I've continued my regular runs -- typically 8 to 9 kilometres, with an occasional 12k thrown in for good measure. But any time we've gone to do a 16k run, the weather has been absolutely crappy. One day it was so bad that the OPP closed the main road in and out of Lucan (we didn't know and drove in on a side road). Another day, the wind was howling around us. But kudos to my wife, Jenny, and my youngest daughter, Tori, for running on both these days for 8.5k.
On some Saturdays, I'm the only Shamrock running so I use the opportunity to go for some speed. My last speed run 'around the block' to the southwest of Tim Hortons was done in 40:14, for an average pace of 4:46/k (7:40/mile). I'm going to need to do slightly better than that pace if I want to beat a 1:40 half marathon in Disney on January 12.
So, for the next couple of weeks, I'm going to need to concentrate on losing a few of the lbs. I've gained over Christmas, and then working to get my pace time down a few more seconds and for a bit longer distance.
Tough to do, though, when you're wearing four layers of clothing!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Back in training mode again...
We're looking at the Shamrock Marathon in Virgina Beach on March 16, 2008. Its a Boston Qualifier -- for 2009 -- with an average high of 58 degrees F. and an average low of 40 degrees F. -- similar to the Niagara race last October.
Brian is considering it as well -- as our pace bunny, I believe -- and Jed is training hard although he hasn't committed to it yet.
So, this past week I got into training mode again. While I'd continued to run on the weekends and occasional weekday since Niagara, the runs were typically short - around 8 to 10 K. I did one 16k run with Tori and then another when she ran her 20k in preparation for the Disney Half Marathon coming up in January -- but other than that, they've been short and easy.
Last weekend I was alone running on the Saturday so I did an 8.4k loop and pushed reasonably hard, finishing in 42:29:50 -- a half second under my goal time. That put my pace at 8:05 which is a bit slower than marathon pace, but not bad considering I wasn't in marathon shape yet.
This weekend, I again found myself alone on the Saturday run, so I stepped it up again. This time I had my GPS with me so I was able to track my progress. While the wind seemed to be in my face for 3 of the 4 legs of my run (don't know how that's possible), I finished the run in 40:14 -- for an average pace of 7:40/mile. We'll call that my tempo run for the week!
Today, the weather was, well, crappy. The wind was brutal again, but this time there was snow to contend with. Jenny and Tori joined me as Tori was scheduled for a 16k run. We made the decision, though, to just do the 8.4k loop again as the weather really was crappy. Not so much for me, but Tori was definitely not having fun, and I don't think Jenny was either. In addition to the snow and wind in the face, one had to contend with the snow drifts on the road -- sort of like little hurdles throughout the run -- plus the joy of running through snow that felt like one was running through sand. Certainly a much more significant workout than running on dry roads.
So instead of a 40 minute run as it was yesterday, today it was a 61:38 run with an average pace of 7:16 per k. To put that into perspective, the last time Tori and I ran (her 16k run), we did it in an average pace of 6:20 per k. including walk breaks. So this was simply a tougher run.
The posts will now come more regularly again. Between the Disney Half -- where I'm going to try to set a personal best --, the Shamrock Marathon and the Shore to Shore Relay Race in late May, I have my races for the first half of 2008 already mapped out!
Brian is considering it as well -- as our pace bunny, I believe -- and Jed is training hard although he hasn't committed to it yet.
So, this past week I got into training mode again. While I'd continued to run on the weekends and occasional weekday since Niagara, the runs were typically short - around 8 to 10 K. I did one 16k run with Tori and then another when she ran her 20k in preparation for the Disney Half Marathon coming up in January -- but other than that, they've been short and easy.
Last weekend I was alone running on the Saturday so I did an 8.4k loop and pushed reasonably hard, finishing in 42:29:50 -- a half second under my goal time. That put my pace at 8:05 which is a bit slower than marathon pace, but not bad considering I wasn't in marathon shape yet.
This weekend, I again found myself alone on the Saturday run, so I stepped it up again. This time I had my GPS with me so I was able to track my progress. While the wind seemed to be in my face for 3 of the 4 legs of my run (don't know how that's possible), I finished the run in 40:14 -- for an average pace of 7:40/mile. We'll call that my tempo run for the week!
