New York City Marathon 2015!

We spent last weekend in New York City where Marathon Man completed his 10th Marathon! (4hrs and 32mins) Yikes!?! He was one of almost 50,000 runners. It was a crazy, amazing and exhausting experience (cheerleading is exhausting:)
We♥NY.

P.S. The One World Trade Observatory was worth the visit. It offers unbelieveable 'see forever' views of the city.
P.S.S. The NYC Marathon has been crossed off his bucket list.

Durham Quarter Marathon 2015

We ran hard (this morning) in the DQM 2015!!!
It started out cold and wet then the sun come out - just for us:)

Crossing the finish line @ The DQM 2014

Yesterday was The Durham 1/4 Marathon (10.549km) + 1/8 Marathon (5.275km). A great run for a great cause! It was another family affair minus our Emma, who was out with a knee injury:(
Hannah crossed the finish line (1/8 Marathon) first in her age group:)

Oasis Zoo run 2013

This morning we were up bright and early for The Toronto Oasis Zoo Run. No, not the nicest day for a run. Although the weather was bad, the company was great! Hannah and I ran the 5k while Emma and my sister ran the 10k. Hannah ran her best 5k to date and Emma came in first in her age group!
Maybe next year we'll all run the 10k. Together. Team Johnston:)

I just want to run...

Emma; young, running barefoot, with her dogs. Doesn't get much better:)
Kate; thinking about it...
William; always good to go.

Running with a Kenyan

Yesterday our Emma ran The Durham 1/4 Marathon (10.549km) while Hannah and I ran the 1/8 Marathon (5.275km). It was a family affair with Marathon Man taking the photos (which explains the shot of the Kenyan runner).

Maiko Momanyi Evans ran The 1/4 Marathon with a time of 32:54 (that's a 3:08 km pace!). He came first out of 378 runners.

Emma ran The 1/4 Marathon with a time of 49:20 (a 4:41 km pace:) She came 46th out of 378 runners (and 9th out of 210 in her gender). On top of having a great run Emma can now say that she ran with a Kenyan... technically we all ran with a Kenyan - just not at the same time:)
Thanks again for joining us Jesse and Sue - looking forward to the next run.

Happy Father's Day Marathon Man!

 

Our Emma's grade 9 English assignment; to write about and discuss something that is very important to you, something that has helped to shape who you are - Emma chose running and soccer. She put this video together as part of it. It gets me every time:)
P.S. I won't tell you how many times I've played it.

Makes me smile

Emma finished 4th place at LOSSA championships yesterday:)
(grade 9 midget girls cross country running)

A family affair

Sue and Emma running the 1/4 marathon.

Yesterday was The Durham 1/4 (10.549km) and 1/8 (5.27km) Marathon. And we were there, for our 4th year. When I say we I mean my sister and her son and me and my girls - a running family affair.
It was Emma's first 10k+ and Hannah's first 5k+:)
It was a perfect day for running. None of that heatwave stuff that we've had lately but that didn't mean that the fire fighters monster water hose wasn't welcomed:)
Looking forward to next year!

Training for a Run

I have a run coming up which means that I'm "in training" (not as serious as it sounds). This is my dangling carrot (glorious food). There's nothing better then food that's tasty and pretty!
Sweet treats - TandT supermarket

Running in the zoo with my cub

This morning Emma and I ran 5k in The Toronto Oasis Zoo Run. I was too late signing up for the 10k (it filled up quickly) so I opted for the 5k and asked Emma (13) to join me. It was so much fun running through The Toronto Zoo with her ('with' for 3k actually - then she left me in the dust). I was happy with my time, 29:21.9 (yeah! I broke 30) and thrilled with Emma's, 26:25.0 (the girl is fast).

Looking forward to next year. And I'll be sure to sign up early as it'll be Emma's first Zoo 10k:)
Top photos: brightroom

The Durham 1/4 Marathon 2011

Today was The Durham 1/4 Marathon. It's a great run for a great cause. This year they added The 1/8 Marathon (5.27 km) to the event. Apparently it's the first 1/8 Marathon in Canada. So...this year instead of doing the 1/4 Marathon (10.549 km) my sister and I decided to do the 1/8 and make it a family affair. I ran with my daughter and she ran with her son. It was the first organized race for both of them. We all finished, without stopping (yeah!) and we all got medals (bonus yeah!). It was a day full of big sweaty smiles and lots of high fives:) Thankfully this year it wasn't as hot as it was last year. But we still welcomed the hose that The Oshawa Fire department offered up for those who wanted a quick cool down.
I've got to give a big thanks to Mr. Fireman for providing us with a great photo opt! And thanks again Sue, Jesse (12) and Emma (13). I'm really looking forward to next year as our crew is growing.
Next year, plus Hannah (10), we'll be a crew of 5.

Running Thoughts

The other day Marathon Man and I were out for a run. I'm his warm up. When I'm done he carries on for a gazillion more miles. Anyway, he was telling me how much he loves running. How he thinks things through on his runs and how it helps him to clear his head...
Me on the other hand...I don't love running. And I pretty much think about what I'm going to eat when I get home! It's why I run actually - because I love food:)
Speaking of food I discovered Closet Cooking not too long ago. It's a great blog full of great recipes. I know because I've tried a bunch of them out. Kevin, from Toronto, spends his free time searching for and trying tasty new recipes in his closet sized kitchen. The Guinness chocolate cheesecake (shown above) is from Closet Cooking. Visit Kevin's blog for the recipe and many more!

