Week of May 13

Sunday What a great way to start out the journal, although I "officially" started my training for this year way back in March. Today: The Ottawa National Capital Half-Marathon! This is the third time I run it. I keep coming back because it's such a great event: well-organized, nice city, LOTS of volunteers and big crowds to cheer runners on.
This morning, meet some runners from Montreal also staying at the hostel. They're cheerful and outgoing - wow, the day's off to a great start. After chatting, I head off to Nickel's to wolf down a waffle. This is something new: I usually go with cereal and yoghurt on race day, but I'm starting to realise that wasn't such a brilliant idea. Walk to the start line, cheer on the 5km finishers. The crowd is loud, everyone is smiling, the weather is stunning. Warm up: a few easy laps around the small park next to the start line. I decided to wear my heart rate monitor today, in spite of doubts that it might chafe after a while. I'm surprised to see my heart rate shoot up after only ten minutes of running. Hmmmm, nerves or too much coffee?
At the start line meet Andrea, another grad student. We end up running the entire race together. She's a strong, consistent runner and very positive. We start off at a good pace. I'm feeling great, but I start to worry that I might not be able to turn up the pace later on. But the phenomenal weather - cool, sunny, crystal clear - overcomes everything. We do well up the hills and I marvel at how strong my legs have gotten since last year. At the 18km mark I decide to pick up the pace for the finish. Andrea keeps up. My heart rate is now over 180, but I don't seem to feel the effort. This gets me wondering: I usually train at 155-164 and can't remember having ever gone over 170. I'm glad I added tempo runs to my training this year.
Last two kilometres are killing me! From now on, more sprint workouts at home! I can keep up a fast pace, but I can't seem to sprint the last 200m. Finish with a time of 1h55min. The elation I feel comes from the fact that my time is an entire half-hour faster than my first year.

Monday Take the plane home. Legs start stiffening in the evening.

Tuesday Day off: legs are really stiff. Left quad is twitching.

Wednesday Easy workout at the gym. Continuing stiffness, mostly in the left quad.

Thursday Almost stiffness, and by now I'm aching to run. Do a 10km loop on the northside trails. It's an overcast day, but those trails are always remarkable. I take it easy, but my left quad becomes sore after 30 minutes. It's a refreshing run, partly because it was so slow.

Friday Workout at the gym. I do 25min on the bike, then 5km on the treadmill. Biking before running always seems to help ease my knee into action. The run goes well. I set the treadmill at the pace I was running in Ottawa and get a pleasant surprise: I can go pretty fast!

Saturday I've got a long run scheduled for today, but I make it an easy one. It's only 20km and I stay away from anything that resembles a hill. I do the northside loop again and meet no one. It's sheer heaven.

Week of May 20

Sunday Day off. I mean really off. I barely ventured out of the apartment except for coffee and cheesecake this evening.

Monday 7-8 short hills at a 5km pace for today. The weather was incredible and I was sorely tempted to head outside for my run, but I decided that it was in my knees' best interests to do the hills on a treadmill, that way they'd be spared the downhill pounding that makes them cranky. I warmed up on the bike (24 min hills), then set off on the treadmill. Warm up another ten minutes, mostly trying to figure out how I'll co-ordinate time, speed, distance, grade and heartrate between the treadmill's monitor and my watch. Hmmm, maybe outdoors wasn't so bad after all. I do 1min at 5% grade, 6.7mph, then 1min rest at the same speed on the flat. My heartrate skyrockets to over 170 for the first three hills, but doesn't break 169 for the following four. Knees don't complain too much, but I had better ice them at least twice tonight.

Tuesday An easy 8km run to relax a little after yesterday. The weather is incredible all day long and by 3pm I leap out of school and head home. Of course, the minute I step out of the apartment it starts to rain. Still, it feels and smells like summer. Woohoo! I take the northside trail again, but this time I turn left instead of going straight when I reach the three-way junction. My knees are complaining and even my left quad is beginning to ache. Could it be the humidity, or am I still recovering from Ottawa? Eight kilometres turn into ten. I keep my heartrate very low. I think I've underestimated how much recovery time I'll need after last week.

Wednesday Does weather get any more perfect than today? An 11km run with 20min tempo. My legs feel a little wooden and I have a hard time picking up speed when I start the tempo. I head northside, as usual, but must detour near the end when I spot contruction on one of the two converted train bridges. It seems they'll be there for a while, too: a goodly section of the path is torn up. I tried a new stretch last night when I returned, and it seems to have helped. My hip is much less sore than usual.

