Steady Double 1:47:30

Monday, Nov 16, 2009

We got soaked on both runs today. Jon and I ran from Broadmead over to Mount Doug. The once pretty blanket of fall leaves covering the trails has turned into mushy, muddy slop with all the rain we’ve been having these past few days. Squish- squish sounds on every step. I must have looked like a drowned rat when we got back. Jon invited me in and Martina was ready at the door with a dry towel. I left with a book Jon lent me (Lorraine Moller’s autobiography!) and other goodies, while sporting a very trendy outfit of over sized track pants and shirt. I don’t know why I bothered scraping out the dirt around my toenails in the shower when I got home. I had to do it all again after the second run later in the day.  The second run started at Lochside near McKenzie where I met Jon who was part-way on his run (try jumping in cold to Jon’s steady pace after he has had a 15′ warm-up!). We ran to Mount Doug but this time we avoided the mushy trails and detoured on to the road for a bit, then back on the trail, now littered with large puddles, ok so down to the p-lot, up the driveway and along Royal Oak to Lochside. Soaked again.  Jon has been running 30km/day in preparation for the Fukuoka Marathon so he is in the last stages of tough marathon training. Actually, a number of Jon’s group are nearing the end of season, heading into championship or peak races in the next two weeks. Nick Best will be running the Seattle Half , while Matt and Jim, who both made the BC Cross-country team, will be running the Canadian Cross-country champs in Guelph, Ontario the same weekend. Kris Swanson will also be running Nationals hoping to better his performance after running provincials while sick. I have the Chiba Ekiden on Monday and have a day layover back home on Wednesday (Joey and my  20-year anniversary-timed that well!) and then off to Guelph for Nationals.

Total Time: 1:47:30 (23.45 km)

AM:  1:04:54  (14.05 km)

Avg/Km: 4:37  Avg HR: 128 bpm

PM:  42:36  (9.40 km)

Avg/Km: 4:31  Avg/HR: 120 bpm