Back with a bang - only 89 days left!

Hi gang,

After a relatively light two weeks as reported here previously, I am back with a bang! Yesterday I ran my running room clinic LSD - 14 km running mostly into very high winds. Know what it is like to run face first into a 80km per hour headwind after you have already finished 12 km? Well, it ain't no picnic, as they say. Anyway, completed the run with a reasonable pace of 6:47 and that distance is 2/3 of a half marathon, 1/3 of a full marathon and I am training for both here, so progress all round is being made.

Song of the day was Crossroads by Cream and I will dedicate this song to my friend and trainer Andy Laird who presented me with a lovely gift this morning of a video called Crossroads featuring, of course, the amazing Eric Clapton - he who makes it look easy.

Andy showed up this morning for a little gymnasium abuse. Started off with some body weight squats followed by a couple of sets which included liberal numbers of squats, lifts, pulldowns, presses, core work and, of course the ever popular "Tuff Enuff" set which includes 2 pushups, 6 mountain climbers and a burpie. Doesn't sound two bad? Try two sets of six of those suckers and call me in the morning.

One last thing, weight is starting to come down and Andy is working on a diet challenge for me in the new year. Stay tuned, you will hear all about it!

Back at you soon. I intend to end the year with a concerted effort.

Paul

Busy time, Bad weather, motivation issues

Hi Gang

Well the long and short of it is that, one very short sprint aside, I haven't been running for the last 10 days. From a training point of view this isn't a problem, from a motivation problem it is.

First of all, the excuses:

1. Things were crazy in Yellowknife and then I was entertaining here at home for a couple of days. Plus, of course, it is a busy timne of year.
2. Weather was bad. I actually went out to run twice - Sunday and Tuesday but in both cases the weather was nearly impossible here.

Reality is I am just a bit demotivated. It has happened before and will again. By the weekend, I should be back at it. Stay tuned.

Paul

Treadmill LSD

Hi there,

Completed a schedule 10 km LSD today and did it in 63 minutes 8 seconds, 10 and 1, with an incline of 2%. Not bad - that is a walk weighted pace of 6:32 which is better than target for my half marathon in Prague.

Song of the day was If I had a Million Dollars by the favorite band of former Toronto Mayor June Rolands, The Bakenaked Ladies.

Talk to you soon!

Paul

Even colder!

My walk to the gym was just marvy today! It is even colder.

Oh well, a further 4 km of treadmill work under my belt giving this week a total of over 26km - not bad for an old guy. My pace was under 6 minutes which was fine and the incline, as always, was 2%.

Today's song of the day was Something tells me by Herman's Hermits. A blast from the past.

Paul

Even treadmill running involves -35C temperatures!

Hi gang,

Wanted to run on the treadmill this morning here in my apartment building in Yellowknife but, alas, it was broken. Checked with management and they couldn't get it fixed in time but they did give me access to a sister building with Gym about 500 m away. That 500 m is a very long distance when it is -35C!

So I wandered over tonight and put in a standard 5.2 km in just 30:35 with an incline of 2%. Not as good as road running but ok once in a while and certainly better than running outside under these conditions.

Today's song of the day was Killer Queen by Queen. Back at you real soon - I sense further short walks, followed by runs in my immediate future.

Paul

Boy, am I tired!

Hi there,

Today I worked out with Andy, a pretty tough set of heavy squats followed by three circuits, and then went for a Hill run this evening.

Boy, am I ever tired and soon going to bed.

Song of the day today was Hey, Hey, My, My by Neil Young.

Got to go - got Zeds to stack.

Paul

If it's Sunday, it must be a Markham 10km Run.

Hi there,

Completed the 10km run with the Running Room in Markham this morning, and let me tell you, it was a tough one. It was -8C with high winds, snow, blowing snow, unplowed rows, unshoveled sidewalks - a mess. The hard part was the footing and the wind but we did indeed complete the 9.89 km, my own time was 1:07:56 - not great but given the conditions, a good time.

