Going Long (again) in 2024

Was aiming for 7 miles at Tempo Pace.  Was close.

First 3.5 miles were good.  7:00  6:57  and  6:54.  But then I turned into the wind and came to the Highway Hilltop Hill in Hanmer.  And it wasn't the alliteration that slowed me down.  Just the mental game, I think, of hitting the hill and the wind.  So, I resigned myself to taking it home easy, until I got to the top of the hill and talked myself into pushing it for as long as I could.

So, I ended up running mile four in 7:40, but then ran miles 5 and 6 in 6:54  and  6:59.  So actually, my average pace for those 6 miles was 7:04, which is pretty much what I was aiming for.

Now, that's where it got sort of weird.  I've been fighting through an odd kind of pain in my right hip.  There must be a nerve involved, because it shoots down that leg, through the hamstring.  More tight than sore, but every so often, it feels like that whole leg is about to give out.  Well, just before mile 6, it hit me hard and the pain shot right down into my calf.  So, I eased off and coasted home for the rest.

I know I was cheating on the foam rolling for most of the summer, but I've been hitting it with a vengeance daily now for a week and will continue, along with the stretching and strength exercises.  I'm hoping I can work through whatever is causing this particular pain in the butt.  I mean, it's actually painful to just sit here and type right now!

Easy 8:27 pace.  Much cooler this morning at 7C/44F.  Could have used my gloves.  But nice for running.

Long run in the fog.  A lot colder than I thought it was going to be.  Should have worn gloves.  Oh well.  10C/50F.

Ran a pretty even pace which averaged out to 8:07/mile.  Sure went a lot better than last week's effort.

Another heavy fog morning.  Easy run at a pace of 8:23.

Easy pace today; 8:32/mile.

Super easy pace; 8:50/mile.  Since I'm running a 5k race on Saturday, I figured I'd skip my regular rest day and take it on Friday instead.

Easy run; 8:17 pace.

Easy run in a light rain; 8:33 pace.

All things considered, I'm happy with this race.

I drove to Toronto Friday afternoon - a 4 hour drive.  Picked up my kit and then took the subway to the Roger's Center for a Blue Jays vs. Red Sox game.  Wow - did THAT suck!  13 - 3 drubbing by Boston.  Ouch!

My supper:  a footlong hotdog, with 4 beer and a few cups of coffee interspersed at the ballpark.  I don't normally drink that much beer, but to understand why, reference the paragraph above re: the ball game.

Anyway, it was a sleepless night.  Long ride, sucky game, really bad dinner and too much on my mind.

I was up early to drive to the subway and then ride down to the start line.  Quite humid.  Temperature was 21C/70F at start time, with 81% humidity and a humidex factor of 27C/81F.

I positioned myself close to the start, and we were off.  It's a challenging course.  Start and finish at the same place, but a 115 foot elevation change along the way.

The major downhill portion was mile 1, and I ran a 6:13.  Then some up and downs where I ran a 6:52.  Then the inevitable up:  the fourth kilometer took back the 115 feet all at once.  I ran the 3rd mile in 7:04.  The final kick for the last half lap was done in 5:54.

So, a decent enough time for me under those conditions.  9th place out of 428 runners.  I think the worst part was the drive home right after.  Oh, my poor hamstrings!

NEW INFORMATION!  I was just re-checking the official results - I not only won my age division, but I also came in 1st in the Master's Division!  Cool.  I won a $300 gift certificate at The Running Room and a free entry into next year's race.  :)  Other than a couple of little trophies, I've never won a prize for running before - maybe I should drink more beer???  :)

Easy run; 8:40 pace.  

A little stiff from the race, but not bad.  Mostly the hamstrings are tight, but that has been an ongoing issue for some time anyway.  Gearing up for a half back in Toronto this coming Saturday.

5 easy miles; 8:33 pace.

Easy run; 8:33 pace.

Easy run; 8:27 pace.

Well, today is the day.  My Boston Marathon registration window opens in just under 2 hours.  I have the form on my screening, waiting.

Leaving later today for Toronto - running a Half tomorrow morning.  Because of the ups and downs of my training, and the lack of focus, I really don't know what to expect.  However, since I DO need a goal, I've decided to aim for a pace of 7:10.  It won't quite give me a PR, but I think it's realistic for me at this point, while remaining challenging.  We'll see.  It's supposed to be hot and wet tomorrow.

So, just ran an easy 3 at a pace of 8:42.

Well, that was interesting.  Certainly not what I had in mind, but I guess I'm okay with it, all in all.

Bad accident on Friday, driving down, in the opposite lanes of the expressway.  Closed the highway for those going North and really backed things up.  I arrived in Toronto around dinner time, picked up my number, and check into my hotel.

Dinner at an English pub across the street.  Fish and chips.  Only one beer this time, compared to four last week.  Hmm, maybe should have gone for four!

Hot and humid in the morning.  22C/72F, with 89% humidity making it feel like 30C/85F.  The sweat was prolific.

I was very conscious of the time, as I had to run my race, get back to my hotel to shower and check out, and then drive back to Sudbury in time for my 5pm Mass.  So, needless to say, I was antsy when the race started 9 minutes late.

Cool site.  For all the years Toronto has been around, they have dumped fill in this part of Lake Ontario, and it extends out a few miles into the lake.  They have turned it all into parkland/marina, with walking/biking/running trails.  It was nice to discover this place, and the race was to raise funds for it's conservatory.

My anxiety pushed me to the front of the starting line, quite by accident.  I've never started on the mat before, and I knew I didn't belong there.  It kinda just happened!  Oh well.  There were several events going on, with the Half Marathon starting off with a 10 miler event.