Thursday I head for the hills this afternoon. Thursdays are longish runs, usually 10-13 km. I've been trying to run them in hilly areas such as Golf Club Road, mostly because I never want to be nailed by hills as I was last year in the Reyjkavik Marathon. The excrutiating memory lingers...Legs are stiff yet again, and get worse with time. Still, no sore knees or ankles or hips.

Friday Nothing spectacular today. Rather than running on pavement I opt for a nice, cushioned treadmill at the gym. Warm up on the bike (24 min, fairly hard), then do a fast 5km on the treadmill. My workout indicates 7km, but I can feel a little tension in my right knee. I have a 24km run tomorrow; better take it easy.

Saturday As soon as I step out of the apartment at 2:00pm, I know I'm in trouble: it's hot, really hot. And temperature makes all the difference on a long run. I've decided to run out to the Sheraton, then along the river before crossing the train bridge, rather than just running down Charlotte Street straight to the bridge. Wilmot Park is an explosion of purple and violet foliage. But it's still hot. And I can tell my legs are tired from the past week. The pace stays slow but steady all around the northside loop. It's not until I cross back over to the south side of the river that the effects of the heat become obvious. Head back up the river to the Sheraton, then to Golf Club Road. Now I have to stop every once in a while in the shade. Up Golf Club Road; it's not as painful as I thought it would be. I seem to have found a second wind, and that's what gets me home.
Last year I combatted dehydration by bringing a bottle of frozen Gatorade with me, which I would hide under the second train bridge on my first loop. Every time I finished a loop I'd take a swig of (by then) liquid Gatorade. It worked fairly well, especially after I found other watering spots and didn't have to rely solely on the one bottle. Hunger was also an issue (although, surprisingly, not on today's run).

Week of May 27

Tuesday Took yesterday off, for no other reason than I slept in too much and, in the evening, went to see a movie with a friend. Interestingly, two days off makes the pain in my hip worse, probably because I don't stretch it during that time. Last night I couldn't even sleep on my right side because of the pressure in my right hip. Today I feel great as I do the northside loop (counterclockwise - a change of scenery helps), but the sharp pain in my hip doesn't subside. At one point it even pinches badly enough to throw me off my stride. Some additional stretching seems to help afterwards.

Wednesday Advil and sleeping on my left side last night eased some of the hip pain from yesterday's run. Checked out my symptoms on the Web: trochanteric bursitis seems to be what I have, probably aggravated by the humid weather we've been experiencing. Interestingly, not a glimmer of pain on today's run, a 12km tempo workout with 3x8min hard running. My legs get stiff in the last half, but I surprise myself at how strong I stay.

Saturday A busy end-of-week schedule allow me to take two days off from running without any guilt. I'm hoping that those two days are enough to silence my hip and knee once and for all, but today my hip begins to complain when I head up Golf Club Road at the start of my long run. OK, so hills are doing wonders for my endurance, but not much else. Time to revert to longer flat distance and fewer hills. Other than that, the long run goes by decently. In spite of the cool weather I don't seem to feel as good as Wednesday. Legs are stiff but I'm happy with the pace I keep up. Hunger becomes a problem within less than an hour of running. I'll definitely have to figure something out for next week's 26km run.

June

Week of June 3

Monday One of those grueling speed workouts: 3 x 1 mile with one lap between each set. My stride is stiff as I trot down Charlotte Street to the old track at College Field, but at the same time I seem to have lots of energy. No hip pain, and only mild resentment from my knee. The first mile is fast and consistent - I'm quite pleased with myself. The second one begins to hurt in the final two laps and my heartrate creeps up over 173. The third mile gets to me, but again, I'm surprised at how well I can maintain my pace. One of these days I'll have to verify that the track is indeed 400m, since my miles take much less than 9min each.

Tuesday The sun comes out just as I'm starting my run, which means that an easy 8km turns into a long 12km. My legs are still unbelievably stiff. Will this ever go away? My knee is slightly stiff as well. I head for the northside loop. There's simply no place like it when it's summer and the weather is good. My pace stays constant, except for the occasional jarring stop when I encounter a snake here and there sunning himself on the path.

