Last week has been a whirlwind of wok at “WORK” and on the home front.
The business I work for is changing my role from developer (which I love) to deployer. Which I love but not as much as the former. It means that there will be a lot more work on the weekends (something I am not looking forward to as this would have an impact on my daughter’s extracurricular activities) and late nights as my reporting boss is in China. Not looking forward to the new set up at all!!
As to the home front, we are moving to Kitchener Ontario! Wifey bought a clinic in that city so we are moving closer to the investment.
We went house hunting last Sunday. The first thing I notices is that Kitchener is quite a hilly area! Perfect for hill repeats! The second thing I noticed was the conspicuous lack of non-white folks. Maybe I was in the wrong part of the town.
So, the entire Sunday was spent looking at houses ranging from the fabulous to beautiful. Seriously! We did not come to a single “ugly” house. Which just makes the decision harder. So far we scouted Waterloo (a very close neighbour of Kitchener) and some parts of Kitchener. I think we will be deciding by end of March on which houses to put an offer on.
Since we had these plans, I decided to do my long run on early Saturday morning.
The first thing I did when I stepped outside was to run back in and change from my shorts to slacks. My god was it cold!! The weather has been playing mind games with us poor Ontarians. So, I started with the intention of finishing 20K. My dreams of running a 50 K live on but I know I am not there yet. I am still in the process of building my long runs which have not topped 25K so far. Never mind. I have time. I think!
So I ran a random 20K. It was surprisingly tougher than I thought it would be. My legs were really aching by the time I finished. The only reason that comes to mind is because we slept really really late on Friday and we were all coughing or sneezing the whole time. I still have not fully recovered. I am hoping I do so cause I will run no matter how much snot I spew!
The week on the whole was tough. Probably the cold I was battling. The best run was on Friday. Sunshine + Friday + Downtown Lakeshore = Happiness all around. Except for the surly runners. Not a single one, barring a young lady (who received my best winning smile) returned my hellos. WTF! And Toronto is supposed to be a friendly city. Bah!
Hope to get in a solid week of running! Happy running everyone!
Here are 11 runners who cheated during a marathon. A typical case would be :
4. Skip Miles 13-23: Anthony Gaskell (London, 2010)
At the 2010 London Marathon, 69-year-old Anthony Gaskell smashed records when he crossed the finish line at 3:05:00. It was the fastest time on record for his 65+ age group. But upon closer analysis of his recorded statistics, it was discovered that Gaskell supposedly ran the second half of the race (13.1 miles) in less than an hour – an impossible feat for even a world champion. It turned out he forewent running the there-and-back portion of the course entirely, skipping miles 13 – 23. Gaskell would later claim he hurt himself and was simply trying to get to the finish to receive medical attention. Nonetheless, his honorary plaque and title were revoked.
Each of the 11 cases presented above, the cheat was caught with consummate easy. So why bother to cheat?
I know it’s easy to ask that question but I think the answers are always fairly complicated.I mean, running a marathon is a very big deal. Of those 11 cases, how many had run a marathon before and just wanted to finish and miscalculated and finished with fantastic times? I am not talking about the ones who either gave their chip away to another runner or just did not run at all. I am talking about the ones who were dedicated enough to make an attempt.
I have to confess that one I had a strong urge to cheat during my running as well. I did not do it, but almost did.
The run was the 30K Midsummer Night’s Run. The run was fairly grueling because the humidity was at around 85%. I was woefully unprepared for the run and went just because I had signed up for it. A crucial mistake I made was to switch from water to Gatorade for my run. I never have Gatorade. Ever. And my stomach rebelled. At the 26K mark, I had to go to the bathroom and I was in for almost 10 minutes. When I came out, I realised that the bathroom was at a juncture of a loop. I could have easily walked into the bathroom at the 26K mark and come out of the bathroom at the 28K mark. And that’s what I started to do and then the little voice in my head said”what the fuck are you doing?”. I did not bother trying to answer and I turned around to complete the loop from the 26K back to the 28K mark. And then at the end of the run, I puked my guts out!
