Mind, Motion & Matter

Running, Essentially . . .

Tag Archives: Marathon


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Walk Don’t Run, By the Lake

I missed my fourth post of the year due to gala related work and an evening celebration of International Women’s Week and the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day.  This offered me a very rare chance to walk by the lake, rather than run.

A Harbourfront Winter Sunset

I ran 8.5 miles yesterday, with a 4.5 mile warm-up run to Grand and Toy where I ordered toner for my printer.  Then back to the YMCA for about 30 minutes of tempo running, a bit less than previous weeks but I was strapped for time and was not feeling too perky.  I did upper body work but skipped the lower body lifting again because of feeling a bit lackluster.

Harbourfront Skating Rink

I met a couple of friends at Il Fornello at the Terminal Quay and having arrived a bit early enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the boardwalk from Queen’s Quay.  I enjoy the tourist bustle of the spring and summer but also enjoy the quieter winter mood and the bonus of a beautiful sunset.

Dinner View at Il Fornello

After dinner we walked along the boardwalk to the Brigantine Room at Queen’s Quay for Nightwood Theatre’s FemCab.  FemCab is a terrific way to get caught up on a year or more of entertainment.  It was a heady brew of irreverence, political history, screaming guitars, dance and an intense monologue written and performed by Judith Thompson.  Judy Rebick reminisced about the 1985 IWD march which took a detour into the Eaton’s store.  And yes, I was there!

We were most impressed by blueswoman Donna Grantis whose presence was iconic, similar to Lisbeth, the girl with the dragon tatoo. Check out her performance below with Shakura S’Aida who also performed at FemCab.

The next 10 weeks will be busy as Gala planning is really heating up and I apologize in advance to my friends for my sometimes ridiculously constrained schedule. There is however one friend, who I am seeing a little more of as she has joined the Gala organizing committee. Chung-Yee, an economist by profession, embraces all she does with passion be it knitting or running or helping with fundraising endeavours. And I’m very pleased to say that she is going to be my very first guest blogger, tomorrow!

You will hear about how she celebrated her 40th birthday by challenging herself to run four marathons in one month. Imagine that!


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The Bend at Boylston

Yesterday was the 3rd day of 2011 that I did not post.  And no, it was not because I was watching the Oscars.  Although I’ll jump on that theme and mention that  movies were something of a topic on the Saturday run.  The DVD of my favourite movie Ugetsu Monogatari by Kenji Mizoguchi is now making the rounds of our group  albeit slowly.  And next week, I’ll hand off another favourite, Johnny Guitar a Nicholas Ray film, beloved by Truffaut and Almodavor to name a few.  If you love film, you owe it to yourself to click on my links to information about these two classics.

Mainly the absence of a post was due to a thematic vacuum.  Jumping off from a point I made in my last post about how lovely those long straightaway marathon finishes are I’m going to assign a 5 star rating system to final mile of some of the marathons I’ve run.

Boston Marathon *****
Detroit Marathon ****1/2
California International Marathon (Sacramento) ****
Columbus Marathon ***1/2
National Capital Marathon (Ottawa) ***1/2
Chicago Marathon ***1/2
Mississauga Marathon **1/2
Toronto International Marathon **1/2

I like the finish on Ford Field of the Detroit Marathon and the separate finish for men and women and the California International Marathon but nothing beats the final mile of Boston with the final turn onto Boylston Street, a slight downhill grade and the stupendous crowd support with the finish line in sight. Check out the this footage of the turn on to Boylston.

And this exciting footage of Dire Tune and Alevtina Biktimirova battling it out in the 2008 Boston Marathon. I’ll be there in 14 months and counting!


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Mississauga Marathon, Head to Head with Toronto

A blogger in eastern Canada was wondering whether the downhills at the Mississauga Marathon are of the quad-pounding variety. I’ve run Mississauga twice, in 2004 (3:14) and 2005 (3:12) and found that the downhills are very evenly spread over the first half of the course. So no, this course does not beat up your quads.

