Finicky Friday

Streak to the beach - Day 61

Time : 30:00 Minutes
Distance : 3.3 Miles 
This Week: 21.6 Miles

Total: 192.85 Miles

It was an interesting day. I had an early start then was banished from the house when the cleaning lady showed up. I stopped for tea, then bought a couple of pairs of shoes and then never regained motivation for the rest of the day. It was also a grazing kind of day, I did not really have a formalized meal all day.  That might be the reason my stomach was finicky for most of my run tonight.  In fact I fought back throwing up for most of the run. I swear there were a couple of wet burps in that 30 minutes.

The run itself was simple a treadmill progression run with 10 minutes at each of a 10 min mile, 9 min mile and 8 min mile.  My legs felt Ok, my heel felt ok.  It was actually a nice run long enough for one episode of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”.  (Ironic isn’t it?)

Day 5 of RW Summer Streak is in the books.

Plod On.

Tight Thursday

Streak to the beach - Day 60

Time : 20:00 Minutes
Distance : 2.1 Miles 
This Week: 18.3 Miles

Total: 189.55 Miles

Wow what a weird day, I woke up at 3:30 AM with aching legs and tight SI joints. I headed down to my hovel and started slaving over the computer , then downtown for a 10:00 presentation. As I was walking to my meeting I felt a pulling feeling on my right heel. It made me wonder if that pesky bone spur was cropping up again.

By the time the end of the day came around I was pretty bagged and I did not have the motivation to head out for a run. That is where day 4 of the Summer streak came in, all I had to do to meet the requirement was jog one mile.  Even when you have no energy you can jog one mile, right?

With that in mind I headed to the treadmill to put in my minimum commitment, I set the incline for 0.5%, set the pace for 10 min miles and turned on the fan. I struggled through the first mile, then bumped the pace to a 9:00 min mile then laboured counting the seconds to the 20 minute mark. As soon as the clock hit 20 I shut her down and called it a night.

Junk miles are still miles right.

Plod On.

Wet Wednesday

Streak to the beach - Day 59

Time : 41:40 Minutes
Distance : 5.0 Miles 
This Week: 16.2 Miles

Total: 187.45 Miles

Well the daystarted out wet but as the time to run approached it cleared off.  I went to the local Running Room for my group run and ended up in a group of one (as usual).  The good news is I got to pick the route.

I ran the Lower Springbank road – Battalion Park 8K route. I love this route, a couple of K down hill or flat, then a couple of K of hardish uphills, then a nice flat striding section with a little down hill back to the store.

There is a nice section at the start on the running paths between houses that is lined with blossoming lilacs with a wickedly sweet smell. It is great as long as you don’t have spring allergies.

I meant to take these pictures on Sunday to post on Memorial Day. Battalion Park is a tribute to the Calgary regiments that fought in the Wars. 

The regimental numbers are permanently etched in white on the hillside. This is a very visible impressive reminder. Up close it is hard to read and the scale is overwhelming.

But from a distance it is striking and very visible year round. This is what it looks like from the end of my run.

A not so wet run!

Plod On.

Memorial Monday

Streak to the beach - Day 57

Time : 27:14 Minutes
Distance : 3.1 Miles 
This Week: 8.2 Miles

Total: 179.45 Miles

This is the First Day of the Runner’s World Summer Streak. My legs were sore and tired so I put off running until the last possible minute. Then under cloudy skies that were threatening rain I headed out to get my run on.

The route starts out on trails and the switches to city streets for the majority of the run. Running the path  on the edge of the ridge there was a great view of the storms moving over downtown.

 

The path through the meadow was soft and muddy but surrounded by splashes of colour from the wild flowers (some would call them weeds).

There is a really cool street halfway through the run. For two city blocks the streets are lined with apple trees instead of the standard Elm Trees that are planted everywhere else in the area. This time of the year they are blooming and it is quite fragrant and pretty.

In another week the street will be covered fallen blossoms and it will look like fresh snow.

The run was great with some really good splits, even on tired legs. A good start to the Summer Streak.

Plod On.

