| 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 (26 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 (8 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
May 25, 2024 9:21:26
Limberlost 35 Mile Trail July 6, 2024 8:12:57
Haliburton Forest 100 mile Trail September 7-8, 2019 26:46:27
September 7-8, 2024 DNF after 65 miles/16 hours
Pacing my sister in her 1st Half Marathon. Short-Term Running Goals: I really want to take on the Haliburton 100 again, after it kicked my butt in 2024, but I'm going to wait until 2026 to take it on again, when I'm 60 years old.
For 2025, I want to try running a Backyard Ultra, just to see how far I can run.
So, a couple of fun runs: 30K Around the Bay in March, and Pick Your Poison 50K in April, followed by Coach D's Backyard in May. That one only runs for 24 hours, so I'm using it to see how I handle the format, in view of running my goal race for 2025: The Bush Bitches Backyard, here in my hometown of Sudbury, in October. Let the training begin! 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 31 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 14 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/outside Miles: 14.00 | Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 41.00 | Hoka Bondi Miles: 93.00 | Triumph 18 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/outside 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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| | 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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| | 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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| | 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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| | 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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| | 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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| Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill/outside Miles: 14.00 | Brooks Ghost 13 Miles: 41.00 | Hoka Bondi Miles: 93.00 | Triumph 18 Miles: 54.50 | Saucony Triumph 18 Miles: 10.00 |
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