So, we're off (9 minutes late!), and I'm running way too fast.  I'm too experienced to make these mistakes.  First mile in 6:54, but with a top speed of 5:25.  Right away I knew that was going to cause me trouble, especially with this humidity/heat.  I was supposed to run 7:10 splits, but my next three were all around 7:02.  Too fast, and it did catch up with me, I'm afraid.

So, it kinda went downhill from there, and I ended up running as hard as I could just to keep my splits below 8:00.  And a few still came close to that.

I came in 21st overall, and 3rd in my division.  But it wasn't a great run for me. Averaged out at 7:31/mile.

So, the route is pretty flat, and mostly paved.  The gravel sections were a bit messy, and you did have to dodge the big puddes.  It was out and around the lighthouse on the point, then back almost to the start line, and then the same thing repeated.  The 10 milers, of course, had shorter loops, which meant that I was catching up with them and passing the slower ones.  Nice, from a head perspective, even though they were racing a different event.

Anyway, my legs were toast.  I found it hard to even pick it up at the end.  And almost 2 minutes slower than my Ottawa Half in May.  Ah well.  It was still good to be there.

The ride home was a challenge.  Monsoon rain for the 1st half, and a major detour due to an accident.  I ended up driving the 4 1/2 hours non-stop, and just made it back in time for Mass.  Sore!  Major blood blister on my big toe too.

I think I'll run the 10k, rather than the Half, next week in Sault Ste. Marie.

Decent enough finish line photo, so I coughed up the $9.00 and bought it so that my blog photo is up to date.  The smile is fake - I wasn't actually that happy.

Super easy pace; 8:43.  Really sore hamstrings today following the weekend Half.  

And now the GOOD NEWS:  This morning I received my acceptance notification into the Boston Marathon!!!  Yoo Hoo!!!

5 miles easy; 8:22 pace.  Hammies feel much better.  That blood blister on my big toe is still a problem though, so I cut out a section of my shoes to allow for my fat toe to spread.  It seems to have worked.

Intended to run this easy, but every mile felt easy and got faster than the one before.  Ended up with a 7:44 average pace.

Good solid 7 hours sleep - unusual for me - may  have helped.  Also, perhaps, the cooler temps:  11C/52F.  

Either way, all systems were 'go' today.

Easy run; 8:47 pace.  Am going to run the Sault Bridge Run Saturday morning; leaving Friday.  Just the 7.1 mile course.  Was thinking the Half, but decided to go a bit easier, given my Half last weekend and my 25k next weekend.

Easy run; 8:52 pace.  Leaving for Sault Ste. Marie in a few hours - about a 3 1/2 hour drive.

It has been 3 years since I ran this event.  Previously I ran the Half Marathon, and this is my 3rd time running the Bridge Run, which this year was measured at 7 miles.  We start at the University in Sault, MI, run over the bridge spanning the St. Mary's River to the Canadian customs office, then turn back and run over the bridge again.  That takes up about 4 miles of the event.  The final 3 are along the river to the downtown area.

The bridge portion is hilly, of course, with two uphills each way, and the corresponding downhills each way.  The elevation change works out this way:  from the start line to the American customs office drops 22 feet.  From there, the first climb is 95 feet, followed by a 43 foot drop and another 38 foot climb, finishing at the Canadian side with a 131foot drop.  Then it's the exact same thing in reverse.  The sun is rising all the while, and it was a stunningly beautiful morning to see that from the bridge.

The temperature was just 4C/40F, but there was absolutely no wind and it did not feel the least bit cold.  I changed at the starting line from running tights to shorts and I ditched my gloves.  What a difference from 7 days ago in Toronto!

I stayed nearby with some friends the night before.  Probably drank too much wine in advance of a race, but hey - it worked with the beer 2 weeks ago!  Anyway, I wasn't feeling too fast at the starting line, and I decided I was just going to run easy and enjoy the scenery.  Up until the gun went off, anyway.  I get too competitive, I think.

I settled into what felt like an easy pace.  I ran the first 4 miles with the hills in:  7:41  7:15  7:32  and 7:06.  I wasn't pushing it much, and my legs were holding up and my wind was really good.  So, when I came off the bridge, I picked it up a bit.  I knew I was 4th, since you can see who is ahead of you in the out and back portion.  I decided to push until my legs tapped out.  I was pretty sure my wind would hold out okay.

Well, my legs never did tap out.  This is the way it was supposed to go in the Half last weekend.  I guess that heat and humidity hit me hard then.  I ran the last 3 miles in 6:49  6:48 and 6:33.  I ended up finishing 4th overall, first in my division and first in the master's (actually, second master, but they don't give double awards, so I got the master's winner plaque, and the guy who came in second in my division got the award for 1st).

Average pace worked out to 7:07, so not bad all things considered.

I'm going to just run easy this week in advance of my fourth and final race this month - the "Run for the Toad" trail race next Saturday.  25K.

Oh, and my takeaway re: alcohol ... when I had 4 beer the night before my 5k, I won the Master's division.  The week after, drinking just one beer the night before the Half, I had a bad race.  And then a week later - today - I had 4 glasses of wine the night before and won my division again.  So, I'm going to have to mix it up before my next race and drink 4 drams of scotch the night before.  In the name of science, of course.

5 easy recovery miles; 8:46 pace.  Rain.  Cold rain.  

Easy run in the cold rain again; 8:35 pace.

Easy run; 8:32 pace.  Clear, cool and still out.  No rain!  9C/49F.

Easy run; 8:30 pace.  

Just a 3 mile tune up run at an easy 8:46 pace.  Will be leaving around Noon for the drive to Cambridge - about 5 - 6 hours from here.

Tomorrow's forecast is mild at 13C/55F - and rain.  Might make for some slippery trails.

My goal is to run this 25k at about marathon pace, so nothing too challenging.  I can pick it up on the second lap if I have it in me.