First ride of the year

We had just a couple days of warm weather towards the end of April, and I got out for my first ride of the year.  The sky threatened rain, and I could see rain that way and that way, but by heading towards the sunny gap in the clouds managed to stay mostly clear of it.  I got a light sprinkle, but it was still sunny, which means rainbow!

Rainbow

It also means a muddy stripe up my back by the time I got home.  It's good to be out there again.

GoodLife Toronto Marathon & 5k – Not a race report

Up at 4am again, like two weeks ago.  This time out the door at 4:30 since there were no fancy preparations.  It was dark well before dawn.  Tim Hortons’s hadn’t made the donuts, neither had they and bagels for us.  We carried on to Cambridge for that.  Nervous, and short on sleep due to her critters climbing on her head, Jen could barely choke down the bagel which I told her was an excellent start to a running adventure.  

Nice day for a run

Having totally stormed the Yonge Street 10k, Jen was eager to go again.  I offered that the Scotiabank Waterfront race was in September, and would give her the summer to train.  I offered that the half was a fun and popular race.  I want to race now, she said, and something a little longer.  Well, there’s several nice races on May 5.  There’s Toronto, Mississauga, and closer to home, Waterloo with half marathons.  The GoodLife Toronto lets you run down Yonge Street again, so she favoured that.  She checked the website, and found the half and full at nearly the same price, but the medal for the full was bigger, shiny, and dangled invitingly.  Go for broke, she said to herself and signed up for the full marathon. 

Wanting to come along again, Meghan was told she had to race too this time, so she was signed for the 5km.

We parked close to the start with an hour to spare before the 7:30 start.  I got to be squire this week, taking Jen’s sweatshirt and pants a few minutes before go time.  The start was adjusted this year, so by the time they circle back from the starting line to Yonge St they have covered 2 km already.  Meg and I gave some great cowbell until the last were past, then got into the car to go the to next monitor point, near Yonge and Bloor.  We were set up at the bridge over the subway tracks with cowbell in hand, just shortly after the leaders had gone past.  Shortly thereafter the half marathoners went by, and then Jen, on their way into the ravine.  I brought speakers and had some epic music playing.  My intention was originally to park closer to a ravine access road and go down into the woods, but the parking spot was out by Yonge, making that a convenient location.  
The weather was terrific for running.  Nothing but sun.  Cool in the early morning, becoming warm but not hot by noon.  Just a slight breeze.

The crowd has thinned

By this point, Jen had made friends with Valerie, from Saint Catherines, and the two would shadow each other to the end, finishing a minute apart.  Passing the 12 km point, she gave a shock when announced that it had just become the longest distance she had run.  Ever.  She originally intended to go with the 5:00 hour pacing rabbit, but one didn’t turn up.  She chose not to be bunny to the 5:30 rabbit, and instead followed her own tune.  

5:30 rabbit with her last remaining bunny

Waiting again for the last of the marathoners, Meg and I were off to park at CNE grounds.  Traffic was slowing, and parking tight, so we were at the course just in time for Jen to pass through.  The half marathoners are done, but the marathoners head for the long waterfront out-and-back.  I had a short run to chat with Jen.  She was feeling well and in good spirits.  I was still terrified that she would run out of gas and end in tears.

Lined up for 5k race

Next up was Meghan, with her run starting at 12 noon.  There was some likelihood that she and Meghan would finish together, but Jen wasn’t keeping pace to do that. Meg ran a good race, keeping to mostly a steady run.  It was a great race, since she swims often but doesn’t run regularly.  She was very pleased with herself, although disappointed that there were insufficient medals on hand for her to have one as a take away.  They said they will ship it.  Everyone wants a shiny dangly prize to show off.  

Herd of 5k runners

The 5k crowd hit the water station like a herd of buffalo, totally overwhelming it and leaving the struggling last few marathoners dry.

There she comes

We waited, with fretful parental worry, about a half hour until Jen showed up, still happy and bouncy.  Well, there might have been a few tears except that she was much too dehydrated for them to come.   No matter.  She had her big shiny medal. Meghan had her great race.  I had two amazing daughters.  What a great day it was.

Yonge Street 10k Race Report

Alarms rang at 4 am Sunday.  We didn't even eat, because it took so long to put on the make-up and get dressed.  It snowed Saturday morning, but there was none today.  Even so, it was freezing outside, and I offered Jen a red and a black shirt to wear instead of the bikini.  The offer was to cut the arm off of one.  She tried them on, but they bunched up something awful, and took away from the whole effect that she was going for.  If she had bought the skinsuit with full arms, it would have been okay, but cobbling it together like this wasn't working. She had planned to wear the bikini, and was going to wear the bikini.  and the corset.  I would be plenty warm enough in my suit jacket and pants.  I didn't do a trial of the hair colour, and it looked okay, if a little dark.  I was afraid of the make-up not washing out of my hair. It dried hard like wicker, as if I had stuck my head into a bucket of paint.  

