Finally Getting That 8K Run Done!

   After almost a full week with temps in the teens here in southwestern Ontario, I found myself almost drooling at the prospect of being able to get on the trails yesterday and run "normally". 

Hard to tell, but this is about 45
degrees straight up (which would
actually be 90 degrees, but
              you know what I mean) 

   Alas, overnight, the temps plummeted about 12 degrees and I found myself headed out into what they call "seasonal" weather which, in Canada in February, is not always the best...
   I ended up making three trips back into the house before I even got out of the driveway, just to find warmer things to wear. I kept on thinking to myself once I get warmed up I'm not gonna need this but eventually I found out that yes, I WAS gonna need all this!
   Once again, headed off to Komoka Provincial Park and this time I headed east on the main trail. I'd  managed to avoid this stretch of trail last weekend mainly because there were a couple of steep and very rocky descents/climbs I wanted to avoid. Yesterday, though, I decided to give her a go.

Love running through pine needles!

   After a week of warmth and sun, the muddy conditions which marred last week's run had, for the most part, resolved themselves. Things were a little dicey in a couple of spots where the trail crossed natural wet areas but for the most part the footing was great.
   The eastern stretch of the trail is only a couple of kilometers long and ends at one of the former entry parking lots. I normally turn around at this point but I noticed what seemed like another trail on the other side of the lot, so I decided to do a little exploring. I was also hoping that this trail would hook me back up to the main trail on the far side of those rocky climbs I just mentioned.
   I soon found myself back down by the Thames River briefly before this new trail turned and led me back to the main one. Kind of nice to see new trail but it also led me back to the part of it that didn't avoid those rocky climbs so I ended up having to do them anyway. And I guess I'm probably the better for it!

There's a deer in this pic. I've named him "Waldo".

   Taking unmarked trails was my modus operandi for the day day and I basically took everyone I found, unless I was already on one. This modus operandi also got me lost and had me running through thickets and marshy areas until I finally saw something familiar. 
   My plan for today was to try and do the 8K I didn't manage to complete last weekend. The improved footing yesterday actually helped make this happen. There were a fair number of rest breaks taken mainly due to all the hills but I never walked so I actually did run 8K and there was some satisfaction in this. The knees are feeling it a little bit today, I think mainly due to the climbs, so I may need to do a little strengthening in that area. Then again, maybe if I just keep on running... 

This is the "everyone hangs
out at this tree" tree

Partly why this was an unmarked trail

Wherein I Encounter A Viking Ship (But No Hobbit House)

   I finally headed out for a run today, after a little over a month of only occasionally throwing in a long walk or two. My only goal when I left the house was to run---it didn't have to be fast and it didn't need to be continual. All I really needed was to run.
   This was kind of a refreshing approach because any of the last runs I'd done that month ago were all performance-based. I'd been desperately wanting to get my 5K times down and, slowly but surely, that's what was happening. And then I stopped running. Not sure why.
   It's still very autumn-like, weather-wise, here in London and today was a great day for running. I wore shorts and just a couple of layers up top. For some reason the top of me gets cold much faster than my bottom half and I need to be warm at the beginning of a run but still be mindful of the fact that I will warm up, eventually.
   There are a couple of cool things I wanted to be able to show you all today so I took just a bit of a detour from my usual 5K route. I wanted to show you the little hobbit house but when I ran by there was a pickup parked right in front of it, so that was kind of a no-go. Too bad, too, cuz I had to run up a freakin' hill to get there.
   There is, however, a miniature Viking ship right around the corner and I was able to get a pic. I'm a little far away due to the fact that there are no sidewalks on that side of the street . As have most viking ships, it's fallen into a bit of disrepair, its sail lies, bedraggled, atop its stern.

   From here, I just continued to run along at my very slow speed and was kind of loving it. I did time it and it ended up being a little over 42 minutes. I could not have run any more slowly but that was fine with me!

   I needed to make sure I took pics today because Crystal of Running With Rhyno fame had strongly suggested I run yesterday. But I whined and fussed and she said I could run today but needed to provide pictorial proof. So here it is, Crystal! Even a tiny bead of sweat on my left cheek, a bit of a foggy-breath effect, and a dilapidated Viking ship in the background...

   I can always tell when I've gotten into a better headspace with my running---I feel like going out again the same day. Today was one of those days because tonight I definitely feel as though I could run again. My plan is to hopefully feel like that again tomorrow and to maybe go hunting for that hobbit house I told you about!

