A new race and some photos

Hi everyone,


Enjoying our holiday here in Norway, the WGG and I had a bit of time to go through some of the photos we have taken and since several of them were related to running, decided to post them here.


First an announcement. My youngest son and I have decided to run the Santa Shuffle in Newmarket Ontario on December 3rd and Andrew is using it as a qualifying event in the Duke of Edinburg Bronze Award program. He will also engage in some fund raising which will help the Salvation Army provide Christmas Meals to community families in need, this fundraising will also help him qualify for the Community Service requirements of the DoE award

Now to the pictures Starting off with me running in Ottawa during the Army Half Marathon:


























Here are Barbara and I at the Cardiff 1/2 Marathon Expo with the 2012 Olympic Torch




















Here I am setting my watch before the Cardiff race - advertising Canada to my fellow Welsh Men and Women.


























Finally, here I am coming on strong around the midway point of the Cardiff 1/2 Marathon - just a couple of km before my legs started acting up.




















And so with that I return to our previously scheduled holiday. Training for the Chilly 1/2 begins November 1st.

Paul

Cardiff half - mixed feelings

Hi everyone,

I ran the Cardiff half, my home town, and I started off with tears in my eyes with how overwhelming the experience was. I ran 14 and 1's and was probably doing some of the best pace work I have ever done: 9 km at 55 minutes, 15 km at 1:38 - wow! On track for a personal best - but, around 16 km I suddenly felt a serious cramp in my left leg and the right was feeling a bit funny as well.

Suffice to say, I finished, and I finished acceptably at just over 2:30. Not bad for me but a good 11: 38 slower than a personal best.

Oh well, I guess I move that personal best target over to my next race, the Chily 1/2 Marathon in Burlington next February.

Song of the run - Girls Talk by the might Welshman and Cardiff native, Dave Edmunds. I am now on two weeks vacation and start training for the Chily on November1st. Update you again soon.

Paul

Two weeks to go...

I write this from the Delta Calgary Airport Hotel Lounge. This has been a long couple of days.

I started off in St. John's Newfoundland yesterday morning, flew home mid-day and managed to spend a nice evening with the WGG and "The Doctor" - it was the season 6 finale of BBC Wales wonderful continuing Doctor Who.

This morning it was up and at 'em. Conference call with a Saudi Oil company at 7:00 AM, 22 km run with my group at 8:30. Back home, shower, pack, visit Barbara's booth at the Bayview Art Tour, off to our office for a couple of hours and then the airport.

Now I am in Calgary. Tomorrow, one meeting here and then up to Yellowknife to work with the Department of Education on some telecommunication issues and spread the word about eSCRIBE. Further, one of my very best friends, Duff Spence is running for MLA in the Territorial election there tomorrow and I want to be there to buy him a beer, no matter how it goes.

Thursday home and next Wednesday the WGG and I head to Europe for the Cardiff 1/2 Marathon on the 16th. Whew!

So, to make sure I can run the Cardiff Half, today I completed a 22 km LSD in about 2:29 minutes which is pretty good given that I want to actually run it on race day under 2:18:22. My race plan is developed and tested (in Ottawa 2 weeks ago) and I feel really ready to do this.

Song of the run - fellow Cardiff lad, Dave Edmunds' Creature of the Black Lagoon.

Back with you soon!

Paul

A hard run today.

Hi everyone,

I set my sites on a 22km run this morning but the batteries are still pretty depleted from last week's Army 1/2. I managed 15 km running and a 7km walk/run. Completed the distance and next week I will rinse and repeat.

Beautiful weather for a run though. We are having a very nice autumn to date. Perhaps a little humid but aside from that nice temperature, blue skies - smiling at me!

Song of the day is the Who classic Squeeze Box. Great tune by one of my favorite bands.

Blog at you later in the week.

Paul

8 km Steady Run

Hi everyone,

Back with the Running Room this evening our clinic was a bit sparsely attended but the good crew was ready to tackle Fallingbrook Hill - well done, guys!

I have also started more serious cross training with Mike "Evil Personified" Fong again. The goal is chin ups (longer term) and improved CO2 Max (shorter term - like Cardiff!). I am very focused on a personal best for my hometown race.

Song of the run tonight was Candy by Paulo Nutini - great tune by a great Scotsman with an Italian name.

Running back to you soon.

Paul

Army Half Completed? Yes Sir!

Hi there

Kicked off by our Governor General (who also ran), with the earnest and engaged participation of some of the finest people in our country, Canadian Troops, and to the starting sound of a Howitzer Artillery Gun, today I completed the Army 1/2 Marathon.

The weather was near perfect, no, in fact it was absolutely perfect. Nice temperature, slight gentle wind, perfectly blue skies. We ran up by the Parliament, out past the museums, back, over to Gatineau, across the bridge, up Sussex and then down the Rideau Canal and back. Wow!

I used this as a training run and rehearsal of my race plan for Cardiff. I started out with 13 and 1's changing it after the first go round to 14 and 1's and kept that up to the 18 km point when I switched to 10 and 1's and finished with my second best time 2:19:49 (nearly matching the 2009 Prague race at 2:18:22). My goal is for Cardiff to be a personal best.

I want to thank the WGG for being there with me and the support of my colleagues and fellow clinic members at the Beaches Running Room.

Song of the run was a natural - Heroes by David Bowie and I dedicate it to the fine women and men of the Canadian Forces. The race itself is dedicated to someone who is also being a real Hero to his daughter right now although she may be too young to appreciate it. My brother Jamie has decided to return to school and I want to let him know how very much I admire him for it. Well done, brother!

Paul

Finally cooler weather returns!

Hi everyone,

Great night for an 8 km run, even one with a 3 km uphill climb to begin with. Tonight we went up Kingston Road, over to Fallingbrook and down through the Beaches. It was fast for a recovery run and our group stayed well together. We are now getting closer to race day, 6 weeks out, and at this point it is all about performance enhancement.

Sunday, past, however, was not so great - the humidity was very high and at the 15 km point of a 20 km run, I just ran out of steam. It happens. Not the end of the world but it was annoying. I ended up covering 18.5 km with the last 3.5 walked.

