Still Cold Here

I went for another run with the "Running Room crowd" on Sunday morning. Fresh snow on the ground, more drifting down and -9 Celsius temperatures! Perhaps as many as forty people showed up for the 8:30 AM run, which surprised me a bit. I ended up running just over 19K in 1:23:54 according to my iPod, although that might be further than the real distance owing to the fact that each step began with a small slip backwards. The distance listed on the map was only 16K.

I was heavily encumbered with gadgets because I brought my digital camera along for the ride (hence the photo) as well as my heart rate monitor. My heart rate stayed pretty steadily around 160, which is probably too high. I kept up with everyone but perhaps I should run at my own slower pace. My perceived exertion wasn't as bad as the numbers would indicate though, so maybe I was running close to my own pace. My guess at my ideal endurance heart rate is the high 140's, but perhaps I should talk to someone who knows more about such things...

I saw Little Children last night with Sheryl (you know, my recent ex-girlfriend). It starts off like a PBS documentary, even using NOVA's Will Lyman as a narrator, about a boring suburb populated by parents dedicated to their children. It reminded me of American Beauty, with unhappy flawed people making choices and slowly realising the consequences... The plot centered on the always watchable Kate Winslet as a young and unhappy mom entering into an affair with a stay-at-home dad Brad (Patrick Wilson) while their town is dealing with the presence of a sex offender. The film had a surprising amount of depth, with the various plot strands all nicely developed and thoughtfully portrayed although the climax seemed a bit forced. Extra marks insight: Who were the children in the title? The immature "adult" characters I think...

Listening to: Run by Snow Patrol from Final Straw.