Did a double-workout on Monday which made for a busy day with fitting in a workout and a vote, post-work.

Tuesday, we went to the BELL LIGHTBOX for the York University student film awards.  A friend of our son’s was one of 22 finalists out of 176 entrants.  Last year, he won 3 awards, however in spite of no awards won this year, his poignant film, Plants Out of the Sunlight was picked by the jurors to be part of the evening’s 9 showpiece films.  The film is about “”an Asian immigrant, working at a sewing factory who longs for a connection with her 23 year old son”.  The film captures with precision, sensitivity and nuance, a timeless story of displacement and its impact on parental hopes and longing.  Extraordinary.  I hope this young man gets to make a feature film one day.

Up and coming filmmakers

The venue itself is an event in itself with a new Oliver and Bonancini Cafe on the ground floor, the Blackberry Cafe on the second floor, multiple theatres with plush seats and a power packed line up of films.

Another new OB Cafe = Bell Lightbox Location

Papparazzi catch my husband outside Bell Lightbox, getting into a taxi enroute to the Emmett Ray

The list of 100 Essential Films is a democratic concoction of “bests”.  Two of my personal faves made the list, Nicholas Ray’s Johnny Guitar and Ugetsu Monigatari by Mizoguchi.  I own copies of both these films and with persistent enthusiasm, regularly insist on lending them to friends For a great evening out, don’t delay, check out BELL LIGHTBOX.  I’ve added the link to my blogroll.  We were in high spirits so we made a stop at our local bar, The Emmett Ray for a nightcap and got to bed, at a very-late-for-us, post 11 p.m.

Today, Wednesday, I met two former workmates for dinner at a Japanese restaurant in Yorkville.  One friend is about to embark on the incredible journey, the journey of parenthood.  She is due on November 6th.

Friend 1 and friend 2 at the RCM

I conducted a mini-walking tour past the ROM, Varsity track and through the newly renovated RCM.  We picked up schedules for Koerner Hall.   I’ve seen a couple of shows there, Penderecki Plus and a Serbian Choir. The acoustics at  Koerner Hall are rated higher than the opera house.  We have tickets to see the music of Arvo Part and Murray Schaeffer performed on November 7th.  I’ve also posted Koerner Hall on my blogroll for your convenience 🙂

So having done the usual morning run, I’m feeling a bit beat now and will head to bed.

Bon soir!

Finally, I surpassed 60 miles in training. Sunday, is my day to turn off the alarm clock and I was happy to rise 1 1/2 hours past the usual, rising at 6:30 a.m. I have always been a morning person.

After yesterdays 18.5 miler, a recovery run was in order. In fact, the highest order of recovery run, which I refer to as a massage-run – slow pace and low heart-rate zone, about 112-125. Massage-runs are best done on the treadmill because the soft surface is oh-so gentle on tired legs. While the surface is ideal, I really prefer running outdoors, except when faced with cold fall or spring rain. And if you ever wondered why runners have that annoying habit of running on the road rather than the sidewalk, the reason is pavement does have a bit of shock absorption.

While running through Mt. Pleasant cemetery yesterday, we once again saw a deer. This time I was ready with my camera but unfortunately the deer was not quite so close as at the last spotting.

Another highlight of the long run came at the 16 mile point, when I dropped in on my brother and his family to use the facilities and for a glass of water. My sister-in-law has a treadmill and reported that she has increased her pace from 4.5 to 6.0 and is loving it. She is following in the footsteps of my one and only sister, who also runs on a treadmill and over the past year, has decided to speed up. The kids confessed to various misdemeanors involving surreptitious treadmill usage. I provided a cautionary tale of a friend who was badly injured when she stumbled on a treadmill.

My brother and nephew were on their way out to fish, and I took this quick shot of my 6 & 11 year old nieces.

As for the tally this week . . .

Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

1 Corinthians 9:26

To those unfamiliar with the award structure of most races/fun runs, medals or prizes are often awarded for the fastest in age-group categories.  Hence, those who make it their business, to try and run fast, find satisfaction in a birthday that propels them into a new category.  With the diminishing returns on speed that comes with aging, it is easier to place in your age category when you are at lower end of the age range.  The past week I crossed this threshold, which as it loomed on the horizon, did stimulate my competitive instincts.

