Training Log Archive: karenm

I have to say, I am glad this training is coming to an end! Perhaps this will be my last long run. Not sure if I can bare to do another. Main objective at this point is to be able to run the first 18 miles in 4 hours as this is the cut off. I think I can do that! Today ran from home to the east end of the Douglas Fir trail. Good hills and stairs on this trail. Even some massive ice flows that had me hike uphill through the bush and then climb up onto a bridge. Kind of an adventure run! Ran up the winding Edworthy Park hill and then back to the Edworthy Trails on the route of the Road Runners X-country run. Then on to Bowmount Park via the bike path. Up the grass hill near home road and then along the top of the bluff to the end where I dropped down near the golf course. Of course I had to run up the big dirt hill near the golf course. Had to stop 3/4 of the way up. It was just too steep! Looped around through Bowmount and then back to Edworthy. Took the Douglas Fir trail back and then home through Princes Island. The last 4 km was tough. I seemed to be running at a descent speed, but the km didn't seem to be going by too quickly! Still moving all be it slowly! Glad that is over with!

C • no Garmin tracks so we can see where you really went?? 2

C • 1

5 times around the "hamster wheel" at COP is plenty! i don't know how people can train there all of the time! Another very windy day at COP. Snow was very abrasive. Not so good to keep wax on for classic skiing.

C • well done 1

Warm up run then McHugh Bluff hill repeats. Okay, I can finally see that my work is paying off. Ran 5 hill repeats about 4 weeks ago. In betwen I have ran the Moose Mtn. and Ice cave roads as long training runs. Today, 8 hill repeats seemed pretty easy!! Could have done more, but it was getting dark and I did not have my light with me. I was even able to pick up the pace on the last repeat near the top! Felt good.

Nice to get back to the trails! Ran the weasle head and jack pine trail. Footing was surprisingly good. Enough snow to cover the icy bits I guess. Las 2 runs were all up and then all down, so it was nice to run on some rolling terrain. Windy, but once down off the edge of the Glenmore it was good.

Run with Andree, Alan L, Isabel O, John, Jen S and Claire T up the ice caves road. -19 in Bragg Creek, but only -9C at the trail head! Yipee! Road just grinds it's way steadily up to the ice caves parking lot. Not as much elevation as Moose Mtn. Rd. Took the right fork in the road up to the Shell plant. This 5 km out and back section was much steeper, but it got us into the glorious sun for awhile! Left tib post. sore all the way, especially with the downhill. Beautiful day in the mountains. Lots of snow on the trees that sparkled in the sunshine!

Downhill skiing in 6" of lovely new powder at Kimberley. I could definitley feel that my quads were "tired" from Fridays hill run. A great day in the mountains.

Good training day! Out to Bragg Creek to run the Moose Mtn. Road. 7 km from the gate to the trail parking lot. They say the elevation gained is 500m. My Garmin is not downloading so I can't tell. It was a tough run up for sure. Just kept to my mantra of "relentless forward momentum". Never stopped moving although I did stop running when I just couldn't push any further. Took 1 hour to make it up to the top, and immediately turned around and headed back down. What a gorgeous view from the top. This is what keeps me going! Could see clearly to Calgary and to the mountains to the west. Ran down 5 km from the top and turned around for another repeat. The second one started off easier it seemed, but once the really steep stuff started, I was forced to walk. Kept the "forward momentum" going though, and eventually made it to the top once more. After a short picture break, headed back down the 7 km to the car. Now, if I just put this run together with the 31 km from Sunday, I will have completeed the 55 km! Wow, what a daunting thought!

C • Wow is correct! 3

Interval run on the Bow River Path to Crowchild and around back home. AFter 3 km warm up started 2 min. intervals where I tried to run under 5:00/km pace. Took 2 min 30 sec rests in between. 6 intervals in total. Felt pretty good overall.

Another short trip to COP. Trail conditions much better today and less windy. Just didn't have much time with volunteering for the Grade 5 snowboard lessons. Good to get out even for a short one though.

Tried a short ski at COP while Tyson was snowboarding with his school. Very windy, had to even pole hard on the downhill sections in places!!! Trails where poor with icy sections and blowing snow covering the tracks. Oh well it was easy on the legs!!!

Okay, i got my 30 km run in. Just another 25 km to go! Yikes, it is going to hurt that is for sure! If only Moab was flat I would be in good shape! A nice January day for a long run anyway. Good to be able to run in just a long sleeve shirt and no jacket. Anything off the main path is very icy, so I stayed away from that. Can't risk having a fall at this point.

C • nice! 1

McHugh Bluff hill repeats after a 3 km warm up. Wow, this is winter???? WArm sunshine and icy path sections felt like spring! Workout felt pretty good.

C • where is that? 3

Penstock loop in Peter Lougheed Park with the kids. Some fresh snow on the trails made it very "wintery". Easy route. Just right for the kids.

West Bragg Creek night run with Andree and the Trail Trash group. A very warm night and I had too much on for sure! 10 days off over Christmas really took it's toll! I have a long way to go to get into shape for 55 km. Trail was challenging with sections of slushy snow, icy patches and totally bare ground. Much easier to run at night in the snow as the light reflects better and you can actually see what you are running on! A bit of route finding as well as the trail we were on was not totally finished. Good to get out, but I am feeling the effects of my lay off today!