Going Long (again) in 2024

Tempo Run on the treadmill this morning.

10 miles at 7:47 pace.

Physically I felt fine.  Mentally, I had to fight the brain that kept telling me to stop.

Treadmill; 9:22 average pace.

Easy treadmill run; 9:18 average pace.

My final long run for this training cycle.  On the treadmill.  Pace was 8:27 steady, with the final 3 miles at Marathon Pace (7:52).

Other than a couple more strength and tempo workouts, I'm pretty all set to go for A1A.  Just gotta do something about those temperatures down there.  

Treadmill at 9:05 average pace.

Three weeks from today I'll be running A1A.  Today's temperature in Fort Lauderdale:  currently sitting at 14C/57F.  It's almost never that low there.  I would LOVE to see those temperatures three weeks from today!

Strength work on the treadmill this morning.

4 x 1.5 mile repeats @ 7:30 pace with 800 recoveries.

10 mile Tempo on the treadmill; 7:41 pace.   

Two weeks from today I'll be in Key West.  Bring it on!

Treadmill recovery run; 9:15/mile pace.

Easy treadmill run; 9:12/mile pace.

Was notified yesterday that my flight to Fort Lauderdale was changed AGAIN.  4th time.  This time, not by a few minutes either way.  I now leave Sudbury Sunday night instead of Monday morning, and so need to stay over night in Toronto.  Ah well.  I'll get there one way or another.

Treadmill; 9:10/mile pace.

Treadmill; 9:20 pace.

Just finished running when my mission Church in Skead called to cancel the 9am Mass.  Nobody can get out of their driveways due to a massive snow storm.  Ah well.  A few bonus hours to myself.

Final Strength Workout.  Treadmill.

6 x 1 mile repeats @ 7:30 pace with 400 recoveries.

Except for the pain in my left foot, which is still there, everything else is firing on all cylinders.  Long range forecast for Fort Lauderdale (ha, as if that is accurate) shows decent temps on race day.  Sure hoping that happens.

Final Tempo run.  Treadmill; 7:41 pace.

All easy paced taper runs from here on in.

Treadmill recovery run; 9:15 pace.

Treadmill; 9:14 pace.

A bit of a scare last night; e-mail from Air Canada telling me my flight was cancelled due to a lack of airplanes.  No way to get in touch with anybody - they won't talk to you unless you are within 24 hours of departure.

So, several hours of plotting options:  driving (25 hours!), flying out of Detroit or Buffalo, dropping the Key West portion of the holiday, etc.

After several hours, another e-mail.  New flight booked out of Toronto an hour or so earlier on Monday.  So, for now, I'm somewhat back to where I was.  For now.

Treadmill easy run; 9:10 pace.

As far as I know, I'm flying Sudbury to Toronto tomorrow night.

Easy treadmill run; 9:15 pace. 

My next run will be tomorrow afternoon in Homestead, Florida.

Okay, I'm in Fort Lauderdale.

But yesterday was in Key West.

And the day before (Monday) was in Homestead.

So, a flight that was delayed many times over.  Left Sudbury late Sunday night.  A late arrival in Toronto.  A sleepless night.  And early departure.  And I'm in Homestead, at an Airbnb, after driving down from Fort Lauderdale.

So, Monday afternoon, off for my 5 mile easy run.  First time outside in over a month.  And it's hot.  24C/75F.  After 1 mile, I'm wondering why I'm doing this.  At 2pm.  In this heat.  But I did it, and I got faster and faster as I went.  Ended up running an 8:30/mile average.  And it felt okay.

I noticed:  the drivers in Florida are no different from the drivers in Sudbury.  Good and bad.

And, although weed is legal in Ontario (and not in Florida), it doesn't seem to make much difference.  Still passed 'zones' where tokers left their scent.

Tuesday off.  Driving to Key West.

So, I arrived in Key West mid day Tuesday.  It was colder than it has EVER been in Key West.  WOW!  

The staff in the bars were dressed the way I dress when I run in -40 temperaturs.  Seriously.  Down coats (where do they GET down coats down here???), scarves, touques.  (Seriously, they wore touques!!!).  Even balaclavas.  Unbelievable.

All the boat tours were cancelled.  Snorkelling too.  I couldn't do my snorkelling in Key Largo - cancelled.  Just incredible.  It felt like home in Spring.  

I wore the same jacket and hoodie that I wore at the airport when I left Sudbury.  And it still felt cold!  Very strong wind from the north.

No run on Tuesday.  Wednesday morning, I ran 6 miles around the Key.  8:40 pace.  In the afternoon, I drove back to Fort Lauderdale.  I just arrived.  In an airbnb for the next 7 nights.  Ready for A1A!!!  Bring it on!!!  The one thing I could not control was the heat.  And now it looks as if that won't be an issue.  All is good!

This is a very nice airbnb.  I've lucked out with those on this trip.

Morning run down to the water and back; 8:56 pace.  Still on the cool side, at 14C/57F.  

Marathon morning is predicted to be a touch cooler at the start:  12C/54F.  Pretty close to ideal, which is amazing for here.

Today I'm off to Miami to do the touristy thing.

A full day in Miami yesterday.  Did 4 tours.  A Duck Boat tour out of Miami Beach, then a Jet Boat thrill ride out of Miami, followed by a Cruise on the Island Queen (Millionaire's Row), and then a night tour on a bus through both Miami and Miami Beach.

All were very good.  It was warm and sunny for the Duck Boat, cold and rainy for the Jet Boat, mixed rain and not rain for the Cruise, and a torrential downpour for the Bus Tour.  The Atlantic Ocean was shooting up through the street drains.

The guy narrating the tour on the bus was incredible.  A long day, but I managed to cover a lot of territory as a tourist.