Today, the weather was, well, crappy. The wind was brutal again, but this time there was snow to contend with. Jenny and Tori joined me as Tori was scheduled for a 16k run. We made the decision, though, to just do the 8.4k loop again as the weather really was crappy. Not so much for me, but Tori was definitely not having fun, and I don't think Jenny was either. In addition to the snow and wind in the face, one had to contend with the snow drifts on the road -- sort of like little hurdles throughout the run -- plus the joy of running through snow that felt like one was running through sand. Certainly a much more significant workout than running on dry roads.
So instead of a 40 minute run as it was yesterday, today it was a 61:38 run with an average pace of 7:16 per k. To put that into perspective, the last time Tori and I ran (her 16k run), we did it in an average pace of 6:20 per k. including walk breaks. So this was simply a tougher run.
The posts will now come more regularly again. Between the Disney Half -- where I'm going to try to set a personal best --, the Shamrock Marathon and the Shore to Shore Relay Race in late May, I have my races for the first half of 2008 already mapped out!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
3:34:20 - A personal best! (but no BQ)...
I'm extremely pleased with the run. As I had feared, the wind ended up coming straight up the Niagara River at us, so for many parts of the run, it felt like we were pushing a car!
Everybody's marathon time was slower than we were looking for. I found the results from last year, and the 6th place finisher then came in 2nd this year -- but was 4 minutes and 22 seconds slower! So even the elite runners were feeling the effects.
The race started off surprisingly nice. While the forecast was pretty consistent with what I had seen on Friday -- winds out of the north-northwest at 12 knots, gusting 22 knots -- when we got up in the morning, there was only a very slight breeze. We got to the starting area at the Buffalo Art Gallery and the sun was shining, and I was actually a bit worried it would heat up a bit too much for us. While we were able to go inside the gallery to look at the art and keep warm, most of us stayed outside to prepare for the start and chat. And when the starting gun went, there was still only a very slight breeze.
We picked up another runner who was shooting for a 3:30 marathon -- Helene Lamothe of St. Basile near Montreal. So there were now four of us in the group to hit this target -- Jed, Helene, me and our pacer, Brian.
My lower right leg was still giving me a bit of discomfort, so I had an ibuprophen before the starting gun.
We ran through the streets of Buffalo and kept a very good pace. The goal was to actually start out a bit slower than our average pace overall, and the net effect was that we didn't go out too strong. In fact, it appeared that we were at just a second or two over our race pace of 8:00 per mile after four miles of running through Buffalo.
As we ran over the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, our time naturally slowed on the up-hill leg, but picked up accordingly on the downhill portion, giving us an 8:01 pace for that mile.
As we came around the loop to get onto the Niagara Parkway for a 1 mile run south before heading to the long run north, I saw a flag that was oriented such that wind was coming from the south! Perfect, I thought, and I wondered if I had somehow misinterpreted the aviation weather forecast on which I was basing my wind direction. If the wind was coming from the south, that meant that it would be at our backs the whole way!
Jenny, Karen and Tori were at this point in the race to cheer us on -- cowbell in hand and replacement eLoad sport drink and a bag of jellybeans and eLoad tablets as well. We swapped out my depleted bottle and bag for a fresh set, which we had prepared the day before.
My joy about the flag direction was short-lived. By the time we had started the run to the north, I could feel the winds starting to come at us. However, we kept plugging away and continued to knock off surprisingly consistent miles, ranging from 7:52 to 8:04 up until the halfway point of the race. When I hit my watch's lap counter at the halfway point, my time was 1:45:29 -- exactly to the second what I needed to qualify for Boston if I could keep it up. I had another ibuprophen, as I could feel my muscles starting to feel like they would seize up and I wanted to be able to work through the pain.
But by now the winds were picking up even further. It was just before noon and there were several miles where I simply had to put my head down and concentrate on treating the road as my treadmill, pushing the road back behind me with every stride -- just to keep pace.
Jed was starting to have some issues keeping up at this point and was about 30 seconds behind us at the halfway point. Brian dropped back to help him out, and Helene and I kept running.