Birthday morning marching orders, sandwich-to-go please

The celebratory evening started with a reception at the Rouge Concept Gallery at Queen and Broadview.  The event was a kick-off for the Philip Aziz Centre’s capital campaign for their children’s hospice.  We had a nice chat with Deb Matthews, the Minister of Health and long-term care.  She told us that she asked George Smitherman what work did he feel was left undone, he replied palliative care. In addition to potentially providing a more humane place to live final days, hospice care, is also cost-effective.

Dulce de leche pannecotta - delicioso

George Smitherman attended a gala for the Philip Aziz Centre, a few years back.  During his time as Minister, he had identified a gap in palliative care and hospice care and committed funds to hospice organizations.  The children’s hospice, the first in Toronto, believe it or not, would not have been possible without his support.  I was also impressed that he took the time to attend our very small gala of 150 guests.  At the time I was involved professionally with a super-sized gala with 4000 guests and we were not able to have him drop by.  He told the small gala group, that this was a project that he supported wholeheartedly.

I find it interesting that Smitherman is categorized as being in the same boat as David Miller without any distinctions.  People forget that he was the campaign manager for Barbara Hall when she lost to David Miller in 2003 mayoralty race.

From there we went to the new Oliver and Bonacini Café Grill restaurant at Yonge and Front for a birthday dinner.  We had a reservation and were shown to one of the best tables in the house, a booth.

On our table was a bouquet of cellophane-wrapped roses.  With all due respect to my husband, it never occurred to me that he would have thought to coordinate the appearance of roses in this manner.  When prompted that there was a gift card on the bouquet that I should read, I was amazed to find a birthday greeting.  I confided my reason for astonishment and he confessed.  When he made the on-line reservation, a pop-up window appeared asking if the reservation was for a special occasion for which flowers might be needed.  Nonetheless, the flowers were a very nice touch indeed.

Cozy booth and flowers, a winning formula

The menu is very well-priced with personal pizzas and burgers at $13, the same pricing as our beloved-local-verging-on-grungy pub.  Of course, the menu extends beyond pub fare but many of those items are still under $20, which is much the same as most College street restaurants.  Service was superb with the only complaint being that the music was a bit too loud and boppy.  However, maybe we are just a bit too old, and out of their target-market-age-group. We are part of a wonderful marriage enrichment group and we spent time while awaiting our dinner, composing a letter to a couple who are attending their first weekend retreat.

When asked what I wanted for my birthday (at the risk of sounding like a saint), I said that I wanted to make a donation to the PAC capital campaign.  I really do have everything I need and feel very grateful for a good life.

Happy birthday to me!

LUSH gift box from my son

LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics

View from bridge on Strachan, overlooking Fort York at 7:00 a.m. this morning

End of week, long day, short post.  Incidentally, we saw the Arthur Miller play, View From the Bridge in London, spring of 2009.

Here is the Guardian review http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/feb/06/view-from-bridge-review

Aboard the College streetcar, heading home, I spot a neighbour, a former world-class talent training with his teenage daughter. Good night all!

View from a Streetcar: Devoted runner dad and daughter

Subtitle courtesy of my husband

On Saturday, I had mentioned that I would blog a bit, about how to recover after long runs. To start, I much prefer Saturday for my long runs over the more traditional Sundays. Granted, after a five-day work week, sleeping in a bit is nice and needed. However, the plus side of waking up early, one more day, is that you can really relax and enjoy Saturday evenings. Although, waking up early is not a necessary part of the Saturday equation, a late start means more traffic be it vehicular or pedestrian and a sense of the long run taking over most of the morning.

Today, Wednesday October 20th, Lake Ontario 7:00 a.m.

So, my routine is rather than sleeping in, waking early, and making up for this with the luxury of an afternoon nap. There is something about an afternoon nap, so deeply relaxing and restorative that far surpasses the joy of sleeping in an hour or more later than usual. I should mention that we have one almost-23-year-old son as for parents of young kids, the nap option is well, not an option. I recall the early days of parenthood when I would caution my husband that while I did not mind him taking off for his long run, there was to be absolutely no napping.

While I have been running for 30 years, I did take a break from marathon training from pregnancy to when my son was 8 years. Some of my runs at that time involved leading contingents of 8 year old boys on their bikes.