Today, a humid run.  100% humidity.  Fortunately, just 19C/66F.  8:42 pace.  

The forecast for race morning hasn't changed:  13C/56F with 75% humidity and dropping humidity as the morning goes on.

This morning, I'm doing a snorkelling tour out of Fort Lauderdale.  Will make up for the one I missed in Key Largo.  Then will head down to the Convention Center this afternoon for the Race Expo.

Easy shake out run through the local Cemetery.  It's a quarter mile from where I'm staying, and one loop is exactly one mile.

8:42 pace.  19C/66F, but with the 93% humidity, it felt hotter than that.  Sure will be glad for tomorrow's lower temperature and humidity.

Then a trip back down to Miami Beach to do the lazy 'do nothing' thing that is perfect for the day before a marathon.  Sat in the sun and watched all the gorgeous beach bodies go by.

Am meeting Tom and a few of his family/friends at Church for 5pm, and then we'll go out for dinner afterwards.

Oh, yesterday's snorkel adventure was exactly that.  Definitely NOT the same as doing that in Maui!  The little reef was off shore and the swells were pretty intense.  And there were a LOT of jelly fish.  I was the first one in, and quickly realized I had forgotten to put my flippers on.  So, while trying desperately to dodge jelly fish and not being able to move too fast in the swells, I panicked and swallowed some sea water.  Yuck.  

I made it back to the boat to get the flippers, but now the taste of sea water and the huge swells led to me getting sea sick.  After sitting for a while waiting for it to pass, it just got worse.  And that, boys and girls, was the extent of my snorkelling.  Ah well.  The boat ride was fun.  And honestly, I didn't want to ruin 16 weeks of excellent training with one stupid jelly fish sting on my leg.  So, in hind sight, I was okay with not going back in the water.  Besides, when I up chucked over board, there must have been several dozen fish drawn to it.  I saw all I wanted to see in the fish family that day.

Last night, attended Church and then to dinner with Tom and his friend Scott, along with their lovely wives Donna and Diane.  My deep appreciation to my newly met friends who split my bill between them.  

This morning, up at 3am to launch what was intended to be the ultimate focus of this holiday.  I had a good training cycle.  I did not miss any training for any reason.  No injuries; even my left foot has been fairly quiet.  I felt strong and healthy.

I met Tom in the starting coral around 5:30am.  My goal was a 3:30 marathon, which should get me to Boston again.  My BQ time is 3:25, so beating it by 5 minutes was my intention.  This was Tom's first Half.  Hard to believe, with so many races under his belt.  So, he set a very loose goal of under 1:45, but we both were pretty sure he'd do much better.  In any event, our initial paces were projected to be the same.

It was pretty tight at the start, as per normal for races.  Based on the results, there were just shy of 600 marathoners and 3,000 half marathoners starting at 6am.  We stuck with the 3:30/1:45 pacers to begin, but they really started out too fast.  The first 2 miles were 7:36 and 7:44.  Not what I wanted, and it did seem fast.

At mile 2, Tom was off.  He looked over his shoulder at me to see if I was following, but I had to stick to my plan.  He ended up with an excellent PR event:  1:37:57 for a 7:30/mile pace.  Awesome job Tom!  I look forward to reading your report.

So now, I just tried to settle in to an 8:00/mile pace.  I was slightly ahead of the pacer, and planned on sticking to him like glue (if he finally settled into the right pace).  I ran the next 5 miles at 7:55, 7:49, 8:08, 8:07 and 7:55, so pretty much on track and feeling good.  

Unfortunately, that where my GI problems started.  I sure wish I could get a handle on this problem.  I still can't figure out where things go wrong.  But I ended up having to make 5 emergency stops along the way.  Not as bad as Boston 3 years ago, but at least I had lots of good reasons to be sick when I ran in Boston.

So, during mile 8 I had to stop.  That meant a 9:19/mile pace.  I figured the pacer was ahead of me after that, but I never saw him again.  Still, I wasn't that far off pace, and I was hoping this was a once only stop.  I decided to just keep my pace and slowly close the distance.  So, the next 2 miles were 7:49 and 7:54, but then had to stop again.  That gave me a time of 9:18 for mile 11.  By now, I had taken 4 immodium and 6 pepto bismol caplets, and I had really emptied myself, so I was hopeful that unpleasantness was done.

The next 3 miles I ran at 7:52, 7:55 and 7:49.  I hit the Half Marathon mat in a recorded time of 1:46:06.  So, I did the math in my head, a quick assessment of how I was feeling, and decided I could still bring this home.  Other than my GI issues, I was firing on all cylinders at this point.  But then, an urgent stop during mile 15 which gave me my slowest mile on the day at 9:37.  Ouch.  Then after running the next mile at 7:50, I had to stop again.  So mile 17 was 8:26.

At that point, I figured there couldn't be much left in my GI system, and I was stoked to do what I came here to do.  I had 9 miles to go, and after doing the math in my head, I figured I could still pull this off.

So, the next 4 miles I ran at 7:39, 7:45, 7:42 and 7:45.  I knew I could do it at this point, and I REALLY tried to avoid stopping again.  But nature doesn't give you that option, sadly.  So, another stop during mile 22 gave me an 8:59/mile.  After that, I was SO close.  I didn't want to open it up just yet, but I did run faster over the final 4 miles:  7:38, 7:36, 7:28 and 7:07.  Plus, of course, the final .2.  Tom was there cheering me on at the end.  I was a little unsteady on my feet, and more unsteady in my GI system, but I came in just 21 seconds over my intended goal for the day.  I'm still 4 minutes 39 seconds under my BQ time, so I'm pretty confident I'll make the cut for the 2021 running of the 125th Boston Marathon.  

