Thursday, June 29, 2006

Variation on a Theme

Just to be different, I thought I'd run a little delivery errand while I was out at lunch. We started out as usual, down to the 14th Street Bridge and across, but then we continued north on 14th for awhile, crossing Kensington and wandering into Hillhurst. My landlord lives in the area, and was insisting that I deliver some rent checks (go figure), so it was a nice diversion into some new scenery.

From there, it was back to Kensington, navigating the crowded sidewalks toward 10 Street, where we rejoined the paths along the river, and trundled back to Eau Claire.

Today's run:
Distance: 5.84 km. Time: 33:20. Average speed: 10.5 kph.

Weather: Mostly cloudy and 16C.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

The Heat Continues

I was a little late getting going today, and I missed Mike, who I haven't run with for ages. It was another hot one out there. The crowds were a little thinner today because of that, I think.

I wanted to run to Crowchild and back, but the heat was a little much, so I cut it off at 14th Street. I don't think that was a bad idea.

Today's run:
Distance: 4.84 km. Time: 26.32. Average speed: 11.0 kph.

Weather: Sunny and 28C

Too Hot

Almost a nice run yesterday. Met up with Byron and Peter-Mark and headed east toward the zoo. It was a fantastic day, a little hot, and the paths were crowded, even where there usually aren't that many people.

But maybe a little too hot. The heat got to Byron about half way, and we walked most of the way back. And the GPS simply could not find a satellite. So I'll forgo trying to estimate any running data.

Weather: Sunny and 26C

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Distance Again (Finally!)

It's been awhile since I've run any distance, so this morning was a treat. I did the usual down to Edworthy and back, this time staying on the north side to start, and returning on the south side.

It was a beautiful morning, sunny with a light breeze. Even at 7:00 am there was a good crowd out on the paths. Most were walking or running, though there were a few cyclists and blades out.

It was a pretty uneventful run, actually, but fun and fast feeling, none the less.

Today's run:
Distance: 16.29 km. Time: 1:29:42. Average speed: 10.9 kph.
Rest distance: 917.5m. Rest time: 9:00
Total distance: 17.21 km. Total time: 1:36:42

Weather: Sunny and 18C.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Just Running

Some extra energy and stress, so I went out to try and run it off. Just down to 14th Street and back.

Today's run:
Distance: 6.88 km. Time: 40:06. Average speed: 10.3 kph.

Weather: mainly sunny and 18C

Jetta and Me

Last night I was back in the south, for a run. Tru has been busy settling in after moving into her new home, and has been pressed for time to fit everything in, so I offered to take Jetta, her border collie, for a run. I wasn't sure how it was going to go, not having run with a dog before. And Jetta has been basically a farm dog since day one. But Tru has her well trained.

We headed north on James McKevitt along the walk on the west side. Jetta was a little skittish at first, not being used to having so much traffic around her. After a kilometre or so, she settled down, and I managed to adjust to dealing with the leash. It soon occurred to me that I should have brought a bag just in case she decided she needed a stop, and I worried about that for the next few kilometres.

At the point where James McKevitt curves to the east, we headed west through green space that used to be 146th Avenue. That took us to Evergreen Drive, and we trundled along that until we got to another green space that I thought led to an old road down into Fish Creek Park. There was a steep path down into the park, but not the road I was expecting. And once we emerged from the bush at the bottom, I recognized nothing. This wasn't surprising, actually, as it's been a couple of years since I've been in that part of the park.

A quick check of a sign at an intersection of several paths revealed that where I thought I was, was actually about a kilometre to the north, so Jetta and I headed off through the forest. With the threatening clouds that had been hanging around the city all afternoon, not too many had ventured out to the park, so we hardly saw another soul.

We soon found the intersection where I thought I was before, and the old road, and we headed up, back toward suburbia. Through a green space at the top between the houses, and we were back on Evergreen Drive. By now, Jetta had totally settled into running with me, though she still took all of the leash.

From there we retraced our path back to Tru's. This was a great run. Jetta was awesome to run with, very well trained, and pretty calm considering the unfamiliar environment.

The GPS was dead within a couple of minutes of starting the run. I must have left it on, and I forgot to put it in the charger. So I have no idea how far we went. But we were out for about an hour and fifteen minutes, and looking at a map, I would estimate we traveled about 14 kilometres. So...:

Today's run:
Distance: 14.00 km. Time: 1:15:00. Average speed: 11.2 kph.

Weather: Partly cloudy 13C, with thunderstorms in the area.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

First Run of Summer

It's been too long since I've been out for a run and I was going a little buggy without it. Almost two weeks, now. So tonight, I stretched everything as much as I could, and I headed out.

Warm, light breeze - a beautiful evening. And what better way to spend some time than on a run. A lot of people were out doing the same, along with all the bicycle commuters and walkers and bladers. With all the people out, the paths felt lively and fun.

Since this was the first run for awhile, I tried to keep the speed down, and just did the 14th Street loop. There was lots of cloud too, but the sun was out for almost the whole run. And I got home, just a little ahead of a big black cloud that was coming in from the west.

Today's run:
Distance: 7.00 km. Time: 41:00. Average speed: 10.3 kph.

Weather: Mostly cloudy and 18, with a severe thunderstorm watch.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Number 300

This is the 300th post to this blog, and I don't have a run to write about.