Wednesday A tempo workout today - 3x8min at a threshold pace over 12km. Next year when I write up my training program I won't have the same workout scheduled for three weeks in a row. I seem to lack speed today, and in fact arrive home in the same time I did yesterday for the easy 12km on the same loop. The hint of a shin splint on my left leg tells me that I'm either overtraining or I need new shoes. Probably both.

Friday I skipped yesterday's workout. Stiff legs for four days in a row is not a good sign, and reminds me of my first year of training. More specifically, it reminds me of the days just prior to a serious knee injury. I like to think that I've grown a little wiser since then. Today, just as a precaution, I do my 7km on the treadmill at the gym. Easy speed pyramids, mostly to keep things interesting. The treadmill is not the torture device a lot of people make it to be. I use it to check my pace, get a feel for what an 8:40 mile is, what "fast" really is in mph, and so on.

Saturday It's warm today, but nothing like the heatwave of two weeks ago. 26km should be feasible and I decide to leave the bottles of frozen Gatorade at home. Unlike last week, I've decided to save the hills on Golf Club Road for last so as not to aggravate my hip unduly throughout the run. Just before leaving home I caught Perry Como's Catch a Falling Star on CBC Radio, which meant that for the 2h35 min I was out running I had that lovely song playing in my head. The northside loop went surprisingly well. Some minor stiffness in my legs, but my pace is stronger than I would normally maintain for this distance. On the way to Golf Club Road I deal with strong headwinds, something I still find discouraging. By the time I reach the foot of the hills fatigue is setting in, but I manage to do the entire length of GC Road and all four hills very consistently. Taking Thursday off was probably one of the reasons why today went so well. Advice for next year's training schedule: add one more day off during the week. Six running days out of seven may be too much.

Week of June 10

Monday Once again I opt to do today's speed workout at the gym, inspite of the lovely weather. I even avoid my usual warm-up on the bike so as not to aggravate my hip. Immediately following my long run on Saturday I jumped into a hot bath - the best way to ward off sore muscles. Sure enough, I'm not the least bit sore today during the 4x400m.

Tuesday I turn today's 8km run into 12km, something I know I really shouldn't be doing. Short runs are there for a reason, particularly after speed workouts, but it's hard to resist temptation when the weather is decent. I try to keep a slower pace than usual to compensate for the added distance, but stiffness creeps into my legs around the 9km mark. Not the greatest of runs. I officially retired my current pair of Nikes today, having bought new ones this afternoon. $150 every three months: don't anyone tell me running is an inexpensive sport!

Wednesday How hot is it today? So hot that my 3x8min tempo workout turns into 1x6min after I realise that my heart rate isn't falling even when I stop and rest. My heart rate normally plummets the moment I slow down or stop; if it doesn't, then I take that as a sign that either heat or fatigue are overwhelming me at the time. I finished the 12km loop at an easy pace (still no decrease in heart rate). It seems that my old shoes had been well past their useful life since I didn't feel even the slightest twinge from my knees or hips today, in spite of the humidity.
Forgot to mention that I spotted a turtle yesterday! No sign of him today.

Thursday The heat continues. I set off for the northside loop. Really, there are other trails in Fredericton, some of them quite lovely. However, there aren't any as special as the northside loop. It's tranquil and perfect in almost all respects. Every time I run the path I feel like I've somehow blessed to experience it. Anyway, today's run is excrutiatingly slow. I put it down to the humidity, but it is still quite discouraging to feel so weak.

Saturday Today's long run is only 20km. I set out along the river, then cross the path to the (you guessed it) northside loop. Hardly anyone out today, most likely because of the heat. It takes me an unusually long time to settle into the run - at least 50 min. Until then I struggle onward, much like Thursday. After the 50min mark, however, I start feeling stronger without necessarily running faster.

Week of June 17

Monday Today is a new type of speed workout I discovered in Runner's World during the winter when I was writing up my training program. It's three sets of 800m - 600m - 600m, with 5min between each set and 90 seconds between each sprint. I've decided to go back to morning workouts because of the continuing heat, but this means running on an empty stomach. During the workout I get so hungry that I skip the last set. I make a mental note to buy Nutribars later on today and have a few bites before trying this again tomorrow.
Still, not a bad workout. I cut the 600m sprints to 400m because it seems to make more sense to alternate between short and long sprints. However, this makes me realise that I really know nothing about strategies behind speed workouts. Something I should look into.

