I'm Getting a Tan!

I've been able to get out a couple of times in shorts and a tee, and did so tonight. I find that I'm tanning a little, even with that exposure.

I ran Crowchild again, and for some reason, it was really fun. Maybe with all the people out, and the nice weather, maybe the karma was just there. What ever it was, it was one of the most enjoyable runs I've had. I'm left feeling really good right now.

Distance: 10.03 km. Time: 54:29 Average speed: 11.0 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Partly cloudy and 13C, though the CBC sign said 16C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 77 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 219 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 100 days.

Low Flying Aircraft

Tonight's run was a little slower than my usual pace, but that's about where I needed to be, motion-wise. I did the Crowchild loop again. It's a great route, and almost spot on 10 km.

The snow we were warned about last night was late. We were supposed to wake up to knee deep drifts and the city at a standstill. But it held off until about 8:00 this morning. Most of it melts on contact with pavement, but it's piling nicely on lawns and gardens. The paths were wet, but not at all icy. Even the puddles weren't all that large.

Just as I was starting out, turning on to Cresent Road, the STARS ambulance went by. It was snowing pretty heavily at the time, and I suppose they needed to keep visual contact with the ground, but goodness they were low. I would estimate 200 feet above the river, as they weren't quite at eye level with me, and Cresent Road is about 150 feet above the river. Kind of a cool sight.

Distance: 10.06 km. Time: 58:33 Average speed: 10.3 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Light snow and 1C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 79 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 221 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 102 days.

Cool Spring Run

Not as warm as yesterday, but still very much spring weather. I tried the south side of the river until Edworthy, and it's still a mess. Much of the path below Spruce Cliff is covered in ice, still, although the graveled trail through it is no longer being buried by new ice. In some places, it's wet and slippery, and occasional ankle deep puddles add to the challenge. Nothing like having cold wet feet. Or wet socks that ride around inside your shoe.

But for all of that, it was a good run. I found myself at the turnaround time within about three metres of where I ended up last week. So I'm a little slower today, since it took me ten minutes longer to get there. But hey, I'm running for distance, not speed.

I felt almost used up at the end, suggesting I'm about right on. The last half hour was a bit challenging, but I've definitely faced worse.

Today's run:
Distance: 22.02 km. Time: 2:01:54. Average speed: 10.8 kph.
Rest distance: 1.33 km. Rest time: 13:00.
Total distance: 23.35 km. Total time: 2:14:54.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) A.

Weather: Cloudy and 4C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 81 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 223 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 104 days.

Fabulous Friday Run

Well, why not? It felt really good out there, and it really feels like spring. And the weekend is here, and it's been a bleah week (or two.)

I've got so much energy, it seems like, that the Crowchild loop is just a nice way to spend an hour. Lots of people out, and that gives everything such a positive feel.

Yup, going good! It's shorts and t-shirt weather, too.

Did some checking into the NYC Marathon, and found that the May 1 deadline is for non-U.S. residents. The deadline for U.S. residents is June 1, which leads me to believe that the draw may not happen until then. So I've modified the countdowns below.

Distance: 10.09 km. Time: 53:57 Average speed: 11.2 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Cloudy and 15C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 83 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 225 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 106 days.

And Another run

Wow, am I ever making up for lost time. The runs are feeling really good.

Today was another loop around the Crowchild route, and the paths are pretty much dry, even after all the snow that came down this morning. Bit of a shock, that.

Lots of people out running and spring is upon us.

Distance: 10.02 km. Time: 56:07 Average speed: 10.7 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Partly cloudy and 4C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 54 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 227 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 108 days.

Finding the Groove Again

Today it felt like I was running again. Not too easy, but not at all hard. Feeling really good. And the conditions were lovely, even with the wind.

I did the Crowchild loop and set a nice easy pace. I didn't bother checking the GPS for speed or elapsed time or distance, and just let myself find whatever pace felt right. It turned out a little slower than the last few runs, but I'm just out there burning calories, not trying to adhere to a strict running regimen.

As it should be.

Almost got forced off the path by a cyclist, who was looking over his shoulder for some reason. Sheesh. Way too busy out there for that kind of inattention, especially at the speeds they travel.

Distance: 9.80 km. Time: 56:41 Average speed: 10.4 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Cloudy and 7C, but the CBC sign said 1C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 55 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 228 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 109 days.

Start It Up

I start today. Training for the big ones, that is. Today was an hour out and an hour back. It felt good mostly, though the last twenty minutes were a bit slow. But that's as it should be. And it tells me I have work to do.

I headed west on the north side of the river. It was a sort of no frills Edworthy loop, except I went all the way to the John Hextall bridge before turning around, near the Shouldice pool. I don't remember much about the run. It was pretty straight forward.