Back in the Saddle Sunday

Streak to the beach - Day 56

Time : 44:33 Minutes
Distance : 5.1 Miles 
This Week: 5.1 Miles

Total: 176.35 Miles

I finally got the energy to get out and run again (déjà vu?). The combination of crappy weather, general fatigue and a total lack of motivation on top of a grueling work week led to a vacation from running.

This morning I woke to a bright and sunny day albeit a little cool and headed to the Running Room to meet up with people and feed off their motivation.  It turned out that a few people turned out, it seems that the Calgary marathon  race weekend impacted attendance.

I hooked up with Ed and ran the Griffith Woods, wetlands route which is a fun fast 8 K route with two honking big hills in it.

It was a great run that started out on the pathway system running by fragrant blooming lilacs and opened up to a great view of fresh snow on the mountains before we hit the seclusion of the woods.

By the time that we started back the temperatures were climbing and the run was feeling very comfortable.

Post run we enjoyed a beverage in the sunshine outside of Starbucks. A very nice way to end a run!

I got home and read a Runner’s World tweet about their Summer Streak .  Run a minimum of a mile a day from Memorial day to Independence day!  I’m in, even though I am a Canadian and neither of those dates mean anything to us Great White Northerners.

Good Day a Good Run.

Plod On

Sundowner Sunday

Streak to the beach - Day 49

Time : 1:03:33 Minutes
Distance : 7.0 Miles 
This Week: 13.0 Miles

Total: 171.25 Miles

I finally got the energy to get out and run again, had enough of the rationalization that I was resting my SI joint and put on some running shoes. I spent a while debating routes and decided a little elevation change was in order so I ran down to the river and back up the big hill.

It looks pretty tame and is a combination of trails and paved pathways that makes for an interesting run.  Not to mention that it is spring and everything is blooming right now.

Saskatoon blooms, this field was full of these flowering bushes and in a few months will be full of berries.

The river at the bottom of the hill, it is almost flooding with spring run off from the snowpack in the mountains.

This is the big hill that I ran up, it is straight up the escarpment and is a lot steeper than the picture shows. My lungs felt like they were going to burst halfway up this uh sucker.

From the top of the hill had a great view of downtown illuminated by the setting sun.

Then by the time I arrived at home the sun was setting and it was thinking about getting dark.

The run itself was good an easy start as it was mostly downhill and then flat along the river. Then one massive leg burning, lung bursting hill to climb out of the river valley.  And finally a nice gentle downhill for the last couple of km home.

A good run, an Ok time but a suck arse Sunday!

Plod On.

Tentative Thursday

Streak to the beach - Day 46

Time : 22:00  Minutes
Distance : 2.5 Miles 
This Week: 6.0 Miles

Total: 164.25 Miles

I ran on Monday in the hotel fitness center. Towards the end of the run I felt a little twinge in my right hip SI joint. After the run it tightened up and was a little painful when I moved. By the time I woke up on Tuesday I was definitely favouring it. I decided to take the day off and see how I felt on Wednesday. Wednesday came and I felt another day of was the smart thing to do.

I woke up this morning and headed for the treadmill with the intention of doing a recovery run at an easy pace and bailing at the first sign of discomfort.  I set the treadmill for 10 minute miles for a warm up, then pushed the pace to 9:00 minute miles and kept increasing the pace every few minutes.  In the end it turned out to be a very good run at a very good pace and without pain. I stopped after 22 minutes with the thought that I would rest my hip for a while and then pick it up and finish the run later. I didn’t.

A good run, a good start.

Plod On.

Amalgamated Monday-Wednesday

Wednesday Weigh In – Week 6

This week: 0 Pounds
Total: 13 pounds

What can I say? That is not a pretty picture.  0 losses this week. it was kind of an up and down week that ended up being flat.  I don’t know what is going on it seems that on alternating weeks I have reasonable losses and then I plateau. Looks like I have some work to do to get back on target!  I might have to go out and buy a juicer or go on the soup diet.

I ended up not running on Tuesday or Wednesday as those tinges that I felt in my SI  joint on Monday became tightness and a little painful.  It was enough of a concern that I decided to rest it for a few days and then try again.