Looking back my reasoning was not to aim for the best time in the run. I was already doing awful. My reasons to cheat was to finish the run as soon as possible. But thankfully the Jiminy Cricket inside me was able to convince me that it was moronic to try and cheat. I mean, what for! So that I can tell the world I finished the run 10 minutes earlier than I actually did?
So this weekend we (wife, me and the lil_brat) ended up at Niagara Fallsview Hilton Hotel & Suites. The wife, who is fast becoming a GroupOn, WagJag & XYZ online coupon queen found this deal and we all took a mini vacation.
Overall I was not very impressed. I mean it was a good change from the daily grind but for the money we spent, it was quite ho hum. The lil_brat’s favourite was the pool, hands down! She and I spent at least 1 hour in it. Playing, swimming, splashing…….and lil_brat joined me in it. Before the swimming we took part in a winery tour at Hillebrand winery. The tour was really interesting mostly due to the guide but also due to the fact that the lil_brat kept it entertaining for us (and all others in the group). At one point when we all circled the guide as he was about to demonstrate how to taste wines, he asked who here knows how to taste wines. No one raised their hands except for the lil_brat! Everyone was laughing away while we were mortified!! Great tour but expensive wine. Since she has accompanied us to a few wine tasting/tours, she is well versed with the ins and outs of playing with the wine.
Anyway, I ran on the treadmill for a 5 K but somehow ended up injuring myself which I can only attribute to the different shoes I was using. I am familiar with this injury. A sharp pain on my left side of my knees which will go away after a few days. Am limping right now but hope to recover soon!
7km run after the Scotiabank marathon last week. Not a bad run overall. I was basically trying out my legs and they seem fine even though I had an ache in my IT band. Lots of rolling with the foam in the next few days. Got the treadmill fixed so looking forward to putting in some KMs every now and then.
>Listened to the new Coldplay album and so far I like what I am hearing even though it seems repetitive (compared to their previous music). But I guess that’s the beauty of Coldplay. Lovely melodies all around and they always manage to throw in great guitar lines and lyrics.
My running schedule this year included, a half marathon in Feb, a full in May, a 30K in August and a full in Oct. Each of these runs represented it’s own problems and I could not give 100% on the day of the respective runs. Reasons varied from running in slush in Feb, to IT band problems (excessive training) and no strength (severe lack of training). I know it’s silly of me to focus on the time but I am a very egoistical person (in some matters :)) and I want to prove that I have it in me to improve my pace and be as good as my peers.
Therefore, I have decided to focus on distance rather than pace. Next year I am aiming to run a 50k. Have not decided which one but I will. To help me reach my goal, I will need to put in at least 40k every week until my “true” training begins. What does that entail? Lots of time on the dreadmill during winter months (hello gym!!) and at least one LSD on the weekends. This will put pressure on the home front (wife not a enthusiastic supporter of my running) and my on line activities (I love to wake up early in the morning and just surf the net).
We will see how it goes. Wis me luck!
So there is the Toronto Marathon, The Scotiabank Marathon, The Cannon Mississauga Marathon and few shorter runs (Acura 10 miler and 10K Sporting Life being my favourite) in around town and GTA.
And everyone is angry about them. Actually I should say all the non-runners are angry. Therefore, there are numerous plans afoot to amalgamate, split, merge and dissect all these marathons because the non-runners are terribly inconvenienced by all these marathons.
As an amateur runner, I find this argument to merge and dissect all these runs….well…quite incomprehensible. I mean, each run starts at 7:30am to about 1:30pm on a Sunday. And these are the marathons I am talking about. The short runs are over by 10am or so. Hence my incomprehension at the anger over the runs. How bad are the businesses affected by closing down the roads in town on Sunday morning? How much of an inconvenience is to the general public on a Sunday morning? And, BTW, the roads are closed and opened in stages. So, at the start once all the runners have left, the roads are opened to the public. And this staggered approach is followed at each stage. So when I say the roads are closed, it is not really for the entire duration of the marathon.
Moreover, thousands of runners come from across Canada and the world to participate and spend money in Toronto (and yes because of the way the marathons are spread out, most come for both Toronto and Scotiabank Marathon) and the non-runners and bureaucrats want to close down some runs because of the inconvenience factor. Like I said, incomprehensible.
