail before crossing to the south again.

Then it was back to Centre Street and across the bridge, up Nony's Awful Little Hill and home.

Today's run:
Distance: 19.35 km. Time: 1:47:50. Average speed: 10.8 kph.
Rest distance: 1.03 km. Rest time: 11:00
Total distance: 20.38 km. Total time: 1:58:50

Weather: About -5C to start and somewhere above 0C at the finish. Not too much wind.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Tru's Birthday

Another gorgeous day out there, and traffic on the paths was heavy. Everyone out on thier lunch hour walking and running, taking in the sun and spring air. I love the ambiance when there are all those people out there.

Today, we just did a short one, down to 14th and back. It's actually a nice lunch hour distance, and seemed about right for today.

Today's run:
Distance: 4.88 km. Time: 27:06. Average speed: 10.8 kph.

Weather: Sunny and 8C, but it seems much warmer. I think a lot of runners out there today started overdressed, with lots of jackets and windbreakers tied around waists.

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Getting Close

A good distance run today, felt really good, and had a great, strong finish. I met Byron at the Eau claire Y and we headed west. It started cold, but very quickly warmed up, so I had to deal with extra clothing.

Down the south side of the river to Crowchild, then across and continuing west, we did a loop around the Shouldice pool before heading back. By then the paths were filling up with other runners, and the odd blader and biker. Clear skys and sunshine warmed us up nicely, even with a stiff and chilly breeze from the south west.

Just past Crowchild, Byron started to stiffen up, and he waved me on. From there I was probably at my strongest, with the last two intervals being smooth and fast. I felt I could have gone all day, something I haven't experienced for several months.

About the time I had walked around the block after arriving at the Y, Byron caught up, and we stopped for a post-run coffee and snack. great run for me, but maybe not so great for him?

Today's run:
Distance: 20.76 km. Time: 1:55:11. Average speed: 10.8 kph.
Rest distance: 1.11 km. Rest time: 12:00
Total distance: 21.86 km. Total time: 2:07:11

Weather: Sunny and -2C to start, and up to 6C by the end. A simply gorgeous morning for a run. Shoulda wore shorts...

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Legs of Lead

Felt kinda heavy from the knees down today. But still good. Today I ran solo around the short zoo route, and then down to the C-Train bridge before heading back to Eau Claire.

I could have had a running partner too, but Chris was a little late checking in to see if anyone was around. I did pass her on the trail, though, so we waved.

Today's run:
Distance: 7.83 km. Time: 40:36. Average speed: 11.6 kph.

Weather: Mainly sunny and 10C. Could have shed a tee shirt.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Forgot to Recalibrate

No data for today, cuz I forgot to let this GPS thing find itself. Last time I used it was 500 m lower and 700 km further east, so I think it's a little lost. I'll borrow from another run over the same route, though.

We ran to 14th and back, nothing strenuous. Byron is actually beginning to get serious about Red Deer. He did a distance run on Sunday, and he's feeling it, so we took it easy.

How about these numbers from March 24th:
Distance: 4.87 km. Time: 27:17. Average speed: 10.7 kph.

Weather: cloudy and 7C. I thought there would be a few more out given that it's so nice, but maybe the rain kept them in?

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Small City

I tried a long run Today. I was only going for a two hour run, but I ran out of city, sort of. I started at Lorne Avenue, then alone the street that went by what used to be a brewery. Then to Poplar Cresent, and the Idlywyld Freeway bridge where I crossed the river.

They've tore down the old school board offices and have some big redevelopement going, so I had to work my way around that. (To the north end of the Victoria Bridge, which is permanently closed now, it being too old and narrow, and too deteriorated to repair.) From there, northward, past the Bessborough Hotel, under the University Bridge, past the Mendel Art Gallery and the weir to the train bridge at 33rd Street.

There is a snazzy new stairway up to the pedestrian path on the bridge, so I took that across to the university side of the river, then continued north to the 42nd Street bridge.

At which point only 45 minutes had elapsed. This was surprising. I didn't expect to be that far, or should I say I expected it to take much longer to go that far. The city is smaller than I remember.

So I turned around and headed back. This time I stayed on the east side of the river, along the university, and then Saskatchewan Cresent and through Victoria Park. This took me back to Poplar Cresent. At Taylor Street, I headed to St. Henry Avenue and kept to the river for a couple of blocks before cutting straight across back to my starting point.

Today's run:
Distance: 15.58 km. Time: 1:29:19. Average speed: 10.5 kph.
Rest distance: 810.4 m. Rest time: 9:00
Total distance: 16.39 km. Total time: 1:38:19

Weather: Cloudy and about 5C or so. Not a lot of people out, but maybe this town doesn't have too many early morning runners.