Jenny and the girls were there to cheer us on at around the 12 mile marker and 16 mile mark, which was great. And at the 16 mile mark, Tori had some orange slices and grapes for us. While I didn't partake in the grapes, I had an orange slice which was perfect. It was past my lunchtime and I was getting a tad peckish!
Before long, Helene wasn't beside me any more -- but I looked behind me and she was right on my tail -- drafting! No probs. I was happy to help, and it didn't cost me anything. But it was clear that the wind was having an effect on everyone. We kept running together until about mile 18, where she told me not to wait for her -- to keep going at my pace, which as it happens, was pretty much right on track, ranging from 7:56 to 8:05 for the five miles since the half.
But I was starting to have problems -- particularly on the windy segments where the course would shift such that the winds could come right up the river at us. My next four miles were 8:24, 8:14, 8:36 and 8:40 -- so I had pretty much given up on a Boston Qualifier time.
Right about here, Brian caught up to me and with 4 miles to go, he said, "Okay, buddy, you've got the finish in the bag, you've got a personal best in the bag -- now lets go for Boston." Shortly after that at about the 23.5 mile point in the race we came up to Jenny and the girls. Another orange slice and Jenny shouted at me, "You can do this. Get mad. Get going!" She could see that end-of-marathon look in my face where I was getting to the stage where I had nothing left in the tank. And with just under 3 miles left, we kept plugging ahead.
Again, I pulled out all of the visual imagery I could to keep me motivated. "3 miles left -- that's just an easy 5k -- like running from the bridge on Maguire Road to the house. That's nothing!". "2 miles left - that's like from the corner of Maguire and Clandeboye Roads to the house. Piece of cake!".
Brian kept pushing me hard as well. "You've got to keep working through the pain, buddy. Just 15 more minutes of pain -- keep pushing hard". He also tried giving me incentives to get to close targets. "Just around this bend and we'll be out of the wind. Keep working!". Of course, he was right -- until we went around the next bend and were right in the middle of the wind again! But it worked and I kept pushing. I hadn't looked at my GPS once Brian had joined me. And when the winds would get tough, I'd just put my head down, look for his feet ahead of me, and keep pushing, treating the road as my treadmill, pushing the road behind me with every step.
With about a half mile to go, my youngest daughter, Tori, appeared seemingly out of nowhere to run with me and she kept a good pace. Brian was encouraging me to pass other people who were also turning it on for the last push to the finish and at one point said, "Okay, buddy, time to leave it all out there. No conserving." I could feel myself pick up the pace.
Finally we could see the finish. Tori peeled off as we hit the shute and I turned it on for the end. My goal was to finish "upright and smiling" so I pasted a smile on my face for the last 50 meters. But I was done.
I came across in 3:34:20 -- just 3 minutes and 21 seconds off my Boston Qualifier time. -- but a personal best by almost a full hour!
I wandered around the corral where the food and Gatorade was being distributed for about a half hour -- both to wait for Jed to come across, and to make sure that if I crashed, I wouldn't be far from the medical tent. But I didn't crash. I felt close, mind you, but once I started eating an apple from the food bag, I started to feel better. I had a second one, and it was exactly what I needed.
Helen came across shortly behind me at 3:38:38, although I didn't see her, unfortunately. Jed came across in 3:46:14 -- an excellent time considering the winds, but not what he needed for a BQ. He said he felt like bailing about 20 times, but kept perservering. Certainly, 3:46 is a time in which he can be proud.
All-in-all, I was very pleased. While the temperature was exactly what I needed -- about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) -- the winds definitely made it a challenge. And so I'm not only happy about setting a personal best, I'm also very confident that given the right conditions, I can make my BQ target time. I had a big smile of my face on the walk back to the hotel.
We aren't planning another marathon for this fall. We're done at least until the spring. But we'll continue to train for shorter distances and perhaps try to fit in a couple of half-marathons. So the long road to Boston is going to be longer than I'd hoped. But it will make the event all that much more special when I finally do make it!
Everybody's marathon time was slower than we were looking for. I found the results from last year, and the 6th place finisher then came in 2nd this year -- but was 4 minutes and 22 seconds slower! So even the elite runners were feeling the effects.
