Going Long (again) in 2024

November 2016

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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
180.00
Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 48.00Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 12.00Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 48.00Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 54.00Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 12.00Mizuno Wave Sayonara Miles: 6.00
Weight: 160.00
Total Distance
6.00

6 easy miles; 8:44 pace.  Light rain and cool at 4C/39F.

Well, my sister ran her second Half on the weekend and did a fabulous job.  She had 3 goals:  run faster than her 1st one, come in under 2:15, and no walking.  She hit all three.  Finished in 2:11, cutting 16 minutes off her previous record.  Way to go Cindy!

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 159.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run; 8:46 pace.  A bit warmer at 4C/40F - was able to run in my shorts.

AND, I got my official Boston Marathon acceptance card in the mail!  It's real.

Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run; 8:38 pace.  Clear sky - the stars were brilliant.  But getting colder.  Just -4C/25F.  Getting to the point where gloves are not enough to keep my fingers from going numb.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
8.00

Easy run at an average 8:44 pace.  It felt a lot warmer today, even though it was only 0C/32F.  Foggy.  

I finally got a small canister of dog spray.  I've had too many close calls, and this gives me an added layer of safety.  Sure wish they sold car spray - it's the cars that are the biggest risk.  And it seems worse in daylight - at least in the dark, my strobe light is pretty hard to ignore.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 8.00
Weight: 161.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy 8:38 pace.  Nice to have the extra hour of sleep.  Now instead of running in total darkness, I get to enjoy the lightening sky and then the sunrise.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.50
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Total Distance
10.00

A bit of a longer run at a bit of a faster pace:  8:14/mile.

I'm going to sit here, in the 40 mile/week range, for the next 6 weeks, leading up to the start of my Boston Marathon training.

One of my parishioners qualified for Boston this past weekend at the Hamilton Marathon.  Way to go Jacques!  Too bad it's for the 2018 race.  Then again, maybe I'll be there for that one too!

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 10.00
Weight: 161.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run; 8:47 pace.  

Gorgeous sunrise.  And a lot warmer than it has been.  All the way up to 8C/46F.  

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run at a pace of 8:43.

Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run; 8:36 pace.

Getting colder, and a strong North wind to boot.  With the windchill, it's -8C/19F.  Wind blowing at 56km/h (35mph).  I broke out my running vest for the run - so up to 2 layers now.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 162.00
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Total Distance
8.00

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  Graduated to running in a touque, as it continues to get colder - my ears appreciated it.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 8.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run on a gorgeous morning - absolutely still and 3C/38F.  8:47 pace.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
10.00

Easy run at a pace of 8:48.  No wind, 4C/39F, a gorgeous super moon set, and an equally stunning sun rise.  Good way to start the day.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 10.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy paced run; 8:55/mile.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy miles; 8:44 pace.  

For the Boston Marathon training, the Hanson's recommend sprinkling strides and hill bursts in during some easy runs.  So, even though I'm not in my training cycle yet, I decided to start those.  Threw in 4.  I was surprised how good it felt to run fast.  I had forgotten.

Warmed up enough to run in just shorts.  That will likely be short lived, as they are calling for snow by the weekend.

Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 161.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run at a pace of 8:27.  I ran mile 5 at 7:27, just to get a sense of how marathon pace felt.  Felt too good, obviously, as I ran it about 15 seconds too fast.  I'll have to get that under control once I get into training.

First time since I started running with dog spray that I took the safety off and got ready to spray.  But the dog backed down and I didn't have to hit it.  It made me feel a lot safer by having that protection with me, however.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 6.00
Weight: 160.00
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Total Distance
8.00

Easy run; 8:37 pace.  Likely the last day for shorts.  Temperature is supposed to drop considerably, and snow is on the way.  Joy.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 8.00
Weight: 159.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Almost didn't make it out this morning.  Storm blew in over night, as predicted.  I could hear it howling outside during the night, and then the power went off at 2am.  By 5am, when I'm normally up, it was still out, and I was anxiously wondering where my morning coffee would come from while I was tucking deeper into my covers as my electrically heated house was getting pretty cold.

