Small Town Living

Here is where I work..........
and there is where I swim!
Not bad isn't it. This walk takes me all of 3 minutes.
Such are some of the joys of small town living.
Hinton, Alberta is located 70 km east of the resort town of Jasper and 270 km west of the city of Edmonton. It has a population of about 10,000 and all the conveniences you need. The largest employer is the pulp and lumber mill where I work.
It is a beautiful community, nestled up against the Canadian Rockies and offers all of the best of outdoor activities. Skiing, golf, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, fishing, you name it. If it is done outdoors, this is probably the place to do it!
I have lived in small communities all my life and I really do enjoy the pace, the people, and the convenience. This little example of the distance between my work and the pool is one of many. Right behind the complex is a network of groomed trails for running and biking that can take you for miles in either direction. In addition we also have the benefit of being able to be at West Edmonton Mall in roughly 2 hours and 40 minutes on a great 4 lane highway. And every once in awhile I can get into the city to watch my Oilers! Having a tough season this year, but we will be back!
So for those of you unfamiliar with life in a smaller community, that is what it is like. It certainly can be a great way to live.
Now that I have tried to sell you on that, perhaps I should fill you in on the workouts today.
Workout #1 was a 2,500 metre continuous swim at lunchtime. That effort took 53:00 minutes and I felt pretty good. My shoulders are feeling it a little bit right now, but generally I held good form and my pace was fairly even. That does it for the swimming workouts this week.
Workout #2 was a 6 mile run on the treadmill in 42:00. Again it was a pretty steady effort and was a bit of a recovery from yesterday and not too hard for tomorrow's planned longer run.
I am a little bit ahead of myself this week as the plan called for 8 hours and 20 minutes and with one day to go, I'm sitting at 9 hours and 6 minutes. I am not exhibiting any ill effects so I will stay on course for the run tomorrow.
Next week's plan is for 11 hours and 30 minutes with the cycling being the focus.
Have a great weekend!