Newfoundland Vacation 2015 - Part 2

I will get all my thoughts organized eventually, but it definitely seems slow goings trying to get my vacation recap done.

Ferryland Lighthouse

4. Running

How could a runner go on vacation without her running shoes?  She can't. I even researched and pre-registered for 2 road races happening during the time away.

First up, the Carved by the Sea 10km in Bay Roberts. Part of the Newfoundland Athletics Assoc. road race series.  A 10km loop run that took me along quiet residential streets, past local a cemetery, along the frontage road of the harbour and back uphill to the school where we started.  This being my first full day in NFLD I was finding the novelty of stacked lobster traps on lawns, lupins growing road side and of course the smell of seaside air adding to the experience.  Overall there is about 60m elevation climb along the route making it not a flat course but still not too challenging that a runner couldn't come out with a PR at the end.  Like me, completely surprised by that and loving it.  The field of racers varied widely in their paces and experience just like any other small local series race, many were using it as a preparation run for the upcoming Tely10miler in St. John's.  After the run, lots of draw prizes, medals presented by the Mayor of Bay Roberts and food in abundance.

The following weekend I lined up with nearly 4700 other eager runners/walkers for the 88th Annual Tely10Miler in St. John's (Or more accurately, from Paradise to St. John's).  I made the journey to shuttle pick-up with Tara and Anders, cousin-in-laws, who had been training for the past 12-weeks with The Running Room.  Nice to be running this race with family, even if we each had different time goals.  

Tara and Anders keeping warm at the start of the Tely10

Conditions were perfect running wise, about 7C at the start line, the rain limited to a light drizzle for only a portion of the time, and winds nearly non-existent, which after being in NFLD for 2 weeks I realized afterwards was a miracle in itself!  

Boasting a great field of runners from across Eastern Canada, the Tely draws out residents of St. John's all along the race route, families cheering, friends waving signs, vehicles passing in the open lanes honking in encouragement to all the participants going by.  Being from a long ways out of town, it sure picked up my feet to hear folks cheering from the roadside as they read my name off my race bib and made it personal among strangers.  I even saw a few familiar faces from last weeks Carved 10km.

Everything laid out for an early morning.

Not all of the running happened on roads while in NFLD.  Brian and I took full advantage of the easy in/out points of the East Coast Trail  while we toured lighthouses and other sites.  The multiple access points provided us the opportunity to run segments of shoreline high above the water and watch humpbacks running the capelin into shore.  Some stretches of trail took us through the dense forests of minute evergreens and trailing junipers.  Panoramic views along the coast, when not too foggy, are breathtaking.  If you ever have the opportunity, running even one segment of the ECT is a must.  The trails do vary from easy to very technical and the segment lengths 5-18kms but even making an out-and-back along a portion of trail is worth the effort.

Running on Bell Island

ECT near Cape Spear

Have you ever been to Newfoundland or the Maritimes?  What was your favourite location or experience?