I feel a time run on this course gives you a 2-3 minute advantage over a flat course even with the section of  rolling hills which comes in the last 10K, along with a somewhat winding lakefront path. In 2004 & 2005,  the path was crowded with back-of-the-pack finishers in the half-marathon although that may only affect runners finishing under 3 hours and 30 minutes.   In 2003, the inaugural year I ran the 10K in 39:39 a time which I am very proud of as the 10K is run on the slowest section of the marathon course.  In its entirety, the route is not especially scenic but it is fast and is a great community event  infused with a positive spirit.

Two noteworthy individuals associated with the event are Mayor Hazel McCallion and Olympic marathon runners, Peter Fonseca now MPP for Mississauga-East, Cooksville.

The Goodlife Toronto Marathon which will be on the same day as Mississauga this year, is also a net downhill course, but some of the downhills, like the Rosedale Valley Road section, are steep enough to beat you up, and after that downhill you face a stretch on one of the bleakest roads in Toronto, the southern section of the Bayview extension. A drawback of the finish, is that it is a very long and gradual uphill going north on University Avenue, with intersections often punctuated by by angry motorists.  I’ve often joked that the racers should wear t-shirts that read, Saving You Health Tax dollars! to appease these impatient citizens.

To finish you must run three-quarters of the way around Queen’s Park Circle, which means you only see the finish line when you are about 150 meters away.  Nothing beats a long straightaway to the finish line of a marathon, such as turning the corner onto Boylston Street with 800 meters to go in the Boston marathon.  I can feel myself getting a little teary as I remember and write about the sensation of seeing the finish line banner of the Boston Marathon.

In the battle of the Toronto fall marathons, Mississauga was most certainly the loser. Said Mississauga Mayor, now 90 year old, Hazel McCallion “That’s what you call co-operation.” in reference to the Goodlife Toronto Marathon being moved from the fall to the same day as the Mississauga Marathon, and as an indicator of the general process of coordination and cooperation between Toronto and Mississauga.

As a runner looking to run a spring marathon, I have not yet ruled out Mississauga.  However The Goodlife Toronto Marathon does not appear on my long list as the distribution of the downhills, makes it difficult to capitalize, time wise on the net downhill factor.  I ran the fall version of this marathon in 1996 when the course had fewer uphills and path running than it does now, so it is unlikely that I would give this newer version a try.  I do like the Toronto Marathon, 5K course run the same day as the marathon as it has only one turn.

For fast times, the Missisauga Marathon & half-marathon are my picks for running in the Greater Toronto Area the weekend of May 15, 2011.


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Boston Marathon 2012, Here I Come!

I started this blog to document  my return to marathon training after a break of almost three years.  My goal was to qualify for this years Boston Marathon.  To qualify, my plan was to run MY qualifying time at the California International Marathon, last December which I did successfully.  BUT WHOA . . . the Boston Marathon sold out in 8 hours and 3 minutes, on  October 18th, 2010, the first day of registration.  So much for the plan. A big rethink was in the works for the marathon and word was that the new plan would be unveiled in early January.  Finally on February 16th, the new plan was revealed with this headline.

B.A.A. to Offer Fastest Qualified Runners Early Acceptance into 2012 Boston Marathon With New Registration Process

BOSTON – The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) announced today a change in its registration process for the Boston Marathon, allowing the fastest qualifiers to enter the earliest and with a rolling admission system while also offering all eligible runners an increased registration period. The changes in registration are a response by the B.A.A. to greater than ever demand by runners to gain entry into the Boston Marathon and culminate more than three months of analysis, including input from the running industry. Rather than accepting runners who have met the qualifying standards on a first come, first served approach, a more systematic, performance-based process will be employed. READ MORE

Personally, I’m satisfied with the new process of staggered registration dates, with those exceeding the qualifying standards in larger increments given the opportunity to register first.  Since I exceeded the qualifying time for my age-group of 4 hours and 15 minutes by 33 minutes with my December time of 3:42.  I can register on day one and day two (all those who have surpassed the standard by at least 20 minutes) and rest assured that I won’t lose an online registration race.

