Saturday 6 April 2013

You Guys Are Makin' Out

This morning Oma came over to watch the boys so that Leigh and I could go on a date.  We headed out at 8:45 to go here...

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We had our first 20 mile (32km) run of our marathon training cycle to do, and decided that it would be much more enjoyable to run together, in a different location then normal.  So we headed out to the Kissing Bridge Trailway, which is a 45km trail running from Guelph to Millbank, and the home of the "Kissing Bridge," Ontario's last covered bridge.

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Before we started
Leigh has been nursing a mild hamstring tendon injury so we parked midway through the trail, did a 5 mile out and back towards Elmira so that he had the option to stop after 10 miles if he was having trouble with his leg. Thankfully, all was well at the 10 mile mark so we continued on in the opposite direction for another 5 miles, where we were sure to kiss on the kissing bridge (kissing while running is as difficult as it sounds).  Five miles back to the car, and we were done.  Proud, excited, and relieved to have a 20 miler under our belts.  
20.01 miles  in 3:25:15
We are both really happy with how this run went.  Our aim was to be super conservative with our pace, which as you can see (10:16/mile) we accomplished.  We want to cover the miles without risk of injury, and running too fast on runs that are supposed to be slow and easy is a sure way to end up injured in the middle of a training cycle.  Believe it or not, I was even the one to tell Leigh to slow it down a few times.  We are both tired this afternoon and evening, but feeling great physically.

On our way to the trail there were lots of Mennonite maple syrup stands to tempt us to fuel with maple syrup.  Instead Leigh fueled with our favourite, Shot Bloks, and gave Sport Beans a try.  He was not a fan of the Sport Beans, says they taste "chemically," but Shot Bloks were great as always.  I gave jujubes a try (cause I am cheap), and they were great.  6 per serving for 3 servings worth (5 miles, 10 miles, 15 miles), seemed to carry me through just fine.  And the massive bag I picked up from Costco for $6 will last months if I can keep Leigh and the boys out of them.

Overall the trail was a great place for a long run.  Lots of farms made some spots stinky, and this winter that never quits made some spots snowy.  But all the farms and the covered bridge made for nice scenery during our run, and a kiss on the kissing bridge was an added bonus.  Can't complain about that.

Post 20 miles in our new ride.  Forgot to take a picture outside, and too tired to climb back out!
We had to stop for gas on the way home so we grabbed some chocolate milk so we could be like Chris.

Refuel, Replenish and Recharge
Since Oma is awesome, she stayed a little bit longer, giving us a chance to stretch, foam roll, and shower without the boys clamouring for attention.

1 down, 1 more 20 and a 22 to go!

3 comments:

  1. Wow! You guys rocks, with 4 20+ training runs you'll both be well prepared. Awesome job with the conservative pace, I am still working on that but did a better job on an 11 miler last weekend, ran my 8 miler a little faster this weekend but that tends to happen when my neighbour and I start running and chatting. Looks like a great trail. Keep it up! What's that new ride? xo AM

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    1. Love hearing about how your training is going! We got a van, a red Town and Country. We are loving it, much easier with the kids then a sedan.

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