My Legs, They Hurt!

Still!

The weather has finally turned spring like here in Bridgenorth Ontario and so on Monday I decided to go for a run after work.  I wasn’t really sure how far I was going to run when I set out to do it I just knew that I was going to be a while.  That is pretty much what I told Amber when I left to “I’ll be back in a while” or some such.

I started on the blue dot, that’s my house.  From there I have two choices really.  Run on the super busy Ward St. or run on the back road which is only kinda busy.  I chose the latter and headed out.  By the time I got to the end of the 7th line where it meets up with thte Centre Line of Smith I know I have gone about 4.5 K.  Not too shabby and I felt great, So I figured I’d keep going along.  I turned right and headed up Centre Line.  I knew my next option was Fifth Line for heading toward home.  When I got there I was still feeling good and thought that if I went to Woodland Dr. I might just run my longest distance ever!

I kept going.  I got to Woodland Dr. and turned right and immediately remembered why I plan to ride my half marathon on the Lakefield – Peterborough bike path.  Woodland Dr. between Centre Line and Hillard St. is ENTIRELY up hill.  and not even just gently sloping, but the kind of up hill where if you are right a bike you gear down and then stand up to get there.  By the time I reached Hillard St. I was regretting this whole decision to run really far after work.  I was jogging more than running at this point and reminding myself that it was less than 6k home, less than 25 minutes.

Right where Hillard St. turns into Fifth Line there is a bike trail, Thankfully except for one quick steep hill the bike trail is generally down hill.  There were people walking their dogs and stuff too so I was glad to have the ‘pressure’ to actually run and not ‘jog’.  I woke my legs up and got moving, especially on the more downhillish parts.

Once I got to the end of the trail there is only a Kilometre to go before being back at my house.  No problem right?  Wrong.

This part here is a huge, steep hill.  So steep and long at this point that I had no choice but to walk up the last bit of it because ‘running’ up was no fast and way more effort.  I walked about ten steps maybe.  then the rest is a gently sloped down hill back to my house.

My “I’m going out for a run for a while” turned into 1:27:41!! and 16.6K

(Time off the stopwatch is official, since I want to make sure the GPS catches up with me and I have to get out my phone and swipe and stop the workout and so on)

This was my longest run ever, outside or on a treadmill.  Thankfully Amber massaged my legs with the super expensive oil and anti-inflammatory gel we bought on the cruise ship.  My legs are still a bit tender even today, two days later, but not too bad at all.  I wouldn’t say I’m looking forward to running a half marathon, but I know I can do it!