Song of the run was The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot.

Tomorrow night - speed drills!

Paul

Wound up August with Speed Drills!

Hey everyone

Wound up August with some fast paced Fartlek ("Speed Play" in Swedish) training. The trick here is to mix it up, go fast, really fast, run, walk but get an overall improvement in your pace as well as improve your bustable aerobic capability.

I normally run at a 6:30 - 6:45 pace but when peaking out in Fartlek I get down to about 4:00 min per km for 150 m or so and get my overall pace down to a 6:00 or 6:15. It is actually pretty tough but well worth it. Tonight our 1/2 Marathon Clinic ran two speed drills last night and will move to three and then four next week and the week after respectively. The group did very well.

So, time marches on, I now have less than 3 weeks until the Army 1/2 Marathon to support Canadian Troops and then a further 4 weeks until the LSB Cardiff and Scotiabank Toronto 1/2 Marathons. Still time for improvement but now the runs are in my legs, as they say - no matter what, I will likely be able to finish them both.

Song of the run was 250624 by Chicago

Paul

And so comes September....

Hey gang,

I am not much of a winter person except when it comes to running. So, it is with entirely mixed feelings that I greet September. I turn 52 this month and past 30, those occasions, while joyous, can be mixed with a bit of melancholy as well. Still at 51 years, 352 days, I must admit I can do things with my body now that I couldn't do at 30 or even 25.

Training with Mike went well on Monday, we didn't over do it but I was mildly stiff yesterday and remain so today. Went for an 8 km run with the group last night, weather was great and I love the route along the beach, up one nasty hill and then downhill for a good long stretch. Next Tuesday we run the same route in the opposite direction, a much greater challenge.

Song of the run, an old standby but a song that is dear to me Stand by you by the Pretenders.

Tonight it is speedwork. Talk to you later.

Paul

An 18 km jaunt around the spit!

Hey bloggerets

Our group completed either 16 or 18 km yesterday. The folks doing the longer distance are training for the Army 1/2 Marathon in Ottawa on September 18, the others the Toronto (or Cardiff!) on October 16. Each week now will have two distances for the Long Slow Distance (LSD) run. I am doing both Ottawa and Cardiff so my distance yesterday was 18 km.

The song of the run was Smile by Nat King Cole - not a fast paced song but good on the back half 9 when one is starting to get a bit tired.

Today I worked out with my trainer, which is something I do as I get nearer the race. My schedule will be pretty crazy until Cardiff - something like this:

• Sunday: LSD Run


• Monday: Cross training


• Tuesday: Recovery run (not less than 8 km)


• Wednesday: Speed or Temp Run


• Thursday: 7 km run


• Friday: Cross Training


• Saturday: Rest Day (As godlike as I am going to get ;-) )

It is going to be a busy autumn.

Paul

Midsummer Night's Run.

Hi everyone,

Completed the 15km Toronto Midsummer Night's Run yesterday - a really great race out on the Leslie Street Spit. There was a great turnout and, although the humidity was a bit high, the weather cooperated. The song of the run was 10 cc's Dreadlock Holiday sung live in Japan. Below is a picture of my medal and I after the run:

It was gratifying to see so many friendly faces from the Beaches Running Room there helping raise some money for Toronto Sick Kids Hospital.

This completes another preparatory race for Cardiff on October 16th. The next prep race is the Ottawa 1/2 Army race on the 18th of September (just 5 days after my 52nd birthday. After Cardiff will be a little bit of downtime followed by the resumption of training with the Chilly 1/2 and both Ottawa and Toronto Marathon's in the spring.

As always, thanks to Barbara, the World's Greatest Geophysicist, for coming out to the race and supporting me in my minorly magnificent obsession. You are the best, Barbara.

This week with our clinic we finish off hills and have a long run of 18 km next weekend. Stay tuned...


Paul

8 hills in high humidity - whew!

Hi everyone

Our penultimate hills week and it was a tough one. The humidity was very high and the hills seemed particularly steep. When we finished they had some orange juice boxes at the Running Room - I never drink OJ but tonight I quaffed two before my bike ride home. Tough.

Next week, 9 hills.

Song of the run: Canadian Railroad Trilogy by Gordon Lightfoot.

Saturday is the Midsummer Nite's Run. Be there!

Paul

Been running but haven't been posting...

Hi gang,

Real quick update as life got busy on me. Been keeping up with all my regular runs except last Sunday (my sister got married). All is well and training is on schedule. This Saturday is the Midsummer Nite's Run, a fifteen km jaunt out on the Leslie Street Spit followed by a beer garden and music. Nice.

Tonight's song of the run was Save a Mountain for me by Lol Creame and Kevin Godley.

Tomorrow night it is 8 hills!

Paul

Long Sunday Run

Hi everyone,

A long, slow run in the rain today - 17km on my newly tattooed legs. I spent about 2 1/2 hours under the needle yesterday and now have a Welsh Dragon on my left leg and Maple Leaf on my right.




This is all in support of my run in my home town of Cardiff coming up in mid-October.

So today's run was out to McLean - Rosetta Park, really nice route but it rained the whole way. It was an out and back route, run until you hit the 8.5 km point and then turn around and come back. Song of the run was While my Guitar Gently Weeps by George Harrison. Simply the best Beatles Song period.

Back at our clinic on Tuesday night. Update you all again then.

Paul

Friday extra run

Decided that I wanted to get back to getting a forth run in each week. Tonight was my usual "home" route - nice, actually. One killer hill but aside from that pretty flat and interesting.

Song of the run was Sparks from Tommy by the Who.

Long run Sunday!

Paul

There's hills in them there, er, hills!

Hi everyone,

I crossed the 6 hill boundary with our Running Room 1/2 Marathon Clinic this evening. Fun! I didn't record last night's run on the blog either with a 6.3 km loop around "The Peanut" down around the west end of the beach near Ashbridge's Bay.

