tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-203419952012-01-21T02:16:25.704-05:00A blog about a guy's running life in Toronto and Washington DC.yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.comBlogger1144125Subscribe with My Yahoo!Subscribe with NewsGatorSubscribe with My AOLSubscribe with BloglinesSubscribe with NetvibesSubscribe with GoogleSubscribe with PageflakesSubscribe with Live.comSubscribe with Yourminis.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-38040424138944349892012-01-17T21:49:00.000-05:002012-01-17T21:49:18.542-05:002012-01-17T21:49:18.542-05:00

On Saturday, I piled on the layers and ran 17K while it was -15C, -24C with wind chill. Chilled to the bone. Today, I wore my sleeveless jacket and did 10K with temperature of 8C. Yesterday, 5K in the rain. All told, I would have preferred the cold in some weird way. Give me winter before the spring thaw. In all the many winters I've trained through, this type of weather swing is something

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Two things I can say about tonight's run: That it was an epic milestone run and I almost broke my ankle trying to mark it. The Garmin and I have been through a lot, these past three-plus years. Garmie, as I have called him, has gone through countless stops and starts as I wait (not jog in place) at stop lights through the many cities I've passed through. He's outlasted at least 10 pairs of

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My new Garmin 610 is waiting at home for its new owner to take it out for a spin. I'm not ready to retire my good old Garmin, it's taken me through a good 15 marathons, and I'll let it get its lifetime metre up to 10,000 kilometres. Took it out the other day for a stroll, out here in Tobago, where I'm visiting with R's family (to visit their families). Running takes a little extra break. I'm not

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Guilt.That's what I imagine that they're thinking as I make a my way towards them in full speed in the dark. It's 7 p.m. on a weekday, the mild December weather makes the sidewalks just a tad busier than those snowblown days that are coming. On my arm is a new light strip that makes my left appendage glow in the dark, a rare source of light against my black tights, top and toque. That armband and

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Twenty five years ago, I stood at the side of the road, waiting. Now that I can appreciate the undulating hills of the major thoroughfare that cuts through my parents' neighbourhood, I can only now marvel at what it would have been like to roll through the hills of eastern Toronto. All those years and miles later, while the memory of those like Terry Fox harden in the Canadian consciousness as

yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.com0http://yumkerun.blogspot.com/2011/11/perpetual-motion.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-9840139177092821112011-11-16T21:17:00.001-05:002011-11-16T21:19:45.180-05:002011-11-16T21:19:45.180-05:00

And I'm happy to join the club... Nice!

yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.com0http://yumkerun.blogspot.com/2011/11/131-miles-gets-you-this.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-83674240860760741772011-11-10T19:44:00.001-05:002011-11-10T20:09:32.584-05:002011-11-10T20:09:32.584-05:00

It's pretty hard to impress me these days about what one can do while running a marathon. (Let alone that 26.2 miles/42.2 kilometres is still very impressive.) There's, of course, the woman who ran a marathon while very pregnant, those who juggle, carry flags, broadcast video or Tweet live. Me, Tweeting live Something that my buddy Lee sent me today, I would argue, kicks the ass of all of

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I'm exhausted just thinking about prepping for the MCM. Still one of my favourites, but the three in a month was a bit much. The weather, almost perfect if not three or four degrees cooler than I'd like. Still, compared with a hot day, not going to complain at all. I left R's place at 6 to catch the 6:20 train at a subway near by. Cutting it that close to the 8 a.m. start pretty much meant I

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Marine Corps Marathon, yes, my favourite, but yes it's a toughy, especially when it comes at the end of three marathons in four weeks. Would I advise that you try it? Sure, I did it last year, but you have to put aside some ambitions for speed in favour of making it out to the next race. This 36th MCM was my 18th, and man it was just as tough as the first. Targetted a 3:45 but the day handed me

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As I prep for the last 24 hours before the Marine Corps Marathon, snow is in the forecast. I've heard of marathons being cancelled over snow, but this ain't no other marathon. And yes, you heard me right. Snow. In DC. In October, or #snowtober, as others would call it. Tomorrow's marathon? Says Rick Nealis, MCM's Director: "Marines don't cancel. If it snows, the Marines might be out

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My last warmup runs a few days before Toronto Marathon left me feeling slightly confident. The soreness after Chicago was going away. My legs, which a week ago cramped up in the heat, felt a little sore, but I was more occupied by the wind. It was blowing strong, in an easterly direction. Not a pretty one given the out-and-back nature of the course. My pre race movie was Running the Sahara and

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Image by rumbleth This is a running account of the 2011 Scotiabank Waterfront Toronto Marathon baggage-check fiasco. Scroll down for reverse chronological ordered updates. Update 11: Nov 16 A month after the marathon, Alan wrote this recap of the bag check meltdown. I think our #1 pledge to you is to “get it right”, to get it solved so it doesn’t happen again. Just as Chicago did when they

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Do not worry, I will go back very shortly to blogging about races, training and running, but here's something we've all been following. Believe me, I'm not writing this because of the Canada Running Series and their Scotiabank Waterfront Toronto Marathon bag check fiasco, as I'm calling it. But speaking of CRS, you may have read about the road race wars going on. Before I get to the point:

