Another month has come, and Calgary 70.3 has posted another month's training program on their web site. At the start of training I was trying to use this plan, but as time has gone on I have diverged and am just trying to do my own thing. I've decided to give up on swimming until May after the half marathon and concentrate on running, though I am still doing 2 spin bike classes a week. The running consists of 5 runs (if I hit them all...), one long, one race pace 4 miles or so, one partial race pace, one slow, and one transition run faster than race pace. So far it seems to be working, I am definitely running a lot more at race pace than previous times and even my long runs are somewhat fast, but I guess we'll see...
On Sunday we ran long at Servus Place (10 miles/60 laps) because of unexpected snow. Running long inside can be painful, but on a longer track, like Servus Place, it is not so bad. I like it too because it is easy to tell exactly what pace you are running at all times (just time every lap). Here is my pro/con list for Servus Place compared to the other new recreation centers in the greater Edmonton area:
Pros:
- long track is pretty nice
- lots of stuff to look at as you run, eg, indoor soccer games etc.
- 3 or so restaurants is somewhat useful
- equipment looks nice
- pool is quite decent, with a river ride and a waterslide
Cons
- $9.50 entrance fee = tres expensive...
- lockers aren't as good as the Y, and even more squishy than the Terwillegar ones I think
- pool isn't quite on par with Millenium Place and Terwillegar Recreation Center, in my opinion
- whole facility just feels a little older than those places, and darker. But it is still very nice