Both runs were great. Hills were hard of course, but the heat had abated and we had a bit of drizzle which really helped. Next up are a run on Friday and Sunday's 15 km out to Scarborough.

Tonight's song of the run was Move it on Over by George Thoroughgood. Back at you in a couple of days.

Paul

14 km in Vancouver

Hi everyone,

Out here on the west coast with the WGG and my oldest son, he is starting at UBC in just a couple of weeks and we are out here to show him the ropes, as it were.

This morning ran around Stanley Park with the goal of a 14 km distance. Made a wrong turn and would up near Granville Island at which point I stopped my watch and hoofed it back to the hotel. So I ran 14 km and walked 3 or 4 afterward.

Great scenery - really like Vancouver when the weather cooperates!

Song of the run - Phasers on Stun by FM.

You may notice that I have removed the Accura Toronto 10 Miler Race from the countdown at the top of the blog. My younger sister, JoLaura, is getting married on that day and I will be needed, it seems, throughout the weekend to assist in preparations. Choice, running or watching a beautiful young woman get married... Hmmm... Had to think about it for all of about 1 second! So I will be running a race one week later. I will get in a 16 km run at some point that weekend to stay up with my running group.

Back in Toronto tomorrow in time for a visit to the Running Room for our usual recovery run after a Yoga exercise on Tuesday. For the record, boys don't do Yoga!

Paul

After a week a way, a 12 km run with the 1/2 Marathon Clinic

Hi everyone,

Back from my trip up north to Yellowknife which included running Pilot Monument Hill, I am back home for just a few days before heading off on a short vacaction.

Ran our second 12 km run with the Beaches Running Room 1/2 Marathon Clinic group and happy to report that a good time was had by all.

Today's run was pretty straight forward, along the beach up to Lakeshore and then from there through Leslieville and up to the Danforth before heading back to the store. The song of the run was The Eleventh Earl of Mar by Genesis.

Tuesday is 5 hills before heading off to Vancouver.

Paul

12 km LSD through Edmonton's River Valley

Hi there,

Out in Edmonton with the WGG visiting family and this morning went to the original mother store of the Running Room for a 12km group run with their 1/2 Marathon Clinic group led by Anastassia.

Very beautiful route along the river valley. Killer hill at the end near Emily Murphy Park but aside from that really nice, scenic and not too hot. Mosquitoes were a bit horrid during some of the shady bits but I was slathered in Deet, so got through it with only a few minor bites.

Song of the Run - She Blinded me with Science by Thomas Dolby.

Next run coming at you from Yellowknife.

Paul

Hills and heat!

Hi everyone,

Well, at least it was cooler tonight. Probably only 26 C and the humidity was way down. Good thing as we were doing hills.

Three hills tonight - had a bit of problem with my asthma in the heat but a quick Salbutimol hit and I was good to go. My homeboy Dave Edmunds came through with the Song of the Run, The Creature from the Black Lagoon and it was suddenly a great night. We followed up with our first pub night of the clinic and I want to thank those 15 thirsty runners who decided to show up. You are as great drinking companions as you are running companions!

OK, so I will be running in Edmonton on the weekend and Yellowknife and Hay River next week. Update you soon!

Paul

And the Humidex was 36C!

Hi gang

Really good run tonight but, boy, was it ever hot.

We completed 6 km through Leslieville, our standard Tuesday route. Must of looked like complete masochists as we were running along in the searing, high humidity heat. Oh well, builds character. At least I had this to look forward to when I got home:


























Sometimes a beer makes it all ok!

Song of the run: Dream Police by Cheap Trick. Update you again tomorrow after our first batch of hills!

Paul

10 km LSD up Kingston Road

Hi bloggerts!

Bit of busy week - not quite as much running as I would like. I was in Vancouver on Tuesday and Wednesday, and in Niagara Falls on Friday and Saturday. Back at it this week before yet another road trip and end of month vacation. Today was our second and final 10 km run with the Beaches Running Room 1/2 Marathon Clinic. This upcoming week we start to get into longer runs, 12 km or more and we add hills! Yah!

Being July in Toronto means that today was pretty warm without much breeze. I ran around the middle of the pack and there was a good turnout in spite of the heat and what can only be described as a gruelling hill up Kingston Road at the 6 km point. Well done to all the 1/2 Marathoners out there.

So, today's song of the run was Picasso's Last Words by Wings. Great song, great band.

Next up, Tuesday's recovery run, Wednesday's hills and another trip out west.

Blog at you soon!

Paul

Monday instead of Tuesday

Hi everyone,

I am off to Vancouver for a couple of days and, as such, must miss my run club the next two nights. With that in mind, I whipped off a quick (well, not so quick but work with me...) 7 km run. I did a favourite neighbourhood run of mine, near the WGG and my home. A couple of small hills to make it challenging but otherwise pretty flat. Tonight was really hot, about 28C, with not very much wind, a lot of direct sunlight and a relatively poor air quality. All in all this resulted in a bit of a slower run but it was finished in a timely manner and, now that I have had dinner, I am feeling pretty good.

So, the song of the run was from my Mother's old school mate, Tom Jones - What's New Pussycat?

Running again Thursday, blog you then!

Paul

Hot Sunday Run!

Hi everyone,

Today's run was great but, boy, was it hot! We started out as usual and then headed up the hill at Fallingbrook then wound up running along the Lakeshore for the last couple of kilometers.

Song of the run was Rock & Roll High School by The Ramones.

Keep the faith!

Paul

Hot night for 7 km with big hill!

Hi there,

Tonight was a scorcher! About 27C with high humidity pretty still air - great night for Fallingbrook Hill! My running room class all did it and most went beyond the 6 km route planned and instead went for 7 km. Great group, sweaty group but really great.

Song of the run? These Eyes by the Guess Who.

Next up - Saturday morning. See you then.

Paul

Nice night for 6 km...

Hi

Good Run with our group this evening - 6 km through Leslieville. Nice and flat. Tomorrow not so much!

Song of the run: Crawling from the Wreckage by fellow Welshman Dave Edmunds.

Back with you again tomorrow!

