My Marathon Run Around Prince Edward Island in 200 Days

Not that this is news to me, but it might be to you, but I am all about the numbers. Perhaps the ticker count down on the sidebar of my blog are an indication to you. How about the tally for the number of years, months, days and hours we spent living in the Arctic? Better yet, the mileage tracked on our trek from the North to PEI? Or what about the poll for the now defunct, “Mugshot Monday”? And then there is my pathetic and unsuccessful attempt to beat the SF by 3 games? I love tracking money...how much, how little, where it’s going, where it’s been and where it is. Even better I am a sucker for a spreadsheet. I can lose myself for hours inside one. You can track any number of things – budgets, knitting stash, weight, fitness – the limits are endless...and no, I did not attend band camp.

You see the theme? I also like a little competition, even if it is by myself. It inspires me. It motivates me! And I love to track my progress. So I ask myself, “Self? Why don’t you set yourself a running goal and track it?” And I agreed. So my goal is to ostensibly run around Prince Edward Island in 200 Days. My start date was the 14th of March making my finish date October 9th! I hope you’ll join me as I track my progress on google maps and I’ll give you all some of the highlights of the island as I virtually pass them by. Check back each Friday for an update.

Since my starting point was our home in Stratford, I thought I would give you the low-down it. Stratford was not named Stratford until 1995 when several villages and communities amalgamated to form one. (Check out Aerial 4 in this photo gallery.  The long drive with the turnaround is the park next to our house.  Our house is just off camera in the bottom right corner of the shot.) Stratford is located across the Hillsborough River from downtown Charlottetown. It is an up and coming community filled with a mixed population of elderly and young families and a few of us middle-aged people. Before the bridge(s) were built, it was strictly cottage country. In fact, a ferry used to shuttle people back and forth in the summer, while horse drawn sleighs crossed the ice in the winter. The first bridge constructed to connect Stratford to Charlottetown was built in 1905, later replaced in the 60’s and again in the 90’s. The piers from one of the old bridges remain and are frequented by seals and annually migrating cormorants.

Stratford is a mix of modern suburban and rural homes, summer use cottages and farms. An eclectic mix but it all works well. Our home is located right next to one of Stratford’s parks, Tea Hill Park. It serves as the border between rural homes and some farm land.

Oh...and Stratford is also the home to my new workplace (insert free plug here) Stratford Physiotherapy! Did I mention that it takes me under 4 minutes to get to work, even with a road stop for some power pole replacement going on in the hood?!

Please come back tomorrow for my first progress update!