Tuesday I bought a box of cereal bars yesterday and had one bar this morning before heading out for a 9km run. Those bars seem to be about the only thing I can tolerate just before running. Anything else sticks to my stomach like glue, and feels worse. This morning's run is uneventful, but it's nice to be out early and pattering about in the pre-work hours.
Read an article in Oprah's magazine, and one comment jumped out at me: "Wherever you are, be totally there." Spent today's run trying to focus on that. What an incredible difference it made.

Wednesday Incredibly hot and humid, even at 6am. I can't imagine what it will be like this afternoon, and I'm grateful I'm back on morning runs. A new tempo workout today: 2x15min, which I separate by 5 min. My legs are not necessarily sore, but they feel tight in that I can't seem to stretch them out to my normal stride length. I have the impression that I'm barely moving ahead, in spite of a heartrate that shoots up to 170 and stays there.
Today's "nature observation": the first cricket of the summer! The sound of crickets absolutely enchants me because it's always associated with the hot, sunny heart of summer.

Thursday Amazing how in the space of three days we go from crushing heat and humidity to a very cool, sparkling morning. In fact, I had to head back to the apartment after stepping outside to put on another layer. Today was a "longish" run (12km). My joints have been very compliant lately so I decided to trot around Golf Club Road for the hills. Legs still feel as if they've shortened, but they were surprisingly strong, even after yesterday's tempo workout and 30min on the bike at the gym. My heartrate was rock-steady - something else I didn't expect. The hills still put a strain on my legs but my cardiovascular system hardly noticed. Definitely progress. Anyway, it's a great day to be out early: longest day of the year, and sunny to boot!

Friday Opt to do my 7km at the gym this evening. I was curious about my pace since I've been feeling slower than usual. Surprise! After a 20min warmup on the stationary bike I hop on the treadmill and run my fastest (overall) pace ever! My legs feel strong.

Saturday Busy today. Long run will be tomorrow morning.

Sunday Until this morning, I really thought early long runs were too difficult to schedule, mostly because of how hungry I get if I run after only one meal. Things seem to have changed, however. Sunday mornings are particularly wonderful for runs: absolute stillness everywhere. It was fantastic. I headed out to the Sheraton, along the river, did the northside loop, and headed back up to the Sheraton. Kept the pace very slow and somehow managed to find a short, smooth stride that felt incredibly efficent, almost like floating. For hills I substituted Odell Park for Golf Club Road. There's a loop of gravel-based and rougher cross-country trails in the lower end of the park that's much more invigorating and exciting than Golf Club Road; however, Odell's hills are nowhere near as challenging.
Snails EVERYWHERE this morning on the northside loop. Ugh!

Week of June 24

Monday Did the long hills workout at the gym today. Sure, I would have been much happier outside on this spectacular summer day, but running hills on the treadmill spares me a knee-grinding downhill jog after every hill. Rather than measuring the length of the hills, I simply set the incline up for two minutes without slowing down. Some minor complaints from my knees.

Tuesday Cool but still extremely muggy this morning. As usual, the 8km run became a 14km run when I realised what a nice morning it was. Still, it was one of - if not the- slowest northside loop runs I've done this year, probably because I forgot to eat a granola bar before leaving and ended up feeling quite faint in the last 5km.

Wednesday Even muggier than yesterday. The humidity and the bright morning sun make for breathtaking scenery along the northside trail, especially when the path comes out of the woods and into the hayfields in Marysville. Stopped to watch the mist rising from the fields. Today's run was a tempo - 2x15min. It seems I had to work harder than usual to get my heart rate up, in spite of the humid weather. Could this be because I'm now running earlier in the day and before my morning coffee? The run went well enough; in fact, I was quite surprised by how strong I stayed during the final part of the last tempo. Even so, I can tell I'm on the verge of overtraining.

Thursday Feeling much better than I have in the past few days. Today I went back to Golf Club Road for a 13km run, then looped around some of the trails in Odell Park before going back home. The cooler weather probably helped and I didn't seem to be as bothered by strong headwinds as I normally am. No aches from any joints!

Friday 7km on the treadmill at the gym. Nothing special.

