If the blog seems a little forced today, I apologize. I spent the last two nights labouring over an essay about my elementary school experiences - wait for it on paperback, it's a real page turner - and it totally drained my will to write. I have no real desire to look at a computer screen right now, but I haven’t blogged about my training since Saturday, so it’s time for an update. Hopefully I won’t sound too cranky.
Ever since my run with the West Striders, I have increased the lengths of my runs. It was not a conscious decision, but my shortest run is now about ten minutes longer than it was previously. It’s the first time I’ve increased my mileage since I started training, but it won’t be the last. Hopefully my body will stand up to the challenge.
I have also noticed that I have gotten slightly faster since last week. The last two kilometres of my run today were about a minute faster than expected, and I generally feel like I have more pickup in my step. I still need to work my mid run form – sometimes the wheels fall off and I find myself shuffling down the street – but overall I am pleased with my progress.
Tomorrow night I plan on meeting up with the West Striders for my second group run of 2010. Will we chat about Kids in the Hall again, or will the Superbowl dominate the conversation. Stay tuned and find out!
Showing posts with label West Striders. Show all posts
Showing posts with label West Striders. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Going Along For The Stride
Well I made it through my hectic school week in one piece, and I am currently enjoying a relaxing weekend in Moncton. I am getting a bit of running in - I had a very pleasant trail run earlier today, actually - but most of my energy is being spent visiting friends and eating chocolate. So much for eating healthy.
I finally broke my streak of solo runs on Thursday night, thanks to the West Striders. The running club meets at Alex Coffin's Fitness Shop every Thursday and Saturday at 6:30PM and 9:00AM, respectively, and you'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of runners in this neck of the woods. I generally struggle to meet up with the group due to scheduling conflicts - the 9:00AM run really interferes with my beauty rest - but the moon and stars aligned on Thursday, and I found myself preparing for a cold run alongside a dozen or so brave souls.
We started from the shop, packed together tightly as people picked their pace. One runner immediately bolted to the front, and I found myself in the chase pack (we weren't really chasing, but we were running behind him) with Craig, Kelly and Frank. The first few kilometers consisted of us catching up on our latest adventures (we've all run together before), and discussing the merits of The Kids in The Hall's new show Death Comes To Town. I've yet to watch, but Craig tells me it's quite good, so I'll have to find some rabbit ears for my cable-starved television.
We eventually made our way from Uptown to the West Side, and my thoughts darted towards home. We were 25 minutes into the run, and if I left the group I could make it back to my house without waiting for a ride home. However, I felt pretty strong, so I decided to stay loyal to the group and see how far my legs would take me.
Turns out my legs were feeling pretty good. I thought I might start feeling fatigue before we made it back to Alex's shop, but I picked up the pace with about a kilometer to spare and finished strong. I didn't break any land speed records, but I did run for nearly an hour without any complaints. Thumbs up.
I plan on featuring some of my running friends in upcoming entries, but I need to cut it short for now. I'm in the middle of a visit, and an intense game of cards awaits. Wish me luck!
I finally broke my streak of solo runs on Thursday night, thanks to the West Striders. The running club meets at Alex Coffin's Fitness Shop every Thursday and Saturday at 6:30PM and 9:00AM, respectively, and you'll be hard pressed to find a friendlier group of runners in this neck of the woods. I generally struggle to meet up with the group due to scheduling conflicts - the 9:00AM run really interferes with my beauty rest - but the moon and stars aligned on Thursday, and I found myself preparing for a cold run alongside a dozen or so brave souls.
We started from the shop, packed together tightly as people picked their pace. One runner immediately bolted to the front, and I found myself in the chase pack (we weren't really chasing, but we were running behind him) with Craig, Kelly and Frank. The first few kilometers consisted of us catching up on our latest adventures (we've all run together before), and discussing the merits of The Kids in The Hall's new show Death Comes To Town. I've yet to watch, but Craig tells me it's quite good, so I'll have to find some rabbit ears for my cable-starved television.
We eventually made our way from Uptown to the West Side, and my thoughts darted towards home. We were 25 minutes into the run, and if I left the group I could make it back to my house without waiting for a ride home. However, I felt pretty strong, so I decided to stay loyal to the group and see how far my legs would take me.
Turns out my legs were feeling pretty good. I thought I might start feeling fatigue before we made it back to Alex's shop, but I picked up the pace with about a kilometer to spare and finished strong. I didn't break any land speed records, but I did run for nearly an hour without any complaints. Thumbs up.
I plan on featuring some of my running friends in upcoming entries, but I need to cut it short for now. I'm in the middle of a visit, and an intense game of cards awaits. Wish me luck!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
So Long, Solo Runs
I’m trying to give you an update since my last post, but nothing interesting of notes has happened since Sunday. Either my life is getting increasingly boring, or my memory is shot. I’m not quite sure.
