3 Jan 2010

Thursday, 5 November, 2009

I am considering running the Barcelona Marathon next March. It has been 26 years since I ran a marathon. In 1983 I ran the Ottawa marathon in a time of 3 hours and 3 minutes. While quite proud of my time I had been disappointed in not breaking three hours but on the other hand I had not specifically trained for running a marathon. Later that year I entered the Skylon Marathon from Buffalo New York, to Niagara Falls, Ontario. I was unable to finish that second race. So why run a marathon now? Well, I have always wanted to run another one before I get too old. Can I go under the three hour barrier? At this late date that is probably unrealistic.

This evening after work I went running on our mountain up to Can Boquet and back down and home. This is one of my regular routes that I often run after work. I start by stretching at the Fornaca, a park near where I work. The first part of my runs from the Fornaca I combine running and walking. The first stretch of the run along the park at the Fornaca is at an elevation of approximately 110 metres above sea level. As soon as I leave the park the route starts to climb, very steeply in places. The route varies over paved road, unpaved road and footpaths through the forest that covers most of the mountain overlooking our town. The elevation at Can Boquet is 350 metres. The distance from the Fornaca to Can Bouquet as the crow flies is about three kilometres so it is quite a climb. The run down from Can Boquet to Vilassar de Dalt is even shorter and steeper, and really tough on the thighs.

Tonight I had a good run. I felt strong and energetic. At this time of year it starts to get dark early and so it is the last week that I will be able to run on the mountain after work except on Fridays, when we get off earlier. By the time I reach Can Boquet the low light makes judging the uneven ground difficult. I have to be careful of my footing on the dash downhill. The run takes about 35 minutes.

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