Elk/Beaver Lake

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, 24 with a slight breeze by the water. I spent the majority of the day at Jamie’s horse show, where she did very well. At 5pm, I met up with Janice, Shannon, Colin and the girls at the Elk side of the lake. The girls and I were going to run the lake and Colin was going to stay with the kids at the park. Janice and Shannon have never run the lake before and I was really excited for them because it’s such a beautiful trail.

Shannon and I were trying out our new water bottles, which attach to your hand when you run and you don’t have to worry about dropping it. We really need to learn to run with water because it’s necessary for the longer runs, especially in hot weather. Shannon said running with the water sloshing around really irritated her but I had no problems with mine. I almost forgot about it in my hand, and when I did remember it, I liked the rhythm of the water sloshing around in it. I took small sips throughout the run and had no problem with cramps.

The run was long, longer than anticipated. I’ve done the run several times and it is always approx 10k, but for some reason we clocked 12k. The run went really well for me, I wasn’t exhausted at the end of it nor was I winded. My calves hurt a bit and I felt like I was getting a splint in my left leg but today I’m fine. In fact, I felt like I could have kept going. This is probable because I ran at a slower pace than usual, which is good for me to do on the longer runs (at least until I get better). Janice had a tough go of it as her knee started to bug her around 5k but she’s a trooper and she ran through it. Shannon appeared to do great, although she said she was feeling some pain. However, at the end of it she said she was rethinking the half marathon. I think they both did terrific and I hope they want to run the lakes again next Sunday. I might be running alone…

For those of you who are not aware, Janice, Shannon and I have registered for the half marathon (21k) that takes place October 11th, 2009 in Victoria, BC. Yes, that is the day before Thanksgiving. It was Janice who talked me into it but I was the first of us gals to register. I’m nervous about it but I’m also confident that I can do it. That is why we are running together as often as we can, we are in training. We are also trying to motivate one another to keep up with our runs. It will be hard over the summer when the weather is hot and the beaches are calling. Not to mention keeping up with our runs when we are all on our respected holidays. However, I know we can do it. Four months and counting!