Monday, August 2, 2010

Week in Review: July 26- August 1


(Coming down one of my favorite sections of our local trails)

26/07/2010: 8.5 miles (1:20) Took it pretty easy up at Headwaters with Meredith. Just cruised around with a couple nicely tempoed climbs. Not bad for a Monday run.

27/07/2010: off. Other events to attend to and simply could not squeeze in anything during the day. Would it not be easier if we just never had to work??

28/07/2010: 8.5 miles (1:30) Headed out on one of my more familiar routes. Looping through Bridle Path trail down over to Bottle Top. Had my parents dog with me on what was a hot morning so there were was a lengthy stop at the river.
PM: 9 miles (1:18) The customary evening outing with Meredith up at Headwaters. This has become our go-to area as of late because of the endless loops that it offers all within a fairly immediate vicinity. Tonight we cruised down a fantastic section of single track just off the Baden Powell that we both had not ventured down in some time. It was truly luxurious running.

29/07/2010: 10.5 miles (1:45) Out in the pm with the decided goal to run up Old Mountain Highway (aka. Old Grouse Mountain road). Meredith and I looped around Headwaters for a couple miles to warm up the legs and then began the climb. The temperature was perfect (shirtless) but not muggy and we were welcomed with some interesting company as a group of 30 or so mountain bikers all made their way up the same climb eventually hitting up the numerous singletrack that lead back down I am presuming. It was motivating to run next to these riders and fairly handily pass by them at a comfortable pace. It definitely pushed me to go a little harder then usual; but the legs felt good so I was OK with it. We defiantly pushed the descent as well, purely driven by the fact that I had dinner waiting for us back at our apartment. Food is always the strongest of motivations.

30/07/2010: 5 miles (1:18) Up and down the BCMC in the am. Tough to get going this morning but eventually found a stride. 47 min up and 31 down with a few miles tacked on at the end. Great way to start the day.

31/07/2010: 30 miles (6:22) Seeking a quick getaway, Meredith and I headed up to Whistler for our Saturday long run. Talking with a few friends it was suggested that we run the Comfortably Numb trail (25 km) which is described as a point-to-point "epic mountian bike trail" that should only be ridden by the "more advanced of riders". I had heard good things about the route and therefore, was more than willing to give it a shot. We left our apartment early and were on the trail by 9am. Starting at the North end of the trail we worked our way up the seemingly endless switchbacks and curvatures that embody most of the trail. This kept us well and distracted as you climb the surprising 1500 foot initial grunt. It was definitely technical running with no real sections that you could simply open it up and let'r go. The constant turns certainly prevented this. We eventually reached the end (Lost Lake) refilled our packs and made the return trip on the same route back to our car. We basically mimicked our initial 25km split "out" which was encouraging. Unfortunately, because it was now the heat of the day we ran out of water with approximately an hour left of running. This likely slowed us a bit, but we were still both moving pretty comfortably by the end and could not wait to get to the car where water was available. We then headed over to Capers, grabbed some grub and soaked in the nearest lake. By this time we could see a fairly ominous storm approaching and predictably, a massive hail storm hit us on the drive home (worst driving experience of my life). I was literally going 20 km/h on the highway because I could not see more than 20 feet ahead. Overall, a great day of running on some new trails.


(Retracing my steps on Saturday's run)


(Meredith Cruising on the return trip on Saturday's run)


(Fairly representative shot of the kinds of trail we enjoyed most of the day)


(A little dusty and dirty after 6+ hours of running dirt technical trail in racing flats)

01/08/2010: 8.5 miles (1:45) Recovery run after yesterday's effort. Things felt surprisingly good but wanted to take it concertedly easy.

Weekly totals: 80 miles/ 15:25 hours




(A video I shot on Saturday's run: loving the new GOPROHD HERO camera)

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