Streak to the beach - Day 43

Time : 30:00  Minutes
Distance : 3.5 Miles 
This Week: 3.5 Miles

Total: 161.75 Miles

Another morning another hotel treadmill.  Staying at the Delta in Edmonton, in a very nice but dated suite.  The bedroom had floor to ceiling windows that looked out over the mall. That was kinda weird.

Not that I had a lot of time to get used to it. We arrived late Sunday night, Worked Monday until Midnight and checked out at 7:30 AM on Tuesday. That is not a lot of time to be staring out windows.

The run was OK, the treadmill had seen better days, it squeaked when I ran in the center of the track. If  I ran offset either to the left or right it did not. That made me a little nervous as my footfalls are too close to the edge. I failed to bring my headphones so I was stuck watching sports highlights without commentary.  Who knows that might be a better way to watch.

I set the treadmill for an easy pace and just grooved out the 30 minutes. At the end of the run I started to feel a twinge in my SI joint area, and backed off a bit.

Nice Hotel, Nice Run but no bananas!

Plod On.

Slow Sunday

Streak to the beach - Day 42

Time : 1:15:30  Minutes
Distance : 7.75 Miles 
This Week: 29.15 Miles

Total: 158.25 Miles

Well at least the running part is slow.  I am just gearing up for an afternoon of work and then a 7:30 flight to Edmonton.  I should be driving it would be less intense.

I went to the Running Room for my group run and there was no one to run with. So I picked a route that I liked and headed out alone.  Today’s route is a lot like last Sunday's but a little longer and more in the woods.

I love this route, you have to run about 3 Km on city streets to get to the paths but once there it is a runners paradise.  The trail is flat and winds through the trees. To top it off the conditions were perfect today, 15 C and overcast a nice cool run.

There are some nice views of the creek that winds it’s way through the wetlands.

And the path is well used and soft under the feet.

I stepped off the path to get this shot of the beavers work. Pretty industrious little guys.

When you allow for the time I stopped to take pictures it was a decent run with a decent time.

Plod On.

Sad Saturday

Streak to the beach - Day 41

Time : 31:30  Minutes
Distance : 3.5 Miles 
This Week: 21.4 Miles

Total: 150.5 Miles

Another day spent in front of the computer writing a mathematical model for the latest project.  Got er 90% complete before 8:00 at night.  Then it was make dinner, settle the kids down and finally time to run.

It was getting dark outside meaning that I would be running inside. Another treadmill run. I set the incline at 0.5% set the speed at 6.4 mph and settled in for a run.  After 5 minutes I cranked it up to 6.7 mph and just ran it out until the 2 mile mark and went up to 7.2 mph for the next mile and a half.

I stepped off at the 3.5 mile mark and felt it was a reasonable effort for the day.  Hey but the good news is I broke through 150 miles on this streak to the beach.

Plod On.

Friday’s Folly

Streak to the beach - Day 40

Time : 20:00  Minutes
Distance : 2.3 Miles 
This Week: 17.9 Miles

Total: 147.0 Miles

Another tough day at work, facilitating an all day meeting with engineers and planners.  This is a situation where everyone has a right answer to every question and everybody's answer is different.  Oh how hard the quest for truth is sometimes.

Anyhoo after the meeting we did a little debrief.  Two pints of Keith’s made the day seem so much better, then I had a beer or two once I got home (this did not make for a stellar weight loss day).  Then I had some running around to do picking up kids etc. Finally, after everyone was in bed I decided I had to run the minimum so it was treadmill time.

I started off the run warming up for 5 minutes at a 9:30 pace for five minutes, then ran a 9:00 pace for 5 minutes, then 8:30 pace for 5 minutes, then finished at an 8:00 min/mile pace for the last 5 minutes. Then I sat around sweating and drinking a beer for the next 10 minutes (maybe longer).

Now to greet the weekend, but will most likely be working.

Plod On.

Trashy Thursday

Streak to the beach - Day 39

Time : 30:00  Minutes
Distance : 3.2 Miles 
This Week: 15.6 Miles

Total: 144.7 Miles

What a day. I spent 10 hours trapped in a room with 12 Engineers facilitating a meeting and collecting data from a group of people that never make mistakes.  I came home mentally drained and definitely not motivated to run. I managed to put it off until just about 9:00 then it was time to shit or get off the pot.

