| 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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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 54.00 | Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 99.00 | Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 48.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 9:47 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive in the morning; 6 miles at 8:33 pace. Cool temps at 2C/36F.
Then another 6 miles after dinner; 9:47 pace. Same temperature. This was a virtual night run. An annual fun event organized nationally through the Running Room which I've never done, because it's always Saturday night when I have Mass. This year, was able to do it on any one of three nights. So, tonight it was.
In the race kit they sent was a glow in the dark tech shirt, a headlamp, 2 glow sticks, a ankle bracelet with a strobe light and a wrist bracelet with the same. Also a glow in the dark finishers medal. Cool stuff :)
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 12.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:23 pace.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Fast run on Goodwill Drive; 7:21 pace. 0C/31F, no wind, foggy.
I knew from the first few strides this would be a fast one. My rib is healed - first time in 3 weeks with no pain or discomfort.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:53 pace. Warmer day - back to short sleeves and shorts.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:34 pace.
I was keeping it slow and easy - around 8:45 pace, when, just before the end of mile 5, a 9 year old kid slowly passed me on his bike on his way to school. My competitive side kicked in. I passed him going up a small hill. He was gassed - thought he'd cough up a lung. Sad. I never looked back - and only had to run the final mile at marathon pace to smoke him.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 9:38 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:19 pace.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Skead Road; 8:15 average pace. Last 5 miles at Tempo Pace.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Radar Road; 8:39 pace. Clear skies. Frosty. Gorgeous Thanksgiving Day.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:45 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 8:36 pace.
There was a heavy fog coming off the lake as I ran by; it was stunning with the rising sun shining through it.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; 9:55 pace.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Easy run on Goodwill Drive. Clear skies, no wind, and -2C/28F.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Frosty run on Radar Road. We had our first snow last night. Nothing heavy. Just an icy residue left, but it made the road slippery until the sun came up and kissed it.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Radar Road; very frosty morning. -3C/28F.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 12.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive. Left earlier than usual, so had to wear a headlamp.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive in a light rain. An hour earlier, and it would have been in the sleet.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive. A gorgeous morning - clear skies and no wind. And some news this morning from Rome - I finally have a new Bishop. Just 50 years old, from Montreal. Bishop Thomas Dowd. I met him a few years ago in Ottawa - liked him then. I hope he does well here.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive in a cold and steady rain. Just overall yucky.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Radar Road in the early morning sun. -2C/28F with a bit of a North wind.
So, a really weird sky on Thursday afternoon. I was working outside, trying to get a few things done before the Colorado Low blew in later that night. That's the one that dumped a lot of rain on us yesterday.
Well, mid afternoon, the sky turned a weird orange colour, and it got really dark. It was absolutely still. Eerie. It lasted about 2 hours and then it cleared and brightened up. I didn't know what it was until last night when there was a news report about it. It was smoke from the East Troublesome wildfire in Colorado. That's like 1,200 miles away. Amazing.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 10.00 |
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| | Sunday afternoon run on Radar Road.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 13.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive. Stunning sunrise! Snowed 2 inches yesterday.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive; still snow on the ground. Cold wind.
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| Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Goodwill Drive in the driving snow. Neat effect when the only light is from my headlamp.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 6.00 |
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| | 8:41 Marathon pace on Goodwill Drive. Cold.
Speaking of marathon pace, I found out yesterday that the 2021 Boston Marathon is not going to happen in April. Maybe in the Fall. This morning, I cancelled my reservations at the airbnb I had booked. Sigh.
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 6.00 |
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| | Cold morning run on Radar Road. Last night, I watched the moon rise. This morning, I watched it set. -7C/19F.
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| Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 10.00 |
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| Brooks Ghost 11 Miles: 54.00 | Triumph ISO 5 - Blue Miles: 99.00 | Brooks Glycerin 13 Miles: 48.00 |
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