Catching up on vacation runs!
Sunday 7/5 in Montreal; long run, 6 miles (ended up 6.7 plus lots of walking) in Mont-Royal Park, 1:28:04. Splits 12:13, 12:49, 13:32, 12:10, 12:29, 15:34. WEEK 2; total miles 16.
I was nervous–my first run away from home, my first over-5-miles in a couple of years, an afternoon run, an area I didn’t know, etc. It was quite a long walk to the park even from the closest Metro station, and a hot day too. But I quickly found my way onto Chemin Olmstead (as in the Central Park designer, who also landscaped this park), a nice wide finely-graveled path which goes all the way to the summit. The park overlooks the city. A good run initially–the first 3+ miles all uphill but on a very gradual incline. Quite a few other runners, lots of bikers and walkers. I was watching for form and noticed a lot of people with conspicuously asymmetrical arm carries–left arm swinging normally but right hand sort of flapping forward. Interesting. Near the top of the hill there’s a “chalet,” really an imposing building with a broad stone belvedere and magnificent views. I brought my camera in my waist pack and so was able to pause and take photos. The path diverges into a long loop at the top and by the time I got back to the intersection, I had already reached 4 miles. I wanted to end back at the hotel at 6 miles so I could stretch and have my cereal ASAP, so I decided to leave the broad path and take smaller ones directly back to the park entrance. Mistake! I took lots of paths that didn’t end up where it seemed like they should, and exhausted myself trying to run up and down and back–eventually I just walked anything too steep (there were lots of stairs too). On many occasions I could see exactly where I wanted to go, several hundred vertical feet below… The Forerunner kept losing GPS signals and by the time I finally got off the mountain it was way past 6 miles and I was nowhere near the hotel. Luckily I had brought an oatmeal bar and I ate it as I trudged back. Wildflowers pretty much the same as at home, except for purple-flowered raspberry.
Tuesday 7/6 in Montreal; short run, 3 miles along the harbor (Vieux-Port), 32:57; splits 10:25, 11:56, 10:37. Perfect in terms of length–I got just about all the way to the end of the road along the harbor before turning around, then got back to the hotel just at 3 miles. Nice views, but it’s definitely hard to relax on a run in a new place and especially in an urban environment. Too much stimulation, too much self-consciousness, or something!
Thursday 7/8 in Quebec City; medium run, 4 miles from the old city into Battlefields Park, 45:41; splits 11:49, 10:48, then got messed up, but overall pace 11:25. It was raining quite hard off and on, so I was the only person out there, which was nice. I was running along the St. Lawrence but couldn’t see it most of the way because trees were too thick. Lots of comfrey, which spread wild from the first colonists’ gardens. On the way back I ran through quiet streets parallel with the Grande Allée; lots of beautiful houses and pretty gardens (it reminded me of Berkley in that way). I stumbled across Jeanne d’Arc Park, an oval sunken garden, and ran around it to admire all the flowers. A really nice run!
Friday 7/9 in Quebec City; short run, 3 miles along the walls of the old city, 37:15; splits 11:52, 13:31, 11:53. The Fodor’s guide said there were 3 miles of path along the walls, but that’s not true; by two miles I was practically back where I started, so I ended up running from the Terasse Dufferin in front of Chateau Frontenac to the end of Promenade des Gouverneurs (basically a huge set of wooden stairs and decking along the cliff) and back. Amazing views, but the stairs were starting to tell on my knees.
Sunday 7/11 in Montreal; long run, 7 miles in Mont-Royal Park, 1:23:26; splits 12:16, 12:24, 13:18, 12:41, 10:53, 10:51, 11:03. Average heart rate 132! WEEK 3, total miles 17.
That was a great run! I managed to keep my heart rate way, way down and kept my pace pretty consistent (great splits for me). So 12.5 to 13 minutes is a good slow pace for me on uphills, 11 on downhills (at this point in my training). Good to know for the marathon, so I can plan it
out from the course profile. But I realized how hard it can be for me to keep my breathing & running rhythm when faster (& noisier) people are passing me! I ran from Duluth Street to the start of Chemin Olmstead to the loop, then turned around at the belvedere, then back down the way I came. Nine miles including walking on both ends from/to the hotel.
Thoughts on running while on vacation: I won’t do it again if I can help it. We usually walk 5-10 miles a day when visiting cities, so I was physically exhausted. It takes too much time & planning away from fun stuff. And although theoretically it’s nice to see more/new places this way, I’m too distracted by focusing on my run to really enjoy them. But hey, I kept up with my training and I’m glad to have tried it once. And the Forerunner was *invaluable*! I’m so happy I got it.