Paul

Summer Clinic LSD #2

Hi everyone,

We now have our second Long Slow Distance Run under our belt and from this point forward our group will be running longer than an hour every Sunday. They are a good group - we are now up to 43 participants.

So, today's route was one of my favorites in this neighbourhood - up Fallingbrook Hill and then down Kingston Road. We had great weather as well and the second half of that route is basically straight downhill.

So, our song of the day was Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc and we begin another week in getting ready for our autum races. Blog you again soon!

Paul

Second run in Nelson!

A further 6 km under my belt, bloggerettes! Keeping up with my running homeboys and girls in the Beaches.

Beautiful night for it, a bit warm and humid but you can't beat the scenary - attached is a photo taken about 20 minutes after I completed the run. Canada is a country of great beauty and Nelson, single handedly, proves that.



So, our song of the run was another Canadian performer, a personal favorite, Nash the Slash, with his cover of 19th Nervous Breakdown. Link up with you agoain on Saturday!

Paul

5 km run in Nelson BC

Hi Bloggerets!

Off to BC for a short business trip. Beautiful place! Right in the Interior, it was the location for a great little romantic comedy in the late 80's called Roxanne, staring Steve Martin and Darrell Hannah. A photo taken from my hotel window just a few moments ago follows:

So, my run tonight involved running along the lake through a park and then out past the airstrip and back. Pretty flat, just over 5 km. Song of the run was Do the Bearcat by David Wilcox and the Teddybears.

Hats off to the members of my Running Room 1/2 Marathon Clinic who were out tonight for the shoe lecture and a 5 km run. I may not be with you tonight guys but I am running with you!

Back tomorrow!

Paul

Sunday LSD #1 - Week 1 behind us, the 1/2 Marathon in front of us!

Hi everyone,

Today was our first true LSD run with the Summer 2011 1/2 Marathon Clinic. It was nice, not too hot, sunny and just about perfect for getting some km under ones belt. I am now mostly cycling down to start these races which is really adding to what I am getting out of them.

So this week I am off to Nelson BC and then back for next weekends runs - I will be running out west and will update you then.

The song of the day was Just Like You by FM. Blog with you soon!

Paul

First optional Saturday Run with the Running Clinic

Hi everyone

Well, our first week with the Beaches 1/2 Marathon Clinic is drawing to a close and it has been a great deal of fun. We managed to get 4 runs under our belt, totalling approximately 22 km and next week it will go up. It seems a good group and I am having a super time.

Today's song of the run was Nova Heart by the Spoons.

Update you again tomorrow.

Paul

Summer 2011 - 1/2 Marathon Clinic Night 1.

Hi there

Met my new BFFL's this evening in the Beaches Running Room. There are 32 participants in the 1/2 Marathon Clinic - they seem really nice, too bad about the instructor.

Tonight after the introductory work, we went out for a 4.5 km run which everyone completed and looked brilliant doing so. There was some construction along the boardwalk so we will be modifying our base 5 km route to avoid having to run on some sand (which is not as difficult as running on snow but is not much fine).

The song of the run was Tom Waits' Grapefruit Moon.

Further updates tomorrow.

Paul

Pre-clinic Long Slow Distance

Hi everyone,

Well with a couple of week's hiatus behind me and a 19 week 1/2 Marathon Clinic in front of me, I had a pre-clinic LSD this morning and a couple of the clinic members showed up. Thanks, Sara and Venice for the company.

I biked down to the running room for 8:20 and was pleased to see that a couple of the registered folks had shown up. We went through some first principals for the clinic and then headed off for our first 7 km run. It went well and everyone made it to the top of Fallingbrook Hill with no real difficulty and then turned around and came back along the boardwalk for a really spectacular beach view finish. The song of the run was The Other Side of Summer by Elvis Costello.

The clinic starts for real on Tuesday - update you then!

Paul

Kick off with cross training...

Hi everyone

Today I, informally, started training for the next set of races. I began with a short bike ride over to my trainer's place and then some serious upper body work. The immediate goal on the cross training side is to do a chin up - which I have not been able to do since the mid 70's. Now, at 110 kg, this is no small task and today's work consisted of myself stepping off a block and slowing myself in my decent from the bar - 24 times (10, 8, 6 reps) with 20 rep sets of squats in between.

My arms hurt.

Tomorrow is our "pre-clinic" LSD run for the Beach 1/2 Marathon group and I will update you after I get back from the run.

Paul

Two week vacation.

Hi everyone,

After running the Ottawa Marathon I am in the middle of a two week running vacation. Currently in St. John's NL, I am avoiding running like the plague - particularly here where hilly does not begin to descibe the topology! I begin teaching the Beaches Running Room 1/2 Marathon Clinic on the 14th of June and, after Ottawa, just want a bit of time off.

That said, I have begun booking races. So far there are four of them in my calendar:

1. The Acura Toronto 10 Miler on August 14th


2. A Midsummer Night's Run in Toronto (15 km) on August 20th


3. The Canadian Army 1/2 Marathon in Ottawa on September 18th - just 5 days after my 52nd birthday


4. The Lloyd's Cardiff 1/2 Maraton on October 16th - finally the fatboy gets to run in his hometown

So, with all that in mind. Crosstraining starts this Saturday and I will begin recording my runs again with a 5 km kickoff next Tuesday!

Here is a photo from the Ottawa Marathon - me looking far better than I did at the end!

All the best,

Paul

Ottawa Race Weekend.

Hi there,

Sorry I haven't been posting of late - been travelling and had a few other life elements interfere. Still kept running, though.

OK. So. Ottawa Marathon. Been there, run that.

It was sublime and I loved it. Everyone kept saying, "Paul, this is your first. Just enjoy it" and I did. From the time that I got I'm on my way by Uni and her Ukulele followed by our song of the run Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by George Harrison (also played on Uke), I had a smile and just felt like a million dollars. There were people lining the streets, starting at 7:00 AM just to cheer us on. I must have high fived more kids yesterday than I have ever done before and I thanked every volunteer that I interacted with - they were great.

