My final strength workout (on the treadmill):  6 x 1 mile repeats at 7:30 pace with 400 recoveries.  It's all easy running now until Dopey.

Easy treadmill miles; 9:20 pace.

Goodwill Route; 9:14 pace. 

I took it outside because it was so mild, at 0C/31F, but who knew the city decided to give up on plowing the roads this week?  It was a run through mashed potatoes.  A harder workout than I would have wanted in my taper period.

Slow and easy on the treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Good thing, as the power went out for a second or two at mile 3 - just enough to kick off the treadmill.  Glad I wasn't going fast.

9:10 pace on the treadmill.

Easy treadmill run; 9:10 pace.

Flying to Orlando tomorrow afternoon.  

Easy treadmill run; 9:50 pace.  Flying out in a couple of hours.

First race in the books. 

Good thing for my cold weather training.  It dipped to around 7C/44F at start time.  For me, not so bad in shorts and long sleeved shirt and gloves.  Lots of complaints around me about the cold from others, however.  They should train in Ontario!

Official time of 24:05; 7:36/mile pace.  Probably too fast, given that my marathon pace is slower than that.  Ah well - this is all one big experiment, and I have no time goals, so all is good.  But I think I'll go a bit slower for tomorrow's 10K.

Spent the afternoon with the Gators at Gatorland.

Part 2 done.  Pretty much the same temperature to start as yesterday:  7C/45F.  I brought my mylar wrap today though, and I was toasty warm in the corral.  Tomorrow will be a bit warmer to start - low 50's.

Made a pit stop just before mile 2 which cost me a minute.  Did okay with the pacing to start:  8:37 and 9:36 for the first miles, but then gave in to my urge to go faster and ran mile splits of 7:48  7:41  7:28  and  7:14.  I'm really going to pay for that over the next 2 races.  In my defence, however, it's really hard to resist the urge not to pass that lady in the Tutu, or the one with Fairy Wings on her back, or the guy in the Flash costume.  

First half was basically on the highway, and the second followed yesterday's 5K route, which I really like.   Around the lake with all the characters cheering, lamp fires burning and music blaring.

I see they have my official pace as 8:07/mile.  My GPS shows me running a pace of 8:00/mile, but that was due to the extra distance run (lots of twists and turns on the course).

Going to take an airboat ride on Boggy Creek today.

Edit:  Official Results posted now... 

502/11940 Overall

411/4882 Men

27/553 in Age Division

A bit warmer this morning at around 12C/54F.  Actually broke a good sweat.  What a LOT of walking to get to the start line!

Placed:

629 of 18,415 Overall

511 of 7,801 Men

29 of 908 Age Division

Again, I really didn't know what pace to run.  It turns out my first mile kinda set the tone.  That was an 8:22, and the first 8 miles all ended up being in that range.

I had to make a quick pit stop at that point, and I guess in my mind I tried to make up the 40 seconds I lost, cause I started running in the 7:30 range.  So, I finished with an average pace of 8:09 officially (8:05 on my watch).

Never felt I was really pushing it, but I know I'm going to feel it in my legs tomorrow.  And I still don't know what pace I'm going to run the marathon.  I guess I'll just play that by ear.  I'm toying with pushing for a 3:45, but I'd likely be quite happy with a 4:00, especially if I stop for a beer along the way.

Again, nice fireworks as each wave began - larger ones than the previous 2 mornings.  

Basically ran up to Magic Kingdom and through it, including through the Castle (which others have noted, is cool).  Then back to Epcot.  So, a lot of the route is along the highway.  Tomorrow's Marathon will follow the first 8 miles exactly, and then go into a few of the other parks.

I'm enjoying this whole experience.  Disney does put on a good show.  The support along the route is very good, and the music blaring along the way is inspirational - especially the 2 bands and the choir singing today.

It's easy to see the effect on pacing.  At some point around mile 9, they were belting out "Let it Go" from Frozen.  The woman in front of me, who I was following for a quarter mile or so, suddenly began waving her arms and doing all the moves to go with the song.  She really got into it, and took off like a jack rabbit as she was doing it.  I didn't try to keep up.  But as soon as the song was out of earshot, she faded and had to start walking.  Burned her.

My official splits were:

5K  26:06  (8:25)

10K 52:24  (8:28)

15K 1:18:05 (8:16)

21.1K   1:46:45  (7:34)

Met a family from Canada at the pool this afternoon who are running Dopey as well.

And to think this whole thing is my reward to myself for completing a 100 miler in September!

As I mentioned yesterday, the first quarter and a bit of the course today followed that of the Half.  So, no surprises along the way.

In Corral B, a pacer set up shop beside me.  3:40.  Run Walk Run.  Gallagher style.  I figured that was useless to me, cause I don't walk and so haven't trained that way.  And I was pretty sure a 3:40 was beyond me today in any event.  I was starting off pretty tired.  Further back in Corral B was another Gallagher pacer.  3:50.  I thought I might try to stay between the 2 of them.

I ended up doing exactly that, with an official pace of 8:44/mile.  I am actually pretty pleased with that, all things considered.

It was the warmest of the 4 race days.  Start time temperature was 16C/61F.  So, just pleasant.  And though it felt warmer when the sun came up, when I finished it was still only 18C/65F.  So heat wasn't much of a factor.

At mile 5, I made a quick pit stop.  That allowed the 8:50 pacer and his group (good sized group) to catch up to me.  Turns out to be a bit annoying (just a bit - it wasn't that bad).  The pacer stuck like glue to the right side of the course - which is the proper thing for him to do.  I was running the tangents.  I'm not sure what the timing was.  Maybe run 5 minutes/walk 20 seconds.  So, in the running phase, it was a touch faster than my pace and they would pass me or just come up on my tail.  And in the walking phase I would pass them or come up on their tails.  And the pacer would announce loudly "WALKING IN 20 SECONDS" and then he would count down from 5-4-3-2-1 WALK.  Same thing in reverse when it was time to run.  What begins as a novelty becomes a grain of sand in the shoe over time, it seems.

Anyway, I never really felt in a grove.  It's different starting off a Marathon on tired legs.  And it took me a long time to finally decide that yes, I WAS going to finish this thing running.  But even then, I was just waiting for the bottom to fall out.  That's why I was pleased that my pace was pretty even throughout.  I also decided somewhere in Animal Kingdom to pull ahead of the pacer group.  Maybe not "decided", but it just sort of happened and so I intentionally took advantage and picked up the pace just slightly.  

That was good, as I never heard them again until I hit the track at ESPN.  I had ducked in for another quick pit stop somewhere in the complex (mile 18, give or take), and I guess that allowed them to close the distance.  So, going around the track, with me up on the big screen, the announcer said "And here is Michael Williams from Canada, looking great", which really made me feel great.  And right after that "And here is the 8:50 pace group".  Drat! :)

The only real hills on the course are the overpasses.  But there is a doozie around mile 22.  That Toy Soldier guy was doing his best to inspire people to dig in.  But when I got over it and was on the downside, I really noticed my legs were not happy with me.  I considered just coasting in for the final 4 miles.  But then, the pacer passed me.  A much smaller group with him by now.  And something kicked in.  I just decided to come in before him.  I could see that he was on pace for an exact 3:50, so at mile 23, I finally made up my mind re: goal time.  It was going to be under 3:50!  :)

And I did it.  My final 3 miles I ran at 8:28, 8:17 and 7:55, with the final half mile push clocking in at 7:18.  Half mile, because despite my best attempts at running the tangents, I STILL ran a quarter mile longer than required (at least, according to my GPS).  And I can honestly say that the surge was not because I had too much left in my tank.  It was a combination of really wanting to beat 3:50, the crowds, the nearness of the finish line, knowing I didn't have to run tomorrow, and simple adrenaline.  Oh, and some upbeat songs along the boardwalk too!  Still, I managed a 'jump' at the finish line (still waiting for the pictures to be posted to see if I actually pulled that off - it wasn't easy).

Speaking of upbeat music, I really reigned myself in at mile 20.5 when they blared out "Footloose".  That's my "you run hard, boy" song, and I knew it was way too early for that.

And speaking of pictures:  for 4 days, I watched runners pull off the course and stand in line to have their pictures taken with Disney characters.  And I mean, some of the lines were like 20 people long.  I just shook my head.  I guess I'm not a huge Disney fan - can't understand why you'd want to do that in a race.  And I mean, it was happening every mile (I don't know if the same people stopped - or do you just stop at your favourite characters?)  Plus, last night I looked up the prices for buying those pictures.  OUCH!  $17/picture, or $200 for all of them.  And for this Canadian boy, that would be more like $260.

Too bad - some of the photos I've seen of me are really good ones.  Ah well.

Anyway ... I'm rue to admit ... I stopped for a photo with a character today.  Twice.  But only because there was nobody in line at the time.  It was a whim.  The first time was with some dudes dressed in mouse and duck costumes.  The duck spit all over me when it talked.  The second time was with The Incredibles.  Now, I DO have a weakness for Elastic Girl.  But I found her cold and distant during the 2 second photoshoot, so I think I'm over that now.  And no, I will not be paying for the pictures.

My official placement hasn't been posted yet, so I'll add that as an edit later today, when I get back from Church.

My official splits were:

5 Mile        44:43  8:44/mile

10 Mile   1:28:26  8:45/mile

Half        1:55:17  8:39/mile

20 Mile  2:55:38  8:46/mile

Final 6.2 3:48:36  8:31/mile        8:44/mile average

So, I ran negative splits, telling me I started off with a pretty well chosen pace for this race.

EDIT - official placing:

Age division:      38/684

Men:     552/5,984

Total:    689/11,960

Easy treadmill miles; 9:50 pace.  The only post races issue seems to be my right big toe, which I'll lose.  It never fully recovered from the 100 miler, so I'm not surprised.