I added up the time it took for my 5 stops, using an 8:00/mile as my baseline, and calculated that I lost almost 6 minutes (5:45 to be precise) because of them.  Too bad - that would have put me in striking distance of beating my marathon PR I set in Chicago.  Of course, it's hard to say for sure that my 5 minutes of stopping and sitting along the way didn't also preserve my energy for running harder.  So, who's to say?

The weather, fortunately, could not have been better for a marathon.  In Fort Lauderdale!  Who knew?  It was around 12C/54F at the start and it only climbed to about 19C/66F when I finished.  But I only felt a bit hot during that final half hour push.  Clear skies.  Little wind.  Beautiful sunrise over the ocean.  Incredible views.

Tom, I don't know how you can pack down so much food and beer after running like that.  Amazing!  But thank you for sticking around for me, taking a few pictures, and coming down with me to stand in the ocean.  It was all worth it, and I hope we can do something like this again.  Put your name in for New York!

So, post marathon part of my holiday:

Monday, I drove the 2 hours to Marco Island and walked on Tiger Tail and South Beach for a whopping 7 hours.  Shelling.  And soaking it all in.  A very nice dinner, and then the drive back to Fort Lauderdale.

Tuesday, I drove the 1 hour North to West Palm Beach for an incredible 2 hour Lomi Lomi Massage.  Wow!  Just what I needed.  Then I drove another half hour North to Jupiter Island and walked the beach there for a few hours.  Also visited the Blowing Rocks Conservatory that is there.  Another nice dinner and the drive home.

Today, I leave later this morning for the airport.  I had time, and I wanted to see how I was feeling, so I headed back to the cemetery up the street for a slow run.  

9:28 pace.  Beautiful morning at 16C/61F.  Maybe a bit too early after the Marathon to run, but I know what I'll be looking at through the window tomorrow, and wanted one last chance to enjoy being (and running) outside in shorts.

Back to the treadmill; 9:23 pace as I slowly build back my mileage.

Next goal is my 100 Mile Ultra on July 4th, with my 50 Mile Ultra on May 23rd being essentially a dress rehearsal for it.

Easy treadmill run; 9:30 pace.

I'm putting the finishing touches on my training schedule for Sinister 7.  22 weeks away.  Training starts Monday.

Easy treadmill run; 9:30 pace.

So, I have my new training schedule all worked out.  Sinister 7 (100 miles) is 22 weeks from today.  Sulphur Springs (50 miles) is 16 weeks from today. 

Basically, I'm using the same program as I did in preparation for the Haliburton 100 last year.  That means going back down to running just 5 days/week.  Sundays and Thursdays will be rest days.  Most Wednesdays will be speed days (relative to the distance, so not terribly fast).

Most of the mileage piles up on the Fridays and Saturdays - my "back to backs".  I'll peak out at three weeks with 70 miles - two in May and one in June.

Treadmill; 9:30 pace.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.  Really stiff muscles in my legs for some reason this morning.  Will have to make a date with my foam roller later on.

Took it nice and easy on the treadmill; 9:50 pace.  My sore and tired legs were grateful for the slower miles.

Easy treadmill run; 9:31 pace.  Starting to count down the days when I can get back outside.  The longer my Saturday runs become, the more I'll want to get off the treadmill.

Long run on the treadmill; 9:25 pace.  

Read through the Sinister 7 race package again this morning.  21 weeks away!

Easy treadmill; 9:24 pace.

Bit of an achy back.  Yesterday, I joined a small work crew to help a friend move a bunch of very large and very heavy windows from one place to another.  We used arm straps.  My partner was 6'5", so had a very distinct advantage over me.  I'll survive!

Easy treadmill run; 9:22 pace.

Treadmill; 9:13 pace.

5 Easy Treadmill Miles; 9:13 pace.

It's moot, because I'm running indoors.  But outdoors, with the windchill, it's -37C/-35F.  You KNOW it's cold when both units of measure are the same!

Long treadmill run; kept a steady 9:31 pace throughout.

Treadmill; 9:31 pace.

Treadmill; 9:22 pace.

Good thing I have a massage booked this afternoon.  I really did a number on my back yesterday cutting down trees with a chainsaw.  Ouch!

It has been 24 days since my Marathon, so I figured it was okay to get back to more intense workouts.  Wednesdays are for speedwork.

5 x 800 @ 7:30 pace, with warm up, cool down and recoveries @ 9:31.

Funny thing, but about half way through the workout, I realized my left foot did not hurt at all for the first time since last summer.  Not sure if it's because of the speed, yesterday's massage, the ibuprofin I took because of the sore back, or just finally healing.  Or a combination of the above.  Either way, I hope it lasts.

Treadmill; 9:22 pace.  Thinking of running my 18 miler outside tomorrow.  Maybe.  We'll see ...

Finally - an outside run!  Radar Road with an average pace of 8:36.  Faster than I wanted, but the body wanted to move.

I started just before the sun came up.  Beautiful, clear skies with just a light to moderate breeze.  -5C/23F.  My fingers were cold with just the gloves to start, but once the sun came up they were fine.

Back to the treadmill; 9:31 pace.

Treadmill easy run; 9:31 pace.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

5 x 800 @ 7:13 pace with 800 recoveries.

Treadmill @ 9:31 pace.  I started to put hills into the longer runs; almost 3 miles worth today.

Like 97.7% of the rest of the world, I did not get my name drawn for the New York Marathon.  Ah well.  No loss.  This was the one year when I did not really want to run it, for various reasons.

2021, however ... I will see if I can run a Half this Fall fast enough to qualify.  I have my eye on Collingwood.  It's just 13 weeks after the Sinister 7, so maybe it won't give me enough time to recover and then work on my speed.  But it's a Saturday morning race close by, and I can't take any more weekends this year, so that will be the goal.

