Mind, Motion & Matter

Running, Essentially . . .

Tag Archives: Masters Running


by Leave a comment

Back to Basics, A Three Mile Run

Last night I went to bed at 8:30 p.m. feeling quite exhausted and with a bit of indigestion.  Although, a mere sliver of the discomfort that I felt the evening before while in the throes of food poisoning.  I have only myself to blame for the indigestion in being less prudent than one should be the day following illness.   For lunch I had a slice of pizza, an arugula, pear and walnut salad and vanilla ice cream.  I had intended to eat lightly and blandly but I was seduced by the lunch special at a new pizza cafe on Ossington avenue.

Because I run at least 40 miles a week and quite a bit more at times, I don’t have to be too careful about what I eat.  I also have a pretty sturdy stomach and a good appetite.  Was illness my payback for stealing the tidbit of prime rib my husband had sliced off for himself after dinner while cleaning up and before putting the roast in the fridge?  I think it is going to be a very long time before I feel in the mood to eat roast beef as it is high on the list of poisoned food culprits, along with the ham sandwich I bought at a tiny snack bar and a danish with a mushy cream cheese centre stored unrefrigerated. A bout of illness is a good motivator to think more seriously about diet.

I woke this morning at 5:30 a.m. and the first thing I said to my husband (even though I wasn’t sure he was awake) was, “Wanna run together?”  He is not a morning person so I won’t go into the details of his initial reaction but run we did. It has been quite awhile since we’ve been able to share a run with his limited routine due to his torn meniscus but three miles was the perfect distance for us both today.

It felt fantastic to get out and move!  It was better than a massage to get those joints and muscles in motion and the sensation of all that blood flow propelled me back to feeling a sense of well-being in short order.  Ah, running . . . how I love thee, let me count the ways.


by Leave a comment

Sick Day, Third Missed Run of 2011

I felt fine last night although tired from my 14 miler as well as a solid day of work.  Then, I woke at 3:00 a.m. with what seemed to be food poisoning but now I’m thinking some kind of flu as the sick stomach symptoms subsided by around 10 a.m. but I’m extremely achy and tired.  I also felt a bit delirious with thoughts swirling in my head like a whirlpool.

While trying to keep warm on the couch near our 3rd floor bathroom, I found myself imagining how terrible homelessness must be.  A warm bed with plenty of blankets, a state-of-grace, to say the least.

We had planned to visit our roommate Alain’s restaurant for brunch this morning as it is their first ever brunch.  As well there was a very slight chance that we might be offered tickets for the Raptor’s game, to be viewed from an Executive Suite.  But I’ll be happy for the return of simple health and a comfortable sleep.  A ordinary blessing to give thanks for.  When we do make it to MIDI BISTRO for brunch, I’ll be savouring that moment.


by Leave a comment

George Sheehan’s Important Running Tips

Here are 10 of 20 tips from the guru of the first-wave boomer, running boom. CLICK HERE to see all George Sheehan’s Tips

1) Keep a record of your morning pulse. Lie in bed for a few minutes after you awaken and then take your pulse. As your training progresses, it will gradually become slower and after three months or so plateau out. From then on, if you awaken and find a rate of 10 or more beats higher, you have not recovered from your previous day’s runs, races or stresses. Take the day or more off until the pulse returns to normal.

2) Do your exercises daily. The more you run, the more muscle imbalance occurs. The calf, hamstrings (back thigh) and low back muscles become short, tight and inflexible. They have to be stretched. On the other hand the shins, the quads (front thigh) and the belly muscles become relatively weak. They must be strengthened. Learn the Magic Six: Three strengthening exercises, three stretching exercises.

3) Eat to run. Eat a good high-protein breakfast, then have a light lunch. Run on an empty stomach at least two, preferably three hours after your last meal. Save the carbohydrates for the meal after the run to replenish the muscle sugar.

4) Drink plenty of fluids. Take sugar-free drinks up to 15 minutes before running. Then take 12 to 16 ounces of easily tolerated juices, tea with honey or sugar, defizzed Coke, etc. before setting out. In winter that should be all you need.

5) Find your shoes and stick to them. High-arch feet do better with narrow heels. Morton’s Foot (short big toe, long second toe) may need an arch support in the shoe. If a shoe works, train in it, and wear it to work

6) The fitness equation is 30 minutes at a comfortable pace four times a week. Your body should be able to tell you that “comfortable” pace. If in doubt use the “talk test”. Run at a speed at which you can carry on a conversation with a companion.

7) Wait for your second wind. It takes six to 10 minutes and one degree in body temperature to shunt the blood to the working muscles. When that happens you will experience a light warm sweat and know what the “second wind” means. You must run quite slowly until this occurs. Then you can dial yourself to “comfortable,” put yourself on automatic pilot, and enjoy.

8) Do not cheat on your sleep. Add an extra hour when in heavy training. Also arrange for at least one or two naps a week and take a long one after your weekend run.