Trip home from Orlando yesterday went smoothly.  Flew out at 7am and was taking a nap in my own bed by 1pm.

8 easy treadmill miles; 9:10 pace.

FRIGID outside!!!  With the windchill, it's -43C/-46F.

Yes, that MINUS in both.  You just know it's way past cold when it's the same minus temperature in both measuring systems.

Treadmill run.  First 3 miles at 9:10 pace, then dropped to a 9:50 pace for the final 7.

My legs were feeling wonky somehow.  I think I'm just tired.  Not a lot of hours of sleep last night, with late funeral preparations and then the funeral celebration this morning.

I've switched back from a 6 days/week training schedule to 5 days/week, with my focus now on the May 25th 50 mile ultra, which is 18 weeks away.  So, less days of running, but further distances.

Oh, and it warmed up all the way to -30C/-22F this morning.  Quite an improvement from the day before when it was the same minus 40 in both Celcius and Farenheit.

Treadmill.  Still really cold.  8:30 pace.

Treadmill; 9:10 pace.

Treadmill; 9:15 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace. 

Outside ... wait for it ... with windchill factored in ....

MINUS 50 (Celcius)!

Not that it makes much difference at this point,

but that's ...

MINUS 59 Degrees!!!

What the ...?

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill, in my nice, warm room; 9:36 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

LONG treadmill run; 9:50 pace, so just shy of 3 hours.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Had my monthly torture session with the massage therapist yesterday.  She found every sore spot, and maybe created a few more.  I haven't been that tight in a long time.  Ouch.

Treadmill; 8:56 pace.  Night run, which is unusual for me.  But it was an unusual day.

Pipe froze/burst in my heating system over night.  What a mess.  Turned a Church storage room into a rain forest.  Steam/water everywhere.  So, spent the day dealing with the insurance company, the adjuster, the contractor, doing clean up, getting the line fixed, etc.

I finished all that late.  Was going to take the day off running, but decided I needed the distraction.  Besides, tomorrow is my day off, and then 2 long runs to follow.

Treadmill; 8:50 pace.  

Freezing rain, then ice pellets, and now blowing snow - a good day to stay inside!

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

It has been 4 weeks since Dopey, so I've reintroduced some speed work on Wednesdays.

7 x 800 @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Record breaking year for snow:  310cm has fallen so far.  That's 120 inches (10 feet!).  Amazing.

There has been very little thawing this winter, so there is still a record 94cm thickness of snow on the ground.  That's just over 3 feet.

And school busses have been cancelled 10 days in Sudbury - including twice last week. 

It's good to have a treadmill.

Treadmill, again; 9:50 pace.

Third day in a row with sunshine - a record for this winter.  It's nice.  But the shoulders on the highway are pretty much buried at this point, so the 'mill is still the safest option for now.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill speedwork.

6 x 800 @ 6:56 pace with 400 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.  Yes, that's almost 4 hours on the treadmill.  I believe that's a record for me.

I had to work it in between a few things; I have a funeral tomorrow morning, and didn't want to add a 24 miler to that AND my Saturday night Mass.

So, I ran it today.  But even getting up early didn't let me finish before I had a few duties to perform.  So, I ran 15.5 miles first thing, then finished the last 8.5 miles over lunch.

Treadmill; 8:56 pace.  The old body seems to be holding up okay after yesterday's long run and a 62 mile week.  I'll ease back a bit next week.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.  City is pretty much shut down because of a winter storm that started Saturday night and continues this morning.  Sping can't come soon enough.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

I considered running outside today.  Briefly considered.

Speedwork on the treadmill:

7 x 800 @ 6:52 pace with 400 recoveries.

Draw date for the New York Marathon - here's hoping!

Treadmill; 9:20 pace.

My name was not drawn for the New York Marathon - third time was NOT a charm.

I'm only mildly disappointed, as my focus this year will be on my 100 mile trail race in September.  New York might fit into my plans better in 2020.

Treadmill; 9:35 pace.

12 Weeks to Sulphur Springs.

Treadmill; 8:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:35 pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

6 x 800 @ 6:58 pace with 400 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:35 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.  Yup, nearly 4 hours on it.  And more snow coming tonight.  Yippee!

Treadmill; 9:35 pace.  

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 8:56 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.

10 weeks to go to Sulphur Springs.  I'm at peak mileage, and am feeling pretty good.  First time, I think, I've been this deep into a training cycle without losing a few days or more to injury.  I've been foam rolling and stretching daily, and doing plyometric jump squats for strength 3x a week, so maybe that's the key for me.

Treadmill; 9:50 pace.  

Was making a loud clanging sound - maybe the bearings.  It's an old machine.  I hope it lasts a while longer.  

Treadmill; 9:36 pace.  

The sound of silence on the treadmill - a good sound!  Whatever was clanging yesterday did not show up today.

Speedwork on the treadmill.  7 x 800 @ 6:52 pace with 400 recoveries.  Firing on all cylinders.

Oh, and I registered for the A1A Marathon in Fort Lauderdale next January.  On a whim.  Early bird special.  I LIKED going somewhere warm this winter.  Actually, I might make that my Boston Qualifier, if all goes well.

Treadmill; 8:56 pace.

Treadmill; 9:36 pace.

Up early to run it - I have a funeral in Skead this morning.

First outside run in 9 weeks!  Hurray!

I saw a local runner on Saturday, when I was driving to my other Church for the funeral, and I made up my mind that I would run outside on Monday.

On Sunday, during the same drive, there was a blizzard.  White out conditions.  I changed my mind about the run.

But today, it was cold and clear.  So I went for it.  -12C/11F, so not the balmiest of runs, but it felt so nice to have the road beneath my feet.

The gatoraide in my handhelds froze by mile 6, but that's okay.

Ended up running an average 9:01 pace.

Goodwill Road; 8:58 pace.  Still on the chilly side:  -13C/9F.  Not much wind though, which helps.

Back to the treadmill for my weekly speedwork.

7 x 800 @ 6:58/mile pace, with 400 recoveries.

Treadmill; 9:36 pace.

Too dark at the early hour to run outside.  Besides, aiming for 24 road miles tomorrow.

Sad news:  my ancient Garmin Forerunner 305 died on me.  I'll be looking for a museum to donate it to.  It just would not stay powered on.  I had put a new battery in this winter, but this is more than a battery problem.  Ah well - time for a new GPS watch.

So, I ran with my Timex stop watch instead, since I basically know where the mile splits are on Radar Road.  Of course, going out 12 miles, I wasn't sure exactly about the turn around, so I ended up running a quarter mile further than planned.  No harm done.

Ended up running an average pace of 9:46/mile.  I intentionally started out slowly, hoping to finish a bit stronger.  However, my legs were pretty heavy toward the end.  It will take a few weeks to adjust to running outside.  Slightly different muscles are involved, I suppose.

It was supposed to snow, but didn't.  I nailed the clothing side of things, and was comfortable throughout.  Starting temperature of -5C/23F, and going all the way up to -1C/30F by the time I finished almost 4 hours later.

I'm actually hoping for more snow before the season for it ends.  We are SO CLOSE to breaking the all time snow record.  It would be shame, after surviving this winter, to NOT have a record to show for it.  I think just a few more inches will do it.

Radar Road; 9:08 pace.  Sunshine and -10C/14F.  

Goodwill Road; 9:10 pace.  Snow and gusty winds.  -1C/31F.  

Back to the treadmill; 8:56 pace.

I didn't get to start as early as I needed, so I ran 14 miles.  Then 3 hours of parish activities.  Then the final 4 miles over lunch.

All on the treadmill; 9:50 pace.

I am hoping to take it outside tomorrow for my 22 miler.

Radar Road; 3:32:20 ...  9:26 pace.

Just around the freezing mark and very little wind, so good running conditions.

My new Garmin Forerunner 35 arrived yesterday, so I used it today.  Nice little watch.  A LOT lighter and smaller than my old one.

When I finished the run, a screen came up saying I had set 5 records for myself:  Fastest mile, Fastest 5k, Fastest 10k, Fastest Half Marathon and Longest Run.

Ah yes, the advantages of a new watch, where everything is being done for the first time.

EDIT:  I can't believe I didn't mention this - we broke the record for the all time most snow in Sudbury this winter.  Just under 13 feet of snow.  Officially (so far, because I'm sure it's not over) we got 152.79 inches of snow this winter.  The old record from just 3 years ago was 149.17 inches.  HURRAY!!!  It would have been terrible to go through a winter like this one and NOT get a record out of it.

Back outside, this time in the rain, sleet and then snow.

8:32 pace.  I guess I turned it up for the second half, cause at that point I was averaging a 9:01 pace.

Miles 5 and 6 hurt my face, because the hard, cold rain turned to sleet at that point and really stung.  At that point, I turned around (Radar Road Route) and had the worst of it at my back.  Then it turned back into rain.  Then snow.

It was hovering around 1C/33F throughout.

Big, wet, slushy flakes of snow.  It took me 2 miles yesterday to get soaked through.  Today, it was almost instant.  Ah well - Spring.  At least my face wasn't being pelted with sleet.

Goodwill Route; 8:45 pace.

Saw a HUGE Pileated Woodpecker sitting in a tree just off the road.  Gorgeous.

Some speed intervals on the treadmill.

8 x 800 @ 6:58 with 400 recoveries.

10 wet, windy miles on Radar Road.

I really wanted to run outside, so as to extend my outside runs from 3/week to 4/week.  But the weather!

Still, it was a good day for it, as my normal morning Mass is pushed back to later this morning at a nursing home.  So, I braved the cold wind and rain.