I SO wanted to run outside, but we had a MAJOR dump of snow on Thursday and the roads are terrible.  Plus it's COLD.  So, I got up thinking treadmill, but then changed my mind and headed out.

Instead of the highway with buried shoulders, I decided to do the Goodwill Drive Route three times.  Turned out to be a good decision.  Not much traffic on it, and it was good running.  It also brought me home after 6 miles and 12 miles to hydrate and thaw out.  My hand held froze after the first 3 miles, so that was useless.

To start, it was -19C/-2F, but as the sun got a bit higher, it warmed up all the way to -15C/4F.  The wind didn't help.  But it was SO nice to be outside for the long run again.

Beautiful morning to take it outside again.

Radar Road; 8:40 pace.

-3C/26F with little wind.

Goodwill Drive; 8:20 pace.

Beautiful sunrise, but cold running.  -7C/19F

Speedwork on the treadmill.

6 x 800 @ 6:58 with 400 recoveries.

Firing on all cylinders.

Lots of snow last night and the highway was a mess, so I did the same long run route as last week:  3 laps on Goodwill Drive.  An afternoon run, so the sun was shining and it was reasonably warm at -4C/25F.  Strong and gusty wind, however.

The road was snow covered and icy for lap one, at which point the snow plow made a pass.  After that, it was just snow packed and icy.

All the dogs came out to run with me on lap 2.  Five different ones.  Picked up my pepper spray for lap 3, just in case, and didn't see a single pooch.

8:53 average pace.

Back to the treadmill for this Back to Back.  9:31 pace.

It was only 14 hours since I ran the 20 miles, so my legs were still heavy and a bit rubbery.  I actually stopped after just 2.5 miles to eat a banana because of that.  Finished the rest no problem.

Goodwill Drive; 8:50 pace.  The road was mostly bare, with some icy patches.  Hovering just above freezing at 34 degrees.  Nice morning for running.

Goodwill Drive; 8:41 pace.

Driving snow, ice pellets, freezing rain, strong North wind - miserable.  But it was only 5 miles, so I took it out into the storm.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

4 x 800 @ 6:58 with 400 recoveries.

Easy run on Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.

Radar Road; 8:45 pace.  Beautiful morning.  Sitting around -2C/28F, and the sun came out around mile 5.

I left a bit late, ate a bit more than normal beforehand because of that, and paid for it with runner's trots at the end.  Made it home though!

So, the Bishop of our Diocese ordered the cancellation of everything, effective immediately, because of the Covid-19 Virus.  The only 'maybe' exception will be funerals.  So, now I have a lot of free time on my hands - including weekends - and there are no races to run (they have all been cancelled), no sports to watch (all cancelled), and no way I can increase the amount of running that I'm already doing.  Kinda sucks.

Got a notice that my Sinister 7 Ultra in July might be cancelled ... pending how things progress.  Likely will also see the cancellation of my May Ultra, and my May and June Half Marathons.  Ah well.  Out of my hands, so I'll just keep running.  

Keep well everyone! 

Radar Road; 9:00 pace.  Cool running; -12C/11F.

Goodwill Drive; 9:00 pace.  

A very gentle snow falling, with huge flakes.  Kinda magical.

Speedwork on the treadmill.

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

Radar Road; 8:36 pace.

Going out the first 6 miles was miserable.  Driving sleet/snow right into my face.  Stinging eyes and close to zero visibility.

Coming back the final 6 miles was an absolute delight!

First of my races was postponed until October.  Sudbury Rocks Half Marathon that was orginally scheduled for the last weekend of May.

Still waiting to hear about my two Ultras.  The organizers of the Sinister 7 100 Miler won't decide for sure until the first week of May, so my training continues at least until then.

Radar Road; 8:47 pace.   Blue sky and glorious sunshine, but real cold.  Just -18C/0F when I started and up to -9C/16F when I finished 3 hours later.

Still, after yesterday's little blizzard, it was great to be out in the sun.

Radar Road; 8:53 pace.

Beautiful morning for running.  -5C/23F.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.

So, yesterday the Premier of Ontario declared that all non-essential services and businesses must close by Midnight today.  This morning, they released the list of what are considered essential services and businesses that can stay open.  Honestly, it would have been easier to list the non-essential ones.  It looks to me like EVERYTHING is essential, according to that list.

First outside speedwork in a long while.  Temperature right around the freezing mark and little wind.  Plus, it was just so nice to get out.  Radar Road.

5 x 1200 repeats with 400 recoveries.

Paces/mile were:  6:48  6:46  6:42  6:47  and  6:42.  Pretty consistent - made me happy.

Radar Road; 8:46 pace.

Gorgeous day with brilliant sunshine; -4C/26F and very little wind.

Got an e-mail from the Sinister 7 race director.  They are still hoping for the first weekend of July, but have an alternative date set for the 4th weekend of August, just in case.  That's 7 weeks later - sure hope they decide soon, as it will alter my training quite a bit.

Radar Road; 8:44 pace.

It was a slog from the get go.  Just didn't have any mojo in my legs, and so had to just will myself forward.  

Radar Road; 8:31 pace. 

I had no 'blah' issues for this run.  Amazing what a day off running and a couple of good night's sleep does for one's energy level.

Goodwill Drive; 8:25 pace.

Speedwork on Skead Road.

4 x 1200 with 400 recoveries.

First two intervals were 6:43 and 6:45.  Then, I don't know what got into me.  The next two were run at 6:30 and 6:20.  Does Covid-19 boost your speed and energy?  Maybe I got it!  :)

Radar Road; 8:48 pace.  Just around the freezing mark, but glorious sunshine!  Loved it.

