Running Sick I've been battling some sort of sickness since last week and that's meant no running. I didn't bother testing, so who knows whether it is COVID-19, RSV, "just a cold" or some other virus that is going around. Whatever it is, I
2025 Goals There is no better time than the first day of the new year to define some goals. Short and sweet, here's mine for 2025. 1. Run 2025km – this is not a huge number for me, and doable if I am able to run regularly throughout the year and
Milestones We humans tend to notice milestones. Turning 37 is not a big deal but turning 40 means a special party. It's nothing special when the stock market hits 9,642, but at 10,000? That's a big deal. I remember the massive parties around the world
Around the Bay Road Race Plans I have a love-hate relationship with the Around the Bay Road Race. It's an annual 30Km(ish) race in Hamilton, Ontario, that I have run six times now over the course of my distance running career. Some years this race is great and other years it's
Some Thoughts on the Strava API Controversy I've been using Strava for a long time, literally since the very first days after they added running in addition to cycling way back when. I first paid for Strava Premium (or whatever they called it back then) in 2013 and I've had a Premium account
Project 3:30 Working out with Runna has really brought back my level of enjoyment of running and also a new sense of commitment to consistent training. I finished up week 3 of a 12 week maintenance plan today with a 16km run. Today's workout was supposed to be 12km, with
Running Away Yesterday was not a good day. I watched the U.S. Presidential Election results roll in on the TV until about 10:15 P.M. when it became apparent that either there wouldn't be a winner declared before midnight, or that there would and it wouldn't
First Runs with Runna My Runna program officially started yesterday, but I did a few "pre-program" runs. Think of it like a Week 0 on a 12 week program. Yesterday I did about 30 minutes of Strength and Conditioning (S&Cs) with Runna as well. That was things like calf raises,
Runna I'm starting a 12-week maintenance plan with the Runna app. It's 5 runs a week, with strength on Monday (light weights) and mobility on Friday (stretching and such). In theory, this will keep me motivated over the next few months and I can roll into the
Streak Running Training for the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon is basically done with the race coming up in eight days. I've been running five days a week for the last few months, taking Monday and Friday off as a rest day. That's been good in terms of being
A Race Pace Test With three weeks to go until the 2024 BMO Vancouver Half Marathon, it was time to do a good race pace test to see where I am at. My Garmin watch would have me believe that about a 1:40:00 half marathon is possible, but my Stryd power meter
Max Heart Rate I've always just used the standard(ish) formula to determine my max heart rate and then the various heart rate zones to train in. The one I liked is the 207 - 0.7 x age method. For me that results in a max heart rate of 170bpm.
Spring Race Plans I had thoughts of running a spring marathon, but after a few weeks of training, I came to realize that neither my body nor my heart are in it. Instead it's plan B which is to run the 2024 BMO Vancouver Half Marathon. As of last week, we&
A Two Step Plan to Get Running Again Tonight I put a marathon training plan into my calendar. This doesn't mean I will run a marathon in early May, but it means I might. Step one is always to make a plan. Step two is to stick to that plan. Step one is a pretty easy
Strava Adds Messaging Is Strava finally realizing its potential as a "social network for athletes"? I think it's getting there. This week Strava added a new Messaging feature to its mobile apps. It allows athletes on Strava to message each other and provides an alternative to using apps like
Returning to Running Take 2 In May, 2023, my left leg got really sore. I stopped running to get a diagnosis and treatment. First they thought it was a stress fracture, so I got an x-ray. Negative for a stress fracture. But they suggested a bone scan. So I got one of those. They said,
Returning to Running I run a fair bit. Not huge mileage, but until May 23, 2023, I had been running every single day of the week. I had done that since September 20, 2022 for a total of 246 days in a row. In 2022 I ran every single day (rain or shine,