Stayed right at 0C/32F with gusty winds.  8:35 pace.

Radar Road; 8:59 pace.  The rain/sleet/snow held off.  Temperature hovered around 1C/35F.   Gusty winds were the only real challenge.

Radar Road; 8:54 pace.

Strong head wind heading out, but it was at my back on the way home.  -1C/30F.  Feeling good at this weight.

Watching the Boston Marathon unfold.  

Goodwill Road; 8:37 pace.

-4C/26F, but zero wind and clear skies made it feel warmer.

Radar Road; 8:55 pace.  No wind, and hovering right around the freezing mark - gorgeous morning.

Just an easy shakeout run today on Goodwill Road; 9:03 pace.

I'll take my rest day tomorrow, and am looking at a 31 miler on Saturday.

Long run; 10:08 pace average.  Just over 5 hours of running.

I did the Valley East Loop, going out on Radar Road and returning on MR 80 and Lasalle.

Gorgeous morning.  It was 0C/32F when I started and 8C/47F when I finished, with sunshine all the way.  I ditched the gloves at mile 11, the hat at mile 14 and the jacket at mile 23.  Nice to finally get some sun on my face.

My only mistake was forgetting to take immodium before I left.  I remembered at mile 2, but didn't want to double back for it.  I had really wanted to test that out on a longer run.  Now I'll have to do it in a couple of weeks when I go 20.  Ah well.

At mile 16, there was a service station/convenience store in Val Caron.  I debated about using the wash room, and ulitmately did when I saw the name of the place:  "On The Run".  I figured it was made for me.  The next "pit stop" was 7 miles later at a Tim Horton's.

I was really proud of myself for starting off reasonably slow.  I was averaging around a 9:20 pace for the first 13 miles.  But then I hit the hills.  I had already decided to walk them.  Total elevation gain was almost 900 feet, and that was clustered in some very steep hills.  After the first set, I noticed my pace really slowed and never really recovered.

Since I can't run trails yet (still covered in snow) I was glad to at least mimic the hills of the trail run.  The 50 Mile Trail Ultra is just 5 weeks away.

Now I have a few hours to recover before our Easter Vigil begins at sunset tonight.

Goodwill Road; 8:59 pace.  No lingering soreness, or any other issues, after Saturday's 31 miler.  Feeling good.

A little Wednesday speedwork - the first time outside since last Fall.

One mile intervals at miles 3 (7:03 pace), 5 (7:08 pace) and 8 (6:44 pace).

First two were into a stiff wind, and the last was wind aided, so they are actually closer paced than it looks.

Average pace overall was 8:22.

Radar Road; 8:35 pace.  Faster second half.

Nice morning.  First run without a jacket or touque.  Could easily have ditched the gloves too, and worn shorts.  5C/41F.

Same Radar Road Route as yesterday; 8:20 pace.

Colder today, at just -3C/26F and a vicious Northwest wind blowing at 17mph and gusting to 34mph.  So, miles 5-7 were a struggle, but miles 8-10 were amazing.

I had to stay mainly on the gravel shoulder, as the pavement had a very thin and very slippery layer of ice on it.

4 weeks to Sulpher Springs.

Radar Road; 8:57 pace.  Just a nice morning.  No wind, and sitting right at 1C/34F.

Skead Road; 8:53 pace.  Another gorgeous morning, with very little wind, clear skies and sitting at 0C/32F.  

Same basic workout as last Wednesday:

Miles 3, 5 and 8 at a faster clip ... 6:56   6:34   and   6:31.

Overall pace averaged out to 8:06.

Radar Road, with some wind and still hovering around the freezing mark.  And not going to warm up today - a significant freezing rain/ice pellet storm is due to hit this afternoon.

Yesterday, however, was awesome!  In the afternoon, I swept sand off the Church parking lot for a couple of hours, just to be out in the sun.  I'm sure I'll pay for that by tomorrow, given my lack of upper body anything.  My hands are already screaming at me.  But I loved it.

Radar Road; 8:54 pace.  

After my last run on Wednesday, it started to snow.  10 cm (4 inches) of the stuff on May 1st.  Yuck.

Most of it melted yesterday, and today it's already at 2C/36F, so that should take care of the final bit of nastiness still on the ground.

Radar Road to Notre Dame/Bodson and back; 9:14 pace.  Second half was a bit stronger than the first.  

First run wearing shorts, no jacket or gloves or touque.  At start was 3C/37F and at finish 4 hours later was 11C/53F.  Just a slight wind.

Trail race is 3 weeks from today.  My only concern is I haven't been able to train at all on trails.  Maybe my 20 miler a week from today I'll see if I can get on them.

Radar Road; 9:00/mile pace.  A very light rain and 6C/43F.  Still wearing shorts.

Goodwill Drive; 8:53 pace.

Radar Road; 8:16 pace.  That included 5 x 800 speed sections.  I didn't track my pace for those - I just ran fast.

Driving to Ottawa today for the National March for Life which takes place there tomorrow afternoon.

Along the Ottawa River (in Ottawa, of course); 9:07 pace.  Tried to do a loop route, but had to double back, as the trail along the river is underwater in sections.  

I made the 17 mile drive to Capreol to run on the ski trails this morning.  I haven't done ANY trail running, so I figured I should get at least one long run done on trails before my race in 2 weeks.

There was still snow in some places, but it wasn't bad.  Still no leaves on the trees, but also no biting insects yet either.  A clear day and mild.  At my 8am start it was 4C/38F, and at my 11:30 finish, it was 10C/50F.

So, I ran 4 laps on the 5 mile trail.  As it warmed up, the ground started to get a bit soft, but it was manageable.  

Average pace (inclusive of my 4 stops) was 10:56.  Running time was 3:38:40.  Total elevation gain was 1,219 feet.

Skead Road; 9:00/mile pace.  My legs still feel a little heavy from Saturday's trail run.  But it's all tapering from here on in.

Goodwill Road; 8:54 pace.

Skead Road; 8:23 pace.  Threw in 4 x 800 speed sections, just because.

Goodwill Road; 8:42 pace.

I decided to hit the Capreol Ski Trails again.  2 laps of 5 miles each.  First at 10:20 pace, and second at 9:40 pace, so averaged out at 10:00 pace.  No stops.  I didn't speed up intentionally.  I think I just got more confident.

Most of the snow patches are gone.  The leaves are just ready to burst out.  No biting insects - yet.  And the trail was 99% dry.  So, ideal running.  I loved it.

The 50 mile trail race is at 6am, one week from today.

And last weekend, my nephew ran his first Half in a pretty decent time of 2:03:22.  He's 16, and did it with absolutely no training.  At Easter, I told him to run it with his mother (my sister) just for fun, and so he did.  If he decides to keep it up, he'll be a good runner.  I was about his age when I ran my first Half.  By accident (thought it was the 10k).  With no training.  In a race I was a bandit.  But I didn't keep it up.  Ah well.  Better late than never!

Goodwill Road; 8:40 pace.

Miserable day:  steady rain, strong north wind and cold.  4C/39F.  Nice to get into a hot shower after.

Goodwill Road; 8:42 pace.

Shakeout Run on Goodwill Road; 9:00/mile pace.

I'm leaving for Ancaster (Hamilton) in a little bit.  It's 460km (290 miles) due south of here.  Two nights there, and then 2 more in Toronto to give myself a little holiday.

Tomorrow's weather prediction is for rain.  Calling for 12C/53F at the start, with a high of 22C/72F on the day.  A warm rain, with a humidex prediction of 28C/82F, and a chance of a thunderstorm.  Fun.  Windy too, with 25-37 mph predicted.

On the plus side, the wind shouldn't be a huge factor on the trails.  And it won't be nearly as hot as it was for my 2 Ultras last year.  And it looks like the rain might be more of a hit and miss thing, rather than an all day soaker.  I'll just have to be a bit more careful if the trail turns slick.

So, home on Tuesday and I'll report the results then.

It wasn't pretty, but I finished.  And I'm happy with my performance, especially given the conditions.  I went in thinking a 10 hour finish was unlikely, but possible, and that coming in less than 12 hours would make me happy.  So, I'm happy.

44th out of 142 (99 of whom finished), and 35th out of 99 men.  Those finishing numbers might change, as I'll explain below.  EDIT:  Changes made, now that the timing issue has been resolved.

The course is a somewhat challenging 20 km loop.  From what I can tell, that would work out to 12.43 miles, but they are calling 4 loops 50 miles, so I won't argue the point.  Still, my Garmin tells me I ran 48.65 miles, so I don't think it's quite as long as they say.  But again, I'm not complaining.

So, 4 loops.  That worked out to an elevation gain of 5,558 feet.  As I didn't do enough of my training on the trails (due to snow), my legs took a real pounding.

As predicted, the temperatures were a reasonable 12C/53F at the 6am start and got up to about 22C/72F, with significant humidity.  And 2 thunderstorms.  And LOTS of rain.  And mud.  I'll return to the mud (reluctantly) in a bit.

First loop:  Just going with the crowd.  Steady pace.  Walking up all the hills.  30 minutes in, the rain starts.  30 minutes more, and the rolling thunder makes itself heard.  It just got louder and louder, and the rain fell harder and harder.

Second loop:  Starting to feel tightness/pain in the groin.  I think it's from the slipping of the feet to the side.  The trail is a river of mud now.  No avoiding it.  The focus is on keeping the mud below the knees.  I failed about halfway in when I fall the first time.  Not hard, but what a mess!  Now the water is just gushing down the hills, so it's tricky with the footing on both the uphills and downhills.  Most of the flats too, actually.  Towards the end, my quads are screaming.  I'll have to remember to take some ibuprofin at my drop.

