Should I start tapering? Do I need to taper? I’m looking at the calendar trying to figure out what to do for the next couple of weeks. Speed work? Another long run? Blackfoot is three weeks away. Stuff is getting real. It’s like a switch turned and suddenly we’re in the thick of spring/summer.
I played road runner this past weekend – Kananaskis on Saturday and Cooking Lake on Sunday. It was a good weekend. I took Tina up Prairie for her birthday hike, and Claire and I joined some Edmonton runners for a Blackfoot training run.
I’ve had my fill of Prairie for awhile now. The snow is nearly gone but there were some muddy spots. It wasn’t as busy as last weekend. And I didn’t have to park a kilometre away from the trailhead. I picked Tina up around 8:30 a.m. and we were ready to go around 10 a.m. We planned to take it slow and steady and enjoy the morning.
We ran into Sue and Kevin, which was a nice surprise. I haven’t seen them in months and months. It’s usually Moose Mountain where I usually run into people I know. There were a few guys that were doing repeats again. We chatted with one guy who wore the same shoes as me. (We runners notice these things.) He said something about running up and down in 34 minutes. Huh? That’s pretty solid. I’m just happy to reach the top and take a picture with the Canadian flag.
What a difference a week makes. My calves were not screaming bloody murder after climbing Prairie. I just needed to get that first hike done to snap my body to attention. Later this summer, I’d like to do a few repeats on Prairie. Last year I did it twice but I wasn’t very prepared. I ran out of water on the second go. I will be smarter next time and go back to my car before attempting another repeat.
I am happy Tina had a great morning, and finally had the chance to take in the views from top of Prairie. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate your birthday. I wish my birthday wasn’t in November. It’s challenging to reach a summit in the dead of winter in Alberta with the unpredictable conditions.
Sunday
I grabbed Claire at 6:30 a.m on Sunday and we headed northwest to Islet Staging Area. While it’s been a few years since either one of us were there, neither one of us consulted a map before hitting the highway. We thought the other knew where we were going. I had a general idea but …. anyway we made it without any hiccups and without being late or lost.
I was definitely overdressed. It was bloody hot and dry. No mud to be found. There was a good group, about 30 people or so. I didn’t know any of the other runners but Claire knew a few from her St. Albert days. I was happy that she got to reconnect with some of her old running buddies. The trail running community in Alberta is small enough that you always bump into somebody you know or somebody who knows somebody you know. Great group!
I remember the first 5K is pretty fast with all the rolling hills. It’s in the middle section that it gets a little more challenging. All in all it was pretty solid run. It was pretty damn hot so we weren’t killing it. I was happy to take another look at the trails before the race on May 26. I’m fairly confident that I won’t have any issues with this, my first 50K, this year.
I always think I should make more trips to train Cooking Lake. It’s truly a lovely place but the two-hour drive always puts me off …. so am I tapering? Yes and no. This week I am going to work on (gasp) speed and tempo runs. It hurts me right now as I write this. It was clear to me on Saturday that I need to pick up my pace. That will be my focus over the next three weeks. The weather is perfect for it and the days are longer so I have no excuse.
Happy trails!
It was great to see you – it’s been a while I guess! Sorry about the swearing, I blame Tina 😀 Good luck at Blackfoot, you’ll kill it!
Susan recently posted…Prairie Mountain 4.0
lol no it’s okay. I do not have virgin years. I can handle a good curse or two!