Friday, November 30, 2007
I started off wanting to run the trail around lake Needwood but there was construction at the Dam and the trail was closed. I didn't realize it but I was at the North end of the Rock Creek Trail ... just lucky ! So off I went , beautiful sunny late fall day , temps around 13C .. a little warmer then the day before. The trail was beautiful, big old Oak/Ash/Beech forest. Some of the Oak trees still had lots of leaves, they were a copper colour and with the sun shine it made them glow ! The trail runs though a valley between very exclusive homes, There were rock outcrops here and there and you could see where climbers had left hardware in rock face . Not much on the way of hills , more or less flat . There were these neat little arched bridges that crossed the river here and there . Came across a half dozen or so roads on the way to Viers Mills but only one was a major thoroughfare.
I didn't eat anything before I ran at 12:3O pm and I was started to feel the lack of energy ! Legs were a wee bit tired from the day before and they actually had a bit of a burn on . Rarely do I feel that way but hey I havent been doing too much running outside lately . I was wearing shorts , a metal shirt and a light nylon wind breaker . I was comfortable to warm , probably could have lost the jacket !
So its back to the snow tomorrow , when winter sets in and things freeze up I will attempt to take to the road again , all be it with a layer or two of clothing on.
Ron.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Had a classic head cold that headed south towards the lungs on the 17/18. Did my first run on the treadmill on Thur Nov 22 11 days since I ran on the beach n the DR. Only did 6.6 K that day , my lungs were a little congested so I didn't want to push it , not to mention it was the first run in awhile.
Friday Nov 23 , did a 10K on the treadmill. Didn't worry too much about the time. Somewhere around 54 minutes.
Did the same on Sunday Nov 25 , 1oK on the treadmill in a little under 50 mins. As is usual I broke the run up into thirds. First 3.3 was at 11K , next at 12K and finally crossed the line at 13.3 ! At the 6.66k mark the heart rate checked in at 146 bpm . Not to bad ! Was thinking always go harder faster in any run , never back off and make it easier unless you are overheating or behind in the O2 or you need to conserve energy to make it the rest of the way.
I find myself in Washington DC this week , before I came I Googled running in the DC area . Came up with a series of trails running through Rockville. Today was perfect conditions for a run , Sunny , light breeze and temps near 10C ! The trails are some 20+miles in all and run from the North end of Rockville all the way to DC . Not sure where I got on but it I parked at a Soccer field that runs next to the trail . Started running South towards DC, the trail was paved and in no time at all I found myself in the middle of a forest in the middle of a very big city yet it felt like I was on a run at home in the middle of the bush ! There was a mix of Ash / Oak and Beach trees . Some were very mature. The leaves were still on allot of trees, much like running at home in mid October . The trail ran through allot of parks and crossed fewer streets then I imagined it would. At around the 10k mark I entered "Rockcliff Park" , I am sure I have seen this place used in a movie set. The highlight came at about 40 minutes in to the run when I came across a historical plaque , it went something like ... here in 1774 George Washington built a Mill to help feed .... Wow , 1774 ... two years before the US became a country. So I turned back and picked up the pace a little and found myself back at the car in 1:20 . It was a pretty flat run so I estimate I did around 15k . I hope to try a different trail tomorrow ...
Ron.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
70K on the Beach Last Week!
Ran, most of the way :<), a 10K each day Mon Nov 5 thru Sunday Nov 11 !
I was staying at the Palladium , when I hit the beach and turned left West ) I ran to the Grand Bahia Primncipie 5K. If I turned right ( East ) I ran past the dolphin pens and the turnaround occurred at the wharf , 5K ! I used Google earth to map out the course and distance before I went !
First run was way to late in the morning . First day there I started the run at 08:30 , it was more then 20C warmer then my last run at home. Temps were near 30C with high Humidity , not to mention the Sun beating down on me with no Breeze ... I WAS HOT! First 20 minutes were OK . When the internal body temp started to rise I was done! The solution to overheating is simple , cool down. Throughout the week when I found I was overheating I would walk for awhile. Another thing I did the rest of the week was to run much earlier .
Highlights of a week of running on the beach ......
- Dodging the waves , it got to be second nature! The sand is very powdery , no shells. The only firm surface was where the waves washed up!
- Smelling the Food Prep at all the resorts!
- Other runners, in the 100's of Ks I have ran at home this year I have never passed another runner nor encounter more then a pedestrian or two. There were three types of runners on the beach 1) the ones the serious types ( like myself) 2) the so-so runners that well do some running now and again 3) the I am going to run on the beach because I am on a Holiday.... not runners at all. OK , now I am new at encountering runners on the beach but I was expecting a friendlier bunch of folks , after all we are all brothers and sisters with a very strong bond! Only 1 in 3 runners I said Hello to or waved at even acknowledged my existence!
- SUN , good and bad. The sun was low in the sky and it felt SO Good until I overheated
- Clouds, when it was too hot I prayed for clouds... better yet RAIN !
- Other folks on the beach , I was fun seeing everyone . I was amazed how many were on the beach at 07:00 am !
- Taking laps through the Grand Bahia Precipice ! I stayed here a couple of years ago and it was cool to return ... brought back lots of memories !
- I really appreciated the different climate/topography/vegetation. The palms all along the beach, the sound of the waves !
- At then end of the run I would grad a couple of bottles of water , remove my shoes and lounge by the pool then jump in and cool down. I had time on my side so I would take 30 to 60 minutes after to cool down!
The reset of the week I was usually out around 07:00 am . Temps were around 25C so it wasn't to to bad. I was use to these sort of temps running last summer !
I was surprised how few Type 1 runners had water bottles! I had my fuel belt , I would have never been able to run as far without it !
This past week I was busy working on some projects at home and then I had to work 12 hour days Fri/Sat/Sun , I also came down with a classic head cold so I haven't had a chance to run in the past 7 days. Mentally and physically I really look forward to getting back on track, it may be on the trad mill or maybe outside ... doesn't really matter just want to get moving !
Ron.
Friday, November 2, 2007
Cool runn'in !
Heading to the Caribbean next week for some R&R with my wife. I have a route all mapped out where I am going, a 10 and 20 beach run. Looking forward to be back in the warmth , it will probably take a couple of days to thin the blood a bit !
Ron.