Third loop:  The rain stopped towards the end of the second loop.  The sun came out.  It's really humid now.  I changed shirts at the drop.  But I forgot to take the ibuprofin.  It's too late now ... I'll have to suck it up this lap.  What a mess out here!  In many places, the mud is past ankle deep.  I fall again!  Goof.  Harder this time, but I don't think I hurt anything.  Of course, I hurt pretty much everywhere now:  both hips, groin, left knee, hamstrings.  All of them are screaming at me.  Walking up the hills is not too bad, but running is agonizing.  Towards the end, I can no longer run downhill, and end up walking down a 3/4 mile slope where you usually make up a lot of time.  I don't know if I want to finish.  Just kidding - I do!

Fourth loop:  Remembered the ibuprofin!  Changed shirts again.  No sense changing shoes or socks.  The pills help - at least they take the edge off.  I don't recall ever taking those in a race before.  But now I can run the downhills again.  Not too many people left on the course.  The shorter distances are mostly finished.  Just us 50 milers and the 100 milers still out here.  Amazingly, only 15 of 51 will finish the 100 miles.  Well, maybe not so amazingly on a day like this.  So I'm mostly alone this lap.  But I'm confident in my finish, and quite emotional when I do.  It was a tough race, but I did it!

So, I just got home a little while ago - took a couple of days in Toronto after the race.  And, to my dismay, I noticed my results showed a completion of just 3 laps.  The time was correct, but 3 laps?!?  Thinking I messed up somehow, I downloaded my Garmin data ... nope - I DID FOUR LAPS!!!

So, I e-mailed the timing company and got an almost instant response from the owner.  Due to the extreme weather, a few timing chips malfunctioned and did not record a lap.  They promised to update the results later today (they haven't yet - I'll report here when they do).  EDIT:  It has all been resolved; my results are official and correct.  It's not that it matters to anything - I know what I did - but it still bugs me.  What's funny too, is the day before the race, we all got an e-mail from the organizers telling us we would have to wear ankle bracelets in addition to the bib timers because of the extreme weather predicted.  Go figure - even with the 2 chips, I had a malfunction.

Officially, I ran a pace of 12:44.  According to my Garmin, I ran a slower 13:06.  I'm guessing my Garmin is more accurate, due to the slightly shortened course.  But I'm SO happy they didn't have a surprise mile tacked on at the end!

Recovery run on Goodwill Road; 9:05 pace.

It's funny how, during the race, I felt the pain in the following order:  first the right groin and then the left, then the quads, then the left knee, then the hammies. then just everywhere.

In the week that followed, the pain dissipated in the exact reverse order.  Today, all that hurt during the run was the right groin.  I pulled something there in the race, and so will have to moniter it as I ramp my mileage back up.

My race results were updated correctly, and I've made the corrections in my race report.

Skead Road; 9:04 pace.  I was aiming for 8, but wisely cut it back.  I'm still sore; no need to push it at this point.

Goodwill Road; 8:55 pace.  I was limping at the end ... that right groin is really screaming at me.  I may need to take more time off.

That right groin area is still giving me trouble, post Ultra, so I took yesterday off and ran a VERY SLOW pace of 9:35 on Goodwill Drive this morning.

I'm going to have to go slow and easy for a while.  It's now down to a dull ache, and I'm not limping. so I'll take all that as a positive.

Goodwill Road; 9:07 pace.  Still working through the right groin achiness, but I'm optimistically going to say that it's not as bad today.

Goodwill Road; 9:10 pace.  Groin - still ouch.

Saw my first black bear of the season.  It crossed the road in front of me about 100 meters ahead.  Then, about 10 seconds later, a second one followed it.  Nice to see.  The second one looked quite a bit bigger, so I thought maybe it was the mother and the first one a yearling.  Or maybe it's just because I was closer to the second one, it looked bigger.

Goodwill Road; 8:56 pace.  No bears today; just a Hare.

Radar Road; 8:45 pace.  Light rain and humid.  Groin - no change.  But I was glad to go the extra distance.  Second half was 20 seconds/mile faster.

Oh, and I registered for the Haliburton 100.  That's a Canadian Shield style trail race - typical Northern Ontario geography - near here (about a 5 hour drive) with a 30 hour cut off.  It's on September 7/8.  I must be nuts.

Goodwill Road; 8:23 pace.  A little faster than I should, but my legs just wanted to move.

Radar Road; 8:24 pace.  20 seconds/mile faster on the last 5 miles.

Radar Road; 8:15 pace.  Actually, 8:30 out and 8:00 back.  Too fast.  After the first mile, I tried to reign it in.  But I'm too wired, I think, to slow it down.

Dark night of the soul, and Led into the time of Trial stuff.  You'd think that St. Louis winning the Stanley Cup (Hurray), the Raptors winning the NBA Championship (Double Hurray!), and the Blue Jays winning a game (A Very Rare Hurray), all in 2 days, would help.  Nah.  Yesterday was a particularly bad day on SO many levels.  Today, I just needed to run.

Ah well.  Fortunately, that's where the running helps in spades.  Just gotta try to slow the pace a bit.  After all the rain we've had, the running surface was nice and soft for running.  It felt good.

As to the groin pain - a noticeable improvement.  Still achy, but not screaming pain any more.

Radar Road; 8:39 pace.  

After 3 weeks, I know I'm not fully recovered from Sulphur Springs, but it felt SO good to get a somewhat decent long run in.

Radar Road; 8:48 pace steady.  Gorgeous day!

Goodwill Road; 8:55 pace.

Radar Road; 8:51 pace.

I hurt.  Not a bad hurt.  Just a "I started doing my strength work again after 5 weeks of doing none" kind of hurt.

Back to 120 plyometric jump squats and 180 heal drops, 3 times/week.

The advantage of not doing them for a while is finding out which muscles they work.  That would be the quads, hamstrings, glutes, hips and calves.

Radar Road; 8:28 pace.

12 mile run on Radar Road; 8:37 pace.

Then home for an hour, and then my partner picked me up and we went to run the Miner's Mayhem - third year in a row for our team.  That was just over 4 miles of hills, mud and obstacles.  We ran it in 1:03:06 - a 15:17 pace for the 4.13 miles.  So, not bad.  

We named ourselves the "Sole Survivor's", because NOBODY else from our previous years teams could join us this morning.  So, Sonya and I ran it ourselves.  Just a fun event - although challenging in its own way.  I've run this event 5 times now - 3 on a team and twice solo - so I now have a collection of 5 hard hats - the reward at the finish line.

Oh, on my 12 miler, a Marten crossed in front of me - about 20 feet ahead.  It ran out of a marsh, onto the pathway, stopped, turn and saw me, and then continued across the path into the marsh on the other side.  Way cool - they are rare to see like that.

Radar Road; 8:49 pace.

Trying the Vomeros again.  Last time was version 10.  They do feel plush on the feet.

Goodwill Road; 8:56 pace.

100% humidity, but only 16C/60F, so bearable.

Radar Road; 9:06 pace.

Radar Road; 8:51 pace.

Radar Road; 8:58 pace.  I would have liked to have gone further, but I had a morning funeral and ran out of time.  

Decided to ride to Sault Ste. Marie yesterday to visit some friends, chill out, and watch the fireworks on Monday.

Ran in the morning down a local road at a 9:03 pace.

Same as yesterday (same road); 9:13 pace.

Skead Road; 8:50 pace.  Finally getting some hot days.  Hit 28C/83F yesterday; going up to 30C/86F today.  Nice.

Skead Road; 8:57 pace.

To the Capreol ski trails today.  Each lap of the outside loop was just over 5 miles.  So, 4 laps.  1567 feet of elevation gain.

11:00/mile pace on average, inclusive of the 3 stops to replendish my supplies after the first three laps.  3 hours and 45 minutes of running.

Not as steaming hot as the last few days, but the mosquitoes were something else.  They kept me honest, cause walking the uphills allowed them to zero in.  Had to keep running or get bit.

I fell on the third lap.  I think I tripped on a root on a particularly gnarly section.  Not hurt, except for my pride.  My back is full of bug bites though.

Radar Road; 8:52 pace.

Goodwill Road; 8:58 pace.

Yesterday, a trip on my bike to the Toronto area.  Ended up buying a pair of trail shoes that don't hurt my feet - these are the ones I SHOULD have had at the Sulpher Springs race in May.  Ah well - they will serve me well in Haliburton.  Better late than never.

Morning run:  10 miles on Radar Road.  8:57 pace.

Evening run:  4.5 miles trail running in Laurentian University area.  11:16 pace.

This is the 35th Anniversary of The Running Room - a Canadian running shoe business.  Every year, they have this "20 minute fitness challenge".  Run or walk for 20 minutes and get a free hat.  So, I decided to sign up.  A free hat, after all.

Well, at the store, I bumped into an old highschool classmate.  He runs with the Running Room Wednesday group.  Talked me into it.  So, instead of an easy 20 minute road run, I ended up in this trail run.  Sure wish I had my trail shoes on, as it was a bit gnarly.  Still, an easy pace and it was fun.  Just a bit more mileage than planned for today.  

Two runs today, because I'm trying to get 32 miles in between today and tomorrow, and I need to work around my schedule.

So, I only had time for 10 miles this morning.  8:58 pace on Skead Road.

This afternoon, I picked up another 6.5 on Goodwill Drive; 8:57 pace.  Heat of the day:  24C/75F.

Tomorrow, I should be able to get the other 15 or 16 in.  I just have to decide whether or not to hit the trails.

Trail run on the Ski trails in Capreol.  3 loops.  I got to try my new Salomons - sure wish I had these for the Sulpher Springs Race (mud fest) in May.  Ah well.  They are comfortable, rugged and have great traction.

