Like everyone, I’m shocked by the news about the explosions at the Boston Marathon.
[LINK]
Even setting aside my disgust at the terrorism, as a runner I feel a deep anger towards anyone who would disrupt the race like that. For many people Boston is the pinnacle of their running careers; for others (like me) it is an achievement that will forever be out of reach despite our best efforts—but it’s something to aspire towards.
What makes it particularly poignant for me is the race time when the explosions occurred (a little over four hours)—I would probably finish around then!
My thoughts are with the injured and killed. Godspeed.
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label running. Show all posts
How I Beat The World’s Oldest Marathoner -- In His Racing Prime
The world’s oldest long-distance runner, Fauja Singh, aged 101, ran his final race in Hong Kong last week. He’s decided to retire from racing (but not running), after over a decade of international prominence.
Congratulations to Mr. Singh, an inspiration to all of us!
Yes, I defeated the Turbaned Tornado
It’s thoroughly ridiculous to make this observation, but I did overtake the celebrated ‘Turbaned Tornado’ once, 10 years ago. Here’s the story:
It was at the 2003 Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in Toronto. Listed under the name 'Fauga Singh', the then-youthful-92-year-old started in the 'Early Bird / Walker' section, which began the race about an hour and a bit before the main start.
So, because of the head start, it was actually kind of tight for me, in terms of passing Singh and his coterie -- it happened fairly close to the finish line, with just a few kilometers remaining down the stretch. He wasn’t as famous then, but I still recognized him. He was striding along at a decent pace. I vividly remember thinking, I’d better complete this race or I’ll never hear the end of it.
His sprightly time was 5:40 -- which, retrospectively, turned out to be his personal best over the course of 8 marathons -- while I limped in at a lousy 4:06 (I endured wretched calf cramps that day, sigh).
That’s part of the fun of racing; technically you’re competing in the exact same event and the identical course as everyone else, including the world-class runners and other outliers. It’s very... egalitarian.
Now that his competitive running career is over (we’ll see!), I can make the absurd boast that I beat Fauja Singh -- at his marathon racing peak. Hahaha!
For more about Singh, read this excellent, thorough ESPN profile of him (including the painful tale of how he was snubbed by the Guinness Book of World Records): The Runner.
Will Ed Whitlock one day shatter Singh’s records? That would be my wager. Heck, I couldn’t beat Ed Whitlock in a race even if I were in my prime [Seriously. My best unofficial times for half marathon distances were around 1:45; last year Whitlock did the Milton Half in 1:38!]...
See also
My first 10k in a long time
Didn’t Run Today
How I Qualified for Boston*
Around the Bay - almost, but not quite a disaster
 |
| Singh in training. Photo: Levon Biss for ESPN The Magazine. Click to view original. |
Congratulations to Mr. Singh, an inspiration to all of us!
Yes, I defeated the Turbaned Tornado
It’s thoroughly ridiculous to make this observation, but I did overtake the celebrated ‘Turbaned Tornado’ once, 10 years ago. Here’s the story:
It was at the 2003 Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in Toronto. Listed under the name 'Fauga Singh', the then-youthful-92-year-old started in the 'Early Bird / Walker' section, which began the race about an hour and a bit before the main start.
So, because of the head start, it was actually kind of tight for me, in terms of passing Singh and his coterie -- it happened fairly close to the finish line, with just a few kilometers remaining down the stretch. He wasn’t as famous then, but I still recognized him. He was striding along at a decent pace. I vividly remember thinking, I’d better complete this race or I’ll never hear the end of it.
His sprightly time was 5:40 -- which, retrospectively, turned out to be his personal best over the course of 8 marathons -- while I limped in at a lousy 4:06 (I endured wretched calf cramps that day, sigh).
 |
| In 2004 Fauja Singh starred in this Adidas advertisement for the Nothing Is Impossible campaign |
That’s part of the fun of racing; technically you’re competing in the exact same event and the identical course as everyone else, including the world-class runners and other outliers. It’s very... egalitarian.
Now that his competitive running career is over (we’ll see!), I can make the absurd boast that I beat Fauja Singh -- at his marathon racing peak. Hahaha!
For more about Singh, read this excellent, thorough ESPN profile of him (including the painful tale of how he was snubbed by the Guinness Book of World Records): The Runner.
Will Ed Whitlock one day shatter Singh’s records? That would be my wager. Heck, I couldn’t beat Ed Whitlock in a race even if I were in my prime [Seriously. My best unofficial times for half marathon distances were around 1:45; last year Whitlock did the Milton Half in 1:38!]...
See also
My first 10k in a long time
Didn’t Run Today
How I Qualified for Boston*
Around the Bay - almost, but not quite a disaster
My first 10k in a long time
 |
| The obligatory finisher’s medal |
It was a brisk, cool morning. I’ve missed having the company of several thousand runners on the same course -- what an energizing sensation.