More from the B.A.A.

“Those who qualify by the greatest amount of time to have the longest period to enter,” said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. Executive Director. “Our new registration process takes into consideration the many comments we received from runners this past fall and winter, most of whom urged the B.A.A. to institute a system which recognizes athletic performance above all else.”

As for the 2013 race, qualifying times will be tightened by 5 minutes. I’m disappointed to miss the 2011 race but it is probably for the best, given that my big focus for the spring is the Gala.  And speaking of the Gala, some late-breaking news . . . Peter Fonseca MPP and former Olympic marathoner has agreed to be an honourary Patron for the Gala, along with his wife Christina who recently was elected to the Mississauga City Council.

I have known Peter for a number years as a generous contributor to community events that I organized including a “Breakfast of Champions” that I held as coach of school cross-country team.  Peter a 2:12 marathoner, used to do live commentary of the Boston Marathon and placed 17th as top Canadian in the 1996 Olympics.

Lynn Kobayashi, Lynn Deutscher Kobayashi, Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon 2007 – Louise Voghel, 1st place age-grouper & Canadian marathon record holder (left) and me proud to be third.


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Highlights of an Easy Week of Running

Sunday is when I tally up my total miles run for the week. When building towards a marathon, I take easy weeks on average, every three weeks. My total for this week is 40 miles. Prior to this I had run 52, 60 and 60 mile weeks. After taking an easy week, in addition to the physical break to rebuild, I find I am mentally recharged as while I look forward to the break, it doesn’t take much easing off before I begin to feel like a slacker.

Here are some of the things I did or did not do that lead to feeling this way.

  • Missed a weight work session
  • Missed a tempo run session
  • Ran 2 miles on a day I had planned to run 5 miles
  • Ran 10 miles instead of 12 miles on Saturday
  • Doubled my typical caloric intake for one day with three large meals while visiting Ottawa

SO that is the point of the easy week, paradoxical though it may be, easing off  and experiencing a bit of remorse for not having made more spartan choices, makes me look forward to the next round of training .  Ultimately, I love the results of being a super-fit, 55 year old and after one week of relative ease I am chomping at the bit to “get with the program”.

Skipping the tempo run and weight workout had a lot to do with being in a rush to visit the National Art Gallery which was a 10 minute walk from the hotel.  I had a thoroughly relaxing time there and visited a number of shows, including It Is What It Is:  Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art

Exotic Woman by Shuvinai Ashoona

CLICK HERE FOR MORE work by Shuvinai Ashoona.

One of the most memorable pieces was a very large pencil crayon drawing by Cape Dorset artist Shuvinai Ashoona. I’m happy to know that the National Art Gallery (NAG) has purchased that drawing for their permanent collection. I was unable to find a photo of the drawing in question but did find this example of Ashoona’s work.

The gallery has recently bought and installed a stunning sculpture, One Hundred Foot Line by Roxy Paine. I stepped out onto a terrace with a “Beware of Falling Ice” warning to take the photo below. And did I mention that I set off an alarm when I tried to step out to take another photo.

New Installation-Sculpture

In case you wonder what I consider overeating, my big day started with a large portion of eggs benedict with home fries and croissant at 7 a.m. followed by a lunch at the National Art Gallery of soup and a sandwich, then a three-course dinner with two glasses of Proseco ending with a fancy apple cake dessert.

National Art Gallery Cafeteria Lunch

Some may laugh at what I consider excess however the work of the easy week is done. I’m eager to run 60-65 miles this week, skip desserts and opt for less rich food, that is, until the next easy week.

Spring marathon . . . here I come!

Apple Cake, All Dressed Up


This Dinner View Demands a Toast


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Ottawa Marathon, Some Memories

I had planned to tie in my afternoon as a tourist in Ottawa with the Ottawa marathon race route. However we are making a mad dash out to Scarborough this afternoon to check into a hotel, using Aeroplan points, close to the location of a Valentine’s dinner we are attending. The dinner is hosted by the marriage enrichment group that we are a part of. Last year we attended with my parents, as they attended a retreat organized by this same group, a few decades ago.  Perhaps “the boys” will have a party in our absence. The boys being our son who is home most weekends, and his friend, Alain who lives with us 24/7.