I do know that I am desperate to go for a group run. When I first started running I had a steady stream of partners that pushed my limits as a competitor, but over the last few years the number has dwindled. I don’t mind flying solo – it’s a great way to work out the mental kicks of a long day – but I am more apt to work harder or run longer if I am running with a group or a running partner. I am also more apt to start my runs at a decent hour; it’s a lot harder to procrastinate when you know someone is waiting for you.
That being said, I didn’t have a hard time running tonight. It was relatively warm outside – at least in comparison to the -30 we were treated to on Wednesday – and I was in an adventurous mood, so I went searching for the road that links Lancaster Avenue to The Reversing Fall Bridge. I found it after a little backtracking – it’s called Riverview Avenue, for those of you who were wondering – and used it to add an extra couple of minutes to one of my routine West Side runs. Eventually I am going to give Lower West a little bit of love, but for now I am content to avoid the hills as much as possible.
Avoiding people, well, that’s another story. Tomorrow I plan on joining the West Striders for their Thursday run, and if all goes well I will start making it a regular event. Hopefully they’ll take it easy on me.
I do know that I am desperate to go for a group run. When I first started running I had a steady stream of partners that pushed my limits as a competitor, but over the last few years the number has dwindled. I don’t mind flying solo – it’s a great way to work out the mental kicks of a long day – but I am more apt to work harder or run longer if I am running with a group or a running partner. I am also more apt to start my runs at a decent hour; it’s a lot harder to procrastinate when you know someone is waiting for you.
That being said, I didn’t have a hard time running tonight. It was relatively warm outside – at least in comparison to the -30 we were treated to on Wednesday – and I was in an adventurous mood, so I went searching for the road that links Lancaster Avenue to The Reversing Fall Bridge. I found it after a little backtracking – it’s called Riverview Avenue, for those of you who were wondering – and used it to add an extra couple of minutes to one of my routine West Side runs. Eventually I am going to give Lower West a little bit of love, but for now I am content to avoid the hills as much as possible.
Avoiding people, well, that’s another story. Tomorrow I plan on joining the West Striders for their Thursday run, and if all goes well I will start making it a regular event. Hopefully they’ll take it easy on me.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
At Odds With Nature
Nothing went as planned yesterday. I wanted run the reverse hypo half marathon with the West Striders, but decided against it once I realized that I would be lucky to finish in one piece. I don’t mind pushing the limits of my body, but I haven’t run that distance since last August, and the thought of bonking in the freezing cold (-27 with wind chill) didn’t seem too appealing.
Instead, I decided to run at the Irving Nature Park, a little peninsula that's home to hundreds of bird species and other forms of wildlife. I thought it was a good idea because a)it’s only a few kilometers from my house and b)the road is measured, with markers every half kilometer. I knew how fast I wanted to run, so if I was moving too slow (or quick) after the first 500 meters I could simply make adjustment. No problem, right?
Wrong. The park hasn’t been plowed since lord knows when, so the ground was covered in hard, uneven snow. Some spots were relatively runner friendly, but other areas were twisted ankles waiting to happen. I didn’t want to scrap my run, though, so I ran past the gate and hoped for the best.
My best wasn’t too great. I passed the 1K mark about a minute slower than planned, and it took a concerted effort to pick up the pace. Not that it mattered; half of my energy was spent looking for places to run without falling. By 3K I decided that running safe was smarter than running my pace, so I dropped back the effort and finished about 4 minutes off pace. I’ll get a better measurement of my fitness next week.
You might not hear about it right away, though. I have two presentations and an essay due this week, which doesn’t leave much time for personal writing. If you hear from me, I am either procrastinating or figuring out a way to combine melodic contour and running. My vote is on the former.
Instead, I decided to run at the Irving Nature Park, a little peninsula that's home to hundreds of bird species and other forms of wildlife. I thought it was a good idea because a)it’s only a few kilometers from my house and b)the road is measured, with markers every half kilometer. I knew how fast I wanted to run, so if I was moving too slow (or quick) after the first 500 meters I could simply make adjustment. No problem, right?
Wrong. The park hasn’t been plowed since lord knows when, so the ground was covered in hard, uneven snow. Some spots were relatively runner friendly, but other areas were twisted ankles waiting to happen. I didn’t want to scrap my run, though, so I ran past the gate and hoped for the best.
My best wasn’t too great. I passed the 1K mark about a minute slower than planned, and it took a concerted effort to pick up the pace. Not that it mattered; half of my energy was spent looking for places to run without falling. By 3K I decided that running safe was smarter than running my pace, so I dropped back the effort and finished about 4 minutes off pace. I’ll get a better measurement of my fitness next week.
You might not hear about it right away, though. I have two presentations and an essay due this week, which doesn’t leave much time for personal writing. If you hear from me, I am either procrastinating or figuring out a way to combine melodic contour and running. My vote is on the former.
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