| 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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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 19.00 | Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 27.00 | Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 44.00 | Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 35.00 |
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| | Easy 8:45 pace. My first run in 8 days, post Ottawa Half. Other than a bit of rust in my legs, no issues re: pain or stiffness. All seems good to go.
I'm going to ease back into it over the next couple of weeks. I'm looking at two possible races in the Fall ... both on October 1st. There is the Collingwood Half, which I paced 2 years ago and hit my PR in the 10k 3 years ago. I can run that in the morning and still make it back for my Saturday night Mass, so no need to find a replacement.
Or, there is Run for the Toad in Cambridge, which is a trail race - both a 25k and a 50k. I'd like to run my 1st Ultra there next year, and thought doing the 25k this year would give me a good leg up by running 2 laps of the 4 lap Ultra. It's a bit further away, however, and so I'd need to find a replacement for my Saturday night.
Either run would be fine, as it gives me a goal for my summer training, and would give me a good foundation for my Boston Marathon training which would begin soon after.
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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 3.50 |
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| | Easy 8:44 pace.
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| Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 3.50 |
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| | Easy 8:59 pace.
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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 4.50 |
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| | Easy run; 8:51 pace.
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| Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 5.50 |
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| | Easy 8:48 pace.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Easy 8:57 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Easy run at a pace of 8:54.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Easy run; 8:57 pace.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Easy run; 8:48 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Easy pace; 8:51/mile.
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| Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Easy run; 8:47/mile pace.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 8.00 |
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| | Easy run; 9:00/mile pace.
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| Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Decided to pick it up a bit to Tempo pace for a couple of miles, just to see. Figured that would be about a 7:15 pace, or at least that's what I'm sort of thinking of for a Fall Half Marathon. The one I'm looking at is 15 weeks out.
Ran 3 easy, then one at 7:14 and the next at 7:04. A bit faster than I wanted. Was going to go easy for 3 more, but was REALLY thirsty at that point, so cut it down by a mile. Felt hotter than it is; 20C/70F.
Anyway, I'm going to run easy the rest of this week and then on next Monday, jump into a 14 week training program. I'm hoping that by cutting back my pace a bit from what I did in the winter will let me avoid some of the fatigue issues that hit me.
I have the next 5 days off, and so am riding my Vulcan to London today to meet a friend, and then tomorrow up to Kincardine on the East shore of Lake Huron for a few days at a cottage he rents there. It's a good place for running too, along the lake. I'll catch up with my blogs when I get home on Friday.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 7.00 |
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| | In London, Ontario. Rode my bike down yesterday in a fierce wind storm. Staying with a friend on the Thames River. Easy run along the paved trails. Beautiful! Super easy pace of 9:22.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Rode up to Kincardine last night and will be here at a cottage along the East shore of Lake Huron for a few days. Easy run on the trail that runs along the lake. 8:55 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Same Lake Huron run as yesterday; 8:36 pace. Ran one of those miles at tempo pace, so my actual average pace was closer to the nine minute/mile mark. Home tomorrow, and so Friday will be my 'off day'.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Easy run; 8:49 pace. Back home yesterday and back to my back road/around town routes.
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| Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 9.00 |
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| | Easy mileage; 8:48 pace.
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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 5.00 |
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| | Ran 3 of the 8 at Tempo pace. 6:57, 6:56 and 7:15. The third was a bit slower only because I was only going to run two, but then changed my mind after running a quarter mile at a slower pace. Anyway, I'm counting it as three.
Mid day run in the heat (24C/76F) only because I drove someone to the airport first thing this morning, and then got to working in my garden before I realized how late it was.
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| Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 8.00 |
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| | Comments(1) |
| | Easy run; 8:48 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 7.00 |
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| | Easy run; 8:50 pace. Finished it off with 4 striders. A little rusty on the speed, I can see. Will be trying to incorporate more this summer.
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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 6.00 |
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| Saucony ISO Triumph Miles: 19.00 | Saucony Kinvara 6 Miles: 27.00 | Zoom Vomero 10 Miles: 44.00 | Brooks Ghost 6 Gold Miles: 35.00 |
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