track fan

hot hot hot ... hilly hilly hilly .... happy happy happy

good to run.  I am on my way to Montreal for a conference this week.  I can't tell you how hard it is to get my work done, and get ready to be away from the office for a week!

Happy August, bloggers! 

AM: 9 miles, last 20` at half-marathon pace.

PM: easy 4 

goose-egg.  I had a very flight, my hope was to run after I got into Montreal, but I did not get in until 6:30 or so, and by the time I got through customs and got settled in my room, it was late, and I was starving ... so, big old goose-egg.

10 miles (1:28:43).  Found a great trail - Montreal is a 8.5/10 on the "Bonnie's running ranking" of cities.  They got extra points for: 1) had a dirt trail that ran parallel to the bike path (off road ways), 2) had a bathroom about 4 miles into it :), and 3) scenic

Weather is also great!

4 miles on the treadmill -- mainly because traffic "in the city" to get to my running route was difficult in the torrential rain -- e.g., scared of cars mixed with rain in the middle of a large city. 

very early before an early meeting, that occured 3 hours earlier than Tucson time :)

AM: (8 miles, ~ 1 hour 10 mins)I ran in Montreal, on the Berri bike path.  I had an early run to get to the second day of my meetings -- funny story:

 I had hit the turn-around, and was about ~10 mins to the "downtown" area (about  5 min run through the downtown streets of Old Town Montreal -- think narrow streets with traffic :)).  I was passed by a fast cyclist, and we both approached a train tracks - with a flashing red light -- AND  -- a crossing guard/person.  He made it over the train tracks before the crossing guard put up the stop sign (and the barriers came down), I did not (if only I were ~ 30 secs/mile faster!).  So, I was the first on the trail to be stopped by the train.  Before I knew it, a couple cyclists came up beside me, and then a couple more.  We are all just standing there, watching the train, sort of looking at each other and smiling.  This was a Saturday morning - so all these guys were actual fit cyclists doing workouts.  The guy immediately beside me starts speaking to me in French, and I just stared at him looking dumb, so he switched to English.  We started talking about running, and he wanted to know how far I was going, and what my heart rate target was (I think that is what he asked).  I was nearly 12 mins!!!! later that train passed, and we could all get moving (me and ~ 40 dare I admit, very cute cyclists).  They all passed me (as my old legs had gotten stiff in the standing around time -- arg, getting old is not for sissies) -- but I was game to run in the middle of them for a while.  Well, about 5 mins later I started looking around and thought, "where am I?  this does not look familiar at all"  - about 5 mins after that I thought, "ok, I need to turn around" -- I did, and realized that I had missed my turn to a different path -- about 400 meters from the train tracks -- meaning the "other side" of the train tracks -- all that waiting around, and extra 10 mins on the "wrong" trail -- and I did not even have to be there.  I really thought I was going to be late to the meeting, so I really sped it up from the trail to the hotel, I "just" made it (after a shower, of course).  Great story, loved meeting my new friends.  At my age, how often do I get a chance to hang out with a bunch of super young, super fit, cutie pies?  I heart Montreal.

PM: easy 4 miles on the treadmill at the hotel.  Then came some meet-ups with old friends in the hotel bar, but that, my runningblog friends is a story for another time :)