Back to Saskatoon

I'm in Saskatoon for the weekend, so I took the time for a little run near the exhibition grounds Saturday morning.

Right off the start, I took a pedestrian overpass across Idylwyld Drive, then down to Ruth Street. I had some vague idea of following the river north to 8th Street and backtracking, but once I got near the river (St. Henry Avenue, I think), I remembered the loop around Diefenbaker Park. That took me close to the river, across from the Queen Elizabeth power plant

After doing that loop, I followed St. Henry Avenue along the river bank until I got to the Taylor Street underpass under Idylwyld, then back to my starting point.

Today's run:
Distance: 5.61 km. Time: 31:44. Average speed: 10.6 kph.

Weather: probably around 5C and cloudy.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Socked In

Holy cow, is it ever foggy. I can hardly see the ground from the 33rd floor. But the rain stopped for the noon hour. Great run today, as Chris finally joined us.

We just did the short loop to 14th Street and back, and she said she was a little out of shape, not having been out for awhile. But she set a decent pace nonetheless. Great fun run, and we had a chance to catch up.

Today's run:
Distance: 4.94 km. Time: 26:59. Average speed: 11.0 kph.

Weather: Fog and 4C. Very, very thick fog, though it did lift a little at ground level.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Wet Spring Day

Rained overnight, and has been a little drizzly off and on all morning. Still very nice for running, and lots of people seem to feel the same.

I tried something a little different: I ran the long zoo (12th Street bridge to the zoo), but instead of cutting across at Prince's Island, I continued on to the C-Train bridge before crossing back, and ended at the Y. That gave me a nice distance, actually a little farther than the Crowchild loop.

Body talk: felt good for the whole run. I'm noticing my knees, though, and it seems to be from the distance runs, especially the three hours last Sunday. I'll be repeating the buildup cycle beginning this coming weekend, so it'll be two hours, and I'll see how I feel after that.

Today's run:
Distance: 8.95 km. Time: 49:11. Average speed: 10.9 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 5C.

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Tough Run

It was OK to start, but at about 6 km, my innards were not happy. I ended up walking the rest of the way, trying not to be too overwhelmed by stomach cramps. Not sure what was up with that. Meanwhile Byron has some tightness in the ankles, but then his training regimen hasn't been exactly rigorous. So both of us were kinda hobbled today.

Today's run:
Distance: 6.09 km. Time: 33:29. Average speed: 10.9 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 10C. A little breezy, but a very nice day. Just about everyone else who works in the downtown core who runs was out there too.

Sunday, April 02, 2006

Another Three Hour Tour

I was a little later getting out of the house this morning for this one. I totally forgot about the time change, so I had lost an hour by the time the alarm went off.

But I was out the door at a respectable time, and I headed off toward the river. The GPS managed to grab satellites almost right off the start, but then it lost them after five minutes. And it took another twenty for it to get back in touch with them.So my distance measurement is off a little.

I headed west along the river again. The luxury of that open bathroom by Edworthy is just too good to pass up. This time, after I crossed the James Hextall bridge into Bowness, I veered to the right and followed Bow Cresent. This is the route the Calgary marathon follows, and it's probably the worst surface to run on. Packed clay and oiled gravel, with enough larger stones to keep you watchful. They hurt to step on them, unless you're running in trail shoes, maybe.

The other hazard is the usual spring thing. The geese with gasto-intestinal issues are back, leaving evidence of such all over the place. In a couple of weeks, the paths might be pretty gross. Heck, they already are! And the geese are a little agressive, too.

I hit my turn around time just as I was about to go under the railroad bridge over the river, just past the end of Bow Cresent. And then it was a matter of retracing my steps. At the turn around, the GPS said I'd gone almost exactly 12 km, and by the time I got home, I'd gone 29.0 km. And on the way back I went straight along Memorial Drive to the stairs up to the Prince's Island foot bridge, instead of crossing over at the C-Train bridge and then back across at Prince's Island, which is what I would have done if I'd actually truely retraced my steps. So that says my one way distance was closer to 17 km instead of 12 km. Which would make a round trip of 34 km, with sounds a little high. But I have no doubt I was at least 30 km total. In looking at the data, I have none for the period between ten and twenty minutes into the run because of the lost of the satellite links.

So I'll go with 30 km then. But here are the stats as reported by the GPS:

Today's run:
Distance: 25.93 km. Time: 2:40:29. Average speed: 9.8 kph.
Rest distance: 3.07 km. Rest time: 17:00
Total distance: 29.00 km. Total time: 2:57:29

Weather: Fog and -1C to start, changing to cloudy and 5C by the end. It didn't warm up like I thought it would, and I was a little underdressed.