My workout these days

Mon/Wed/Fri evenings' I jog 5k either around Wanless Park close to home or along the Beltline Trail that my friend Jelena introduced to me. Beltline is a 7 km tranquil tree-lined dirt trail along the old Beltline Railway in the centre of Toronto. Interestingly, I have lived minutes away most of my Toronto life but haven't known about it until now. Instead of driving 3.5km to the Beltline, I cycle. This makes me wonder, what other little boosts can I add to my routine?

I have been jogging regularly since April and I find myself crave it. I love my job, but after I leave office I often feel absolutely drained. A jog brings me back to life and lets me shake off  the stress and calm my thoughts. I have jogged in rain, snow and ice, and mugginess. Weather has become irrelevant as I move through the air.

Saturday's I have been doing more serious cycling around Toronto, discovering different bike trails every time and pushing myself to include hills and fast runs. My favourite and the longest one so far was today - from home at Yonge/Lawrence down to Beltline where Jelena joined me, through Mount Pleasant Cemetery, down Bayview via Pottery Road to Don Valley trail, then East Lakeshore onto Leslie Pit to the tip facing the downtown Toronto.

This is my friend Bianca. She enjoyed the ride in the basket on Jelena's bike. Here we took a short walk for Bianca to stretch her legs.

Jelena, my cycling and jogging partner.

On the way back we turned left on Bayview to Brickworks (my new favourite weekend gateway!) for a visit to farmer's market and a lunch break. Finally, slowly but surely, we climbed up the ravine back to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and reached home after a great 40km ride!

Today's bike route map

While I am proud of my cardio training, I am looking forward to including hiking and am in the process of researching the options that include hills. Help, anyone?