I started the treadmill at 6.4 mph and tried to settle into a pace but nothing was feeling right, my stride was off, my legs were hurting and I was struggling.  I was ready to pack it in after 10 minutes and take the daily minimum. I continued slogging along hoping to make 20 minutes, then persevered for the last 10 minutes, stopped the treadmill and hopped off.

I ran junk miles but kept the streak alive.

Plod On.

Weigh In Wednesday

Wednesday Weigh In – Week 5

This week: 2 Pounds
Total: 13 pounds

Streak to the beach - Day 38

Time : 45:08  Minutes
Distance : 5.1 Miles 
This Week: 12.4 Miles

Total: 141.5 Miles

Running is all about gumption, tonight it was getting together the gumption to strap on a pair of shoes, drive to a group run and them end up running alone.

I picked a fun route not really knowing the distance (somewhere between 7 & 10K) that runs thru Griffith woods and then thru a natural wetlands and back to the store.

The route to Grffith Woods is the same but when I got into the park I turned left instead of right, this takes us through some open areas with good views of the river.

Then some open trail on less than even conditions but a very fun stretch to run; flat, straight and through the trees.

And finally up a honking hard hill before running through the wetlands with great sounds from the birds and frogs before looping back on the highway to the store.

Why is it that hills never look as hard in pictures as they do when you are running?

All in all I averaged a 5:28 min /km pace (8:45 min/mile). So a good strong run.

Plod On

Tardy Tuesday

Streak to the beach - Day 37

Time : 36:00  Minutes
Distance : 4.0 Miles 
This Week: 7.3 Miles

Total: 136.4 Miles

It seemed like everything was late today, including my run after tucking the little ones into bed.  Well one of the little ones anyway, the littlest one. Now if only the tardiness can hold over to the wake up tomorrow!

Yesterday I pulled these out of the drawer to run in.

After a mile or so I found out why it had been so long since I had worn them.  The shorts kept riding up and my inner thighs started to chafe, and I was constantly readjusting them. It is time to do one of the things I find hardest to do, say good bye to running gear.  I don’t know if it is superstition or the fear of new stuff not working right, or maybe each piece holds memories of the runs we did together.  These shorts were the first ones I bought when I decided to run more seriously after the kids were born.  But Alas tonight I said good bye and got rid of them.

The run tonight was very simple. I set the incline at o.5%  I set the pace at 9:00 minute miles and just hunkered down and Forest Gumped it for 4 miles, 36 minutes of no thinking no effort running.

Funny I was still sweating when I finished.

Plod On.

Motivation Monday (NOT)

Streak to the beach - Day 36

Time : 30:00  Minutes
Distance : 3.3 Miles 
This Week: 3.3 Miles

Total: 132.4 Miles

I was not motivated to get out of bed this morning, I was not motivated to work and I definitely was not motivated to run. It started when I woke up with my muscles feeling generally fatigued from running the equivalent of a half marathon on Saturday and Sunday. I spent the rest of the day moving slowly.

Well if it is not too cold it is too hot. The temperatures hit 27 C  (85 F) here today at peak running time. Too hot to run, for this thick blooded Canadian anyway. Even in the evening it had barely cooled down.

The alternative to running outside in the heat was to head down to the cool basement and do my run in a controlled environment on the treadmill. I opted for the controlled environment and rationalized it as being able to control the pace better to manage a recovery run.

The run itself was simple, I started out slow and then stayed in the 9 – 10 minute mile pace band for most of the run then towards the end slipped to an 8:40 pace then for the last 2 minutes hit 7:30.

A good start to the week.

Plod On.

Sneaky Sunday

Streak to the beach - Day 35

Time : 1:03:57  Minutes
Distance : 7.25 Miles 
This Week: 28.22 Miles

Total: 129.1 Miles

Sunday Morning is Running Room Run Morning. Tradition calls for me to wake up and make pancakes for the kids then dress and run. This morning I ran with Ed on one of my favorite routes, the Griffith woods loop. We ran it in reverse, the run starts on the city streets for 5 Km then has 3 km on paved paths through the woods and finishes with 3km on the streets back to the store.

