| 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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| Ghost 5 Miles: 50.00 | Enigma Miles: 33.00 | Brooks Glycerin Miles: 46.00 | Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 51.00 |
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| | 14 mile long run on the treadmill.
I had planned on running outside, but it was too darn cold, it was snowing, a strong wind is blowing, and it's icy. Yuck. Treadmill instead.
Practised eating those chews - had 4 of them with no problems at this pace (8:35). Also tried this new HoneyMaxx drink which I just got. It is the product served in the Hamilton Marathon, and so I figured I had better get used to it.
It's honey based, along with maltodextrin. Definitely not as sweet tasting as Gatoraide, and it had no negative GI affects on me during this run, so a good initial test.
As far as pain, my only ongoing issue is my Iliopsoas - 2 places: the connection point at my femur, and somewhere deep in my abdomen area. It's not affecting my running so far, but it's a nuisance. I can handle it if it doesn't get any worse, and that's my hope at this point.
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| | 5 Easy miles on the indoor track. Still colder outside than a penguin's butt in a sled rut, but looks like we may finally get some warmer temps by the weekend. Hope so!
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| | 5 easy miles on the indoor track.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Speedwork on the treadmill. 4 miles at 6:44 pace, with 800's for recovery in between.
Pushed hard and did it, feeling strong to the end. Experimented again with drinking HoneyMaxx - no issues there.
Used the treadmill at the gym instead of mine at home - for sure mine is measuring too fast. The last time I did speedwork on it, I could barely keep up. I'll have to see if I can adjust it properly.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | 5 easy miles on my treadmill. Finally calibrated it - was running about 1/2 mile/hour faster than shown on the display. Much better now! No lingering effects from yesterday's speedwork, although I did take some ibuprofin for the iliopsoas - not that it was any worse, but it nags on sort of an ongoing basis.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 5.00 |
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| | 5 easy miles on the indoor track. No issues.
Tomorrow, I plan on running my long run outside - maybe. It's warming up to just below freezing, which makes it good, but they are also callling for about 3 inches of snow tonight. So, I'll wait until the morning to see how it looks before I decide.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | 14 mile long run - outside! It felt SO good to be out there after a long winter of running indoors.
First, the weather. It basically sucked. It snowed lightly all night, and was still snowing a bit, off and on, when I left. I wore sunglasses because it looked like it might clear, but it never really did. But they did help keep that bitterly cold North wind out of my eyes. Yikes, it was bad!
Temperature at 7:20am when I left was minus 12 C with a windchill of minus 20. That's 10 F and -4 F with windchill. So, basically it was a lot like Grimsby a couple of weeks ago, except there was no wind in Grimsby and it was sunny there. I ended up dressing the same, and it was warm enough - mostly.
The wind was strong and gusty, out of the North. Fortunately, my route only took me 1.5 miles North. The rest was East and West, and sheltered. That 1st 1.5 miles, however, was pretty bitter. Cold face and cold hands. I was okay after I turned the corner, however.
The roads were not plowed yet, but I ran where cars had packed it down and it was fine. Quite icy (glare ice, actually) in the tire ruts, but just over from that it was like packed snow.
Second off, nutrition. I wore my nutrition belt with four containers of HoneyMaxx, and brought one powerbar gel. I drank the HoneyMaxx every 2 miles, except at 8 miles where I consumed the gel. I'm glad to say that I had no GI issues. I do look forward to warmer weather for my nutrition experiments, but then again, the Hamilton marathon is in November and won't likely be too warm. After I use up my last 2 gels, I'm going to switch to GU Gels and see how they work for me.
Finally, my body. The run itself was great. I was supposed to run the 14 miles at 8:35/mile and I pretty much averaged that pace miles 2 - 11. The 1st mile was a bit slower at 8:49, and the final three were a bit faster at 8:25, 8:22 and 8:11. Overall, I averaged 8:32, finishing the run just shy of 2 hours.
My old friend Iliopsoas was there for most of it, and is still complaining a bit 5 hours later. Towards the end, I noticed my hamstrings were tight (not sore) so will pay more attention to them and will foam them out tonight. And I had an odd pain for a few miles in the instep of my right foot. Nothing there now, and I suspect both that and the hamstrings were due to the uneven running surface, the slippery road where I had to pay extra attention, and the times I had to run in deeper snow on the shoulders whenever a car came by. I'll see how those body parts play out in my Monday run.
So, I'm hopeful this is the new trend - being able to run outside for at least my long runs on Saturday.
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| | 6 easy miles on the indoor track.
