Map: This week’s route started and ended at Elk and Beaver lake, following the 10km loop that surrounds both lakes including a section that was completed twice. Below is a Satellite map overlayed by speed heatmap depicting km markers.

Terrain: The majority of this trail is gravel or chip trail, with small sections of paved road near the boat launch on the Elk Lake side.

Distance/Elevation: The total distance of this route was 12.69km, for which the entirety ran for just over an hour. The total ascent was 48m (fairly flat) and descent was 172m, with a maximum elevation of 66m.

An Honest and Thorough Review: The 10km loop is one I have run quite frequently over the years, however, it deserved an honorable mention for this week’s free inquiry given this was the first time I had partnered my training with time spent with family. My parents and I started from the same side of the lake, headed opposite directions while I ran and they both walked the dog. I crossed paths with them around 6.3km (3.5km for them), and continued my lap to finally meet them again at 12.7km. I was unsure at first how well it would work with running and walking speeds, but it worked very well – they got a long walk in, and I was able to fit in a mid-distance run in totaling over 10km. The traffic on the trails was generally low, with some other dog walkers or bikers, but lots of space. Given the trail, there is no vehicle traffic and great coverage from the wind/rain or sun in the summertime. Overall, this is a route I would recommend to almost anyone. The views of the dock (shown above) and the boathouse are quite stunning when it is sunny… you might even see a rainbow!

Rating: 5/5

Media: All today’s media were photos taken by me or generated by Strava and Garmin Connect.

Final Free Inquiry Reflection

Overall, I found these free inquiry posts extremely engaging and fun! I enjoyed my topic and how much it motivated me to diversify my run routes and reflect on their pros and cons. It allowed me to explore new routes, analyze some interesting data, and gather a list of routes I can not pass on to friends or save for myself in my future training. Most specifically, I enjoyed breaking down my inquiry posts by category, including some light-hearted humor, and playing with Strava app data as I have not spent time using it in depth previously (I have relied almost purely on Garmin Connect).

EdTech tools I used in my inquiry posts included Alt text, captions, UnSplash (to find photos), Strava, and Garmin Connect. I also found WordPress quite easy and accessible to learn how to use. I would advise future 336 students to find something they are excited about, can easily get their hands on media for, and have fun with creating a WordPress site that they will be able to look back on in the future! I would say that many of the manual and tech skills I practiced and used in doing my inquiry reflections will be helpful for me moving forward as an educator – communication, organization, website building, blogging, etc.