OK, so the run itself. The first part was around some residential parts of Ottawa and then out to Gatinueau which, is hilly and had some construction going on (but the crowds were there and great too!) and then over onto Sussex Drive and around in a loop out to the Rideau Canal where we linked up with the 1/2 Marathoners who started about 2 hours after us. We then separated from them and carried further down the canal, crossed it and came back to the finish line.

In terms of my performance. I had no idea what to expect and was hoping just to finish. My expected best case time was around 5:40 minutes or "four hours, one hundred minutes" and I was doing very well for the first 26 km - 10:1 all the way, coming in at the half Marathon point with a time of 2:23, which isn't bad for me. At 26 km, I had to walk for a couple of km but then started up with a run/walk strategy of 7:4 and continued that past 30 km (with a time which beat my Around the Bay performance by 10 minutes) and then onto 40 km which happened at just under 4 hours. I then was pretty spent and walked the next 1.5 km starting to run again at the 750 m point, finishing, I think, strongly, with an unexpectedly good time of 5:19:20.

OK - some people to mention.

This race is dedicated to my best friend, mentor and older brother, Harvey Day. It was Harvey who got me into running back in 1997 and I have never looked back since. China - thanks for everything!

I really want to thank Barbara, James and Andrew for coming to Ottawa with me and getting up early to cheer me on. They are always there for me and I want to tell them how much I love and appreciate them.

I want to thank all of my friends who have been cheering me on Inge, Jan, Arne and Anniken (the BSC crowd), Dieter and Erika (the Neuss Crowd), Anne and Karen (the Coehill Crowd), Jamie, Jade Jo Laura and Scot (the Hamilton Crowd), the folks at eSCRIBE and MGCG, and finally my mum.

I also want to say that part of this race should be assigned, with great honour to Agnes, my sons' grandmother. She is fighting a much more difficult battle than a Marathon right now and is on a journey that only ends one way. Bon Voyage, Agnes. I also want to send my best wishes to her three children, Margaret, Dorothy and Tom, and her five grandsons in what is, I know, a difficult time.

Well, all that said, there is the lingering question - will I do another Marathon? It is very training intensive and finding the time is difficult. I know I will continue to run 1/2 Marathons but another full? If you would have asked me on Saturday I probably would have said no but my experience was so great I am not so sure. I plan to think it over and may try to run Ottawa again next year - we will see.

So, couple of weeks off then I am teaching the Beaches Running Room 1/2 Marathon course with a target race of the Scotia 1/2 Marathon on October 16. I will be running that day but I personally will be running in Cardiff at the Lloyd's Cardiff 1/2 Marathon.

Stay tuned and thanks for following my blog!

Paul

I'm on my way (to Ottawa)

Hi gang,



I completed the 20 mile pre marathon training run today. That's 32 km to all of you who live in places with a sane measurement system.

The first 24 went flawlessly with 10:1's throughout, the last 8 began with a 2 km walk, followed by a 10 km run, a 1/2 km walk, a 10 km run, a 1 km walk and a final 1 km run. Bit of a blister on left foot but otherwise no issues. Great route along Toronto's lakeshore.

Ottawa is in three weeks and I am as ready for it as I am going to be!

Song of the day can be gleened from this blog's title - I'm on my way by Uni and her Ukulele. I am attaching a video of her doing this song. She is brilliant and I hope one day to be a least 1/10th of the Uke player she is.

Tomorrow, cross training with Mike and back on the road with a 7 km run Tuesday. Over to you, Uni!




Paul

Saturday morning run and bike ride.

Hi there

A busy morning so far...

Up and completed a 7 km run, usual round the block route and the song of the day is No Time by the Guess Who.

After that a quick shower and off to Ukulele lessons but riding my bike the 3 km each way. So, quite an energetic morning!

Paul

Checking out that twisted ankle

Hi everyone,

As reported yesterday, the true nature of the Swift Current Surprise was a very large pothole. I went down, hard, twisted my left ankle and managed to get a fair bit of road rash on my right shin and knee. Managed to finish the run but I was clearly limping last night

Today's goal was to simply see if I could manage a short run. Managed to get out about 2 km from the hotel aand then turn around and walk/run back - by the end of it things seem to have loosened up and I was feeling ok. Going to try again tomorrow with a 7 km run before the LSD on Sunday, 32, out to Parkdale and back from the Beaches Running Room store.

No song of the run as I forgot my iPod Shuffle back at the hotel.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will also ride my new bike out to the weekly Ukulele lesson. Thinking about trying on a new swimsuit at some point in the fall...

Paul

Twisted Ankle in Swift Current

Hi Gang,

Out for a 7 km run in Swift Current Sask. this morning and managed to hit a pothole and twist my left ankle. It always my left - it is quite weakened. Anyway, managed to tough it out and complete the run. It feels ok now.

Song of the run - Your Own Way by Heart.

Later today I will be driving out to Regina for an overnight there.

Update you later!

Paul

7 km recovery run around the block

Hi gang,

After Sunday's 23 km LSD and yesterday's lovely workout with my trainer, Mike, I was feeling the need to stretch my legs this evening - well, not really. In any case, out and about for 7 km around my neighbourhood. A good run, a bit slower than my usual pace but still fine - caught a couple of red lights.

Song of the run is Space Cowboy by the Steve Millar Band.

Tomorrow off to Regina and then Swift Current Sask. Back at you soon.

Paul

Long slow run day!

Hi everyone,

23 km completed this morning but I can't post the route because of an issue with Garmin Connect. Running along the somewhat hilly Scarborough trail. Lovely route

Song of the day was Lawyers, Guns and Money by the immortal Warren Zevon.

Tomorrow morning, crosstraining at 7 AM and an election to look forward to in the evening.

Paul

7 km around the block - Back to 4 times a week!

Hi every,

Really quick update. Around the block today, back to 4 runs this week. Crosstraining to start Monday.

Song - I'm a Believer by the Monkeys.

Off to shower and then Ukulele lesson!

