A few months off from race participation can only mean one thing - training runs galore. What made this easier was the re-opening of the Stanley Park Seawall late in the year after repairs were completed due to storm damage the previous winter. So Christmas 2007 was all about running around the park, literally.
Starting in Coal Harbour and heading West-ish, it is easy to get in 10 or 12 km of serious hoofing by the time you've reached the Burrard Street Bridge. Some things of note when running this route:
- a nice day means lots of strolling folks who are very good at suddenly being right in front of you when you run, even when you are giving lots of warning with your huffing and puffing and "technical material rustling". And these are the people who are looking at you!
- people tend to meander on all sides of the seawall path, so you don't get fatigued by always running on the outside or inside; there is plent of opportunity to zig and zag.
- the seawall path running surface seems harder to me than road asphalt. Perhaps it is a different blend or the pathbed is not as soft. Every now and then there are interlocking brick bits which are definitely not designed to return any energy to you!
- there are mile and kilometre markings along the route that is part of Stanley Park and English Bay. These provide a nice motivation for continuing on to the next marker.
- running counterclockwise means that on a windy day you can cool off very quickly once past the Lion's Gate Bridge. Sometimes, a bit too quickly (brrr!).
- there is nothing like breathing in a fresh ocean breeze in winter, unless it is returning home and drinking in a nice dram of single malt as a training reward (must replenish carbs).
No comments:
Post a Comment