Going Long (again) in 2024

February 2017

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Location:

Garson - Sudbury,ON,Canada

Member Since:

Apr 20, 2013

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I ran my first marathon in 1998: "The Friendly Marathon" in Massey, Ontario.  I was 32. I had never raced in a shorter event, and I trained really poorly - ended up running it in 4:00:30.  After that, I gave up running for the most part for 6 years.  I got into karate a bit more seriously, until I got my knee kicked out and had ACL surgery.  Then I became a 'fair weather runner' and started to run half marathons every so often.  As a priest, entering weekend races always meant having to book a holiday, so it just didn't happen much.  My holidays were primarily focussed on various canoe and kayak trips.

At some point, I started training more consistently, and started to think of myself as a runner.  I guess doing that in your 40's is better than never doing it at all.  I even started to wonder if I had it in me to qualify for Boston.  Well, I did.  First time didn't count, I suppose, since I didn't make the "cut".  But the second time was a charm, and on my sixth Marathon, run in Chicago in 2015, I beat my BQ by almost 6 minutes.  And now, running a BQ is routine for me, not that I have any desire to run Boston again.

Through it all, I've made tons of mistakes - and have had lots of injuries to show for it.  Hopefully, now that I'm in my late 50's, I'm a bit wiser and can use that to my advantage to continue running for a very long time.

My PRs:

5k (12 run):      Guelph, ON.     October 10, 2016   (50 yrs.)   20:10

10k (10 run):    Collingwood      October 5, 2013  (47 yrs.)  43:37

Half Marathon  (25 run): Cleveland   May 18, 2014  (48 yrs)  1:33:08

Marathon (12 run):  Ste-Jerome, QC  October 3, 2021   (55 yrs.)  3:22:10

Ultras (5 run):   

Run for the Toad 50k Trail   September 30, 2017 (51 yrs.)  5:31:23

Niagara Falls 100k   June 17, 2018 (52 yrs.)  12:26:30

That Dam Hill 24 hours   September 15-16, 2018  Completed 100 Miles in 23:20:44

Sulphur Springs 50 mile Trail   May 25, 2019  10:37:27

Haliburton Forest 100 mile Trail   September 7-8, 2019  26:46:27

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Pacing my sister in her 1st Half Marathon.

Short-Term Running Goals:

After a broken right foot in 2022 in the later stages of a marathon training cycle, then adjusting to a 1/2" heal lift in my right shoe to compensate for a leg length discrepancy, and then a left plank plate rupture in the late summer of 2023, I had to decide:  go fast or go long.  I opted for long, for this year at least.

May 2024:  Sulphur Springs 50 Mile Trail (revisiting it after 5 years)

July 2024:  Limberlost 54KM Trail

September 2024:  Haliburton 100 Mile Trail (also revisiting it after 5 years).

Everything this year is really focussed on the Haliburton 100 as my key event.  After that, and depending on how things go, I'll reevaluate.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Run until this old body of mine won't let me run any more.  I was inspired in the Spring of 2016, watching the start of the Ottawa Marathon.  Near the back of the pack was an 'old man', running with his walker.  I loved it!  I thought ... there's me in 20 years.  Maybe.  

Personal:

I am a Roman Catholic priest of 30 years, ministering in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.  I spent 8 years ministering in the small town of Wawa (where I helped establish the annual Blackfly Run) and 9 years in Sault Ste. Marie.  I have been in the Sudbury region now for 13 years.  Currently I Pastor 2 small Parishes:  St. John the Evangelist in Garson, and St. Bernardine of Siena in Skead, covering the area just Northeast of the city, surrounding the Sudbury Airport.

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Miles:This week: 12.00 Month: 117.50 Year: 516.50
Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Lifetime Miles: 412.40
Brooks Cascadia 11 Lifetime Miles: 302.00
Salomon Speedcross 4 Lifetime Miles: 160.25
Brooks Launch 8 Lifetime Miles: 153.00
Asics Metaspeed Sky Lifetime Miles: 32.20
Brooks Ghost 13 Lifetime Miles: 358.50
Saucony Triumph 18 Lifetime Miles: 372.50
Ghost 13 Blue Sole Lifetime Miles: 363.00
Hoka Bondi Lifetime Miles: 362.00
Triumph 18 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 120.50
Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 54.50
Total Distance
221.00
Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 23.00Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 29.00Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 33.00Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 72.00Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 36.00Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 28.00
Weight: 151.21
Total Distance
8.00

Speed work on the treadmill.  3 x 1 mile repeats at 6:40/mile, with 600 recoveries.  Felt strong throughout.  Just one more hill workout next week, and one more speed the week after, and then I get into the more marathon specific strength training segment of my program.  So far, so good.

Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 151.50
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Total Distance
10.00

Tempo work on the treadmill; 7 miles at 7:39 pace.  54 minutes.  Same routine as previous weeks:

1 mile level, 2 miles uphill, 1 mile level, 2 miles downhill ... repeat 9 times.

