Round and Round I Go

12k.  That's what the schedule said.   Easy peasy.   Though, up until yesterday, I still wasn't sure if I was going to even do it.  Of course, there was no denying that my ankle felt fine and my lungs were sounding remarkably clearer so I started making plans.

I wanted to go early to avoid the heat and I invited a couple of people along if they wanted to join me, but in the end I headed out solo.   Probably just as well, given how I ended up taking this run...

I started out of Glenmore just before 8am (slightly later than my planned 7:30 start).  Thank you freight train that crossed Glenmore right as I got to it...

As I put on my hydration pack, I had a crazy idea...what if I tried to run the first 10k non-stop.  No walk breaks.  I could go as slow as I wanted as long as I didn't stop to walk.   It would be a good confidence test for next week's MEC 10k - to see if I was ready to knock it off the 36 Resolutions list.

I headed out at an easy 7:30/km pace...super slow but easily maintainable - especially since this was my first post-plague long run.   For the first time in a very long time, I even decided to take the lower path on the clockwise loop.  It was nice to avoid all of the ups and downs of the upper path.

It was the perfect temperature for a run...around 10C with just a hint of a breeze off the water.

It seemed like no time at all and I was heading toward the hill into the Weaselhead.

It was also right about then that I realized that if I did 6k out and 6k back - I would inevitably need to run up that same hill (and the south hill is PARTICULARLY nasty steep).   It wasn't long before I decided that I would just add on a few extra kilometres and dot he whole loop...what was another 3k anyway?  And since I had kinda maintained a 15k base through June...it wasn't like I'd be risking injury by increasing my mileage too much.

The pathways were so quiet.  every now and then, I'd encounter a couple of runners or a cyclist would whiz by me, but for the most part, I was pretty alone out there.

I think I ran into those 10 Fast Guys from Calgary Marathon...it was a bunch of guys all running oddly close together and when I got closer, I saw a couple of them wearing their Team Mito shirts...I'm just going to assume it was them.

As I started up the hill to the north side of the Weaselhead, these two older guys passed me.  I kept my slow pace up the hill and noted with glee that they had to walk at the top of the hill, while I just kept on truckin' along.  My plan to do that first 10k nonstop was going swimmingly.  I didn't even have any desire to stop.

The greenery is growing in where the floods deposited all of that silt.  That was really nice to see.  When I was down there last week, it looked like Death Valley - all cracked and desert-like.

Ok - I lie. I did feel like I had to stop.  I had to pee pretty bad.  So, I knew that I needed to time it right so I could do it after the 10k. And I knew the 10k mark was close to the Canoe Club so I would aim for there.   Turns out the Canoe Club was at 9.75k....uhhhhh.  Can't stop now.

So, I doubled back a bit to get my continuous 10k.

Not bad.  I think I'd be ok with a time like that next week in the race if it meant wiping that goal off the list...

The day was warming up quickly so I was happy I'd tied my hair up into a funny little bun to keep it off my neck...I think it's starting to reach the neighbourhood of "too long" for summer.

After a pitstop at the canoe club, I did walk for a bit.  and ate

and drank a bit too much water so my tummy started to feel sloshy.  I kept walking for a little while until that passed.  It was during this that I noticed a new sign on the pathway

SWEET!  New pathway link!  And right along the reservoir.  I'll just need to be patient for a few more years until it becomes a reality.  I'm beting the golf course wants them to build in the off season...I can't see a pathway taking 4 years to build for that short of a stretch.

Soon I was running again and, aside from a couple of photo stops - I ran most of it non-stop as well.

It's also nice to see the water around here returning to it's rightful colour again...

And then it was coming in for a landing...I had hoped I'd do it in 2 hours...I stopped my garmin at the top of the landing in 2:04.  Not too shabby considering...

And then I hit Starbucks for some coffee and reading.   As I was walking over, hubby texted me

Truth.

The Garmin Geekery:

Overall - this run felt pretty good.  I was pretty steady-feeling in my pacing and I was going slow enough so I could breathe easily and had no pain in my ankle (except one twinge around 7k that quickly faded).  And, really, as long run paces go - this one definitely qualified as long and slow...

All in all - a really good run.

Afterwards, I headed out to run some errands and ended up in Sport Chek.  I came so close to buying a couple of pairs of back-up Kinvaras...they had several pairs of these Kinvara 2s.  I've never found this colour in my size - even online.

and they were in my freakishly huge size!!!!!  For $65 for the first pair and 50% off that for the second...and almost all of them were in my size.  That NEVER happens.  I came so close.   Sooooo close.  I even tried to justify how close my other pairs might be getting to retirement...

Instead, I retrained myself and happened upon a really pretty Columbia dress (on the left) that was on sale for $25.  That will be really nice for this summer and then for my trip to Punta Cana next spring...probably a better investment for now...

especially since I already have one pair of Kinvara 3s I haven't even worn yet...