I drove to the Penhold Regional Multiplex for the first time this season. Without a doubt I will be driving down Hwy 2 alont this winter. Especially if this winter is anything like last winter – bloody cold!
I slept in until 10 a.m. which is really unheard of for me. I had a late night on Friday and let’s just say I needed a full day to recover. It was -30C or so when I got up. Rather than fight for a treadmill at one of the local community centres, I decided to do some track work in Penhold.
You may remember Brent and I ran there once a week last winter. It’s nice because it is rarely busy and we had the track to ourselves on most nights. Plus I have the added bonus of not running into anybody I know. Red Deer is so small. It’s always so awkward when I run into people that I interview.
But guess what? I did run into someone I knew – Yvonne. What a weird coincidence. She was checking out the track with her new boyfriend. So random that I would run into her there. I haven’t seen Yvonne in weeks or at least a month. It was great to catch up during our brief chat.
My plan was to run 8x400m repeats. I thought that would be a good starting point. I wasn’t entirely sure how this would turn out. But gosh did it ever feel good to run fast. It was challenging but it felt good to sweat. I really needed it today.
After my repeats I did a few stairs. I used to run stairs A LOT when I lived in other cities. Red Deer does not have a good spot for running stairs. (Grrrr) In Penhold, I just picked one flight and ran up and down. It was a nice cool down after my intervals.
I ignored all the weirdo spectators that were watching a girls’ hockey game. Ever see someone run before? Seriously. Some of the men stare at as like we have two heads. Yup we’re getting exercise. Now turn back to the game!
Sheesh!
I can definitely see this being a track winter too. Last year I was pretty brave and went out in some cold weather but I'm not feeling it so much this year!
I think I will be heading to my local indoor track this winter too – that and hopefully using the school treadmill! The thing about both locations is (as you said too), I am recognized at both places. I just like to sweat in peace sometimes 😉
I resorted to the track this weekend too and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Great job on getting out there! I am really hoping that this winter is not nearly as cold as the last!