It was worth the shaved head and 3rd place finish

Never, ever give up!

Two things hurt in the Reggae Runners Half Marathon Challenge  a couple of weeks ago.  OK, three if you count my disappointment of missing my target time by only 7 minutes!!

First was the shaved head.  Oh my, I felt then and still feel now that I looked like an alien.  Thankfully I work a cap but I'm sure I scared the crap out of the little kid who was trying to be nice to me as I walked out of the running coral after the race.  What a sight that must have been:  sweaty bald guy grimacing with pain from the pulled calf muscle.

And that was the second hurt:  the pulled calf muscle.  Dam was I pissed.  I have to wait a whole year to try again to hit my target time of 1:57.  Once in my life I'll get the 1/2 marathon time under 2 hours.  Next year will be that year!!  OK, maybe this October in the Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon.  In that one I'll likely be running with the kids.  I'll channel their energy to pull 'the old man' along.

Shaved legs next time...that's it, that
will do it!

On a positive note, the Puma Faas 500 running shoes were as usual fantastic.  Comfortable and well suited to the forefoot running technique.  The only glitch was that I didn't wear socks which was a bad idea on such a warm day. I'd never beat Usain Bolt but I definitely would win in a race with Prince Harry.

The lesson in all of this was that it was definitely worth it.  It hurt.  I was dis-satisfied. I still managed a personal best!  And I'm still running.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

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Follow me on Facebook at Run for Heart.  Races for 2012: Goodlife Fitness 1/2 Marathon, May 6, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 14, Reggae Marathon, December 1

I shaved my head bald?

What the...

It was supposed to be a simple run for bragging rights the Reggae Runners Half Marathon Challenge.  At stake the ability to crow for a year that you were the fastest.  Reggae Marathon donated a pair of Puma Faas 500 running shoes and Red Line Laser Engraving donated a medal for the winner but at no time did I agree that I had to shave my head bald.



Well, the boys, Larry and Dan put the boots to me last Saturday the day before race day May 6 and informed me that 'no shave, no run'.

My wife Sally is a great person.  There we were on Saturday evening shaving my head.  Shaving cream in left hand, razor in right we went at it.  Two dull razors and lots of swear words later we were done.  Only one knick for which I was thankful for. Who says Saturday evening at our place is boring?

Bald.  Smooth.  Alien-like.  What was I thinking?

The pluses?  Only one:  my bald spot was gone.  The negative:  "holy crap, my ears stick out'!

Who's the alien?

The hair is coming back in quickly now.  Day 1 I was up to fine grit and after day 3 I'm at a medium grit.  If you need a quick sanding job, give me a call.  But hurry.  I'll be up to military crew cut by the weekend.



Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

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Follow me on Facebook at Run for Heart.  Races for 2012: Goodlife Fitness 1/2 Marathon, May 6, Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 14, Reggae Marathon, December 1

How am I going to make it through this week?

What have I done?

It's just under a week to go to the Reggae Runners Half Marathon Challenge and I'm a bundle of nerves.  My race on May 6 is the Goodlife Fitness Toronto 1/2 Marathon that heads south from North York to Exhibition Place in Toronto.  Other than the 'monster uphill' from Hoggs Hollow at the 4 kilometre mark it's downhill.  So what's to be nervous about?


For the first time ever I'm competing with other runners head-to-head.  I know what you're thinking: "Don't you compete with everyone else that in a race?".  Other than the Triathlons I competed in a number of years ago where I went head-to-head with some semi-pros,  I've always raced for myself to match or beat a target time. Other runners really didn't affect me. This time it's different...amazing what making friendships through Reggae Marathon leads to.


Larry Savitch from New York and Dan Cumming from British Columbia turned the May 6 race upside down for me when found out we were running in separate 1/2 Marathons on the same day.  Since boys will be boys, we bought into Dan's 'age adjusted' timing thing and even though we will have different times, there will be a clear #1, #2 and #3!


Full exposure!  And I don't mean the tights.


So even though I've been training like crazy with speed work outs at the local high school track, have done my long slow distance runs, have nursed my still not fully recovered foot injury and am completely psyched about a personal best on May 6, I'm ... nervous ... as .. .hell!


"Are we there yet?". I just want to get to the start line for 8:30 am this Sunday morning.


Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

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Follow me on Facebook at Run for Heart.  Races for 2012: Goodlife Fitness 1/2 Marathon, May 6Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront 1/2 Marathon, October 14Reggae Marathon, December 1


Photo courtesy of Errol Anderson. 

Trading Wasaga Beach for the Humber River

It was an emotional decision to sell our home in Wasaga Beach and move back to Toronto. Beautiful home designed and built just as we wanted it. Sitting on our back deck on a cloudless summer day enjoying a cold one...or two...was priceless.  And as a runner the miles of flat running along the shore of Georgian Bay virtually year round was a major attraction.

The downside was the time apart.  Working in Toronto during the week and travelling to Wasaga each weekend was a chore. We used Skype, cell phone, email, text and phone calls to keep in touch during the week. But eventually it took it's toll.  And is often the case it was a simple statement from a chance meeting that Sally had one day with a lady walking her dog that did it:  "Why are you guys living apart?...Life's too short for that".

Done!

So now we live in a leafy area of central Etobicoke literally steps from the Humber River.  Here's a photo of the creek that runs down one of the trails I now have the fortune to run along each day:

So was it a fair trade?  Sally and I think so.  And so does Tia who now enjoys chasing all the squirrels that inhabit the woods just outside our back door.  

It's nice to be home. And a final note:  Sally never did run into that lady and her dog again.

Until next time...

ThatRunninGuy

Note:  Photo and video shot with the Samsung Galaxy Note.