Another planning strategy for long run recovery is to make sure shopping chores are done on other days as recovery will not be enhanced by running around shopping and fighting Saturday traffic. This is the time to plan quiet chores around the house or computer-related tasks.

Also important is to ensure that you have some protein within 20 minutes of finishing your run, rehydrate thoroughly and have a hearty breakfast. So last Saturday I had a YOP right after the run, then a big breakfast followed by a hot bath and then the nap. The nap was particularly important as I had a dinner and theater date with a friend.

While I normally try and restrict my coffee intake to twice a day, morning and mid-afternoon, I find that a trip to the theater calls for an evening coffee. As someone who often goes to bed at 9:30 p.m. staying awake in a dark theatre can be challenging. I have to confess I was fairly pleased to discover that my evening play-watching endurance would not be taxed, as the play was only an hour. 

 
A powerful hour it was, and I would highly recommend an outing to see The List by Jennifer Tremblay, a production of Nightwood Theatre. Years ago when I worked at a place on Yonge street called Cafe New Orleans, Maureen White one of the founders was a waitress there. I remember her as having a fantastic sense of humour, and saw one of the first productions, perhaps the first, mounted by Nightwood Theatre. Coincidentally, a play that I saw in late-summer, Love, Loss and What I Wore featured another Cafe New Orleans alumni, as part of the cast.  This too, was highly enjoyed.

I guess my point is that careful planning and attention to detail, goes a long way in making finding time to do fun things (like napping) outside of marathon training.  Yes, I do consider marathon training to be fun!  Fun means many things to many people.

Work gets very busy for my husband at this time of year. Through the years, we have come to recognize the importance of making time together a top priority. Otherwise, it is easy for two people, both naturally independent, to live together as “married singles”.

We ran three miles together before work, just the right amount for my husband and his troubled knee but not quite far enough for me. He had to work late so I went to the Central YMCA after work and did my tempo run on the treadmill. As his workplace is just down the street from the YMCA, I met him there afterward, and we hopped on the streetcar, together.

January 2010 - Hiking in Snow Canyon, St. George, Utah

This plan worked especially well because leftovers were waiting for us at home. Voila, more miles, more work and 1 hour together, that we would not otherwise have had on that type of day.

It was an effort, to leave my run mates, yesterday as they entered the home stretch of their run.  We parted company on the belt line and I ducked into Memorial park arena for a pit stop and bought a pinkish, Vitamin water.  I reversed direction on the belt line back to Mt. Pleasant cemetery, under Bayview, and then cut southeast to the exit opposite the northerly entrance to the Moore park ravine.  Wanting to save my knees, I walked down the first portion, a sharp downhill and then eased into running, as the next mile and a half are downhill.

Going down the big hill, in Moore Park ravine

This is one of my favourite running routes in Toronto.  It is an ideal route in the summer as it is very shaded and the terrain, gravelly dirt, is easy on the legs.  However I would not advise a lone female to run this route outside of the weekend, and even at that, only during the peak times for dog walkers, runners and walkers.

You can see the route of roughly 2.25 miles on this map, although unless you know the route, you won’t get a sense of the seclusion created by the hills, ridges, forest and bush.  There are two ways to exit this ravine; the really steep route, up to Milkman’s lane or the one outlined below that is a more gradual uphill parallel to a creek, and up to Mt. Pleasant road.

The photo of the path going up to Chorley park does not do justice to the slope of the hill.  Our group jokes about the one time we ran up this hill, with a new recruit in tow.  Not sure how that happened, but it has been suggested that it was some sort of initiation rite, as a run up this section of the trail was unprecedented.

Chorley Park to the west

Brickworks to the east

Final downhill turn before fork in the road

So after this section, I end up in at Roxborough drive and Mt. Pleasant, run over to Yonge street, and gaze longingly at Patachou, however I’m feeling far to disheveled and sweaty to venture in and buy a pain au chocolat. I have to settle for the gas station, kitty corner from there, where I buy a dark chocolate Mounds and use the washroom. After 25 years of trying to sneak or slip unobtrusively into washrooms here and there as a non-customer, it finally dawned on me that it is far more pleasant to buy a small item and feel entitled to a pit stop.

Three miles to go and I’m home. My next post will cover how to recover from long runs, and have enough energy to enjoy the evening.

Happy fall!