Going Long (again) in 2024

First run on the streets and trails of Garson.  Well, the trail I tried turned out to be a bust.  Constant expanses of water across the trail to the point where I had to finally turn back.  First mile:  9:47.

I picked it up on the roads and finished the 10 miles with an average pace of 8:47.

This sure is not the Valley.  Hills!  Finally, I'll have hills to train on.

Whole new trail system to discover.  Just a 9 mile drive to Moonlight Beach, and there begins access to a whole bunch of trails - hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, biking ... and running.

A little bit of everything on this one.  Crushed stone trail wide enough to drive on, grass, dirt and rocky terrain in other sections, and a couple miles of what can only be described as highly technical (for running) terrain.  The best the Canadian Shield can offer!

At mile 3.5, at the start of a really technical section, I actually met a runner going the other way.  He warned me to turn back - said the trail was almost impassable because of mud.  True enough, he was full of it (mud).  I almost did, but then thought "hey, I'm an ultra marathon trail running idiot".  Mud is NOT going to stop me.  So, I pressed on.  It really wasn't that bad.  No mud above the knees.

The ski trail sections were easier to run, but the hills were steep.  I was running mile splits anywhere between 8:41 and 12:41.

Average over the 16 miles was 9:57 for a total running time of 2:39:16.  Total elevation gain was 884 feet.

Lots of hikers out on this beautiful day.  It started at 17C/62F and finished at  20C/68F.  Saw a number of turtles in one of the ponds that I passed, and at one point, while I stopped to check my location on a trail map that was posted, a deer quietly walked by just 20 yards away.  Way cool.  Not sure it even knew I was there.

Anyway, as tough as this run felt, from this point on, 16 miles are my recovery Mondays every 3 weeks.  The other 2 Mondays get longer and longer.

Tempo Run on Skead Road - hilly run.  Paced it at 7:40/mile.  And hey, I finally dropped below 160 pounds again!  Woo Hoo!

Easy run; 8:41 pace.  I am living in a hotel suite for a month now, while my new place undergoes some repairs.  Not a great situation, but not much choice.

Anyway, I'm on a major intersection in Sudbury.  I ran up a busy street for almost 2 miles, turned right, and found myself running through a light industrial area, and then bush.  At that point, a coyote ambled across the road in front of me.  And me without my pepper spray!  Anyway, it didn't seem the least bit interested in me, and just casually walked off into the bush.

The road ended exactly 3.25 miles from my hotel, so I turned around and retraced my path 'home'.

Program called for a 55 minute hilly run, so I explored a new neighbourhood in the Minnow Lake area of Sudbury this morning.  It sure had hills in spades!

Kept a pretty brisk pace of 8:01, despite all the ups and downs.

Was supposed to be an easy 10, but ended up more of a moderate 8:21 pace.  It just felt too good to go any slower.

From my hotel, down to Bancroft/Howey/Ramsey Lake to the Science Center and back.  Gorgous day at 19C/66F.  The only trip up was I should have brought water.  I thought I'd come across a fountain at the lake and I didn't.  So, was running on empty by the finish.

Took it around Lake Ramsey, with a couple of extra miles tacked on in a few places to bring it to 18 miles.  Average pace of 9:27.  Elevation gain of 723 feet.  Running time of 2:50:08.  Clear and sunny with a light breeze.  Humidity just 71%, and temperature of 19C/67F.

I ran this route as a Half Marathon race by accident when I was a teenager.  A friend called me up to run the 10 km Terry Fox Run (for cancer research).  We did it as bandits (sorry).  Ended up at the starting line for the Half by mistake.  My friend dropped out after a couple of miles.  Thanks Peter.  I finished - half dead.  Zero training.  Near the end, a runner who was struggling as much as me asked how I was doing.  I told him I was dying.  He said he was too, but not to worry "it's all in your head", he said.

I have loved that line ever since, and thought of it often on today's run.

Tempo pace:  7:38/mile average.  I had to go up to the Church to check on a few things anyway, so decided to run there.  It's a little under 6 miles, so I had to run past my place and then double back.  It's a fairly hilly run, so a good workout.