Unfortunately, I still fell (quite hard) just past mile 4 on my first lap.  Turns out it was a small tree stump I tripped over.  Not the fault of the shoes.  For a second, I thought I hurt myself.  However, I was able to get up and continue on - really covered in dirt.  Worst of it was a nice scrape/gash in the side of my right knee which bled quite profusely.  Nothing too serious once I got home and disinfected it.

10:53 pace, inclusive of my 2 "re-loading" stops at my truck.  Saw one grouse on the trail, and one black bear running across Skead Road on my way to the trails.

Back to the Capreol Ski Trails; 3 laps non stop (wore my ultra vest) with an average pace of 10:31.

Goodwill Road; 9:10 pace.

Radar Road; 8:53 pace.

Skead Road; 8:53 pace.  20C/69F with 100% humidity, but the real challenge comes later today and tomorrow when it goes to 30C/86F.  By Sunday, it should cool down a bit.

I'm not running much tomorrow, however; instead, going to run a marathon just down the highway from here in Massey, just over an hour's drive away.  A friend is running his first one Sunday, and I managed to get the day off so I can pace it for him.

He says he's aiming for a 4 hour marathon, which is pretty much my training pace.  Since I was due for a 26-30 mile training run this weekend anyway, I decided to run it with him.

It's the "Massey Friendly Marathon" and was my first race ever, in July 1998.  A double loop, which I detest.  I ran it in 30 seconds over the 4 hour mark, so this will be like doing it for old times sake, except I should find it a lot easier this time.

It's the same route (one loop) that I ran with my sister when she did her first Half Marathon four years ago.

Easy shakeout run in preparation for tomorrow's Marathon.  Goodwill Road; 8:53 pace.

It's like I've come full circle.  This was the first Marathon I ever ran.  In fact, it's the first race I ever ran at any distance - exactly 21 years ago in 1998.  Four years ago, this was the race where I paced my sister on her first Half.  Today, it was the first Marathon for a friend - Curtis Arcand.  I had to run about this distance today anyway as part of my training, and his goal was to beat 4 hours in the Marathon - basically my training pace - so the stars lined up for this one.

I ran it in 1998 in 4:00:30.  I was incredibly inexperienced, trained very poorly, and ended up with a terrible case of runner's trots that swore me off running ever again.  Today felt a lot better.

The temperatures were identical to those 21 years ago:  15C/60F at the 6am start, and 21C/70F at the finish.  Clear and sunny the whole way, with a gentle breeze and tolerable humidity.

There's not much to report.  Curtis ran a good race.  We averaged a pace of 8:59/mile to give him a finish time 3 1/2 minutes under 4 hours.  It's a fairly flat course - total elevation gain was just 890 feet.  It's a double loop course, and we ran the second half about 30 seconds faster than the first half.  Pretty even splits.  He felt strong right up to about mile 22, but toughed out the rough ones at the end and only faded slightly in mile 26.  He did great.  Actually won his age division.

My results, on the other hand, inexplicably show a DNF on the timing website.  This is the second race in a row where this has happened.  The Ultra I could understand - all the equipment was caked in mud.  But today?  The only thing I can think of is I thought I heard a "beep" when I passed by the finishing mat on my second loop.  I mean, I was on the official course, but maybe it picked me up.  I e-mailed them to complain.  I know it's not important, but it's still a matter of pride that I have not DNF'd in a race - yet.

Radar Road; 9:09 pace.  No lingering soreness from yesterday's Marathon.  Just the same nagging soreness in that right groin muscle that I pulled in May's Muddy Ultra.  Going for a massage this afternoon.

Oh, and they fixed my official Marathon results.

Radar Road; 8:59 pace.  Nice, cooler morning for running at 10C/50F.

Skead Road; 8:58 pace.

3 laps on the Capreol Ski Trails.  10:56 average pace, inclusive of the 2 stops at the end of laps one and two to refill my bottles.

It started to rain as I drove out there, and came down steady for the first 7 miles.  Enough that there were significant puddles to run through.  I was soaked to the skin by the end of the first mile.

The mosquitoes were, surprisingly, absent.  Not the dear flies.  They were nasty.  Then, when the rain stopped, the mosquitoes decided to join in.  What a party!

This was my second run in the Salomons.  They are working well.

Radar  Road; 8:50 pace.  Just 20C/69F, but with 95% humidity, it felt hot and wet.

Goodwill Road; 8:41 pace.  Just 17C/62F, but 100% humidity.

Goodwill Route; 8:51 pace.  Cooled down quite a bit - nice for running at just 10C/50F.

Radar Road; 8:38 pace.  Will try 20 on the trails tomorrow morning.

Back to the Capreol Ski Trails this morning for this one.  10:50 pace, inclusive of the three stops to resupply my hydration/nutrition.

I was thinking the mosquitoes and deer flies would have peaked last week.  I was wrong.  I think they were worse today.

I decided to hit the Capreol Ski Trails again today.  3 x 5 mile laps.  Average pace turned out to be 10:06 overall, without any stops.  I wore my Camelbak and used the bladder.  

First lap actually averaged 10:22.  After 10 miles I was averaging 10:15.  So, I ran each lap significantly faster than the one before, and that was without effort.

I did fall.  Twice, on lap 2.  Almost 3 times, but I caught myself.  Little stumps and/or roots.  Just carelessness on my part.  Gotta remember you can't zone out on trails!  Both times on a flat section with packed dirt - no rocks.  So, the tuck and roll did the trick, with no wounds to show.

A bee stung me in the lower back right at the finish.  Ouch.

Now I'm debating using the hydration bladder in the race.  Not having to stop as often has its advantages.  With the bladder, I can carry twice as much tailwind vs my handhelds.  Basically, would have to refill it every 12.5 miles, rather than refilling the handhelds every 6.  I'll have to think about it.

Radar Road; 8:46 pace.

Yesterday, I was thinking that my hip/groin injury was finally resolved - a full 10 weeks after I got hurt during Sulphur Springs 50 miler.  Today, I see it's not quite there.  Ah well - at least it's not holding me back.

Radar Road; 8:50 pace.

Radar Road; 8:52 pace.

Sudbury Camino Trail.  Averaged 10:11 pace.  This was the 3rd annual, the second which I've "walked".  It's hosted by the local hiking trail association to highlight the Sudbury section of the TransCanada Trail.  So, while some 200 hiked a section today, I ran it.  Turns out a few others did too.  It's a perfect way to run a different trail system, and to run it point to point without worrying about how to get back.

So, at 7:15 I left my truck at Moonlight Beach and they bused us out to the starting point some 20 miles away.  It was actually in my home town of Lively.  At 8am it was 11C/52F and at the finish it was 18C/64F.  Perfect for running.

I thought I got out first, but there must have been a couple of runners on another bus that started before me, because at the first 'station', they told me I was the fifth "hiker".  A man and a woman had passed me right at the very start, but I didn't know about the other two.

Between that station and the next one, I passed one of those other two - a woman who wasn't sure about a fork in the trail.  I never saw her again.  Then, at station number 2, I caught up with the guy who had passed me, and we ran together until station 3, at which point we caught up with another guy.  The 3 of us ran together and ended up catching the woman who had passed me right at the beginning.  So now, guy one took off like an antelope, guy two faded behind, and the woman (name is Helen) ran with me from station four to the end.

That turns out to have been provident, as she has run the Haliburton 50 the last 2 years, and is running the 100 with me four weeks from now.  So, some useful sharing of information.  She also DNF'd the Sinister 7 last year, and is going back to see about finishing it next year.  That's the year I hope to run it too.  We'll see.  She touched on my biggest fear, when she shared she encountered TWO Grizzly bears on the Alberta course.  Didn't help with my fear issue!

Anyway, a fun long run on the trails today.

Local park trails in Markham; 9:01 pace.  Left after my final Mass on Sunday and drove to Markham.  Will be spending the day in Toronto, and started with this easy run through some local parks.

Same as yesterday; 9:09 pace.  Awesome ballgame last night!  Nice to be there to see the Jays win big against Texas.

Radar Road; 8:29 pace.  I see that piece of Banana Cheesecake from The Cheese Factory stuck around the waistline.  But it was SO GOOD!

Radar Road; 8:46 pace.  Cooler mornings now; just 10C/50F for the run.  Back to the trails tomorrow, and then to the race venue for a training run on Monday and Tuesday next week.

Planned on 20 miles today on the Capreol Ski Trails.  Did just 10; 10:56 pace.

My left Plantar Fasciitis has been acting up the last week or so.  It has been years since it has given me trouble.  I really felt it on yesterday's run, but hoped the trails would be more gentle on it.  I decided to pack it in after 10 miles, rather than push through it and cause more damage.  I'll save the long miles for Monday when I hit the Haliburton Trails for the first time.

So, two trouble spots.  The right groin is still not 100%.  That, however, I can run through.  Experience tells me that the PF is only going to get worse unless it fix it now.  Good thing I'm 3 weeks out from the race - about time to taper anyway.

So, after my last Mass on Sunday, I drove the 4 1/2 hours to the race venue.  I had booked 2 nights on a campsite, as I wanted to run the trails I'll be racing in just over 2 weeks.

The site I booked is actually the same one I have booked for the night before the race.  I set up my tent and made dinner.  From a camping perspective, not everything went well.  It has been 8 years since my last (epic) kayak trip on Georgian Bay, and I haven't used my equipment since.  So, dried out seals on the fuel pump for the camp stove.  Broken zippers on the tent.  Other odds and ends that were a bit of an annoyance.  But I came to run, not camp.

So, on Monday I set out.  I ran the entire route, minus the 6 miles around MacDonald Lake.  I'd do that tomorrow.  Plus the distance from the turnaround back to my camp (on a road - about 4 miles).  This route is 25 miles out.  So, out and back twice on race day.