Vibram fivefingers follow up...

I've been running in my new Vibram fivefingers® for a little over a week now which pretty much makes me an expert;) So what do I have to say about them? They're great. I'm converted. I love my new Virbram fivefingers!
The best part is that I actually feel lighter on my feet (always a good thing when running) which makes sense because I am. And the second best part is that I never have to worry about finding a pair of running socks (always a mystery where they go?) again!
I'm officially joining Marathon Man in singing the praises of Vibram fivefingers. If you're really quiet you'll hear us:)

If you can't beat'em...

Marathon Man started running barefoot last summer. That's right no shoes. Just his bare naked feet slapp'in the pavement. Crazy? I thought so. But guess what? Not one of the ugly predictions made by many (including me) came true. He hasn't had one injury. No sliced toes from broken glass. No holes in heals from embedded rocks. No Avian (bird) flu from stepping in poo (damn those Canadian Geese!). Seriously not one injury.
When winter came (and remember we get chilly ones) he kept on at it but obviously his feet needed some kind of protection. So he started running in Vibram fivefingers®.
A year has past and he's still running barefoot and still singing it's praises. So...when I went off the other day on how much I hated my running shoes, couldn't wait to get them off after every run and how my feet felt like the were on fire...he suggested that I try Vibram fivefingers. Hmmm...(that's about how long I thought about it). Why not?
I'll let you know how my silly new shoes work out...

This is us in our Vibram fivefingers.

If you can't beat'em...

From curb-side trash to sofa-side treasure

I finally got around to working on my great find from last summer. I found this lamp in someone's trash while out for a morning run and am now so happy that I lugged it home.
It didn't take much to take it from 'curb-side trash to a sofa-side treasure'. It was rewired (Home Depot's all in one kit), painted grey (Benjamin Moore's escarpment) and topped with a new shade (HomeSense). Sweet.
P.S. The pillows (I purchased two) are my salute to 'Honeysuckle', Pantone's colour for 2011. They look fabulous with grey - like most colours do.
P.S.S. Marathon Man thinks I've made the room 'too girlie' with these pillows. What does he know? Hello, he runs in his bare feet for Chr@#st sake!!!

Running with the animals

This morning my sister and I ran 10k through The Toronto Zoo (The Oasis Zoo Run 2010). I started doing this run in 2007 and she started in 2008. It's become an annual event for us (I'm hoping we'll still be doing it into our 80's - not sure if she's aware of this?). I love this run and think it's one of the best 10ks in the city. It was a beautiful day, perfect for running. I usually know if it's going to be a 'good run' in the first 10 minutes out. If I don't get that 'oh shit, I don't think I trained enough' feeling then I'm good to go and I was! My time was a respectable 58:26:4. In our age group (women 45-49) I was 26th out of 121 and my sister was 9th out of 121. There were 2032 runners in total, 1311 females and 721 males. I was 323 out of the 1311 women and my sister was 132 (not bad for 2 gals pushing 50). To see more photos of this fabulous run go here.
Now it's time to eat cake!

Someone elses trash...

About a month ago, while on a morning run, I spied this very interesting looking lamp. It had been put out for trash!?! If it was still there on my way back I'd pick it up - it was meant to be. If it wasn't there I'd kick myself - ALWAYS seize the moment!
For now my new special lamp is sitting in our basement waiting to be made over. It's base is solid wood, the little table is marble and there's a stamp - made in Italy (uhuh).
I've added this gem to 'The to do list' but have no idea when I'll get to it. In the mean time I'm searching for the perfect new shade, deciding on what colour to paint it and wondering where I'm going to put it(?). Stay tuned...

You've got to be kidding!?!

FORD WANTS MARATHONS TAKEN OFF STREETS AND MOVED TO PARKS
After reading this headline my head was spinning!
Is this guy for real!?!
Perhaps Mr. Ford needs to go for a little run to clear his mind (among other things).
It's hard to believe that he could be running (pun intended) The city of Toronto very soon.
Look out Word On the Street you could have a new location next year, neatly tucked away in a park somewhere - just how Mr. Ford seems to like things.
Read more from 680 News here.

Marathon Man barefoot and (almost) naked!

Last night Marathon Man ran 10k for North York General Hospital’s Underwear Affair® and raised $900! As you can see in the first photo he ran in his newly tie-died boxer/briefs (the handy work of E&H). And I was so sure he'd wear boxers!?!
This was Marathon Man's first time at The Affair - a crazy event where participants show up in their skivvies. The cause - to help uncover the cure for 'underfunded' below-the-waist cancers like prostate, ovarian, and colorectal.
This was also Marathon Man's first 'official event' running barefoot. He's been running without shoes for about 2 months now. So far so good, he says. All previous injuries (and there have been many) have literally disappeared! A few blisters here and there are the only issue now. FYI for all the concerned and/or curious he hasn't stepped on any sharp objects (yet). So far so good, I say.
The last photo is of Marathon Man just before he crossed the finish line (yeah). All the other photos are of strangers who generously obliged when asked if I could take their pictures. Note to all those strangers: Thank you! It's people like you that make an event like this so much fun!
And note to Marathon Man: This was a lot of fun! I'm thinking that we should add it to your annual roster? And maybe next year I'll run with you? I'll borrow your boxers - knowing they'll be available;)
$900! Wow!!!