This pace feels comfortable.  Not sure how it will translate on the Boston course, but if it does compare well, I should have no problems hitting my goal in 10 weeks.

Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 150.50
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Total Distance
10.00

Easy run; 8:51 pace.  Cold morning, at -9C/15F with a bit of wind, but I was dressed for it and felt fine.

First time I've been below 150 lbs since I was a teenager.  Feels good.

8 weeks of training done; 10 weeks to Boston!

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 149.50
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Total Distance
7.00

Easy run in the snow; 8:53 pace.  Ankle deep snow - soft and fluffy, but still took a bit extra to work through it.  I decided to drop the strides today, since the footing was a bit iffy.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 151.50
Comments(1)
Total Distance
10.00

10 easy miles; 8:46 pace.  Just -13C/9F, but the roads were all cleared and it was nice for running - I've been pretty good at nailing the right combination of layers for my outside runs.

Snowed off and on, but not terribly heavy.  Tomorrow may be a different story, however ... major snow storm heading our way.  They are calling for as much as 7 inches; hopefully I can get my morning run finished before that.

Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 151.50
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Total Distance
8.00

Easy run; 8:43 pace.  Cold morning at -16C/4F and a strong Northeast wind blowing, but I got ahead of the snow which is on its way later today.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 152.50
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Total Distance
8.00

Hill repeats on the treadmill.  1200m uphill at 7:15 pace, 400 recovery, 1200m downhill at 10:00 pace, repeat.  Total of 3 uphill and 2 downhill segments.  Legs felt good throughout.  This was my last hill specific workout.  Last speed workout next week, and then into more marathon specific 'strength runs' the weeks after.

Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 152.00
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Total Distance
11.00

Tempo work on the treadmill; 8 miles at 7:39 pace.

Same routine as before:  1 minute level, 2 minutes uphill, 1 minute level and 2 minutes downhill, repeated 10x, with 2 extra minutes at the end.

Felt great throughout.  I'd like to move my Tempo runs outside eventually, but it's too crazy cold and slippery right now to run that pace.  And besides, I like being able to consistently put in the elevation changes as a way of preparing for Boston.  Hopefully, by the end of March I can take them outside though.

 

Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 150.50
Comments(1)
Total Distance
8.00

Easy recovery run; 8:51 pace.  Lots of new snow with a bit of freezing rain thrown in for fun.  My street is a mess, but once I got to my main route, it was okay.

Nine weeks of training down - nine weeks to go!

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 149.50
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Total Distance
7.00

Easy run with hill bursts/strides thrown in at miles 3, 4, 5 and 6.  Average pace was 8:35.

Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 150.50
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Total Distance
15.00

15 mile long run.  Rehearsed everything that I plan to do marathon morning, so started eating 4 hours before running - a total of 1200 calories - 200 grams of carbs.  Started running at 10:20.  That part is going to drive me nuts marathon morning.  I just want to get going!

I overdressed.  It was -10C/15F, but with a stiff north wind.  Once I got out there though, I realized I had too many layers on.  So I sweat a lot.  Then that made me cold.  Go figure.

It snowed a lot last night, and the roads were not nice.  So, I changed my route a bit when I found a one mile stretch that was not so bad, and I ran back and forth on it 6 times.  Boring, but it worked.

I planned on running miles 12, 13 and 14 fast, but that was the section of road that was rough and into the wind.  I ended up running mile 12 in 7:38, but right at the end of it, my right achilles tendon really tightened up.  I didn't know what that was about, but didn't want to take a chance running fast on it, so I slowed down for the final miles.  

Total running time just over 2 hour and 4 minutes, at a pace of 8:17.

I'm sitting here with the achilles tendon on ice, hoping and praying it's not an injury.  It's just numb right now.  I'll stretch it out after I clean up and see what it feels like.

Evening Edit:  I don't think it's the achilles tendon.  I think it's the flexor digitorum longus muscle.  That, I think, is good news.  Cause:  likely running on uneven (snow and ice covered) surfaces and on soft snow.  Same effect as running on sand.  I've been icing it all day, and using my ultra sound device.  Hoping I can run on it in the morning, but will use the treadmill as a precaution, since the roads are still quite bad.

 

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 15.00
Weight: 151.00
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Total Distance
6.00

6 easy treadmill miles at a 9:10 pace.

Yesterday was not a good day.  After the right leg pain, I found out my room in Boston was cancelled due to some emergency.  I was left scrambling to find another place.  Fortunately, it worked out.  There was a new airbnb listing and I got it.  Same price as the one that was cancelled, with better features and a bit closer to downtown.  So, at least that worked out for me.

The leg is still a question mark.  And I'm not quite sure if it's the flexor digitorum longus or the achilles tendon.  Either way, it's up close to the calf muscle. I wouldn't describe it as a pain, so much as a tightness.  My concern is that it might progress to pain/further injury if I keep running on it.  So, I'm not quite sure what to do.

It didn't seem to get any worse during the 6 miles.  But tomorrow I'm scheduled for speed work.  Do I push it, or do I back off for a few days?  I'll keep icing it today and make that decision in the morning.

