Week in Review

Tuesday, May 4th

Went to final session of physio. Afterwards, went on a slow run and the left chalf was tight (even after the physio, in which I didn't feel any "pain"). 6.21 K. YTD = 605.95 K


Thursday, May 6th

A teacher was a kinesiologist 10 years ago and saved me a physio appointment by massaging the "pressure point". Pain galore but it helped :-)


Sunday, May 9th

Mother's Day :-) Debated on whether or not to do a run this morning. Was thinking of 25:1 (x2) but ended up doing 25:1 (x7). The calf felt good (thank goodness! as the Mississauga marathon is 1 week away). Kept monitoring the calf and went all the way for 22.25 K (totally shocked!). Route was scenic along the Lower Don River. Went all the way north -- frequently saw runners and bikers. The waterfall made the run peaceful. Have to keep this route in mind for the future -- as long as there is no rain this is a wonderful route -- in the city but doesn't feel like running in the city! Oh, it was cool today and I had to wear a toque. YTD = 628.20 K.

Sporting Life 10 K Race Report

Left the house slightly after 7 AM after giving the dog his washroom break and breakfast. The 90% showers/rain/thunderstorms forcasted for the morning didn't happen :-) Cloudy and a bit humid. Made the trek to the start line on Yonge north of Eglinton by slowly running (part of my LSD for the weekend). Should have left the house a bit earlier as I didn't reach the start line for the first wave. The good news is I got to see the elite runners. The second wave started 3 minutes after the first wave, and that gave me time to put on the bib. Fortunately, I put on the time-chip at home (using a plastic fastener I bought in a package of 60 from the dollar star). Close to the start line on Yonge Street, I saw 2 time-chips on the sidewalk -- not good.

Once the second wave went, it was running mainly downhill Yonge Street from Eglinton all the way to Richmond. The roads weren't the greatest and in need of repair. A bit crowded but scenic route. Eglington, then St. Clair, then Davenport, then Bloor,... 2 gatorade/water stations -- at the 4 K and 6.7 K marks. Had 2 servings of Gatorade at each stop, which also served as my brief walk break. I looked at my Garmin frequently to ensure the pacing wasn't too slow or too fast. Most of the time, we were going downhill, with 2 uphills. Initially, I was at 5:30 and then strived to keep it around 5:00. It was indeed humid and that didn't help. Headed west on Richmond Street with about 3 K to go. Opted to run on the side of the road (i.e., not on the streetcars pavement as it was hard). South on Peter Street, west on Front Street, south on Bathurst, and then to the finish line. The downhill on Bathurst welcomed as it gave me renewed energy to finish the race strong. Did the best I could -- opted to race it since the calf has not been giving me any issue :-)


Chip Time = 51:45.6 [PB]
#3372 out of 11 913 (top 28.3%)
Pace = 5:11
Age Category = 353/752
Gender Category = 2442/5214

Overall, a well-organized race in all regards. I like the results being ranked by chip time (due to the corral waves). The finish line was great this year -- not congested and lots of room to walk. Although this race is a bit pricey, I guess you pay what you get. Just glad the weather behaved.

Ate a couple of bananas and took a couple of juice boxes. Then continued with an LSD 25:1 (x3). In total, 27.42 K, for YTD = 599.73 K (so close to 600 K).

2 weeks today will have run my 3rd marathon :-)

Sporting Life 10 K Bib Pick-Up

After work on Thursday, I made the trek to the Sporting Life to pick up tech shirt, bib, and time chip. I was impressed with the police officer hired by the Sporting Life as traffic was jammed with the single lanes due to construction. The police officer stopped the traffic to allow me to turn into the parking lot. Life past years, the organization was great and the line moved rapidly. Didn't use the 10% coupon.




There was a clearance shoe sale at the Sporting Life. I saw a pair of Brooks Adrenaline GTS9 but it was size 8 (I need size 10). It was priced at $84.99, I believe. In the store, the GTS was priced at $109.99 but with a 10% off coupon, it was tempting. I opted to wait. On the Running Room web site, the shoes are on clearance for $89.99 https://www.shop.runningroom.com/product_info.php?cPath=242_594_243_247&products_id=4247&languages_id=1 (no coupons allowed).

Leaving the Sporting Life was easy as the police officer directed traffic to allow me to head south (that would have been a very difficult turn). Got in my 25:1 (x2) run, for 7.34 K. YTD = 572.32 K. Continue to stretch the left calf.

2 more weeks until the Mississauga Marathon! Race report tomorrow. Just hope the rain stays away. Cloudy is great!

25:1 (x2)

Physio appointment at 4:50 PM. Left work at 4:10 PM and had to get to the appointment as quickly as possible. Got to the appointment at 4:52 PM so on time :-) PT recommended seeing him once a week, which is good considering slightly over 1/2 the coverage for the year has been used up. The "tenderness" seems to have gone down. Made the next appointment for Monday next week.

Afterwards, all set to do my run but forgot to bring along my running shoes. Aargh! Opted to take the dog on a slow run -- he enjoyed it but did not appreciate being "pulled" when he wanted to pee (i.e, share his scent with the community dogs). There's a $4.99 Mama's Pizza Special today so after I took the dog back home, continued my run. Bought 2 pizzas and then back home. Today = 6.44 K.

3 Weeks til Mississauga!

ONLY 3 weeks until the Mississauga Marathon. Glad, relieved, thrilled the running is back on track. Slept well last night knowing that the 20.5 K LSD yesterday morning went well. Now pondering how to do my long run with the Sporting Life 10 K next Sunday; thinking of running to the starting line, doing the race, and then running some more -- only issue is the post food. Want to get in 25 to 28 K next weekend.

Physiotherapist (PT) said I could see him 2X next week which will speed up the recovery of the calf strain. I have $750 to spend on physio in the year and have spent almost 1/2 the money so far. I might cancel the Thursday appointment as I could see him 2X closer to the marathon or immediately afterwards.

Saw an article in yesterday's Saturday Star that Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has formally complained to Toronto Mayor David Miller that the Mississauga marathon conflicts with the Toronto Marathon. This is indeed a problem as I am sure the Toronto Marathon will take away runners from the Mississauga race; I for one will run Toronto Marathon next spring (and not the Mississauga Marathon) since it is close to home. Not fair to Mississauga since it's such a well-organized race that has grown to be the 3rd largest race in Canada.

Looking forward to earning the finisher's medal in the Mississauga Marathon -- my doggie, Bud, will enjoy having his photo taken with it.

25:1 (x5)

First LSD since the calf strain injury. After walking the dog, planned on 25:1 (x4) [but did 5 reps since felt good] on the Martin Goodman Trail. Lots of runners and walkers. Started off slowly and gradually ran a bit faster. No issues, thank goodness. Today = 20.62 K [didn't listen to the physiotherapist who said to run no more than 15 K]. Am continuing to stretch throughout the day to strengthen the calf so it's not so "tight". Great to be back. The full marathon is in sight as it's 3 weeks away tomorrow. Next Sunday is the Sporting Life 10 K and I'm thinking of getting in 25 K [will run the Sporting Life race as an LSD so will aim for a time of an hour -- not looking for PB as my immediciacy is to work up to 32 K the week before the marathon. No tamper...no speed either...

Thursday's 25:1 (x2)

After seeing the physiotherapist, got in 25:1 (x2) at the Mount Pleasant Cermetery -- very pleasant! Nice weather and no issues with the calf. Continue to stretch after the run. Physio said calf still "tight" but healing since the run on Tuesday went well. Run = 7.27 K. YTD = 537.92 K.