Song of the day was September Song as covered by Lou Reed. I really wished it was September today instead of just 14 days before the start, the start(!), of winter.

Later

Paul

Santa Shuffle 2008

Well folks,

After my workout with Andy on Thursday and another one on Friday, I was feeling a bit tender this morning as the 5 km Newmarket Santa Shuffle came along. I ran this last year and did ok, this time I wanted a pace pretty close to 6 minutes per km. Ran with my son James, whose goals are more modest and so we began. It is, after all, for a good cause. Here is a photo at the starting point.






















Anyway the race went well. James and I both acquitted ourselves. My pace was a bit slower than I wanted at 6:12 but there was a killer hill which led to a bit of unplanned walking. I cleared the 3 km in point in under 18 minutes but by 5.2 km I was at 32:06.

More runs coming up as we finish the first week of December - 110 days to Prague and counting.

Song of the day - we seem to have a Who week happening. John Entwhistle's classic 905 from the Who Are You album.

Paul

Andy, the chief inquisitor...

OK, so today was a workout day. A little two slippery for running this evening.

Started off with:

15 x squats with 135lbs
15 x dumbell clean press with 25lbs each hand
15 x bent over dumbell rows with 40lbs
15 pushups
2 x 8 x backward lunge with curl - 15lbs per hand
15 lateral pulldown x 95 lbs

Do four of those and call Andy in the morning.

Paul

6 km - our first run in December!

Hi Gang,

There are 116 days left until the Prague half marathon. Yesterday I managed to confirm that the three amigos in Prague will be joined by a fourth musketeer. My good friend, Arne Halvorsen, from the most beautiful city in Norway, Bergen, will be joining Dieter Fromberger , the mighty Harvey Day and I in Prague. So we have two brits (granted one a nationalized Canadian), a German and a Norwegian. Hey, at least we all speak variants on a German root language - and I guarantee you, we all drink beer.

On another note, someone asked me recently why I am doing this. It wasn't asked in a negative or condescending way but out of genuine curiosity. I have thought about it a fair bit since the question was asked and I don't actually have answer. I have noticed in my running room clinic I am now near the front of the class - always in the top third, usually in the top quarter. The folks at that level, however are usually young women - like 15 years younger than me. Understand that I am not built like a runner. I am built, really, like a coal miner - as both my grandfathers were.

I can tell you that this is not a mid-life crisis thing. I can tell you that I want to live a long life and be fit, rational and well to the end. I can tell you that I would like to pass on, among other things, a legacy of fitness and health to my children and, eventually, to my grandchildren. Other than that, I don't know what it is.

I do know, however, that a lot of achieving this is about imagery. I am very focused and using every tool at my disposal to achieve this goal which is to complete the Reykjavik Marathon in less than 5 hours. Prague is a step on that path. One of the tools I use to motivate me in this is, well, perhaps kind of corny. I actually think it is well done but others might disagree with me. Often when I need to get motivated I watch the following video snippet from the final Rocky film, Rocky Balboa. To set it up, nearly 60 year old Rocky has been invited to fight a exhibition match with the current world heavyweight champion and for very private reasons, agrees to the battle. Here is how he approaches training.



I can tell you that, thanks to my dear friend and trainer Andy, and to my best friend and mentor Harvey, I can do most of what you see in this clip. Not well (damnit, still can't do the chinups), but I am getting better. I appreciate you all following this blog and want to let you know that I am, in reality, as committed to these goals as Rocky is to his in the film.

So, after all the heavy stuff a report on today. Tonight I completed a 6km steady run in just over 36 minutes which is a great time for a road run. Still having a bit of trouble with my pace but it is definitely getting better. Looking forward to next weekend's long run.

Today's song of the day was Hocus Pocus by the Dutch band Focus. A very cool song for a very cool run.

Later,

Paul