Friday and Saturday

Friday, January 28

- 4.51 K; got in run on day off as I am marking final examinations.


Saturday, January 29

- radio says today's weather not as cold as tomorrow; also didn't want to risk running in the snow...so today it was!
- nearly tripped while running on the sidewalk (!) Reminded me of the ATB 30 K last spring while making a sharp turn into Copps Collesium. I believe everything's okay (knock on wood!)
- 24.93 K; ran north on Yonge Street to York Mills and then back. Also ran into Mount Pleasant Cermetary -- saw the grave of William Lyon Mackenzie King!

YTD = 140.95 (7.01% of year 2011 goal)

Run; Orthodics; Running Shoes

Day off from work as we're in examinations. Got in my run -- ran to my Orthodics appointment. Picked up my $450 pair of custom orthodics and got the gait and biomechanical analysis (for insurance reimbursement). Continued to wear the old orthodics and then finished off the 30 minute run. Began to "break" into the orthodics by walking home in them. Will continue to break into them... 4.59 K this afternoon!

Went to the local Running Room store and bought a pair of clearance sale shoes :-) Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 on sale for $79.99 before taxes. Can't go wrong with that price!! Put an order for another pair.

$50 Groupon Coupon

Bought a $50 Groupon coupon for $25. I actually e-mailed the RR store to ensure the coupon was real. I recall getting Internet coupons in the past for free chips and pop -- used them successfully once at Loblaws and next day they didn't accept it. Pretty good -- even the bar code worked! Anyways, the RR coupon is real -- but cannot use it for sale items. Coupon expires on July 24th so there is time to save $25. Just hope I don't lose or misplace the coupon!

Registered -- Midsummer's Night Run 30 K

Received an e-mail from the race organizer of Midsummer Night's Run that registration is now open. I've been periodically checking their web site as I want to register for that race. Race fee has gone up $6 this year, from $49 to $55. There is an early bird promotion, by typing in "OBERON" for a $6 discount. Since I want to avoid the $4.75 processing fee to register on-line, I e-mailed the race director and the $6 discount will also apply to mail-in registration :-) My registration form is sealed in the envelope and will be mailed tomorrow. Looking forward to August 20th. Last year, the tech shirt was replaced with a jacket. Also, new finisher's medal -- huge! Well...I thought it was huge until the Toronto Marathon medal!!

Week in Review - 2 Runs

Thursday, January 20

Was at a grade 8 school talking about math course selections for next year. Thus, was able to get out in time and to get in a run :-) Was tempted to go back to school but that could have meant no run as I have a tendency to "live" at school :-| 4.06 K


Saturday, January 22

Today's run started almost at noon. Supposed to be cold -8C but the base layer made it feel great. Fortunately, no wind! Ran north on Yonge Street until York Mills. Wanted to experience Hoggs Hollow again. Great idea to help with the training for the Toronto Marathon. Fortunately, the sidewalks were good for running. As I type this post, it is snowing -- going to get 1-3 cm...the rationale for running today rather than tomorrow. 21.36 K today, 2 hours 30 minutes.

YTD = 106.9 K (5.32% of 2011 K goal)

Week in Review - 2 Runs

Tuesday, January 11

4.09 K. Ran after attending a full afternoon meeting. This run was before the snowstorm on Wednesday (which I took the public transit to work).

Sunday, January 16

21.47 K. Snowed big time yesterday so could not do my LSD yesterday. Roads were mainly clear of snow but could be slushy. Ran north on Yonge Street until Lawrence, east of Mount Pleasant, somehow reached Yonge and York Mills, and then south to home. Coldest run of the year but with the 3 layers, felt great.

This week = 25.56 K
YTD = 81.50 K
(4.05% of year goal achieved)

Week in Review = 32.4 K

3 runs this week!

Tuesday, January 4

4.24 K. Was able to get run in after work -- attended a meeting all afternoon.

Thursday, January 6

4.12 K. Had another afternoon meeting and got run in afterwards. Wow -- snowing, snowing, snowing!

Sunday, January 9 (today)

Yesterday got lots of snow! Unexpected, according to the radio. Took Bud for walks and he had way too much fun. Today was great day for run as the snow was shovelled. 24.38 K this late morning/early afternoon along the Danforth. Stopped off at Mr. Greek and bought solvaki sticks for $1.25 (deal is still on!). Wore 3 layers and the pants for cold weather. Enjoyable run!

This week = 32.74 K
YTD = 55.94 K (2.78% of goal of 2011 K)
YTD = 6 hours, 33 minutes, 36 seconds

1st run of the year

Woke up at 10 AM (no more 10 hour sleeps as back to work tomorrow), took Bud on his morning walk and then fed him, out the door around 11 AM. Yesterday's warm 11C weather has gone with today being -4C (didn't run yesterday due to the rain). Opted to run on the Martin Goodman Trail this afternoon -- some runners but not many. Glad I did this since it wasn't that cold and windy. 23.2 K today.

Aiming for runs after work on Tuesday and Thursday. Need to take advantage of the no-snow-on-the-ground weather!

YTD = 23.2 K (1.15% of 2011 K goal completed)

A new year brings excitement as goals are made. The radio says 2011 is the start of a new decade. It's also the year I turn 40 years old. Read a few days ago that a man celebrated his 42.2 years old by running a full marathon -- cool!

My major goal for the year 2011 is to run 2011 K. As I learned last year, it is not easy. After the fall marathon, it is "down time" and mileage slows down. Also, suffering an injury at the end of the ATB 30 K did not help. I need to balance my work so there are not days when I miss my runs. Running with my little man, Bud, has been great. During the past 2 weeks off, I have run like 9 out of 10 days. The runs with Bud are slow and for less than 1.5 K. But they count! I will continue to be a participant in the 2011 challenge on the Running Room forum as this is a fantastic motivator.

I just checked my e-mail to confirm I have registered so far for 4 races:

- Chilly Half Marathon $70
- Around the Bay 30 K $70
- Toronto Marathon $75
- Toronto Waterfront Marathon $91.53

I am awaiting registration to open for the Midsummer Night's Run 30 K. Other than that, I am not sure I will register for any more races due to the increasing fees. Maybe another fall marathon -- eyeing the Hamilton marathon as the Waterfront marathon in mid-October is too close to the Niagara Falls marathon (one that I would like to run in the future as it starts in the USA).

2011 will also mark a new pair of custom orthodics! Amazing how orthodics has helped me address runner's knee :-)

The Garmin has been reset to 0 K and all set for my first run tomorrow morning. Looking forward to an excellent year of enjoyable running. Hoping for a PB in the full marathon of less than 4 hours.