A happier-looking me!

 

Thanksgiving Weekend running recap

   This past Thanksgiving weekend was one of the best ones, weather-wise, these parts (SW Ontario) have seen in a long time---for the most part sunshine and temps in the twenties.
   I took this opportunity to get out a couple of times, once for a timed 5K run and the other for a little session of forest-y hill repeats.
   I have been working diligently at trying to lower my 5K times from somewhere in the low forties back to somewhere in the mid thirties. Lately, I've been having a fair amount of success, generally being able to carve off 20 to 30 seconds at a time.
   Lately my 5K runs have been marked by sections of slow running, tempo running and walking. I run the same route all the time and it is somewhat hilly so I find that these different running speeds all were occurring round about the same portions of the route. What I've been doing is trying to go just a little faster on those sections when I reached them and restrict the amount of walking time whenever I felt like I needed to walk.
   This seems to be working! The nice part is that it means I'm running with a little bit of a plan which has fairly realistic goals attached. Here's what my Garmin's been telling me:

Just getting under 40:00
was psychologically huge!

And a little lower...

Still a ways to go!

   I don't listen to music when I run so what eventually happens that I either have the same few lines from a popular song running through my mind or, more often than not, it's a line of gibberish which pops into my head after I've established some sort of regular run cadence. As I was running on Saturday, though, I found that I was at some point simply counting my steps. Every time my right foot hit the ground, I'd count it. I'd go all the way up to a hundred and then start all over again at "one". This helped immeasurably with cadence and, psychologically, just kept me going. It also occurred to me in a flash that this is what I used to do, way back near the beginning, when I was running in the mid-thirties. Thought this was very encouraging! Later on this morning I'm headed out again and so will give it a try.

Hard to make it look steep in the pic...

   On Sunday, I knew I wanted to run but didn't want to do the usual 5K route so I headed off to Warbler Woods to do hill repeats. I've picked this spot to do repeats as it's quite scenic and features a string of steep hills throughout. Each hill is different and this only helps with the enjoyment aspect of it.
   There's about a kilometer and half of residential area that I run through before I get to the woods and it in itself is fairly hilly so I run to where the hills start and then I run hard up them and walk down the other side. This is kind of my modus operandi once I get into the woods, as well. 
   We've had so much summery weather this fall that the leaves have only just started to change so here's a bit of a photo dump of the forest and then coming out of it on the other side.

Warbler is just in behind
these purple whatever-they-are's

An extremely popular place! So
lucky that I live as close as I do!

Through the woods...

...but not this part...

...over one of the boardwalks...

...and at the gates at the other end!

Climbing up out of the park.

London is known as the Forest City,
so fall is a pretty time of the year.

Awesome colours!

Ooops! I may have said "Forest City"
just a touch too soon!

    
   So there you have it, a little bit of what the running long weekend was like! I'm headed out shortly and am aiming at perhaps cutting another 20 or so seconds off my time. Wish me luck!

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!

Mr. Yasso, The Joke's On ME!

      I ran yesterday but felt like I wanted to get up off my butt (as people have been suggesting) and run again today. But I wanted to do something different.
   For a while now, I have been reading and hearing about how runners incorporate Yasso 800s into their training plans. These training sessions are named after Bart Yasso, running guru and CRO of Runner's World magazine. The man is a bit of a legend in the running community.
   What Yasso 800s involve is running 800 meter timed intervals, generally on a track, with timed rest periods in between. The rest periods should be about the same length of time as it takes you to run the 800 meters.
   This training method is primarily used by marathoners and it's Yasso's theory that your interval time should pretty closely correlate, by extrapolation, to your marathon time. As an example, if you found you could run an average interval of 3:30, then your marathon time would be close to 3 hours and 30 minutes.
   Now, I have never run track at any age, so I have absolutely no past experience as to what's fast and what's not, for amateur runners. What I have seen a lot of, though, is running bloggers saying they've run 800 intervals in around the afore-mentioned 3:30.
   When I read this I went what?? it took them a whole three minutes and thirty seconds to run around a piddly little football field twice?? No way! I could do it way faster!
   Are you giggling yet?
   So today, because I wanted to do something different, I headed out to my high school alma mater, Oakridge Secondary, to run Yasso 800s.
   I was really hoping to have the track to myself and such was the case when I arrived. I set my stuff down right at midfield, took a sip of water and off I went.
   Well, round about the time I hit the first turn I realized what a total miscalculation I'd made!