I have to say - it's rough!  Highly technical trails.  I was hoping for something similar to the Capreol Ski Trails, but now I see that those are a paved highway compared to the trails in Haliburton.  So, I'm sure glad I went.  I'll have to do some major mental adjustments now in preparation.  I was thinking of aiming for around 25 hours.  Now I'm going to allow myself the race cutoff of 30 hours and see what happens.  

It took just under 5 hours to run the 23 miles; 12:47/mile pace.  Total elevation was 2,766 feet.  I'm pretty sure I took a wrong turn or two, but I got a pretty good idea of the route.  It will all be flagged on race day.

Oh, a new pain.  Joy.  I can add to my right groin (I can live with that) and left Plantar Fasciitus (which I'm not too happy about) my right Achilles Tendon.  I'm in taper mode now, and I think I'll cut back my mileage even more than planned, just to let things heal up.  At this point, I don't think it's the fitness I need to be concerned about. Rather, it's going to be the mental side of things.

The deer flies were incredible!!!  I never imagined they would be worse than those on the Capreol Trails.  I'll have to put bug repellant on for the afternoon portion of the race.

Oh, just 2 miles from the end, I caught up to a black bear that was ambling slowly down the road.  About 150 feet ahead by the time I saw it.  It didn't notice me, so I cleared my throat and it took off.

So, today I wanted to run the 6 mile portion around MacDonald Lake.  Since I'll be running it 4 times on race day, it represents about a quarter of the entire event.

I ran it at a 12:06/mile pace; elevation gain was 589 feet.  So, that puts the race at about 3,300 feet per section, for a total of over 13,000 feet.  A good climb!

About half this section is on a dirt road, with the trail section being highly technical and (steep) hilly.  It should be an interesting race.  As I said yesterday, doing these runs was a good decision.  For sure I'll make some mental adjustments over the next few weeks.

Radar Road; 8:53 pace.

Back to the Capreol Ski Trails for the last time this year. Unless I go skiing on them this winter, of course.  Pace was 10:18.

The cooler nights have had one great side effect - no deer flies or mosquitoes today!  Nice.

Skead Road; 8:36 pace.

Goodwill Road; 8:57 pace.  Steady rain throughout.

Skead Road; 8:45 pace.

Radar Road; 8:37 pace.

I make the 4 hour drive to Haliburton for the 100, one week from today.

Goodwill Road; 8:46 pace.

Goodwill Road; 8:50 pace.  Rain the whole way.

Goodwill Road; 8:45 pace.

Last shakeout run before tomorrow's Ultra.  Goodwill Road; 8:57 pace.

I have Mass this morning at one of my Nursing Homes, and will leave right after that.  It's about a 4 1/2 drive to Base Camp.  I hope to arrive by about 4pm, so I can check in, pick up my number (#20), drop off my Drop Bags and set up my tent at my camp site.  There is a mandatory dinner for all 100 milers at 6pm.  Race starts Saturday at 6am, with a hard cutoff for finishing at Noon Sunday.

The weather looks like this:  Lows in the single digits Celcius (mid 40s F) and highs in the high teens Celcius (mid 60s F).  Some rain likely, especially Saturday afternoon, but possible also at the start and overnight Saturday.  It's raining there now, so mud may be a factor.

The course is 25 miles out and then back on the same route, done twice.  Aid stations roughly 5 miles apart.  I'm using 3 drop bags.  The 2 main ones, with extra clothes/lights/etc., I'll leave at both ends, and I'll leave one with just Tailwind in about the middle.  I'm going to run exclusively on Tailwind, carrying 1200 calories worth at a time, using 2 soft flasks which I'll refill at the aid stations, and a fanny pack carrying the Tailwind refills.

Right now, I'm just aiming to finish in the 30 hours.  If I come in sooner - bonus!  More sleep at the end.

As far as my physical condition goes:

The right groin pain (injured in May) is still there, but doesn't seem to be more than a minor nuisance.  I'm not sure what it will do over 100 miles, but I think it will be okay IF I don't slip/fall.

The right achilles tendon pain has not been there this week during the taper.  I think it will be the biggest wild card over 100 miles.  The hills seem to challenge it.

The left plantar fasciitus (or whatever it is - might be a deep bruise) is still there, but seems to go away the further I run.  

Oh, and I woke up with a stupid paper cut (I think) on my left index finger.  I don't know where that came from.  Can bed sheets give you a paper cut???

Beyond that, I'm healthy and well trained.  If experience tells me anything, I'll be so sore pretty much everywhere 12 hours in, that my current aches will just kind of blend into the background.

I was at emergency last night; a good friend had a stroke and was rushed there by ambulance.  I stayed with him and his wife and son until they flew him down to Toronto for surgery.  I told him I would offer up all the pain of this Ultra for him.  Here's to you buddy!

Haliburton 100 Forest Ultra

THE PRELUDE:

After wrapping up things on Friday at the Nursing Home, I made the 4 1/2 drive to Base Camp at the Haliburton Forest Reserve.  I checked in for my campsite, not far from the start line, deposited my 3 drop bags, and picked up my bib number and hoodie.  That gave me enough time to set up my tent before the 6pm mandatory dinner. 

At the dinner, everyone was asked to introduce themself and say a bit about themself.  The organizers went through a number of housekeeping items, and then detailed instructions on how the trails were marked.  Basically, a small orange flag on the ground about every 35 paces, with alternating orange and yellow bunched together where a turn was coming up.  Going out, all the flags would be on the right.  Coming back, on the left.  There is one loop around MacDonald Lake that is a bit confusing, because you have to run it in opposite directions depending on if you are going out or coming back.  No matter - I nailed it.  Not everyone did.

After that, I retired to my tent, set out all my running gear, set my alarm for 4:15am and went to sleep.  I woke up just before my alarm, and was on my way.  Coffee, morning prayers, lube, gear and go.  There was a role call at 5:45 and then we were piped to the start line about 100 yards away.  The 6am start was for both the 50 milers (out and back) and us 100 milers who would run the course twice.  There were 63 running the 50 miles, and 53 of us in the 100 miler.  So, 116 head lamps piercing the cool darkness.  It was 10C/50F, but I opted to run in short sleeves and shorts.  I ditched my fleece jacket just before the start.  I was running in Salomon Trail shoes, with Injinji toe socks and calf compression sleeves.  I wore fingerless grip gloves, not for warmth, but to protect my skin if I fell.  With 10 seconds to go, there was a collective count down and we were off.  Man, were we off!  You just gotta be "off" to do this!

CHAPTER ONE:  Nutrition, Hydration, GI ... Oh My!

My plan was to run exclusively with Tailwind.  I had used that in my 24 hour 100 miler last year, and it was all I needed.  I trained with it and it seemed to sit well with me.  Still, as a precaution, I took a couple of Immodium at the start, then two more about 12 hours in and popped Pepto Bismol Chews as needed along the way.  That didn't actually work the way I wanted, and I took 2 more Immodium around Midnight. 

I had the nutrition down to a science.  The human body can typically process about 300 calories/hour.  I trained with that amount on all my long runs.  I was wearing a running vest.  In it, I carried a small rain jacket that would double as a wind breaker if needed.  I carried the Pepto Bismol and Immodium tablets, along with Ibuprofin.  Also a small flashlight in case my headlamp failed, some t.p., lip balm and two hand held soft flasks that each held 17 ounces of water.  Then I wore a fanny pack that carried 4 small tubes of Tailwind, each worth 200 calories.  That is the "perfect" mixture of water, nutrition and electrolytes when mixed in the 17 ounce flasks.  I stashed tubes at Aid Stations 2, 5 and 7.  As I finished the flask, I dumped new powder in as I ran and then just filled it with water at the next Aid Station.  My plan was to spend almost no time at Aid Stations.  I would restock my Tailwind at my Drop Bag sites and carry on.  I packed 9,400 calories worth of Tailwind.  Enough to last 31 hours.  I actually used just 2,800 calories worth - 100 calories/hour.  Something, obviously, did not go according to plan.

Surprisingly early on, the Tailwind was not sitting well.  I found I was unable to sip it the way I had in training.  I was forcing myself to take it, but my stomach was protesting.  Some hours in, I found myself incredibly thirsty, because I wasn't able to handle the mixture.  So, at the next Aid Station, I filled my flask with just water and gulped it down in one swallow.  Then did that again.  Then a third time.  Incredible.  The water tasted SO good, and the Tailwind was just awful.  So, from that point on, I ran with mostly water.  I knew I had to take in nutrition, so I started eating the boiled potatoes and watermelon that was offered.  Those tasted great and sat well with me.  On my second time out at Aid Station 4, I ate a cup full of their famous Peanut Butter Soup.  I won't say what it looked like, but I will say it was amazing!  That was the same Aid Station on my final time through where I ate a grilled cheese sandwich.  Man, was THAT GOOD!

So, the nutrition was a bit of a bust.  I had to improvise as I went, because now I was really hungry, plus I knew I needed the calories.  So, I took what was offered at the Aid Stations and spent more time there than planned. 

CHAPTER TWO:  I'm Tired

The volunteers at the 7 Aid Stations were superb.  They kept their camp fires going through the night and offered a wide assortment of food, as well as enthusiastic encouragement.  They were also responsible for recording us runners as we passed, and given the technical mix ups in my last 2 races, I made sure they recorded me.  "NUMBER 20" I would yell as I approached, and then I made sure they said my name as a verification that all was good.  That was because earlier on, I yelled "NUMBER 20 in" and I heard the recorder repeat "number 28".  