Received notification on Wednesday that my 50 mile Sulphur Springs Ultra (May 23) has been postponed.  No surprise there.  No alternate date given, yet.

Aiming for a mega 24 mile run tomorrow.

So, yesterday I was ripping out huge pieces of 2 x 10 boards that were used for pouring the foundation of a house.  I really did a number on my back.  Excruciating pain last night.  I slept okay, but I woke up not much better, so I wasn't sure how this run would go.  So, instead of going out and back, I decided to do shorter segments, just in case.  I didn't want to be 12 miles from home and unable to move.

However, once I started, I realized a bum back does not impact running.  I struggled to put my shoes on, but didn't feel a thing while running.  I ended up going out just over 6 miles before doubling back, and that only because I had no water with me.

I drank a bottle of gatoraid, filled a hand held with water, and headed out for the balance of the run.

So, Radar Road, Falconbridge (the town), and Goodwill Drive; pace was a fairly consistent 8:46.

Of note to myself:  I ran 3 1/2 hours with only one bottle of gatoraid and a bit of water.  And I had zero gastrointestinal issues.  

SO nice to have the songbirds back!

Oh, and after running the first segment with temps around 4C/38F, I ditched the gloves and jacket and changed to a short sleeved shirt for the second half.  Temps around 6C/43F.  Cloudy, but no wind and I was plenty warm enough.

And sitting here typing this ... my back is still killing me!

Gorgeous morning!  Radar Road; 8:39 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:07 pace.

Swept the Church parking lot for 3 hours yesterday in the afternoon sun, wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  Loved it!  Will finish that job today.  Then we'll be back to more seasonal temperatures for the days leading up to Easter.

5 x 1200 repeats, with 400 recoveries.

Mile pace for splits were:  6:45  6:40  6:30  6:30  and  6:40

Cool out, with a light rain.

Radar Road; 8:42 pace.  Cold and windy.  -2C/29F with wind gusts of 30 mph.  But it was mostly sunny.

So, yesterday I got the news:  Sinster 7 is officially being postponed until the 4th weekend of August.  That's 7 weeks after the original date.  Immediately I cancelled my hotel and the priest replacing me in July, and I asked him if he was available to replace me in August.  I just got his reply; he is.

So, I am leaning towards going in August.  I'll think about it over Easter weekend.  If I do, I'll go back 7 weeks in my training schedule and repeat that portion.  I'm just glad I got the news before I had knocked off some really long runs.

So, this being a priest stuff these days is really weird.  It's one thing to celebrate Mass every day alone, but quite another to be alone for Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter weekend.  Strange times.

Radar Road; 10:06 pace. Just a leisurely pace on this gorgeous morning.  Full sun.  Right around the freezing mark.  Little to no wind.

On the race 2020 front, the following news:

I'll run the Sinister 7 100 ultra on the new date (August 22-23).  It's 7 weeks further on than the original date, so I've re-written my training schedule to repeat the last 7 weeks of training, beginning Monday.  I've booked a hotel and a replacement priest for that weekend.

The new date for the Sulphur Springs 50 miler is only 5 weeks after Sinister 7; I'll be in no shape to run it then.  So, I've accepted their option of moving my race to the 2021 version, which is May 29, 2021.  That is just 5 1/2 weeks after the Boston Marathon, but I won't be as worn down after a marathon as after a 100 mile Ultra.

I'll run whatever other shorter events are available, as I'm able.  But at this point, my primary focus will remain the S7 in August.  It's highly unlikely I'll be able to run a fast Half this Fall to qualify for the New York 2021 event, so will likely push that plan back a year.

All of that is my plan as of today.  Stay tuned for more laughter from God.

Skead Road; 8:43 pace.  Misty rainy.

Goodwill Drive; a zippy 8:07 pace.  Legs just wanted to go.

Speedwork on Skead Road.  5 x 800 with 800 recoveries. 

Miles paces were:  6:40  6:44  6:35  6:32  and  6:33.

An inch of snow fell last night, so it was icy in places.  

Radar Road; 8:46 pace.  Sunny and cool.  -5C/23F to start, and 2C/35F at the finish.

So, the 100 mile solo field for Sinister 7 is down from 250 runners to 175.  That's 75 less options for Grizzly bears to choose from.  Not good.

The other unfortunate part of the date change is light.  In early July, there would have been 7 hours of darkness, with 4 hours of that total darkness.  But there would have been a full moon, so lots of natural illumination.

Now, in late August, there will be 10 hours of darkness, with 8 hours of total darkness and only a 1/8 moon, which will set at 10:42pm.  

Gotta say it:  that all sucks!

Easy run on Radar Road.  Beautiful sunshine, but still on the cold side at 1C/34F.

Radar Road; 8:39 pace.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:17 pace.  Snow.  Cold.  Windy.  

Speedwork on Skead Road.  6 x 800 with 800 recoveries.  Splits were between 3:10 and 3:20.

Hopefully, today is the last really cold day.  Sunny, but just -8C/18 degrees with a strong North wind making it feel like 5 degrees.

Radar Road; averaged an 8:48 pace.  

Started off at 1C/33 degrees.  By the time I finished 3 hours later, it was 5C/41 degrees.  Sunny the whole time and not much wind.  At mile 7 I ditched my running jacket and gloves; first time running in short sleeves.  Nice.

Radar Road; 10:02 pace.

Received notice yesterday that the Sinister 7 Ultra has been cancelled, since the government of Alberta has banned all large gatherings/events through the summer.

I am SO grateful that I ran the A1A in January.  I never thought then that it would be my only race this year.

Skead Road; 8:56 pace.  

Had lead in my legs for some reason.  Was a real slog.