Starting line, right at the 55-yard line

   Thinking I was just going to breeze around this track, I immediately started off in (somewhat) high gear and knew by the first turn that I was done for, particularly at that speed. I dialed it way down the rest of the way and, gasping at the end, discovered I'd done my first ever Yasso 800 in the awesome time of 5:friggin 11! I'm sure the whooshing sound I heard just about then was the universe settling back into place and Brian gaining knowledge!
   I walked around for a few minutes, gaining my breath and enjoying that holy crap feeling of discovery. My original plan was to have run five of these intervals. The way I felt after the first one made me unsure as to whether I'd be able to run another one!
   When I thought I could breathe again, I set off on the second one, dialed down right from the beginning. Without the preliminary burst from the first one, the second one came in at 5:23. At the end of the second, I was pretty sure I only had one left.

The "sort of" track.

   I set off for the last time, this time paying a little more attention to my watch. Coming around the last bend, I saw that I had an opportunity to beat the previous interval and, knowing it was last interval of the day, I kicked it up a notch. Managed to come in at 5:17. Hooray, a negative friggin split!
   So, needless to say, I have new-found respect for anyone who can run a Yasso 800 in 3:30. Actually, I have new-found respect for anyone who can run a Yasso 800 period.

Sad high jump pits.

   About the only saving grace to the morning was that fact that I was back on the playing field of my high school days. It was pretty easy to look around the football field and recount past glories and failures, junior football adventures, phys ed classes, cross-country and yay for cheerleaders! It was also the first time I'd really been there in slightly over 40 years. Memories running rampant and all that. 
   On the way to the track I passed another and much newer high school track. It was tempting to stop there but my old school was just another minute of the road and, besides, it was a Catholic track and I'm not Catholic. Or anything for that matter. It is kind of embarrassing, though, that they have an

Ah, the good old days...

actual track and  Oakridge has, well... a gravel road that goes around in circles (see pic) Even the long jump pits are kinda pathetic (once again, see pic).
   If nothing else, I got out today for a tiring, heart-elevating run. It was also a change of pace, which is never a bad thing. On top of all that, I now have a bit of a Yasso baseline for the future. Oh, and by the results I guess I'm running a marathon in about 5 hours and 15 minutes! Oddly, about what I would have predicted!

How I Got To Where I Am This Very Minute

   I ran today for the first time in a long time. It's been so long that I can't actually remember when the last time was. I suppose I could dig out the Garmin and check back but the fact of the matter is that it's not coming to me right now.
   I should be able to go oh, yeah, I ran yesterday and that was a hard one or maybe even enjoyed the rest day after that long run on Tuesday but none of that is coming to me.
   I did go for a 10K walk last weekend and that was quite the workout but, prior to that, I don't remember any runs.
   What this all means, of course, is that I'm not running enough. And there's been no cross-training in the interim, either. If that's not bad enough, I've more or less abandoned my gluten-free lifestyle, giving me more access to more carbs more often. All of the above has simply been a recipe for disaster, of course, and my body's showing it.
   Last night, I had a perfectly good chicken dinner with fresh veggies. It filled me adequately but then, as I was passing through the kitchen, I noticed a cooked turkey burger sitting, unwanted, in a frying pan on the stove. It looked lonely so I ate it. And then felt awful afterwards.
   So now we can add "poor choices" to everything I've already told you about and you get a pretty good idea of the dire straits I'm in!
   

How to take a sidewalk and
turn it into a trail run. From
my run today.

Earlier on today, I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror (should they be outlawed?) and asked myself if it would be appropriate to do a "selfie", without my shirt on. Ostensibly, it would be the "before" pic and at some point (later and about twenty pounds less) I would post the "after" pic. Then I thought to myself but what if there's no "after" pic to show people. The "before" pic would simply become "the pic" and would just fester there in cyber space. My boobs also rival many women's and I understand there are obscenity guidelines....so no selfies today. You're welcome!

You lucky bastards!