Paul

Around the block

Hi everyone,

Have introduced a fourth run a week back into my running schedule as my left foot heals. Tonight was a misty 7 km gaunt around my neighbourhood. Just a couple of hills and a nice circular route, no complications.

Song of the run - It don't come easy by Ringo Starr, very appropriate given the challenge of training for a marathon.

Getting down to the last month. A delicate balance between recovering from my injury yet getting enough km under my belt to be able to pull this off. I walk that line.

Paul

Heee's back!

Hi gang,

I have been running but not blogging. My foot injury flared to the point where I had to go to my Podiatrist and, yup, my orthodics needed significant adjustment. Things are far from perfect yet but seem to be improving. Nonetheless, Sunday's pending 32 km run is pretty daunting but I am sure I will get through it. Well, I hope so anyway.

Song of the run: Run Like Hell by the mighty Pink Floyd.

Back at you shortly

Paul

8.5 km around the beach.

Hi everyone, Just a quick update, with no embedded route, for tonight. Today was an 8.5 km recovery run and it went quite well. Now, a couple of days off before our next big run. Song of the night by the late great Elvis Presley, Suspicious Minds. Back at ya soon!

8 x hills!

Wow! These hill things are getting serious. Last night we fought the battle of Normandy, D Day! Well, it wasn't quite that bad, but 20 odd insane runners tackling the hill on Normany in the Beach 8 times. Made it up and down with no walking and no breaks. I am very pleased. Song of the run was Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin, a great tune by a classy lady! Back at it tonight. Update you all later. Paul

Rough 29 km run

Today's 29 km run after an aggressive week last week was less than spectacular. It went pretty well for the first 18 km and then some pain decided to assert itself in my foot. Argh! Oh well, I finished, one foot after the other and my time was about 15 minutes longer than 30 km the week before. So, now I am running four days a week and I will always take Saturday as a rest day (I didn't yesterday). With 55 days until the Ottawa run, I am going to be working my ass off for the next two months. While a bit scared, the fact that I completed Around the Bay last week tells me that I will likely complete it and now it is a matter of how well. OK. Song of the day Mustang Sally by Wilson Pickett. This week, I have two recovery runs, a set of 8 hills and a 32 km long run before I fly to Newfoundland next Sunday. Updates to follow on this humble blog as the universe unfolds. Paul

A couple of missing posts later...

Hi Gang, It has been a pretty busy week. I did run Sunday (Around the Bay), Wednesday (7 x hills), Friday and today. My Friday run was in Belleville Ontario as the WGG and I were down there for a memorial to her aunt who passed away quite recently. Today's run was from our house down to Union Station where I met my sons who had just come in from their mother's place in Newmarket. We then took the subway back here together. All told this week I have completed nearly 54 km of running and the Ottawa Marathon is getting closer by week! Some pictures from last Sunday's Around the Bay Race. All told a great race. Blog you again soon! Paul

Running is a mental sport and I am clearly insane!

Hi everyone, Finished Hamilton's Around the Bay (ATB)race today with a time of 3:46:36 which for 30km isn't all that bad for me. Here are the splits: 10km - 1:04:37 15 km - 1:39:30 20 km - 2:18:05 My Garmin watch died at around the 18 km point, my own fault, I plugged it into my laptop to charge and then shutoff the laptop leaving the Garmin underfed for the run. No map and heart rate information this time. The race itself was well run and the course very beautiful in places. We ran past what I will call Cemetery Row in Burlington and then down into the valley and back up into Hamilton only to be greeted, as is ARB tradition, by the Grim Reaper! Yikes! I am doing all this running partly to avoid that meeting, as inevitable as that eventually is. My family from Hamilton came out to cheer me on:

• Brothers Jamie and Scot


• Sister Jade and her girlfriend Denise


• Lorna and her boyfriend Greg

Thanks guys.

Things have been very busy and trying at work lately, all good, but stressful. Barbara, the World's Greatest Geophysicist, has been of tremendous help to me in coping with this and has really had my back. I want to dedicate the race to her. Barbara, you are the best! The song of the run is Pump It Up! by Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

And now, our counter is reset and we prep for the 29th of May, my first full marathon in Canada's capital, Ottawa.

Keep the faith, blogerettes!

Paul

Snow and hills, times 6 even!

Hi everyone,

On Wednesday we had a large snowstorm and so our running group put off six hills until this evening. Ugh!

Hill training is tough but, and this is a good thing, so is marathon training. I have to admit I was not looking forward to this evening but, you know, when it came time to do it, six hills run up, turn around, run down - repeat. The hill itself, 500 m of cruelty - again, now behind me.

Really cool thing is, and this always seems to happen, the Who song, Dig, came on part way through an upward slog. Great song with a really great beat for digging in and just getting it done. So that is our song of the run...

Next a short recovery run before Around the Bay!!

Later.

Paul

7 km recovery run through Leslieville.

Hi there

I arrived at the Running Room a little late tonight and found that my companions had left without me. That said, I know some nice 7 km routes in the neighbourhood now and thus went off on my own.

Good run and my "cold from hell" has now be diagnosed as Chronic Sinusitis, so I am on anti-biotics and hence, on the mend.

Song of the run was the Talking Heads classic Psycho Killer. Tomorrow night it is hills.

Paul

Rumours concerning my death have been greatly exagerated.

Hi everyone,

My last posting was after the Chilly 1/2 Marathon and, unfortunately, two days later I completed a recovery run but felt just awful. A new cold hit me just as the old one was finally clearly up and I could not run at all.

Anyway, I was patient, something I am not normally, and waited until today. So after a tough run of 26 km, I feel I am back and can at least attempt Around the Bay in Hamilton next week. I will not, however, be competing in Prague as I have some challenges on the business front right now and those preclude me from being out of the country for a week. Perhaps next year!

The song of the run is Criminal Mind by Larry Gowan.

Back with you on Tuesday!

Paul

Chilly 1/2 Marathon!

Hi gang,

First race of the season is behind me - a solid and steady performance of 2:33:33 for 21.1 km. While not anywhere near a personal best (2:18:22), it is not terrible for the first of a return year after taking a full year off.

