Still not really good with the knees, for some reason. Stairs are not challenging, but I've been feeling it when I climb them.
And I wasn't really in the mood for this anyway, so I thought if I could get a 7 km in, that would be enough. Of course, it was a different mood once I got out there. Starting always seems to be the toughest part. At the bottom of The Path Under The Stairs, 10 km seemed very reasonable.
Still, it was slow going for awhile. But with such a beautiful morning, why hurry. I'd started early, too, so it was a little cool, making it perfect for running. The climb out from under the 10th Street bridge is where the legs felt heavy, even though it isn't much of a slope, and only thirty metres or so.
Traffic was light, too. Too much stampeding going on, perhaps, or people just weren't getting up, or something. But that made it all the more relaxed and unhurried.
I ran up the pedestrian overpass by the Scouts Canada building and down the other side, pushing aggressively on the up side. Across the river under Crowchild, and down past The Pumphouse. I noticed how much all the greenery had filled in everything. The scenery seemed dense and close. I couldn't see the wind chimes at all.
Approaching 14th Street, a woman rounded the path down from the bridge and settled in in front of me, rapidly gaining as we passed the sculpture park. I almost lost sight of her by the time I was approaching 10th.
After passing under the C-Train bridge, I got a spark of something. I don't think my pacing changed, but my stride seemed to stretch. It didn't feel any harder, but at the Jaipur bridge I caught up to and passed the woman who had come off the 14th Street bridge.
I pushed a little harder across Prince's Island and the suspension bridge, and at The Stairs, I took the first two flights to The Path, something I never usually do. On The Path I pushed really hard, enough so that I was feeling it in both the legs and the lungs.
And at the top, I resumed my pace until the last block when I stretched out my stride to finish.
I did some good stretching at my front door, but even so, I feel it. Not really an ance, but a good used feeling. Nice.
Distance: 10.04 km. Time: 56:28
Average speed: 5:37 min/km (10.7 kph).
Shoes: New Balance 1061.
Weather: Cloudy and 20C.
2 comments:
Are you still recovering from last Sunday's race?
Hills always seem to be a part of your regular runs. There is a half marathon in Canmore in September you should check out. You could probably do well there as it sounds like it is hilly route.
Ya, I still feel a weakness in the knees. It's getting better much faster than it did last year, though.
I have a hill that I must navigate if I want to run along the river, since I live at the top of the bluff.
The half in Canmore looks like fun. I've run the part that's north of the downtown, and it's pretty flat, but I bet the stuff towards Three Sisters parkway is pretty up and down. Definitely gonna think about this one.
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