The race started off surprisingly nice. While the forecast was pretty consistent with what I had seen on Friday -- winds out of the north-northwest at 12 knots, gusting 22 knots -- when we got up in the morning, there was only a very slight breeze. We got to the starting area at the Buffalo Art Gallery and the sun was shining, and I was actually a bit worried it would heat up a bit too much for us. While we were able to go inside the gallery to look at the art and keep warm, most of us stayed outside to prepare for the start and chat. And when the starting gun went, there was still only a very slight breeze.
We picked up another runner who was shooting for a 3:30 marathon -- Helene Lamothe of St. Basile near Montreal. So there were now four of us in the group to hit this target -- Jed, Helene, me and our pacer, Brian.
My lower right leg was still giving me a bit of discomfort, so I had an ibuprophen before the starting gun.
We ran through the streets of Buffalo and kept a very good pace. The goal was to actually start out a bit slower than our average pace overall, and the net effect was that we didn't go out too strong. In fact, it appeared that we were at just a second or two over our race pace of 8:00 per mile after four miles of running through Buffalo.
As we ran over the Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, our time naturally slowed on the up-hill leg, but picked up accordingly on the downhill portion, giving us an 8:01 pace for that mile.
As we came around the loop to get onto the Niagara Parkway for a 1 mile run south before heading to the long run north, I saw a flag that was oriented such that wind was coming from the south! Perfect, I thought, and I wondered if I had somehow misinterpreted the aviation weather forecast on which I was basing my wind direction. If the wind was coming from the south, that meant that it would be at our backs the whole way!
Jenny, Karen and Tori were at this point in the race to cheer us on -- cowbell in hand and replacement eLoad sport drink and a bag of jellybeans and eLoad tablets as well. We swapped out my depleted bottle and bag for a fresh set, which we had prepared the day before.
My joy about the flag direction was short-lived. By the time we had started the run to the north, I could feel the winds starting to come at us. However, we kept plugging away and continued to knock off surprisingly consistent miles, ranging from 7:52 to 8:04 up until the halfway point of the race. When I hit my watch's lap counter at the halfway point, my time was 1:45:29 -- exactly to the second what I needed to qualify for Boston if I could keep it up. I had another ibuprophen, as I could feel my muscles starting to feel like they would seize up and I wanted to be able to work through the pain.
But by now the winds were picking up even further. It was just before noon and there were several miles where I simply had to put my head down and concentrate on treating the road as my treadmill, pushing the road back behind me with every stride -- just to keep pace.
Jed was starting to have some issues keeping up at this point and was about 30 seconds behind us at the halfway point. Brian dropped back to help him out, and Helene and I kept running.
Jenny and the girls were there to cheer us on at around the 12 mile marker and 16 mile mark, which was great. And at the 16 mile mark, Tori had some orange slices and grapes for us. While I didn't partake in the grapes, I had an orange slice which was perfect. It was past my lunchtime and I was getting a tad peckish!
Before long, Helene wasn't beside me any more -- but I looked behind me and she was right on my tail -- drafting! No probs. I was happy to help, and it didn't cost me anything. But it was clear that the wind was having an effect on everyone. We kept running together until about mile 18, where she told me not to wait for her -- to keep going at my pace, which as it happens, was pretty much right on track, ranging from 7:56 to 8:05 for the five miles since the half.
But I was starting to have problems -- particularly on the windy segments where the course would shift such that the winds could come right up the river at us. My next four miles were 8:24, 8:14, 8:36 and 8:40 -- so I had pretty much given up on a Boston Qualifier time.
Right about here, Brian caught up to me and with 4 miles to go, he said, "Okay, buddy, you've got the finish in the bag, you've got a personal best in the bag -- now lets go for Boston." Shortly after that at about the 23.5 mile point in the race we came up to Jenny and the girls. Another orange slice and Jenny shouted at me, "You can do this. Get mad. Get going!" She could see that end-of-marathon look in my face where I was getting to the stage where I had nothing left in the tank. And with just under 3 miles left, we kept plugging ahead.
