Park in progress...

1228park
Originally uploaded by yumkerun.

Just an update on the slow progress made on my neighbourhood park.

Old pictures are here, here and here.

Magic trail...

Trust me, this is a running post.

So my city, like a lot of lakeside urban areas, has a big problem connecting its downtown with the waterfront. If I remember my trip to Chicago correctly, there is a highway that separates the city and the water. However, I also remember that the city has done a good job in using its water space. Toronto's waterfront is disconnected from the city. We have a raised highway running the length of our downtown. And condos, like my own, act as a barrier as well.

But things are changing: The former parking lot is being turned into a park (woo hoo for property values) and this week, the city is taking away two lanes of traffic and planting grass and flowers for 1 km, along with a running and bike route. Sweet. Only thing? It'll last for nine days.

Which accounts for the pictures here of the fenced area (above) that will become a blissful running path (outlined in yellow) by this Friday. I'll take pictures to track the progress.

Oh, the run? I did my 13K (8.08 miler) today, and ran a negative split again. It helps that I start off slow. Total time was 1:09:28.

So I'll look back at this weather....

... and maybe, on a cold day in October, when the sun rises later and sets earlier, when the first of the winter chill hits my city i'll silently wish it were warm. That's what I think on many summer days. Today though? But that is not likely to happen. It was one degree C away from a record high for today. Instead, it hit 34 C with a humidex of 42 (107.6 Fahrenheit).

My Garmin went wonkers this morning, maybe I didn't give it time to pick up satellites, but it lost signal after the first 300 metres. And when I plugged my Garmin into Sportstats, it confirmed that yes, I can indeed run on water... (that's Lake Ontario i'm running on).

Oh and the park next door to my condo. I get home today, and I see this mysterious pole, which leads me to believe that 1) it's some sort of weather vane or night light or 2) the Aliens have landed, run for your lives...

Hot muggy days... Ran 6.2K (3.8 miles)

Muggy Tuesday

Went for a 10.7K (6.6 mile) jaunt this morning and was, this afternoon, thankful I did. It's freeking muggy out right now, 29C, in the midafternoon.

When I bought my waterfront condo years ago, I always worried about the parking lot across the street (and in front of my water view.). The city is making it into a nice little park, so I thought I'd take pictures of it once in awhile to track its progress.