Watch this incredible video of Reid Coolsaet’s victory by 3/10ths of a second over Kip Kangogo. Mr Coolsaet will be representing Canada at the upcoming London Olympics...
[LINK]
I want to get back into the discipline of a regular running regime. So this was a start. I’m completely out of running shape, and I was curious to discover my ‘ground zero’ pace.
That turned out to be about a 5:30 rate -- my time was 54:41, my worst recorded 10k race time ever (I was aiming to crack an hour, so I was pleasantly surprised).
I wasn’t 100% confident that I wouldn’t cramp up, so I stuck to a relaxed, easy lope. I didn’t push at all. Still, I was pretty done at the end. And during the run I could feel the occasional faint twinge of my complacent calves trying to cope with the unaccustomed workload.
I need to get back to the state where a 10k at that rate is a straightforward, light workout that doesn’t leave me sore the next day...
Longer term planning
My original intent was to train for this run, shoot for sub-50, and perhaps use it for a kickoff to a half-marathon in the fall. Since the training didn’t happen, I think I’m going to keep the same plan, except with ‘now’ as the starting point.
I’ll train over the summer for 10k-ish, and then ramp from there. To keep my feet to the fire, I’ll try to post updates on my progress, probably about once every five or six weeks. I’ve been considering getting one of those Nike+ or other running measurement devices. What do you think?
Hopefully I can avoid the injury bug that’s been plaguing me.
Wish me luck!
Signed up for the Yonge St 10k!
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| Years ago when I was in shape Around the Bay 30k |
I just signed up for the Yonge St. 10k, organized by Canada Running Series (CRS).
A plethora of spring races
The event used to be sponsored by Sporting Life, but that relationship got screwed up, in a sad illustration of how political meddling often results in unintended side effects.
There used to be two fall marathons in Toronto. Some members of council and city staff didn’t like how this disrupted city roads, so political pressure was exerted to move one of the marathons to the spring.
Unfortunately, the date that was chosen -- May 6 -- was the same as the original date for this 10k. That meant the 10k had to move. This wasn’t suitable for Sporting Life, which proceeded to sever the relationship with CRS. The latter organization then decided to hold a run on April 22, while Sporting Life scheduled their own 10k, three weeks later on May 13!
As a runner that’s kind of funny to me, since now there are way more spring races than before -- I hope the short-sighted members of council who opposed two major fall events feel somewhat chastened...
[Note: I’ve glossed over the heated wrangling that occurred between race organizers; see the linked articles at the end for a detailed account. I’ve picked the April race specifically because it works in my calendar. I don’t have any affiliation -- I’m just happy to run, and I hope all the races are successful. Other runners in the community may have stronger feelings, which I can understand.]
Race goal
I’m going to shoot for sub-50 minutes. Anything approaching 45 minutes will be great. I never was a fast runner.
Longer term plan
It’s a modest plan with modest goals, but it’s a lot better than sitting around, so here it is:
- Run a 10k in the spring, per above
- Run a half-marathon in the fall, and see how that goes (sub 2hrs, shoot for 1:55)
- Run a full marathon next spring (or at least the Around the Bay 30k, which has always been my favourite race)
I’ve really missed the running lifestyle. I look forward to getting back into a regular training regime.
Anyone want to join me? (Early bird rates are still on until Jan. 2!)
Let’s do it!!
Read more
‘Marathon wars’ flare up over spring races (Toronto Star)
More races than ever in Toronto this spring (National Post)
Sporting Life’s version of events [Link now defunct]
Didn’t run today...
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to participate in today’s 2011 Toronto Waterfront Marathon. I was too weak-kneed. Literally -- I was sidelined by some kind of knee strain. On the heel-strike my left knee feels super-dubious. I decided to pass.
I had planned to run in the half. But sometimes you just have to wait it out. It’s frustrating, but I’d rather wait a few weeks than injure myself permanently -- knees are pretty important for running. There’s a never-ending shortage of races; it’s not like the Olympics or anything.
I miss running culture. Even though I knew I wasn’t going to run, I picked up my race kit yesterday since there was a “no refunds” policy -- might as well get the shirt I paid for, I figured.
Ed Whitlock was speaking, showing off some pictures of his early running career. He’s 80 years old -- and he set a world record for his age group at today’s event, finishing in 3:15:54.
3:15!! Ten years ago I aspired to hit 3:30 (never did). Sheesh.
Fauja Singh set a world record too -- for the 100+ age group. It took him over 8 hours. Can you imagine exerting yourself over 8 hours? That’s like an army march. Gruelling in a different way.
It’s inspiring. Though I didn’t run today, I will have to take their examples to heart and do at least another marathon eventually. A half in the spring, then we’ll see what happens... Happily there’s a major Toronto marathon in the spring now.