Decided to shower and eat there and then took my truck back to the hotel ... had been using my motorcycle the last couple of days.

And I'm taking the rest of today 'off' ... riding my bike to my brother's camp rental on Manitoulin Island and will spend the day there.

An easy run day - back to the Coyote route.  No critters out today, except for one nasty dog that I had to stare down, shout at, and wonder why I didn't bring my pepper spray.  Next time!

Averaged 8:44/mile.

Funny kinda day.  On Fridays, I'm supposed to run 600 m hill repeats one week, and a "hilly run" the next, but I've been replacing the hill repeats with speedwork at the track.  Today I figured I'd do the hill repeats.  But where to find one that long?

So, I drove to my second Church in Skead, past the Sudbury airport.  The few times I've been there, I remember it having a lot of hills.  Well, I measured them with my truck, and none came to 600 m.  So, eventually I just parked near the Church and ran.  Turned out it was a classic "hilly run".  But I did attack the hills, and so kept a pretty good pace.

At mile 5, I actually found the perfect hill.  It's a bit more than 600 m - closer to a half mile long - and fairly steep.  So, for future workouts, I know where to go.

For today, I managed to run the 7 miles with an 8:00/mile pace.  And the second I finished the run, the heavens opened and it poured!

Easy run; 8:21 pace.  

Same route as last Saturday, along Lake Ramsey, but this time I wore a hydration belt.  Good thing.  Warm morning at 22C/71F.

The Lake Ramsey boardwalk and beaches area was packed with people.  And their dogs.  Dragon Boat Festival this weekend, and the races are on.  So, weaving through them made for an interesting half mile or so.

Got a high five from another runner!  

Crazy run today.  Was supposed to be 20 miles, but ended up going 21 miles, with nearly a 2 mile walk at the end.  I ran out of hydration 'stuff' at mile 16, so the final 7 miles was not so pleasant.

Route was around Lake Ramsey and Lake Laurentian.  First 6 miles was the same road route I use Saturdays.  Pretty tame.  Then into some good climbs, but still on the roads, for the next 4 or 5 miles.  Then into some pretty technical trail stuff for the next 6 miles or so.  Technical as in narrow, rocky, steep, bedrock climbs and descents and one face plant thrown in at mile 16 for good measure.  My hands took it and they are fine.

That's about the time I ran out of gatoraide.  I had 2 bottles with me in my vest, as well as 2 cliff bars and one cliff blok package.  All gone.  I'll have to either start wearing my hydration belt as well, or get a bladder for the vest.

At mile 20, when I was supposed to have been done, and had been running without water for 4 miles, I was still almost 3 miles from home.  So, I ran one more mile, but then decided to walk the final 2 so as not to dehydrate too severely.

Total elevation gain of 1000 feet; running time of 3:34:01; average pace of 10:11/mile; starting temperature of 17C/63F; ending temperature of 22C/71F; no wind.  New trails discovered and some pretty awesome views from a few of the hill tops.  One nasty dog I had to deal with, and one nasty owner who figured I was somehow the one in the wrong.

Tempo run; 7:40 pace.  Ran the out and back Coyote Route.  Only saw a Coyote once, 2 weeks ago, so maybe need to change the name of the route to the Train Route, as I cross 3 sets of tracks (twice), and just barely beat a freight train today.

Easy run on the Train Route.  No train today, but the tracks are still there.  Dead raccoon in the middle of the road - really stunk bad!

8:32 pace.

Tempo run on the fast side; 7:33 pace.  Falconbridge road to Garson and back.  Hilly.

Heading off to Montreal for a few days ... looking forward to running there.

Drove 7 hours to make it here to Montreal yesterday.  I'm staying on the South shore, so right beside the Lasalle trail that follows the St. Laurence River.  Five miles out, and then back.  Paved for cyclists, with dirt sections along most of it for those who choose.  Lots of people out, very scenic, and a gorgeous morning.  19C/66F with low humidity.  8:32 pace.  I'm going to spend the day at St. Joseph's Oratory - a prayer/retreat day for me.

I did my long run today, since tomorrow I'm leaving early to drive home.