Again, I pulled out all of the visual imagery I could to keep me motivated. "3 miles left -- that's just an easy 5k -- like running from the bridge on Maguire Road to the house. That's nothing!". "2 miles left - that's like from the corner of Maguire and Clandeboye Roads to the house. Piece of cake!".
Brian kept pushing me hard as well. "You've got to keep working through the pain, buddy. Just 15 more minutes of pain -- keep pushing hard". He also tried giving me incentives to get to close targets. "Just around this bend and we'll be out of the wind. Keep working!". Of course, he was right -- until we went around the next bend and were right in the middle of the wind again! But it worked and I kept pushing. I hadn't looked at my GPS once Brian had joined me. And when the winds would get tough, I'd just put my head down, look for his feet ahead of me, and keep pushing, treating the road as my treadmill, pushing the road behind me with every step.
With about a half mile to go, my youngest daughter, Tori, appeared seemingly out of nowhere to run with me and she kept a good pace. Brian was encouraging me to pass other people who were also turning it on for the last push to the finish and at one point said, "Okay, buddy, time to leave it all out there. No conserving." I could feel myself pick up the pace.
Finally we could see the finish. Tori peeled off as we hit the shute and I turned it on for the end. My goal was to finish "upright and smiling" so I pasted a smile on my face for the last 50 meters. But I was done.
I came across in 3:34:20 -- just 3 minutes and 21 seconds off my Boston Qualifier time. -- but a personal best by almost a full hour!
I wandered around the corral where the food and Gatorade was being distributed for about a half hour -- both to wait for Jed to come across, and to make sure that if I crashed, I wouldn't be far from the medical tent. But I didn't crash. I felt close, mind you, but once I started eating an apple from the food bag, I started to feel better. I had a second one, and it was exactly what I needed.
Helen came across shortly behind me at 3:38:38, although I didn't see her, unfortunately. Jed came across in 3:46:14 -- an excellent time considering the winds, but not what he needed for a BQ. He said he felt like bailing about 20 times, but kept perservering. Certainly, 3:46 is a time in which he can be proud.
All-in-all, I was very pleased. While the temperature was exactly what I needed -- about 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) -- the winds definitely made it a challenge. And so I'm not only happy about setting a personal best, I'm also very confident that given the right conditions, I can make my BQ target time. I had a big smile of my face on the walk back to the hotel.
We aren't planning another marathon for this fall. We're done at least until the spring. But we'll continue to train for shorter distances and perhaps try to fit in a couple of half-marathons. So the long road to Boston is going to be longer than I'd hoped. But it will make the event all that much more special when I finally do make it!
Friday, October 26, 2007
No short run this week... too busy!
I've been up to my ears in work this week and there is no way I can fit in the 3 miler (or 6 mile bike ride) that Brian had suggested. I emailed Brian to find out how crucial this run was and he said that since he had just done a 6 mile run, he'd make it 3 for him and 3 for me. But I owed him a Guinness! (Deal!)
Bad news, though, about the weather forecast. While the temperature looks perfect, they're calling for winds out of the north-northwest -- which will put the wind right in our face. for 75% of the run. The only saving grace is that if it can shift a bit more to the west, there is a fair bit of shelter from houses and trees along the route. Otherwise, it will be coming right up the Niagara river at us. And they aren't talking about a slight breeze here -- they're saying 12 knots, gusting to 22 knots. Oh, well -- we'll see!
Jenny and I have our room booked at the Niagara Falls Courtyard Marriott Hotel (www.nfcourtyard.com) for the Saturday night before the marathon, so I'm really, really doing this thing!
Bad news, though, about the weather forecast. While the temperature looks perfect, they're calling for winds out of the north-northwest -- which will put the wind right in our face. for 75% of the run. The only saving grace is that if it can shift a bit more to the west, there is a fair bit of shelter from houses and trees along the route. Otherwise, it will be coming right up the Niagara river at us. And they aren't talking about a slight breeze here -- they're saying 12 knots, gusting to 22 knots. Oh, well -- we'll see!
Jenny and I have our room booked at the Niagara Falls Courtyard Marriott Hotel (www.nfcourtyard.com) for the Saturday night before the marathon, so I'm really, really doing this thing!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Last tempo run before Niagara...
