This morning I was feeling a little out-of-the-loop, due to learning today, that since the winter of 2009, the city has been clearing the Toronto’s Martin Goodman Trail. I have been running through the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, over the bridge to Ontario Place and then east along the old path by the lake which is partially a parking lot ending with an uncleared section of ice and snow. Noticing that there seemed to be runners emerging near Strachan with regularity, I googled the question, “Is the Martin Goodman Trail being cleared in the winter?” and found an article in the Globe and Mail called, How clear was my running trailby Christopher Shulgan to finally be in the know, that indeed snow clearing is being done on a priority basis.
Here is an excerpt from the article . . .
Winter running tends to be full of such (bad) moments. It’s bad enough that the activity forces men to wear tights. When these are paired with the bright hues that grace the jackets manufactured by Nike and New Balance, even the most masculine runner resembles a medieval harlequin – whose feet slide out from under him at icy corners, whose shoes get soaked in frozen puddles . . .READ MORE
For someone who has spent decades running east from Strachan through condo city, in the winter months, the option to run along the lake west of Strachan is big news. So I enjoyed a groundbreaking run, out to High Park and then down Colborne Lodge drive to the lake. I saw a number of other runners, walkers and cyclists enjoying the trail.
View of Sunnyside Beach from Martin Goodman Trail
My workout was an invigorating 9.5 miles with 40 minutes of tempo running. Aware of the strong west wind, I ran west through the city and High Park, relying on buildings and trees to take the bite out of the wind, hitting the wide open of the lakefront to head east, with a strong tailwind. Nothing beats tempo running with a tailwind. The sun peeped out while I ran along the most scenic lake view sections so I stopped to take a few photos.
Sky meets ice in Marilyn Bell Park
Thank you City of Toronto for a wonderful winter running experience. I hope (gulp) that MGT snow-clearing is here to stay. Better write a thank you letter to City Hall!
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, includingIt Is What It Is: Recent Acquisitions of New Canadian Art
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.
I had planned to tie in my afternoon as a tourist in Ottawa with the Ottawa marathonrace 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.
Canal, river & parliament buildings converge for this fabulous view from my hotel room.
I’ve returned from my slightly-less-than-two-day-getaway in Ottawa, having missed a second day of posting for 2011. My from-the-airport post was pretty meagre, so I decided against a second thin offering yesterday.
Breakfast With a View
I started my mini-holiday with a 7 a.m. breakfast with a friend, in the hotel cafe. This friend has recently moved here from Toronto and it turns out that he is living in the Lebreton Flats neighbourhood, about one block from where we lived for some of of the five years we called Ottawa home. We became friends while part of a running club at the University of Toronto, a group that was spearheaded by incomparable coach, Zeba Crook, then grad-student, now professor in the Religion and Philosophy department at Ottawa’s Carelton University. Unfortunately, a get together with Zeb was not to be, as he is in that very busy phase, family life with two working parents and two young kids.
Our First Ottawa Home, a Heritage House on James Street in Centretown
After having a look at the basement fitness facility in the hotel, I resolved to run outdoors as the day was especially bright and I planned a route which encompassed our two Ottawa homes, two favourite parks and the YMCA-YWCA where I used to leave my son with the babysitting service while working out, until he graduated to the nursery school.
Our second home on Elm Street was our first home purchase.
I’ve written about my winter runs in Toronto but I had forgotten how much a slog winter running in Ottawa is because of the rarely-bare sidewalks. I’ve heard a lot about Yak Trax a unique coil system that clips onto shoes and gives you traction on ice and packed now and I’ll be buying a pair of these, the next time I visit Ottawa in the winter. I was slipping and sliding all over the place. Over my abbreviated run of 5 miles, there was one measly block of clear sidewalk. I had planned to do some speedwork but had no choice but to abandon this plan.
Ran into my old friend Oscar Peterson.
During my Ottawa days there was no such thing as a treadmill at the YMCA and there was no indoor track so it was very tough to run through the winter. I remember running along the canal in -40C weather, when I was stopped by a television camera crew, waiting to interview runners brave enough (or foolish enough) to run in the cold. So there you have it, my 15 seconds of Ottawa television fame.