Not sure what I'll do re: training schedule.  This week was a cut back week anyway, so I'll follow the plan for now.  But I don't think I'll run those progressively longer back to backs going forward.  Makes no sense to wear down my body if there is no Ultra on the horizon.  

I will likely go into maintenance mode at around 40 miles/week until I get a clearer picture of how things might go in the Fall.

Goodwill Drive; 8:40 pace.

Skead Road; 8:15 pace.  I think I'll start running on Thursdays, going to 6 days/week.  I'll continue taking Sunday off.

Goodwill Drive; 8:15 pace.  Steady rain.  Cold.  A hot shower never felt so good.

Goodwill Drive; 7:43 pace.  I don't know why my legs were so zippy this morning.  I didn't intend to run that fast, but sometimes the body does what the body wants to do.

Skead Road; Very relaxed 10:05 pace.

Skead Road; 8:07 pace.  Fierce North wind at 24mph and a chilly -4C/26F.

Goodwill Drive; 8:19 pace.  I had to go back to wearing gloves and a touque.  Yes, it is that cold. -5C/24F with a North wind.  

Skead Road; 8:45 pace.  A lot warmer today.  3C/37F.

Goodwill Drive; 8:16 pace.  Snow on the ground.  Why is there snow on the ground in May???

Goodwill Drive; 8:26 pace.

It snowed again last night.  10 cm (4 inches) worth.  Cold North wind blowing, making it feel like -10C/14F.  Then, at mile 4, the snow started falling again.  Not a nice day.

The highway was still pretty messy with snow, so I ran Goodwill Drive instead; 10:00/mile pace.

Skead Road; 8:04 pace.

First half into the wind: 8:25 pace.

Second half wind aided:  7:45 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:36 pace.

My Ninja blender died while making my post-run smoothie.  A chunky smoothie does not taste good for some reason.

Skead Road; 8:23 pace.  The weather is turning - no more freezing at night, and the days will be getting progressively warmer.  Finally!

Radar Road; 8:43 pace.  Misty rain and warmish, at 7C/45F.

Goodwill Drive; 9:48 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:24 pace.  A blazing 9C/48F morning ... back to shorts and short sleeves.

Yesterday, I changed my truck tires from winter to summer.  Then I tilled my garden and planted the potatoes.  Exact date I planted them last year, which is funny, because it was snowing last week.  Once the weather turns, everything wants to grow all at once.  Of course, that means my allergies are in overdrive.  It also means the biting insects have appeared.  I got bit by both a blackfly and a mosquito.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:07 pace.  The deciduous trees are just starting to leaf out.  Nice view.

Goodwill Drive; 8:00 pace.  Gorgeous morning.  Allergies are in overdrive - teary eyed the whole run.

Got my carrots and beets planted yesterday.  A bit sore today from all the bending over.  Beans, squash, tomatoes and corn will wait a bit longer for the soil to warm up.

Goodwill Drive; 8:34 pace.  Another gorgeous day ahead.

Skead Road on a stunningly beautiful morning; 9:46/mile.

Goodwill Drive; 8:43 pace.

Temperature hit 29C/85F yesterday, and today will do the same.  But the mornings are cooler and perfect for running.

Going to get my corn planted today.

Goodwill Drive; 8:31 pace.

Saw my first black bear of the season this morning.  When I opened up my blinds, there it was, crossing the Church parking lot.

Not hot, at just 16C/60F, but 100% humidity, combined with my allergies, made it difficult to breathe.

Skead Road; 8:49 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:23 pace.

Even in the early morning, it was 26C/78F.  Going to be another scorcher today.

Goodwill Drive; 8:43 pace.

Record heat yesterday at 32C/89F.  Today a storm is brewing and things have cooled down a bit.

Goodwill Drive; 8:41 pace.  Light rain and high (100%) humidity

Skead Road; 8:38 pace.

Colder, and a light, misty rain, along with a stiff North wind.  My hands were cold.  And tipping the scales over 160 didn't help - I felt heavy.  Gotta get back below 160.

Radar Road; 8:09 pace.  Just got faster mile by mile, leading up to a 7:12 final mile.  And it didn't seem that hard.  Sometimes you just have to go with it.

Goodwill Drive; 8:37 pace.  Just a misty rain.

Goodwill drive in a gentle, misty kind of rain.  8:42 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:36 pace.

So, coming home on my bike last evening, I had to brake to avoid hitting a bear with her cub behind her.  The don't look both ways before crossing.

Today, a guy stops me as he is going past in his truck so he can tell me he saw a bear a half mile up the road.  Really guys?  This is Northern Ontario.  That's like stopping to tell me there are train tracks ahead, and a train just went by, so be careful.

Yellow tree pollen is everywhere.

Skead Road; 8:54 pace.  Pretty much perfect running conditions.  15C/60F, sunny, light breeze and low humidity.

The other day I was working outside on something, and a partridge flew into the side window of a parked car.  I had it cleaned, wrapped in tinfoil with butter, and cooked on the BBQ all within an hour.  Nice when dinner is fresh.

Goodwill Drive; 8:27 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:00/mile pace.  A very nice for running 12C/53F with low humidity. 

Goodwill drive; 8:35 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:03 pace.

Just 17C/62F, but 100% humidity.

Goodwill Drive in a heavy wind; 10:03 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:23 pace.  Cold!  Just 6C/43F with a stiff wind.  The remnants of Christobal sideswiped us a few days ago, and it brought high winds and decidedly cooler temperatures.

Goodwill Road; 8:20 pace.

Went with long sleeves and gloves this morning, as the temperature dipped to 4C/38F.  But sunny and just a gentle breeze.  And warmer temperatures are on the way.

Goodwill Drive; 8:35 pace.  Back to perfect running weather:  15C/60 and 55% humidity.

