Longest Run Ever!

   In keeping with my brand-new policy of being a run-blogger who run-blogs, I offer up a report on yesterday's run.
   Yesterday, I ran as far as I ever have in my life!
   When I headed out the door, I wasn't even sure how far I was going to run. Lately I've just been concentrating on 5K training runs, as I've been pushing myself to get under the 36 minute mark (yeeks, that's slow!), eventually aiming at being somewhere in the twenties (ha!) Yesterday, though, I was feeling a little tired and not wanting to push myself so I opted for a slow and easy 10K.

MAINLY to show you the state of
the sidewalks and NOT to show off
what APPEARS to be a double-chin...

   I set out from my house and headed for Springbank Park, the simple plan being to run 5K in that direction and then turn around and head back. A couple of blocks into the run, though, I was feeling so good that I decided I would tack on an extra kilometer, if I thought that I could when the time came. This, then, would make a new record for me---11K!
   Now I know that by most standards this is not a huge distance but I also believe in baby steps and, if truth be told, I've only ever run 10K four times, so it is not like I have this strong base, either. An extra K, in this case, is significant.
   I continued to feel good when I entered the park, about 2 and a half kilometers in. Up to that point, the sidewalks had been pretty slushy and not much fun to run on. The temp was hovering right around just slightly above freezing and there was a conscious effort to avoid large, cold puddles. The running path in the park was much clearer, though, and I was able to settle in to a nice, slow run.
   My only real concern was that I would reach the halfway point in my run and then be simply too tired to be able to run all the way back. I get this feeling every time I've run a 10K and today I was going to be adding the extra mileage. The thing with a out and back run, obviously, is that you're gonna put the mileage in, whether you feel like it or not, even if it means walking back most of the way but I desperately wanted to be able to run the whole thing.
   Well, it turned out that I was able to run the entire way with no real fear that I wouldn't. I did find it necessary to stop four different times for stoplights, for a sum total of about 45 seconds, so no big deal, better to arrive alive. I was running at an 8:33 pace, so very slow, but this had been the plan all along.

ASICS shoes, Nike socks and Sugoi tights---I CLEARLY fulfilled
my Adidas clothing contract stipulations!

   I get the feeling that when I'm running this slow that I could run this way forever (likely incorrectly) so I'm sure that I can continue to add extra mileage on to my long runs. My plan right now is to tack on an extra kilometer every weekend and see how that goes. Eventually I want to run a half or a full marathon, just to be able to say that I did, so this means I  need to up the mileage. Fingers crossed.

The SAD story.....

   I managed to keep my feet reasonably dry for about 1o and a half K and then I got back to my street. The temp had gone up a little while I was running and the small puddles which were easy to avoid at the beginning were now much larger. On top of that, I didn't have the same amount of energy to run around them---just easier to run through them!
   My wife and I arrived back at the house at the same time so I was able to cop a pic of her getting out of the car after her hair appointment. She has a head of long beautiful blond hair and I'm always just a little freaked out that one of these days she'll come back with it all chopped off. Yesterday, though, we were fine and just another reminder of what a lucky man I am!

The HAPPY story!

What? No run-blogging?

   Okay...let's see now...September...October...November. Holy crap, it's been over two months since I did a blog post!!
   Well, where to begin...
   First off, I haven't stopped running. There have been a couple of longer stretches wherein I was recovering from fairly mundane ailments such as colds and the like but, for the most part, I've been getting out there. No amazing distances or anything, just trying to concentrate on doing 5K two or three times a week and maybe throwing in the odd longer run.
   A couple of months ago, I decided to cut back a little on carbs and extra sugars and ended up losing about eight pounds, without really trying. This was quite the revelation for me as it was accomplished with only a minimum of running. Unfortunately, now that I know I can do it, I occasionally choose not to. Where the sense is in this is beyond me---why would you make a discovery like that and then not go full-throttle on it? Who knows?!
   On top of the little bit of running I have been doing, I also ran a race, of all things! A few weekends ago I ran the Halloween Haunting 5K, right here in London. So here's the recap!
   It was a cool-ish and slightly breezy, sunny Sunday morning and the race was being held in Springbank Park, one of the running hubs here in London.

"Gorilla Guy"

   There was a definite Halloween theme and many of the runners wore costumes. At one point, I ran past a guy who was dressed up as a man in a jail cell being "romanced" by a gorilla---highly reminiscent of one of the final scenes from "Trading Places". Extremely ingenious costume!
   I had been trying to decide just how "Halloweeny" to get with this race but in the week leading up to it Canada experienced attacks on its military and Parliament and there was a call out for runners to wear red and/or Canada-themed attire in their races that weekend, so this is what I opted to do.

Pre-race pic. Kinda cool so hands in the pockets!

   The race itself still had kind of a fun atmosphere to it and I was not at all concerned with my time and ended up round about 36 minutes for a 5K. This is (somewhat unfortunately) pretty consistent with most of my times this year.
   After the race, I hung around for awhile to watch some of the 10K runners come in and also wait for the results of the 5K race and the accompanying award ceremony. This was the final race in this year's London Honda Road Race series and, as one of a very small group of runners in my AG (60-65), there is always the possibility of being in the top three and getting a prize.

The back of "The Flash" and a dog
who knows a deer when he sees one!

   So I was standing there, getting colder and colder by the minute (sweat and cool temps are never a good mix), waiting through the results of all the other AGs, when it came my turn. I never come in first so my big hope is that I might snag a second or third. Sure enough, another fellow wins first and then another guy wins second. They are in the middle of announcing third place and I actually start taking a step forward to go up for my prize when they call out someone else's name! Thankfully it was just one small step I took!
   

   Okay, so no prize that day but, in the overall standings for this race series, I did end up third and that meant I won a $50 Runner's Choice gift card! Not too shabby! One of my main running goals is to be a little more competitive in this AG and to be posting much more respectable times in the near future. I've only been running for about three years now whereas my belief is that all of the other guys have been going at it substantially longer. Chances are they've plateaued and I can still get quite a bit better! We'll see!

Thanks goodness for "ALL"!

   At this point, there are no races on the horizon. I am in the middle of trying to decide how much money I want to spend on races---finances are pretty tight and sometimes it just feel pretty hard to justify paying to do something I could do for free on my own. Likely it will boil down to what a race's motivational factor  might be. If knowing there's a race coming up helps make me get out there and train then maybe the odd race is a good thing, expense be damned!

The inviting facade.

   After the race and my non-win, it was time to head for home. Doralyn had dropped me off at the race but had a prior commitment so I had decided to just walk home from there. Fortunately it's only a couple of kilometers from where I live to Springbank Park. When you're wet and headed into a cool breeze, though, stopping along the way for warmth and sustenance always seems like the right thing to do and, fortunately, my route took me right past what I consider to be my "home" Tim's and therein did I stop!

   I only had a loonie ($1, for my American friends) in my pocket so the sustenance comprised only three timbits and not even a coffee. Still quite welcome, though!
    
   
   

One third of my sustenance!