We were out the door at 5:30am, for breakfast at Tim Horton's on the highway.  Of course we went in to impress the night staff with our outfits. When you dress up like this, it's to get people to look at you, so we didn't hide in the drive-through lane.  My customary pre-race is a bagel with peanut butter. I got a can of Monster to clear away the morning fog from my head.  We pushed some good speed, making it to parking near Lawrence Subway Station just after 7.  From there we walked South the kilometer to the start.  That left almost two hours to wait in the cold.  

We huddled beside a building for shelter from the breeze and still be in the sun.  It was barely a breeze, but with the temperature right around freezing, you could feel the difference.  I was okay in my suit jacket, and since we had a squire (Meghan) to carry loose articles, Jen got to keep her coat on until 10 minutes before the start.  That's the race start at 9, not our wave start at 9:15. She was all goose-bumps on her arms by the time we set off. Lot's of people asked for pictures with us.  Other costumed revelers were a pair dressed as bananas, the Pharaoh of Egypt, a couple of Wonder Women, and the She-Hulk.  We chatted with her before the start. We couldn't see the bananas, since they were up at the start, but just hear about it over the P.A.  The Wonder Women had coats on, so we weren't sure if it was full regalia, but one had the tiara, so most likely it was.  Didn't see them again.

Harley Quinn and The Joker

Honestly, this temperature is typical for this race.  Racing here 10 years ago is what got me into the practice of buying disposable pants and sweatshirt to abandon at the start.  My first time, I waited 15 minutes in my shorts at the bus stop, then had an hour in the starting corral. Even if you use the baggage drop, you freeze, since you have to leave your parcel well before the start. Running keeps you warm enough once you are moving.

The race invites most everyone except dogs.  Hand-cycle racers began at 8:55.  Walkers, including those with Nordic poles at the back for a 9:25 start.  Strollers were allowed at the back with the walkers. No skateboards, roller skates or such wheeled help.  This race had 7,000 people.  The Sporting Life 10k, which had 12,000 the last time Jen and I ran it, now gathers 20,000. 

I expected devastation at the aid stations, but they were in good order, so we stopped twice for a drink, being careful not to spill and ruin the face.  Jen went to the local costume shop and got Snazeroo face paint.  It looked great, but is water-colour, so it had to be treated with care.  Rain would have completely trashed it.  A couple tears from the cold breeze left a black smudge under one eye.  I bought Mehron brand from eBay.  It was more water resistant, but dried into a hard mask that cracked to pieces.  Perhaps I had it on too thick.  They advertised it as a paint good for air brushing.  I had it caked on like icing. Somehow, the look was okay.  The crackle effect added character to it.  I ran in dress shoes.  The ones I chose have a cushy rubber sole which I knew would run well, and they performed just fine. 

Run! Zombies!

At Christmas I mentioned to Jen that they had a costume division in this race, and she was for it immediately.  She always dresses up for Halloween, and often for Free Comic Book Day.  We discussed several options.  We've done Batman and Batgirl enough times.  The Joker and Harley Quinn choice was a good fit for matching outfits, and easy enough to do.  I bought the jacket from eBay, in lavender which I dyed purple.  The dye doesn't stick well to polyester, but gave it a good purple hue that would be good as long as I don't wash it.  I would have preferred a tuxedo style, but was afraid that the white polyester ones in my price range wouldn't dye purple enough.  I saw a beautiful 3-piece suit in purple that looked great for $200, but the size was way too big, and that's more than I wanted to spend, especially after already buying the lavender. There were plenty of Heath Ledger style outfits, but I wanted a more traditional look. Jen bought two bikinis to make into the bicoloured top.  The corset was a concern for running, but if not tightened very hard left room to breathe and didn't cause chafing in the run tests.  Her hair is permanent dye, and she's keeping until it grows out, which I expect to be over a year.  

By race end I could feel my back wet from sweat. We stayed for the awards, to see who won for the costumes. One of the speakers did a terrific tribute to Boston. The terrorists can eat it.  We will keep on running. They weren't judging costumes at the finish line. The announcer did a quick audience vote amongst those of us who were still there.  So no bananas, no Wonder Women, no Pharaoh.  She-Hulk was present. First place was a baby who did the race in a stroller, dressed as, well, baby with mom, basically.  They were cute and we cheered for them.  Me and Jen were second and third! That’s bonus bucks for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

We were given a bonus shirt for early entry, and I gave mine to the squire for being race support. Thank you Meghan! She took the subway downtown, and was right there waiting for us by the finish line, if a little slow using the camera.  

