10:1 (x9)

Great weather this morning! 0C, sunny, and dry sidewalks. I even wore my sunglasses on my run! I woke up a bit late (but eventually got up as the pup continually licked me on the face trying to get me out of bed -- that's what Bud always does when he's had enough and wants his walk -- he won't stop with the licking until I'm out of bed).

My run began close to 10:00 am and I had to make a return trip home as I forgot my water (I figured this out 2 minutes into my run and didn't want a return of kidney stones, which are immensely painful). I needed this run today since we're supposed to get another 5-10 cm of snow on Tuesday. Enough is enough... I travelled the same route as the Martin Goodman Trail is probably still icy. My LSD is 14.35K, 6.55 min/K, with an average heartbeat of 160 beats/min. It's great to see my mileage during the year 2008 is now over 100K :-) During my run I got some deep thinking. I always find the first 10 minutes a bit challenging but once I get into a groove, the running is lots of fun. Nice to see other runners "out there" this morning. With spring only a few weeks away, the end of snow is near. I can't wait to be running on the Martin Goodman Trail soon! I now can run 2/3 of a half marathon. I think I'm on track for the Mississauga 1/2 marathon.

I'm currently using The Quotable Runner edited by Mark Will-Weber as bed time reading. Here's a good quote:

"Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness and self-reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of the runner. He learns the harsh reality of his physical and mental limitations when he runs. He learns that personal commitment, sacrifice and determination are his only means to betterment. Runners only get promoted through self-conquest." (Noel Carroll)

On a lighter side, here's a wonderful photo of a dog or wolf power walking. It's actually good form and this guy would have beaten me by power walking a marathon: http://www.artie.com/arg-wolfwalk.htm

10:1 (x3) -- Thursday, February 21

After work on Thursday (no time to include this in my blog until now!), I did 10:1 (x3) since I heard there would be a snow storm coming on Friday morning and the drive to work on Friday would be awful. Fortunately, the storm never transpired as it ended up south of Toronto. The run was slow today since I was running over ice (had to be very careful!) on the sidewalks. I just wanted to get in a run so I won't be rusty for my LSD tomorrow morning -- I'll be running near home on the sidewalks and, like last week, there should be few people out. The weekend looks nice (i.e., no snow) but I believe Tuesday we're supposed to get ANOTHER 10 cm of snow. One word... Aaargh!!

Off topic...I saw the following Mother Goose and Grimm comic strip in the newspaper. I didn't find it funny (don't find many of the comics in the daily newspaper funny) but after a day, it is kind of cool. I even shared this with my grade 12 students. I guess the lesson to be learned is never say "bite me" to any dog ;-)

10:1 (x8)

I awoke slightly past 7 am this Sunday morning and freezing rain is supposed to arrive in Toronto at 9 or 10 am. I got warmed up by walking the pup and made the trek out for my run after feeding Bud his brunch. Great morning for a run as there were few people outside and the sidewalks were better than a few days ago. I set my Garmin for 10:1 (x8). After 6 repeats, I had to go to the washroom and happened to see a hospital so I went there (much cleaner facilities!). I can't wait until the snow is history for the winter and then I won't have to plan my runs abruptly and around the weather. Also, I can then train on my favourite route, the Martin Goodman Trail. Today was great -- I was "out there" for 1H 28M, averaged 7:13 K/minute, and covered 12.21K (slightly over half marathon distance!) running a similar route to that a few days ago -- I must find a route that is dry.

Tomorrow is Family Day so it's a day off :-) Rest day, of course! After the freezing rain today, we're supposed to get 20 mm of rain, with a temperature of 5C. More showers tomorrow, again with 5C high. That's welcomed news to me as the snow will melt. Yeah!

Last night, I renewed my 1-year subscription to Runner's World. I have 1 more issue of the magazine to re-read (the April 2007 issue that I bought at the bookstore) and then I will go through my copies of the Running Room's magazine. It's nice to read the articles a second time. Here's some highlights from the Runner's World:

• March 2008 "Running Through the Ages" (pp. 61-77): 10s Decade of Innocence; 20s Decade of Invincibility; 30s Decade of the Balancing Act; 40s Decade of New Beginnings; 50s Decade of Freedom; 60s Decade of Hanging Tough; 70s and 80s Decade of Going and Going. "As you age, your mileage, pace, and motivations may change. But the soul of a runner remains" (Don Kardong)

• July 2007 (pp. 29-32): Rajime Nishi has run 496 marathons; an "ecomarathoner" to find 'harmony' with his surroundings and environment; "worst" marathon time 3:45, best 10:32; judges quality of marathon by number of photos he takes; web site www.ecomarathon.org; "Running is my passport. A smile is my visa."