UPDATE : And let’s not forget the numerous parades in and around town and the obligatory strikes each year that shut down the city for days. And the non-runners and bureaucrats are crying about the city being shut for a few hours. Nonsense.
Well, that’s it. I am pulling out of the Mississauga Marathon and enrolling myself to the ½ marathon.
The reasons are fairly straightforward. My training was a pathetic. Sham is a better word. I just could not find the time to prepare myself for the marathon in the last 4 weeks. The training was going really well until end of Feb (when I was out of a job) but in March, my training went downhill. Between my job, my house and my daughter I just could not keep up with it. I have not been able to break the 25 K mark and my motivation levels have dipped. Before I really start to lose myself, I am going to do the right thing and aim for setting a personal best in the ½ marathon and focus for a full marathon in Oct 2010 (Scotiabank Marathon). My wife will be back in town permanently in May so I will be able to pay more attention to my training after she comes back.
I have discovered in the last 4 weeks that running a full marathon is not as easy as I thought it would be. It is infinitely more demanding and requires 100% devotion and dedication which if lacking means injury (which I had) or demotivating you to run (which I had as well). My training was hotch potch i.e. I would just go when I thought I had some free time which meant an erratic schedule. Moreover, there were numerous times when I would start my training and then get a call from Rhea (my daughter) imploring me to come back home as soon as possible. How can you say no to a 6 year old?
Anyway, I hope to put better input in my upcoming ½ marathon. I feel I am well prepared for it. Wish me luck!!
So, I love to run. A friend introduced me to running 3 years ago and slowly, but steadily, I have gained immense appreciation for this sport. On twitter I follow all sorts of runners. From ultra runners to casual runners and each one has their thoughts on running so I guess it’s my turn to put in some thoughts of my own.
Some of my observation on running are :
- Always keep an eye on the road. Since I run on the pavement, I always look over my shoulders to make sure there are no vehicles approaching when I am about to cross a road. This has become a habit for me and has saved my skin a number of times. And a few times when I know I have kept my eyes open and the driver has not, I have let the driver know what I think about him/her. :)
- I work in an area which is surrounded by hills. So I have been trying to conquer the hills without compromising on my pace. It has not worked very well so far. When I run up the hill, I lean forward and keep my head straight. For some reason, this seems to be the least stressful position. And when I am running down hill, I lean back and look up which shifts my centre of gravity backwards.This lets me maintain my speed/momentum. However, I always, always get shin splints so maybe I am doing something wrong.
- I always keep my head straight. I do not know what the body mechanics are but if I hang my head when running, I get tired very quickly.
- My nipples chaff very easily. Something I learned from my last 1/2 marathon. The worst feeling EVAH!! And it took me 1 week to recover and had trouble wearing cloths…..so no matter what, I will never ever wear a new t-shirt for a run.
- Music is very important to me. It’s been one constant in my life and I listen to it whenever I get an opportunity. But 3 years ago, the opportunities began dwindling because of added responsibilities in my life. I could have always kept on listening to music during my long commutes but for some reason I would always take a nap so that opportunity was lost too. It was running that saved my love for music. During a run I had no one to talk to me, no chance of falling asleep, no one telling me the music sucks so I should turn it down, no one to tell me how the music I listen to hurts someone’s ears etc. I began to consume music passionately.
- After a run, the warm feeling is one of the most amazing feelings I have ever experienced. I know it’s mostly the endorphins but there is also a part in me that’s super proud of the run I just completed.
- I am a weakling when it comes to food. I just have this propensity to hog and feel really guilty after my meals. But on the days I have had a run I do not feel guilty at all. In fact I use my running to justify a super big meal!!
- Till last week my mode of running was to set a pace and keep at it until the end of the run. I do break into walks because I still have not learned the art of drinking water and running at the same time. Now I am trying something new that a colleague mentioned. During the week I am going to run short (5K to 8K) runs but run as fast as I can. And then after a couple of short hard runs, I will be going for a really long run (aiming for 20K over the weekend). Well, that’s the plan but god knows if I will be able to do it.
Updates to the list to follow!!