Goodwill Drive; 8:22 pace.  Once again, perfect weather conditions for running.  Loving it.

Skead Road; 8:50 pace.  I went a bit later than usual, so it was already 21C/70F when I finished.

Goodwill Drive; 9:44 pace.

Awesome weather.  Loving this stretch of hot and sunny.

Goodwill Drive; 8:41 pace.  Heavy legs today for some reason.  Had to really push at the end.

Skead Road; 9:07 pace.

First day of summer.

Glorious weather continues:  all week, hitting highs of 30C/86F, with the morning temperatures being just perfect for running.

And, after 15 weeks of total shut down, I'm back to celebrating Mass with my people, starting tonight.  We are only allowed 30% of our Church capacity, and even less than that with the required spacing.  However, it's a step forward.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:46 pace.

I had my 9 month dental hygenist appointment at 8 this morning, so ended up doing this as a Noon run in the heat.  24C/75F.  Last day of our heat wave; it should cool down a bit starting tomorrow.

I had to wear a mask to get into the dentist building, had to have an escort from the door to the chair, and had to gargle with hyrdrogen pyroxide.  I thought this would be a very interesting dental appointment, until she finally said "you can take your mask off now".  Up until then, I couldn't help but wonder HOW???

Goodwill Drive; 8:39 pace.  They started to grind the pavement today - what's left of it.  Not sure if they will pave it or just leave it gravel.  No more dodging potholes anyway.

Goodwill Drive - now mostly a gravel road; 8:40 pace.  Light, steady rain and just 10C/50F and 100% humidity.  A welcome reprieve from the dry and hot days of the past week.  

Goodwill Drive; 10:00 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 9:43 pace.

Goodwill Road; 8:41 pace.  We're heading back into a week or more of above average temperatures and gorgeous sunshine.  Loving it!

Radar Road; 8:40 average pace.  Picked it up for the final 2 miles:  7:50 and 7:30.  Getting hot.

Today was supposed to be my riding day to Alberta for the 100 mile Sinister 7.  850 miles to Sauk Center, MN was originally today's goal.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:56 pace.

They continue to work on the road; have been dumping, spreading and packing multiple layers of gravel.  With the hot, dry weather, it sure kicks up a cloud of dust whenever a car or truck drives by.

Goodwill Drive; 8:54 pace.

It's Canada Day, a national holiday, so was surprised to see they were working on the road today.  They had a water truck working on dust control today, so that was good.  The guy operating the packer/roller truck was smoking weed.  I guess that's his way of celebrating the holiday.

Goodwill Drive; 9:38 pace.  Road rebuild continues today.  So does our heat wave.  It hit 88 degrees yesterday, and is shooting for 91 degrees today.  This morning, it was still pleasant enough for running, at 22C/71F with a gentle breeze.  I'm going to head out in my kayak this afternoon.

Goodwill Drive; 8:41 pace.

Today would have been my final day of riding to Sinister 7.  4 hours from Medicine Hat, SK to Sparwood, BC.  Tomorrow would have been 'go time'.

Skead Road; 8:50 pace.  It felt a lot cooler for running, but was still at 20C/68F and heading up to the high 80's again today.

Run on Skead Road.

Around dinner time yesterday, the skies opened up and for an hour there was an absolue deluge.  I couldn't see out my window, the park across the street had a massive river flowing over it, and the hail punched holes in the leaves of my squash plants.  Massive rainfall.  Nice to watch - through the window.

Goodwill Road; 8:37 pace.  91% humidity.

Goodwill Drive; 8:47 pace.  More monsoon rain yesterday, so a bit cooler today.  Heading back up to the high 80's by this afternoon, however.

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.  I presume they will eventually put some sort of hard surface down.  For now, there is a water truck going up and down the road for dust suppression.  I'm thankful for that.  And he turns the water off as he passes me, which is a bonus.

Goodwill Drive; 8:52 pace.  Heavy legs today.

Goodwill Drive; 9:03 pace.  Light and steady rain all the way.  No dust.

Radar Road; 9:00 pace.  Cooler morning, with a misty rain falling most of the run.

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.  I haven't been down this road in a week, and see the rebuild of it is complete.  They used a compound to bind the gravel, so it's a semi-hard surface.  Decent enough to run on.

On Monday afternoon, while digging a trench for a conduit, I threw out my back.  Still very sore, but after three days of not running, I felt the need to get out there.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.  The back is much better.  Still achy, but at least I am not grimacing every time I move.

Goodwill Drive; 8:21 pace.  Got a bit more of the bounce back in my stride today.

Goodwill Drive; 8:36 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:48 pace.  Cooler and a light rain.   Great for running.

Yesterday, I picked a basket of blueberries.  I hadn't done that in 5 years.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 7:58 pace.

Progress run.  First mile was 8:38 and last one was 7:10.  Not intentional.  I just ran faster and faster as I went and never felt like I was pushing it.

Radar Road; 8:43 pace.  Gorgeous morning.

Skead Road; 8:46 pace.  

Skead Road; 8:23 pace.  I picked it up at the end and ran the final 3.5 miles at marathon pace.

Goodwill Drive; 7:45 pace.

Honestly, I don't know what got into me.  I ran the final 3.5 miles at marathon pace yesterday, and the entire 6 miles at that pace today.  Not trying; just full of energy for some reason.

Goodwill Drive; 9:45 pace.  Really focussed on slowing it down and taking it easy today.

Goodwill Drive; 8:48 pace.

Skead Road; 8:41 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:36 pace.

A zippy run on Goodwill Drive.  Average pace was 7:26.  I didn't intend a fast run, but mile one at 8:15 just came so easy.  The next was 7:47.  Then I knocked off three at 7:12, and finished with a 6:58.  Other than a push at the end, it just felt natural.

