The GREAT Canadian Comeback: This Is Happening (4).

Half Way Through Half Marathon Training : )

Mojo's Runner; by James Best, Used w Permission

"It's not me! I wish!" : ) GH

I'm running four times per week now. Used to run 5 - 6 times per week when I was serious. Add up all the runs over all the years and the total would be very high, and not once did I look as smooth and speedy as Mojo's runner, top photo.

That being said, I'm slow and steady (and approaching svelteness, in my opinion), and am approaching London's April 26th half-marathon race date with growing confidence.

Steady Eddie - Walking to the Downtown YMCA three times per week.

Walking north on the Wortley Rd. overpass to UWO once each week

I find microfilm at UWO. Found this painting

under the Wortley Rd. overpass at Horton : )

While running recently, a few thoughts about "where I'm at in my training" have crossed my mind.

E.g., I've got a pretty well balanced weekly routine:

On Sunday I do my long run, to develop stamina, and on the last two Sundays I have completed 8.25-mile runs at a comfortable pace. I am steadily running under 6:00 minutes per kilometre, just slightly faster than my projected race pace. But I still have to add five miles (about 8 km.) to the long run, so we'll see how the next half of the training schedule goes.

The Terry Fox Pathway has mileage markers, so I can time

each half- or full-kilometre. Steady as she goes!

Monday is an 'R' day; rest, relax, catch up on my laundry, reading, Samurai Sudokus, etc.

Tuesday is a "hill run" day, i.e., a 5 - 6 mile run on a treadmill at the Y. Some treadmills have a +/- 'incline setting' function, initially set at 0.0 so people run on a flat surface. During most runs I set the incline at 0.5, slightly uphill, but on Tuesdays I adjust the incline from 0.5 to 2.0 or 2.5 or 3.0 for 250 metres at a time, hoping to build leg strength for hills on the race course. I run on a steeper incline 12 - 16 times over 8 - 10 km. distance, and I think the extra work will pay off on the race course.

Wednesday has become "speed work" day. I gradually change the speed per kilometre on the treadmill over 8 - 10 km., from an easy, warm-up pace of 9.6/9.7 kph to race pace (10.1/10.2 kph) to 10.5/10.6 (for now; higher numbers are ahead). In other words, I slowly accelerate from speeds that are slower than race pace, to race pace, then to faster than race pace, with the hopes of raising the bar in my comfort zone.

Thursday is a 'W' day, during which I typically walk to the University of Western Ontario to collect information about WWII from vast stores of microfilm.

Photo Credit - Editorial cartoon by Canadian James Reidford

from the Nov. 17, 1943 issue of The Montreal Star

I reversed the order of 'W' and 'speed work' last week

due to having a bit of a cold/fever/sneeziness.

Friday has become "race pace" day at the YMCA, with most time during the run spent at 10.1 - 10.3 kph. Hopefully, on the April 26th race day I will be very comfortable at my projected, desired speed, i.e., just a bit faster than 6:00 min. per kilometre.

Another thought has also returned regularly while involved in training runs, ie., I like the idea of 3 runs at the Y followed by a long run outside. As long as the pathways are clear I will continue to hit the road on Sundays, to see how the indoor training is helping with my slow and steady long runs, some of which will be on parts of the actual race course soon.

For now, all is well and by Sunday I should be ready to add another kilometre or mile to the long run on the Terry Fox Pathway or TVP (Thames Valley Parkway) to UWO.

Photos From Along the Way: