Going Long (again) in 2024

Massey Friendly Half Marathon

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Location:

Garson - Sudbury,ON,Canada

Member Since:

Apr 20, 2013

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Other

Running Accomplishments:

I ran my first marathon in 1998: "The Friendly Marathon" in Massey, Ontario.  I was 32. I had never raced in a shorter event, and I trained really poorly - ended up running it in 4:00:30.  After that, I gave up running for the most part for 6 years.  I got into karate a bit more seriously, until I got my knee kicked out and had ACL surgery.  Then I became a 'fair weather runner' and started to run half marathons every so often.  As a priest, entering weekend races always meant having to book a holiday, so it just didn't happen much.  My holidays were primarily focussed on various canoe and kayak trips.

At some point, I started training more consistently, and started to think of myself as a runner.  I guess doing that in your 40's is better than never doing it at all.  I even started to wonder if I had it in me to qualify for Boston.  Well, I did.  First time didn't count, I suppose, since I didn't make the "cut".  But the second time was a charm, and on my sixth Marathon, run in Chicago in 2015, I beat my BQ by almost 6 minutes.  And now, running a BQ is routine for me, not that I have any desire to run Boston again.

Through it all, I've made tons of mistakes - and have had lots of injuries to show for it.  Hopefully, now that I'm in my late 50's, I'm a bit wiser and can use that to my advantage to continue running for a very long time.

My PRs:

5k (12 run):      Guelph, ON.     October 10, 2016   (50 yrs.)   20:10

10k (10 run):    Collingwood      October 5, 2013  (47 yrs.)  43:37

Half Marathon  (25 run): Cleveland   May 18, 2014  (48 yrs)  1:33:08

Marathon (12 run):  Ste-Jerome, QC  October 3, 2021   (55 yrs.)  3:22:10

Ultras (5 run):   

Run for the Toad 50k Trail   September 30, 2017 (51 yrs.)  5:31:23

Niagara Falls 100k   June 17, 2018 (52 yrs.)  12:26:30

That Dam Hill 24 hours   September 15-16, 2018  Completed 100 Miles in 23:20:44

Sulphur Springs 50 mile Trail   May 25, 2019  10:37:27

Haliburton Forest 100 mile Trail   September 7-8, 2019  26:46:27

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Pacing my sister in her 1st Half Marathon.

Short-Term Running Goals:

After a broken right foot in 2022 in the later stages of a marathon training cycle, then adjusting to a 1/2" heal lift in my right shoe to compensate for a leg length discrepancy, and then a left plank plate rupture in the late summer of 2023, I had to decide:  go fast or go long.  I opted for long, for this year at least.

May 2024:  Sulphur Springs 50 Mile Trail (revisiting it after 5 years)

July 2024:  Limberlost 54KM Trail

September 2024:  Haliburton 100 Mile Trail (also revisiting it after 5 years).

Everything this year is really focussed on the Haliburton 100 as my key event.  After that, and depending on how things go, I'll reevaluate.

Long-Term Running Goals:

Run until this old body of mine won't let me run any more.  I was inspired in the Spring of 2016, watching the start of the Ottawa Marathon.  Near the back of the pack was an 'old man', running with his walker.  I loved it!  I thought ... there's me in 20 years.  Maybe.  

Personal:

I am a Roman Catholic priest of 30 years, ministering in the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.  I spent 8 years ministering in the small town of Wawa (where I helped establish the annual Blackfly Run) and 9 years in Sault Ste. Marie.  I have been in the Sudbury region now for 13 years.  Currently I Pastor 2 small Parishes:  St. John the Evangelist in Garson, and St. Bernardine of Siena in Skead, covering the area just Northeast of the city, surrounding the Sudbury Airport.

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Miles:This week: 28.00 Month: 189.50 Year: 588.50
Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Lifetime Miles: 412.40
Brooks Cascadia 11 Lifetime Miles: 302.00
Salomon Speedcross 4 Lifetime Miles: 160.25
Brooks Launch 8 Lifetime Miles: 153.00
Asics Metaspeed Sky Lifetime Miles: 32.20
Brooks Ghost 13 Lifetime Miles: 358.50
Saucony Triumph 18 Lifetime Miles: 372.50
Ghost 13 Blue Sole Lifetime Miles: 363.00
Hoka Bondi Lifetime Miles: 386.00
Triumph 18 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 120.50
Hoka Bondi 8 Treadmill Lifetime Miles: 102.50
Race: Massey Friendly Half Marathon (13.1 Miles) 02:28:04, Place overall: 74, Place in age division: 10
Total Distance
13.10

This will be an unusual race report, because it is more about my youngest sister - Cindy - who ran her 1st Half Marathon this morning.  I'm SO proud of her!  She made the decision to get herself into shape a couple of years ago, and has utterly transformed herself.  About a year and a half ago, she started to run.  Last year, I ran a mud run with her, and then her 1st 5k.  She ran her 1st 10k this year in May, and today her first Half.

The Massey course is flat and scenic, run along the Spanish River.  It started at 6:15 this morning, with temperatures at 17C/63F, and 99% humidity.  It gradually warmed up to 20C/69F by the end of the race, with humidity staying in the mid 90% range.

She knew I'd be running with her.  What she didn't know was that I'd be running beside her while holding a sign on a stick which read:  "Her 1st Half Marathon - Go Cindy Go!" with an arrow pointing down to her :)  Boy, she got LOTS of encouragement (by name) along the way from the other runners and from the volunteers at the aid stations.  It was great!

We both crossed the finish line in 2:28:14.  So, this was a very slow training run for me.  I'm going to have to make a few adjustments to my own training plan this week.  Although not a tough race, I was still on my feet for 2 1/2 hours, so I'm treating it as a long run and taking tomorrow off instead of running my repeats at the track (will move that to Tuesday).

But back to Cindy.  She did not have a specific pace in mind, but generally wanted to finish somewhere between 2:15 and 2:35.  And she did not want me to pace her, so I just let her choose the pace and ran next to her.  

She started off a bit too fast, as all of us tend to do, and it cost her later on.  She had to make one porta potty stop (I did too), and she really struggled over the final 3 miles, and had to walk off and on.  She was feeling nauseous at that point, and wasn't sure if she was going to be sick.  But she toughed it out, and ran the final half mile and a bit.

Her mile splits (she was running them in km, but I was measuring in miles):

1 - 10:04     2 - 9:41     3 - 10:31     4 - 10:34     5 - 11:03     6 - 10:37     7 - 10:58

8 - 10:55     9 - 11:18     10 - 11:30     11 - 12:00     12 - 12:52     13 - 11:33

Final .1 - 2:08.    Overall Average = 11:01/mile.

My watch automatically stopped timing at her bathroom break, and so my time shows her running the race in 2:25:42 (and she had to wait a minute for the porta potty to be available).   So, she lost 2 1/2 minutes there.

Overall, I think she did great.  And I have a sneaking suspicion that she will not only keep running, but that a full marathon might be on her agenda at some future date.  

Go Cindy Go!!!  :)

Brooks Glycerin 12 Miles: 13.00
Weight: 0.00
Comments
From Tom K on Sun, Jul 19, 2015 at 15:46:32 from 174.58.54.215

The sign is great! Go Cindy Go!

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