• July 2007 (p. 40): "Fact or fiction: 'Real runners don't walk'": "If this were true, then all the athletes who completed in teh 1896 Olympic Marathon in Athens would not be considered real runners...My surveys have shown an average time improvement in the marathon of more than 13 minutes when using walk breaks versus running continuously. Walking doesn't 'disqualify' you from being a real runner - it can actually make you a better runner."

• July 2007 (p. 42): "Is it possible to run too slowly on easy days?": "It is...while running too slowly still contributes to overall endurance, consistenly running at a pace that puts your intensity below 65 percent of your target heart rate does little to boost cardiovascular fitness. Plus your legs take more of a beating because your muscles 'brake' more when you run slowly."

• July 2007 (p. 54): Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (i.e., Runner's Knee) - "stress of running can cause irritation where the kneecap (patella) rests on the thighbone...cause can be traced back to poorly conditioned quadriceps and tight hamstrings. Weak quads aren't able to supprt the patella, leading it to track out of alignment, and inflexible hamstrings can put pressure on the knee...www.runnersworld.com/whartons (for strnthening and stretching)

• July 2007 (p. 60): "I eat fruit, but rarely vegetables. Am I missing out on nutrients?": "Yes...your goal should be to eat about three cups of vegetables and 2 1/2 dups of fruit every day. Your fruit quota provides plenty of vitamin C, potassium, and water-soluble fibre (the type that lowers cholesterol), plus a host of disease fighting compoundds...vegetables help ensure you get enought insoluble fiber (the type that keeps you 'regular'), folate, and magnesium."

• July 2007 (p. 67-69): "What's Your Ideal Weight?": "Aerobic fitness is a powerful predictor of longevity...lose fat, not muscle"; lose 2 pounds, improve 5K by 12.4 s, 10K by 25 s, half marathon by 52 s, marathon by 1 m, 45s; lose 5 pounds, improve 5K by 31 s, 10K by 1 m 2 s, half marathon 2 m 11 s, marathon 4 m, 22 s; lose 10 pounds, improve 5K by 1 m 2 s, 10K by 2 m 4 s, half marathon 4 m 22 s, marathon 8 m, 44 s (as long as BMI > 18.5)

• July 2007 (p. 76): "Half the battle of marathon training isn't the running itself, it's finding the resolve to run - day after day...tell youself you can have something you want, as long as you complete your workout first...that may mean getting a message, buying a new pair of shoes, going out to dinner, or just indulging in a bowl of ice cream."

• June 2007 (p. 46): "Why does it hurt so much to walk downstairs the day after a half or full marathon?" - "The significant pounding of a long race produces microtears and swelling in the leg muscles. The pain intensifies when walking downstairs (or hills) because an eccentric contraction (a muscle lengthening, in this case the quad) requires more force. Soreness is inevitable, but you can minimize it and aid muscle recovery by walking for at least 10 minutes after the race to promote blood flow and by replenishing carbohydrates and protein during the 24 hours after the race."

• June 2007 (p. 59-60): Yogurt Culture Clash: "A single serving of yougurt can pack alarming amounts of sugar and saturated fat...pick yogurts with no more than 30 grams of sugar per six ounce serving...it has no more than 1.5 grams of saturated fat per six-ounce seriving...look for the 'Live and Active Cultures' seal, which ensures that the product had at least 100 million living bacteria per gram when it was packaged...at least 20 percent of your daily calcium; 300 milligrams of potassium; no more than 180 calories."

• June 2007 (p. 62): Men: "A man logging 25 to 30 miles per week needs about 9 to 21 calories per pound of body weight, or 3200 calories per day for a 170-pound runner; eat 10 to 12 servings of fruits and vegetables daily with 10 to 12 servings of grains to help you meet your higher fiber needs (38 grams per day); at least 4 protein servings each day, such as 3 ounces of grilled fish or chicken; drink calcium-fortified juices to get 1000 to 1300 milligrams of calcium per day; eat about 8 milligrams of iron"

10:1 (x5.5?)

It's been a snowy winter -- the radio is saying we've gotten more snow in Toronto this winter than the last 2 years combined! We got 30 cm snow last Thursday and Saturday. Got more snow 2 days ago (took 2 hours to get home (!)). 2 cm more snow tomorrow. And then 20 cm next Sunday. So, when I saw the dry (yeah!) roads coming home on the major streets, I abruptly made the decision to run tonight (or who knows when).