9) Most injuries result from a change in your training. A change in shoes, an increase in mileage (25 miles per week is the dividing line; at 50 miles per week the injury rate is doubled), hill or speed work, or a change in surface. Almost always there is some associated weakness of the foot, muscle strength/flexibility imbalance, or one leg shorter than the other. Use of heel lifts, arch supports, modification of shoes and corrective exercises may be necessary before you are able to return to pain-free running.

10) Training is a practical application of Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome. Stress is applied, the organism reacts, a suitable time is given to reestablish equilibrium. Then stress is applied again. Each of us can stand different loads and need different amounts of time to adapt. You are an experiment of one. Establish your own schedule, do not follow anyone else’s.


by Leave a comment

April Rain Song

Come what may, let us enjoy our runs in April.

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops
Let the rain sing you a lullaby
The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

Langston Hughes


by Leave a comment

The Day in Miles

Ran 5 easy miles before work.  Walked a mile to work.  Walked from work, just over  a mile to Village by the Grange to meet a friend for dinner.  My husband met me at Village by the Grange and we walked just over a mile to the Air Canada Centre to see the Raptors play the Milwaukee Bucks.

Benefits of walking, priceless.  For any other method of  transport there are tokens or a $19 taxi ride home.

I resisted the Japanese version of Twinkies but ate nearly a whole box of Crunch & Munch at the game.

This Japanese restaurant gets the thumbs up!

Raptor head steals the show (Raptors lost 104-98)


by Leave a comment

A Word from the Weary

I’m running a bath having just returned from an evening track workout at U of  T.  I thought about missing a post today but then decided that I’ll do a short post until the bathtub is full.  The workout went well, 4 times 1000 meters at a fairly hard pace, with 3 x 60 meters before the longer sections and 6 x 60 meters afterward.  The circuit training was not nearly as grueling as the other week.  No hopping upstairs on one leg.   This coach was subbing for the more demanding task master.

And in gala news, we are down to the last 20 tickets.  I mentioned the event to one of my teammates and she was interested.  She does a lot of work in Africa as a feminist lawyer, specializing in girls and women’s rights.  She is also a Canadian age-group record holder at various track distances and can do 2 sets of 25 push-ups, no problemo.  What a woman!  Now if she decides to buy a gala ticket, she will be perfect in my eyes 🙂

Good night all.

 

 


by 4 Comments

Around the Bay 30K

Kudos and congratulations to all those who took part in this historic road race today.  It is the Ontario road runner’s equivalent of a season-opener.

While out on Friday we ran into an acquaintance who asked if I was running on Sunday.  I drew a blank.  It was only on Saturday morning that it struck me that this was the weekend of one of Canada’s foremost long-distance races, the Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton.  How could I forget?! Many of those who have been training diligently through the winter have been driven by the goal of racing this 30K.

Last year a record I had established in 2006 was broken.  A new course (and Canadian) record for 30K of 2:07 was set by Jennifer Ditchfield.  My goal when I set the record was to run under 2 hours and 10 minutes.  I was disappointed to run 2:12 and that did not feel easy.

Around the Bay on a warmer day.

My friend Michal Kapral, a.k.a. the joggler jumped in around 25K and ran with me for awhile.  I told him that I was fading and wondered out loud whether any masters women were closing in on me.  He immediately started running backwards and let me know that I was in danger of being picked off.  That is when I learned that sometimes it is better not to know.  Ignorance is more blissful than having a set of eyes in the back of one’s head.  The rival masters runner did pass me and it felt worse knowing that this was a possibility so far in advance.

Michal at one time was considering trying to set a Guiness record for the backwards marathon.  He holds or held, the record for a marathon pushing a baby jogger and for running an entire marathon while juggling three balls.  He has also won the Toronto marathon in a time of 2:31.

With my plan to run Boston next year, it is doubtful that I can do the 30K as it is my view that many a runner has left their Boston best, down by the bay. It is a challenging 30K route that when raced to the full, is not far off the effort of running a marathon. With 3-4 weeks separating it from Boston, there is not much time to recover to put your best foot forward at Boston. This has been the subject of ongoing debate among long distance racers and their coaches over the past century.


by Leave a comment

Ethiopia on My Mind

Runner’s World has an article on 20 Races To Do Before You Die

Included on this list is the Great Ethiopian Run, Africa’s biggest road race.  Here is what they say.

For atmosphere, energy and even anarchy, the Great Ethiopian Run simply can’t be surpassed. In a country where running is the national craze, this mass-participation 10K is a colourful, lively and sometimes chaotic race but also a tough challenge thanks to a handful of climbs and the altitude in the capital Addis Ababa. More than 30,000 runners line up at the start each year and if you join them you’ll be one of the few foreigners enjoying this amazing cultural experience.

Great Ethiopian Run

Earlier this week I mentioned that Chung-Yee and are thinking about doing this race in 2012.  The elevation is not the 2500 feet I mentioned but 2500 metres!