Woke up around 6:30 only to have discovered a significant amount of snow on the ground. Gathered up my support team and headed out to Burlington with a protein shake and a coffee working their magic in my belly. The roads were poor and the running conditions, at least at the start, not ideal. Still, with the WGG and the boys there as my support - I was certain in the knowledge that the day would see my triumph over the evil 21.1 km in front of me.






























So, out I go and the race is going well. I hit the 8 km point on schedule and the 16 km point only a few seconds behind. At 17 km it is starting to get tough and the walking breaks are getting longer but as I approach the water station at 18 km, one of my absolutely all time favorite songs comes on the iPod - Monthy Python's Galaxy Song. I am actually learning this on my Ukulele now! Wow! I immediately think of the astronauts and cosmonauts up in orbit right now and decide that the song is for them. My energy back (with the help of gator aid and a gell), I start the run again and get to the finish line:






















So, in terms of race dedications, I have three for today - all very deserved.

1. The eSCRIBE development team. These guys pull of this kind of effort every day and I am proud of my association with them
2. My oldest son, James, who, as of 10:00 PM last night officially accepted admission into the Arts program at the University of British Columbia
3. My youngest son, Andrew, who turns 14 years old on Monday.

Well, back at the training on Tuesday - next week it is a 26km training run, sort of...

Paul

Final run before Chily!

Well folks, Sunday looms large!

Tonight we headed out on a route of my design which brought me quite close to home and then back down to the running room. 8 km and my moving pace was below 6:30 which is really good - I was below 6 for the first quarter of the run.

I am anticipating that Sunday will be tough but good and I am looking forward it.

The song of this evening is that old classic from the Let it Be album, Get Back by the Beatles.

Paul

A (not so) tough 10 km

Hi everyone,

Ran up both the Victoria Park and Kingston Road hills tonight - it was tough but not as bad as I anticipated. The song of the day really helped tonight, Keep on Working by Pete Townsend kicked in just as Kington Road hill got bad.

Tomorrow night an 8 km route which I designed for the club and Sunday is the Chily Half. Getting interesting!

Paul

7 km through Leslieville - taper run

Hi gang

Now well into the taper, just four 1/2 days to the Chily Half. Great run tonight, good pace.

Song of the run was Billy Idol's Dancing with Myself.

Back at you tomorrow.

Paul

Weekend in Washington...

Hi Everyone,

Did my taper long run around the mall in Washington DC today. Great fun! Temperature in the low teens which meant for running in a short sleeve shirt and a baseball cap. The scenery was great! The Lincoln, WWII, Washington, Jefferson and FDR memorials, twice!!! And I capped it off with Einstein!! Albert, bloody, Einstein!!!!















OK, so, today's plan called for 10 or 12 km - I compromised at 11. The route below is all screwed up because I didn't turn off my watch properly at the end of the run. I ran 11 km in 1 hour and 18 minutes. The WGG met me at the Lincoln Memorial and then we walked over to take the above picture with Albert!

This LSD, like all others to follow it, will be dedicated to someone or a group of people. This one is dedicated to my old friend Don Campbell and as such the song of the day reflects our history. The song is Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick by Ian Drury and the Blockheads. Just leave it alone...

Next blog will come Tuesday! First race of the season is next Sunday in Burlington. It all comes down to this!

Paul

White Punks on the Run...

Well, as a blog title it doesn't work that well but I bet you know what the song of the run is.

That's right, space cadets, it is the fabulous Tubes with White Punks on Dope - renowned for it great opening rift, sardonic lyrics and great beat. Super song to run to.

Next run on our taper is Sunday's run and for me, it will be monument running around the United States National Mall in Washington DC.

Be brave!

Paul

7 km in Leslieville

Just a quick update tonight. Nice 7 km run, taper starting so the numbers go down a bit on a weekly basis.

Song of the run: Rough Boys by Pete Townsend. Great song from the Empty Glass album - great album.

Back at it tomorrow!

Paul

19 km on the Leslie Street Spit

Hi Everyone,

Got my wires crossed this morning and screwed up the route. I was supposed to run out to the lighthouse on the spit and then turn around and come back but the entrance to Tommy Thompson Park appeared to be closed so I kept going and wound up at Cherry Beach. Oh well, doesn't matter as the distance was covered and, aside from a bit of chaffing, all is well.

Song of the run is House of the Rising Sun by The Animals. Great song from what I am discovering is a really good mix on my iPod Shuffle. Sometimes you get lucking putting these things together.

Next up, Tuesday night!

Paul

9 C in February!

Hi gang,

Out and about again this evening, running a modified version of last night's 10 km run down to 8 km.

Beautiful night for it, a bit damp but 9C - I was in full spring running gear. Nice hill along Kingston Rd which I ascended with a solid pace. We followed up our run with a trip to St. Louis for dinner and a brew! Outstanding.

Song of the Run is Free Four (one of my top five running songs) by Pink Floyd but with special mention going to Success by Iggy Pop - dedicated to someone special out there.

Back at you on Sunday!

Paul

10 km Tempo run in Beaches and Leslieville

Hi everyone

Good run tonight. Weather was great, roads were clear and the route was simple yet challenging. Had to walk a little bit on one particular very long hill but aside from that, this was one of the better nights. Improved my 10 km time a bit from last week as well.

Song of the run happened to be on while my glasses fogged up give the same effect: Cory Hart's Sunglasses at Night.

Tomorrow night an 8 km steady run.

See you then!

Paul

After skipped long run, an easy 7 km.

Hi Gang,

Not feeling great on Sunday - lung issues, may not have taken alergy meds - so I skipped the 20 km long run. Will have to get in this week's 22 km. Tonight an easy 7 km run but my GPS watch missed a bunch of it - c'est la vie.

Song of the run, Paul McCartney's 1985 from the Band on the Run album.

Blog you again tomorrow.