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| | 5 easy miles on the treadmill.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 5.00 |
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| | 5 mile Tempo run on the indoor track. My mile splits were: 7:11, 7:05, 7:01, 7:05 and 7:08.
No issues re: keeping the pace, and I felt strong throughout. My iliopsoas was not a significant issue, but that pain in my right foot was. It started after my long run on the weekend, and I'm thinking that I did something minor to it by running on the uneven snow/ice. It's right in the instep area and seems to radiate to the top of the foot. I'll keep watching it to see if it continues to be an issue. Thinking it's a minor strain of some sort.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | 5 easy miles on the indoor track.
Only a little tinge in my Iliopsoas. Slight improvement in my right foot. Slight niggle in my left knee ... I think I pushed too hard on the weights last week, as I've noticed it ever since. Have cut back on the weights and it seems to be getting better.
10 more centimeters of snow tomorrow! (4 inches). Good grief. I don't know what that will do to my long run on Saturday ... will have to wait and see.
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| | 5 easy miles on my treadmill.
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| | 14 miles on my treadmill. Way too much fresh snow to attempt running outside, especially since last week outside in the snow, I think I hurt my foot. It was still falling when I started running, and the streets have not yet been cleared.
Anyway, a good run. I didn't feel my iliopsoas until mile 6, and it never got too bad. The pain in my right foot is completely gone. And there were no other 'niggles' anywhere, so all is good.
As to nutrition, I have a bag of licorice nibs I wanted to use up ... they have essentially the same make up as my chews. Their only problem is they are really sticky. On my treadmill, that's not a problem ... I just kept them in a bowl beside me.
So, I ate one every odd mile, and drank HoneyMaxx every even mile. I was fine from an energy perspective. At mile 13, my stomach felt a little uneasy, but I only had 1 mile to go after that anyway. I'll go back to the chews, however ... easier to carry them with me.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 14.00 |
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| | 6 easy miles on the indoor track. A little faster pace than planned, but I felt strong throughout.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | 6 easy miles on my treadmill.
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| | 5 easy miles on the indoor track.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | 5 easy miles on my treadmill.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 5.00 |
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| | 5 easy miles on my treadmill.
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| | 6 Easy miles on the indoor track.
That brings me to the half way point of my 16 week training program for the Cleveland Half.
As of now, the only ongoing 'niggles' are in my iliopsoas, and it does not seem to be getting any worse than when I started. I suspect the daily stretching and the ongoing strength exercises are helping in that area.
My previous quad tear has completely healed. My foot injury has also - sort of confirms for me that it was caused by running a 14 mile long run on uneven snow/ice, since it started right then and slowly healed after.
My older foot injuries - Plantar Fasciitus and torn Achilles Tendon - have been non-issues. Daily stretching and strength workouts have done their job there, I believe.
So, all seems good. Time to pick things up a bit.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 6.00 |
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| | 6 easy miles on the indoor track.
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| | 7 mile tempo run on the indoor track.
My splits were: 7:11 7:07 7:07 7:02 and 6:59.
Felt good, although I had a stitch in my lower left side during my last mile. That, I believe, I can chalk up to the peanut butter on toast that I had just 1 hour before I ran. Guess I can get away with that before easy runs, but not hard runs. Anyway, I ran through it, but wouldn't want to do that during a race.
My iliopsoas is not impressed and is letting me know it now. Will do some more stretching later today when I get some time.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | 6 easy miles on my treadmill.
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| Brooks Glycerin Miles: 6.00 |
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| | 6 miles on my treadmill. Hill work. I jacked up the back of my treadmill to allow for downhill running. Since it's still way too icy on the roads for running outside, I figured I'd best be running on hills on the treadmill.
So, ran 1/4 mile uphill and 1/4 mile downhill x4.
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| | 5 easy miles on my treadmill. ANOTHER snow storm hitting now ... guess I'll be 2 hours on the treadmill again tomorrow. Sigh.
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| | Ran my 14 mile long run on the treadmill, because a major snow storm hit yesterday and the streets are impossible to run on today. Hopefully next week!
I threw in some hills to mix it up. Ate a slice of bread with peanut butter 90 minutes before the run, and a few licorice. Drank HoneyMaxx every 2 miles, a few licorice in between, and a GU at the half way mark.
I had no GI issues, in fact no issues of any sort. So, a good run. Ran a 8:34/mile pace to make it a 2 hour run.
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| Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 14.00 |
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| | Ran 6 miles, with hill work, on my treadmill.
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| Ghost 5 Miles: 50.00 | Enigma Miles: 33.00 | Brooks Glycerin Miles: 46.00 | Mizuno Wave Elixir 8 Miles: 51.00 |
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