I had planned to run in the half. But sometimes you just have to wait it out. It’s frustrating, but I’d rather wait a few weeks than injure myself permanently -- knees are pretty important for running. There’s a never-ending shortage of races; it’s not like the Olympics or anything.
I miss running culture. Even though I knew I wasn’t going to run, I picked up my race kit yesterday since there was a “no refunds” policy -- might as well get the shirt I paid for, I figured.
 |
| An imposter hoists the trophy aloft... |
Ed Whitlock was speaking, showing off some pictures of his early running career. He’s 80 years old -- and he set a world record for his age group at today’s event, finishing in 3:15:54.
3:15!! Ten years ago I aspired to hit 3:30 (never did). Sheesh.
Fauja Singh set a world record too -- for the 100+ age group. It took him over 8 hours. Can you imagine exerting yourself over 8 hours? That’s like an army march. Gruelling in a different way.
It’s inspiring. Though I didn’t run today, I will have to take their examples to heart and do at least another marathon eventually. A half in the spring, then we’ll see what happens... Happily there’s a major Toronto marathon in the spring now.
Signed up for the fall Waterfront half-marathon!
 |
| Yours truly at Around the Bay |
I need this motivator.This will be a step towards either another half in the spring, followed by a full marathon next fall. Or, if I’m feeling aggressive... possibly Around the Bay in March leading up to a full marathon. [Now that the Goodlife Marathon has been moved to May, there’s a local option for a spring attempt.
I’m probably going take this one easy -- cruise in somewhere between 1:55 and 2 hours. Just enough to get the engines going, right in the middle-back of the curve. Hopefully some of my friends will also participate.
It’s been far too long since I was in decent running shape! I’ve forgotten about the freeing nature of running. Time to get some mileage in... I’ll post progress updates as I see fit.
How I qualified for Boston*
* if I had magically gone twice as fast, for double the distance -- in the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon.
The last month has been pretty rough athletic venture-wise. I knew that if I participated in the Underwear Affair I would have an injury problem. Sure enough, I ran, had a fabulous time, raised a solid amount -- but injured my left leg quite badly, incurring either a really ugly shin splint or a minor stress fracture.
Consequently I haven't been able to run. The days ticked by and I realized I just was not going to be able to run in the half, at least not without serious injury. But it irked me that I wasn't going to be able to participate -- in recent years the waterfront marathon/half marathon has exploded and become a huge race for Toronto. Plus I hate shelling out money for nothing.
I decided to try an experiment -- I'd WALK the half-marathon. That way I could avoid further injury, yet still legitimately wear a race t-shirt and hang my finisher's medal, without any suggestion of deception. I am no poser!
My race target was arbitrarily set at 10 minutes per kilometer. I would try... to finish LAST in my age group. The only rule: no running or jogging permitted -- just brisk walking.
I've never walked that (measured) length of distance before, so it was an entirely novel experience. I literally had no idea what it would be like. It turns out that life at the back of the queue is quite interesting in and of itself. I learned a number of things from my experience:
It was mentally tough, not running today. But it was still worth doing. I guess I've just got to be patient, and look way, way forward to Around the Bay next year. I can get into gear by then!
The last month has been pretty rough athletic venture-wise. I knew that if I participated in the Underwear Affair I would have an injury problem. Sure enough, I ran, had a fabulous time, raised a solid amount -- but injured my left leg quite badly, incurring either a really ugly shin splint or a minor stress fracture.
Consequently I haven't been able to run. The days ticked by and I realized I just was not going to be able to run in the half, at least not without serious injury. But it irked me that I wasn't going to be able to participate -- in recent years the waterfront marathon/half marathon has exploded and become a huge race for Toronto. Plus I hate shelling out money for nothing.
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| My finisher’s medal |
My race target was arbitrarily set at 10 minutes per kilometer. I would try... to finish LAST in my age group. The only rule: no running or jogging permitted -- just brisk walking.
I've never walked that (measured) length of distance before, so it was an entirely novel experience. I literally had no idea what it would be like. It turns out that life at the back of the queue is quite interesting in and of itself. I learned a number of things from my experience:
- It's harder than you think. For the simple reason that... you're out there almost twice as long. Walking sounds easy, right? Sure, for half an hour. At three hours? You're taking a trip to Soreville.
- Everybody is super friendly... and yet also way more determined. I admit, at the start I felt sheepish walking. I think of myself as a runner, and the natural inclination is to go, get a decent pace going, get a decent position. But walking, you had time for reflection and conversation with your peers. I heard a number of touching and inspirational stories from the other participants. As a runner, you kind of look down on walkers. It's instinctual. But now I have newfound respect for walkers. These two ladies I did the last 5k with even 'kicked' at the end, it was hilarious, and heart-warming. They were NOT going to lose to me! They had grit.