   I ran 5K today in around 40 minutes, about as bad as it's been. My goal is eventually to get under 30. Last summer, I was running around 34 and 30 seemed reachable. Today, a sub-30 5K seems way, WAY off.
   But no big deal; because I can walk, it doesn't matter so much how the running's going and I know way too many people who can't walk. As far as tomorrow goes, I can certainly get out and run again---nothing can really stop me and, if I choose not to run, I can go to the gym and if I choose not go to the gym I can go for a long walk or if I choose not to do any of these things then I can sit here and soak in the world somehow!

Aching backs, sickness and botched blood boondoggles!

   When last we spoke, I think I had just finished telling you about my wonky back from working on the back yard and generally how my aging body seemed intent on placing obstacles in my running path.

Couldn't finish the run but
enjoyed the scenery along the way!

   Well that was then and this is now and for the last two weeks my body has presented me with both the pre-amble to and the after effects of a miserable head cold.
   I've had enough head colds in my life that I can pretty well tell you the chronology of them as they take me on their journey. This one has taken me down the same scratchy-throat, watery-nose, clogged-sinuses, and hacking-cough road pretty well every other cold has forced me to travel on. This one did seem to be one of the worst, though.
   Through it all, I have tried to run twice. Each time, I was able to make it to about the three and a half kilometer mark before my lungs forced me to stop. The legs felt okay but it was impossible to take in a deep breath without gagging on whatever it was that was rattling around in my chest.

More of that scenery!

   The second time I tried to run was the same day I was scheduled to make a blood donation. From previous experience, I've learned that you don't try and run after a blood donation. Just doesn't work! So I made sure to get the run in a little earlier in the day. The donation itself was kind of strange. The person doing it had all the earmarks of a first-timer---seemed distracted and nervous, fumbling with equipment, couldn't find a vein, after the needle was already in had to adjust it and then, to top it all off, something got stuck in the needle and they weren't able to even complete the donation! Then, afterwards, I'm sitting in the little refreshment area and a fellow donator finishes her donation and comes and sits down. She's barely in her chair when all of the sudden I hear her say "oh oh", I look over and blood is just gushing out if her arm and all over the floor! Staff end up running around all over the place, staunching the flow and cleaning up. Very bleachy there for awhile! I really wanted to thank her on the way out for the awesome show! All in all, a strange trip to the clinic!

Remnants of my botched donation...

   And this all came as I was finally starting to follow a 10K training plan.
   After stating this as one of my goals for the year I have actually signed up (and paid for!) a 10K race later in the summer. This has led me to seek out a 10K training plan and I finally found one of Hal Higdon's novice 8-week training plans on the internet. Almost immediately as I began it, I got sick! Today I am two weeks removed from the initial signs of the cold coming on and I still have not been involved with  running or any of the other training components of the plan which include stretching, weight training and cross training. Obviously, I may need to slightly revise the 8-week plan!
   I already know that I can run 10K as I've done it a couple of times this spring. Both times, though, I did them in about 1:18. If I do this race at that speed, I'll still be out on the course as they're handing out the awards! So a little distance-specific training is in order!
   Nor has the weather been particularly accommodating for getting out there and hitting the pavement---LOTS of rain and wind in these parts!
   Today, Victoria Day, however, is looking and feeling like a much better day to run so I really need to get out there at some point. The lungs still don't feel a hundred per cent but hopefully I'll be able to get a full 5K in this time around. And if there is anything still nestled down there inside that chest cavity that shouldn't be there then maybe a brisk little run will take care of that for me! Wish me luck!
     

Streak Week!

   Woo-hoo, just finished my first week of the #RunToCanadaDay running streak!
   This 90-day running streak is the brainchild of Crystal Rhyno, founder and fearless leader of the Canuck Running Bloggers. The idea is to run at least two kilometers every day between April 1 (surely she must have been fooling) and July 1, Canada Day (Yay, Canada!)
   Last night (and I was cutting it close), I finished off Day 8 with a 2K run. I have very conveniently found a side street which is exactly half a kilometer away so, in a pinch for 2K, I simply run back and forth twice between my house and that street. Over the eight days, I found myself doing that more than I anticipated simply because of time constraints and the fact that I found myself running at the end of the day a lot. Doing it this way keeps me off the roadways after dark and, therefore, is that much safer (which keeps my wife a little happier, too!)

Please don't look at this lame picture of me streaking....