I do remember the people though. Lots of runners out, even with the grey skys and threat of snow. And lots of enthusiasm - everyone seemed so up beat. It made it a lot of fun, and the time just flew.

Today's run:
Distance: 20.59 km. Time: 1:52:05. Average speed: 11.0 kph.
Rest distance: 1.27 km. Rest time: 12:00.
Total distance: 21.86 km. Total time: 2:04:05.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) A.

Weather: Light snow and -1C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 57 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 230 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 111 days.

Trying to Get Back On Track

It's been a long recovery from illness, and most of the last couple of weeks have been runless due to a persistent cough. I've done a round of antibiotics, and that seems to have made a difference, but it's still there.

Today was the first run in a long time. Beautiful weather out, and even with the snow from the past couple of days, the paths are pretty much dry. I just ran the 14th Street loop, just to see how it went, and kept the 10th Street bridge in mind in case this cough started up. It went fine, and 14th was probably just right.

Minor glitch: the GPS went dead near the end of the run, so I'll just use the same numbers from the last run in the Saucony B's.

Distance: 7.23 km. Time: 38:02 Average speed: 11.4 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Sunny and -3C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 60 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 233 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 114 days.

It's Like Summer!

Very nice day out. Definitely not the kind of weather you want to be stuck inside somewhere.

I did the 14th Street loop again. Some puddles have shrunk and even dried up, others are turning into lakes. And there are stretches where it's just a thin layer of water on the path, so it gets a little splashy. Some are a bit muddy. I love it.

Lots of people out running tonight, and almost everyone is getting back to the summer running clothes. It would be nice if the cloud would go away for the afternoon. But next week, the sun will be even higher once we get into daylight savings. Time to work on the tan.

Distance: 7.25 km. Time: 37:26 Average speed: 11.6 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) A.

Weather: Mostly cloudy and 11C. It was up to 14C an hour before.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 68 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 241 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 122 days.

Is It Really Spring??

Or is it just this Calgary weather that messes with us every year at this time? It really is lovely out, definitely shorts and t-shirt weather. And regardless of the weather, I've been waiting for today just to be able to get out there and run.

The cough still dogs me a bit, so I might have to give it some attention. A minor issue, as is the wet and mud that spreads here and there across the paths. With shorts, come muddy legs - it does get a bit splattery.

I ran the 14th Street loop tonight, and I have to say that late afternoon is my second favourite time to be out, after the noon hour. Lots of people are out around 5:00 and it's the same energy as the noon hour crowd.

Distance: 7.23 km. Time: 38:02 Average speed: 11.4 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Mainly sunny and 7C, which was the conditions at the airport. At Calgary Olympic Park it was closer to 10C. The downtown river bank is probably somewhere in the middle.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 69 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 242 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 123 days.

Finally Back Into Distance Runs

Man, did it ever feel good out there this morning! I have missed getting out, having been ill for the past couple of weeks. The cough was a little annoying at times, but mostly it stayed away.

Lots of big puddles on the paths, especially around the Crowchild bridge. There were places where I had a choice between going hand over hand along the guardrail to keep from slipping in the water, or balancing on a ridge of ice that used to be a ridge of snow pushed up along side the path by a plow. And of course, slide one way into the puddle, or slide the other way down the bank and into the river, or at least a snow bank on top of the ice on the river. But I got around those okay, and stayed upright. I even kept my feet dry.

A great beautiful run, and gorgeous chinook weather. The sky was clear to the horizon, too, so the western view was stupendous. And a whole lot of people out enjoying it.

Today's run:
Distance: 16.05 km. Time: 1:24:41. Average speed: 11.4 kph.
Rest distance: 901.3m. Rest time: 9:00.
Total distance: 16.95 km. Total time: 1:33:41.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) A.

Weather: Cloudy and 6C to start, warming up to 8C. A little bit of a breeze, and the chinook arch kept the western sky clear.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 71 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 244 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 125 days.

Slow Recovery

It's been a tough couple of weeks. Last week, I was totally laid up with the flu. I had an awful fever, and was pretty weak. It finally broke last weekend, but it's been slow getting better. I have this cough that doesn't want to go away.

I thought I'd try it today, and see how I did. I didn't know if the cough would stop while I ran or what. It did, mostly. I did the 14th Street loop, but with the thought that I'd see how I felt once I got to 10th Street. At 10th, things were good. After crossing the river at 14th, I was wishing I'd crossed at 10th. But by the time I passed the helicopter pad, I was more or less OK again. It wasn't a great run, with all that going on. But it was a lot better than I expected.

Distance: 7.02 km. Time: 40:01 Average speed: 10.5 kph.

Shoes: Saucony Grid Phoenix (Yellow) B.

Weather: Cloudy and 3C.

I'll find out if I'm in the New York City Marathon in about 73 days.
The New York City Marathon is in 246 days.
The Calgary Marathon is in 127 days.