Elk Lake 10 km Trail Run √

I was so excited to get the day rolling as I knew we were going to drive to Elk Lake Park to run the 10km trail that circles Elk and Beaver Lakes.  It is a well used area for many different recreational activites. The Canadian Olympic athletes train for their rowing events here;  there is a large equestrian centre; there is a pond for training retrievers; there is boat launch for small fishing vessels; and it has a few different beaches for swimming as well.

I made us a filling, hearty breakfast of eggs and toast with almond butter, and packed us a lunch and lots of water... and off we went.

There are several access points to the trail and The Captain chose an area called Hamsterly Beach as our starting point.  He thought the trail that we would cover initially, by starting there, would be the hardest part, physically, and wanted to run it while we were fresh.  It turned out to be a really good choice... the first couple of kilometers are flat and wide enough to easily pass by other people using the trail... then it gets rougher and narrower for a couple of kilometers.  I had to make sure to pick up my feet so as not to trip over any rocks or roots... and I did notice that someone has marked some of the larger roots with white paint.  Great idea.  It is also hilly and I was glad that we had not waited till the end to run this part of the route.

Then the trail widens again for most of the rest of the way and is actually pretty flat.  It was a lovely summer day and there were lots of people and dogs using the trail today.  And there were also many families and young day campers at the 2 different beaches that we ran past.  It was great to hear the children's happy laughter and squealing as we ran past them.

 I carried a half litre bottle of water, which we shared, and we managed to run the whole way without any walk breaks.  I ran faster where the trail was flatter and wider, and slower where it was rough and narrow.  It was hot, and dry and I had to keep wiping the sweat out of my eyes so they didn't sting from having my sunscreen drip into them!

It took us 84 minutes to run the 10km trail around the lakes.  It was hot. It was hard!  And I was tired!  And it was AWESOME!  I was so excited to have finally done this run.  And I know I am going to do it again.

After we were done stretching and drinking a litre of water and cooling down, we ditched our sweaty, wet running togs for some clean dry clothes and flip flops, and took our picnic lunch to a nearby golf course to relax and refuel... then we returned to the boat for hot showers and a relaxing afternoon.

W2 R84 W3
stretch 8 minutes

Ah, that feels so gooood!

I have never been so happy to be so tired!