Calgary River Valley

I’ve been thinking it’s a good idea to run in Calgary in the mornings as there is a little bit more ambient light and more established pathways. I haven’t yet purchased a headlamp yet, so running trails around Cochrane at 530am just isn’t feasible.

So this morning took me out to Valley Ridge in West Calgary. I wanted to run along the river to Shouldice and back through Bowness. Run data can be found here.

Lucky for blog readers, I brought my camera.

Mysterious hero shot in Valley Ridge. It was actually pitch black, but setting the exposure long enough let in a lot of light.

Running the bridge under Stoney Trail. I’ve always wanted to run this path, and I finally got to! It’s quite peaceful and serene under there with all the hub-bub of traffic above.

Looking east along the Bow River. It was so warm and peaceful this morning.

This is the top of Waterfall Valley. There is TONS of singletrack in there I didn’t know about. Perhaps it will make some really good training grounds.

Crossing Shouldice Bridge into Bowness. I’ve always driven past this bridge (on the left) but never actually walked / ran it. First time for everything!

Just off Bowness, there is an island that is a bit of Nature Preserve! It was great! I love running along the river!

Stoney Trail as seen from below. That bridge is a LONG way up there.

Fall colours out in their full glory on the return to Valley Ridge.

I couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a photo! I think it turned out great! People who live in Valley Ridge are very lucks to have such fantastic scenery! Off to the left is a steep drop through pine forests to the river! So pretty!

I love running for the sake of running! It is a means to itself! I started out the run this morning a bit stiff, but loosened up as I went along. The only thing I noticed is sore hip flexors from running figure 4’s the whole time. My body is adapting though, and the distances are getting easier. Currently, my low effort pace is 6:00/km, and I would like to move that to 5:00/km. Eventually.

I also broke my 5km record yesterday at the SLS Track! I shaved a whopping 1:03 off my time. Ran it in my VFF’s in 21:44! Woop woop!

:-)