 

Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 152.00
Comments(1)
Total Distance
8.00

My final speed work session.  3 x 1 mile intervals at 6:40 with 600m recoveries.  It actually felt easy, with the only concern being that right flexor muscle.

I switched my days around - took yesterday off instead of today.  There is no swelling, but there is pain when pressed.  Walking is fine, and even running is not bad.  More pressure than pain, and it is not affecting my stride in any way.  It didn't get any worse during the 8 miles, and running speed did not seem to make it any worse either.

So, I'll run my 10 miles easy tomorrow, and then switch my 8 mile race pace tempo run to Saturday.  If I get both those in, I'll not have lost any training at all.  I guess my only concern is making it worse.  I'm hoping that, since there is good blood flow to this muscle, it will heal quickly.  And I'll stick to the treadmill so I have a predictable running surface until I'm feeling 100% (or until the snow melts!).

Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 152.50
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Total Distance
10.00

10 easy miles; 9:10 pace on the treadmill.

I'm going to say the leg is better this morning.  After 10 miles, for sure I was feeling it.  But again, not pain, but tightness.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 151.00
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Total Distance
11.00

Tempo run on the treadmill.  8 miles at 7:39 marathon pace.  Same as last week:  one minute level, 2 minutes uphill, one minute level and 2 minutes downhill, repeated 10 times.

No discernable change in the flexor muscle - no worse anyway.  Again, I can't say it hurts, so much as it feels tight as I run.  It's not affecting my stride in any way, so I'll keep running.  I have a feeling it's going to be like my old groin injury - a friend that comes along for all the runs but doesn't really slow them down.

AND, that's ten weeks of training done.  Eight weeks to go.

Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 151.00
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Total Distance
7.00

7 easy miles; 8:44 pace.  I took it outside today - glad I did.  We hit a record high of 7C/45F yesterday, and the roads are mostly bare now.  Still a bit tight in that flexor muscle, but noticeably better.  I can still feel it while running, but now only after about 2 miles in, and there is no discernable problem while walking.  Hope this keeps up.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 149.00
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Total Distance
10.00

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  I took it outdoors again.  For sure the flexor muscle is improving.  I didn't really feel it until the final three miles.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 151.00
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Total Distance
8.00

8 easy miles; 8:35 pace.  Awesome sunrise as I was running East.  At the turnaround, running West however, pretty black sky.  They are calling for freezing rain later this morning.  A few drops fell on my final mile.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 152.50
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Total Distance
11.00

Wednesdays are now for strength training runs.  In the Hanson's Method, that means longer intervals, totalling 6 miles, at a pace 10 seconds/mile faster than marathon pace.

Today, it was 1 mile x 6 at 7:30 pace with 400 recoveries.

I did it on the treadmill and ran uphill the majority of the intervals.

A very happy surprise:  I had zero issues with the flexor muscle until around mile 9.  I just started feeling it then.  And tomorrow is my rest day, so I'm cautiously hopeful that I've left that injury behind.  I'm still icing it after my runs, and using my ultrasound on it at night.

Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 150.50
Add Comment
Total Distance
11.00

Tempo run on the treadmill - 8 miles at marathon pace, with hills.

Same routine as before:  1 minute level, 2 minutes uphill, 1 minute level and 2 minutes downhill.  Repeat 10 times plus 2 extra minutes.

I increased the pitch of the hills today; everything feels great.  My longus muscle is, maybe, at 85% or better.  I didn't miss any training because of it, and I'm hopefull I'm not in any danger of it getting worse (if I stay off the slush and rough surfaces).

 

Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 11.00
Weight: 151.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
8.00

Easy 8 on the treadmill; 9:00/mile pace.  Heavy snow yesterday afternoon, followed by freezing rain all night ... I wasn't going to risk running the roads today, especially since my leg injury from 2 weeks ago is all but healed.

Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 151.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
7.00

7 easy treadmill miles (roads are still pretty yucky).  9:00/mile pace.

11 weeks of training down; 7 to go!

Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 7.00
Weight: 153.00
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Total Distance
16.00

16 mile long run - on the treadmill.  I drove my route last night to see what kind of shape it was in - not great.  And then it snowed a few more inches last night.  So, kept it inside today.  Besides, it allowed me to do some good hill work on the long run.

First 12 miles at 8:20 pace, followed by three at marathon pace of 7:40, and then one more at 8:20.  I mixed it up with hills - both up and down - throughout.  And the very good news is:  NO PAIN.  Anywhere.  I feel great.  Not even any tightness in the longus muscle any more.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 16.00
Weight: 153.00
Comments(1)
Total Distance
6.00

Recovery run; 8:50 pace.  Took it outside.  -12C/10F.

Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 151.00
Add Comment
Total Distance
221.00
Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 23.00Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 29.00Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 33.00Saucony ISO Triumph 2 Miles: 72.00Brooks Ghost 7 Miles: 36.00Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 28.00
Weight: 151.21
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