Mostly road.
Sunday 12 July 2009
Distance: 20.0 km
Time: 2 h 11 m
Avg HR: 143
Avg speed: 9.2 km/h
Total distance to date: 649 km
Distance to go: 236 km
Bike shuttled this run by parking at the Clearview subdivision and biking 15 km, 33 minutes (with a brisk tailwind) back to the start. I stashed my bike in some shrubs in a cow pasture. This was one of the most miserable sections of the trail to date. I think the conservancy must have just punched it through on roads to quickly connect the Bayview Escarpment to the main trail. In time, they’ll probalby route it through farmfields as more landowners get on board, although that wouldn’t necessarily be better. One of the few off-road sections was pure hell: slimy overgrown rocks following the base of the escarpment. I would have stopped to take a photo of this shnarb for the blog but the clouds of mosquitoes kept me moving. That’s 20 km I’m happy to put behind me.
Lack of conditioning/practice contributed to the general malaise. I felt rusty. I don’t get out running much these days and the time to exercise just isn’t there. Carving out a half-day for this leg was nearly impossible. I need to set aside some time to do long, consecutive days to finish the trail, but can’t foresee when I’ll have the time. My best hope at this point is to get out for some long family hikes in the fall and knock off a few kms that way – forget running, as long as I’m outside and on the trail.
first of all I wish the circus would stay off the Bruce trail. It is to unwind and hike! People like yourself not to give you bad feelings though need to slow down and go ride your bike on the roads.
Different people “unwind” at different speeds. I support anyone’s efforts to get outside and enjoy the trail whether they are walking or running or crawling on hands and knees or sitting in one place and meditating all day long. The more people who appreciate being outside in places like this, the more support there will be for preserving them. If you ever want to get together for a slow hike on the Bruce Trail just let me know.