I have run the Ottawa marathon four times. It is tied with the Boston marathon for repeat outings.My first running of this marathon was in 1982 and I was wearing a t-shirt that read, No Nukes are Good Nukes. Those were the days. Here are my Ottawa marathon times.

# Ottawa Marathon, May 1982 — 3:37
# Ottawa Marathon, May 2002 — 3:07:02 (personal best, age 46)
# Ottawa Marathon, May 2003 — 3:11
# Ottawa Marathon, May 2004 –3:10

Speaking at Ottawa Marathon Race Expo

In 2005 I was a co-presenter at the Ottawa marathon race expo with Steve Boyd. Steve holds umpteen Canadian masters records and also has a doctorate, I think it is in the history of political thought from Queen’s University. Shortly after, I wrote an article on Steve Boyd which is somewhere on the hard drive of an old computer. I hope to retrieve this one day (so many things to do, so little time) and post it on my blog. I’ve added some award-ceremony photos and a bit about Steve Boyd to my post on Dylan Wykes the winner of the California International Marathon, as Steve is Dylan Wyke’s mentor-coach.

Have a wonderful evening all!


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Runner’s World Rookie Marathon Training Plan

A young American woman, 22 years old is training for her first marathon in Italy.  She is using a plan which is very similar to what both my husband and I used to run our first marathons.  You can find the 16 week plan at Rookie Marathon Training Plan

My husband started running in his early twenties and ran his first marathon a few years later, using a Runner’s World, Three-Months to a Marathon plan.  I was in my mid-twenties and had been running a few weeks, when I decided to train for a marathon using the same plan which Runner’s World recycles yearly.  So I feel some nostalgia in reading about this woman’s ambition to run a marathon when she returns to the U.S.  She is calling it the SkinnyItaly Project. Go, go, young one, you CAN do it.  YES, you can.

I enjoyed reading about her reasons for running and her determination as shown below:

  • It’s FREE
  • Relieves Stress
  • Pushes your mental and physical strength
  • You can do it ANYWHERE
  • Again, it’s FREE
  • Achieve a lean, mean, STRONG physique

I’m going to be MADE. Into a Marathoner.  My coach will be my own stubbornness and muscle tension from my daily lifestyle in Italy.  Running a marathon has been on my BUCKET LIST (aka life goals), along with building orphanages in Uganda.

You can check out the full story of the SkinnyItaly project HERE.

I’m inspired by the marvelous energy and enthusiasm of the young.  It is easy as one ages to view youth as a phase we passed through and thought better of it.   I like to think that we can distill the essence of youth and reinvent ourselves as youth-full in spirit as we age, or at the very least, appreciate it vicariously.   Although, like George Sheehan I’ve often thought that running has been, and still is my fountain of youth.  Vigour is definitely a good foundation for optimism.

Dostoevsky said that “The second half of a man’s life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half.”   However sobering this gloomy outlook  may be, know truly that it is never too late to start exercising regularly, or too early.


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To race or not to race . . .

Something funny happened on our Saturday run.  Four of us decided that we may take part in an informal race.  To those unfamiliar with our running group ethic, this may not seem strange or funny however one characteristic of this running group is that I am the only one who races these days and we don’t talk about running a whole lot.

The idea started when I joined forces with “D” to convince “R” that as the youngster in the group, a bit of fast running might be good for his character.  “R” was reticent and said he would agree, only if all five of us were to race.  “D” and I, knowing full well that convincing “B” who has recently come down with a case of knee-moania was a non-starter, suggested this was a bad faith approach.  He then offered that if “B” agreed to watch the race, he would do it.  A funny idea that.  Again, “D” and I persisted and finally got “R” to agree that if “J” was willing, he was in.  This discussion took place as the three of us were headed towards “J”s house.

