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Camp Week: For The Kids Or The Adults?

Our two boys spent this past week at a YMCA day camp at Guelph Lake, just to the northeast of Guelph, Ontario. Considering the drive was about an hour one way, I decided to just stay in the area for the day instead of making the return trip twice each day.

The timing was perfect to start ramping up the training ahead the October 15, 2022 Phoenix Trail Races 50km run at Fanshawe Park in London, Ontario. It turns out, Guelph is a great place to burn some calories and build some endurance.

My ‘Camp Week’

I started a little earlier than the kids. On Sunday nights during the summer, I play hockey at the University of Guelph. Following the hour on the ice, I went for a 14.68 km run through the city’s southern streets.

After a whole four hours sleep, the kids were dropped off at 8am on Monday for their first day of camp. My wife and I hit the waters of Guelph Lake for a 9.25 km paddleboard. That was followed up by a relatively short 8.1 km run through Guelph Lake Conservation Area.

Tuesday was a solo day as my wife had to work. Kissing Bridge Trail, aka the Guelph to Goderich Trail, aka the Trans Canada Trail, was my home for the day. I ran 23.57 km on an out and back route of the rail trail. After arriving back at the vehicle, I quickly got the Trek Marlin 5 on the same trail for a 29.31 km journey that took me over the covered bridge at West Montrose.

On Wednesday, I moved my running start point to Riverside Park, a lovely, well-shaded urban park in the north end of the city, along the Speed River. I ran 14.69 km from the park, north on trails to the shore of Guelph Lake and back. I then returned to the Kissing Bridge Trail for a 41.6 km bike ride that took me from Marden Road in the north of Guelph to the town of Elmira, Ontario and back.

With my wife off work on Thursday, the day was all about paddle boarding. I put in 13.19 km on the iRocker Cruiser iSUP, exploring most every nook and cranny of Guelph Lake. I took the rest of the day off from both running and biking.

Friday started with a 16.38 km trail run, again starting from Riverside Park and travelling further along the shore of Guelph Lake before returning. The afternoon was again spent paddle boarding. Although the distance was down to 6.89 km, it was easily the toughest workout of the week. After heading east on the lake for the first half, the return journey was against a full on headwind. This is simply a tough activity when the winds pick up.

Totals For The Week

With Saturday the 20th being a total off day to attend an annual family picnic near London, Ontario, the totals from Sunday to Friday made for a pretty productive ‘camp week’.

The total kilometres running came in at 77.42. On the bike, it was a bit lower than that at 70.91 km. The 29.33 km on the paddle board may not seem that impressive but speed is definitely not a factor on these things. Paddle boarding is strictly for the workout, specifically the core area. If I wanted to cover significant distance on the water, I was absolutely choose the kayak over the iSUP.

In all, I moved, self-propelled, for just short of 177 km. I’d call it a good week.

What’s Next?

I look forward to carrying this momentum forward through the rest of August and into September. With the cooler temperatures coming and the kids back to school soon, September will be a month of serious mileage.

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