- Technique is useful. You know during the Olympics when they show racewalking and you think to yourself, give me a break, that looks so simple. Guess what -- those guys are impossible to catch with normal walking. I tried to keep pace with a couple of them at the start but they just zoomed off; it was clear that mechanically speaking my gait rate and length was far less efficient. I had to settle for a steady purposeful stride.
- Pee when you get the opportunity. When you're walking, the length of time between rest stations telescopes out incredibly! I drank a normal amount of water/gatorade for an event like this and it felt like being in kindergarten all over again about 10 kilometers in. "How much longer do I have to hold it in?!" Trust me, you do not want to be in a situation where it's 'just another kilometer' before the next washroom.
- Everything happens in slow motion. When you're running, you can usually surge a bit and pass someone if you need to. Walking, you had to gain an inch or two at a time... It was funny boxing someone in or getting cut off slowly...
It was mentally tough, not running today. But it was still worth doing. I guess I've just got to be patient, and look way, way forward to Around the Bay next year. I can get into gear by then!
UA Group shot
Here we go, the elusive NexJ group photo for the 09 NYGH Underwear Affair...
You can't quite see it but yes we are all wearing NexJ underwear. And here's another shot for good measure. Can't do this without a tasty beverage!
Thanks to Gord/Karen for posting these!
You can't quite see it but yes we are all wearing NexJ underwear. And here's another shot for good measure. Can't do this without a tasty beverage!
Thanks to Gord/Karen for posting these!
Fantastic Underwear Affair!
Imagine a thousand people running free and loose in their underwear, along the Leslie Spit. Sound ridiculous? It happened today!
[Yes I know the above pic is missing a few team members: Henry, Mike and Karen! We forgot about the post race photo until after you'd left! Sorry! Once I get hold of the pre-race photo I'll post it :)]
The NYGH Underwear Affair was a fantastic success. A charity run for cancer care and research for cancers 'below the waist', the Affair showed us how a small-scale run can be powerfully effective in both raising funds (~$750k) and generating smiles at the same time.
To the other members of Team NexJ who joined me at the race: thank you. Together we raised over eight thousand, four hundred dollars! Incredible. You guys are amazing. We came in 11th out of ~190 teams with >1 member. Looking at the top 11 teams, we were competing against teams double, triple... even quintuple our size. We placed THIRD in terms of funds raised per team member. Congratulations everyone!
Next I want to thank my generous supporters, without whose donations this would not have been possible. My target was $400; my sponsors, including NexJ Systems and our CEO, donated over $1,300. Thank you so much!
Next I'd like to thank the organizers of the Underwear Affair, including Joe Boxer - you guys know how to throw a fabulous bash!
And last but not least - thanks to the other participants of the race! I saw some crazy costumes and delightful outfits out there on the trail. Lithe, beautiful, and clad only in underwear: a trend I'd love to see more of.
Oh yeah - my time? Gun time was 51 and change. Yeah, I didn't press. Shrug. I decided to go for FUN over discomfort. I wound up tracking behind an exceptionally attractive lady by the name of Jordanna. Ahem... And Team NexJ fared quite competitively: 3 in the top 100, and everyone came in under an hour. Tom and Mike respectively placed 21st and 31st, and I ambled in at 74. Well done gents!
I'm going to have some intense shin splints (left leg) tomorrow. Next up: Toronto Waterfront Half. Hope this doesn't affect my training!
[Yes I know the above pic is missing a few team members: Henry, Mike and Karen! We forgot about the post race photo until after you'd left! Sorry! Once I get hold of the pre-race photo I'll post it :)]
The NYGH Underwear Affair was a fantastic success. A charity run for cancer care and research for cancers 'below the waist', the Affair showed us how a small-scale run can be powerfully effective in both raising funds (~$750k) and generating smiles at the same time.
To the other members of Team NexJ who joined me at the race: thank you. Together we raised over eight thousand, four hundred dollars! Incredible. You guys are amazing. We came in 11th out of ~190 teams with >1 member. Looking at the top 11 teams, we were competing against teams double, triple... even quintuple our size. We placed THIRD in terms of funds raised per team member. Congratulations everyone!
Next I want to thank my generous supporters, without whose donations this would not have been possible. My target was $400; my sponsors, including NexJ Systems and our CEO, donated over $1,300. Thank you so much!
Next I'd like to thank the organizers of the Underwear Affair, including Joe Boxer - you guys know how to throw a fabulous bash!
And last but not least - thanks to the other participants of the race! I saw some crazy costumes and delightful outfits out there on the trail. Lithe, beautiful, and clad only in underwear: a trend I'd love to see more of.
Oh yeah - my time? Gun time was 51 and change. Yeah, I didn't press. Shrug. I decided to go for FUN over discomfort. I wound up tracking behind an exceptionally attractive lady by the name of Jordanna. Ahem... And Team NexJ fared quite competitively: 3 in the top 100, and everyone came in under an hour. Tom and Mike respectively placed 21st and 31st, and I ambled in at 74. Well done gents!