Dundonald Park in Centretown. Many happy times spent playing here.
As I returned to the center of town I checked out some of the Winterludedisplays awaiting the weekend action. I think Winterlude now takes place over three weekends, rather than the former ten day stretch. I once took part in a Winterlude tradition, a Skate, Ski and Run Triathlon. In spite of the bad footing I enjoyed my little trip down memory lane and returned refreshed and eager to play tourist in the afternoon.
Ran 5 miles down to the lake and took this photo of the ice by the Island airport early in the day. And now, I’m frantically trying to keep up with my PostADay2011 program here in the terminal of that same airport, waiting for a flight to Ottawa. I’m here on my own, so the blurry photo was taken by setting the camera on auto and balancing it on top of a small bottle of apple juice. I dashed to airport from my photography class and feeling quite weary, took good advantage of the Porter amenities, downing three coffees and four shortbread cookies.
My husband and I were discussing what stages of weight training each of us is in. I am in the Maximum Transition (MT) phase and he is in the Maximum Strength (MS) phase. He asked a few questions about how many repetitions he should be doing and how many weeks. My answer; um, you could check my blog. Said he, “So now you won’t talk to me, I have to talk to the blog?”. I chortled but I think he was hoping for some sympathy.
There is a certain convenience in having some of my thoughts about training collected and recorded. With 30 years of running experience, I get asked the same questions with some regularity.
A recent question in response to my post on weight training was a recommendation for a current book on the subject that is easily available. I asked my weight training consultant, champion triathlete Beverley Coburnof Active Age Fitnessfor her thoughts.
Here they are:
“Really like the book, Encyclopedia of Muscle & Strength by Jim Stoppani (Human Kinetics). This book has everything in it for building programs for beginners up to bodybuilders. I especially like the details. Stoppani describes the muscles and exercises for each muscle group i.e. shoulders with isolation and compound exercises for the front, rear and medial deltoids – great for developing muscle balance. Another book that has great pics is Strength Training Anatomy by Frederic Delavier.
I’ve seen Strength Training Anatomy in bookstores for around $25. Encyclopedia of Muscle and Strength, I purchased on-line through Human Kinetics – possibly in bookstores too (somewhere around $25-$35).”
Would someone you love, like to receive this as a Valentine’s gift?
February 2011 it turns out, will be a very social month for us, more so than the holiday season. With an outing tonight and tomorrow, I decided to do a solo long run this morning to avoid a weekend long run. For a moment, I considered doing my 14 miler on the treadmill, discouraged by the overcast sky but thought better of it.
Four miles into the run, I took part in an email exchange around a confusion about whether the racing, mentioned a few days ago, was happening today. I suppose having a BlackBerry is a bit of consolation, a kind of companion when you are slogging it out in the winter with no company. There are those days when it takes a lot of positive self-talk to get out there and train so if the promise of being able to check email every few miles makes it a bit easier, so be it.
I enjoyed the section in Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running where he describes his interview with Toshiko Seko one of Japan’s great marathon runners. Murakami asks Seko if there are days when he doesn’t feel like running. Seko looked at him with a you-must-be-joking expression and answers that of course, there are those days, every day in fact! If one considers the difficulty of his training routine, it makes perfect sense. As we say in the business, the man is a “machine”.
In truth, for those who run every day, however humble our goals, we rely on all manner of mental gymnastics to get out the door. Discipline is a lot about becoming highly adept at finding the many reasons, why, why, why when so much of the mind and body says, no, no, no. Anyhow, today was such a day but as usual I reminded myself of how great I feel after a long run and how much I like the results of being highly fit and running fast times. Additionally, I remind myself of how much I dislike the results of less activity. When I started running, I was very motivated by the benefit of stress release and used to visualize that I was leaving stress behind like a trail of soot on the road.
My route in a nutshell was west to High Park with a short loop there, then back east through the CNE grounds, past Ontario Place and over to Harbourfront, with a northwest beeline for home.