Smart Men & One Fast Woman

Barely passed the hellos, we quizzed “J” who immediately said, “Sure, I guess this is my chance to be humiliated.”  Anyhow, sometime this winter at a indoor track, at an informal race, that has been going on every Friday for over three decades, four of us may take the plunge and race two miles alongside (or against) each other.  Stay tuned.

I am curious to see what “B” who was out of town on Saturday, thinks of this.  Given the learned background of my running mates, perhaps I will be privy to a discussion of whether Plato or Aristotle would condone or condemn our planned course of action.  As for the bets, I’m told they are on ME —  but I’m not as fit as past years, and I’m not sure if I would put my money on an aging filly over a two mile sprint.


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S’no Excuse

Snow, snow, snow . . . will this storm materialize as predicted?  I thought this might be a good time to list the different indoor venues where I have done long runs when poor conditions prevailed.  In days of yore, treadmills were not available at fitness facilities, so most runners slogged it out on the roads.  I’ve always been finicky about poor footing due to chronic ankle troubles stemming from having severely sprained my ankle at age 13 on a trampoline.  Consequently, I’m usually the first to head indoors to find relief from slipping and sliding outdoors.

,

Emil Zapotek

The Old Central YMCA on College Street

This track was 26.5 laps to the mile.

I once ran 18 miles on this track, a total of 4955.5 laps in the early-eighties.  David Suzuki used to be a regular on this teeny track.

Former Central YMCA on College Street

The West End YMCA

15.5 laps to the mile.

I ran a full marathon, 26.2 miles here in the mid-eighties, a total of 380 laps.

Hart House Track at the University of Toronto

About 11.3 laps to the mile

I’ve run 12 miles on this track.  Although it is bigger than the old Central YMCA track the banking is horrible and I would not recommend doing a long run here.

The Athletic Centre at the University of Toronto

8 laps to the mile

About 6-7 years ago I ran 23 miles on the outside track and ran by time rather than counting laps.  Who says we don’t get smarter with age.

The York University Track

8 laps to the mile

I’ve run a number of track races on the indoor track, which has excellent banking and run on the outer warm-up track before and after workouts or races.  I’ve never done a long run there but I imagine it would be fairly entertaining with all the high-performance activity on the inside track.  My husband and I used to see the infamous Ben Johnson work out on the sprint lanes.

The Eaton Centre

One New Years Day in the eighties I ran a few miles here, having started outside during a snowstorm, I ducked inside and logged some miles in the mall.

Treadmill

The most miles I’ve run on a treadmill is 18 miles which I did a few years back.

If you think this sounds crazy consider this, legendary marathoner Emil Zapotek’s solution to training in harsh weather.  Zapotek would fill his bathtub with water and then his laundry and run in place for hours.  Zapotek is remembered for winning triple gold in the 5K, 10K and marathon at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

So really, IS snow an excuse for not running?


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Legs in Motion, A Legend

Following my post about weight training, a reader asked for recommended reading. I was reminded of this groundbreaking book from the early 80’s by Gayle Olinekova which inspired me to begin my weight training routine. Gayle was ahead of her time in that she incorporated weight training into her marathon training schedule. This former Torontonian ran world-class marathon times and yet felt a little embarrassed about her very muscular legs, which did not fit the typical marathon runner mold or the prevailing feminine ideal. Eventually, she was discovered by Sports Illustrated and covered in an article called The Greatest Legs to Ever Stride the Earth.

Photo by Helmut Newton

Sadly, Gayle died in 2003 at the age of 50.  Gayle’s book Go For It! was written at a time when books on athletics written by women were almost non-existent. It may be out-of-print but available used.

Go for it!

I can claim a shared experience, as she was at one time a member of the Toronto Olympic Club which I belonged to for a few years. From wanting to hide her legs to inclusion in Helmut Newton’s “Strong Women: A Portfolio of California’s Super Athletes” Gayle can be given credit for blazing a trail.  Here is part of an obituary from the Los Angeles Times.

Gayle Olinekova, a marathon runner and fitness guru whose chiseled, muscular legs helped change cultural views about beauty in female athletes in the 1980s, has died. She was 50.