I'm going to have some intense shin splints (left leg) tomorrow. Next up: Toronto Waterfront Half. Hope this doesn't affect my training!
Hot weather makes it perfect for running in my Underwear
After a little cajoling and trash talking I finally signed up for the NYGH Underwear Affair at the end of the month. It's a fundraising 10k race for cancer care and research for cancers below the waist.
It should be a really fun run. If you'd like to help me out and support my fundraising efforts (I'm trying to raise over $400 - well, actually I already have, but I'd like to keep going) feel free to do so here. Don't be shy, I'll really appreciate it. My amazing company has fantastically decided to match donations made to me or my team, so any contribution automatically gets twice the impact!
I do want to thank all of my generous contributors to date. North York General Hospital thanks you too. You guys rock!
I have to say I'm worried about the temperature and humidity. I've fallen off the wagon since the Sporting Life run and am out of condition (sigh). I've run a few times outside over the past week and boy has it been HOT. Gotta keep hydrated. Not to mention I have to rapidly get in shape to gear up for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon, which is coming up pretty quick.
We'll see what happens. I was originally planning on cracking 50 minutes or even approaching my Sporting Life time, but based on my recent runs I'll be happy to come in under an hour. I have big problems with the heat!
On a tangential note, I'm interested to see how much this particular event raises, and the number of participants, relative to the Sporting Life 10k. The Underwear Affair is a MUCH smaller event with (despite organizers' best efforts I'm sure) a much lower awareness and media profile -- a lot of people I talked with when fundraising hadn't even heard of the event. They consequently seem to have taken a different approach and chosen the path of raising the bar considerably for individual fundraising. (Each runner has to raise $400!)
Will they come close to matching the $800k the Sporting Life run took in? That run is a massive event that annually disrupts the entire city for a few hours; is it even worth asking the question? You might be surprised. Last year the Underwear Affair event was for Sunnybrook Hospital, and raised $750k, with about a thousand runners. If you're going to participate in or donate to a charity event, it can be intriguing to determine how effective their fundraising efforts actually are by performing some light comparative analysis relative to other events...
It should be a really fun run. If you'd like to help me out and support my fundraising efforts (I'm trying to raise over $400 - well, actually I already have, but I'd like to keep going) feel free to do so here. Don't be shy, I'll really appreciate it. My amazing company has fantastically decided to match donations made to me or my team, so any contribution automatically gets twice the impact!
I do want to thank all of my generous contributors to date. North York General Hospital thanks you too. You guys rock!
I have to say I'm worried about the temperature and humidity. I've fallen off the wagon since the Sporting Life run and am out of condition (sigh). I've run a few times outside over the past week and boy has it been HOT. Gotta keep hydrated. Not to mention I have to rapidly get in shape to gear up for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Half-Marathon, which is coming up pretty quick.
We'll see what happens. I was originally planning on cracking 50 minutes or even approaching my Sporting Life time, but based on my recent runs I'll be happy to come in under an hour. I have big problems with the heat!
On a tangential note, I'm interested to see how much this particular event raises, and the number of participants, relative to the Sporting Life 10k. The Underwear Affair is a MUCH smaller event with (despite organizers' best efforts I'm sure) a much lower awareness and media profile -- a lot of people I talked with when fundraising hadn't even heard of the event. They consequently seem to have taken a different approach and chosen the path of raising the bar considerably for individual fundraising. (Each runner has to raise $400!)
Will they come close to matching the $800k the Sporting Life run took in? That run is a massive event that annually disrupts the entire city for a few hours; is it even worth asking the question? You might be surprised. Last year the Underwear Affair event was for Sunnybrook Hospital, and raised $750k, with about a thousand runners. If you're going to participate in or donate to a charity event, it can be intriguing to determine how effective their fundraising efforts actually are by performing some light comparative analysis relative to other events...
sanity prevails and I switch to the Half
Taking stock of my current physical condition and the length of time it's been taking me to acclimatize to the summer heat, I decided to take the conservative route and reverse the accidental full marathon registration of a few weeks ago and switch to the half. It means I'm going to enjoy my summer running a lot more. Which doesn't mean I'm abandoning the full distance forever - there's always Ottawa in the spring.
Sometimes you have to be realistic to get the best outcome.
Sometimes you have to be realistic to get the best outcome.
I always blame my errors on the user interface
You know when you're doing an online transaction, and you're annoyed at filling out all the form details for the millionth time, so you just kind of rush through the confirmation screen, you're like yeah yeah whatever, without checking the values? And you just click OK?
I just signed up online for the FULL Toronto waterfront marathon instead of the half. Haha. And it costs $10 to switch. Now I'm kind of amused -- should I go for it?!
Means a heck of a lot more training this summer.
I just signed up online for the FULL Toronto waterfront marathon instead of the half. Haha. And it costs $10 to switch. Now I'm kind of amused -- should I go for it?!
