Speed Surprise

Before I begin, I'll be perfectly honest: I am not starting from scratch with my training. You see, I recently tied the knot (to CBC`s lovely and talented reporter Sarah Trainor), and worked out for a solid three weeks so I would look good in my tux. My training plan, if you would call it that, consisted of painful two hour runs that barely progressed beyond a slow crawl. I saw some improvements in my physical appearance in the days leading up to the wedding, but I would have looked even better had I done anything besides eat from December to April. Oh well.

While the long runs didn`t firm up my abs, they did provide me a base from which to start my marathon training. At least that`s what I hoped when I laced up my shoes and headed down the street for a quick speed session. I hadn`t planned an extensive workout - about three kilometers worth of speed work, and six kilometers total running - but I worried that the extensive winter layoff, coupled with the extra twenty pounds around my waist, would result in a really painful evening.

I started the speed portion of my workout with an 800 meter loop. I expected I would finish in three minutes, so I was very surprised when I crossed the finish line in 2:50. Thinking I probably ran too fast, I started my 400 meter run conservatively, but still managed to finish in a minute and a half. So far so good.

The third leg of the run - a one kilometer loop - was tough. I started out strong, but struggled with my form around the halfway point. The small inclines in the course burned my calves, and I mentally battled the urge to slow down for the last 400 meters. Therefore, I was very pleased to run the loop in less than four minutes. Brimming with confidence, I polished off my last leg - 600 meters - in two minutes flat.

Overall, my times are slower than they were last year, but they aren`t that much slower. Give it a few weeks and I might be able to match or better my best times from 2010. I`m not sure how it will translate in a full marathon, but I imagine it will save me from slowly shuffling for twenty six miles in August. At least I hope it will.

Donation Update: I haven`t checked to see if I have received any donations yet, but I plan on thanking everyone that donates on this website. If you would like your name (or that name of your company) forever immortalized in blog form, please send me your donations (and don`t forget to write Action for InterAction in the message box so I know to thank you)!

Here We Go Again

It's time to start training for another marathon, which means it's time to start writing a blog. It seems that every time I write about my athletic endeavours, I manage to stay on task with my training. However, when I stop writing, I stop working out, and everything falls apart. I haven't blogged about running in over six months, and have put twenty extra pound on my frame during that time. Doesn't take long to get out of shape, does it?

Well, it's time to get back into shape, and in a hurry. Marathon By The Sea takes place August 14, and I have decided to sign up for the full marathon. With seven weeks to spare, I haven't given myself much time to train, but I am hoping that my relative fitness, combined with some hard workouts, will get me to the starting line in relatively good shape. As long as I can get across the finish line in one piece, I'll be satisfied.

Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, I recently starting working with InterAction Children's Theatre (IACT), a local non-profit organization that formed in 2001 that offers theatre classes and activities for Saint John children of all-ages. IACT is evolving into a School of Performing Arts this fall, and is raising money in order to relocate to a larger facility. If completing a marathon on seven weeks training can help me raise a few dollars for the cause, then I'll dust off those shoes and toe the starting line, in shape or not.

If you would like to donate, please visit their Canada Helps Donation Page and make a one-time or monthly donation (Please put Action for InterAction in the message box). Anyone who donates through the site will recieve a tax deductible receipt via email, which always comes handy when you're trying to balance those books come year end. Please click here to find out more information about our fundraising efforts, including out Patrons Program.

Right now, however, my main priority is to get back in shape. I've been doing a little bit of running in anticipation of a fall marathon, but will definitely have to turn it up a few notches if I am going to be in shape for August. Wish me luck!