   I have never run eight days straight in my life! I'm not too sure I've ever run more than three days straight, for that matter. This, then, is uncharted territory for me. It has also led to re-defining a "rest" day---I guess a "rest day" is any day I only run 2K.
   A couple of times I've been out running and couldn't immediately figure out why I was tiring so fast. Then, of course, it hits me. You just ran six days straight!
   The majority of those runs have been the 2K variety, simply because of the timing, the weather and just wanting to keep the streak alive. A couple of those times, I really didn't feel like getting out there and running but did anyway. Today, as an example, I'd be fairly content to sit here on my butt but it's also a beautiful day and I'm talking myself into getting out there.
   Part of the problem, though, is that it's hard to imagine running ninety days in a row without encountering some unforeseeable circumstance which might stop the streak, regardless of my desire to keep it going. I just can't fathom being able to run every single day between now and Canada Day. In the face of a seemingly certain failure down the road, why stay motivated to keep the streak alive now.
   Cuz it would be kinda cool, that's why!

My Unplanned 10K Run!

   "I ran an easy six miles today."
   I cannot tell you how many times I've read this at the beginning of some runner's blog or Facebook post. I know how far six miles is and it always blows me away that someone could describe it as "easy" and seem rather blasé about it at the same time.
   Well...not me!
   I RAN AN EFFING 10 KILOMETERS TODAY!!!!
   I have had 10K on my radar for about a whole year now. I was working up to it last year about this time when the PF (god, I'm tired of talking about it) hit. I had gotten myself up to 9K when the PF brought a screeching halt to things and it's taken me this long to make it back.


Footbridge across the Thames.

   Today was supposed to be a 9K run, after my 8K run last weekend. Next weekend would have been the momentous 10Ker. A couple of kilometers into the run today I was feeling pretty good. It was actually one of the best days for running we've had in these parts for a long time, due to the kind of winter we (and most of North America) have been having. I was feeling so good it occurred to me that if I finished the 9K and thought I could tack one more K then why not?


Obstacle course.

   This plan solidified itself around the 7K mark. At this point I felt 10K was quite do-able. It was not on the schedule but, really, with the weather the way it's been lately, it was hard to say when I might be able to get in the next 10K run so why not get it in the books today? Which is what I did.
   It was also around the 7K mark that I started to feel it---the left knee began to stiffen up and my left calf also began to complain a touch. It felt as though I was limping as I ran but when I looked down at my legs, they seemed to be running pretty normally. At any rate, there was not nearly enough discomfort to stop.
   The other cool part about the run today was that I didn't take a walking break. I took a handful of breaks last week during my 8K run to take pics along the way. I took pics today but basically did them on the run (we'll see how they turn out!)
   I started the run today from the most westerly end of Springbank Park and simply ran through the park until I made it down beside the river. Then along the river until I'd put in 4.5K. At this point, I just turned around and headed back. The closer I got to the end of the run, the more I figured I'd be able to add the extra K, to  make a full 10K. I took note of my position when I had only half a K left to go for 9 so that when I finished 9 I could run back to that point and then back again to make up the extra kilometer. It worked out well! The legs were more tired than usual but I guess this was to be expected. The real test will be tomorrow and stepping out of bed...


Post-run tired smile.

   So it's nice to know I can run 10K. Taking part in a 10K race this summer was one of my biggest goals for the year and I knew that I wanted to have run it a few times in training before an actual race. My plan now is to try and run it about once a week between now and then and see how it goes. Looking forward to it! One of the humbling things, though, was knowing that, to take part in an actual marathon, I'd have to do what I did today three more times in a row, plus a little. Intimidating, for sure! The good thing is that I don't have a marathon anywhere on the horizon, any time soon!

Running Fast

   Here's the thing.
   As much as I enjoy lacing up and heading out for a long run, one of the things I find problematic is the feeling that I am constantly pacing myself. I find that I am necessarily holding bits of energy in reserve simply so that I can finish whatever run I happen to be on. Along the way, I do enjoy the feeling that I am slowly becoming stronger at what I do, that perhaps I seem less tired at the same point of a run than I was last week, at that same point. What I find I want to do, however, is run fast.
   I'm not talking fast in the sense that I might manage to whittle a couple of minutes off my 5K PR. No, I'm talking fast as in make-the-younger-guys-jaws-drop-as-I-run-past-them-on-the-the-football-field fast! I'm talking the 61-year-old version of Usain Bolt fast! I'm talking sprinter fast!
   Yeah, I kinda want to lace up some sprinting spikes, find a track somewhere and let it all out, occasionally. In the past, several other running bloggers have done posts about their track workouts and when you're mired in up to three feet of snow it's hard to resist the allure of a pristine running track in the warm sunshine.


