Toronto Women’s 416 GOLD Run Challenge—Week One, Once More with Feeling

 

Well here we are, back on the pandemic merry-go-round. Ontario is officially locked down (again) with kids at home instead of at school, businesses closed, ski slopes empty and not a lot to do in this cold, yucky weather. Except running. There’s always running. Thank god for running.

 

The holidays were quiet but surprisingly busy. I did a few crafts and baking with the kiddo before Christmas and she had a couple virtual play dates with her friends and even had a virtual visit with Santa Claus. Christmas morning Trish and I got up early in anticipation of Cilla being full of excitement and biting at the bit to open presents, only to find ourselves sitting and waiting for her to get up! She was so excited in the night that she was awake for most of it and ended up sleeping in. After Christmas we went tobogganing, re-organized the basement, and caught up on taxes. I didn’t actually run as much as I wanted and ate way too many cookies. But it was nice break from the daily routine.

 

So of course with the amount of cases rising and the death toll increasing, there is no sign of life getting back to “normal” whatsoever. This of course, means no in-person races and once again I found myself looking for motivation to get on my running shoes and out into the great (albeit cold and dark) outdoors. Well, it’s like the running gods were listening because next thing I knew I had an invitation to the 416 GOLD challenge sitting in my mailbox. The Toronto Women's 416 Run Challenge GOLD is an exclusive event open to those who have completed the 416 Run Challenge. To complete the Run Challenge GOLD I have to run a further 416 km, with a grand total of 832 km tracked and logged. We have until August 31, 2021 to complete the challenge but I`m hoping to complete the challenge in 6 weeks—1 week less than last time which means I will need to run an average of 70 km per week.

 

I haven`t received my GOLD running kit yet, but it should arrive in the mail in the next week or so. Included will be a tracking calendar, a running hat and a $25 Asics e-card and more surprises by the sponsors.

 

After I've completed the challenge I will receive a specially designed 832 (km) gold charm to commemorate my journey. 

 

 Weekly Run Recap

 

This week I ran 72.39 km.  I have 343.61 km left before I’m finished the challenge.

 

On Sunday January 3rd, I got up relatively early to go for my long run. I say relative, because after sleeping in for 2 weeks, getting up at 8 am seemed like early hours. I had to resist the urge to wrap myself tighter in my blankets and sink into a deep sleep. Instead I convinced myself to get up and outside.  Because the trails were covered in ice I ran on the streets instead and headed out in a general west direction to Broadway Avenue.

 

I was excited to try my new Nathan VapoHowe Hydration running vest that Trish gave me for Christmas. It`s designed specifically for women and is light weight and didn’t feel awkward, restricting or cumbersome. There are two 12 oz soft flasks with extended tubes that insert into two front pockets and multiple storage and stash pockets, perfect for storing gels, keys and an iPhone. It was extremely comfortable and didn`t bounce or chafe. On some of the reviews there were complaints about the bottles leaking, but I didn`t observe any of that. The only problem I had was that the straps on the front kept loosening, so I would have to periodically tighten them. I was very happy to finally be able to get rid of my hip belt—something I dreaded wearing on my long runs.

 

 At around kilometre 5, I crossed the ominous, creepy, prison-like Prince Edward viaduct, a truss arch bridge that connects Danforth Ave on the east to Bloor Street on the west above the Don Valley. In 2003, due to the high level of suicides and safely risks, a barrier was constructed, but the steel rods feel very much like prison bars and impede the view of the valley below. But it has done its job and prevented more people from jumping.

 

The bridge took 4 years to build and was completed on Aug. 23, 1919. Underneath there is a lower deck which opened in 1969 and is heavily used by the Bloor-Danforth subway trains. Sometimes when you run over the bridge you can feel the vibrations of the trains below.

 

I continued on Bloor Street for another kilometre and then turned right onto Sherbourne Street so that I could run through Rosedale which is surrounded by beautiful ravines and parklands. I ran to the end of Sherbourne Street, and then turned right onto South Drive which turns into Crescent Rd, a meandering and winding street that eventually spills out onto Yonge Street.  The houses are big and beautiful here, many of which are Edwardian, Tudor, Victorian and Georgian in style and are at least 100 years old. With all that money it takes to live here though, none seem capable of shovelling their sidewalks.

 

For the next 5 km I ran north up Yonge Street which is very hilly and my Garmin calculated that I ran 1147 feet of elevation gain.  There are a variety of stores, restaurants, beauty and hairdressing salons, travel specialists and even a Running Room, but most of these businesses were closed. It was pretty quiet except for those lining up outside various coffee shops to get their early morning cup of joe. Traffic was minimal, so I was able to run on the road when I needed to pass groups of people milling around. My GPS was going a little haywire among all the tall buildings and cloudy skies and when I looked at my pace it would read inaccurate and erratic numbers. Once I was away from Yonge Street it started recording my pace accurately.

I turned around just before arriving at Lawrence Ave West at 13 km, the halfway mark. It started to snow on the way back, but it was a really wet snow and I was soaked through by the time I got back home.

 

I was still feeling pretty good at around kilometre 15, but knowing that can change rather quickly, I tried not to get over-confident and push my pace. Once I reached around 20 kilometres my legs and back began to get sore and last 3 km were quite a bit slower as stiffness was setting in. By the time I got home I had run a total of 26.5 km, but was feeling pretty good.

 

For the rest of the week I got up early and ran just a little over 9 km each day before Cilla started her virtual school. I was surprised how well I recovered from each run, especially with taking so much time off during the holidays. Clearly the rest did me good and now I’m feeling refreshed and ready to go.