At 5:15, the power came back on.  Hurray!  I quickly made a cup of coffee, just in case. It was -17C/1F with the windchill (outside - my house didn't get THAT cold). The wind was blowing from the North at 40-60 kmh/25-37 mph.  So, okay, no shorts today.

Because of the wind, the snow was pretty much blown off the roads, so at least I didn't have that to worry about.  But man, were they icy!  Between running on the ice and fighting the wind, it felt like a real work out.  

Part of my route took me through an area where the power was still out.  Dark!  I passed the hydro workers at one spot working on a line, and a couple of cops further along at an accident site.  I also made a slight detour to my Church to reset the security system which was thrown off due to the outage.

Anyway, even though it didn't feel easy, it was still just an easy 8:48 pace.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00
Weight: 159.00
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Total Distance
10.00

Another cold one, with a strong North wind.  With wind gusts at 35 mph, it was -17C/2F.  Not bad running with it; not so great going into it.

I had an early morning appointment to have my truck undercoated in town, so I ran from the garage, up to the University, around the track 8 times, and then down to Lake Ramsey, and back to the garage.  Lots of hills, icy, and of course windy.

Managed to average a pace of 8:49.

Oh, learned that if you run with your cellphone loose in your jacket pocket, you should turn it off.  The jostling meant I made 2 phone calls (both numbers did not connect, fortuantely) and send a weird e-mail to my mother, which I just now had to sort out with her.

The best is yet to come - my monthly massage is later this morning.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 10.00
Weight: 158.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy 8:48 pace.  Same cold North wind as the last 2 days.  Maybe starting to diminish a bit.  Tomorrow should be better in that regard.  Only a little snow on the ground, unlike some of the places nearby that got dumped on.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 158.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy run with 6 striders thrown in along the way.  8:34 average pace.

Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 158.00
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy paced run on the snowy roads; 8:48 average.

Had toyed with the idea of making the long trip to Detroit for yesterday's Turkey Trot, but opted to stay home.  Good thing.  The weather between here and there was terrible.  Plus I ended up having a funeral to celebrate here anyway.  So, took my regular Thursday day off.

A little sore in the groin area from pushing hard with Wednesday's striders.  Will have to take it easy until that clears up.  It's annoying when running, but not dibilitating.

Almost hit the treadmill today because the roads look pretty rough.  However, ended up outside and it's not too bad.  Just have to watch the footing a bit more on all the slush and ice.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00
Weight: 158.00
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Total Distance
8.00

Easy run; 8:47 pace.  Still pretty icy out there, so really need to pay attention to the footing.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 8.00
Weight: 158.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Easy paced run; 8:36.  Still a dull ache from that groin strain, but then again, it has only been 4 days.

Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00
Weight: 159.00
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Total Distance
10.00

Easy run; 8:36 pace.  Warming up a bit - all the way to -1C/31F and not much wind, so great for running.  Still icy in places.

Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 10.00
Weight: 160.00
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Total Distance
6.00

I reluctantly took it to the treadmill today for my easy run.  It's raining pretty hard, and has been all night - lots of water on the roads, and cold at 1C/34F.  I even stepped outside, thinking it was okay.  But I decided it would be safer inside today.  Ah well.

Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00
Weight: 158.50
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Total Distance
6.00

Back outside today for this easy run; 8:50 pace.  Heavy fog.  My headlamp made it extra eerie looking.

Mizuno Wave Sayonara Miles: 6.00
Weight: 157.50
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Total Distance
180.00
Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 48.00Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 12.00Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 48.00Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 54.00Skechers GoRun4 Miles: 12.00Mizuno Wave Sayonara Miles: 6.00
Weight: 160.00
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