Going Long (again) in 2024

Run Collingwood Half Marathon

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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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to Ukraine's Armed Forces
Miles:This week: 28.00 Month: 189.50 Year: 588.50
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: 386.00
Triumph 18 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 120.50
Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 102.50
Race: Run Collingwood Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:54:00, Place overall: 57, Place in age division: 4
Total Distance
13.17

Okay, let's just put it out there:  running a Half today, exactly 3 weeks after my 100 mile Ultra, was just plain stupid.  Mea Culpa.  In my defense, I signed up a while back without thinking it through clearly.  In Canada, most races are held on Sundays, so I have to book a holiday to run them.  It seems Americans have most of their races on Saturdays.  Not sure, but I think you folks respect the Lord's Day a lot more than we do up here.

Anyway, this is one of those rare Saturday races, and just a 3 1/2 hour drive from here.  So, I decided to run it as slow as I could, just for the fun of it.  I actually paced this race 4 years ago; I think I paced it at 1:55, which is basically what I ran it at today.  

Perfect day for it:  started off at 8C/47F and rose to about 11C/52F.  Light wind and cloudy, although the sun came out towards the end.

My right foot still aches from the Ultra (top of foot - nerve injury), and my right shin is still tender.  So, I decided to aim for about a 2 hour race, and tried to run as much of it as possible on the gravel shoulder.  That worked:  when I ran there, no shin pain.  On the pavement, a different story.

I found it SO HARD to hold back and keep my pace slow.  However, at about mile 2, a man (Will) runs up beside me and we start talking.  Continued for the next 10 miles.  Turns out, he ran the Dopey Challenge this year.  In fact, he was wearing one of the race shirts.  So, we talked about that, and kept on talking about anything and everything.  I felt he was pushing me a bit faster than I would have liked, but I think the reverse may have been true.  He hadn't run since January, and he was struggling to keep pace towards the end.  At mile 12, I had enough of this holding back.  I was not breathing hard, and had not cracked a sweat.  So, I picked it up and ran the last mile hard.  Well, actually just at 7:06 pace, but it felt good to move faster.

Most of my mile splits were in the 8:45 range, which felt extremely comfortable.  I was worried I was going to do more damage to my foot and shin, but I don't think I did.  So, I'm glad I went and am happy with the way the race unfolded.

Saucony ISO Triumph 3 Miles: 13.17
Weight: 157.00
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