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

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.

Myopic Monday

Streak to the beach - Day 29

Time : 30:00 Minutes
Distance : 3.30 Miles 
This Week: 3.3 Miles

Total: 104.18

Tough Day!  I had a busy day workwise and then a meeting at the school and now get to spend the next two days doing the single parent thing. This makes it hard to find time to run. It was 9:00 before I got the kids settled into bed and then I hit the treadmill for what was planned to be an easy workout.

I started off with five minutes at a 9:22 min mile pace then ran the next 25 at 9:00 pace. A very simple run, a fairly easy run. Not a bad way to end a busy day.

I got off the treadmill, headed upstairs and looked outside to see a significant covering of fresh white snow on the ground. So much for the rain they predicted. This is the price you play for living so close to the mountains.  Natures playground has it’s rewards and punishments.

Plod On.

Snowy Sunday

Streak to the beach - Day 7

Time : 48:10 Minutes
Distance : 5.00 Miles
Total: 20.33 miles

I’d like to say the weather got better but it did not, in fact it took a turn for the worst.  It started to snow  in the morning and continued for the day with accumulation toward evening. 

We had an overnight houseguest so missed the running room Sunday morning  run and got a later start than I would have liked.  Then waited for a break in the weather ( that did not happen) then finally buckled down and headed for the treadmill for one of my longest treadmill runs ever. Set the treadmill for a .5% incline and 6 mph then let the monotony set in.

The run was OK (but boring) I took an easy pace and slowly worked the pace up but overall maintained a reasonable tempo. I can not figure out how people run that far on treadmills on a regular basis. But to each their own and my own is the great outdoors.

Plod On