Part of their job is to evaluate the runners to make sure everyone is safe, and so I was constantly being asked how I felt.  My response:  "For some reason, I feel really, really tired".  Most got that as a joke, although some got concerned and asked if I wanted to sit down.  Beware the chair!  I never sat.

As expected, all the aches and pains kind of melded together at some point.  I was primarily concerned with the three pains I started with.  Of those, only the left foot was much of an issue.  The right groin pain faded away and the right achilles tendon pain never really threatened anything serious.  That left foot, however, screamed at me whenever I torqued it by landing a certain way on a root or a rock.  And there were a LOT of those!  I took to being extra cautious with that foot landing, but there is only so much you can do on such a technical course.  Fortunately, as painful as it was, the foot pain actually seemed to decrease as I went.  Or maybe it was just that melding of all the pains together that made that one pain less noticeable.  Either way, there WAS a lot of pain just about everywhere, but no injuries.  And no falls.  I came SO close any number of times with stumbles and slips, but managed to catch myself every time.  I would say the quads were the most beat up at the end.  It got to the point where running downhill was nearly impossible.  I took the ibuprofin as needed, and it took the edge off.

It was obvious that many runners were struggling, and were dropping out at a high rate.  The Aid Stations were in constant communication with walkie talkies, and while eating something at Aid Station 3, I heard Base Camp announce two runners that had just dropped out.  Dropping out was not an option for me, although I had to constantly push that idea out of my mind.  I think the worst part of that mental game was when I starting to hope for a serious injury that would force the organizers to pull me off the course.  I would object, of course - 'hey, I can finish with a broken leg - I'm tough'.  For sure the mental battle is a huge part of an Ultra, but going in with the attitude that "I AM going to finish" is a huge help.  It turns out that of the 53 of us who started, only 24 finished.  29 dropped out.

I think the most challenging point in my race was the most technical section between Aid Stations 4 and 5.  On my return leg, that section brought me to the verge of collapse.  I was over heating and thought I was running a fever.  I took my hat off to help dissipate the heat, but was feeling nauseous, headachy and a bit dizzy.  I fought through to Aid Station 4, and after that was on an upswing with a second wind that carried me to the 50 mile turn around.  Good thing, as that section saw the weather take a nasty turn.

CHAPTER THREE:  A Flash and a Boom!

Rain was predicted for the afternoon and through to the evening.  It started right on time, and when it was done at 10:30pm, sections of trail were turned into a muddy mess.  Not nearly as bad as Sulphur Springs in May, but still a slippery soup of mud, roots and rocks.  The worst of it fell when I was on the East Road heading back to the turn around at Base Camp.  At one point, it was coming down so hard I could not see the runners just in front of me.  And the thunder, having been moving closer and closer, arrived in full fury.  At one point I was shuffling over the crest of a hill with my head down and there was a brilliant flash just ahead, where a couple were walking ahead of me.  I looked up thinking it was a camera flash from the photographer, just as the explosion of thunder resounded.  The couple in front of me jumped.  It was SO close.

I think the rain was a key reason why so many dropped out.  A lot of runners would have been within striking distance of Base Camp when it hit, and I'm sure the mental and physical fatigue at that point was such that the storm pushed many over the edge.  When I came running into Base Camp, there were a number of 50 milers with their arms raised and medals being hung around their necks.  As I came in, the Race Coordinator said to me "Good work - now get your *ss back out there and do it again!"  I did.  I had run the first 50 miles in 10:52:33.  I felt confident of coming in under the 30 hour cut off.

Knowing that the rain was predicted to continue off and on until around 10pm., I decided to stay with what I was wearing.  I figured I'd be at the 75 mile mark around Midnight.  I had a drop bag there with a change of clothes and a jacket.  I would get dry then and try to stay warm over night.  As it turned out, the final rain came shortly after 10, as predicted.  By Midnight, however, I was completely dry and decided to continue on without changing anything.  I hoped it wasn't a mistake, but I never felt cold during the night.  On the contrary, I was still battling that feeling of being nauseous and overheated.

CHAPTER FOUR:  The Garmin

I knew the battery in my Garmin 35 would not last the distance.  Initially, I was going to run the first 50 miles with it, maybe 75, and then switch to a regular watch.  But at some point, I read about runners recharging their devices with a portable charger, and that's what I ended up doing.  I found one for less than $10 at Staples that would provide enough juice and fit in the palm of my hand.  My plan was to pick it up from my Drop Bag at Aid Station Two and run with it while charging my watch until I had run the Normac Trail Loop clockwise, through the Base Camp halfway point, and then through Normac again counterclockwise.  At that point, I would drop it off back at AS#2 and have a full charge for the final 43 miles.  Good plan.  Didn't work.

It did work for a while.  The watch was charging.  After finishing the Normac, it was close to full charge.  But that's when the storm really opened up.  I think the rain killed my charger, because at that point, there was nothing I could do to get it powered up.  I was pretty sure it wasn't drained, and I verified that after the race.  Once dried out, it had plenty of charge remaining.  It just gave up in the rain.  Still, I hoped the charge I managed to get into my Garmin would carry me to the end.  But it didn't.  Shortly after mile 85, my Garmin was done.

Up until then, I had been doing the math in my head.  My "wouldn't that be an incredible finish" goal was to come in at a 15:00/mile pace (25 hour finish).  Unrealistic on this course, but one can always dream.  My "you better not run ANY slower than this" goal was 18:00/mile pace (30 hour cutoff).  I would happily have taken that.  But my real goal was somewhere in between.  I just wasn't sure where, until the halfway point, when I set it at 16:00/mile pace (26:40).  At the 25 mile mark, I was averaging a pace of 12:30/mile, or just over 5 hours.  But I could already feel myself slowing down and I watched the average pace click upwards.  At the halfway point, I was running an average pace of 13:03/mile.  It had taken me about 45 minutes longer for that quarter.  Given the struggles I had in that quarter, the weather, the pain and the descending darkness, I figured a finish in the 26 - 27 hour range would be ambitious, but possible.  Yes, it was arbitrary.  But it gave me a goal.  I would aim to run the second half in about 15 1/2 hours.  I hit the 75 mile Aid Station #7 around Midnight, so I was running at an average pace of about 14:25/mile.  I was hurting.  The darkness had reduced me to a trudge.  I was alone.  But I was confident I could do it.  I had nearly 12 hours to cover 25 miles, after all.  Barring a big surprise, I had this.

So, at mile 85 when my Garmin gave up, I was okay with that.  I had been watching my progress, and I was keeping a decidedly slow, but consistent pace.  I didn't even bother (or I forgot to ask) the time at the three Aid Stations remaining.  So, I was pleased to see my final time.  It worked out to an average pace of 16:04/mile.  Would I have been able to run 400 seconds faster just to come in at 16:00/mile, had I known how close I was?  I don't know.  At that point, I was pushing really hard.  And, quite frankly, I don't think I would have cared.  Besides, I was still hallucinating something fierce, and I'm not sure there was anything I could have done to move faster.  

CHAPTER FIVE:  Meerkats, Birds and Deer in the Night

In my 100 mile event last year in London, I saw people in the night that were not there.  I wasn't sure if it was hallucination, or just the play of shadows thrown by my headlight.  It didn't add up to much in any event.  It sure did in this race.  It started at some point on my final 25.  I began to marvel at the incredibly artistic signs that someone had put up - all sorts of wild and creative creatures painted on billboards.  Except they would disappear as I got close, or melt back into the trees, shrubs and ground vegetation that they actually were.  Once I clued in to the illusion, I started to enjoy it.   I just assumed it was the interplay of my light and the shadows it created.  I wondered if other runners would see the same pictures, or if their minds would perceive something else.  I saw a very dangerous mound of sharp knives on the trail which I nearly stepped on.  I was angry someone had put it there - would seriously injure a runner.  When I went to carefully move it, the grass just slipped in between my fingers.  Wild.  So real.

That basically continued right through that most technical section leading back to Aid Station #4.  By then, however, I was beginning to see various animals that were not there.  They were crossing in front of me and causing me to step aside so as to avoid them.  I was seeing all sorts of benches that were not there my previous 3 passes.  I forced myself to shuffle past them.  Do NOT sit down, I told myself.  Just before AS#4, there was a couple sitting on one of those benches.  They surprised me.  As I ran by, I nearly made a comment to them about sitting way out here in the dark.  But then, I figured out they were not real.  They just stared at me as I went by.  Wild stuff.  But it got more interesting.

At AS#4, I asked about an outhouse.  They said there was one I could use about 100 yards down this lane.  Honestly, I still don't know what it was I saw down that lane.  I think I used an outhouse.  Beyond that, it was a wild trip.  I did eat that grilled cheese sandwich though, and it tasted SO good (at least, I think it did).

On Poacher's Trail, my light began to fade.  I had used one from sunset until Midnight, then switched off at AS#7 to a fresh one.  But I had kept the first light, just in case.  I'm glad I did.  Some time after that, I was at the next AS.  The sky was just beginning to show dawn, and I had just 7.2 miles left to the finish.  This is where the hallucinations became more pronounced.  And the worst of it in full daylight.

There were birds.  Lots of birds.  Big birds.  Like ducks and pellicans and long necked things I didn't recognize.  At one point, running on a road, I actually moved to the other side because I didn't want to disturb them as they walked along.  On the trail, however, they were everywhere.  And if it wasn't a bird, it was herd of deer.  Or fox.  Or some other creature I didn't know.  I saw a stunning Meerkat just ahead.  It just stood there on the trail.  As I stepped passed, it turned back into a stick.  Shrubs, rocks, branches - they all became something else.  It was like running through Disneyland, or Dreamland, except I was wide awake and the sun was fully risen.  This continued right to the finish line.  It was the most entertaining thing I have ever experienced on a run.  When I crossed the finish line and went to my truck to grab a change of clothes, there were a bunch of little 6 armed bugs on the floor of my truck, waving their arms at me.  Seriously,  I bent down nose to nose with them, and they didn't go away.  I swept at them, and they just moved around my fingers.  I tried to crush them with my finger, and they just looked up at me with an annoyed frown on their faces.  It took the first 3 hour nap for that to pass.  Then I went back to look - it was small bits of gravel on the floor of my truck.  Wow.

