Becoming the Occasional Runner

That seems to be what I'm doing. I do want to get back into a routine of getting out at least three times a week, but it seems lately that my motivation has flown the coop. And I have excuses: too cold, too late, too early, too tired, blah, blah.

I got out this morning, a little later than usual. The streets now have that brown mush that has the consistency of wet sugar, and it's hard to run on. Meanwhile the sidewalks are either packed snow, which is not bad to run on, or wet ice, which is treacherous as heck. But the paths are really pretty good.

I trekked down Nony's Awful Little Hill to the Centre Street bridge, and across it. The first interval was pretty slow, but that's because the hill had some icy spots to pick my way through.

Along the promenade, it was clear. The Sunday morning running groups were just finishing up by the big brass propeller. Farther along, it was a little quieter. At the Louise Bridge, the ice jam was still huge, and the path underpasses were still under tons of ice. I stayed topside and jay-walked across 9th Street.

The path was clear all the way after that. Lots of runners out along that stretch of the river. In fact, for the entire run there were lots of people out running and a few walking.

The rest of the run was pretty uneventful. At the C-Train bridge on the return leg, I took the pedestrian overpass across Memorial and ran down that side to 7th Street, where I cut northward and ran through Sunnyside to the path that follows along the bottom of the bluff.

I took one of the new trails that they slashed across the bluff face last year. This one lead up to where 4th Street met Crescent Road, and from there I headed home.

It was a pretty good run. I still felt a little slow, but I wasn't too far off where I was a couple of months ago, performance wise, and I didn't get any of the leg cramps. It was better than last week's run, for which I'll include the stats here too.

Last week's run:
Distance: 16.10 Time: 1:35:56
Average speed: 5:57 min/km. (10.07 kph)
Rest distance: 0..96 km. Rest time: 10:00.
Total distance: 17.06 km. Total time: 1:45:56.

Today's run:
Distance: 15.98 Time: 1:32:48
Average speed: 5:48 min/km. (10.33 kph)
Rest distance: 0.92 km. Rest time: 10:00.
Total distance: 16.90 km. Total time: 1:42:52.

Shoes: New Balance 769 (blue).
Today's earworm: all L n K.

Weather: Partly cloudy and 6C.