Saturday Today's run will certainly go down as one of my most memorable. Set out for 30km in heavy humidity. The heat itself was bearable, but I felt like I was running in the middle of wet sponge because of the humidity. Made sure to keep my pace slower than usual in order to be able to survive for three hours. Added 30min to my run by going straight on the northside extension rather than just sticking to the loop. Thank God for the wind. On the way back I stopped for a LOT of water at the Marysville Heritage Centre, which has an outdoor tap. I was surprised at how good I felt when I resumed running, in spite of the large amount of water I had taken in. I think I was even into a lovely "runner's high." Stopped again for Gatorade at the Trail Patrol cabin (they have vending machines and I had brought a toonie). OK, so I stopped for about ten minutes, sat down, and drank a half-litre of the stuff - not exactly marathon conditions, but...
Also watched a thunderstorm come in while I was sitting. I resumed my run across the big train bridge. By then the storm was only a mile or two away and dozens of boats were making their way to the landing. The lightning show was phenomenal: continuous streaks and flashes across the horizon. Just as I got off the bridge the wind and the rain hit. Wow!! I had made it into a little pavillion at the same time as a trail patrol volunteer and together we watched one of the most violent storms I've ever experienced. It cleared out and I started making my way upriver. Almost every boat that had been crowed around the landing had made it out of the water, but there were several ambulances, firetrucks, and police vehicles parked with flashing lights. Not a good sign.
I didn't meet anyone for the remaining hour of my run. Trees and large branches were on the ground everywhere and the water was flooding off the roads. Rookwood Avenue, which leads up to Odell Park, was one long pond of water about a foot deep. Running in Odell Park, though, was magical. By then the sun had come out, the air was clear, there was no wind, and everything sparkled brilliantly. I did two loops in the inner trails; the second loop was most definitely painful. But the experience of running in such spectacular conditions is certainly something I'll never forget. By the time I headed back out, there was not a single puddle left on Rookwood Avenue and the roads were dry.

July

Week of July 1

Monday Had the alarm set for a bright and early run, but feeling my apartment swaying because of the wind convinced me to do my 6x800m sprints on the treadmill in the gym instead. This month's issue of Runner's World suggests that the time (in minutes and seconds) it takes a runner to do 6 to 10 800m repetitions is (in hours and minutes) a good indication of how long it will take that runner to do a marathon. So if my aim is to do a four-hour marathon, I should aim for, on average, four-minute 800m. I managed to do that for five of the six reps - and still feel good - but I certainly don't feel as confident about the four-hour marathon as I used to. Very happy with the way my legs had recovered from Saturday's long run, however.

Tuesday I actually decided to stick to my training schedule today in terms of the distance planned. This year I've been doing the 12km northside loop even when my schedule called for shorter runs. But I'm a little worried about my joints today, so I did 7km along the river, across the train bridge, and back home. Felt very stiff for the first 20min; however, I didn't think I would be doing so well after a 30km run and yesterday's sprints. The last 20min were fantastic.
A note that today is a very sad one: Mordecai Richler passed away last night. The English language and biting wit will surely suffer.

Wednesday A great tempo workout today on the northside loop. The first 15min rep was significantly harder than the first in that my heartrate seemed stuck at 160 and I couldn't find the strength to really push myself faster. The second 15min rep was great: I seemed to have found a way to tap into some reserve when I'm at the end of longer and harder runs. Certainly an improvement over last week.

Thursday A very active day today, with running at the end of it all. Did 11km on Golf Club Road in very humid conditions and absolutely no wind. The pace was faster in the second half of my run, but my heartrate stayed incredibly low, even going up the hills. Since the trend has been for my workout heartrate to decrease as training is increasing, I'm taking this as a sign that I am indeed getting fitter. Hopefully. Also registered for the Quebec City Half-Marathon today!

Friday Another strong run on the treadmill at the gym today. One bright side to all of this training, particularly hill training: today a complete stranger told me I had great legs! That made my day.

Saturday A wet morning gave way to a pleasant afternoon with enough wind to keep me cool for my 32km run. I really seem to have found my "pace" for these runs. I keep my stride short and feet low to the ground - and I can go forever. Did much the same as last week: water stop at the far end of the northside loop, and Gatorade stop at the Trail Patrol cabin. Heading back upriver was difficult for some reason, possibly because of strong headwinds. Oddly enough, though, I picked up the pace and felt much better in the hills in Odell Park than I did last week. I think it's all mind over matter.

Week of July 8

Monday Day off - went rowing instead.