It was a good run with a fairly easy start and a very strong finish with a good consistent pace for the middle part.  I was surprised at how good my legs felt after the hard hill run last night.  A couple of my peers questioned my sanity when I disclosed that I had run that hill.  Bigger question was why?

Sunday morning pancakes and a run. A good day!

Plod on.

May the fourth be with you

Streak to the beach - Day 34

Time : 1:02:29  Minutes
Distance : 6.4 Miles 
This Week: 20.97 Miles

Total: 121.85

Opportunity knocks!  I have been driving this hill for years and always thought it would be a cool run. It is an access road for the bobsled run at Canada Olympic park that over time has evolved into a traffic short cut for people on the hill to get to the highway. It is a very steep incline for a little over a km with switch backs and a constant grade. Anyway my son’s school Jazz band was performing at a function at COP tonight, I had an hour and a half to kill. So ….

After cresting the hill I ran along the top of the ski hill to the school and then did a loop and started back. Halfway down the hill the view was incredible from halfway down.

I had the opportunity to cut onto the mountain bike trails and run some of the obstacles tres cool.

and run on some rough trails with very steeply banked corners and some incredible jumps (although jumps are not as much fun when running).

And finally came out at the bottom of the ski hill looking up at the half pipe with all the snow still there.  It’s freaking May!

It was a great run, not that fast but a tough effort, I can feel it in my throat.

May the fourth be with you!

Plod On

Tepid Thursday

Streak to the beach - Day 32

Time : 30:00 Minutes
Distance : 3.45 Miles 
This Week: 14.57 Miles

Total: 115.45

Wow, what a day! It was +18 & sunny.  I spent lunch hour lying outside soaking up the first rays of the year.  Then spent an hour outside after school watching my son play soccer on a pitch with a screaming chilly wind.  This is a land of contrasts.

After all of that I still had to run and running in a strong chilly wind was not that appealing. I headed downstairs and jumped on the treadmill.  I started out at a very easy 6.4 mph to warm up, then spent the next 15 minutes running at a 9 min mile pace. After 20 minutes the pace jumped to just under 8:30 pace and finally a few minutes at a 7:30 pace.  All in all it felt really good.

Sunshine, wind and a nice run, a good day.

Plod on.

Wednesday Weigh In

Wednesday Weigh In – Week 4

This week: 0 Pounds
Total: 11 pounds

Streak to the beach - Day 31

Time : 40:00 Minutes
Distance : 4.62 Miles 
This Week: 11.12 Miles

Total: 112.00

Hmmph guess I had a bad weekend, somehow no matter how starved I felt or how hard I worked the scale did not move this week.

If you look closely you can see that it did move. Things were good at the beginning of the week and then the inertia shifted on the weekend and I hope a downward trend started today!

It is finally starting to look a lot like spring. What a difference one day makes (see yesterday).  I should have run here today.

But I did not, instead I headed down to the tread mill and cranked out a few miles. I did a modified ladder run tonight, started up at 6.4 mph for a mile, then 6.8 mph for a mile then 7.2 mph for a mile then 7.6 mph for a mile then back down at 2 min per pace (just cause I did not have it in me to  do any more).

It was a good run after a long day.

Plod On.

Teeming Tuesday

Streak to the beach - Day 20

Time : 30:00 Minutes
Distance : 3.20 Miles 
This Week: 6.5 Miles

Total: 107.38

I woke up to this beautiful sunrise casting an eerie blue gray gloom over the freshly fallen SNOW! WTF it is supposed to be spring here. Guess living next to the mountains has some pitfalls.

My day was full, and it was well after dinner before I had time to head don to the treadmill and crank out a few miles.  I guess that is the problem with playing the single parent role for a couple of days, those glorious few minutes you get to yourself vaporize in an instant.  It also makes it hard to leave the house for a run outside.  Even though I know I can legally do that, the guilt of leaving the kids alone over rides.

I did an easy progression run for 30 minutes. I started off with a 10 minute warm up at 6.1 mph then 10 minutes at 6.4 mph. I finished with 10 minutes at 6.7 mph. This is slightly faster than 9:45, 9:25, 9:00 minute mile pace.

Not a fast run and not a jog in the park,

Plod On.