Fleeing some home improvement projects involving sweat, dust and noise, Wendy and I tackled the Port Coquitlam sections of the TCT Social Club yesterday afternoon.
We dropped one car off at Coast Meridian Road and Patricia at the eastern end of our planned run and drove back to our start at the Port Moody Rec Centre. I had no idea what to expect as I didn't have time to plan the route or even just look at the map. I don't usually let the planning up to somebody else, as I like to know what to expect. So, in Wendy I trusted as we set out through the Port Moody town centre following the TCT markers. I had told Wendy that I didn't want to get more than 14km or so in and her route was supposed to be pretty much that length.
Wendy is a faster runner than I am in the best of days, but after a morning of bustling around the house, prepping dinner and helping with above mentioned home improvement project, I already felt pooped before we even started. Poor Wendy had to deal with my huffing and puffing and we finally decided that my troubles were asthma related (I think I am just not in good running shape). The sun was beating down on us, no, I am not complaining, but after a week of sunny skies and brisk temperatures, yesterdays heat came as a bit of a surprise.
The route, unlike the sections I have run so far, was extremely well marked. We lost the trail briefly only once. After leaving the town centre, we were running along busy and noisy Guildford Road and I resigned to that fact that this would not be the most scenic part of the TCT...especially since Wendy had warned me about lots of road running. Soon however, we veered left onto a well groomed gravel trail, gently undulating through a forested park. I later looked up on the map that this section was called Holy Creek Trail. Eventually and after passing a huge recreational complex we found ourselves running along the Coquitlam River. Again, the trail was beautifully maintained and very runable. The last section found us on the Trabouley Trail in Port Coquitlam, a trail that circles the city.
Faster than expected - Wendy miscalculated the distance for the last section - we arrived at the car. Thanks Wendy, for sticking with this slow poke. We returned back to the Yellow Beacon to finish off the home improvement and help poor ActionJackson. Thanks Wendy for contributing your labour. We dug into the home made burgers on freshly baked buns with garden greens as the sun went down...a perfect conclusion to a productive day.
Photos: left, Wendy at the start in Port Moody; right, Sibylle at the finish in Port Coquitlam.