16 miles at a pace of 8:35 for a running time of 2:17:16.  I ran up the Canal-d-l'Aqueduc (literally, an old canal that's been turned into a green space) and then circled back along the St. Laurence River pathway that I took yesterday.

Perfect day for running:  19C/67F, low humidity and just a light breeze.

A lot faster pace when it's on paved flats rather than hilly trails!

Yesterday, I was 10 hours at the Oratory of St. Joseph on Mount Royal.  A day of prayer.  From the parking lot to the highest point (the statue of the Resurrection and the Pool of Redemption) there are 362 steps.  Yes, I counted.  About 30 floors.  I walked that 3 times, plus did a few partials.   Of course, doing it slowly over 10 hours was more prayerful than anything.

Off in a few hours to celebrate my Aunt's 60th Jubilee as a Missionary Sister.

Fast tempo pace for one hour - 8 miles - in the heat of the afternoon.

22C/71F, but virtually no humidity.  Pace of 7:24/mile.

Had to bring my truck to the shop first thing, so didn't get out for the run until Noon.  Ran down to Lake Ramsey and along the waterfront, then up to a friend's place who gave me a ride to the shop to pick up my truck.

Easy run on the Train Route.  I beat the train by almost a full minute today!  8:31 pace.

Hill repeats:  8 x 600.

Drove out to Skead for this, as I found a decent hill a few weeks ago there, that's exactly 600 m long.  I attacked it going up, and jogged slow going down.  Rubber legs by the time I hit the last couple of repeats.

A black bear crossed the road in front of me, about a quarter mile ahead, as I was jogging down one time.  It didn't seem too interested in me, and just went on its way.  There are LOTS of wild blueberries this year, and I'm sure they taste a lot better than some skinny, sweaty runner.

Easy recovery run on the Lake Laurentian Board Walk Route.  8:21 pace.

Tough go of it today, mostly related to the start time for this long run.

I had a dentist appointment at 10:15 in Lively.  Out of there at 11:00.  Left my truck at my brother-in-law's place (mechanic) to have a ball joint replaced, changed into my gear, and was running by 11:09.  It was kinda hot by then, with no wind and totally clear skies.  21C/70F, with a Dew Point of 17C/63F - doable.  Over the next four hours, the temperature climbed, while the DP dropped.

From my hotel to the town of Lively is exactly the distance I wanted to run today - 22 miles.  But I stuck to the trails, figuring it should come out pretty close to the same, which it did.

So, through Mikkola to the Kinsmen Sports Complex, through the Trans Canada Trail connecting to Fielding Park (a nice trail; slightly technical in places), along the Kelly Lake portion of the Trans Canada Trail (everything from wide path to narrow technicals and smelly mud), to Southview Drive.

Down Southview to the Robinson Trail where the heat finally caught up with me.  Wimped out in the shade for a few minutes before I continued on.  My heart rate was really up.  Through the Moon Glow Subdivision (read:  built on a series of big hills), to the 4 Corners (major intersection in the City of Sudbury) and up Loach's Road to the Trail connecting to Laurentian University.  Long pause in the shade half way down this trail, overlooking Lake Nepahwin.

Onto the Laurentian Trails, where I was reduced to a walk for the most part.  Even on the flats.  It was kinda embarrassing.  Took the connecting trail to the Laurentian Conservation Area and finally met up with the trail leading to Moonlight Beach.  I was at mile 16, and just ran out of gatoraide, but after experiencing that 2 weeks ago, I bought a 2 litre bladder for my Camelbak and had that to carry me through.

At mile 17.5, I pulled off the Camelbak, checked cell phone messages, and laid down on a bench in the shade for a bit.  That helped.  I managed to run the final 4.5 miles through Moonlight, up to Bancroft, and then back to my hotel.  Went through 1 gel, 2 Clif Bars, 2 Gatoraides and 2 Litres of water.  Still have a 24 and 26 miler to do in August, so I'm hoping that an earlier start in the day will allow me to do them a bit more eloquently.

Ran an average pace of 11:17, with an elevation gain of 886 feet, and a running time of 4:08:19.  I'll take it.