crazed monkey

Today I ran the Sporting Life 10k for the third year in a row. My time was 47:39 which beats my time last year by just under two minutes but didn’t meet my goal of 45 minutes. This year I changed age categories and was surprised by my upsurge in the rankings:

I had thought that I might drop in my age category, given what I supposed to be increased drive among older runners. As it turns out, there were almost twice as many men aged 30-34 running as there are men aged 25-29. That must be the reason why my ranking in my age category is so much better this year. That increase in overall chip time ranking is pretty impressive, especially considering that I barely shaved two minutes off last year’s time. I’m pretty proud of myself, although during the run I was convinced I was running slower than last year.

I ran alone this year, although was greeted at the finish line by a girl I have been dating these past two weeks. She saw me off at the start line, but almost didn’t make it down in time via TTC to see me finish! The better way? Sometimes you’re better off running.

Posted on May 8th, 2006 in meta, person - No Comments »

This morning I finished the Becel Ride for Heart for the third year in a row. After my first ride in 2003, I vowed to ride the 75km leg, but never followed through with that promise until this year, and only as a last minute decision.

Having never rode 75km before, I think I did fairly well. My time was just over two and a half hours, which isn’t bad considering that I haven’t ridden much this year, that the 75km repeats the most difficult part of the 50km leg, and that the smog levels on this hazy day affected my breathing. However, that’s still not a great time considering last year’s time of 90 minutes for 50km. Still, even after 50km I managed to pass pretty much everyone I saw, even those I passed the first time up the DVP.

Aside from the heat and smog, my biggest drawbacks were that I stopped for water before the 75km turnoff, thereby losing my momentum, and ran out of water about 20 minutes from the finish line. Next year, I think a camel pack is in order.

Posted on June 5th, 2005 in meta, person - No Comments »

This year I ran the Sporting Life 10k for the second time, besting last year’s time of 56:12 with a time of 49:28. My goal this year was to achieve a time of less than fifty minutes, which was accomplished only because I sprinted to the finish line after being able to read the gun time clock. Next year’s goal is an aggressive forty-five minutes.

FYI, here is a comparison of my chip time and placing between 2004 and 2005:

Posted on May 1st, 2005 in meta, person - No Comments »

I keep forgetting to comment on this year’s Becel Ride for Heart. You can be sure that I finished it, although I almost missed the start time. Vic’s rear tire suffered a puncture and I accompanied him back to the Cyclepath tent to have it replaced. The pit crew finished the repair some five minutes before the cutoff time.

This year’s ride was much easier than last year’s, mostly because there was no wind. My time for the 50k was just over 90 minutes, a full half-hour less than last year’s effort. That time will be difficult to beat next year without switching to a faster bike.

Thanks to everyone who sponsored my ride. Sadly, donations this year were less than half last year’s total. I blame myself for not being as vigilant.

Posted on June 8th, 2004 in meta, person - No Comments »

On June 6th, 2004 I will be riding 50km along the DVP in the Becel Ride for Heart. Please sponsor me for the ride. Those who donate more than $10 online will immediately receive an electronic tax receipt by email.

By sponsoring my ride you will be supporting research towards the understanding of heart disease and cardiovascular disease, the biggest preventable killers in Canada.

Posted on May 25th, 2004 in meta, person - No Comments »