Tuesday Did it again: turned a 7km run into a 12km run. What can I say? It was a peaceful, quiet day and I just couldn't help myself. Did the northside trail. When I started my run I noted the usual dilemma of an incredibly low heartrate (140) that didn't increase even after 10-15min of running. By the time I reached the other side of the bridge I decided to speed things up quite a bit, and finally got my heartrate to move over 150. I really liked the speed I was running at, though I'm not sure I could maintain it for more than a half-marathon. Legs were tired from yesterday's rowing but feeling strong. I think the rowing is going to have a very positive effect on my running.

Wednesday Did I mention something about a heartrate that wouldn't go up? Well, today it wouldn't go down. I seemed to be unusually tired today; in fact, the first 30min of running were excrutiating. Today was a new tempo workout as well: 11km, with 1x20min at threshold. Certainly quite a challenge, particularly with the high humidity. One year anniversary of Kit's death. God I miss him.

Thursday My speed seems to have picked up over the past two or three weeks. I'm running at a faster pace - and maintaining it, even when my heartrate and legs feel the effort. Did my 13km run along Golf Club Road and in Odell Park, trying to get lots of hills in. Twisted my ankle on the way to school this morning. That's usually an indication that my legs are tiring. Running downhill on Golf Club Road was lovely: the other side of the Saint John River Valley was pitch black with thunderclouds, while this side of the river was in bright sunshine. Lots of rainbows on the way back.

Friday Stuck to the treadmill routine tonight. Warmed up on the Stairmaster for a change, then did 5km at a strong pace. I tried increasing the speed throughout the workout and occasionally setting a hill for 4-5 minutes. Legs are stiff.

Saturday This week's long run was only 20km. I remember last year I really appreciated the shortened run I had scheduled every few weeks. I did today's run before breakfast on the northside loop, trying to maintain a fairly brisk pace. It seems to take me such a long time before I start feeling comfortable and running fast.

Week of July 15

Monday Day off again. Both my ankle and my knee are painful, probably due to the humid weather. I'm worried about missing speed workouts, though.

Tuesday Another tranquil morning to be out on the trails. No wind. grey skies. I do the northside trail, or at least my favourite part, and concentrate on the sound of my feet on the gravel. Very restful. Horseflies are quite bad and I spend a good 10 minutes running fast just trying to get away from them. No luck: I get bitten on the neck and leg!

Wednesday Same northside trail, a little bit of rain this morning. I forgot to have a granola bar before heading out so I felt a little weak and my heartrate remained very low throughout the entire run. On the other hand, this could mean I'm getting fitter. My 20min at tempo went fairly well, but I still have the perception that I'm moving slower than I was at the beginning of training.

Thursday Wow! A cloudless morning! Haven't seen one of those in a long time. Actually, the fog rolled in as soon as I stuck my foot out the door. Still nice stuff to be running in, though. I headed up Golf Club Road for my 13km run, but cut the length down to 10km. Going up the hills was an unusual struggle and my legs felt like concrete.

Friday Treadmill day at the gym. I kept the pace quite fast, but I must admit that doing so the day before a long run is not exactly a brilliant strategy.

Saturday I started today's long run (36km) at 1:30om - the hottest part of the day on an already hot day. Definitely won't be doing that again. As well, my pace during the first two hours was much too fast, and I wasn't as well prepared as I usually am. I don't think I completed the full distance; I didn't even make it to Odell Park. After the second hour I reduced my speed dramatically and immediately felt better.

Week of July 22

Monday In spite of Saturday's long run in difficult conditions I was perfectly fine yesterday. This certainly would not have been the case a year ago. Woohoo!! Progress!!! Today, however, there was some stiffness just above my knees in my quadriceps. I did my 6 short hills on the treadmill rather than risking any downhill pounding on asphalt. My knees and hips have been behaving wonderfully these past few weeks and I don't want that to change. Today's hills are extremely difficult, mostly because of intense humidity.

Tuesday Short 7km run along the river this morning. My heartrate soared as soon as I stepped out of the apartment, most likely due to the weather. Watched an orange-red sun rise over the river and hang there. Gonna be a hot one.