My right hip flexor has been a little sore ever since Vancouver, but stretching has been helping, and once I got moving, it was fine. Not today. I don't know what happened, but I couldn't stretch it out this time. I tried running anyway, but gave it up after a block or so.

We'll give it a week and see how it feels.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

A Run With Chris

I haven't run with Chris since early April, so it was good to see her out again. We just did a quick run to 14th Street and back, returning by way of 2nd Street, past all the construction. She wanted to do a "ssssslow run" - readers can decide if it was slow by the speed posted below.

It was a great day for crowds, too. The forecast threatened rain, but there still were a lot of people out on the paths. Maybe that energy was what was pushing us.

Today's run:
Distance: 5.03 km. Time: 27:21. Average speed: 11.0 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 17C.

Monday, June 12, 2006

It's Monday Again...

They keep promising rain, but it doesn't seem to be happening. Not like the monsoons of last year, fer sure.

Just the usual lunch hour run, all the way down to Crowchild, and back. They're doing some maintenance or repairs to the suspension bridge to Prince's Island, and they have this fence down the middle. It's going to be pretty congested when it gets a little warmer.

Today's run:
Distance: 8.12 km. Time: 43:40. Average speed: 11.2 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 13C.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Back Into Distance

Back to doing distance runs on Sunday, and it sure does feel great. I've been missing the long runs, the ones that feel good to finish, that aren't so long that I'm done for the rest of the day. The reason I want to get back into distance is that I've signed up for the Calgary Half Marathon on July 9.

Today I ran across Centre Street, and along the promenade. I kept going on the south side of the river until Edworthy. I love the stretch below Spruce Cliff. Crossing over at Edworthy, I headed back toward downtown, but staying on the north side of the river. At the suspension bridge to Prince's Island, I climbed up to it and up The Path Under The Stairs, and then home.

On the promenade, I found myself just ahead of the Walk for Miracles. On the return trip I caught up to the crowd near the CBC building, and had to contend with heavy walking traffic until the C-Train bridge. They had a great day for it, and what looked to be a great turnout.

Today's run:
Distance: 16.64 km. Time: 1:31:00. Average speed: 11.0 kph.
Rest distance: 1.02 km. Rest time: 10:00
Total distance: 17.66 km. Total time: 1:41:00

Weather: Cloudy and 11C.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Woohoo! It's Friday!

After yesterdays deluge, it was good to get out again. I feel a definite imbalance in the calories in vs. calories out.

Kinda quiet on the paths today, due to the weather I imagine. But a good run, down to Crowchild and back. I had lots of energy and most aches and pains were not noticeable. The cold is still hanging on a little, but it's not slowing me down at all any more. Feeling great!

Today's run:
Distance: 8.19 km. Time: 42:05. Average speed: 11.7 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 11C. Nice enough day, even though it looks a little wet and cool.

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Getting Back to Lunchtime Runs

I've been itching to get back to running during the lunch hour, and finally got the chance today. The last couple of days, I've been busy over lunch, and ended up running after work.

Today, I pushed it all the way out to Crowchild, which I haven't done since Vancouver. It was a beautiful day, with lots of people out and I was feeling great. Nothing special about it, though, other than I'm back to my pre-marathon speed.

Today's run:
Distance: 8.15 km. Time: 43:58. Average speed: 11.1 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 19C, with a fairly stiff, but welcome breeze.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Hot Run

Well, not really. It's just nice out, and a lot of people are out doing their thing. Lots of energy on the paths.

Just another short run to 14th Street and back. I'm still coughing a little, but there's no pressure in the chest. I've found a pace for climbing The Path Under The Stairs that works, too, and allows me to breath about the same as when on level ground. It makes for an even, steady-feeling run.

Today's run:
Distance: 6.93 km. Time: 40:28. Average speed: 10.3 kph

Weather: Mainly sunny and 20C.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Trying to Shake This Cold

And it seems to be a stalemate. It isn't getting any worse with the running, but it isn't going away, either. A run does tend to loosen things up, though,

Nice day out, even a little on the warm side. Lots of people out on the paths, mostly bike commuters, but lots of runners, bladers and walkers, too. Even lots wandering or sitting on the grass on Prince's Island.

I'm sticking with the short run until I can get past this congestion, so only to 14th Street and back.

Today's run:
Distance: 6.45 km. Time: 37:41. Average speed: 10.3 kph.

Weather: Mainly sunny and 22C. That's warmer than they said it would get to this morning...

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Another Tentative Run

I've been fighting a cold for a week or so, and since it mostly seems to be past, I thought I'd try a short one. Initially my chest felt a little heavy but after awhile I was breathing OK. And I kept my speed down; no sense going hard just to collapse into a coughing fit or something.

I was just going to go as far as the C-Train bridge, but the Enerflex Super Cities WALK for MS was underway and the bridge and paths to the east were packed. I opted to avoid the traffic and kept on going to 14th Street. And I was feeling fine by then.

There was a bit of air traffic as well. Two of the military's Griffon helicopters settled into the helipad by the promenade for a few minutes. I missed seeing them land because I was west of 10th Street by then. But they were sitting on the pad when I went by, with crew members of one on the ground. Crossing the suspension bridge at Prince's Island, a third Griffon circled in, and by the time I was half way up The Path Under The Stairs, all three were in the air and heading slowly to the west. Neat.

Today's run:
Distance: 6.82 km. Time: 41:39. Average speed: 9.8 kph.

Weather: Cloudy and 15C, although it seemed a lot warmer.