Back to Goodwill Drive; this time a more pedestrian 8:45 pace.

It has been cooler for about a week now, with morning running temperatures in the low teens Celcius or low 50's.  I'm sure that's what has made the running feel so easy as of late.

I have had no internet for nearly 2 weeks now.  I'm bumming off friends when I can.  I'm between companies, and there was a glitch.  Hopefully, I'll be up and running soon, before my friends run out of patience.

Goodwill Drive; 8:28 pace.

And I have internet again!  Switched over to a new company to save the parish money.  Also switched the 2 parish phone lines to VOIP.  So far, so good.

Goodwill Drive; 8:30 pace.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:37 pace.

Just past mile 5, I startled a large deer that was just about to cross the road at the same time I got to its path.  It startled me too when it bolted.

Radar Road; 8:20 pace.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:34 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 9:49 pace.  Slow and easy.

Goodwill Drive; 8:45 pace.

Radar Road; 8:37 pace.

They re-painted the lines this morning, so I had to run with the scent of paint wafting through the air for the 3 middle miles.

Goodwill  Drive; 8:41 pace.

After several days of birthday parties and other such gatherings, my weight is up past my comfort level.  Doesn't feel good at all.  Will have to drop back to the 160 level this week.

Goodwill Drive; 7:43 pace.

As soon as I started, I knew it was going to be a fast run.  So, I decided to try to control my pace and make it a Marathon Pace run.  I'm not sure what my marathon pace is at this point, but I likely still ran a bit faster than it.

Mornings are cooler now.  It was 12C/53F with a bit of rain along the way.

Goodwill Drive; 8:47 pace.  Cool morning run at 8C/46F.

Goodwill Drive in the rain; 9:37 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:51 pace.  Lately I've been doing pretty good keeping an even pace.  Basically, I am taking note of my first mile's pace - varies day to day depending on who knows what - and then try to keep the next miles in that range.  More of a game than anything else.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.  Heavy fog.

Radar Road; 8:50 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.

I got stung by a bee.  Twice.  It flew into the collar of my shirt and stung me on the neck, then slid down into my sleeve and stung me on the bicep.

I was wearing a long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to my elbows, so the only way I could get it out was to take off my shirt.

Maybe it was attracted to my flowery personality.  Or maybe it was the bright yellow Boston Marathon tech shirt.  Or maybe it was just a jerk.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.  Cool morning - all the way down to 5C/42F.  Great for running.

I decided to do some speedwork at the track today.  Just because.

6 x 800's with a 400 recovery lap.

The first three were in the 3:19 range, the next two at 3:17 and the final one at 3:15. 

Rained the whole time.  13C/56F.

I'm trying to decide what direction to take my running for the Fall.  I'm considering entering the virtual New York Marathon.  Alternatively, I'm considering following a 5k training plan to work on speed for a change.  Or, I may just continue with base training.  Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Goodwill Drive; 8:44 pace.

Skead Road; 9:06 pace.

Steady drizzle the whole time.  Soaked through and cold at the end.  No legs today - feeling the effects of Thursday's speedwork.

Radar Road; 8:45 pace.

I took yesterday off to go fishing.  Last time I went fishing was 10 years ago - that was icefishing.  Last time fishing in the summer was 16 years ago.  I forgot how much I enjoy it.  Caught my limit of Bass.  Twelve fish, between the 2 of us.  Nice.

Tempo Run on Goodwill Drive; 7:47 pace. 

Steady (and sometimes hard) rain.

Easy run on Goodwill Drive; 9:59 pace.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:16 pace.  I threw in 5 striders - hadn't done that in a long time.

Gorgeous morning.  Clear skies and 10C/50F.  My favourite kind of running.

Goodwill Drive with a zippy 7:22 pace.  Not really intentional, but after cracking off three fast miles, I just went with it and pushed hard the last three.

Radar Road; 8:04 pace.  Miles 8, 9 and 10 at Tempo Pace (7:45) and the final half mile at Half Marathon Pace (7:15).

Feeling sore all over, so had to push it.  

Goodwill Drive; 8:46 pace.

A coyote walked casually across the road just in front of me, and then sat at the bushline and watched me.  So, I stopped and watched it.  We had a staring contest.  I won.  It turned away.

Goodwill Drive; 8:56 pace.

Cold and rainy.  Was thinking of doing speedwork, but my legs felt heavy so opted for an easy run instead.  Good decision.

Goodwill Drive; 9:40 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:15 pace.  First frost of the season - I was glad for the long sleeves and gloves.  Shorts are still okay for now.  4C/39F, clear skies, foggy and no wind.

Not sure it was the same coyote - don't know if they are territorial - but a beautiful one walked across the road just in front of me, about a half mile from where I saw it the other day.  Has its winter coat.  Didn't even look at me.  I think it's still hurting from losing the staring contest the last time.

Goodwill Drive; 8:42 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:41 pace.

Goodwill Drive; 8:44.  Cold and wet.  Steady rain throughout, and just 6C/43F.  

This was supposed to be my registration week for the Boston Marathon.  I qualified at the A1A in January.  However, they suspended the registration process until they have a clearer picture of what they might be facing in Boston next year.  

I decided to just keep with my base training - averaging around 40 miles/week.  Not going to run any virtual marathons, New York or otherwise.  Well, a half coming up that I already paid for.

And on a happy note, today is my parent's 58th Anniversary.  I'm having them over for dinner tonight to celebrate.  Way to go, mom and dad!

Goodwill Drive; 8:55 pace.  Warmed up quite a bit ... 15C/60F

Goodwill Drive; 9:43 pace.

Gorgeous morning, with the rising sun piercing the fog rising through the frosty forest.  

0C/32F.  Clear, blue skies and no wind.