I ran slightly over a hour using 10:1. Unfortunately, my Garmin ran out of battery. I thought it was charged. I wonder if the battery dies down gradually if not used (last time I used it was 9 days ago). So, I got data for more than 1/2 the run. I would say I got in 10:1 (repeated 5 or 6 times) ... I'll say I got in 7K tonight. Really tricky to be running tonight as I had to run over slush. Fortunately, I got the run in without injury :-) Can't wait until the spring arrives -- it's going to be a fun training. I did have a dream about not being ready for the half marathon run in Mississauga. During my dream, I came to the conclusion that I would run as much as I could and then walk the rest. I hope that's not what's going to happen as there's a bit less than 3 months to go.

I got word that a cheque for $65 is in the mail to reimburse me for the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront marathon from last fall as I had raised over $150 with the Children's Aid Foundation.

10:1 (x7)

While driving home from work, I was shocked to learn of another (!) snow storm. It's supposed to start at midnight, with rain, thunderstorm, then changing to freezing rain, ice pellets, then to snow -- 10 cm. Aargh!!! Since the snow basically melted due to the above freezing temperature today and yesterday, I had to do my run today while the sidewalks were cleared of snow. Again, I avoided the Martin Goodman Trail since the path would probably be icy. I miss running there and can't wait until the spring arrives so I can run to the Humber Bridge which gives a spectacular scenery.

I'm actually pleased I ran this evening since I missed the weekend run. I ran slower today, completing 10.08K -- I can power walk faster (!). The first 10 minutes of running is always the toughest and then I eventually get into a groove. I took a different route in the downtown and enjoyed it very much. Great to see a few fellow runners out there this evening as well.

I have no idea when my next run will be. Hopefully the snow will melt quickly again.

The March issue of Runner's World arrived in the mail :-)

Snow Storm = No Run This Weekend :-(

Toronto received about 15 cm of snow on Friday. Lots of media attention during the past week warning us of the Friday's chaos -- hence my reason for my run on Wednesday (it was a must run even if the sidewalks weren't dry -- so glad I did it!). I even got off work at 1:00 pm on Friday as it was a PA day at school. It took slightly over 2 hours to get to work and another 2 hours to return home. The 4 hours on the public transit wasn't a waste of time as I got some much needed work done as well as a few short naps (but nothing like last year when the driver had to wake me up when we reached the final stop -- actually that happened on 2 separate occasions). I went outside this morning and took the following photo of the product of Friday's snow storm:



The good news is rain is on its way on Tuesday and will melt any Frosty Snowmen created yesterday - but that's after we get another 5-10 cm of snow Monday evening. Aarugh! Once the snow has melted (or at least been cleared from the sidewalks), I will be back to running!. In the mean time, I will do some strengthening exercises for my knee.

I'm continuing to read past issues of the Runner's World (as I await the next issue in the mail). Here are some highlights from the September 2007 issue:

• p. 38: Excessive Knee Lift: "When runners tire, they often overstride, which exaggertes their knee lift. But lifting your knees just tires out the quadriceps even more quickly, leading to sore thighs the next day. Your knees should primarily swing foward and back not pump up and down. If your knees are lifting up instead of swinging forward: (1) reduce the length of your stride. (2) Keep your feet low to the ground. (3) Maintain a quick stride rate, just lightly touching the ground with each footfall."

• p. 76: "In the first hour after a workout - especially long runs and speed sessions - consume a few hundred calories of mostly carbs with some protein to speed muscle recovery. (If you wait until after the first hour, your muscles' ability to use those calories to refuel drops by 66 percent.)

• p. 53-54: "The Spud Report" "Baked, mashed, or boiled, potatoes actually provide more energy - delivering complex carbohydrates than a cup of past. All varieties - russet, red, yellow, purple, and sweet - contain impressive quantities of vitamins and minerals."

and from the August 2007 issue of Runner's World:

• p. 40 "Know Your Number": "Most runners' paces per every 400 meters will increase by aout four seconds as they move up from one 'classic' race distance to the next...the Four-Second Rule gives you only a good estimate of what your pace and performance times should be." E.g., 10K takes 40 minutes (6:24 per mile): 5K would take 19:10 (6:08 per mile); 1/2 marathon would take 1:27:30 (6:40 per mile); marathon would take 3:02:00 (6:56 per mile)