I walked today!

 3 km walk on the treadmill ...just because!  

Running slower ...

 I am intentionally running slower on the treadmill to try to prevent my left knee from flaring up.   Today like yesterday it was a 7:30 pace.    I am going to gradually build back to my go to 6:00 pace as long as things remain good.   5k logged again,  today it seemed easier.   

Back to work!

 That's a wrap on the summer holidays I am back to work,  back to the treadmill.   Slowed in down in an attempt to avoid treadmill hurt.   Did a 5k at a 7:30 pace today.  Also worked on running in the middle of the treadmill vs up front.  I as suspicious that the gate may have been off as a result of running up front. 

Tobermory Marathon - Run the Edge - Saturday September 25, 2022

 Ran the Tobermory Marathon for the third time yesterday.   The only time IO was looking for was a good one.  Patrick and I ran together the Ks just skipped away.   I finished in 7h18m  7 minutes slower then the 2018 effort but a whole lot slower then my 2017 6h10m finish.   The weather was great ,   high single digits to start ,  overcast with light breezes throughout the day and temps rising to the low double digits in the afternoon.  

 The average Heart Rate was lower then 117,  the 150s on the chart are a result of measurement errors by the optical HR sensor.   Also of note is the drop in temperature as measured on the bottom of the Garmin.  It actually got a little cooler in the last hour of the run.   

It was a pretty small Marathon with probably no more then 30 participating.  I was surprised when I received the 45 and up Masters 2nd place.   I am pretty sure I was the oldest person running! 

Wednesday Trail

 Too nice not to run yesterday potentially one of my last warm ones.   Logged 4.8 km on the backyard trail followed by a much enjoyed hammock session.   Not up to much this week with another the Tobermorry Trail Marathon on Saturday...a season finale of sorts! 

The London Double - Full Marathon Saturday - Half Marathon Sunday

 Well that was a fun running weekend!   A Marathon, Half Marathon two shirts and three medals and memories that will last a lifetime!    

 Saturday September 17, 2022 it was "That Dam Hill" run at Springbank Park in London.   This is one of my favorite go to yearly races.  This year they offered a special promotion a medal for those who do bith Dam Hill Saturday  and The London Road Races Sunday.  I choose to do a Full Marathon then a Half Marathon...I like a theme!    The weekend weather forecast was more summer like then fall.   We were fortunate and started the race at a foggy 16C and the fog hung around for the first couple of hours.   My plan all weekend was a 7 minute pace then walk the last 2km of the Marathon.   Things more or less unfolded the way I planned.  I fell a little behind on my hydration going into the last hour of the race slowing me down as my blood thickened.   I wasn't looking for a time other then around 5 hours so taking a little longer and enjoying the day was OK with me.   Had the pleasure of being paced by my old running buddy Gary Johnston for a few laps.  Also had moments with Han ,  Joe and Andrea some folks that I have been running Ultras with since 2007.      

GPS messed up the first of 19 loops so the data is a wee bit skewed.

Pace and HR data tell the tale of how the day went ,  solid through 4 hours then I was done.    

Temperature tells the tale too ..

I was pleased with the first 4 hours so much so I did think about an avg 7:00 pace bringing it home in under 5 hours but the reality of another race the following day plus the fact that I was behind on my hydration I decided to walk the last 3 km.   

Sunday was another day ,  felt tired at the start of the half  but otherwise not too bad.  I showed up at the start line just wanting it to be over but also looking forward to a tour of the city.     It took an hour before I really snapped out of my Marathon hangover and much to my surprise I really started moving well in the second half of the race so much so I had a negative split.     The course brought back lots of childhood memories of the city I grew up in I really enjoyed it.   There seemed to be as many marshals and volunteers as runners it was one of the best organized events.  Water stations were every few km,  I took in water but no salt or calories inn this race.   

Pace and HR tell the tale ,   better one this time! 

Cadence shows how I picked it up once the body woke up from the Marathon Hangover ...

It was a fun weekend ,  almost done to expectations with the exception of the last hour of the Marathon.    

Last Week

 With two races looming on the weekend it was a pretty quirt running week.   On both Tuesday and Wednesday it was a 5km run on the beach at Sauble.