How I would like one of my
races to start someday...

   I have never run track in my life, apart from the very rudimentary instruction I might have gotten in public school and then later on in high school. My impression of myself back in those days was that I was a chubby kid with no athletic talent. Long past my chubby days I was still unable to shake that mental image of myself (this a problem with anyone else?) and that's why the idea of participating in any kind of track and field event seemed unthinkable. It wasn't until I was in my twenties and started playing in a touch football league that I realized just how fast I was. Of course, that was almost forty years ago.
   In the meantime, the only benchmark I have is that I've played ball hockey for many years against much younger men (boys, some of them) and I have held my own quite handily. I have never competed against men my own age so I'm wondering how I might do out on a track.
   Unfortunately, this is not a situation where I can just head out to a track and start doing my thing. Like I said, everything here in London is covered in snow right at the moment and the only indoor track I can think of is at Western University. Not really sure I can just barge in on a bunch of Western track athletes and say "excuse me, I'm just gonna use this lane for a half hour or so"!
   I also would like to get a little bit of actual coaching. I would like someone to tell me how to train (as a man in my sixties who's never done it before) to run track, of all things! I think this would be cool!
   There are a couple of different track clubs here in London and my plan is to contact them and explain what I'd like to do. They might simply laugh at me (hopefully politely and in a non-condescending kind of way) and tell me to get lost realistic about the whole thing. It could well be that you continue to do track in your sixties, you don't start to do track in your sixties.
   At any rate, I will keep you posted!

First Long Run Of The Year

   I set out this morning to do my first long run in almost a year. I had begun doing long runs on Saturdays about this time last year on my way to being able to say I could run for 10k without stopping.


Just a quiet, little wintery run...

   Now, a long run for me is anything over 5k and you need to understand this. For most runners, a long run constitutes anywhere from 10k to 50 miles and distances in between. Today, my long run was 6k.
   I was kind of glad it was my long run day because runners all over the world today were logging megsmiles in their runs, to honour Meg Menzies, a young mother of three who died  earlier on this week in Richmond, Virginia. She had been out on a morning run and was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver. Although it seems appropriate to talk about this at length in this forum, I have reserved this for my other blog, "Neanderings", as it really doesn't feel like simply a running issue. At any rate, Meg and her surviving family members were definitely on my mind today as I ran.
   It was another one of those cold and snowy runs many of us have gotten used to over the last two months of deep chills and massive snowfalls. We had had a couple of inches overnight and the temp was -9C (16F) when I set out. Once again, I wanted to avoid dealing with traffic, so I headed to Springbank Park.


What a merry-go-round looks like in Canada in the winter

   Fortunately, the roadways in the park had all been plowed and this made for a more-than-acceptable running experience.
   The first part of the run was into a nasty little headwind but knowing that I was soon going to be making a long, sweeping turn and heading in the opposite direction made it a touch more bearable.
   Not only was it a long run, it was a long, slow run--I had no illusions of worrying about my time, all I wanted to do was to be able to handle the extra distance without stopping. Round about the second kilometer, I knew this would not be an issue.
   Regardless of the weather, Springbank Park always seems to be in use and I came across quite a few other runners and walkers. Part of my run took me past Storybook Gardens which, in the winter, puts in a meandering skating rink experience, sort of like a lazy river made out of ice. I could hear the skaters having a great time.
   I had planned another out-and-back route today so I simply ran until my Garmin told me I'd done 3k and then I turned around and headed back.
   At this point, I stopped for about five seconds each time while I took the odd pics you see here. At no time did I feel the need to wrestle with whether I should stop and take a walking break. This was likely due to the pace I was running at (about 7:30/k) but this was fine with me.
   At the end of the run, I definitely felt as though I could easily have just continued and this was a very gratifying sensation. Tomorrow, it's off to the gym for a little cross-training!
  