Brian met my at our house at 9:00 to go out for the last tempo run before the Niagara Marathon this weekend. Our goal was somewhere around 7:40/mile. The winds were strong -- generally coming from the west, which made the route actually fairly consistent, since there is about a 50 foot elevation drop at the west end of our route as compared to the east end. Still, battling the winds certainly made your muscles work -- somewhat akin to pushing a car when the winds were coming right at you.
Nonetheless, we were able to bang out very consistent times of between 7:35 and 7:38 per mile, which was great.
I felt strong, despite some pain in my lower right leg at the start -- but which seemed to go away after a mile or so of running.
Brian suggested either a 3 mile run later in the week or perhaps a 6 mile, just to get the jitters out of my system more than anything else.
4 more sleeps until Niagara! (Starting to get excited, again!)
Nonetheless, we were able to bang out very consistent times of between 7:35 and 7:38 per mile, which was great.
I felt strong, despite some pain in my lower right leg at the start -- but which seemed to go away after a mile or so of running.
Brian suggested either a 3 mile run later in the week or perhaps a 6 mile, just to get the jitters out of my system more than anything else.
4 more sleeps until Niagara! (Starting to get excited, again!)
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Last Long Run before Niagara Marathon!
I guess the first thing to get out of the way is that we've confirmed that I'm doing the Niagara Falls International Marathon next weekend, which runs from Buffalo, NY to Niagara Falls, Ontario primarily along the Niagara Parkway which runs beside the Niagara River. Coach Brian Watson is going to pace me.
The next exciting news is that we have a whole crew of people from the Shamrock Running Club joining us: Paula Muxlow and Gwyn Hayman have been training for this run for quite a few months, now, and are both doing the marathon. Kelly Vivian, Jody Durand and Mary Ondrejicka are doing the half marathon. Rita Lewis is going to cheer on Mary and the others halfers. And one of the newer members of our group, Heather Mutter, is doing the 5K.
But the really exciting news is that Jed de Jong has decided to give it a shot a the Niagara Falls International Marathon! He's feeling very good and ran an excellent 16 miler with Brian and me today. He won't be targeting a 3:30 finish, though. He needs 3:35 to qualify for Boston, so that's what he's shooting for, which makes 100% sense.
Today's run was excellent. The weather was cool to start with (about 14 degrees C - 57 degrees F) and by the time I started from my house, Jed had already run from his place in Lucan -- about a 5 mile run on its own -- to meet us. Brian showed up about a minute and a half later and off we went.
As with my Friday run, the wind was right in our face for the first kilometer -- but for the rest of the run into Lucan, the wind was at our side which helped to keep us cool.
We then did a 6 mile loop to the southwest of Lucan and escorted Jed home, he having done his 16 mile run with no problems.
Brian and I made our way back to our place but by now the wind appeared to have shifted slightly so that our westward run had us hitting the wind at about a 45 degree angle -- certainly enough that it was making us work. With 2 miles to go, I happened to mention that I had a couple of cold Coronas in my fridge and, apparently subconsciously, we both picked up the pace a bit. :-)
Overall, we had targeted 8:30 per mile and, in fact, did 8:29 per mile according to my GPS. Can't get much closer than that!
We celebrated our excellent run with a couple of beers out on porch outside our living room, which was quite pleasant. The beer certainly tasted good, especially considering that within an hour or so, it was getting unseasonably warm.
So, one week go to. The weather is still going to be a question mark, but all signs so far are that it should be back to seasonable. The Weather Channel's long range forecast has us at a low of 5C (41 F) to a high of 12C (54 F), partly cloudy (good!) with a 10% percent chance of precipitation. Should be ideal.
7 more sleeps!
The next exciting news is that we have a whole crew of people from the Shamrock Running Club joining us: Paula Muxlow and Gwyn Hayman have been training for this run for quite a few months, now, and are both doing the marathon. Kelly Vivian, Jody Durand and Mary Ondrejicka are doing the half marathon. Rita Lewis is going to cheer on Mary and the others halfers. And one of the newer members of our group, Heather Mutter, is doing the 5K.