Wednesday A picture perfect morning, the kind that was made for solitary running. I headed northside for a tempo workout and did battle with a heartrate that wouldn't budge unless I ran uphill. I REALLY have to figure this out sooner or later: does a low heartrate mean I'm getting fitter, since the time it takes me to do the loop is getting shorter? Anyway, I stopped several times just to admire the scenery, particularly where the path cuts through a hayfield just above the Marysville Heritage Centre.
I'm starting to check out marathons for the end of October. Initially I had wanted to run the Istanbul Marathon, but getting there via Air Canada is proving problematic. Maybe the Venice Marathon (no hills!).

Thursday Isn't intuition a wonderful thing? I woke up at 5:15 this morning for my run, but then decided, for some unknown reason, to run this evening. What a great decision that turned out to be. I headed out after supper into a clear, cool evening, the sort you expect in late summer or early fall. Of course, I took the northside trail, which was spectacular with the evening sun framing the opposite shore of the river that runs along the trail. The cool weather and the evening air must have done something to me because I didn't jog - I RAN! No shuffling steps, but instead striding up the trail. I felt so great after I crossed the train bridge on my way back that I continued up along the Saint John River rather than going back home. Bonus: got to watch the sun set.

Friday Took the day off. I don't want to repeat last week's experience and over-exert myself the day before a 40km run.

Saturday Hm, a new strategy. I know better than to head out in the middle of the afternoon now, so I planned for an early start on my 40km run. Then I decided that I'd "rehearse" this as a marathon day. So early this morning I walked over to a local restaurant in search of waffles (see Ottawa Half-marathon experience.) Alas, no waffles. Oh well, pancakes. Two hours later I was on the trail, making a VERY conscious effort with every step to take it slow. The weather remained cool for the entire run, starting first with bright sun and finishing with clouds. It was perfect, and so was the run. I had the trails entirely to myself. Did some exploring around Marysvill, mostly in search of hills. I certainly was much more prepared this week as opposed to last week, but I've got a lot to work on before I'll consider myself ready for Venice.

Week of July 29

Monday Did 30min on the elliptical trainer at the gym. I consider that the equivalent of a 5km run - which is what I had scheduled for today - but without the impact. Joints and legs are doing remarkably well, and I want them to stay that way.

Tuesday Another lovely summer day and I decide to run in the evening. The northside trail is incredibly peaceful and I have 16km done before I know it. Again, no leg or joint problems.

Wednesday I've been meaning to take pictures of the northside trail for some time now, and today was the day. Consequently, my tempo workout went out the window. In fact, today's run was truly awful in that I felt tired, my legs were sore, and I had to stop near the end. No, no, the 30 degree weather had nothing to do with it. Regardless, the pictures should be scanned and posted within the next few weeks.

Wednesday Another overwhelmingly humid, hot day. I actually love this sort of weather, but not for running obviously. I headed out this evening after supper when there was a good breeze and the sun had cooled a little. In spite of choosing the (flat) Venice Marathon over the hillier Istanbul Marathon, I've decided to retain my hill workouts on Thursdays. Hills give me a lovely weekly burst of glowing self-confidence, not to mention great legs. I felt a little slower than usual today, but in fast posted my fastest time ever to the corner of Golf Club Road and Woodstock Road (14min flat on the trail route). The first hill hit me like a wall; I breezed up and down the others. This could be the result of the new stretching routine I started a few weeks ago.
Bought waffles today when I did groceries. No more traipsing around town for a good "long run breakfast"!

Friday Woke up this morning feeling like someone had driven over me during the night. Ugh. I ran on the treadmill with about the same enthusiasm. 5km at a crawl.

Saturday After last week's 40km, a 30km run this week seems almost trivial. Almost. I had lots and lots of waffles, for breakfast and again in late afternoon after work and about 90min before heading out. It was 5:00pm by the time I was on the road. It had to be the most perfect, most heartbreakingly beautiful summer evening of the entire year. Not a breath of wind, not a cloud, only golden sunshine falling on every tree and blade of grass. My waffles were of no help to me for the first half of the run: legs were unbearably heavy and stiff and I seemed to have no lung capacity whatsoever. Still, the absolute quiet and the abandoned trails made me forget everything. I did two laps on the northside trail, going up the sharp hill just after Bridge Street both times. I also found a few more hills in Marysville and ran across the footbridge over St. Anne's Point to make sure I got my hill RDA.
The second half of the run made up for the first. Maybe that had something to do with the Powerade I guzzled at the Trail Patrol cabin. Regardless, I charged ahead for the remaining half, even feeling invigorated after the hills. A sub-four hour marathon actually felt achievable today!