  
  
   


Part of what motivates me

   Today marked the sixth day in a row I've either gone for a run or headed to the gym. Now, you need to understand that this is somewhat unheard of in my life. I've gone through periods where I've run on a pretty regular schedule but I've never really included any form of cross-training at the same time.
   New stuff always scares me a touch and when I decided on the run one day/cross-train the next schedule I was a little apprehensive as to my ability to keep at it. Most of the apprehension centred around the gym component--I've never been a gym-goer before and wasn't sure how I would like it.
   Well...I like it!
   Doralyn and I have been to the gym three days out of the last six and I have used her as a little bit of motivation to keep me going. There was once or twice when I looked over at her and asked, "So...we going to the gym today?" Her answer invariably was "Well, we really should, don't you think?" And then we go. If she had replied any differently, we might not have. So kudos to my cutie!
   At the Goodlife Fitness we attend, there is a double row of machines down the center of the gym floor which basically separates the cardio machines from the free weight area. These are the machines I use.
   They are part of what Goodlife calls its 20-Minute Fit Fix and are designed to very quickly run you through most of your major muscle groups. Right at the moment, this is what I'm mainly interested in. Particularly, I'm mostly interested in increasing my upper body strength. This has always been a bit of a weak point with me, especially when it comes to sports. My legs have always gotten me to where I needed to go with plenty of time to spare but, when I got there, I didn't have the upper body strength I needed to help complete the task at hand. Well, that's gonna change.


Me, on the ball hockey floor.

   One of my resolutions for the New Year is to get back to playing ball hockey, this along with a couple of other running ones. I've now gone a whole year without playing and I'm itching to get back at it. I haven't been playing primarily due to last year's bout of PF which has now healed forever (right?) and I can think of no reason not to play anymore. Part of the problem, though, is finding a team that's willing to take on a 61-year-old. I've been playing in a league of 20-and 30-year-olds and it's a bit of a hard sell; unless you have some history with a team, then its players kind of look at you and more or less write you off, at first glance. So I really need to be in better shape!
   As I mentioned above, I'm liking the gym. I'm liking it so much that I'm going to miss it tomorrow, due to it being a run day. Hmmm....could I possibly do both?

Starting Up Again

   Christmas is finally over and I can almost physically feel myself starting to de-compress from it all. Most of the leftovers are finally gone and the shopping's been completed. If there were returns to make, this has been done. The familial obligations have ceased and I also have another week off. So, right at the moment, life is fine.
  

Me, post-run, it was good
to get out again! Need a new
hat, though...

It now seems like a good time to get back into a running routine. I realize there are likely several million runners out there who are all quite likely feeling the same way right about now--it's almost impossible for the holidays not to have some effect on your normal routines, running or otherwise. The extent with which we get back into our normal routines will vary, of course, but my plan is to get back to doing what I was doing this time last year.
   A year ago, I was running at least every other day. In  many of my off days I was playing ball hockey in a league (let's call it interval or speed work, if you like) and might occasionally double-up on the running. On Saturdays, I was slowly building up my long runs and was at the 9k mark when the PF hit. The PF and a couple of other niggling little medical concerns derailed huge chunks of my running this year and fingers crossed that it won't happen again!


New tights (Sugoi) and, yes, my legs DON'T
join at the top...

   All this being said, I headed out for a run today. I did a run a couple of weeks ago but with Christmas stuff going on I hadn't had the time or energy to get in any more. That run was a 3k and I decided today's would only be a 4k. I ran for 2k, walked a minute and then finished what was left of the final 2k by running it. The best part was at the end I was pretty sure I could easily have kept going.
   Today was also an opportunity to try out my new running tights. I had very generously been the recipient of a multitude of Running Room gift cards this past Christmas so I headed down there yesterday and picked out some tights and running shorts. Last winter, I ran in an old baggy pair of sweatpants and although the warmth factor was present, they were lacking in a couple of other important areas. Wind resistance was an issue--I remember them whipping around my legs constantly. As well, I simply didn't feel like a runner when I was wearing them.
   Today, new tights on, and it was great! Lots of warmth, no flapping, lots of ease of movement. And, according to my wife, I looked like a runner!
   All in all, it was a successful run today. The underfoot conditions were a little iffy in places with lots of slush and/or melting ice so I tried if at all possible to stick to the roads, which were fine. Tomorrow, Doralyn and I plan on hitting the gym, which neither of us have been to since the early fall. My plan is to alternate gym and run days, get back to the point where I can run 5k without stopping (again) and then find a goal race to sign up for!
    In the meantime, happy and healthy running to you all!

   The running conditions were just not that good today! You can even see the tracks my wheelchair someone's stroller left...