Once again, it's time to start...
Blogging that is!
You might have thought I was referring to running and training, but as many can attest, I simply never stop doing that!
So where to begin?
How about with some recent race results?
Last (last) Sunday (June the 8th), I ran the Bread and Honey 5K. It's a wonderful event and part of the Bread and Honey Festival in Streetsville, which is actually part of Mississauga. It's a mostly flat and fast (certified!) course in which I finished 7th overall in 16:30 (3:18/K) and even managed to have some fun chasing down and sprinting to the finish with my BLT training partner Darren Lee, who beat me by a hair (0.3 of a second) in the final few metres!
Last (last) Sunday (June the 8th), I ran the Bread and Honey 5K. It's a wonderful event and part of the Bread and Honey Festival in Streetsville, which is actually part of Mississauga. It's a mostly flat and fast (certified!) course in which I finished 7th overall in 16:30 (3:18/K) and even managed to have some fun chasing down and sprinting to the finish with my BLT training partner Darren Lee, who beat me by a hair (0.3 of a second) in the final few metres!
The result itself is far from my best, but almost exactly what I expected given the lack of speed training I've done recently (since Boston) due to a nagging and mostly annoying groin injury. It is however an honest and perfectly acceptable result that gives me a good gauge of my current fitness.
Even more recently (like yesterday), I was in Winnipeg for the Manitoba Marathon. All day Friday and Saturday I was working the expo for Canadian Running and giving away copies of our Canadian Race Guide. On Sunday, I then took part in the event by running the Half and just as I did the week before, I was spot on in predicting my finish time. On a cool and wet morning, on a perfectly flat course with excellent marshaling and descent crowd support, I managed to run a 1:15 flat which was also good for 4th place overall. Again, this is nowhere near a personal best, but still a good 'starting point' what with the real training for a fall marathon set to begin.
And now with only 18 weeks to go, it's definitely a good time to 'start!'
Even more recently (like yesterday), I was in Winnipeg for the Manitoba Marathon. All day Friday and Saturday I was working the expo for Canadian Running and giving away copies of our Canadian Race Guide. On Sunday, I then took part in the event by running the Half and just as I did the week before, I was spot on in predicting my finish time. On a cool and wet morning, on a perfectly flat course with excellent marshaling and descent crowd support, I managed to run a 1:15 flat which was also good for 4th place overall. Again, this is nowhere near a personal best, but still a good 'starting point' what with the real training for a fall marathon set to begin.
And now with only 18 weeks to go, it's definitely a good time to 'start!'
If you didn't know already, I'll be running the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon #STWM on Sunday October 19th. As the marquee event of the Canadian Running Series, STWM is an exceptional running event in every aspect and I'm super excited to be part of it. This will be my seventh attempt at the marathon (42.2K) and was also my marathon debut back in 2011. As usual, I won't shy away from stating my goal of running a personal best (PB). At one time, I boldly claimed I would attempt to run sub 2:30... and believe me, I would absolutely LOVE to do that! But until I see evidence to support that goal, running a PB (i.e. faster than 2:34:13) will be my primary aim and the basis of my training. As extra incentive, I'll also win a case of beer from race director Alan Brookes if I manage to beat his personal best of 2:34:40. Game on!
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| Start of the 2012 #STWM. I'm in there somewhere! |
As you'll see over the next weeks and months, my training will be done with the continuous support of my amazing run crew, Black Lungs Toronto. With a carefully crafted program and plenty of speedy teammates to chase around, I'm probably more excited for the daily and weekly grind of the training (the 'trial of miles') than the actual event itself. Always a fan of cliches, "it's not about the destination, but about the journey getting there..." And a journey it will be.
I'm also super excited to announce that for the first time ever, I will be running for a charity. Although the details are still being confirmed, I am looking forward to being a part of the Alzheimer's Toronto team which aims to raise money and awareness for Alzheimer's Disease, a cause that is very near and dear to my heart (stay tuned for future blog posts on the topic). The Alzheimer's Society of Toronto (@AlzToronto) is an amazing local organization that supports those affected by the heart-breaking and debilitating illness and I would greatly appreciate your support for me, my team and my chosen charity. A fundraising page will be launched shortly, at which time, I'll direct you there in the event that you'd like to support us.
I'll leave it at that for now and encourage you to check back here for regular updates or follow me on Twitter @dansway07. Until next time, thanks for reading and happy running!
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