Means a heck of a lot more training this summer.
Surprising results at this weekend's Sporting Life 10k
I had a delightful result at this Sunday's Sporting Life 10k: 46:09! I had been targeting just under 50 minutes, but the mostly downhill route apparently gave me a huge boost.
It was a great day for a run - cool, clear, and sunny. There were over 12,000 participants. The event raised over $800,000 for Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for children with cancer. That is a huge increase in fundraising over the past few years - in 2008 there were 10,000 runners raising $500,000; in 2007 there were 9,000 runners raising $300,000; in 2006 there were 8,000 raising $100,000.
As an aside, doesn't that make you wonder what was going on with expenses? The $/runner ratio goes from 12.5 to 33 to 50 to 66. How did they quintuple the raise per runner in four years? Hmm. In 2005 it's $100k on 7,200 runners; also a lousy ratio.
The probable explanation is that the cost for reserving the road, getting the permits, and staffing/policing, is a giant fixed amount that has to be spent no matter what, so incremental runners after a certain point wind up generating a way bigger margin. At least hopefully it's explainable - I hope I haven't accidentally stumbled upon some secret running series accounting scandal! :)
I registered late, so for the start I was slotted into the 'open' purple corral at the back. I was worried that I would spend a lot of energy dodging people and not be able to settle on a pace, but the organizers did an acceptable job of spacing the waves of runners.
The first kilometer down to around Davisville was a decent warm-up with some unavoidable flittering around trying to get out of the pack, but then it started to spread out so the dodging wasn't too terrible.
I was going at a strong clip the first half, but it felt easier due to the downhill - the section from St. Clair to Bloor was a breeze. I wasn't going full out, but the pace was definitely faster than normal. I'm not sure if I should have taken it easier in retrospect.
Around 6 I started to get the familiar glimmerings of lung discomfort that we all know. I took it a bit easier through to the turn onto Richmond, then started to accelerate again. At 7 I was definitely going full on and started to feel a bit of stomach cramp.
At 8ish, somewhere around Spadina I had a novel, fairly rare for me sensation - my throat gagged, and I felt like I might throw up. The sun was on us and I felt hot. My lungs were fine (at least not any worse than you'd expect at that point) but the retch definitely disconcerted me and mangled my breathing pattern.
Vomiting did not particularly appeal to me, so I reluctantly throttled down exactly at the point where I would have wanted to kick for the final stretch, from 8 to the finish. That was frustrating. I'm sure that it cost me at least 30 seconds, maybe even more. I was totally primed to kick, and everything else -- lungs and legs -- was fine (uncomfortable yes, but nothing I hadn't encountered before).
My colleague told me that on the section along Front by the tracks there was a powerful odour of creosote, which might have been the source of my gagging, but I honestly didn't smell anything consciously. I need to get more sleep the night before a race, that's the real ticket.
In a weird sense I was both very happy with the result, and also annoyed - who knows how much I could have shaved off if I had been able to blast through the last 2k?
Looking back at it, I would even consider risking it if I could break 45. Maybe if it had happened a little bit closer to the end.
(I've never run a sub 45min 10k; the closest I ever came was 45:10 back in 2001, and after that I started doing longer events like marathons, where the pace is a lot slower.)
Interestingly, the first place Men's 70+ finisher clocked in at 44:47. I'll have to look this guy up and enter some more races against him. The question is whether I can triumph over him without throwing up! At least I beat the 2nd place 70+ year old.
The race finished off in Fort York. The main gate caused a bottleneck getting people through, but since that was how the Fort was militarily designed to work, I guess I can't complain.
The finisher's medals were well done with a detailed engraving. There should have been more effort to move runners after the finish into the open area where the food stations were -- it took a long time to get from the finish line to the first, massively crowded water station -- but given the volume of participants I am willing to concede the organizers some slack. Also, the distance markers could have been more visible - they looked too much like advertisements on the streetlamps, and I missed a number of them during the course of the race.
Wandering around the Fort, I met up with a bunch of work colleagues, and we swapped stories. We had a couple of minor upsets in the results versus expected order, which will undoubtedly be the source of some entertaining trash talking until the next competitive outing.
All in all it was a good time and I'm happy that I decided to enter.
I haven't decided yet what the next run is going to be. I will probably enter another short (by short I mean 10k or less) run over the summer for fun, but my present training intention is to gear up for the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in September, or possibly the Toronto International Marathon in October. We shall see!
It was a great day for a run - cool, clear, and sunny. There were over 12,000 participants. The event raised over $800,000 for Camp Oochigeas, a summer camp for children with cancer. That is a huge increase in fundraising over the past few years - in 2008 there were 10,000 runners raising $500,000; in 2007 there were 9,000 runners raising $300,000; in 2006 there were 8,000 raising $100,000.