But the really exciting news is that Jed de Jong has decided to give it a shot a the Niagara Falls International Marathon! He's feeling very good and ran an excellent 16 miler with Brian and me today. He won't be targeting a 3:30 finish, though. He needs 3:35 to qualify for Boston, so that's what he's shooting for, which makes 100% sense.
Today's run was excellent. The weather was cool to start with (about 14 degrees C - 57 degrees F) and by the time I started from my house, Jed had already run from his place in Lucan -- about a 5 mile run on its own -- to meet us. Brian showed up about a minute and a half later and off we went.
As with my Friday run, the wind was right in our face for the first kilometer -- but for the rest of the run into Lucan, the wind was at our side which helped to keep us cool.
We then did a 6 mile loop to the southwest of Lucan and escorted Jed home, he having done his 16 mile run with no problems.
Brian and I made our way back to our place but by now the wind appeared to have shifted slightly so that our westward run had us hitting the wind at about a 45 degree angle -- certainly enough that it was making us work. With 2 miles to go, I happened to mention that I had a couple of cold Coronas in my fridge and, apparently subconsciously, we both picked up the pace a bit. :-)
Overall, we had targeted 8:30 per mile and, in fact, did 8:29 per mile according to my GPS. Can't get much closer than that!
We celebrated our excellent run with a couple of beers out on porch outside our living room, which was quite pleasant. The beer certainly tasted good, especially considering that within an hour or so, it was getting unseasonably warm.
So, one week go to. The weather is still going to be a question mark, but all signs so far are that it should be back to seasonable. The Weather Channel's long range forecast has us at a low of 5C (41 F) to a high of 12C (54 F), partly cloudy (good!) with a 10% percent chance of precipitation. Should be ideal.
7 more sleeps!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Detroit Marathon - Helping Shore to Shore in the Race Expo
No running today. I played hockey last night, and ran 9 miles yesterday morning, so I thought I might want to rest up before my long run tomorrow.
Jenny and I volunteered to help out at the race expo for the Detroit Marathon which runs tomorrow. It took us over 4 hours to get down there, primarily due to construction-induced traffic congestion on I-94 from Sarnia as we entered Detroit.
Jenny drove, so on the way down there I did up a video compilation of the Shore to Shore Relay Race with photos and videos from last year. To have a look at it, click here. Going through the shots and videos reminded me of how much fun we had doing it. It was our first relay and we had no idea what to expect. Everybody had so much fun, though, that we're going to try to field two teams this year. Not bad for a small community!
The Expo was very interesting. Jenny and I could talk about the experience of the first Shore-to-Shore more than Chris Veillon, the gentleman who runs the London Ontario marketing company who was manning the booth. We'd see people looking quizzically at the sandwich board that describes the race ("a 300 K journey") and then go out chat with them about the experience. Quite a few people had run other relays before and were happy to hear that there was another one close to them -- and without a lottery requirement to get in!
Anyhow, it was a very pleasant day and we felt we did some good in being there. Jenny and I both felt that we'd influenced at least 5 potential sign-ups, with at least a couple of for-sures.
Jenny and I volunteered to help out at the race expo for the Detroit Marathon which runs tomorrow. It took us over 4 hours to get down there, primarily due to construction-induced traffic congestion on I-94 from Sarnia as we entered Detroit.
Jenny drove, so on the way down there I did up a video compilation of the Shore to Shore Relay Race with photos and videos from last year. To have a look at it, click here. Going through the shots and videos reminded me of how much fun we had doing it. It was our first relay and we had no idea what to expect. Everybody had so much fun, though, that we're going to try to field two teams this year. Not bad for a small community!
The Expo was very interesting. Jenny and I could talk about the experience of the first Shore-to-Shore more than Chris Veillon, the gentleman who runs the London Ontario marketing company who was manning the booth. We'd see people looking quizzically at the sandwich board that describes the race ("a 300 K journey") and then go out chat with them about the experience. Quite a few people had run other relays before and were happy to hear that there was another one close to them -- and without a lottery requirement to get in!
Anyhow, it was a very pleasant day and we felt we did some good in being there. Jenny and I both felt that we'd influenced at least 5 potential sign-ups, with at least a couple of for-sures.
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