CHAPTER SIX - The Subaru

About 2 miles after the 25 mile turn around, there is a pretty technical trail section.  Not an easy run.  A runner approaching me said "car on the trail" as he passed.  What?  Well, around a corner and there it was.  A crew member for someone had decided to drive to AS#7 on the trail, rather than on the road.  He was seriously stuck.  I mean, I don't think a tow truck would get in there to help him out.  I'm amazed he got that far.  He was working on a tire - not sure if he had blown it, or if he was just jacking it because he was hung up.  I know this was not an illusion, because a) it was too early and b) I was with another runner who saw the same thing.  I asked the dude if he wanted me to get help for him at the next Aid Station.  He said no, he was fine.  He was NOT fine.  There was NO WAY he was going to get that sucker out without a tow.  Oh, also c), I found a picture of that stuck Subaru on facebook just a few minutes ago!

Well, as funny as it seems, that Subaru inspired me.  I really wanted to see if it would still be there in about 12 hours when I next came by.  Whenever I wanted to quit, I told myself I would never know if it was still there if I did.  Funny thing is, I've put the Subaru on my short list as a replacement for my 16 year old pick up truck.  I've seen the ads.  They are tough and can go anywhere.  Ha.  Not quite!

Well, I THINK it was gone when I got back there.  Honestly, I forgot to look for it.  I'm pretty sure my light would have picked it up if it was there.  Then again, who knows.  Maybe it had turned into a big rock in my mind.

THE POSTLUDE:

I showered and slept for 3 hours.  That took care of the waving bugs.  I am grateful I decided to camp one extra night; I was in no shape to drive home.  The awards brunch and ceremony was at 1pm.  It blew me away that I won the Master's Division.  Totally unexpected.  For that, besides my 100 mile belt buckle, I got a warm hug from the Race Director, a hearty handshake from the Race Coordinator, and a nice towel.  The winner ran a course record setting time of 15:36!!!  Amazing kid.

I slept another 4 hours that afternoon, and then grabbed a pizza for dinner.  By 8:30, I was back in my tent and I slept 11 hours.  After a wonderful breakfast, I broke camp and started home.  I made one unscheduled stop.  On my previous drives there, I had seen this sign for a viewing tower.  I stopped.  It is an old fire watch tower they have rebuilt as a tourist viewing platform.  For $15, you can drive the half mile up the mountain to the tower.  Or, for cheap guys like me, you can pay $5 and walk up.  Hey, a good way to stretch things out, I figured.  So I walked the steep road to the tower, and then climbed the tower for the great view.  Then back down the steep road to my truck and home.

That was actually a good way to take stock of myself.  The walk up was easier.  My hamstrings were not too bad.  I guess walking the uphills in the race was part of the reason for that.  The stairs were difficult, as my quads were trashed.  That really showed on the downhill - ouch.  Blisters - very few and nothing of significance.  Those Injinji socks really came through.  As of now, no pain in my foot, groin or achilles tendon.  Sure hope that continues.  Basically, stiff and sore all over, but bouncing back quickly.  I suspect in the next day or so, I may discover something that hurts more than it should.  For now, I'm basking in the success of the run, eating whatever I can, and looking for tiny bugs waving their little arms at me.

Local track; 9:37 pace.  I didn't want to wander far from home, in case something didn't go right.  So, just 8 laps on the track across the street.  So far, everything seems good.  Worst tightness is in the left hammie.  Numbness in my left forefoot still lingering after the race.  I'm guessing some mild nerve damage, but nothing serious.

Goodwill Drive; 9:31 pace.  Nothing really stands out as significantly sore.  Just an overall tiredness in my legs.  

Goodwill Drive; 9:24 pace.  Still feeling the deadness in my legs.  But slowly coming back to life.

Well, that finally started to feel a lot better.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.  Had my legs under me today, and still ran very easy.

Goodwill Drive; 8:47 pace.  Gorgeous sunrise through the fog.

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.  

I threw in 3 very short (100 feet max) strides, just to see.

Radar Road; 8:41 pace.

Gorgeous morning.  Full sun, no wind, 14C/57F and the leaves are starting to show some decent colour.  All good.

I'm going on retreat next week; will run daily, but won't have access to a computer, so will blog everything when I get home next weekend.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.

Back to running 6 days/week as I launch into the very beginning stages of preparing for the A1A Marathon in January.  18 weeks away.

Really sticky/wet out there.  20C/68F with a misty kind of rain and 100% humidity.

Goodwill Drive; 8:37 pace.

On retreat this week, so did my morning runs on the lower Craigmount Road in Combermere.  Today's pace:  9:15.  

Lower Craigmount Road; 8:55 pace.

Lower Craigmount Road; 9:01 pace.

In the morning darkness/twilight, a deer at the side of the road was startled and ran across just in front of me.  Pretty startling to me too!

Drove to Toronto yesterday, so today ran on a very nice trail system just North of that city.  At my turn around point, they were just getting ready to start a women's mud race.  They had some really neat and muddy obstacles set up along the way.  I avoided them.  8:56 pace.

I just got home.

Goodwill Drive; 8:40 pace.  

Mondays will be my day for speedwork at the track for the next 9 weeks.  Hopefully the snow will hold off until then.

Today I started easy.  12 x 400 with 400 recoveries.  Was aiming for a 7:00/mile pace (1:45/lap), but my legs wouldn't let me slow down enough.  So, ran basically around a 1:35 pace (6:20/mile), which I know is too fast.  Fastest lap was 1:32 and slowest was 1:40.  I think it will slow down once I increase the length of my intervals.

I'm using the Hanson's method again.  A1A is 17 weeks away.  Things will officially launch next week:  Monday speedwork, Wednesday tempo work, Saturday long runs.  Tuesdays off and the rest of the days easy/recovery.

Goodwill Drive.  Easy pace.  I ran one at Tempo Pace (7:55) just to see how it felt.  Starting next week, Wednesdays will be my regular Tempo Run day.

Goodwill Drive; 9:00 easy pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:54 easy pace.

I'm driving the 3 1/2 hours to Collingwood today for a Half Marathon tomorrow morning.  I don't plan on racing it - just want to enjoy the scenery and use it as an easy long run.

I have run this event a few times.  Last year I ran it just 3 weeks after my 100 miler.  This year, it was 4 weeks.  My body felt much better than last year.

My intention was to relax and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery.  Basically, an easy long run.  In fact, I considered pacing the 1:55 race time, but was afraid I wouldn't be able to keep that pace.  However, my initial miles were all around the 8:00/mile pace, and it felt easy.  So I just went with it.

It never really felt hard, and I kept that pace to the end.  The last 2 miles, I ran both at 6:57.   So, essentially, I ran a 13 mile Tempo Workout.  If nothing else, my confidence of being able to run a 3:30 marathon in January was boosted.  The 18 weeks of training should make that possible, although today's race temperature of 2C/35F is likely a tad more favorable than Fort Lauderdale's temperature will be.

The 1:45 pace bunny came in at the same time as me.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:50 pace.  Light rain, but warm.  A little sore from yesterday's Half, but not too bad.

Speedwork at the track.  8 x 600 with 400 recoveries.  All in the 2:28 - 2:30 range, equivalent to a 6:40/mile pace.  A bit faster than my goal, but it felt okay.

Tempo pace run on Goodwill Drive.

Averaged 6 miles at 7:53 pace.  Low of 7:50 and high of 7:55.  I was aiming for something in the 7:55 range, so pretty close to my goal pace.

Goodwill Drive Easy Run; 8:59 pace.  Crisp.  Gloves might soon need to give way to mittens.

Goodwill Drive; 8:59 pace.

This week has been glorious, but today is likely the last of that.  Cold and wet for the week ahead.  I'm going to take my motorcycle out for what will likely be one last ride this season.

"Long Run" on Radar Road; 8:08 pace.

I'm supposed to run my Long Runs around 8:30 pace, so this was a bit of a fail.  Just couldn't dial back on the pace.  Will have to focus better on that next time.

Finally discovered the source of the pain in my right hip and left foot:  Arthritis!

The good news:  It's not a running injury, and running won't make it worse.

The bad news:  Some days, it just hurts.  After Wednesday's Tempo run, I was limping for a few hours.  

The conclusion:  Getting old hurts!  But running helps mitigate the hurt.

Oh, and ELIUD KIPCHOGE - A record Marathon time of 1:59:40.  Just incredible!

Goodwill Drive; 8:54 pace.  First time I had to run with my headlamp.  Days are rapidly getting shorter, and it didn't help that it rain/sleeted the whole time.

5C/40F with a strong wind.  And that nasty sleet/rain, of course.

Some speedwork on the track across the street.

6 x 800 with 400 recoveries.

Laps were:  3:17  3:15  3:22  3:22  3:20  and  3:21.

Again, a touch faster than my goal pace (3:25), but I didn't feel like I was pushing it.

0C/32F with just a touch of wind.  The sun came out partway through, which felt great.

Tempo Run Wednesdays.

Goodwill Drive.  Cold, wet, windy.

Again, aiming for a pace of about 7:55/mile.  Actually averaged 7:48/mile, with a high of 7:51 and a low of 7:43.  That's a little too fast.  I'll have to dial it back a bit.