Last night my husband and I went to a performance of the Ethio Fidel Jazz Band who will be playing at the People4kids gala. They had a guest vocalist, Fantahun Mekonnen who along with the renowned Girma Woldemichael on saxophone just blew everyone away.  Mekonnen also played the krar a traditional instrument.

Krar, Traditional Ethiopian Lyre

I’ve been a bit lax lately about tracking my training miles but I’ve been fastidious in updating my ticket tracking spreadsheet. As Gala chair I challenged the committee to try and sell out by Sunday, April 3rd. We have 28 tickets left, if you would like to buy a ticket, donate a silent auction item contact me at people4kids@bell.net  —  This is going to be a very special evening in support of an excellent cost-effective sponsorship program that enables *some* of the over 1 million AIDS orphans in Ethiopia to go to school.

I took today off from running, my second day off this year, as I had done back to back hard days, Thursday and Friday.

Have a wonderful evening all!


by Leave a comment

Is my running mojo back?

The prolonged wintry weather has made getting out for my daily run a day-to-day struggle.  Once I decided to defer my marathon plans to the fall, I’ve found myself delaying my run and procrastinating daily.   As I’ve mentioned earlier,  part of this is the focus on the gala.  The other factor is that I love my new job, which means I’ve got two intensely great things happening and running, well it is in third place for the moment.

Plans for the usual Saturday run got thrown off-kilter as I have to work tomorrow morning.  This threw me into a bit of panic, relying as I do on meeting the guys most Saturdays for the longer run.  BUT a plan emerged, a second-wind of motivation jettisoned me to work earlier than ever, with the intention of leaving early (love those flexible hours) to do an afternoon long run.  This full scope of this plan was dependent on whether my legs were fresh enough from yesterdays workout to run at least 10 miles.

Running from work involves taking as few things as possible to work  and having outerwear that you won’t need the next day or two.  As my shoes are at work, I wear my runners to get there and today wore my running jacket under a down vest.  I take only the essentials, bank card, credit card, money, keys, camera & BlackBerry.

The only drawback to this plan was that I would miss lunch. Everyday a volunteer or staff person cooks lunch for everyone and today’s lunch, homemade pizza, looked very appetizing. But, leave I did, and I ran down to the lake and then ran east along the Harbourfront promenade where a helpful dog walker offered to take this photo of me by the Empire Sandy.

Empire Sandy has weathered the winter.

Uplifted by the brilliantly blue sky and the wind on my left shoulder, I ran on.  My legs felt okay and I found myself seizing on the idea of taking a photo of Cherry beach as if I did that, I’d be getting in 12 miles.  This photo assignment took me through the really gritty parts of the Martin Goodman Trail with scenes befitting the Rust Belt or the HBO series, The Wire.  I got my photo and thankfully the wind was not too bad going west.

Down by the Docks

I ended my run at Starbuck’s and a little chit chat with the two baristas, both of whom run.  Ah, triple-venti-whole milk-vanilla-latte and a cinnamon bun . . . satisfaction plus.

Cherry Beach has got me on the run.

CLICK HERE to see what the Urban Dictionary has to say about the meaning of mojo.


by 2 Comments

Friendraising

I was off work today and from waking spent most of the morning and early-afternoon working on the gala and found it hard to tear myself away.  I had gala related meetings at 11 a.m. and then 6 p.m. and ended up leaving my run to the mid-afternoon.  Due to the 6 p.m. meeting I was unable to attend the U of T track workout.  So I did short, very fast sections on the treadmill at up to the 10.1 setting.  After that I did some of the circuit training including the hopping upstairs from same leg to same leg.  That got my heart beating faster than the short sprints.

The committee member I met with in the evening works 7 evenings a week, 5 days a week, has been taking courses and had started a business as an event planner.   She has offered to help with the decor for our event.  Wow!

A busy woman

We met at C-5 to discuss the floor plan and add a bit of colour to the black and ivory colour scheme.  I enjoyed finding out more about my friend and her ambitions and amazing work ethic.  She came to Canada via France and has only been here a couple of years.  We enjoyed exotic non-alcoholic beverages, fries with blueberry ketchup and mango and coconut ice cream, coffee and tea.  It was a quiet night, ideal for getting to know someone better.

Fries with Blueberry Ketchup

At my earlier meeting I also found out more about another committee member who has just finished writing a first draft of a novel which chronicles the political upheaval and turmoil that began in Ethiopia in the late 70’s.   This woman, I discovered spent over eight years in an Ethiopian prison.

The more I find out about the orphan sponsorship program the gala is supporting and the country itself, the more I’m beginning to feel that a trip to Africa may occur in the next couple of year.  I have already mentioned the Great Ethiopian Run which is a 10K, I did however forget to mention that it is at an altitude of 2500 feet.  That could be really challenging.  I think Chung-Yee and I are serious about this.

One of the things I love about being a volunteer is that you meet great people who like to get involved.  Hat’s off to the committee!  This fundraising adventure is raising friends too.