Paul

4 cold km along Lakeshore (and 4 warmer ones back)

Hi everyone

So, tonight I added a further 8 km to my weeks efforts. I am now at 41 km for the week and won't run again until Sunday. Consider this, however, I have just run in a week slightly less (1.2 km less in fact) that I will have to do on a Sunday morning in late May. It is a long road ahead but I must admit to being pumped for it.

Tonight's Marathon Clinic lecture was on goal setting and it was advised that we set three targets for each race: Worst case, Likely and Ideal. I am only going to list hear what I consider worse case for each of the four races I have planned. So, here we go:

• Chily 1/2 Marathon: 2:25
• Around the Bay: Finish
• Prague 1/2 Marathon: 2:22
• Ottawa Marathon: Finish

Anyway, now two days off, including my last Saturday with no running and next week we go up by 5 km.

Blog at you soon!

Paul

10 km Tempo run along Lakeshore

Hi everyone,

First Wednesday Run night with the Marathon group - a 10 km tempo run. Tempo runs are at 85% of your race speed with no walking breaks (other than stops for traffic lights, of course). This is the longest tempo run I have completed in a couple of years and, I have to tell you, it was tiring but I have a real sense of accomplishment in doing it.

Recently, the instructor of my 1/2 Marathon Clinic asked us all to provide our top five running songs and this evening, the fifth choice on my list came up as I finished the run. So it gets the nomination for the Song of the Run - Back on the Chain Gang by the Pretenders.

Back at it tomorrow night with the Marathon Clinic.

Paul

Short 6 km run through Leslieville

Hi everyone,

A little shorter run through Leslieville this even - actually passed really close to home midway. Nice night for it, a bit cold at -10 but Jupiter, the Crescent Moon, Orion and the brightest star Sirius dominated the night sky. Clear, great star visibility.

So, the kilometers are adding up - 23 so far this week with another 18 or so to go. Less than 4 weeks to the Chily 1/2.

Tonight's song of the run was Deep Purple's classic Lazy. I dedicated to the folks from the Beaches Running Room 1/2 Marathon clinic who are anything but!

Paul

17 km that felt like 25!

Hi everyone,

Out for an 18km run this morning with the running room but things didn't go quite as planned. With the fresh snow last night and some of the cleanup from Wednesday's dump, some of the back roads were impassible and we ended up walking a lot in the first half. After which we changed the route to main roads but that shortened the entire run by about a km.

Anyway 17 km, with a reasonable pace of 7:48 given that I walked about 1/4 of it. I can live with this.

Song of the run: Jimi Hendrix, Purple Haze.

Yesterday, I started cross training again with Mike Fong. A fair bit of upper body and core followed with a lot of stretching. I will be cross training weekly, on Mondays, starting on the 14th. That week I will also introduce a fifth day or running and that will be my schedule, only Fridays off, until May 29th.

Blog you all again on Tuesday!

Paul

8 km Steady Run

Well,

What a difference a day makes! Today with the roads much clearer, I completed an 8 km run along Lakeshore Blvd with the Beaches Marathon Clinic group - lovely run and a good time. This week I really increased my running distance covering just a tad under 38 km with four runs. Next week it will be just a bit more and then the week after I will phase in a fifth weekly run and the distances will start to approach 50 km per week.

Today's song of the run: No Sugar Tonight by the Guess Who.

Sunday we are back with a 18 km LSD run, followed on Tuesday by 7 km, Wednesday by 7 km and Thursday by 8 km. Then we get into the home stretch for the first race of the season, the Chily 1/2 Marathon in Burlington Ontario.

Update you again after Sunday's run (and a much needed nap!).

Paul

Hard run in the snow

Just a quick update - we only did 5 km this evening. Great route around the Beaches but terrible night for running.

Not only that but my iPod was discharged so no song of the run!

Back at ya tomorrow!

Paul

7 km before the storm...

Hi there,

We are facing a massive snow storm this evening, perhaps up to 30 cm. For all my African friends, I may post pictures tomorrow.

Tonight was a 7 km run through the Ashbridges Park area - nice, a bit cold when running north where the winds were coming from. With this run under my belt, I have 25 km so far this week (Tuesday!) and I have another 18 to go. That assumes that I don't run Saturday, which I am supposed to do, but the effort of going from around 30 km a week up to nearly 50 is probably more than is good for me and I do want to remain injury free so I will introduce Saturday runs starting next week and ramp them up to the full 6 km they should be.

So tonight's song of the run was the classic Sweet Jane by Lou Reed and the mighty Iggy Pop came in with a close second on Success!

Update again tomorrow night!

Paul

Sunday Long Slow Distance Run! The 18 km edition, part 1.

Hi everyone,

With exactly 5 weeks to go before the Chily 1/2 Marathon (and 8 weeks to Around the Bay and a bit less than 9 weeks to Prague), I am happy to report that training continues and continues well. I did miss a couple of long runs due to some travel and feel that I am one week behind schedule as the last 2 km today was pretty tough. Still, been there, done the distance.

Today was a lovely route up from the Beaches through to Rosedale, perhaps Toronto's prettiest neighbourhood. The weather was fine at -6 with partially cloudy sky and minimum wind. I ran with my 1/2 Marathon group as opposed to the Marathon gang as they were only doing 10km. I will be switching over, of course, upon my return from Prague.

Today a lot of great music came across the old earbuds but I had to settle for Bowie and Jagger's version of Dancin' in the Street - it was playing as I crossed the finish line.

Next run is Tuesday and I will update you all again then.

Paul

Its getting busy out there...

Hi everyone,

After a few months away from running after my fairly miserable fall performance, I want to let you know that I am back and gearing up for a good couple of months. Coming down the pipe, we have:

March 6 - Chili 1/2 Marathon in Burlington
March 27 - Around the Bay (30 km) in Hamilton
April 2 - Prague International 1/2 Marathon - Prague, Czech Republic

And... with great trepidation and my heart full of fear:

May 29 - Ottawa International MARATHON!!!

I have been training for the 1/2's and Around the Bay since October but just started the Marathon training today. Tonight we had a 7.5 km run with a good group. The weather was nice at -1 with some light snow. All around great running conditions

Well, running again on Sunday - update you then.

Paul