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Is there really beer at the finish? It's a question we all asked ourselves as we were trying to remember what it was like in 2006. The group of us, knowing that it would take a measure of luck, physicality and will to move 26.2 miles really wanted to know. Beer tent or just past the finish line, which is what I recalled. We were walking around the expo on Friday afternoon when we came across a

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"You have to forget your last marathon before you try another. Your mind can't know what's coming." Well, have to hand it to Frank Shorter, he has a good point. Forget that you'll spend 3/4/5 hours of running joy that turns into sustained pain -- the mental kind too. Forget that gels, even the nice flavoured ones, aren't fun to chew. And that Gatorade in large amounts get you burping. Forget

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The temperature was a little warmer than we'd all like. I adjusted my pace a few days ago, taking out a 3:40 pace band. The heel, it held up. The calfs didn't, due to cramping. I took in my five gels, the Gatorade but it still did me in. Had to walk and stretch a few times. I'm very happy with the performance. It was hard to enjoy a marathon when it was not cool, but I was able to tough it out,

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2006: Holy crap, first marathon 2011: Um, how much of this ibuprofen cream can I slather on my heel? 2006: Can't wait to hit the expo, gonna buy maybe a jacket 2011: Yes to jacket. Yes to hat. Yes to whatever you want me to buy. 2006: Deep Dish Pizza! 2011: Where can I find a bagel, banana and peanut butter. 2006: Packing a long sleeve in case it gets cold (it got cold) 2011: Unpacking my

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I rifled through my running DVD collection and pulled out Spirit of the Marathon. I eyed my pantry looking for dried pasta. The Nuun tube only had a few tablets, but just enough for the next few days. And the haircut, check. That's done. Maybe it's good I have other things to occupy me while I obsess over my healing heel. Truth is, it's not 100%. Enough to run a marathon. Hm, I think so.

yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.com3http://yumkerun.blogspot.com/2011/10/races-and-weddings.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-15258754238040879622011-10-04T23:18:00.001-04:002011-10-04T23:18:58.035-04:002011-10-04T23:18:58.035-04:00

While everyone else was watching for news about the new iPhone, I checked Garmin's stock price. Up 5%. Huh. What got me interested was not the 4S, but the Nano and a focus on 'fitness'. Garmin has been the industry leader in GPS watches for a long time. I've made my way through three watches in the past seven years, starting with clunky versions and ending up three years ago with my 405.

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As I charged into my final mile of my 10K run today, I was gaining on another runner and his dog. He was running bending down as if to pat the dog on the head and in the span of two strides, he unhooked the leash... *** After a particularly late night in Boston over the weekend, I found myself sitting at the corner of my bed, 8 a.m. with barely a few hours of sleep. On the calendar was 16 miles

yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.com2http://yumkerun.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-fine-run.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-31644827292307390242011-09-19T22:07:00.000-04:002011-09-19T22:16:13.137-04:002011-09-19T22:16:13.137-04:00

The last time I flew out of Chicago, a day after running my first marathon in 2006, I envisioned revenge. In the years that followed, I understood the beast that is the marathon. I got faster, a little wiser that I started clicking off marathons at a rate that, I believe, would set me up for a triumphant return. Chicago 2011, I thought earlier this year, would have me not hitting a wall, hitting

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On days when the first chills nip at the edge of the summer's rear end, the conversation goes like this: Non runner: "Oh, crap, I can't believe I had to wear a jacket this morning" Runner: "Yeah, I'm going to have to put away the singlet..." NR: "I mean, now I can't wear sandals, and my summer dress!" R: "But shorts, I'll keep them on until it's maybe below 6C..." NR: "I'm so sad that

yumkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04326728444383668883noreply@blogger.com4http://yumkerun.blogspot.com/2011/09/cold-comfort.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20341995.post-58181274792247638922011-09-11T19:56:00.001-04:002011-09-11T19:56:32.431-04:002011-09-11T19:56:32.431-04:00

A few weeks ago, we rented a car to go outlet mall shopping. Yes, this is what you do in America. Anyways, as R. was speeding up on one of the interstates, the car was making a huge buzzing noise. From 20 miles an hour to 55, the engine didn't sound right, only when she popped above 55 did the engine settle into the next gear. That's what's going through my running routine lately. Stuck in a gear

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Runners, I've concluded, are a little bit of the driven, obsessive type. I think I knew that, but in the early days, I thought it was just me. Not just me, as I was making my way through the latest Runner's World, about a 54-year-old woman who'd run 30 editions of the Twin Cities Marathon. She'd book the day off six months in advance, had run through a marathon with an arm in a cast and a

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What does it take, and can I get there? I took a look at how many days were left until the Chicago Marathon in October. Less than 40 at this point. There was a time, not more than five years ago, that I was going through this exact same marathon preparation. Every day, a run was to be done, or a rest day was to rein in my enthusiasm. Every week marked a major milestone - one more week to go

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