As an aside, doesn't that make you wonder what was going on with expenses? The $/runner ratio goes from 12.5 to 33 to 50 to 66. How did they quintuple the raise per runner in four years? Hmm. In 2005 it's $100k on 7,200 runners; also a lousy ratio.
The probable explanation is that the cost for reserving the road, getting the permits, and staffing/policing, is a giant fixed amount that has to be spent no matter what, so incremental runners after a certain point wind up generating a way bigger margin. At least hopefully it's explainable - I hope I haven't accidentally stumbled upon some secret running series accounting scandal! :)
I registered late, so for the start I was slotted into the 'open' purple corral at the back. I was worried that I would spend a lot of energy dodging people and not be able to settle on a pace, but the organizers did an acceptable job of spacing the waves of runners.
The first kilometer down to around Davisville was a decent warm-up with some unavoidable flittering around trying to get out of the pack, but then it started to spread out so the dodging wasn't too terrible.
I was going at a strong clip the first half, but it felt easier due to the downhill - the section from St. Clair to Bloor was a breeze. I wasn't going full out, but the pace was definitely faster than normal. I'm not sure if I should have taken it easier in retrospect.
Around 6 I started to get the familiar glimmerings of lung discomfort that we all know. I took it a bit easier through to the turn onto Richmond, then started to accelerate again. At 7 I was definitely going full on and started to feel a bit of stomach cramp.
At 8ish, somewhere around Spadina I had a novel, fairly rare for me sensation - my throat gagged, and I felt like I might throw up. The sun was on us and I felt hot. My lungs were fine (at least not any worse than you'd expect at that point) but the retch definitely disconcerted me and mangled my breathing pattern.
Vomiting did not particularly appeal to me, so I reluctantly throttled down exactly at the point where I would have wanted to kick for the final stretch, from 8 to the finish. That was frustrating. I'm sure that it cost me at least 30 seconds, maybe even more. I was totally primed to kick, and everything else -- lungs and legs -- was fine (uncomfortable yes, but nothing I hadn't encountered before).
My colleague told me that on the section along Front by the tracks there was a powerful odour of creosote, which might have been the source of my gagging, but I honestly didn't smell anything consciously. I need to get more sleep the night before a race, that's the real ticket.
In a weird sense I was both very happy with the result, and also annoyed - who knows how much I could have shaved off if I had been able to blast through the last 2k?
Looking back at it, I would even consider risking it if I could break 45. Maybe if it had happened a little bit closer to the end.
(I've never run a sub 45min 10k; the closest I ever came was 45:10 back in 2001, and after that I started doing longer events like marathons, where the pace is a lot slower.)
Interestingly, the first place Men's 70+ finisher clocked in at 44:47. I'll have to look this guy up and enter some more races against him. The question is whether I can triumph over him without throwing up! At least I beat the 2nd place 70+ year old.
The race finished off in Fort York. The main gate caused a bottleneck getting people through, but since that was how the Fort was militarily designed to work, I guess I can't complain.
The finisher's medals were well done with a detailed engraving. There should have been more effort to move runners after the finish into the open area where the food stations were -- it took a long time to get from the finish line to the first, massively crowded water station -- but given the volume of participants I am willing to concede the organizers some slack. Also, the distance markers could have been more visible - they looked too much like advertisements on the streetlamps, and I missed a number of them during the course of the race.
Wandering around the Fort, I met up with a bunch of work colleagues, and we swapped stories. We had a couple of minor upsets in the results versus expected order, which will undoubtedly be the source of some entertaining trash talking until the next competitive outing.
All in all it was a good time and I'm happy that I decided to enter.
I haven't decided yet what the next run is going to be. I will probably enter another short (by short I mean 10k or less) run over the summer for fun, but my present training intention is to gear up for the Scotiabank Waterfront Marathon in September, or possibly the Toronto International Marathon in October. We shall see!
Around the Bay - almost, but not quite a disaster
This year's Around the Bay 30k was a tough slog for me! Mentally and physically. My target was to come in around 2:50.
For whatever reasons wet rain is a trigger to causing muscle cramps for me. And guess what, this year's edition (the 115th - North America's oldest road race) featured drizzling cold rain with a chilly wind off the lake. I was thoroughly drenched.
At about 12k (!) my left calf cramped. Which is ridiculous because it's not like I hadn't trained leading up to this point (And I ran the 12 normally, at about a 5:30 pace, so it wasn't a case of overzealotry at the beginning leading me astray). It was EXTREMELY frustrating, because normally at 12 I'm just about warmed up and ready to push a little. I mean, if you cramp at 27 or 28, that's fine, you're in the home stretch -- but 12?! I have never had a DNF but when you have 18k of ugliness ahead of you, bonking out is a serious option to consider. I chose to slow down to a 6min/k jog where the cramping was held in check. Nevertheless, it was touch and go between 14 to 18k.