Gotta be quick to catch The Joker and Harley

Afterwards, we headed up Bathurst looking for Chinese food.  It was the wrong place, so I phoned a school buddy, for directions. Thank you Ted!  He got us routed a block East to Chinatown on Spadina.  That worked out well.  

We finished seconds under an hour.  Jen sprinted ahead to the finish, and people were yelling for Joker to catch up.  It's her best time at this distance and I’m really proud of her.  Already she says she want to go again, a little further.  There's plenty to choose from with Waterloo, Mississauga, and GoodLife Toronto all coming up May 5.  Wait and see!

I need a new deck

There was a bit of extra bounce in my Horizon treadmill, so I took it apart and found the deck split up the middle.  The deck is a half-inch piece of particleboard covered in MACtac.  That was a surprise.  I thought it was a steel plate like the rest of the machine frame.  I wouldn't have thought particle board to be sturdy enough, and it turns out that I'm right.  It's lasted about three years, with some particularly heavy use this past winter.  

Treadmill deck is split

I  hauled the deck into the local Treadmill Factory, who said they could come up with a replacement.  The salesman went straight into a sales pitch, which was fine.  I want a unit that's metric.  Converting from miles in my head is annoying.  I demonstrated this winter, that i will use it enough to upgrade to a commercial duty unit.  The first thing I asked about the demo unit he showed me was, "does it do metric?".  He's showing the current Horizon, which is similar to mine.  I suggest we look at the next level up, which is AFG.  These have larger rollers, thicker deck, and more sturdy frame for squeak prevention.  Sounds good, and I brought one of them home.  Surprise!  It only does miles.  I could have cried.

Nice nearly spring day

What a nice day it was on Sunday.  I went out for my long run.  16 km, for a weekly total of 36 km, plus 200 km on the bike trainer.  Swimming begins in May.  I remember last year going out this early, and my hands went numb, and I felt completely miserable.  This time, with the right equipment to wear, and barely above freezing I was warm and had a great time.  Signing up for the midwinter race has paid off well.  I feel strong, like last year just before the big pre-marathon ramp-up of high mileage that left me sore and needing time off.  

Spring-like day

At my age, working out isn't about how hard I can train, or how far and fast I go, but about what I can manage without injuring myself.  My right knee is beginning to remind me that it doesn't like the mileage.  It's still just an occasional ache, so it's just enough to remind me to be sure to do my body-pump workout.  Planks, weights, leg lifts, lunges.  Gotta keep the supports strong to save the knee.  Last week's workouts on the treadmill felt odd.  The deck seems to be a lot more springy than I remember, with a noticeable bow running up the middle.  I need to investigate that.  and add some lube.  I haven't lubed the deck in months.

I rehydrated after the run with hot chocolate.  The kettle is on the fritz, so I mixed it then burned it in the microwave.  I didn't know you burn hot chocolate.  

Burning the hot chocolate

During the run today, a girl passed me wearing a Mont Tremblant Equip shirt in orange.  Mine is white for working as a course pointer is village.  I need to look up in my pictures to see what orange volunteers were doing.  I will be wearing mine during runs later when the weather is warmer.

Winter carries on

Finally in February we got some real Canadian snow around here.  

Ready for more

Snow on the bridge

The winter tires on the bike are good for up to an inch of snow.  More than that and they bog down in it.  Generally, the roads are clear enough.  The traction of the knobby tires has been helpful in this.  

With March, came a few days of cold weather, but my parka is thick with down and fends it off without any difficulty.  My gloves not so much.  I get home with fingers so numb I can't get off the helmet.  They are like pieces of rubber at the ends of my arms, and I bite them to see that they are mine, but there's no sensation.  they aren't my hands anymore, just dead things.  I can move them, but without any sense of touch, it's much more difficult to do things.  If I can't see to command them, there's no use.  The clasp under my chin will have to wait until life is back.  With renewed sensation, comes a firey sting, as the zombified nerve endings awaken and let known the displeasure of my digits at being treated so.

Snow White

Winter is hard upon us in Southern Ontario, and I'm in the thick of it.

Yes, I do this every day

Sometimes they wait a while to plow the cul-de-sac (actually it's more of a knee-bend).  The OEM tires on the Townie were wide, which was terrible in the snow.  They sank a deep groove, which made for a lot of work getting through.  Narrow tires cut down through the snow, so it's less effort.  My snow tires are kind of half-way between the wide and narrow.  I went to the bike store with the page in Cycling Magazine Canada, and they phoned Continental to ask about my first choice.  Those were out of stock for an anticipated three months.  I took the Schwalbe as the alternate.  They have a knobby tread which works well going uphill through slush, and studs for the ice.  They aren't very good in loose pack such as it gets when the road hasn't been plowed and cars have made a few tracks.  

Cul-de-sac isn't plowed until later in the day