View From Ontario Place
There was a very pretty pink hue hovering on the horizon which made for a pleasant sight while running past Ontario Place. East of there is the Tip Top Tailor building. I’ve run by the Tip Top Tailor building, now converted into lofts for decades, and often wondered about the interior. Today I’ll get the inside story, as that is where we are headed this evening.
I made a pit stop at Harbourfront Center and took a moment to enjoy a photography exhibit. A photo by Jesse Boleswhich is part of an exhibit called Piles caught my eye. The aesthetic is similar to art that I enjoyed in my younger days. And then I hit the road again, face to face with a very strong west wind. This is the first year that I’ve had a vented face protector and it is a big improvement over the muffler style face warmers which can get iced up in super-cold temperatures.
Photograph by Jesse Boles
My final stop was the dry cleaners, from there jogging the final stretch home, cleaning in hand. Finishing felt so good that I cheered out loud for myself!
As with the camping experience, food tastes better after a long run, so I eagerly dove right into breakfast by making my quickie version of Carrot Cake Oatmeal. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really must. It is super-fine stuff.
Breakfast of Champions
Recipe: In large microwavable bowl combine 1 cup grated carrots, 1 cup milk, 1/2 cup oats (not quick cooking oats), 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, a dash of cinnamon, raisins (optional), dried cranberries (optional) and cook on high for 5 minutes. Stir. Add chopped pecans, maple syrup and milk or cream. Make sure the bowl you cook the oatmeal in is at least twice the volume of the ingredients as it will boil and bubble vigorously.
YOU MUST TRY THIS!
There was some leftover whipping cream in the fridge so I indulged, and used that instead of milk. This is my third post about Carrot Cake Oatmeal, and I urge you to give it a try. It’s a real winner and will add excitement to your breakfast table this winter. And how virtuous one feels starting the day with a cup of grated carrot in your cereal, especially after a hardy workout!
“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” Benjamin Franklin
Having been born and raised in Montreal, childhood memories involve what seemed like mini-mountain ranges lining the streets providing great climbing opportunities for the agile and fleet of foot. I recall going to a school in a neighbouring suburb almost two miles away however, there was a short cut through the woods that was just a mile and I would sometimes hike home, even when I had to trudge through thigh-high snow. I had a propensity then to push myself physically, a little further, a little faster.
From the age of 12 to 16 I playedRingette, mainly on outdoor rinks and it did get cold. I don’t remember any game cancellations due to cold, rather the opposite, when the temperature was too high to produce a reasonable ice surface. After a couple of years, neighbouring municipalities started Ringette leagues on indoor rinks and my best ringette buddy and I joined another league. The fun came when we ended up on the all-star teams for both towns. We chose to play for the weaker team although I had a ball because I got to play forward, rather than my usual defence position.
In those days there was no such thing as a girls hockey league, Ringette was the adapted ice sport, suitable for girls. The only girls who wore hockey skates then were a couple of girls who had serious hockey playing dads, the daughter of professional hockey player, Fleming McKellfor instance. The rest of us wore figure skates and we filed the toe picks off.
I started out as a goalie but did not particularly shine or enjoy the position. My brothers used to chant this, “Lynn, Lynn she’s so thin, she always lets the ring go in”. I was quite a fast skater and because of this my coaches always put me on defence because I had a knack for being in the right place, and could usually put on a burst of speed to get in the way of an opponent. In ringette at that time there was a weird rule that defence players could not go into the offensive zone. Very dull, to say the least. I hope they’ve changed that rule. Did you know that Canada has the highest number of ringette players, over 50,000!
Look ma, no gloves!
I enjoyed today’s marvelous sun. I left the house in full winter gear, and ended up feeling quite overdressed. At least one can exercise some temperature control by removing a layer on a day like this. Which reminds me of when my son was in grade school and I would run by the school yard to make sure he was dressed properly on the really cold days, finding him at times playing in the schoolyard, having ditched his jacket.
I dread those stifling hot, muggy days of summer. Down by the lake, sun shining, winter white seems . . . quite alright.
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.
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.
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’ssolution 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.
Mind, Motion & Matter 