| 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
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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| Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Miles: 14.00 | Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 41.00 | Hoka Bondi Miles: 93.00 | Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 54.50 | Saucony Triumph 18 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Just over 2 hours on the treadmill. 9:31 pace.
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| Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Miles: 14.00 |
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| | Apparently, the big maple syrup producers are already seeing the sap run. Amazing. That being said, it was brisk enough this morning at -11C/12F. The sun is out in full force, however. We haven't seen much of it this winter so far. 9:10 pace. That finishes the first third of my training program. The next 16 weeks will see back to back long runs most weekends.
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| Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Beautiful morning. Just a bit below freezing and no wind. Ran a touch faster than planned. 9:00/mile pace. | |
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| | A feel good 8:49 pace. Felt easy. A cool -9C/14F, but little wind and the sun was bright. | |
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| | Speedwork on the treadmill. 2.5 miles @ 7:35 pace.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 6.50 |
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| | Easy 10 on the treadmill; 9:31 pace. If the rain/snow holds off tomorrow, I will try taking my 20 miler outside.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Was able to take it outside today. It rained a bit last night, and it was hovering around the freezing mark for the entire run (3 hours). I ran 3 'laps' of Goodwill Drive, plus another half mile at the end.
The first lap was icy, as the rain had frozen to the pavement. By the time I ran the second lap, it had all thawed. It was snowing lightly for the third lap.
Ran a pretty steady 9:07 pace. Stopped to refill my handheld after the first and second laps. SO nice to be able to get off the treadmill, especially for these longer runs.
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| Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 20.00 |
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| | Nice morning for a run, and I took to the trails for 8 miles of it. Just a light dusting of snow, but enough to see a lot of animal tracks. Mostly fox, rabbit and weasel. -5C/22F. Even with walking the steeper hills, I averaged a 9:12 pace. | |
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| | Easy recovery run. 9:10 pace. Winter is back. Stiff North wind, so tough first mile. Easy after that. A fair bit of snow over night, but not nearly enough to justify cancelling the school buses today, at least in my opinion. What a coddled culture we've become! | |
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| | Speedwork on the treadmill. 6 x 800m repeats at 7:03 pace with 400 recoveries.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 8.00 |
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| | Heavy snowfall yesterday. Good news - ski trails are open again. Hopefully will get out on Sunday. Long run on the treadmill; 9:31 pace.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 14.00 |
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| | Very cold, with a North wind to make it feel colder. -20C/-4F. It was clear, at least, and once the sun came up, it felt good on my face - at least when I was running East. 8:53 pace, with the second half about 10 seconds/mile faster than the first.
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| Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 16.00 |
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| | Icy cold again. About the same as on Saturday, but without the sun shining. 9 miles on a trail. It's actually a mining road that is kept open in the winter for exploration. I counted 27 hills that were steep enough to require walking, so pretty comparable to a trail. 9:17 pace. | |
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| | Still super cold outside, at least for another day or two. 9:04 pace. | |
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| | Speedwork on the treadmill.
6 x 800 with 400 recoveries.
I've been splitting the distances between the 50 mile/week and the 70 mile/week peak training programs, but if I hit the 34 mile back to back this weekend, then I'll be right on track for the 70 mile/week program. My goal - we'll see.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 8.00 |
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| | It's turning frigid again, at least for a few days. Even during this 90 minute run, the temperature was steadily dropping and the North wind was picking up. I am still debating whether to hit the treadmill tomorrow for my 24 miler, or brave one of the coldest days of winter. I'll decide in the morning. Today, 8:52 pace.
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| Saucony Triumph 18 Miles: 10.00 |
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| | I decided to take it outside; glad I did. It didn't get quite as cold as predicted, so I started off with temperatures at -22C/-7F and a barely noticeable wind, and finished just over 3 1/2 hours later with temps at -14C/7F. It helped that it was clear, and whenever I was facing the sun, it felt great on my face. I also had a hand warmer in each mitten and that was a huge help.
I ran a 6 mile loop four times, so stopped three times to refill my handheld. I used hot water, and it still was freezing up on me. My pace was steady throughout and averaged 9:00/mile; a bit on the faster side.
So, I've fully transitioned to the program that peaks out at 70 miles/week - the same one I used 5 years ago. My body seems to be holding up so far.
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| | Very easy run. Full sun and beginning to warm. 9:30 pace. | |
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| | Gorgeous morning for running. Sunshine and hovering around the freezing mark with little wind. 9:25 pace. | |
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| | Speedwork on the treadmill.
7 x 800 @ 6:58 pace with 400 recoveries.
Crazy weather today. Thunderstorm and heavy rain when I put the blue box out, and a flash freeze coming this afternoon with a lot of snow. Temperatures to drop to -21C/-6F, then back to above seasonal for the weekend. No more skiing. I only got out 6 times this winter.
I tap the two maple trees in front of my house. I already have over 2 gallons of sap - everything is early this year. It looks like the season might end by the middle of March, if not sooner, which is when it usually begins.
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| Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 8.00 |
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| Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Miles: 14.00 | Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 41.00 | Hoka Bondi Miles: 93.00 | Triumph 18 Treadmill Miles: 54.50 | Saucony Triumph 18 Miles: 10.00 |
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