Tuesday AM Run in Downtown Vancouver

Sunday was a complete day of rest for everyone. Gena and I slept in until almost noon. I had a lot of things to get done around the house Sunday afternoon. But before the gym closed at Bally's at 6 p.m., I got there and knocked out 45 minutes on the elliptical machine for 4.09 miles.

It was a good workout; however, I was disappointed because I decided to use the "sticks" and I really didn't add that much in mileage. I was hoping to get closer to 4.5 miles. Next time -- and it may be sooner than I had expected (as the Marriott has one as well.)

I was planning on getting back out and logging a few miles with Waverly. She had been playing with a friend for quite some time outside, came in and started to get a shower and realized my running partner was going to cancel on me. I still had plenty to get done before I left the house as far as planning for being gone for almost two weeks, getting bills paid as well as getting packed. I didn’t get to bed until 2 a.m. and was back up before 6 a.m.

Monday was a very long travel day. I left my house at 7:15 a.m. Central time and by the time I got to the office (4 p.m. Pacific time), out of it (8 p.m.) and then back to the hotel in downtown Vancouver (close to 8:45 p.m.), I was beat. The plan to go out and run Monday evening went by the wayside.

I’m not a morning runner; however, I needed to get out and run this morning. And, for once, I did. It was actually nice. Vancouver is still cool. To some Texans, it would be done right cold. I had on a short sleeve running shirt and my Marine Corps race jacket and it was enough. When I stepped outside the front door of the Marriott, I thought I was going to regret forgetting my gloves in the hotel room, but it ended up being perfectly fine.

I left the Marriott Pinnacle in downtown Vancouver at approximately 5:45 a.m. and was shooting to run for approximately 75 minutes. I figured that would leave me an hour to get ready to catch the SeaBus, which is a large passenger boat that transports people to and from downtown Vancouver and North Vancouver (or the “North Shore”.) It is just past 8:30 a.m. Pacific as I prepare this entry on the SeaBus. (I missed the 8:15 a.m. boat., which means that I need to be out the door of the Marriott by 7:50 a.m. tomorrow.)

I really didn’t have a route picked out. I just wanted to try and run, make sure that I didn’t get into any “bad” parts of downtown Vancouver and see a bit of the city as it was beginning to wake up. I’ll figure out how far I went later (if I remember all of the streets that I turned on), but I came back to the hotel and I had only been out for 45:59.33. I wasn’t satisfied.

So, I took a minute break (1:00.16) and started back out again, down Hastings Street, turning up on to Georgia Street which leads right up to the entrance of Stanley Park.

When I got to Stanley Park, I took a right and turned back along the harbor seawall towards the hotel. Once I got to Broughton Street, I turned right, then left and ended back at the Marriott in 21:05.95 for a total run time of 1:07:05.28 – and just before a brief, but light shower.

I stopped off in the Concierge Lounge for breakfast and as I was eating, I couldn’t help but think of the some of the pictures that Sarah could have clipped off looking to the east as the sun was coming up over the Second Narrows Bridge or watching float planes take off just to the east of Stanley Park. Some pretty sights to start the day! I’ll run a 5K on Saturday in Stanley Park.

(6:36 p.m. Pacific time - This turned out to be a slow 10K as it mapped out to be 6.204 miles.)