Going Long (again) in 2024

P'Tit Train du Nord 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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to Ukraine's Armed Forces
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: P'Tit Train du Nord Marathon (26.2 Miles) 03:22:10, Place overall: 310, Place in age division: 40
Total Distance
26.20

The short report:  I achieved my goal.  A PR by nearly 2 minutes - my previous PR was 6 years ago.  And I qualified for the New York Marathon.  And I did it (unintentionally) with positive splits.  Why do it the easy way?

The full report:  I pulled it off!  It was an emotional end to a hard fought victory.   

I drove Friday from my home in Garson the 7 hours (non-stop) to Ste-Jerome, Quebec.  I picked up my race package first, and then to the airbnb I had booked for 3 nights.  An eat in pasta meal and then to bed.

Saturday was a slow, three mile run in the rain.  Then I drove to the finish line later that morning to make sure I knew the way.  The Half Marathon was being run at that time, so as to stretch out the field a la Covid-19.  The rest of Saturday was relaxation, with another eat in pasta meal that night.

Sunday I was up at 4:45 to eat a light breakfast and by 6:30 I was driving to the Finish Line to catch the bus to the Start Line - a 30 minute ride through the Laurentian Mountains.  It's all stunningly gorgeous, with the moutains covered in Fall colours.  I've been skiing here before, and so have seen it all in the winter.  This is special.  The Start Line was in Val-David.  They had 12 waves starting (a la Covid-19), spaced 5 minute apart.  The first wave was off at 8am.  I was in wave 3, and so started at 8:10.

The course is run on an old rail line that has been converted into a bike trail.  The first 4 miles or so is pavement, and then packed fine gravel for most of the rest.  It is a 722 foot gradual drop, with the biggest drop being between miles 4.3 - 8.7.  There are gradual climbs as well, with the longest being over 2 miles between miles 15 and 17.4 and then another one between miles 20.5 and 21.75.  The scenery is stunning, with incredible colours, lakes and rivers that run directly along the route.  

I decided to go for my New York Qualifying pace of 3:23 (7:44/mile).  I knew I would have to rein it in for the downhill miles and really watch my pace.  There were no pacers for the event, due to Covid-19 regulations.  All that being said, no matter how much I reined it in, I consistently ran the early miles faster than intended.  Here are the splits as recorded by my GPS.  Take them with a grain of salt.  I think the thick tree canopy overhead, the steep rock cuts in places, and the three tunnels under roads really threw the numbers off:

(1) 7:40     (2) 7:36    (3) 7:45     (4) 7:39     (5) 7:37     (6) 7:13     (7) 7:13     (8) 8:12     (9) 6:33     (10) 7:40     (11) 7:43     (12) 7:13     (13) 8:04     (14) 7:46     (15) 7:53     (16) 7:48     (17) 8:06     (18) 7:51     (19) 7:43     (20) 7:50     (21) 7:56     (22) 8:03     (23) 7:39     (24) 7:54     (25) 8:04     (26) 8:09

My official time was 3:22:10 (7:43 pace), meaning I cleared my New York Marathon qualification time of 3:23.  My official splits were:

10km 45:17 - (7:26 pace - way too fast for the first 10K)

1/2 Marathon 1:39:18 - (7:40 pace for this 11K segment - much better pace)

30km 2:21:56 - (7:41 pace for this 9K segment - again much better pace)

The final 12.2 km was run at a 7:55 pace.  My legs were paying the price for the speed of the first 6 miles.

The fast start concerned me, as I knew I'd pay for it later in the race.  However, my pace did feel even, and I question the 3 miles at 7:13, mile 8 at 8:12, and most especially mile 9 at 6:33.  Those numbers did, however, play in my head as I struggled to maintain an even pace.  At the end of mile 9, my GPS was showing an average pace of 7:33.  I knew that would not end well.

The long uphill was a struggle between miles 15 and 17.4, even though it was very gradual.  My splits slowed considerably after that and my legs were quickly loosing their strength.  I was concerned I would be hit with dead legs too soon in the race.  It was here that I knew I had to parlay the early speed into achieving my goal, and so was doing the math in my head --- if I can just keep my pace below 8:00/mile for the final 6, I can do this!  Maybe.  Positive splits are never a good way to go.

I suppose the final miles were no different than any other marathon run hard.  The legs wanted to go off in their own direction, and it took a ton of concentration to keep moving forward.  When I crossed the finish line, I nearly collapsed.  I had to grab something to stay upright.  And I was quite emotional, knowing what I had accomplished.

A huge plus for me was overcoming the GI issues that had hit me hard last year in Fort Lauderdale.  I didn't have to even think about stopping, and I was easily able to consume the nutrition as planned:  one chew every mile and one gel every 6 miles.

This is a fun, well organized event.  The volunteers were fabulous, the route incredible, and the results speak for themselves. 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Mizuno Wave Sayonara 2 Miles: 26.20
Weight: 159.00
Comments
From Tom K on Tue, Oct 05, 2021 at 05:21:10 from 65.141.240.114

You worked really hard for this one! Your training leading up to this has been fantastic, and you earned it. I checked the results on the website and the photo page. That place is really beautiful. Great job, and Good Luck in NY!

From Nora Jo on Tue, Oct 05, 2021 at 15:58:05 from 68.50.212.88

Congratulations! You did an amazing job!

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