Once I hit twenty I knew I would just grit it out (in the worst case, I could just walk 10k). I felt like a zeppelin with a leak, slowly being forced to descend from the sky. The rolling hills section in Burlington didn't help either. I thought I might have an outside chance to hit three hours but the Mountain brutalized me. My right quad started locking up too. Cardio wise everything was fine, since I was going at a turtle's pace. Huffing along at slower than 6 minute kilometers is not enjoyable for me.
My chip time at the finish was 3:01:27. Oh well. It still felt good to complete the course; it was like an exercise in humility and perspicacity. I felt like I earned my finisher's medal the hard way and will wear my race jersey (a somewhat lurid orangey-red longsleeve tech shirt) with pride.
Normally ATB is on the training schedule leading up to Ottawa or some other marathon in the spring, but this year I'm taking it easy. I might still do the Waterfront marathon or Toronto Int'l in the fall, we'll see!
Next thing on the menu: climbing in Kentucky!
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| From running |
For whatever reasons wet rain is a trigger to causing muscle cramps for me. And guess what, this year's edition (the 115th - North America's oldest road race) featured drizzling cold rain with a chilly wind off the lake. I was thoroughly drenched.
At about 12k (!) my left calf cramped. Which is ridiculous because it's not like I hadn't trained leading up to this point (And I ran the 12 normally, at about a 5:30 pace, so it wasn't a case of overzealotry at the beginning leading me astray). It was EXTREMELY frustrating, because normally at 12 I'm just about warmed up and ready to push a little. I mean, if you cramp at 27 or 28, that's fine, you're in the home stretch -- but 12?! I have never had a DNF but when you have 18k of ugliness ahead of you, bonking out is a serious option to consider. I chose to slow down to a 6min/k jog where the cramping was held in check. Nevertheless, it was touch and go between 14 to 18k.
Once I hit twenty I knew I would just grit it out (in the worst case, I could just walk 10k). I felt like a zeppelin with a leak, slowly being forced to descend from the sky. The rolling hills section in Burlington didn't help either. I thought I might have an outside chance to hit three hours but the Mountain brutalized me. My right quad started locking up too. Cardio wise everything was fine, since I was going at a turtle's pace. Huffing along at slower than 6 minute kilometers is not enjoyable for me.
My chip time at the finish was 3:01:27. Oh well. It still felt good to complete the course; it was like an exercise in humility and perspicacity. I felt like I earned my finisher's medal the hard way and will wear my race jersey (a somewhat lurid orangey-red longsleeve tech shirt) with pride.
Normally ATB is on the training schedule leading up to Ottawa or some other marathon in the spring, but this year I'm taking it easy. I might still do the Waterfront marathon or Toronto Int'l in the fall, we'll see!
Next thing on the menu: climbing in Kentucky!
Watched the Toronto Marathon today...
Actually it was more like portions of the half. Normally on a Sunday the routine calls for a late morning snooze but I wanted to get up and cheer for two different friends of mine who were participating. I was going to do up a sign for them but surprise surprise, I was too lazy. I need to get a cowbell for these occasions!
It was a great day, if a bit chilly to start. I stationed myself a bit past the 10k mark just before the downhill Aylmer/Rosedale Valley Road chunk, to catch the 1:40+ group. Most people looked pretty strong at that point. There was one guy dressed up in a Captain America suit.
After the ~2:15 crowd passed, I then ambled over to the finishing stretch at Queen's Park. People were a lot more stressed there. Some people would say thanks when you encouraged them; others would merely grimace and glare at you. My one friend I surprised a bit unfortunately, I think she was trying to concentrate on maintaining form over the last kilometer and I distracted her when I yelled out her name.
It compels me to set a personal running resolution for next year. This fall I was thinking about a 10k or a half but I have been lackadaisical in the training. I think the right goal is to go for my
favorite race, the Around the Bay 30k. And then depending on results and ambition I might go to Ottawa, likely for a half. I just have to get a consistent training regimen in place. And pop the 10k mark properly. Wish me luck!
It was a great day, if a bit chilly to start. I stationed myself a bit past the 10k mark just before the downhill Aylmer/Rosedale Valley Road chunk, to catch the 1:40+ group. Most people looked pretty strong at that point. There was one guy dressed up in a Captain America suit.
After the ~2:15 crowd passed, I then ambled over to the finishing stretch at Queen's Park. People were a lot more stressed there. Some people would say thanks when you encouraged them; others would merely grimace and glare at you. My one friend I surprised a bit unfortunately, I think she was trying to concentrate on maintaining form over the last kilometer and I distracted her when I yelled out her name.
It compels me to set a personal running resolution for next year. This fall I was thinking about a 10k or a half but I have been lackadaisical in the training. I think the right goal is to go for my
favorite race, the Around the Bay 30k. And then depending on results and ambition I might go to Ottawa, likely for a half. I just have to get a consistent training regimen in place. And pop the 10k mark properly. Wish me luck!
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